they'd spent the night.

"Our scent's going to be all over that cabin," she said, and their concern only grew.

"Well, our peaceful morning was good while it lasted," he grumbled. They would have to get away quickly, so they doubled back along the alley to the street they'd been on earlier, hoping to go around him. They walked in silence, the only sound being the light breeze that drifted through town. Their ears swivelled left and right, up and down, hoping to catch the sound of paws rushing towards them, or the barks and howls of an approaching pack. Their hearts pounded in their chests and their muscles wound up, ready to spring into action at the slightest trigger. They even tried to keep their breathing as quiet as possible, lest it attract any attention to themselves. Left and right they turned, hoping to find some way out of the town, but all they would get was either a dead end, or a surge of panic from seeing the wolf around the corner. They doubled back or changed their path countless times, but nothing yielded any progress. While they got no closer to escape, their pursuer seemed to be inching closer to them.

"It's like he's toying with us," Balto whispered. "He knows we're here, so why doesn't he just call for the others and get it over with?"

"I don't know, but I'll take every second without Tikani that I can get… let's try this way," she suggested, before they turned down yet another alleyway. They hadn't seen the wolf for a few minutes, so they hoped that this would be their lucky break. They turned a corner in the alley, only to be disappointed again. The alley was a dead end, and they sighed before turning around to double back. Balto grit his teeth in frustration - even Nome wasn't as much of a labyrinth as this town. Just as they reached the exit of the alley, they froze when the last thing they wanted to see stepped right in front of them.

There was a brief pause before his head snapped to the side and focused on them, causing Jenna to gasp. Balto locked eyes with it, and he quickly knew there was only one way out of this. Snarling, he bore down and launched himself at the wolf. The stranger was quite startled by his sudden show of aggression, but couldn't turn around before Balto snapped his jaws onto his shoulder, slamming him to the ground. He was not about to let him hurt Jenna, nor would he let him escape and bring the rest of his pack. He reared up for another strike, but heard shouts of, "Stop! Wait!" from the wolf as he rolled him onto his back.

The wolf seemed terrified under Balto's gaze, a stark contrast to the arrogance he usually saw in Tikani's pack. Despite his pleas, Balto still held his chest down with his paws to prevent him from escaping. 'What is this one up to?' he thought.

"No, please stop - don't - I don't want to fight!" the wolf pleaded. While Balto wasn't sure of this wolf's intent, he could tell that his fear was genuine. His tail was tucked between his legs and his ears were flat against his head; he was even whimpering a little. "Please - don't," he begged, his voice cracking.

"You don't want to fight, eh? That's probably the first sensible thing I've heard from one of you types," Balto replied. "If you don't want to fight, then what do you want?"

"I only wanted to find you," the wolf replied, his voice straining from the pressure on his chest. "We need to talk-"

"Talk? TALK! I don't believe you! I gave you the chance to talk long ago, but you decided to try to kill us instead! Why would Tikani want to talk to me now! You're lying!" he yelled, baring his fangs and pressing his paw on the stranger's throat. The wolf gasped in pain, but Balto wasn't going to let up.

"This… doesn't come… from Tikani," he gasped.

"Then who does it come from?" he asked, easing the pressure on his windpipe a little.

"Me… it comes from me… I know this will sound crazy, but I want to help you."

"You're right, that does sound crazy," Balto said. "You expect me to believe that after trying to chase us down and kill us for the past few days, that you want to help us? How do I know this isn't some sort of trick? I may be half-dog, but I am not stupid! This could be a trap to make me drop my guard. You're going to have to do a lot more than just say that you want to help me," he demanded, pressing harder on the wolf's chest, causing him to wince.

"I know I do. After all, you've got to look after your safety as well as Jenna's," the wolf replied. "You have to be careful with who you trust, because it only takes one wrong move to bring about your end… and the end of your family as well."

"My family… what makes you say that?" Balto asked.

"I know that Jenna's carrying your pups, which means that more than two lives are at risk," the wolf continued. "I heard it from that old dog you stayed with. That's why I'm here - I'm here because Tikani doesn't care-"

"And you do?" Jenna cut in, giving him a scathing glare. "Why should we believe that?"

"There are a few things you still don't know about wolf packs. If we seek justice for a wrong committed against us or our pack, we are allowed to do mostly as we please to obtain it. However, there are a few… limits," the wolf explained. "One of them deals with expectant mothers; while a wolf is allowed to seek whatever punishment they see fit, they are forbidden from harming a female carrying pups. It's just… it's crossing the line, as I've heard you say sometimes."

"If there's a rule like that, then why isn't Tikani abiding by it?" Jenna asked.

"He thinks you don't deserve that protection because you're not a wolf," he replied. "He thinks that because you're just a dog, you're not subject to our laws."

"And you think differently?" Balto asked.

"To be honest, I don't know if dogs should be subject to our rules... considering how some of them don't think our rules apply to them anyways... " the wolf replied, earning a cross look from Balto. He was referring to the intrusions by the sled team that served as the catalyst for this whole crisis, and even though he didn't like how bad it made them sound, he didn't react to it. "However, rules or not, the idea of going after someone like Jenna… it just feels wrong."

"Well aren't you a saint," Balto stated, albeit with a hint of sarcasm. "That's a pretty nice story, but there's one thing: Why are you the only one out here? If your pack knows that Jenna is going to have pups - and it's against one of your rules - then why hasn't anyone tried to stop Tikani?"

"Because only a few of us heard the news and Tikani wants to keep it that way. He's keeping it a secret to ensure everyone follows his orders."

Balto thought the whole story over. In theory, it made sense. The news about Jenna would be kept secret to prevent any uprising that would stop Tikani from exacting the revenge he so desperately wanted. "It could be true… or it could be just some story you concocted to trick me," he said, still unwilling to trust the subdued wolf.

"I don't know what else I can say! I might be your best chance of getting through this! Please, you have to believe me!" the wolf exclaimed, becoming more anxious by the second. "If not for yourself then at least think about what's best for Jenna."

"I am her mate and I know the stakes, so don't you dare lecture me about what I should do!" Balto snapped, bringing his fangs closer to the wolf's muzzle. "I know I have to keep her safe, but how can I know that I can trust you?"

"I don't know! I've already told you why I'm doing this! What more do you want from me?" the wolf cried, his eyes becoming wide and focusing on the sharp fangs that were only an inch away from tearing into him.

"Surprise me," Balto said, giving him one last chance to prove himself.

'How else can I convince him? Should I… no, it's too risky if he still doesn't believe me… but he isn't believing me anyway, so I don't have much to lose… here goes.'

The wolf gulped, before slowly leaning his head as far back as he could, fully exposing his neck. This was the ultimate show of submission, as it exposed the most vulnerable part of his body. "If you won't believe my words, then believe this," he said to a stunned Balto. "I am telling the truth, but if you still don't believe me then you can kill me so I can't return to my pack. My life is in your paws and you can do whatever you wish with it. You can let me help you, or you can end me right now - it's your call. Either way, I won't take any further part in what I know is wrong."

Many had put their trust in Balto before, but never before had he been confronted by someone so willing to let him decide their fate. Balto had heard Maska mention something like this. There were varying ways for a wolf to show submission, but none was as drastic or extreme as the position this wolf was putting himself in. A wolf only exposed their throat as a last resort, either to beg for mercy… or to prove their loyalty. This case was the latter, and as the wolf closed his eyes, bracing for the worst, Balto made his