how he's always acted towards us," Kaltag said, "Think about it; from the start, he was always ordering us around and blaming us for his screw-ups. When we did do something good, he would either brush it off or pass the idea as his own."

"Why didn't we see it before?" Nikki asked.

"We were so caught up with the fun of being on a champion team, that we turned a blind eye to how he treated us," Kaltag replied, "Guys, lets face it; our lead dog is big jerk. He may be a champion, but that doesn't mean he's all great."

"But what can we do about it?" Star asked, "We can't tell him; remember what he did to Zeke when he badmouthed Steele?"

"You mean what we did to Zeke?" Kaltag replied, and the other two nodded, "Yeah, I know, but we don't have to end up like him," Kaltag replied, "We could be sneakier; we should be allowed to say what we want when he isn't around."

"What happens if he gets worse?" Nikki asked, "What should we do if he turns on us?"

Kaltag hesitated; he didn't like the idea of having to revolt against the dog that had taken him in and given him a sense of belonging. However, with the way he was going, Steele may become more than just a nuisance for the team - he could become a threat to their very safety, "I - I don't know. We'll deal with it if we reach that part of the road," he replied, "However, I don't want it to come to that unless it's absolutely necessary."

While it may have been a small start, it was a start nonetheless. Kaltag, Nikki and Star had finally taken enough from Steele, and took to badmouthing him whenever he wasn't around. Kaltag didn't know it yet, but this move would be the first of many that would make him transition from a follower into a leader, and from a bully into a friend for someone who wasn't all that different from him...

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Present Day

"I know full well what it's like to not fit in," Kaltag continued, "I joined Steele's gang because it was the easy way to get ahead. Unfortunately, my desire to fit in somewhere made me lose my grip on right and wrong. The fear of being left out was so powerful, and I gave in to it," Balto was surprised at how forward Kaltag was with him. Out of all the time he had known the Chinook, he had never seen him speak with such insight before. Most of the time, he only saw Kaltag kiss up to Steele.

"I – I never knew," Balto replied.

"Well now you do, and I'm telling you to not make the same mistake I did," Kaltag said, "Don't give in to the fear of rejection; go with what your heart wants." Balto looked down at Jenna, still leaning against his chest, and remembered how she had always been the one who gave him a leg up whenever he was down. His heart had always wanted to be with her, and that was what had kept him going through the years.

"If I may say something as well," Maska put in, "From what I've heard here, I think your friend is being very sincere. To have him admit that he was at fault is obviously a sign of trust towards you; trust that you should return."

"You're right, and I do want things to change for the better as well," Balto replied, "But it won't be easy."

"Change is never easy," Maska replied, "Change represents the unknown, and for some it provokes discomfort, even outright fear or anger. However, in order for change to happen, you have to commit to it. It may come slowly, but if you don't do anything, it won't come at all," he said.

"What do you say Balto?" Kaltag said, "Do I still have your trust?"

"Please Balto, you don't have to run and hide," Jenna continued.

Balto thought it over; while he was still nervous about those who still didn't trust him, he was moved by the efforts Jenna and Kaltag had made, "You have my trust Kaltag, and yes, I will come back with you," he replied, before turning back to Maska, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to turn down your offer again. There are some who need me much more than you do."

"I understand. In fact, I'm glad that you're choosing your older friends and your love over us," he replied, "We wolves value loyalty very highly, and you wouldn't be honoring your ancestors very well if you turned your back on Jenna and the others."

"So, I guess this is goodbye, even after such a short time," Balto said.

"Well, at least goodbye for now," Maska said, "You may decide to live in town, but you are still part wolf, and you'll always have friends out here. I do hope that you'll come and visit us every now and then."

"I'll see what I can do; between helping Kaltag keep the peace, and spending time with a certain beautiful husky…" he said, causing Jenna to giggle, "…I might not have much free time. What do you think Jenna?"

"Oh, I'll definitely be keeping you busy for the next little while," she said, giving him a wink.

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Epilogue

One week later

The past week had been a tense one due to some news that came in a few days before. Steele had been found; he had wandered into White Mountain after a few days in the wilderness. It was a day that Balto and Kaltag knew might come eventually, but for once, fate was on their side. Despite having a great love for his lead dog, Gunnar had noticed how his lead dog had started to become a little… unreliable. He figured that it was time to retire Steele from racing, and sold him to a friend he knew in White Mountain. Kaltag told all of this to the dogs at the old mill, and while Steele's diehard fans were a little disappointed, several were happy that they wouldn't have to deal with him in town again, including a certain hybrid who was relaxing beside Kaltag.

"Of course, you know what it also means Kal," Balto started, "It means that your promotion is permanent." By now, it was the second time this week that Balto had come to the old mill, and while some dogs were sitting quite a distance from him due to them being uncomfortable with him, no one objected to having him there. Some had even greeted him warmly when he entered, "I guess they were right; I just needed give them a little more time to get used to me."

"I know that, but I'm ready to take on whatever life throws at me," Kaltag replied.

"I'm more worried about what will happen to the dogs over in White Mountain. I mean, they do know who they're dealing with right?" Jenna put in. She had settled herself right beside Balto, leaning onto his side.

"Don't worry, I told them about who they're dealing with, but I also told them to cut him a little slack," Kaltag replied, "He's already been kicked out of one town, and even though he isn't the best guy around, I still think that he should have somewhere to belong. I know all too well what can happen if someone is ostracized to the point of desperation and it's not pretty," he finished, and Balto nodded.

"Just as long as he isn't here, I'm fine," Balto said.

"I must ask, where would you get an idea like that?" Spitz asked. The husky had put himself at the opposite end of the room from Balto, but had stopped complaining about having him around, "You do remember what he did to you guys right?"

"Well, the idea came from my recent experiences," Kaltag replied, "Remember, I used to pick on Balto with Steele only a few weeks ago, but despite that, we gave each other another chance. We may have had some… missteps for the first few days," he said, and Balto knew he was hinting at the previous week's incident, "But now we're going along just fine. Who knows, maybe it'll make Steele a better dog this time around."

The dogs muttered with each other over this new development, but Balto simply smiled in contentment. The events of the last week had only been a small dent in their friendship, and they came out of it better dogs. Plus, he had managed to find some new friends in Maska and his pack. This way, he wouldn't be forced to choose one side over another. He could have friends for both his wolf side and his dog side. Soon, the discussion broke between the different groups, but one dog had decided to come up to talk to Kaltag. It was Cain, smiling at what he had just heard, "Ya did good today Kaltag," he said "After all you've done for Balto and the team this past week, I think I can safely say that the team will be all right with you in charge."

"Thanks Cain, though, it won't be just me in charge," he replied, earning a quizzical look from Cain, "Remember what we talked about earlier, about how Balto was a part of the team too? I think of him as a lead dog as well, and I have ever since he first took up the harness two weeks ago. He's as much a lead as I am; sometimes, he's even more…"

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Two weeks earlier

The rest of the team watched in awe as their great leader went from hero to crazed maniac before their eyes. They had been lost in the mountains, waiting for hours after crashing on a high ledge, though for what they weren't sure; no dog team would dare go out into this storm to look for them. However, that meant that it was up to a stray half-breed that they had spent most of their lives hating, to come to their aid. At first, Kaltag was skeptical about having Balto around, but what he was offering was their only way out of this mess. He had left a series of markers on his way out that could be followed back to Nome. All they had to do was follow him and