replied. "Here, why don't you look around and tell me what you see."

"I see… trees, and the ground… some bushes… along with you and everyone else," the female pup replied.

"Good. That shows you can see everything in your present, but then you need to take that one step further and see what will become of those trees, those bushes, the ground and you as time goes on." The cubs cocked their heads in confusion as they tried to understand what their father was trying to explain, but they needed a little more from him to grasp the idea. "What I'm trying to say is that I know that as the summer warms, everything in this world will start to grow. The trees will grow higher and the bushes will grow leaves. The grass on the ground will grow, and that grass will bring the caribou herds with them. You too will grow into strong wolves, and as the grass feeds the caribou, the caribou will feed-"

"Us!" another cub gleefully cried. "Does that mean that we can hunt caribou with you?"

"Not for a little while," he replied, earning groans from them. "You are still small, and a caribou is much too big for you to hunt down. For now, I'd rather that you try to chase after something that won't hurt you." There was a pause, and Maska heard another set of paws trotting along the ground, headed his way. He perked his ears, and the cubs noticed his attention, becoming excited with it.

"What is it papa? Is it a caribou?" the fourth cub asked. "Can we chase it?"

"No, and I wouldn't want you chasing a caribou anyways," he replied, taking a few sniffs of the air. It didn't take him long to identify whose scent it was, and when he did, he got an idea. "However… I think this might be something you can handle. Alright, you go hide behind those trees. When I give the signal, you bolt out and grab him."

The cubs yipped in excitement before hiding behind the tree as Maska chuckled a bit. While he was normally seen as one whose main quality was his wisdom, he was known among his friends for also having a good sense of humor. It wasn't long before his target emerged, unaware of what was waiting for him.

"Balto, it's good to see you again," he greeted.

"It's good to see you too," Balto replied to the brown furred wolf in front of him. "You sure seem chipper today."

"Why wouldn't I be? The weather's wonderful and I get to see one of my friends – what else could put me in such a good mood?"

"I don't know, but I know you well enough to know that you only look like that when you have something planned," Balto replied. "What is it this time? Is Anya going to jump out at me again?"

"No… but you're close," he said, before calling, "Alright, get 'em!"

In a flash, four small bodies launched themselves at him, nipping at his shoulders. This was quickly followed by four gleeful shouts of "Balto!" and the nips quickly turned into licks and nuzzles as he realized his attackers were only four rambunctious wolf cubs.

"Alright, leave him be, I think he's had enough," Maska chuckled and three of the cubs left him alone, leaving only the fourth, who was still trying to nip at Balto's tail. "I said leave him. I've told you before that other's tails aren't toys."

"Yeah, if you aren't careful you might yank it right off my rear end." With that, the cub obediently let the tail go and joined his siblings with their father.

"So Balto, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could help me with something. I'm having a little trouble with one of the humans in town."

"Do you need a place to stay for a little while?" Maska asked. "You know my land is always open to you, so if you need it, I'd be more than willing to accommodate you."

"No, no, I don't need anything like that, but thank you," Balto replied. "Long story short, one of Jenna's owners still isn't enthusiastic about having me around their house, which is bad because I want to be around when my pups are born. I want to be able to help Jenna raise them, but the powers that be think I'm too wild to be trusted with pups."

"Humans… no matter what they always think wolves do nothing but harm," Maska grumbled. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"The thing is, since I can't tell them I can be trusted, I have to show them. The question is just how - how can I show them I can be trusted?"

"First off, you must show that you won't back down from what is your right," Maska replied. "You must show that you are devoted to your own pups, and if it means disobeying them when they tell you to leave, then so be it. Try to resist without resorting to aggression, and that will communicate that you aren't willing to be kept away from your pups. Once you show that you are going to be there for the pups, then you can show the next important thing, which is that you are competent as a caregiver. Show that you can be a good parent by being simply that - a good parent," Maska replied. "All you have to do is take good care of them, and unless they are really set against you, it should sway them. Just use what you know, demonstrate your bond with them and you'll do fine."

"Of course… I can… what I could do is… um… " Balto trailed off as his mind drew a blank over what to do with pups when they actually came.

"You do know some basics of parenting, right?" Maska asked expectantly.

"Uh, would saying no make me look really stupid?" Balto sheepishly replied, looking down at the ground with his ears flat in embarrassment.

Maska just chuckled a little. "No, it just shows that this is something new for you. I had a feeling you might come to me for something like this at some point. Looking after a new litter of pups can be quite a challenge, and isn't something where you can just wing it. Fortunately, I know how to help you out here."

"I'll take any help I can get – so, what's the first thing to know?"

"Well, I could tell you so many different things, but most of it would just be theory. Besides, what might work with me might not work with you," Maska started. "You won't learn much if we just sat and talked either. Parenting is an active pursuit, and needs some practical instruction." He looked down at his cubs, who had been politely waiting while the grown-ups talked. "How would you four like to have some time to play with Balto today?" The pups unanimously cheered 'yes', their small tails wagging at the sound of the word 'play'.

"Uh Maska, what are you getting at?" Balto asked.

"How'd you like to look after my own little pack for a little bit?" Maska asked back, turning to his friend. "It'd be like - what's that phrase you once used... oh yes, a 'crash course' in parenting."

"Uh, what?" he asked, unsure if Maska was pulling his leg again. He was going to let him – someone with zero experience with pups – look after his own cubs. "Are you sure you want to do that? Shouldn't you give me some advice or tips before putting your cubs in my care?"

"As I said, something like this needs more practical instruction than just a lesson. I want to see what you can do first, and wait to see if you really need the advice, or if your common sense will be enough," he explained. "Don't worry, I'll be a short distance away if you need help. You'll be fine, and you'll soon see just how much fun they can be too," he assured, before turning back to his cubs. "Now, while you're with Balto today I want you be good for him. He's trying to learn to be like me, and so you should behave as well as you would for me, okay?" The pups nodded and yipped at the idea of having Balto be their cubsitter for the day. "Good, now have fun," he finished, before dashing over a nearby hill. Balto took one look at the cubs and while they didn't seem too bad, he drew a blank when it came to deciding what to do now. His lack of direction made him quite nervous, making it feel like he was being pushed headfirst into something that was way over his head.

'Why am I always the one who gets stuck in these things?'

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Chapter 3: A New Doubt

Despite being thrust headfirst into this, things actually started out smoothly for Balto as he looked after Maska's cubs. He first thought they would be entertained with some sled-dog stories, but the wild cubs soon tired of them, wanting to do something they held more interest in. Most of the day ended up involving a lot of running on Balto's part, something that became evident to Maska as he tailed them. He overheard Balto's repeated attempts to tell them to stay, but his cubs found ways to work together in order to get off on their own. However, Maska didn't interfere as he wanted Balto to fully appreciate how much of a challenge parenting could be. He had learned how to tell when his cubs were up to something, but Balto didn't have that benefit. While he didn't approve of them trying to run off, he had to admit that they certainly had taken his lessons on teamwork and acting as a pack to heart.

'Now if only they would use that to be more constructive than mischievous,' he thought as he padded through the woods. He'd