from Tikani's scouts was their signal, and when they heard it, they charged in without looking back.

Jenna had never run so hard in her life, but her drive to save Balto gave her strength and endurance she never knew she had. Her legs propelled her forward, and she sucked in the brisk winter air as she charged ahead. Just as he would do anything in his power to save her, she would do the same for him. 'No one takes my Balto and gets away with it,' she thought as she raced through the woods. On either side, the woods were empty and silent - at least that's how they seemed. Suddenly, another form burst from the bushes and collided with Maska, knocking him off his feet.

Jenna skidded to a stop, but he barked, "No, keep going!" as he grappled with his foe. "I'll be right behind you, just get to Balto!" Wasting no time, she complied, sprinting away. Maska was a strong wolf and would be able to handle himself. She ran alone, sometimes slowing down to get another fix on Balto's scent. She could still pick up a faint trail, and hoped to not lose her fix on it. However, after the third time she stopped to sniff the ground, she screamed in terror when she looked up.

Instead of dealing with the decoys, Tikani headed straight towards his objective. Now, she was faced with the vengeful wolf as he smiled evilly at her, completely unaware that she was his true prey. "There you are," he said. "I knew you'd come for your mutt… and now I have you right where I want you."

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Chapter 3: Desperate Escape

Jenna's gaze locked on the alpha wolf, but she was surprised to find that Tikani looked perfectly happy to see her. One would think that having their territory invaded would at least annoy a proud wolf like him, and his glee put her off quite a bit. "Well you don't seem too concerned about how we've rushed into your territory like this," she said, trying to hide her apprehension with confidence. He started to circle around her and she mimicked his action to keep her distance, waiting for his next move.

"I don't care what happens with the rest of them," he replied. "I only cared about finding you… so that I can seek justice for what happened to Kisa."

"What happened to her was an awful accident and we all feel terrible for it," she started. "You don't have to do this. Please, don't use her good name to justify revenge."

He only snorted at her plea. "You're no better than that half-dog. You think you can bargain and reason your way out of this, but there's no way you can make up for the loss of someone I loved with all my heart," he growled. "You can't buy me off because you were the ones who did wrong. You are the ones who have to own up for this."

They continued circling and she knew that if he attacked, she wouldn't last very long against him. The same would happen if she tried to strike first. No matter what, he would have the advantage in any one on one conflict. Her only hope was to stall him long enough for support to come to her. She had to keep him talking.

"It was only one dog acting on his own that broke her free… but in a way, you're right," she explained. "We were responsible because we could have done more. We could have kept a closer eye on her, but we didn't. We didn't do everything we could have and we know that. Each and every one of us is deeply sorry for your loss, but as much as we'd like to, we can't change the past."

"That's right, you can't change it," he said. "You can't change what you did… just like you can't change what I'm going to do now."

"And what is that?" she asked, desperate to keep him talking. As long as he was talking, he wasn't attacking.

"You may think guilt is enough of a punishment, but I don't," he explained. "I need closure, I need compensation. I need Balto… to know what I feel," he said. "I'm sorry it has to be you. You haven't done anything wrong… but Kisa didn't do anything wrong either," he finished. Something about what he said made her flight response kick in to high gear. She was out of time and the only thing she could do was to turn tail and run. She only got a few strides in before Tikani bolted at her, catching her bandanna. As he yanked her back and pulled her to the ground, every fibre of her body became devoted to getting away from him. She kicked, scratched, and bit at him to try to get away, but nothing had any effect on him.

He rolled her onto her back, holding her chest down with his large paws. His weight pressed painfully on her, preventing her from pushing him off. She knew that being belly up was the worst position to be in and repeatedly snapped at him, hoping to catch his muzzle or neck with her teeth. If not that, then it would at least block him from making his own strike. Not about to let any husky stop him from getting what he wanted, Tikani slammed one of his paws down on the underside of her muzzle. With one paw holding her body and the other holding her jaws back, he'd not only stopped her attack, he'd also fully exposed her neck. Nothing she could do would stop him from making the lethal strike and ending her life. She was trapped and completely at his mercy.

"One life for another… this is for you Kisa," he said, baring his fangs.

Jenna's eyes widened and her heart raced in terror when she saw the fangs that would sink into her and end her. No matter how much she squirmed, kicked and scratched, Tikani held firm. Things seemed to go into slow motion as his muzzle lowered, inching her closer to her demise. 'No, it can't end like this! Balto, anyone, help me!' she thought, unable to scream her pleas. 'Help, someone! Anyone! Help me! BALTO!'

"JENNA!"

Both of them heard the roar right before a raging brown blur plowed into Tikani, knocking the wolf clean off her with enough force to send him flying six feet away. She gasped and shakily got up to see the one creature she wanted to see above all. With enough strength and determination to make even the strongest warriors crumble, Balto stood stoically opposite Tikani. He stared down the wolf, fire blazing in his golden eyes as he crouched, ready to charge at him again. Both males were growling, their ears flat and their fur bristling in aggression. The normally calm and collected wolfdog had become something else entirely, the change brought on by the danger she was in. Her welfare and safety was above his own, and he was ready to do anything to keep her safe.

"I am willing to forgive many things, but this isn't one of them!" Balto bellowed. "You won't harm even a single hair on her as long as I stand."

Having Balto charge into him was one of the last things Tikani expected, but he stood proud and undaunted against his adversary. "I was hoping to make this quick and painless, but as always you have to make things difficult," the wolf sneered. "No matter, I can dispose of you before dealing with your husky."

Looking back at Jenna, Balto could see her courage return with his arrival. 'She's made of sterner stuff than I thought… but this trap was meant for her,' he thought. "Jenna, you've got to get out of here!" he pleaded.

"What? I put a lot of effort getting here to save you," she replied. "I'm seeing this through to the-"

"No, listen, this is what he wanted! He wanted you to come here!" Balto exclaimed. "I was just the bait. It's not me he wants, it's you! He wants-" He was cut off when Tikani jumped on him, trying to bite his neck and finish him off. Balto returned by biting the wolf's leg, making him lose his balance and topple over. Tikani switched his focus and instead sank his teeth into Balto's chest, not as a lethal strike, but enough to cause some damage. Balto cried out in pain and tried to pull himself free. "Augh, don't worry about me! Just get out of here! Run! Run as fast you can! Run!" His wound leaked blood, wearing him down before they flipped over again, with Tikani going back to being on top.

Despite his wishes, she was not about to let him be taken down if she could do anything about it. Ignoring Balto's yells for her to do otherwise, she growled and lunged at the wolf, sinking her fangs into his shoulder. The sharp sting from her teeth made him break his grip on Balto to focus on her. Even with all his strength and cunning, Tikani's one failing was that he had never mastered handling more than one opponent at once. With his focus on her, he left an opening for Balto to exploit. Jenna had a grip on his left shoulder and Balto sprang up and snapped his jaws onto his right, trapping the wolf in a two pronged vice. Tikani's head snapped back and forth, trying to loosen the grip of one of them, only to have the other tighten their hold. Without needing to say anything more, they both started to push him back. His paws slid on the ground and tried to resist, but they kept on pushing him. Finally, with one massive shove, they pushed up and flipped Tikani right over his backside, slamming his head into a tree. He cried out from the pain and crumpled in a heap, unable to fight any further.

Balto gasped from the exertion after letting go, before turning his focus to Jenna. His jaw dropped open a little in awe at how - despite all the risks - she still charged in to save him, helping turn the tide in their favor. "I knew you could do many things but I never thought facing down a