paced back and forth around in front of the junction, but nothing came to him. "I… I don't know. I can't find them, and I will admit that I'm tired as well. Everyone! We're going to camp here tonight and resume our search tomorrow," he called out, and all present agreed, glad to finally have some rest. While others settled down, chatting idly, Tikani sat alone, glaring at the junction. It was obvious that he was still adamant about pursuing Jenna. Despite all of the justifications for justice for Kisa, Atka couldn't deny what he felt. This was wrong, this was crossing the line, but he was worried about revealing his feelings for fear of being ridiculed or attacked by Tikani. Finding Faro and Salin, he settled down beside them. It didn't take long for his two friends to notice his troubled expression.

"Hey Atka, you look like something's bothering you," Faro inquired.

"It's… it's nothing, I'm just tired from today that's all," he fibbed, still reluctant to talk about what was going on in his mind. 'Should I tell them? I don't want to cause trouble but this could be important. What if what we're doing out here is wrong? But Tikani might come after me for telling everyone… then again, if this isn't wrong, then why would Tikani want to keep this secret in the first place? Ugh, what should I do? Our pack needs closure, but what if we go too far?' His mind went back and forth as Faro and Salin talked beside him, and as his eyes wandered upwards, they widened when he saw it.

He gasped when he saw a pure-white figure perched on a high ledge overlooking them, gazing directly at him. When he saw her, a rush of memories came back to him. Memories from years ago, of a dear friend that he'd lost because of the madness of his last alpha. The last time he'd seen her, she was running for her life. He'd aided her escape, protecting not only her, but her unborn cub as well. And now, here she was, looking down on him, but not how someone would usually look at an old friend. No, she was glaring at him with an expression of shame and contempt.

"Aniu?" he muttered, unable to ignore the scathing look she was giving him. It was as if she knew exactly what was going on… and didn't like a thing about it.

"Huh, what'd you say?" Salin asked, but Atka didn't reply, his attention focused on the wolf above them.

'Don't forget what you did for me. Don't forget the wolf you are.' The voice echoed in his head, a voice he'd almost forgotten. It was her voice, and it was clear she was sending him a message. How she was doing it, he didn't know, but her appearance strengthened his resolve. He did remember what he did for her, and always thought of that as the bravest decision of his life. Now, he was faced with a similar situation, but this time he was on the wrong side. Making it right would mean going against his own alpha, and if he was going to do it, he couldn't do it alone. He would need help on this - he would need the friends that knew what it felt like before.

Faro and Salin noticed his gaze drift, but when they looked back, they saw nothing. She had vanished after delivering her message. "Watcha lookin' at Atka?" Faro asked, unsure of what his friend could be staring at.

"Actually guys, there is something bugging me," he started, wanting to come clean. "There's something about this whole chase that you need to know…"

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Chapter 6: A Hero's Hero

Balto and Jenna both sighed in relief when they reached the woods at the base of the mountain. The only sound was the chirping of birds in the snow-covered trees, and that was music to their ears after days of howls, barks and roaring winds. The natural peace boosted their spirits and the clouds above them started to break, allowing the afternoon sun to shine through and illuminate the serene landscape.

It didn't take them long to find a river that was just starting to thaw out for spring. All rivers led to the ocean, and they hoped that the coast would bring them one step closer to home. With this in mind, they started to follow the trickling stream through the woods. Eventually, the trees gave way to open tundra, and as they scanned along the flat expanse, their hearts jumped when they saw what looked like their salvation. In the distance was a group of unmistakable square shapes that could only be created by one thing - humans. Only humans created buildings in the arctic.

Balto and Jenna cheered at their good fortune. They dashed towards the town, ready to rush to the comfort of their homes. Both were wide-eyed in joy as they bounded across the tundra. Even Balto let his tongue hang out the side of his mouth like a puppy in a toy store. Any second, they expected to hear the calls of the dogs and humans who would see their approach, but nothing reached their ears. That was the first sign that something wasn't right.

His bounding slowed to a brisk run when he saw there were far fewer buildings than Nome had. The run became a trot when he couldn't see the coastline past the town, only more tundra surrounded it. Finally, his trot came to a halt at the edge of the town when he couldn't see of hear any sign of life. No residents walked the streets, and there were none of the sounds that he'd come to know in Nome. His mouth stayed open, but his brow furrowed as he looked up and down the empty, silent town. He let out a groan as his hopes deflated, and Jenna looked disappointed as well. Both felt like this was some sort of cruel joke - it was so close, yet so far from home at the same time.

For some gold rush towns this was the reality. A vein of gold would be discovered, and people flocked to the area to get their share. While some towns prospered from a healthy supply, others found themselves empty within months. When that happened there was little reason for the people to stay. They moved on, leaving a nameless ghost town behind. This was the case for the town Balto and Jenna had found, going through the years with barely anyone remembering its existence.

The sun started to dip below the horizon, which meant they would have to spend the night in this empty town. The dismal setting and the blow to their spirits darkened Balto's mood. He was used to having a clear path before him, but there was nothing in this dead town. Not even the wolf that revealed the hidden path was present, making him feel isolated and alone. He had no landmarks and no guide to show him the way. Looking over at Jenna, he noticed her exhausted appearance and felt terrible. She didn't deserve this and neither did his pups. This last disappointment only added to his worries, and the sheer weight on his conscience pressed on him.

They walked along the empty streets, the sound of their paws crunching through the snow echoing off the silent buildings around them. Most of the buildings were intact and standing, but many of the signs had worn off, leaving them to guess whether or not they were shops or something else. Down one street he could see a mill near the river, its wooden waterwheel rendered immobile from the ice and corrosion. There were a few homes as well, but many of their doors were locked. It was as though their owners expected to return and wanted to keep their home safe until then. Finally, he found a cabin where the lock had been damaged by exposure. It was simple matter of pushing hard enough with his shoulder to force it open. Inside was completely barren - all the furniture had been removed when the owner had left. With nothing else, Jenna simply lay down on the cold, dusty floorboards.

'She deserves so much better... what have I gotten us into?' he thought. He padded over and gave her a nuzzle, his ears low in regret.

"I'm fine, I just need some rest," she replied. "Thank you for everything today."

"You may want to hold your thanks - I don't think I deserve them," he replied, looking away from her.

"What? How can you say that? You've done so much good for us. We're still alive thanks to your quick thinking and we'll be safe soon. We will get home-"

"After how long? Days? Weeks?" he cut in. "Even if we do get home safely, Tikani won't let this go. He'll keep coming after us. He'll hurt our friends, our family… all because I had to get involved in this mess."

"You were doing what you thought was right. You were trying to help them, just like you helped during the serum run."

"Maybe that's the problem. I expected to be able to waltz in and be the good guy again… but this time I was careless. That led to Kisa's death, not to mention Kari's current situation." By now he was pacing. Everything he'd kept bottled up was starting to rush out, and it threatened to overwhelm him. "Have you seen them Jenna? They're starting to go hungry because of my mistake."

"That wasn't your fault. You weren't careless-"

"Maybe not directly, but I made the call to keep Kisa in town. I put her at risk when I could have just taken her home!"

"You had no way of knowing what would happen-"

"No, I just jumped in headfirst. I wanted to be the hero again, but that caused more harm than good."

"Are you sure? Kari's team hasn't been attacked and neither has the town. You may not have ended a war, but you at least brought a ceasefire," she retorted.

"At what cost? I may have saved them in the short run but doomed them down the road. The attacks may have stopped, but that was only because Tikani was