growling.

Buck, quite annoyed said "What are you waiting for, an introduction? What do you want Steele?"

"You took my job."

"No...your stupidity did that for you."

Steele laughed cruelly "You may have the town fooled Buck, but I'm not. Your just as worthless as the wolfdog Balto, and that little rat of a dog he calls daughter."

Buck snapped. With all his might he lunged for Steele, pinning him to the ground.

"You listen here, you mutt, don't you ever say anything about Aleu. She's twice the dog you'll ever be!"

With that Buck lept off his and kicked snow into his face. He didn't have time for haters.

 

It was dark by the time Buck got to the boat. Boris was the first to greet him. "Hey kiddo! Back from being famous pulling a sled, I see." he said, eyeing Buck's collar.

"But of course Uncle Boris, you didn't think I'd just stay around here did you?" Buck said jokingly.

Out of nowhere, Muk and Luk tackled Buck. He wrestled them for a few minutes, until he heard a piercing howl. With unrivaled strength, he stood up with Muk on his back and galloped off. Muk landed into Luk leaving the two polar bears quite confused with their friend's rapid departure.

"Ah, young love." mused Boris with a hint of sarcasim in his voice.

 

 

 

Chapter 6

 

Buck scissored his way though the boat, making has way to the other side. Unfortunately, he did not see the patch of ice under his feet. Slipping, he collided his nose with a grey dog's.

"Aleu?"

"Buck!"

"You-you changed."

"So did you...how is my brother Kodi on the circut?"

Buck's heart sank. "He's fine, he's been on my team a couple of times."

Aleu smiled. Buck smiled back at her. She really had changed since the last time he had seen her. She was, well, grown up.

"Uh, wow, Aleu, I really need to get some rest."

"C'mon Buck," she laughed "you just got back."

Buck sighed. "Okay, okay. What do you want to do?"

Buck  had not planned on Aleu wanting him to take her to town, but at least they'd be able to catch up. As they walked across the small roads, Buck wondered what she was thinking, he was afraid to insult her. After twenty minutes of akward silence, Buck finally had an idea. Grazing at a lighted window, he spoke.

"Aleu, I kinda wanted to show you something."

She smiled. "Uh, sure."

The two of them perched their front paws on the window.

"Aleu, look at your reflection. What do you see?"

"Myself of course."

"Yes, but I mean, really look at it. See if you can find your true self-"

Buck did not see himself in the window, he saw a dark grey wolf that he could never forget.

"Father?"

His father smiled at him. A voice echoed in Buck's head "I am the voice calling out to you, Buck, the voice from your heart. Listen to me."

 Buck slipped off the window. He could not believe what he had just seen. His father? His father had been dead for over a year now. How could he have seen him so very much alive? Thee only logical explaination he could come up with was that he was going insane!

Or that it really had been the spirit of his father...

 

"Buck? Is something wrong?" interjected Aleu.

"No, nothing. I just thought I saw..."

"What did you see?"

"I thought I saw my dad, okay? I don't want to talk about it."

Aleu was silent. Buck gestured towards the great drifts of snow surrounding Nome. Snagging a lantern off the front porch, the two galloped towards the mountains. They stopped by a huge snowdrift just outside of the town.

"Uh, what's going on Buck?"

Buck smiled at Aleu. "Now you'll see why I brought you here."

He dropped the lantern and gathered some of the old glass bottles that had been lying scattered around the snow into a pile. "Think of these as the ice caps that dot the North of Nome."

"Buck, what are you talking about?"

"You'll see. Now imagine this to be the sun." he said, gesturing to the lantern with his paw. "Apart, they are average things we see every day, but together..."

He positioned the light just like Balto had taught him, unleashing an Aurora of brilliant colors. Aleu's eyes widened in wonder.

"they make something one in a million."

"Buck," Aleu breathed. "It's beautiful."

She turned and gazed at Buck. "I wouldn't say that, Aleu. Not with you here in comparison." he said.

"Aleu!" Balto's voice called out.

Aleu turned to go and looked back at Buck. "Uh, I gotta go. See you back at the boat?"

"Yeah, see you there."

As Aleu left, Buck felt very pleased with himself. There were plenty of female huskies that would want him for their own, but he knew the one for him was right here in Nome.

 

 

 

Chapter 7

 

The snow had melted and spring had set in. Buck, enjoying the heat, had settled down for a quick nap. As he drifted into deep slumber, he felt a paw nudge him awake.

"Jade? What's wrong?"

Jade looked very scared, in a panic she said. "Buck, you have to get up now. Aleu was playing in the woods with Muk and Luk, and I just heard gunfire!"

Buck sprang up like a rocket, leaving Jade in the dust. They had killed Aleu! No, man could not have done such a horrible thing, could they? Buck galloped into the thickly wooded forest, searching frantically for his friends.

"Balto! Aleu!"

"Over here Buck." said Balto.

"What's wrong?"

Balto looked at Aleu, who was obviously very upset and angry. "I think its best if you stay out of this one, Buck."

"But-"

Balto looked at him with assertion.

"Fine."

 

Buck waited in the belly of the ship. Above him, he heard the angry voice of Aleu repriminding her father.

"I always knew there was something wrong with me!"

"There is nothing wrong with you Aleu, you have a proud heritage. Your mother is a purebred husky."

"Then what are you?"

"I-I'm the one who's part wolf. You see, my dad was a husky who had puppies with a wolf."

"So my grandmother was a wild animal...what about my brothers and sisters? They have wolf in them, why did they get humans?"

"Because they don't look it."

"This is unfair. I hate you!"

Buck heard the soft thud of Aleu's feet as she jumped off the boat. Weary, he got up and ran after her, using the keen sense of smell he had inherited from his pure-wolf ancestors.  He circled around her and stopped her in her tracks.

"Get out of my way!" she yelled at him.

"Look Aleu, I know it's hard to find this out, but-"

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

Why didn't you tell me?"

"To protect you!" said Buck, his anger rising.

"Protect me?! From what?! From knowing why humans want to kill me?"

"Look Aleu, you may not know this, but I am part wolf. Jade and I were both born in a wolf pack. In my pack, I was supposed to...to become leader, but everyone I was unfit, a total  freak because I looked like a stupid dog!"

"So you came here and everyone accepted you."

"No! They can't accept me because I didn't accept myself. Don't you know the torture I have to go through every single hour of every single day because I have to hide a part of me?"

"It's torture knowing what you are. There were plenty of times you could have told me, Buck, especially when you were coming on to me. You're worse than my father! Get out of my way and let me got!"

Buck's anger reched boiling point when he heard those words. "Fine! Go! I don't want to be with a whiny little brat like you anyway! Go on and drop dead for all I care!"

The words left Aleu stunned. "I really do hate you, Buck." she said before galloping into the woods.

Buck galloped off too, he was sick of all the secrets, sick of the dogs, but most of all sick of Aleu's selfishness. More than anything, he wanted to go home. His guilt burned within him every day, and he knew it was finally time to face his mother. As he ran through town, he spotted Jade, who was talking to Riley, the most reviled wolfdog in all of Nome. He stopped and barked, causing both of them to turn. Jade looked at him quizzically.

"Buck! What is it? What's wrong?"

"We're leaving this two-faced town and going home-back to the pack."

Jade and Riley looked at him in utter disbelief.

"But  Buck, you love it here-" Jade started.

"No I don't!" Buck exploded. "Don't you get it Jade! No one here cares about you, all they want to know is how you can benefit them, just like this scrawney little mutt over here." He gestured to Riley.

"But-" Riley started.

"Shut up ya little rat! Can't you get it though you thick skull, NO. ONE. LIKES. YOU. And don't look towards my sister for any support, she only feels sorry for you. No one wants to be friends with a little scum who shouldn't have even been born-"

"That's enough Buck!" Jade shouted, tears coming to her

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