Foreword

I'm looking outside my window and to be honest, I'd rather be outside. It's May in southern Ontario, which means the sun is shining, the skies are clear and the breeze is warm, beckoning everyone - including an avid cyclist such as myself - to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather outside. The wretched winter is behind us (finally) and the whole world feels like it's having a new beginning. Alas, I must resist the temptation for now because I have kept my loyal readers waiting long enough. I have finished another story, and while it may not have the level of suspense and action that a couple of my recent stories did, there should still be a few good surprises in here.

Just when you thought Balto had saved the day at the end of "The Road Home", I still had one more curveball to throw. Long story short, Balto is starting to experience the dreams that plagued him through the events of Balto II: Wolf Quest. He doesn't know what they mean or why they are happening, but they still are. To add to the pressure, his pups are coming fast and he wants to do his best for them. He wants to be a good father, but he also wants to protect them from what he had to go through when he was younger. He knows being part wolf can be hard, but he doesn't know who he can turn to for aid. Just goes to show you that you don't need a bad guy for there to be a good deal of conflict.

Before I get things started, I just want to make a shout out to Walto Disney, who helped with the beta reading for this story. Thanks again man, and I hope that you survive all that homework you're getting. Also, even though this is the latest story in my series, you can probably get away without having to read most of my prior stories. Then again, there's nothing stopping you from look at my past work as well and who knows - there may be a few clues for what is at play in this story. ;) Ah, I've kept you waiting long enough - it's time to start the show! Sit back and enjoy iWolf's latest story: "With Good Intentions". As for me, I've held off long enough - it's time to hit the bike trails.

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Chapter 1: Ravens and Wolves

"Balto…"

The voice was faint, but familiar. The name was right on the tip of his tongue, but it refused to emerge. The only thing that came out of his mouth was his own breath, visible in the chilled air that was as cold as the ground beneath him. He was alone in a landscape of flat ice, and all was quiet until he heard a harsh call from the inky skies above. It was a call that he was all too familiar with by now. It was the raven, circling above his head as it always did.

"Balto… hello Balto."

At first he thought the raven was finally talking to him, but the voice seemed to come from everywhere instead of from above. The bird circled a few more times before descending, fading as a bank of fog started to roll in. The mist clouded his vision as the raven called him again. With nothing else to guide him, he followed the calls through the thick cloud.

"What do you want?" he asked. "How did I get here?"

"You came here last night, remember?"

He tried, but just as he couldn't link the voice to a name, he couldn't remember how he got here. He'd been standing in the desolate ice field right after… he'd walked somewhere last night… and then he was here… the voice was so familiar to him.

Suddenly, a burst of air rushed in and he had to bear down in order to stay on his feet. The gale roared in his ears and he gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes as the rushing air stung them.

"Balto, are you okay?"

"Augh… the wind…"

"Wind? Vhat wind? There's no wind… Balto… wake up!"

With those two words, everything rushed back to him. There was only one creature that slurred 'what's' as 'vhat's' like that; an old Russian snow goose named Boris. He'd seen Boris only last night in the beached boat he called home. They'd shared a quick chat before turning in for the night. He'd closed his eyes… that meant he was asleep now… and this was all a dream.

"Boris?" he asked, opening his eyes. He hoped to wake up and return to his boat, but he was still in the dream – and he wasn't alone anymore. Surrounding him were countless wolves, all staring at him with glowing gold eyes. Their stare probed deep into him, finding everything there was to know about him. His past, his present, his future… his hopes… his fears…

"C'mon, wake up boitshick!"

"They're everywhere!" he gasped as he wheeled around and saw wolves all around him, creeping closer and leaving no opening for escape. They howled out, calling for him. "No - I don't - I'm trapped - get me out of here!" he cried as the ground started to shake. The ice beneath his feet cracked and buckled, but the wolves surrounding him left little room to dash away. He was now faced with one of his worst fears – to be trapped with no escape.

"WAKE UP!"

He shut his eyes but the howl roared in his ears, broken only by the cracking beneath him. No matter how much he willed it, he couldn't snap out of the dream. The ice beneath him lurched as the slab he was standing on started to tip over. He tried to dart upwards to the higher side, but he couldn't get much traction on the slick surface. His paws skidded on the ice before losing all contact with the ground, sending him plunging backwards into the inky abyss.

Where his own will failed, his body's instincts prevailed. The sensation of falling jolted his entire system, shocking it out of his dream. The vision vanished in an instant, right before he felt his back impact something hard. Instead of ice, there were weathered planks above him as he panted in exertion. He sucked in air that was no longer freezing and regained his senses, taking comfort in his surroundings. He was where he wanted to be, and it wasn't long before a familiar beaked face entered his vision, looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

"Vhat was that all about?" the old bird asked, wanting to know why he'd been waken up so early by his friend thrashing and muttering in his sleep.

"I'm fine… it was just a dream," he replied as he blinked the sleep out of his amber eyes, allowing him to focus on his unlikely friend. Unlikely might actually have been an understatement, as Balto was a canine - a natural born predator that would normally prey on an old goose like Boris. Then again, it was also partly because of what he was that Boris had befriended him. Balto was no ordinary canine; he was a hybrid of a domestic dog and a wild wolf. Because of his heritage, friends were in short supply for him during his younger years. He would take anyone he could get, and that included an old goose who'd decided to take him under his wing. To this day, he chuckled at the inanity of the whole thing. They actually met when he tried to hunt down Boris, but Balto ended up going through some thin ice during the chase. Despite the wolfdog's agression, Boris would act out of compassion towards him. He helped nurse the young half-wolf back to health, and over the years, they would end up sharing an ersatz father-son bond between them.

"Just a dream, eh? This wouldn't happen to be your raven and wolf dream again, now would it?" Boris asked.

"No… maybe… so what if it was?" Balto's heart was still pounding from the intensity of the dream, his breath coming in gasps as though he'd run a hundred-mile race. As much as he didn't like admitting it, this wasn't the first time this had happened. For the past month, he'd have a recurring dream every few days in some surreal, icy landscape. Each dream had its own differences and variations, but he'd always see the ever-watchful raven circling over his head before finding them – the wolves with glowing eyes.

"So vhat? The vhat is that if it was, it shows that something's going on in that furry head of yours," Boris replied.

"Nothing's going on in my head," Balto barked, before getting up to leave the wheelhouse. "Dreams are just dreams, nothing else."

"You might think that, but maybe you need a second opinion on this, eh?" Boris suggested, following him out onto the boat deck. "Maybe one of your friends can help you out… or maybe Jenna-"

"I've told you before that I don't need everyone to know, least of all Jenna," Balto cut in. "The last thing I need is to have everyone worrying if I'm losing my mind… especially with the pups coming."

Jenna was Balto's mate, a Siberian husky with a heart kind enough to soften all but the steeliest souls. They had known each other since they were young pups, becoming fast friends despite his label as a half-breed outcast. It wasn't until after he'd averted a crisis in Nome that he'd finally shaken most of the stigma against him, allowing them to admit their love for each other. He'd saved the day, won the love of his sweetheart, and now they were expecting a litter of pups of their own. There were only a few weeks to go until then, and Balto didn't want anything to distract him from his new responsibility.

"Alright, if that's what you want to do, that's fine; even though it's never good to keep things from your friends… or your family."

Balto was silent; as much as he wanted to rebuff Boris, he knew that he himself was one who valued