means to fit in."

"That's what I came here about," Kaltag said, "The thing is, I'm afraid that the town isn't changing, simply staying the same way it always has been."

"What? Surely the whole town would be swayed not just by Balto's great deed, but also by your trust in him." Cain said.

"That's the thing; I don't know if I am doing the right thing," Kaltag said, "Earlier today, I... kinda said some things that weren't very flattering about Balto while joking with a few dogs." At this Cain groaned, "And Balto heard me too… he wasn't the happiest camper when he heard it."

"Oh Kaltag, why did you do such a thing? You can't just go back on your promises," Cain said.

"I don't know why I did it. Spitz and I were just joking around, and I didn't want to be left out," Kaltag replied, "I wanted to have fun with them and be a part of their group."

"In other words, you did it simply because you wanted to fit in with the current crowd. After all, that's why you stuck with Steele all these years," Cain said.

"Balto was right, I am too comfortable with the status quo," Kaltag said, "But I don't want to be like that if it means pushing Balto away. What can I do?"

"First off, you must remember that you're the lead dog of the team, not Spitz," Cain said, "I told you that you always have the choice to say no to them, and my advice still stands."

"Are you sure it will work?" Kaltag asked, "Spitz seems pretty set in his ways."

"He's only set because it was how Steele ran things," Cain replied, "You're in charge now, and if you lead by example, I'm sure that eventually Spitz and the others will come around."

"I don't know… I'm one dog against many," Kaltag said.

"You're thinking the way Steele did," Cain retorted, "Steele always thought of himself as a one dog show. That was what got him into trouble on the serum run, and it will get you into trouble as well. You may be the lead dog, but you're the lead dog… of a team."

"A team? Oh, of course!" Kaltag said, hitting himself on the head, "I have Nikki and Star with me, along with all the others… and Balto too. He may not formally be a part of it, but I still consider him a part of the team!"

"Now you're getting the hang of it," Cain said, "You may be in charge, but that doesn't mean you're not allowed to ask your friends for help."

"You mean like how I just asked you for help?" Kaltag said, and Cain nodded, "Thanks; truth be told, I wasn't sure if you'd still be willing to help me after all this time."

"Hey, we may have had our rough patches, but we're still on the same team."

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

Balto continued trotting through the alleyways of Nome, the meeting with Rosy's family still ringing in his head. For a short time, he had actually believed that his place would be with Jenna in her home, but that hope had been for naught. The decision ultimately rested with Rosy's parents, and they had never intended to let him in their home, "Then again, I suppose it was a little unrealistic to expect them to let me in just like that. What was that Boris once said to me; something along the lines of 'Don't put all your eggs in one nest'? Well I guess it was lesson learned for me. Though, I would have loved to have been with Jenna." As he crept through the empty alleyways, he remembered how for many years, this was the safest way to travel for him, as going out into the open streets would usually result in dogs chasing him or one of the humans kicking snow or dirt at him. It was a lonely way to travel, as dogs rarely went into the alleys; unless they wanted to pick on him, that is. However, the alleys seemed unusually cramped this time, and he felt the urge to go onto the open street. "Okay, if Spitz is wrong, then I can go out onto the street and walk down it without any problems," he thought as he found a street and went out onto it, sticking to the side nearest the buildings that lined the street, "Okay, so far so good."

At first, it seemed like people barely knew that he was there, but soon he was spotted by a young boy, "Hey, Balto," he called, "Balto, come here boy." Balto was a little unsure of approaching the boy, but he didn't bolt away from him. After all, he had called him over, and he seemed friendly enough. Balto slowly came up to him and saw that he wasn't one of the kids from the hospital, "It's okay boy, I won't hurt you," he said reassuringly, "I heard about what you did for the kids that were sick. You're amazing boy. You saved a few of my friends too." Despite being a stranger to him, Balto decided to give this kid the benefit of the doubt. He came close enough to allow the boy to reach out and rub him behind the ears. Balto enjoyed the affection from him, and leaned in closer to sniff at him, "Hehe, that tickles Balto," he laughed, "Hey, I bet you want a treat don't you?" he asked, and Balto wagged his tail in response, "Well, follow me. I'm sure my dad would let you have something from his shop."

The boy walked along the street and Balto followed at his side. He may not have had the best of luck with Rosy's family, but maybe he would have better luck with this boy. Soon, they reached the butcher shop, and that was when Balto started to get a little apprehensive. He did not have the greatest relations with the local butcher, as the man thought that Balto was little more than a thief. The boy went down to a side door, and knocked on it, "Dad, it's me," he called out. Soon the door opened, and the boy's father opened the door, while Balto stayed to the side out of caution.

"Oh, it's you Samuel. How are you doing my boy?" he greeted, giving Samuel a hug.

"I'm fine dad," he replied, "I was wondering if I could ask you for something."

"What is it you need?" he asked.

"Well, it's actually not for me," Samuel said, "I was wondering if I could get something for Balto."

At the mention of Balto's name, the butcher poked his head out of the doorway and saw Balto waiting off the side from the door. Balto wagged his tail to show that he had friendly intentions, but despite this, the butcher's face turned very cross at his presence, "No Samuel, I'm not giving anything to that mongrel stray," he replied.

"What? Why not? He's the town hero," Samuel protested.

"He may have brought the medicine home, but it doesn't change what he is," the butcher replied, "He's still a thief; more than once, he's pilfered things from me."

"I thought you left scraps out for all the dogs to freely take," Samuel said.

"I do, but sometimes I swear he breaks into my meat locker to take the fresher meat," he said, "He even once swiped a good, live goose right from my cutting board!" Balto remembered that incident. Granted, the goose in question was actually Boris; he didn't want to see one of his best friends butchered, so he had plucked the old bird right off of the cutting board. Unfortunately, the butcher didn't know that; all he saw was a stray dog taking a perfectly good goose from him, "Go on, get ya wild mutt," the butcher said, kicking snow at Balto.

"But dad-"

"No buts! I'm not giving any handouts to that mongrel and that's final," he replied.

Balto didn't need to be told twice that he was not welcome, and he dashed away. He could hear Samuel's protests and calls for him to come back, but Balto didn't pay attention. For the second time that day, he had been pushed away by those who still saw him as a dangerous stray, instead of the selfless wolfdog he was. The opinions of those who did care about him didn't matter, as they weren't the ones in charge. Those who were in charge however, cared less about him; they still thought of him as a troublesome wolf. It was starting to seem more and more as though the town had not changed.

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

Chapter 5: The Last Straw

As Balto walked through the town, he went over the day's events. First, there was the incident with Spitz and Kaltag, in which Kaltag seemed to have gone back on his promise to support Balto in favor of having some laughs with those in town. Next, there was the rejection from Rosy's parents, due the fact that they still saw him as a potentially troublesome stray. Finally, there was the butcher, and while that event didn't have as much of an emotional sting as the first two, the fact that he still was seen as nothing more than a thief in that man's eyes still hurt. He may have gotten a few on his side, but for the most part, things were still the same. Most humans still looked down on him, and some dogs didn't want anything to do with him, "Why do I even bother trying?" Balto thought to himself, "No matter what, things never got better, so why would they get better now?"

Soon, he found himself on the other side of town, near the small hospital that served the town. This was where his journey started, and if there was any place that he would find some solace, it would be here. Finding the front door securely closed, he crept around the side and entered the hospital's boiler room, which was where he could access the crawlspace underneath the hospital. Trotting in, he walked under, keeping his ears alert for any discussion. For the most part, things were quiet, but then he caught a familiar voice up above.

"Eric, it's nice to see you again," the gravelly