a few months before finding Tikani, who let us join his pack. That's where we've been ever since."

For Balto this quite a bit to take in, but it only reinforced Atka's perceived intent. He was no stranger to dealing with a hard situation, and when the chips were down, he was the type to make the right decision, even if it put him in danger. "Well, that's really something Atka," Balto said. "I may not know how hard the decision was, but I know that it's always the hard ones that show who we really are."

"No argument here; I'm not going to sit on the sidelines anymore. I want to stop history from repeating itself."

"Just out of curiosity, what was the name of this wolf you helped out?" Jenna asked.

"Oh, my mistake. I probably should have put that in as well. Her name was An-" Atka's response was cut off when they heard paws sprinting towards them. All of their ears immediately perked up at alert before two wolves dashed around a corner towards them. Balto instinctively placed himself between them and Jenna, but when Atka saw them he was more at ease. It was Faro and Salin and while he was happy to see them, their sudden appearance was certainly surprising.

The wolves slid to a stop in front of them, panting, but Balto was not taking any chances. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"No, it's okay. These are the friends I told you about: Faro and Salin," Atka explained before turning to the newcomers. "Guys, what are you doing here?"

"We've gotta get out of here right now!" Faro cried. "The plan's gone bust - we're out of time!"

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Chapter 8: A Final Stand

"What? What do you mean we're out of time? What happened?" Atka asked his two friends, who were still panting from their dash to the town. Balto and Jenna waited nearby, anxious to see if what they said was true.

"Tikani noticed that you snuck off," Salin replied. "He came after us this morning and demanded to know where you were."

"We tried to dodge the question but he said he heard us talking last night. He knows we're helping Balto!" Faro continued, wide eyed in panic. "When we refused to give you up, he exiled us and told us to never return if we wanted to keep our hides." At this, Balto's ears parked up, listening intently for any more incoming wolves.

"You were right; I should've been quieter," Salin said, holding his head low.

"You don't know that it was your fault. He could've been spying on me because of all the questions I raised earlier," Atka replied. "Look, we have to go back and tell them what we know. They have to know that Tikani's been lying to them."

"That won't do any good. Tikani's already labelled us traitors, saying that we were plotting to overthrow him by spreading a lie," Faro replied.

"Even though you technically were plotting to remove him in order to stop this chase," Balto put in.

"Yes, but he wasn't supposed to know that until after we'd revealed his lie," Faro countered. "The point is, if we try to go back it'd be unlikely that anyone would believe us. Tikani's got them wrapped around his little claw."

"We have to leave, they could come at any second!" Salin urged.

"Wait, how could Tikani know where we are?" Jenna asked.

"He may have lost your trail, but he found Atka's fresher scent. He's following it as we speak," Faro replied. "You're lucky we were able to run ahead and get to you first, but I don't know how much of a head start we still have." Atka groaned. In his rush to get away, he'd neglected to cover his own trail.

"Then let's not waste any time; let's move!" Balto barked, but before he could take a single step, they heard howls ring out from every direction. Left and right, ahead and behind was a chorus of cries. Jenna's ears fell flat against her head, while Atka, Faro and Salin looked in every direction, trying to pinpoint where the sounds were coming from.

"You weren't kidding when you said we were out of time!" Atka cried. "They've got us surrounded - there's nowhere to run!"

"No, but there are many places to hide," Balto put in. "A town like this has lots of buildings, alleys, crawlspaces and other ways to avoid getting caught."

"Are you sure it will work?" Faro asked.

"You're talking to someone who lived in a town that used to hate everything about him," Jenna put in. "If anyone knows how to avoid getting caught, it's him."

"Let's see what I can use here…" Balto looked around the alley until he found something useful right above their heads. It was a two story house with an open window overlooking the roof of an adjacent building. "Perfect," he said, grinning. "Alright, follow me," he called as he led them towards the entrance of the house. Fortunately, this one had an open front door that they could easily enter.

"What are you doing? Won't we be trapped up here?" Salin asked as they climbed the cold, weathered steps inside. Faro and Atka shared his concern as they looked around the empty, abandoned building. There were very few hiding spots, and the stairs were the only way in or out of the second floor they were climbing up to.

"We'd be sitting ducks if we stayed on the street. That's why we're headed to higher ground," Balto replied as he stepped into the room he wanted. The only remaining furnishings were a small table along with the open window. "Okay, you first Jenna," he said as he pushed the table in front of the window. She knew him well enough to know what he was getting on to, so she didn't hesitate to step up and climb out. The wolves gasped when they saw her disappear through the window, but it was only a moment before her face reappeared. She was standing on the adjacent rooftop, and on seeing that she was safely through, he turned to the others. He noticed the apprehensive looks on their faces and reminded himself that they wouldn't know all of his tricks for moving around a human town. "Don't worry, its okay. Just get out the window and watch your step on the roof. I've done this thousands of times," he assured them.

They hesitated at the idea of jumping out a window, but another round of howls from outside urged them into action. Salin decided to take the plunge first and climbed up the table before jumping out the window. His paws met the wooden shingles with a slight stumble, but he managed to steady himself before Atka followed him. Faro was next, but he almost slid off the roof on his landing. He dug his claws into the wood to keep himself from falling further and regained his balance. Balto came out last once he saw that everyone else was out safely.

"Okay, we're up here, so now what? Do we just wait and hope they don't find us?" Atka asked.

"No. We're going to use the rooftops to cross the town," Balto replied. "Most of the buildings are close enough that we can jump from one to the other-" he was cut off by more barks and cries of the pack, so he urged them forward towards a section of roof that was hidden behind the wall of an adjacent building. The wolves' first steps on the sloping roof were uneasy, but they managed to get by long enough to reach their hiding spot. Once concealed, Balto continued his lecture. "As I was saying, we can jump to other buildings in order to get away. Hopefully we can find a spot where the coast is clear, drop to the ground, and then make a run for it before they realize where we are."

"Never in my years would I have thought of this," Atka observed, looking up and down the clear rooftop. "We're so used to playing with only one level of ground… this changes everything."

"Which gives us the advantage," Balto continued. "If you'd never thought of it before, then chances are that they aren't thinking about it either. We could be right above them and they'd never know it." They looked down, and sure enough, there was a wolf walking along the street. Its head moved from side to side as it searched, oblivious to what was above it. It passed right by them, and their unnoticed presence boosted their morale. "Okay, let's go. Just watch your step and try to keep quiet. Jenna, you can lead the way," he urged.

She nodded and set off along the rooftop with everyone following close behind in single file. Carefully putting one paw in front of the other, the wolves stepped along the roofto, trying to maintain their footing on the snow-covered surface. For the most part the roofs were in good shape, but there were still spots where weather and age had taken their toll. Some of the shingles had come loose, and they wobbled under the pressure of their paws. Most only wobbled an inch or so, but it was a constant reminder of the need for sure footing. One wrong slip would lead to a very nasty tumble – along with the possibility of being faced with a bloodthirsty pack.

When Jenna reached the edge of the roof, she stopped them so she could set up her jump. It was only a few feet, so she trotted back for a running start. Dashing forward, she pushed off with her hind legs and bounded across the gap, sliding a little on her landing, but still able to get a hold on the wooden roof without falling off. Salin followed next, copying her jump flawlessly while Atka followed soon after. Faro was about to make the next jump,