in the world did you guys manage to get on the good side of our lead dog?" Star asked.

"What are yous talking about?" Nikki asked.

"Didn't you two know; Steele is the lead dog of our team," Star replied, "He's already won our team the Trans-Alaskan Derby, with the prize being the gold studded collar that he was wearing."

This news only added to Kaltag's excitement. Their lead dog would make for a powerful ally, which meant that no one would be able to touch them, "If I'm friends with Alaska's champion dog, then no one will ever make fun of me for being a Chinook again," he thought, "Finally, I have a way where I can belong with the team."

Since that day, Kaltag, Nikki and Star stuck with Steele, because being with him gave them a sense of belonging. At the time, Kaltag didn't think that there could be any negative consequences with this decision. All he wanted was to be able to be able to fit in with the crowd, and siding with Steele made that happen. He didn't know yet that there could be a dark side to falling into Steele's crowd.

---------------------------

Present Day

Balto continued walking at a very brisk pace, the previous exchange with Spitz and Kaltag still fresh in his mind, "I can't believe what Kaltag did back there. I thought that he had learned from his experiences with Steele, but he just stood to the side, like he always used to. I guess when you're in charge, you don't have to change a thing about yourself. He'll just do what he's always done and flow with the crowd in order to keep his popularity," he thought as he walked with Jenna at his side.

Jenna could tell that Balto was very troubled by what had happened, and tried to alleviate his sour mood, "Balto, are you okay?" she asked.

"I was, until I heard what Kaltag really thinks of me," Balto replied, "For a moment, I thought that he had decided to change his mind about me, but I must have been wrong about that."

"Kaltag was only being encouraged by Spitz," Jenna said, "I'm sure that Kaltag will be perfectly fine as long as you keep that vile dog away from him."

"Maybe... but the fact that they're still picking on me isn't what's really bothering me; it's the fact that no one seems to be doing anything about it," he replied, "They're just letting all the Spitz's of the world run amok, doing nothing to question them."

"I see," she replied, "However, while Spitz may be very vocal, he doesn't speak for everyone. I'm still with you on this."

"Thank you Jenna. I know Spitz is just one dog, but what if what he said is right? What if my popularity is only fleeting, and everything will go back to the way it was before?" he asked.

"Don't think that. You did such a wonderful thing for this town and you'll always have those who will be grateful for it," she replied.

"They may be grateful now, but how long will they remain that way?" he asked, "For so long I was the outcast of this town and I'm getting the feeling that will be a hard thing to shake; for both me and them."

"I'm not so sure about that," she replied, "You saved so many lives, and I'm sure that you'll always be remembered for that. I bet they'll still be talking about you well into the next century. They'll write stories and songs about you, continuing the tale of your heroism."

"I'm not holding my breath for that," Balto said, "For most of my life, whenever something started to go right, it would always come crashing down on me."

"Oh Balto, why did your life have to turn you into such a pessimist. Change doesn't happen overnight, it comes gradually. For the longest time, I couldn't be with you like I am now, but over time, we grew closer and now here we are," she thought, "Balto, you have to give them some time. Most of the town is still recovering from the shock of the diphtheria outbreak," she said, "Besides, you're forgetting that there is one human who has always had a liking for you, even when you were an outcast."

"Rosy?" he said, and Jenna nodded.

"She's always had a soft spot for you, from back to when we were small pups. She has always seen you as a good dog," she said.

"Yeah, she has," he said, "Rosy would probably jump at the chance to have me in her home, but would her parents share the feeling?" Balto thought, "They've always been wary around me because I'm part wolf, but maybe saving their daughter will finally change their minds. If not… then maybe my acceptance really is fleeting." Soon, his train of thought ended when they reached Jenna's home. Her owners would return at any minute with their daughter, and Balto and Jenna had settled on a simple way to greet Rosy on her return. By using the doggie door in the back, they could sneak in and wait in the front hall for them. That way, the first things that Rosy would see when she returned would be the two dogs that she loved the most. Normally, Balto was wary of going into someone else's home unannounced, but Jenna assured him that she had her invitation, and that her family would probably be glad to see the dog that had saved their little girl, along with so many others. After all, who wouldn't want to have a famous dog in their own home?

Pushing the wooden flap out of the way, Balto poked his head in the kitchen and took a look around. It had been years since he had been in here, and that was from a time when, for a brief moment, he had thought he had found a place to call his own. As a young pup, he had the chance to come into a home, and could have lived with Jenna and Rosy. Unfortunately, reality came crashing down on him when Jenna's family found out about his half-wolf breeding. Ever since then, Rosy's parents, in particular her father, had been wary about letting their daughter near him.

"I'm sorry, but we can't have a wolf in our house…"

"He might bite ya honey, he's part wolf…"

Her father had seemed a little nicer to him after he returned with the medicine, even bringing him over to her so that she could give him a hug. However, Balto was still a little nervous; would he still be as kind now, or would he be like Spitz and have reverted to his distrusting ways already? Balto walked through the kitchen and into the living room, taking a moment to look around. The layout hadn't changed at all since he had last been in here, and there were a few scattered items still on the floor. A quick sniff identified them as Rosy's; they were her toys. They must have been left behind when she was taken to the hospital after her parents noticed her deep, hacking cough, along with her fever; an early sign of the diphtheria that she had fallen ill with.

As he trotted through the room towards the front hall, he started to wonder how things might have been if they hadn't found out about his breeding. He could have been accepted into their home, and wouldn't have to live in a creaky, old boat. He would be able to wake up here every day, probably next to the dog he loved so much, or curled up next to Rosy. Instead of scrounging through the scraps from the butcher, he would have been fed good food regularly. He could have spent his days trotting along at Rosy's side for walks, or playing fetch with her and Jenna. He could have had the life of a dog; a life of acceptance, "All I wanted was to be accepted with the humans, but they never accepted me, all because of my wolf side," he thought, "It was that one fact that made me so reviled by the town, even I started to hate that part of me."

Soon, he entered the front hall and sat himself beside Jenna in front of the door. She noticed that he was taking the time to look around, "So, what's it like for you to be back here after all this time?" Jenna asked.

"To be honest, I really don't know yet. On the one side, there's all the fun I had with you and Rosy," he replied, "But on the other side, there's the fact that her dad kicked me out and has never really liked me since."

"Well, maybe he'll have a change of heart after this," she suggested.

"Maybe," he said, and despite his reservations, if he did get another chance to be accepted, he wouldn't hesitate to take it. At this point, it didn't matter where, as long as it was somewhere. A few moments later, they heard footsteps coming up the front steps, followed by the jingling of keys and then scratching of the key being inserted into the lock. Balto took in a deep breath as he prepared for what was coming next, "Here we go."

The door was opened just a crack before Jenna stuck her head out to greet her family, "Jenna!" Rosy squealed as she hugged her dog, and Balto heard her father chuckle as he opened the door completely, revealing that Jenna was not the only one waiting for them. "Balto!" Rosy cried when she saw him too, and came in to give him a big hug. He returned it by nuzzling her face and licking her ears, causing her to giggle.

"Balto? How did he get in?" Rosy's father asked, surprised, "What is he doing here?"

"Hehe, you came over to say hi didn't you boy?" Rosy asked, "It's sure been a while since you've been here, but I'd be great if you could stay for good."

"Oh, I'd love nothing more," he thought.

"Please let him stay; please let my love stay," Jenna thought as well.

"Well dad, what do you say?" Rosy asked, "Could Balto stay with us?"

"I – I don't think that would be the best thing honey," her father said, causing three hearts to fall