beating so hard his whole body could feel it. "Kodi!" He scrambled to his feet, slung the leather bag over his neck and shoulder, and ran to the front door. It was closed, so he ran through the house looking for a back door. "How long was I here? How could I have let myself go to sleep?" He found a back door that had a doggy door built into it and he burst through it, running full tilt out of town and back towards Nome through the pitch darkness of night, in the middle of the worst snow storm he had seen in months.

"Kodi has to be okay. He has to be," Balto thought worriedly to himself as he sprinted as fast as he could go through the blinding snow and the blackness of night. He was making his way back to Nome on memory alone, because he couldn't get his bearings visually. He was sure he was going the right way, because his mind was clear and focused after the rest he had gotten. He just hoped his nap wouldn't cost him his pup's life.

He ran for hours, narrowly avoiding trees and rocks, using every sense he had to try and divine the correct direction. He was slowing down as the storm and low temperatures were beginning to take their toll on him. He could feel the freezing cold seeping past his fur, and he was beginning to lose the feeling in his extremities.

"This is bad," he thought. "I'm not even halfway back yet, and I'm slowing down. I might have to–"

Balto yelped as he dodged a boulder only to slam into a tree next to it. It knocked the wind out of him, and something in his belly began to hurt. He lay on the snow gasping for air, and the possibility that he might not make it back to Nome suddenly became very real. He struggled to his feet and winced at the pain in his stomach, and took a few steps forward. It wasn't too bad, but he was starting to feel dizzy. "Must... keep moving," he thought as panic slowly began to set in. He was moving as fast as he could, but there was no way he could run now.

The wind grew stronger and Balto had to fight against it to move forward. The collision with the tree had disoriented him, and now he wasn't sure he was heading in the right direction. He had to hope that he would come across a recognizable landmark, but he was miles away from anything in any direction. His dizziness suddenly became worse, and he vomited blood and whatever was left in his stomach into the snow. He gasped for air and fell over onto his side. "N-no," he thought, as the image of Kodi lying motionless on his back flashed through his mind.  "Must get up... must keep moving."

He struggled to his feet and shakily began to move forward again against the wind.

"S-so c-c-cold," he hissed through clenched jaws...

###

Chapter 4: The Present

"Awaken, Dakarai of the Falling Leaf Tribe."

Dakarai jumped in surprise and was on his feet, disoriented. He had heard the voice in his mind, it didn't come from anywhere inside his den. He was breathing heavily and looking around wildly, and he wasn't sure what had just happened.

"What is it, my love?" Nighfall asked sleepily.

"I thought... I thought I heard a voice," he said, unsure of himself now.

"It was I who addressed you, my son," said the ethereal voice he had heard before, only now it was coming from the entrance of the den.

Nightfall was suddenly wide awake. "I heard it too this time," she said. "Who could possibly be here at our den in a storm like... this..."

Her voice trailed off as they saw a form begin to take shape at the entrance to their den. Amidst the swirling white snow, the shape of a tall, pure white wolf emerged and walked purposefully towards them.

Dakarai and Nightfall watched with their mouths agape as the white wolf approached them, glowing with internal light. "Great Aniu," Dakarai whispered in quiet reverence, as he lay down at her feet with his head between his paws. "To... to what do we owe the honor of your visit, great spirit?" he asked timidly.

"I am aware of all that you have suffered this day," she said, her voice coming from all directions at once, filling the room. "Yet despite the sorrow you feel for the loss of your beloved child, I must ask for your assistance."

Dakarai and Nightfall both looked over at their son's body, and Dakarai bowed his head. "I will do whatever you ask, Aniu," he said.

Aniu smiled at him. "You are a kind spirit and a strong leader, Dakarai. You have my thanks."

Dakarai looked up at the shining white wolf before him and felt peaceful, as though her presence was lifting the weight from his heart. "What must I do?" he asked.

Aniu turned to look out of the cave. "Not far from here, there is a half-wolf who is in need of your aid. His journey has been long and difficult, and the storm has claimed him. He fights to survive for the noblest of causes, something you are intimately familiar with." She turned to face Dakarai. "He clings to life by the thinnest of threads, sustained only by his love for his son and his family."

"His son..." Dakarai repeated softly.

Aniu gazed at him. "I chose you because I know you will understand when I tell you that his son's life is in danger. At only four weeks old, he has contracted a deadly virus that requires human medicine to cure. It is for this medicine that Balto has ventured out this night, on a long, hard journey to a faraway human town to retrieve it."

Aniu turned to look out into the storm. "Now he is trying to return to his home in Nome, but he has been injured and cannot continue. His body is slowly dying in the cold, but his spirit is fighting to survive. He fights so fiercely that I can feel him struggling even now."

She turned to sit in front of Dakarai, and caught his gaze. "He fights as fiercely as you would, had your roles been reversed."

Dakarai stared at her, and then understood her meaning. "No wolf should die if we have the means to prevent it," he said softly. "Even if he is not of our tribe."

Aniu nodded and smiled at him. "Your Kantu gave his life to save another, and he has been given an honored place in the spirit world. And now as thanks for your assistance, I give him back to you as your guide to find Balto. But you must hurry, as his time has nearly run out."

A shape began to emerge from behind Aniu, and took form in the light beside her.

"K - Kantu...?" Dakarai stared in disbelief.

"Kantu! My baby!" Nightfall cried, as she ran to him and nearly knocked him over. "My baby... my baby," she sobbed. She pushed her face into his chest and cried, breathing in his scent and feeling his soft reddish brown fur against her face.

"I miss you too, mother," Kantu said, nuzzling her. "I'm sorry, papa, I did my best to save Mulu."

"You - you don't have to apologize for anything, son," Dakarai said with tears in his eyes. "You did save Mulu, and you killed the bear too. You're a hero." He looked into his son's eyes and nuzzled his face. "I'm proud of you," he said, his voice tight with emotion. "You did the best anybody could ask of you."

The three of them nuzzled together for a few long moments, and then Kantu spoke. "Father... time is running out for Balto and his son. Balto is a good father, and all he wants to do is save his son's life, even at the cost of his own. We have to leave before it's too late."

Kantu's words struck Dakarai to his very soul. He knew all too well what it felt like to want to give his own life in exchange for his son's. "All right," he said softly. "Let's go."

Kantu nuzzled his mother, and turned to leave the den. Dakarai followed him, and saw that Kantu's reddish brown coat was giving off light, enough to see his way out of the den and into the storm. "He's this way, papa," Kantu said as he broke into a slow run into the forest.

Dakarai could easily follow him despite the high speed winds, the dense snow and the dim light of early morning being blocked out by the storm. Kantu shone like a beacon through the trees, and within minutes, they had arrived.

"This is Balto," Kantu said, indicating a brown and tan half wolf wearing a leather satchel around his neck and shoulder, lying in a snow bank. It looked to Dakarai as though Balto wasn't moving, and he saw blood on his muzzle.

"Is he...?" he asked Kantu.

"He is still alive, but only just. We need to get him to safety so he can recover enough to finish his journey home, before his body is too badly damaged by the cold."

Dakarai nodded, and he bent down to lift Balto onto his back. Kantu helped him to pull Balto out of the snow, and once he was on Dakarai's back, Kantu lead the way back to their home. As Dakarai carried Balto, he could hear faint whispers coming from Balto's muzzle.

"Kodi… I'm coming... hang on..."

Dakarai's eyes narrowed and he became determined to save Balto's life. "No wolf should die if we have the means to prevent it," he said, and doubled his efforts to bring Balto back to his den.

Dakarai and Kantu arrived back at their home a short while later, and Dakarai gently placed Balto on his own bed. He pulled some of the furs on top of Balto to keep him warm, and then stood back and sat next to his mate, who was nuzzling Kantu again. They watched in awe as Aniu gracefully moved to where Balto was sleeping, and lay down on top of him to help him warm up. She whispered