then you closed that deal in your rage. However… after that, the dogs haven't returned have they? They haven't made any further move against us, even though it's putting them in a tough situation."

"Think of it this way; have I ever intentionally misled you for my own gain?" Balto asked, and the answer came from the silence of the pack. None could think of any way Balto had lied to them. "You see, I haven't. When you make up your mind on whose word to would take, keep that in mind… along with how Tikani kept what he knew about Jenna from all of you."

Silence fell over the room as they thought Balto's words over. Through all this, their actions were based only on what Tikani told them. They'd been so caught up in the raw emotions over Kisa's death that they'd never stopped to think about whether or not this was necessary. Then again, this whole thing was Tikani's plan from the start, and already some felt that it was only meant to serve Tikani's need for revenge. Most of them barely knew who Jenna was, but were so accustomed to following Tikani that they didn't stop and wonder why they were going after a dog they'd seen maybe once before. Their indecision enraged Tikani, who realised that some half-dog had managed to unravel the narrative he'd used to rally his pack.

"I've had enough of you wolfdog! I'm not going to let it end this way!" Tikani bellowed before lunging at Balto. He caught him by the scruff of his neck and flung him to the side. Tikani prepared for another strike, but Faro, Atka and Salin were quick to leap across the room and tackle him, meeting no resistance from the pack. The shock from the impact stunned Tikani while Atka held him down with his paws. "What are you waiting for! Stop them! Don't let them get away with this!" Tikani called, but no one reacted. Instead, they simply watched him struggle to get up, some looking at him with contempt, others with complete disgust.

Once he got his wind back, he shoved Atka off him. He rose to find Balto already on his feet, with Faro and Salin by his side. It was four on one, but when he tried to step back, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg. He wheeled around to see that one of his own had bit him. To an alpha like him, such insubordination was almost unheard of, and yet someone who was barely two years old had nipped his thigh. On either side of him, more started to close in, some growling, others snapping at him as well. On all sides were teeth and claws intent on harming him, tightening in on him by the second. On seeing all of his own wolves turn on him like this caused a very curious sensation in Tikani. It was fear – something that he hadn't felt in years thanks to the loyalty from his pack. His ears fell flat against his head – probably for the first time in his life – as he saw that he had no support. He wasn't sure if they were going to kill him, but if they wanted to, there was very little he could do to stop them. He turned back and saw Balto whispering something into Atka's ear before they padded over.

"How does it feel Tikani? How does it feel to have an entire wolf pack turn on you, ready to finish you off?" Balto asked. "How does it feel to be alone and trapped with no way out?" Tikani didn't reply, but his expression betrayed his courage, displaying his fear for the world to see. "Does it terrify you? I think it would… because that's how you made me feel for the past few days. No, scratch that - I felt even worse. Jenna was also in danger, and it was all because of you."

"No… it won't end this way," Tikani growled, trying to cover his fear with anger.

"It can and it will," Atka declared. "This ends now Tikani. You're done here." He took one more look at Balto, who nodded for him to continue. "Tikani, I want you to walk away from this. I want you to walk away and never return to us. I want you to walk away and never hurt anyone again!"

Tikani couldn't believe his ears. He looked at his beta incredulously at the thought of being evicted from his own pack. "And if I refuse?"

"Then that's your choice… though I'm not sure I'd be able to stop everyone from taking a bite out of you," Atka replied, and another wolf snapped at his side to force the point. "Oh, and if you ever try to make any move against Balto, Jenna or any of their friends… then we won't be nearly as forgiving as we are now. We will be keeping a watch out for you," Atka added, determined to prevent Tikani from acting alone.

The pack made an opening to show him the door, and that was when Tikani knew it was over. He hated the idea of giving up, but he knew that in the event a pack turned against an alpha, it was best for the alpha to leave gracefully. 'I won't forget what you've done here wolfdog. This is twice you've ruined my life now,' he thought as he walked out of the mill. After one last look back, he snorted before running into the empty wilderness, vowing to return someday. He had nothing else to lose, so he would find a way, no matter what...

----------

Emotions were still running very high in the pack, which was to be expected when a trusted leader was found out to be a liar. Atka led Balto and Jenna outside for their own safety while he tried to sort everything out. The hope was that he'd be able to end the chase, but there was always the chance that the pack would overrule him. He did hold the next highest rank after Tikani… but he wasn't sure if his rank still held any weight after Tikani had exiled him.

"Do you think he'll be okay, or should we make another run for it?" Jenna asked after a few anxious minutes of waiting. She looked down the street, seeing that they would have a clear getaway if they needed it.

"Well, everything seems calm in there, so I don't think we have to worry," he replied, moving his ears to try to catch any sound from inside the mill. However, his optimism was still guarded, and he took a look down the empty road as well.

"Does this mean… it's finally over?"

"I hope so. If it is… that means we're safe now," he replied, nuzzling her. "Soon we can go home and see Rosy and everyone else."

"Rosy… oh she's probably worried sick by now," she said, rubbing into his chest.

"Yeah… I suppose we have been gone for a while," he replied, causing her to crack a smile. If he was taking something in good humour, that was a sign that everything was alright. They heard paws crunching through the snow and saw Atka, Faro and Salin coming towards them. "So what's the word?" he asked.

"You two can rest easy. It took some effort to convince them, but I've gotten them to agree to end this conflict. Congratulations - you can go home safely now."

"Really? We can?" Balto asked, and Atka nodded. His tail wagged excitedly as he looked at Jenna, who looked like she was near tears out of joy. "Thank you. Thank you so much. You have no idea how grateful we are for this."

"Considering how it means that you no longer need to run for your lives, I would imagine you'd be very grateful… but I can't take all the credit," Atka admitted. "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to turn the tide against Tikani. What you've done is a great service to our pack, and there's got to be some way we can repay you."

"Oh you don't have to do that…" Balto started, his humble nature making him reluctant to accept gifts. Then again... there were others who could benefit from such a favor. "Actually, now that you mention it, there is something I hope you can do."

"Name it."

"You remember that sled team I told you about? The one that strayed into your territory and caused all this?" Balto started and Atka quickly caught on.

"You want me to allow them to hunt in our territory, just like in the deal you tried to make with Tikani," Atka stated.

"Please, they've been having it rough for the past month and that would help them provide for themselves-"

"Say no more," Atka cut in, smiling. "I remember the terms of the deal quite clearly… and as the new alpha I think I can make it happen."

"Really? You can do all that for us?" Jenna asked.

"Of course. I may not know how you dogs do things, but out here, the word of the alpha carries quite a bit of weight… as long as it is supported by the pack as well. But after today I don't think I'll have to worry much about it. There are more than a few of us who think it's about time we started building friendships instead of ending them."

"I don't know. In my experience there's still going to be a few who are reluctant to change," Balto added.

"I know, but this way I can make sure they don't do anything rash," Atka replied. "For now, our main focus should be getting you two home... and if my memory is correct, we may be closer to your town than you think."

"How close? Do we have far to go?" Jenna asked.

"I don't know how far it is exactly, but I know that since the mountains were to the northeast of your town, and we're currently due west from those mountains…" Atka explained, trailing off as he thought it over in his head. "If I've got this worked out right, then we're roughly north of the town, no more than a day away."

Both of