Sam turned to look at her, suddenly remembering. He inched closer to Denali’s neck again, in a pure state of panic. Denali shook his head, trembling. “No… no!” he cried, still obviously trying to catch his breath before he completely passed out.

“Sam, STOP!” Rika growled. Sam looked up at whimpered, backing away. “You don’t understand, Rika! If I don’t kill you quick he will! He’ll… he’ll!”

Lera walked a few steps to get closer to him. “Steele?”

Sam growled, something he thought he’d never do to Lera. “Yes! Steele is gonna kill you all painfully if I don’t! He’ll make me watch all of you die until I do! I-“

Denali stopped him, getting up slowly after finally being able to return his breathing back to normal. As Steele stepped out of the shadows he growled. “I knew you couldn’t do it, pup!” Sam’s head swung to Steele and he was shaking violently.

Lera suddenly stepped up to Steele in a pure act of wanting to protect her brother. The usually timid girl was turning into a miniature version of Denali in that single moment: Brave, willing to get anything out of the way to save the ones she loved. Rika joined her, not wanting her to do it alone. Even Taylor joined the small wall of protection. Same still shook violently, though. Steele shot him a glance, not even phased by the others who were trying to scare him off. “You know what to do.” Sam hesitated. “Go now! Or do you want your pathetic little family to die painfully?” He snarled.

Sam yelped and headed off in an unknown direction.

“If all else fails, go to your father. Kill him.”

Sam was being engulfed mentally by Steele again. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him to get to his father. He reached Jenna’s house, where he had said he’d be and puffed out breaths. “Where is he?” He gasped.

Cooper, Sam’s older sibling from the second litter, came out from behind the house now. “Hey Sam,” he said. When he saw Sam was alone and had a grave look on his face, he slit his eyes so they were suspicious in expression. “Sam… what are you doing here alone? Why aren’t you with Lera or Den? Or Rika or Taylor?” He asked softly.

Sam’s eyes took a glint of pure desperacy as he tried to figure out how to get around his brother. “Coop, I need to see Dad.”

Just the trembling alone was enough to keep Cooper’s feet stood at a standstill. “Sam, I think you need to-“

Sam growled, something he’d never done much in his life. “Cooper, get out of my way!” He screamed. With that, he screeched past the wolfdog. He came to find Balto just behind the house. Jenna wasn’t too far off from where he was, but Sam’s eyes flitted to where even more of his siblings stood guard. They had heard the yell and were unsure of what was going on. They stood next to and in front of their father almost in a protective stance, but not exactly since it could the scream could have meant anything.

Kodi tilted his head at his younger brother, but didn’t exactly know what to say. Fiata was there as well, but she said something at least. “Sam, what’s going on?” She ventured, walking a few steps toward him. He breathed in and out slowly, not sure how to convey what he had to do. Instead of making out words, he decided on just going straight for his father. He ran as fast as possible to Balto, making a b-line for his neck. In no time at all he pounced on the much older wolfdog and had a death grip on his throat.

Balto struggled and coughed, trying desperately to get his son off him. All of Sam’s siblings tried to do the same, but there was no such luck. Any which way they pulled him would hurt their father. There was no way to get him off without causing damage themselves. Still, they kept trying.

Meanwhile, the four from Balto’s third litter arrived at the house. They had been following Sam’s tracks in the snow, and left Steele behind to deal with later. Denali barked at Cooper who had just finished recovering from being knocked down when Sam ran past him.

“Coop, have you seen Sam by any chance?” His words were a bit rushed, but otherwise worried all the same.

Cooper nodded hesitantly. “He got past me, going to the back. Hurry! Something may have happened. I don’t know what, but something seemed wrong.”

Taylor shook his head. “Oh no…” he whispered.

Cooper raised an eyebrow.“Is there something I should know?”

Denali ran past him, the other three following. “We’ll fill you in later. C’mon!”

They all ran to the back of the house and were completely shocked at what they were seeing. Balto was almost dead from not being able to breath and if he wasn’t released, Sam would be guilty of murder.

“Sam, stop!” Rika called. Sam seemed to move a little, but the pure terror of what might happen to everyone if he didn’t finish at least one ‘job’ kept him from stopping.

When he heard another voice on the wind, though, he budged a bit. “Sam, please…” whispered Lera. “Please, Sam. You don’t have to do this; we’ll protect you.”

Sam growled softly, and you could tell it was hesitant, almost as if he seemed to be getting back the will to stop. “But-“

Lera shook her head. “But nothing, Sam. We’re siblings. We’ll always stand up for each other. Steele can’t hurt any of us if we all stick up for one another.”

Balto’s eyes went wide when he heard just the malamute’s name. “Steele?” He tried to say, but Sam’s grip was still there. It loosened as Lera’s words rang through his ears. Eventually, his teeth kept letting go little by little until the fasten was completely undone. “To..together?” He asked a bit like a pup.

Lera nodded. “Together. No one can ever pull us apart. Not even Steele.”

Balto coughed and gasped for air, just as Den had done not too long ago. He’d be okay. In the meanwhile, all of the siblings there gathered around him, trying to help him recover from the surprise attack. Jenna was frantic, but trying to be calm at the same time.

Kodi, Fiata, Cooper, and Jenna were around him, trying to help him up as he began to breath normally again.

Sam finally let the tears fall down his cheeks. He was sobbing terribly. “I’m sorry I let him get to me… I don’t-“ He couldn’t finish.

Rika looked at him with sympathetic eyes. “It’s alright, baby brother. You didn’t do anything wrong. Steele is nothing but a lying fake and we should all be aware of it. You’re just the one he picked to use as a puppet. It could have happened to any of us. Don’t be ashamed.”

Sam nodded, and the tears subsided slightly, but they were still there somewhat. He turned to his dad, trying to keep that stuttering voice you obtained after crying from entering his tone. It was still there, though, obviously. He sniffed, “Dad… I’m so sorry…” he let another tear slip.

Balto let his warm smile come across. “Son, I’m not sure what happened, but if Steele was involved in any way shape or form, I know it wasn’t your fault.”

Sam nodded. He shed a few more tears before finally quitting the practice.

After that the five were quick to explaining all that had happened that day to their parents and the rest of their siblings, including Amber, Maria, Saba, Dingo, and the rest of them. All seemed to be on edge, but for the most part the family seemed to be okay. For now, at least…