In a small, almost stranded, but not quite, town, there lives a hero bigger than the average person. He is considered minor, and many have never even heard of his name, much less know him. His name is Balto. He is not human, but rather a creature who is both loyal and kinda, and could  be fierce if needed, but prefers to enjoy the good side of life. He saved a town. And although a small one, the lives that were saved are as important as any pop star, political figure, or any person off the street.

At first he was nothing but a street dog, disrespected, thought nothing but bad thoughts of, and completely avoided. But now, he is the fame of the town, and his popularity is quickly spreading throughout the state.

But about 2 years later, the hero is still in his prime. Although he has aged, he's still the talk of the town, the one everyone wants to meet. But little does he know that his old enemy, whom he battled almost 2 years ago, has been plotting against him all this time, coming up with the most perfect of plans to take revenge and finally bring the wolfdog down.

But oblivious to the events coming soon, he trotted along the streets, looking for his mate and the love of his life. "Jenna! Jenna where are you?" He had received news from a passingby dog that she would be somewhere near where the old race line used to be. As he arrived at that spot, he saw no one there, not a dog, human, or living thing in site.

But it would soon become clear that this was all staged. It was a trick, a scam, a lie. A familiar, old face soon approached the brown and tan wolf hybrid. And the surprise and shock on Balto's face surpassed the belief that this was actually happening. Steele arose from the shadows, his old rival. Balto had forgiven the malamute long ago, but just by the look of pure mischief on his face, he could tell from the moment he saw him that he hadn't forgiven and forgotten quite as easy.

There was a dark tint to Steele's voice, almost a mix of mocking and anger. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my old 'pal' Bal-to." He made sure to enthusiase the word 'pal' and seperate the two sylables of "Balto". "How have things been, hm?" Sarcasm drenched his tounge.

Balto growled slightly at the fact that this big, proud dog was so stubborn and selfish. "None of your buisness." He snapped quietly.

"None of my buisness?" Steele put a paw to his chest,  pretending to act hurt. "Balto... that's not very nice."

Balto growled. "You know what else isn't nice?"

Steele put his paw on the floor and nodded once, signaling he was listening.

"Losers like you who are so selfish you don't care about saving kids, only about the fame and fortune it'll bring." He snapped, full force.

Steele growled, not being able to contain his anger. He was being mocked again, being told off, by the stupid half breed who, in his opinion, was a nothing, a no one, and the days he stayed that way were the best by far.

Balto smirked, knowing he was getting to Steele's head, sending a clear message that he meant buisness, and wasn't in the mood to fight. Just then, though, his smile shattered into about a million pieces.

Steele came full force at him, not caring in any way shape or form if Balto was serious about fighting or not. In Steele's head, though, he wasn't. This mutt didn't want to fight me before. He only got lucky. This time I'll finish him! He thought maliciously.

It began looking that way too. In almost no time the large malamute had Balto pinned to the snow covered ground. It seemed as if it were over.

Balto nearly panicked. He wasn't the type to fight, not even unless his life counted on it. Yeah, if he did he may be equal due to his wolf side, but then again you could never be sure. Considering that Steele was nearly two times his weight and muscle, it wouldn't be much of a struggle if Balto tried to get out now. In advantages, all he held were slightly sharper teeth and trimmer, longer claws. Neither could hardly stack up against the large brute. The reason? This wolfdog was unsure whether he'd even use them or not.

His thoughts were abruptly broken into, though, when Steele slashed his face with a fury of no less than one swipe of the paw. A red mark invaded the wolfdog's face. He suddenly got furious with Steele's ignorance. He had specifically warned Steele not to mess with him time and time again in the past. It just didn't seem likely anymore that he could ever get it through the dog's thick skull. "Do you ever listen to me??" He yelled.

Steele's head swung up a bit, clearly surprised Balto was trying to fight back in even the slighest. He'd never really heard Balto yell at him before. It had stunned him momentarily.

"I don't want to fight you! All this is stupid!"

Steele growled. "You're in no position to be insulting me, mutt."

"I'm not insulting you, Steele. But why can't you just accept the fact that you were being a glory hound back when you were supposed to take the medicine back? All you wanted was the fame, and truthfully? There never really was much fame anyway. The point of taking it back wasn't for that. It was to save all those children. It's not my fault you were shunned by the other dogs. You contributed to your own demise."

Steele had no idea how to react. He was filled with such rage and anger, any sensible dog could have been able to tell he'd burst at any minute now. "You dare... call me... A GLORY HOUND??" Steele snarled. He grabbed Balto's scruff from under him and threw him against the nearest wall.

Balto yelped, hitting the building's side with such force, you could hear everything crack beneath his skin, or at least it seemed so. He groaned silently, looking up with blurry vision at the malamute. "Steele..."

Steele walked toward him, tail raised so high in the air that if he raised it any more, it could possibly touch the clouds. "You took EVERYTHING from me, you stupid mutt! You stole my team, you stole my girl, and you stole my pride! How DARE you!"

Balto was struggling to get up, but before he could, Steele put his paw square on his shoulder. "Don't bother," he growled softly. "You're mine now."

Balto was unsure what to do. At this rate, he'd get seriously hurt if he didn't do something. Obviously, words weren't working. The only power he weilded which could possibly work to his advantage were the ones that came from his heritage. He sighed angrily. He hated threatening other dogs, he hated fighting. It seemed now, though, that it was his only choice.

He growled softly. The growl eminated through his throat until it came out so loud, Steele jumped back a bit in surprise. "Steele, let me just say one thing more before we go through this whole scene, alright?"

Steele wasn't so ecstatic about being told what to do, but if the wolfdog was willing to fight with him, it was worth listening to his last words before he ended him. "Go ahead," he said a bit cruelly.

Balto sighed one last time. "If you try to kill me, what will that ever do in your favor?"

Steele seemed to be caught off guard by the question. "What are you talking about wolfdog?" he spat.

Balto repeated, "If you try to kill me, what will you ever gain from it?

Steele stuttered, trying to think of what good it really would do. "Well... uh.. I-"

Balto nodded, seeming to be proving his point. "Exactly. It will do nothing."

Steele shook his head. "No! It will do something! It'll... I'll finally get my revenge! You won't be a nuisance to me anymore! I won't have to see your ugly hide ever again!"

Balto shook his head as well. "Your revenge? And what will that do? Steele. Think hard. What will my death ever prove? Will it earn the team back? No. Will it get Jenna back? No. Will it win your pride back? No." He paused, letting his words sink in. Steele said nothing. Then Balto continued, "All killing me will do will prove to everyone that you really are a jerk. Everyone will shun you even more. You'll be hated by every dog and human in Nome. You'll live as an outcast, like I did when they disliked me simply for my breed."

Steele was finally starting to see his point. His words sunk in, hitting him like a freight train going 100 miles an hour. "I...." he trailed off, unable to speak. The malamute suddenly took on a different perspective. He began to wonder if Balto ever hated him in the first place. Does this guy really care about what happens to me? After all I did to him, he still wants to look out for me? Steele was so confused, he didn't know what to do.

Balto approached him cautiously, making slow steps toward him. When he finally reached him, he spoke slowly as well. "If you want, though, I can tell everyone that you actually do have a good heart. People will like you again. You'll be remembered by the whole town as the one who actually went and brought the medicine. After all, all I did was bring it back." Balto smiled warmly, seeing that Steele might just have turned into a different dog.

And indeed he was. Steele responded quieter than he had before. This time is was more gentle, more kind. "So... you... cared about me? This entire time... you didn't... hate me? But..."

Balto nodded. "I never had a reason to."

Just those six words were enough to fully snap Steele from his old self. He was now a changed dog. He was now kinder, gentler. His whole being had shifted.

Balto