leaving behind a very defeated Balto.

'As if the attacks weren't enough, now I've got a potentially mutinous teammate on my paws. What am I going to do now?'

----------

Sleep was of little comfort that night, and the morning after between Kaltag and Balto was quite subdued as well. Neither said a word to each other, and the team thought it best to not get involved. Kaltag was still fuming when they got the harnesses on, but Balto wanted to wait until he'd had cooled off. That way, any olive branch he extended would be accepted instead of possibly swatted away.

The next leg of the race would be the last on the Yukon River before they hit the town of Nulato. Their path wound side to side with the river, the winter chill forming a thick layer of ice. Despite the rigidity of the ground beneath their feet, Balto still kept a keen watch out for any holes they could become mired in. The last thing any of them wanted was to be dunked into ice-cold water. Despite the attention needed on the road, his mind still wandered. 'There's got to be some way I can mend this. I can't have one of my teammates angry with me; that's not how a team is supposed to run,' he thought as they ploughed ahead, circling around a small island in the river. 'Or maybe I'm in way over my head. I'm trying to shoulder too many burdens at once again. Can I deal with everything at once, or is this something that really is beyond what I can handle?' he wondered. His mind went in circles trying to find an ideal solution, but nothing came up that could solve everything.

'I'm fighting on too many fronts here, one of which is one I shouldn't have to fight at all,' he thought, looking back at his team. Normally by now they'd be making small talk, or swapping stories of past runs, and just having a blast together. Now, there was only uncomfortable silence. Kaltag just focused on the road ahead, not even looking directly at him as he eased them into turns around corners and other obstacles. Their solid, early advantage, combined with the fact that some teams had already pulled out, meant that they were now in third position, and closing in on second. They needed only to maintain this pace, slide behind the leader, before putting in the burst of speed they'd been saving their energy for in order to take first. However, that was assuming that they would all be running their best, which wouldn't happen if this foul mood persisted. The rest of the team were much more subdued around Kaltag, as though they were afraid he would snap at any provocation.

'Normally, I'd tell them to leave their bad mood at home, but I don't think Kaltag's in the mood for a pep talk,' he thought. 'It's not like I'm not concerned about this, but he's letting his anger towards Steele cloud his mind to any other outcome. He won't be satisfied until his former boss is put in stocks, but I can't let him loose on Steele. I mean, he's saying we should beat it out of him, when all we'd really need to do is just watch him and see what he does-' At that moment, a new thought popped into his head. It was something so brilliant and simple that it actually excited him enough to speed up his running a bit. He now had a plan that would not only keep the dogs safe from a possible attack, but could also help prove whether or not Steele was truly behind this.

----------

"A neighbourhood watch?"

"Yes – we shouldn't just be lying around in case the attacker comes back again tonight," Balto affirmed. He'd just explained the idea to the dogs after they all arrived in Nulato, and while most seemed keen on the idea, there were a few who seemed sceptical. "We'll work in pairs and keep a watch on every entrance to the town. That way, we'll know when it's coming, no matter where it comes from."

"Now hang on, if we only have teams of two, that might be spreading us a little thin. I mean, this wolf was able to take on an entire team. What chance will two have?" one of the older dogs asked.

"I know it's risky, which is why we'll have a multi-layered defence; an outer layer to watch the outskirts and an inner layer to protect those who don't want to be part of the watch," he explained. "It helps that we're in a small town, which means less ground to defend. That, and the job of the watch is not to fight, but to raise the alarm and signal for backup. We can only take on this attacker if we're all alert and together."

"I won't lie to you – even with this, there is still a danger to yourself," he cautioned. "You don't have to volunteer if you don't want to. The way I figure it, we'll need only two to three from each team. You can pick your partner yourself, and choose a watch point. Remember to watch carefully, and if you see something coming, howl as loud as you can, but don't try to be a hero. Raise the alarm and retreat to where backup is – I don't want anyone else getting hurt if they don't need to be."

With that, volunteers started to trickle in. Most were the bulkier of the dogs, able to hold their own in a fight, but there were a few lean ones who could sprint away quickly if needed. As expected, Steele quickly stepped forward, holding his head high, ready for anything, while Sonya accompanied him. "I've gotta hand it to you Balto, you sure know how to rally the troops," he said. "At least someone's bothering to do something about this – instead of just spreading slander," he growled, leering at Kaltag. The Chinook snorted back, refusing to dignify that comment.

"So, I suppose 'Captain Amazing' and I will take one of the outer watches, right?" Sonya asked, causing Steele to scoff.

"Actually, if it's okay with you, I was hoping that Steele and I could work together on this," Balto asked.

"Really?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him, before adding, "Well, if you want him to be your problem tonight, then be my guest." While Sonya was eager to have some time away from Steele, not everyone was eager for this arrangement.

"What? Why him?" Kaltag exclaimed. Balto knew there would probably be some confusion, so he took him aside to explain himself. "Look boss, I know you want to catch the culprit, but why work with Steele? If he is behind this, he certainly isn't going to do anything when he knows everyone's watching."

"Which only benefits us – that would mean that there wouldn't be any attack on the town," Balto replied.

"So now you finally believe me?"

"I didn't say that. I still want to find some concrete proof, but I'm not going to get it without covering all my bases," Balto said. "I still think it's a wild wolf, and hopefully this way we can catch it."

"Even if Steele isn't behind this, he might still sock ya just for kicks," Kaltag said. "C'mon, you're the lead dog, and shouldn't do something so stupid, so foolish, so risky-"

"Yes, it is risky - which is why I would never ask anyone else to put themselves in the line of fire like that," he replied. "I admire your concern, but I have my reasons for this. All I'm asking is that you trust me on this one."

"Fine… I suppose I can work with Sonya then," Kaltag said, albeit reluctantly. "Anything else?"

"Just one request. I'd appreciate if you gave Steele and us some space. I don't want to risk you two getting into another scuffle," he said.

"Fine," he said, turning back to join Sonya. As he did, Balto couldn't help but overhear him mutter, "Doesn't even trust me to watch his back anymore."

'It's not that I don't trust you Kal, but I need Steele alone if I'm going to get anything out of him,' Balto thought, turning to face Steele. 'Alirght, let's see what's going on in that head of yours.' Steele had accepted the arrangement, but judging by the frown on his muzzle, he didn't enjoy it. "So, what do you say we go to that small hill just outside of town? It'll give us a good view of the river if anything comes down it," he suggested.

"Sure, whatever," Steele shrugged. While Balto was relieved with Steele's compliance, it still intrigued him. He didn't think him one to take orders from a half-wolf so easily, but he suspected his time with Sonya might have something to do with it. They walked quietly before finding the hill, and Balto lay down on his belly, resting his legs after a good, long day of work. Steele however just sat upright, refusing to relax around Balto.

"So, you've been running with Sonya for a couple years now. What's it like?" Balto asked, hoping to break the ice.

"It's okay. She can get annoying sometimes, so I just annoy her back," he grumbled. "I don't like it, but it's all I've got thanks to you."

'He still blames me for what happened. Then again, I probably should've expected that,' he thought, deciding to switch topics. "Look, we can argue about who did what all night, but that won't get us anywhere. What happened, happened, and we can't change it."

"That's what you think. Just you wait, I'll win this race and be on top again. Right now, that's what's most important to me."

"Alright… may I ask why?"

"Excuse me?" Steele snapped, looking at him