should still be in the old mill on the west end of town, and he'll have Kisa with him. I can keep Kari company here while we wait, but remember to be careful when approaching. You're still a wolf walking into a human town."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I managed to get there this morning without much fuss," she said, before turning to leave. "I'll say hi to Jenna for you too if I find her!" she shouted.

"You do that," Balto said, chuckling a little, "This is it; only a few more minutes and this deal will finally be done with. Nothing could possibly go wrong now."

---

By now the sun had almost set in Nome, and Spitz and Kisa were closer to their escape. The journey had taken a little while as the mill was on the west end of town, while Kisa's territory was to the east. They were forced to cross the entire town, using alleys and abandoned buildings for cover. Even though they would soon have to dash out into the open tundra, the low light would make it easier for them to slip away. They crept along in silence, with Spitz trying to keep a close eye on Kisa; he didn't want her to slip away and ruin everything. She may have earned some confidence by sharing his feelings about Balto, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was up to something.

"Is it much farther?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts. "It feels like we've been sneaking around for ages."

"It takes a little while to cross town, especially if we're trying not to be seen. We're almost there and once we're out, you can take me to your territory," Spitz replied as he turned the corner into an alley that led out to the open tundra. "See, I told you. The edge of town is right there."

"Good… to bad you dogs are too thick for you own good," she said venomously.

"What are you talking abo - ack!" Spitz cried, his question cut off as Kisa jumped on him, sinking her teeth into his leg and knocking him to the ground. Once he was down, she tried to make a break for it, but Spitz quickly recovered. That wolf had double-crossed him and he wasn't about to let her get away with it. He chased after her and snapped his jaw on her tail, drawing a painful shriek from her. She whipped around to strike back, but he dodged, maintaining his hold on her tail. For any canine, chasing their tail is very difficult, especially when you have another husky clamped down on it. Finally, Kisa kicked out with her rear legs, catching him in the chest and pushing him off her. In their struggle, they had turned around so that Spitz was now blocking her exit. Kisa was forced to turn back with Spitz hot on her trail, heading back into town. "You won't get away this time wolf!" Spitz yelled. "I'm getting Kari back if I have to drag you by your ears!"

Spitz caught up with her again, and this time he bit into her shoulder while slamming his full weight into her. Both were on the ground, rolling around until they fell into the open street. A scream was heard as a few of the townspeople who hadn't gone home for the evening saw a full-fledged wolf in the town, grappling with one of the dogs. "There's a wolf in the town! Someone get a gun!" someone shouted, and there was a scramble to get away from the scene. Kisa and Spitz kept biting at each other until they broke off, standing to face each other directly.

"You lied to me! You were never going to take me to her!" Spitz barked.

"Of course not; you're not worth the trouble," she spat. "Still, I do appreciate you getting me out. See ya later," she finished. She turned away from Spitz, but instead of seeing freedom ahead of her, she froze as she came face to face with the metal barrel of a rifle. Spitz froze up as well as he heard the unmistakable click of a round being cocked into the chamber.

---

By now, Kaltag could barely stay awake; the exhaustion from the past couple of days was taking its toll. He had barely slept last night due to having to stay up and watch over the town, and his current assignment hadn't allowed him time to nap. Earlier, he had managed to run thanks to the adrenaline surge brought on by grappling with the wolves, but that boost had long worn off, leaving him on the verge of falling over. Nikki and Star had been with him to help look after Kisa, but they too were starting to wear down. Nikki's eyes were half-open, and every now and then he would start to lean to one side as it became harder for him to stay upright. Star was already dozing off, but Kaltag didn't have the energy or the heart to wake him up. He felt like dozing off himself, but the task at hand forced him to stay awake. Still, his exhausted state wasn't much of a concern for him; Kisa had been quiet for the past few hours. "I should still check up on her, just in case," he thought. He stood up and was about to walk over when he heard the door to the mill creak open.

"Okay, he's just in here; hurry up or you'll be caught," he heard Jenna's voice say. He turned around and saw her, along with a familiar red-brown wolf.

"Jenna, Anya; what are you two doing here?" he asked. "Where's Balto?"

"He's still with Tikani and Kari," Anya replied, grinning. "They're both fine and he managed to reach an agreement with Tikani! All he needs now is to bring Kisa back."

"It… worked?" he said. "It actually worked? He got the wolves to leave us alone?" Anya nodded, and he shouted out in joy. "YES! This is the happiest, the most joyous, the most jubilant-" he cried out and quickly nuzzled Anya. However, she didn't mind as she herself felt like jumping around. "Oh Kisa, guess what? You're going home soon!" he called out, but there was no reply. "Ugh, always the antisocial one," he mumbled. "Kisa?" he asked, poking his head into the side room. However, his new joy vanished and his eyes went wide when he saw the empty room. "NO! She's gone!" he cried.

"What? Where did she go?" Jenna asked as she and Anya looked in as well.

"I don't know, but I can see how she got out," Kaltag said, looking at the opening that had been made in the wall. He started to sniff the floor for any clues. "Hang on, I don't think she did this alone. It smells like she had some help from…" his eyes narrowed and his brows knitted as he growled out the last word, "...Spitz. This can't be good. We have to find her, before someone sees her and-" he was cut off by a sudden, thundering bang that echoed across the town. The bang shocked Nikki and Star awake, made Anya jump in shock, while sending a wave of panic through Kaltag. The only reason for someone to shoot within the town was if they... "No, please no," he muttered, as he ran out towards the source of the sound. When he arrived, his stomach twisted. Kisa was there, lying on the ground with a bleeding wound in her neck while Spitz stood over her, frozen in shock. "Spitz!" he roared before launching himself at the husky. He slammed into him, pushing him onto his back and holding him down with his paws. Spitz growled at him, but Kaltag didn't falter. Alerted by the noise, several other dogs came towards the scene.

"You idiot! You insufferable, incurable, unforgivable idiot! Do you have any idea what you have just done!" Kaltag bellowed at him.

"I just wanted to get my sister back!" Spitz shouted back. "She said she would help me, but she double-crossed me!"

"You let her out? You were supposed to wait for Balto to come back!" Kaltag yelled.

Spitz averted his eyes. "I was tried of waiting. I wanted to get my sister back my way."

"Don't you get it? With what you've done, the chances of getting her back have just gone down the toilet," Kaltag shot back. When Spitz realized he was right, it made the husky sick. Without Kisa, the wolves wouldn't give his sister back, nor would they agree to any type of peace. "If this deal fails, it won't be the wolves fault, nor will it be Balto's. It will be yours, and yours alone."

---

Chapter 8: Consequences

Kaltag quickly had Kisa's body moved into an alley so that she wouldn't be lying on the street, all the while trying to keep his head. Not only had Spitz's actions caused a needless death, it had been Kisa, who was their only bargaining chip in this crisis. "You've really done it now Spitz!" he yelled. "Ever since Balto returned from the serum run, you've been finding ways to muck everything up for him, and now you've really blown it." For once, Spitz was not his usual brash self. The realization that their plan was out the window hit him harder than it hit Kaltag. His will to fight had long left him, so he simply sat against the wall of the mill with his paws and tail tucked underneath him in submission. "You're lucky I don't tear you apart for this!" Kaltag continued. "She was the only way we would've gotten through this, but now she's gone thanks to you!"

"Hold it Kaltag," another of the dogs put in. "I think you're being a little hard on him. He may have messed up, but you can't blame him for wanting to help his sister."

On hearing this, Kaltag's first instinct was to spin around and sink his teeth into whoever said that, but he held onto his restraint long enough. "That may be, but we had a plan to get her out and it almost worked. Tell them Anya," he said, and all eyes turned to her. Many