woods. He'd been tracking them for a good twenty minutes by now, trying to find them for another checkup. Somehow, they'd managed to cover quite a distance in that time, leaving him to play catch-up. Soon the unmistakable yips and barks of his cubs started to ring through the trees and he pushed onwards to finally relieve his friend. 'I think Balto's probably had enough for one day. I just hope they haven't done too much damage to him,' he thought as he came over a hill and found them. Balto had collapsed on the ground while the cubs surrounded him, each tugging on a different part of his body.

"C'mon Balto, we want to play again!" one of them chirped.

"We've been running for hours; aren't you tired too?" Balto groaned.

"But you said you were good at this!"

"We've played chase me around six times in a row – can't we play a different game?"

"Alright, I think Balto's had enough for today," Maska said as he stepped onto the scene. "Why don't you go have fun with your mother for a moment?" The cubs said their goodbyes to Balto before darting off, freeing the battered wolfdog from their siege. "Oh how the mighty have fallen – I wonder how the dogs in town would think if they saw the hero of Nome felled by a few cubs."

"They'd think something was seriously wrong with me. I have some of the best endurance in the town when it comes to running, but these cubs… they're something else," Balto said as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "At first they were darting off every which way, wanting me to chase them around. After a while I figured that if they liked chasing so much, I'd let them track me instead of the other way around."

"Hm, keep them running towards you instead of running away… that's not half bad," Maska complimented.

"Thanks; I actually hoped it would wear them out first so that I'd get a chance to rest."

"Ah, but cubs have a knack for having limitless energy. You're just lucky you only had to look after them for a few hours. When you have your own pups, they'll be energetic all day, every day," Maska replied, earning another groan from Balto.

"I just hope that my pups will listen a little more than your pups did. I swear I asked them at least six times to stick close, but they still bolted off."

"I noticed that too, and while I commend you for maintaining your calm, your performance seemed lacking in some respects," Maska explained. "I overheard your efforts, and while you were saying all the right words, tone matters much more in a case like this. You sounded more like you were addressing another dog than your own pups."

"Well, I didn't want to be too harsh on them," Balto replied.

"That's also good, but you still need to be direct with them when you need their attention. Pups are smarter than you think, and they will be able to sense weakness. The golden rule is that first and foremost you are the alpha of your own pack," Maska stressed. "You must sound like an alpha, and not just act the part. Now, I know the rules that are set in a human and dog home will be different than the rules here, but as long as they are young, the final word will always be with you and Jenna."

"What happens if Jenna and I disagree on what that final word should be?"

"Then you should do your best to work out what would be best for them," Maska replied. "Disagreements will happen, but as long as you can work out an agreement or a compromise, you'll do fine. The important part is that you work together for them; otherwise they may get confused if you're saying one thing and she's saying another. While discipline is important to teach them right from wrong, it is also important to have fun with them, and show them that you can be depended on for love and comfort when they need it."

"In other words, it's going to be a big balancing act between the two," Balto added, and Maska nodded.

"Yes, and seeing how my litter walked off with big smiles, I don't think you have much trouble with the latter facet. Just don't forget to remind them who's in charge when you need to and you'll have a wonderful time when your pups come."

"You know, some of this would have been useful before you unleashed your brood on me."

"Ah, but if I did that, you wouldn't have learned the most important lesson."

"What, that pups will never give me a break?"

"Nope. By throwing you in headfirst, I probably showed you the most important lesson of all. No matter what you won't know everything on your first day because it will be just that - your first day. It's like how a wolf won't know everything about hunting on their first hunt."

"Or how a sled dog won't know everything about racing the first time they're put in a harness," Balto continued and Maska nodded in agreement.

"However, for your first time with any pups I'd say you did pretty well. You kept them safe and mostly together, and they seemed happy with your company."

"I know, but I was really just improvising all that," Balto admitted, but that only made Maska grin further.

"And with that skill, you will go far with your pups. Sometimes improvisation is the best way to learn - and to teach. You and Jenna will be where they learn about the world around them, making sure they know the benefits of doing right while maintaining the consequences of doing wrong. However, most of what they will learn will come not from what you say but how you act."

"You mean lead by example."

"That's right. They will look up to you for right and wrong, and will get more from what you do than what you say. The idea of 'do as I say, not as I do' won't do you or them any good, and could have dire consequences."

"Gotcha… well at the rate I'm going, I'll certainly be able to show them how to want to nap," he said, smiling.

"Hehe, that's true," Maska chuckled. "But you won't get a chance to nap every time. You must stay attentive to keep them out of trouble. Their safety will be one of your top priorities, and until they can make it on their own, they could find themselves getting hurt. I'm not just talking about cuts here either; their feeling of self-worth could get hurt too if they aren't encouraged or given a chance to show competency as they learn."

"Or if they don't feel like they can fit in."

"Yes, and I know that's something you're all too familiar with… even today," Maska continued, remembering what Balto had told him about Rosy's father that morning. "If it helps you at all, I still think it's an injustice to have you treated that way."

"Yeah, but that's how it's been for most of my life, all because I was part wolf. Even today I still feel like I stick out in a crowd and I don't want that to happen with my pups either. I don't want to be held at arms length from them simply because of what I am."

"Of course not and in my opinion keeping you away would be an insult to your rights as their father," Maska affirmed. "Humans, I don't think I'll ever understand them… but from what I've heard there's enough good in them to not despair. I'm sure most of the children in town would love to adopt one of the pups of the hero who saved them."

"I know, it's just those other few and after what I did it gets to me that they still think that. I just hope I can sway Rosy's father so that my pups don't have to go through what I did."

"Do you mean the ridicule?"

"No, worse than that," Balto muttered. "I don't want them to grow up like I did. I don't want them to grow up without me - without their father."

----------

After some more time chatting and catching up with each other, Balto bid Maska goodbye and started to head home. The afternoon sun was already making its descent towards the horizon, and Balto wanted to get back to Nome before it set. He wanted to see Jenna that evening and hopefully have some pleasant time with her after storming out that morning. Despite being out for most of the day, there was still enough time for that as well. The days had been growing longer with the approach of spring, and would continue to do so until the summer.

The sticky, partially melted snow gave way under his paws as he trotted through the woods. Birds tweeted in the braches, the melodies occasionally punctuated by the dripping of fresh meltwater from the trees, falling to the ground and adding to the slushy mix on the ground. As he took in a breath he could already feel a chill forming. The temperature would probably drop just below freezing that night, meaning there would be some frost the next morning. That would quickly disappear with the morning sun, and the thaw of the land would continue until all the snow retreated and gave way to the blooming of spring.

'Maska's right, caring for my pups will be more than just keeping them out of trouble. It's going to be making sure they feel they can fit in… but would it be easy for them if they knew they were quarter wolf?' he thought. 'Even if the dogs accept them, what if they still feel like they're too different? Having a different breed is one thing for a dog, but being part wolf is much harder than something like being part