placate the dogs, and after Kaltag got his team together, they waited for the evening to come. With them were Nikki and Star, along with the three other dogs on Kaltag's main team. Surprisingly, it wasn't until now that Balto had been fully introduced to them. There was Dale, Trip and Harry, and they were more than eager to have another mission with the half-wolf who had saved their lives a month ago. As the sun started to dip below the horizon, Balto and crew took up position at the west end of town, using the snowdrifts for cover. None of them said anything as the sun left the sky and darkness covered the town. It was an eerie calm, but they took some comfort from the moonlit night; they wouldn't be completely blind when the time came. Time passed, and it soon became a waiting game. Most dogs would be fast asleep at this time, but their anxiety kept them awake. They knew that at any moment the wolves would come, and they would be sitting ducks if they were caught sleeping on the job. However, the waiting started to get to them, with some tapping their paws on the snow to break the monotony. "Ugh, it's the waiting that always gets to me," Kaltag said. "It makes me feel the shakiest, the most apprehensive, the most foreboding-"

"It's worse than the real thing," Star cut in, and Kaltag nodded.

"What if they don't come?" Dale asked.

"They will," Balto replied. "They were prompt the last time they came, so they'll probably be prompt tonight. But this time they won't catch us by surprise."

"Other than that, did the wolves say anything else about they would do?" Trip asked.

"No, but their alpha told me that they were taking things to the next level. If today's attack on the team is any indication…" he trailed off, remembering how the wolves had viciously attacked the team. Several dogs had been injured, including Spitz, so Balto expected that they would probably do the same again… or worse. "They want to put teams that go hunting out of commission, so my guess is that they're going to be a lot rougher this time around."

"Yous cripple the dogs, yous cripple sled travel completely," Nikki put in. "They must be desperate."

"Well you have to admit that you'd be pretty upset if someone was going into your property and taking something you thought of as yours," Balto put in, and the dogs were quiet as they thought his words over.

"Balto, while we're here, I want to know how you're holding up," Kaltag said.

"I'm fine," Balto replied curtly.

"Are you sure; we're going up against wolves here and I know that for the longest time, you were trying to prove that wolves weren't like this," he said. "I can't help but wonder how this sits with you, being a half wolf and all."

"It doesn't sit well with me, but that's because dogs in the town that I care about are at risk," Balto replied flatly. "As for me being part wolf... that may be true, but I've lived in this town my entire life and I've always considered myself more of a dog."

"Oh… I was just wondering, because you spent a lot of your life being told that you were a violent wolf because of the stories, and here you are, having to go through this with other wolves," Kaltag said.

"I know, and I appreciate your concern Kaltag," Balto said. "Even though those stories were used to taunt me, I guess that every story has to have some element of truth."

"Yeah, I guess it does," Katag finished. A few more minutes passed, and Balto could feel his eyes start to droop after staying up so late. The unchanging night had a dulling effect on his mind and he let it wander, wishing that he could instead be cozily snuggled up to Jenna tonight. He wanted her to stay safe with her family tonight, so he wasn't able to be at her side. He laid his head down on the snow, imagining that it was Jenna's warm back as it rose and fell with her soft breathing. He imagined that they had crept into her home and curled up in front of the fireplace as it died down in the night. Lying with her was so soothing… it always put Balto out like a light… so warm and peaceful… alone, they could be as… cozy as they wanted… she did say she wanted pups… he could never say no to her… she was so beautiful…

"Hang on, what was that?" Harry called out, snapping Balto out of his dozing fantasy. "I think I saw something out there."

"What was it?' Balto asked.

"I don't know, but it looked like a shadow moving near the coast… there it is again!" he cried out in an excited whisper and that was when everyone saw them. A group of four canine-shaped bodies were trotting across the open tundra, sticking close to the shoreline. The moon had bathed the area in it's pale light, allowing the dogs to spot them approaching. Without hesitation, they sprang into action, dashing in to intercept the new arrivals.

"Only four of them - this will be a cakewalk," Trip said.

"Remember, the aim is to simply chase them off. Only attack if they do so first," Balto reminded them. "We don't want to make this worse than it already is." While the moonlight had allowed the dogs to spot the wolves, it also worked the other way. The wolves knew they were about to be intercepted. The lead one barked out and they broke into a run, with the dogs racing to catch up. The wolves made a beeline for the harbor and the dogs arced back towards the town to stay with them. The harbor in Nome had been closed down for the winter, so most of the boats had been pushed onshore to prevent them from being crushed by the sea ice. By the time they reached the harbor, the wolves had disappeared, with the boats acting as great hiding spots. "Split up, they have to be around here somewhere," Balto said.

The dogs did so, with them splitting up to flank either side of the row of boats while Balto crept towards the boats, wanting to find a better vantage point. Finding a boat that had a ladder leading up to the deck, he placed his paws on the rungs and gingerly climbed up. Higher up, he could look down onto the nearby street and see if anyone was trying to slink past, but no one was there except the dogs that were searching. Balto could easily jump from boat to boat, traveling along the line of parked crafts. He did this as quietly as possible until he reached the end of the line, but there was no sign of them. "Where did they go… it's just like last time. They disappeared when they really-" Balto quickly turned around to find a wolf charging at him from the wheelhouse, knocking both of them off the boat and to the ground.

Balto groaned from the impact and shakily got up. "One would think you'd be smart enough to learn from your mistakes," the wolf taunted. Balto recognized him as the one who had jumped on him during the last raid. Just like last time, he'd allowed them to sneak up and surprise him from behind.

"Hey you!" Kaltag called out, starting to rush towards the wolf.

"Kaltag, look out!" Balto cried, but it was not enough to stop another wolf from jumping off the boats and landing right on the Chinook. The last two wolves did the same, surprising more of the team as they searched the harbor. Once on the ground, the wolves didn't bother to fight them further, instead fleeing under the boats. "C'mon, we've got to stop them!" Balto cried and the team obliged, going around the boats to surround them. Balto rushed ahead and skidded right in front of the wolves as they were about to run under the last boat in the line. Kaltag, Nikki, Star and Trip quickly flanked them, while Dale and Harry rushed in behind them to cut off their escape. In a turn from earlier that day, it was now the wolves who were boxed in. "Alright you four, we've got you outnumbered this time, but I'll still give you a chance to leave and go home. You can tell Tikani that we are far from defenseless," Balto said.

However, the wolf started to chuckle, which caught Balto by surprise. "You still don't get it. You only focus on what's in front of you; you never think to protect your rear," he said, and Balto's stomach dropped a little. The last time, the wolves split into two groups... and there was nothing to stop them from doing the same again. His fears would soon be realized when he heard barks and howls come from across town. "As for that message... I think you can give it to him yourself."

"What in blazes?" Dale asked.

"Oh no… come on, we have to go!" Balto cried out.

"But what about these guys?" Kaltag asked.

"Forget them, they're just decoys," Balto replied before dashing away with the other dogs following him. He mentally kicked himself for being so naive. The wolves had wanted them to follow them so that they would be drawn away when the main group arrived - and it didn't take two guesses to figure out where they would be going. He stepped into a higher gear as he raced towards Spitz's home, only to realize that the barks and howls were also approaching them. Balto rounded the corner and without warning, collided with another dog, knocking both to the ground. Balto didn't know this dog, but he looked like he had seen a ghost. "What happened; how many?" Balto asked the panicking dog.

"I - I don't know," he replied, gasping. "They came from every direction, many of them, lots of them. I tried to get away, but they were