Kodiak."

"This is my mate, Nightfall," Dakari said as he moved to stand next to her.

Balto turned to her and lowered his head. "I'm so sorry for the loss of your son, Nightfall," he said. "Thank you for saving my life and watching over me. I hope I can repay you someday for the kindness you have both shown me."

"Go and save your son, Balto," she said. "You must use this chance you have been given. The life of a child is precious," she said as tears began to fall from her eyes. "And you must save him if you can."

"My alpha," said a voice from behind Dakarai and Nightfall. Balto looked past them to see a large grey wolf sitting behind them with his head bowed down. "Allow me to lead Balto back to Nome in your place. With all that has happened, I do not wish you to be apart from your mate... or your son. Let me do this to try to make up for what I have done."

Dakarai smiled, and walked over to nuzzle Mulu. "There is nothing to make up for, old friend," Dakarai said gently. "But I will allow you to do this if it will help you to feel better. And..." he looked over at Nightfall. "I do not wish to be apart from my mate either."

Nightfall padded over to Dakarai and nuzzled him, and he nuzzled her in return. "Balto, this is Mulu, and I would trust him with my own life. You can trust him with yours. He will show you the way back to Nome."

Balto nodded and bowed down before Dakarai and Nightfall. "Thank you again for saving my life. I will find a way to repay your kindness somehow."

Mulu came up to stand next to Balto. "I could not save my alpha's son, but perhaps I can help you save yours. Nome is this way." He turned to leave, and Balto got up to follow him. He turned to look back at Dakarai and Nightfall, and saw that Nightfall had begun to cry again. He flattened his ears, saddened to see such pain. He was more determined than ever to save Kodi, and began to run.

The storm had mostly passed, and he could now easily see his way through the forest in the morning sun. Mulu was a good guide, and a fast runner as well. Balto wasn't going as fast as he wanted to, but they were still keeping a good pace. As they ran, Mulu explained what had happened the night before.

"I couldn't save him," he said sadly. "I was trying to get up, and then it was too late. He died saving me. I can only hope that he will be able to forgive me when I meet him again in the spirit world."

"Your alpha told me that he was only doing what any wolf in your pack would do. Wouldn't you have done the same for him?"

"Of course!" Mulu snapped. "I would have given anything to save him."

"I'm just saying... maybe he would have given anything to save you too."

Mulu opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again. The two of them ran on in silence for a while, then Mulu spoke again.

"I cannot rid myself of the feeling that there was more I could have done... more I should have done. I was a good friend of Kantu's, I used to play with him when he was a pup. I watched him grow into a strong yearling, and he was a good hunter even at his young age. For him to die when it should have been me is almost too much for me to bear."

"But he believed in life, Mulu. He believed in your life. I don't think that Kantu would ever blame you for what happened. He acted because that's how he was taught to act. He was taught that no wolf should die..."

"if we have the means to prevent it," Mulu finished and sighed. "I just wish it wasn't him. Not Kantu."

Balto nodded as they both continued to run towards the base of the mountain. He had been gone for close to twenty four hours, and he was becoming increasingly worried that he was not going to make it back in time to save Kodi. He began to run faster as they made their way down the mountain and through the forest covering the foothills. Soon, the ground began to level out and they reached the edge of the forest.

Mulu came to a stop and panted for a few moments to get his breath. "This is as far as I need to take you," he said. "Simply continue in the direction we were heading and you will see Nome soon enough. It's not more than an hour away at your pace."

"Thank you Mulu. Please tell Dakarai and Nightfall that my thoughts are with them. I am grateful for their help, and yours."

"I will tell them. And Balto," he stopped Balto as he was about to start running. "Thank you for what you told me. Kantu did love his pack and our way of life, and so do I. I will honor his memory as best I can by staying true to the beliefs he upheld. Goodbye, and I wish you luck."

"Goodbye, Mulu," Balto said as he began to run.

Balto felt rested and had only been running for a couple hours, so he pushed himself as hard as he could to get back to Nome. He ran so hard that he lost track of time, and all that existed was the sound of his breathing, his paws on the tundra and the sight of the mountain behind him slowly getting smaller in the distance.

Soon he saw what looked like a town far in front of him, and he pushed beyond his limits to get there even faster. He was moving so fast his legs barely touched the ground, and he closed his mind to the fatigue and kept running. As he got closer he began to recognize some of the buildings and he knew he was almost home. He took a deep breath and howled as loudly and for as long as he could. He gasped and sucked in another lungful of air and howled again, splitting the air with his call.

He shot into Nome like he had been fired out of a cannon, and ran straight for the vet's office. The vet had heard him coming and was already standing outside with his door open. "Balto! You made it, boy!" Balto tried to slow down but his legs were numb and wouldn't do what he wanted them to do. He gave up and fell over in mid stride, and his legs crumpled under him. He bounced off the ground and skidded to a stop at the doctor's legs.

"Whoa boy, take it easy! Breathe!" Balto was hyperventilating and couldn't move, and the doctor checked his pulse. "Just breathe Balto, you'll be okay, just keep breathing," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen a dog move that fast before."

He removed the leather bag from Balto's neck and opened it, finding the antibiotics inside. "These are exactly what Kodi needs, Balto. You did it!" Balto put his paw on the doctor's arm and whined.

"Yes, Kodi is still alive. He hasn't gotten any better but he's still all right. These drugs should fix him right up. You saved him." The doctor smiled and rubbed Balto's head. "I'll be right back, I want to give these to Kodi right away."

The doctor went into his office, and Balto's breathing slowed down a bit and he was starting to get the feeling back in his legs. He turned over onto his back and lay panting on the cool ground, exhausted and thankful that his son was still alive.

"Balto! Balto!" His ears snapped forward as he heard Jenna frantically calling his name. She came running around the corner and saw him lying on the ground. "Balto!" she cried, and she leapt on top of him, smothering him with licks and kisses.

"I was so afraid... so afraid you wouldn't come back to us," she sobbed into his chest. "I missed you so much while you were gone, and I was scared that Kodi was going to die, and... I didn't know what to do."

Balto wrapped his paws around her, pulling her close to him. "It's okay Jenna, I'm here now. I got the medicine, and Kodi will be fine. The doctor is inside giving it to him right now. Everything is okay."

"Oh Balto," she sniffed and kissed him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Jenna." He closed his eyes and nuzzled her, breathing in her scent. He could smell his family, and he finally allowed himself to relax.

###

Balto and Jenna walked down the beach near Balto's boat, with their six children nipping at their heels and playing in the water. "Don't go too far out, little ones," Jenna said to the pups. She looked over at Balto who was smiling. "What is it, my love?"

"Oh, nothing really. This just reminded me of a dream I had when I was sleeping at the vet's in White Mountain. I was here on the beach with the pups, and they were playing in the water and attacking my legs. It felt just like it does now, like it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love being a father, Jenna, and I love you for giving me a family."

"I love you too," Jenna said as she kissed him. "I can't believe it's already been a week since you came back with Kodi's medicine. Look how fast your children are growing."

"I can't believe it either. This is how Dakarai must have felt when Kantu was their age." Balto's smile faded. "He was only a year old, Jenna. I don't know what I would do if... if..."

"Hopefully we'll never have to find out. I can only imagine the pain his poor mother must have felt. Her only child..." Jenna's ears flattened and she looked down at the ground.

"Yeah. She was devastated. I still owe them my life, I want to go back to visit them sometime. Maybe after the kids are grown up and have their own homes, and it's just the two of us again."

"I'd like to go too... I want to thank them for saving your life myself. I don't know if I can run that far