incredulously.

"I'm just curious about you, that's all," Balto said. "Everyone's got a reason for running in the derby, so what's yours?"

"Just where do you get off asking things like that?" he barked back. "Why do you always have to stick your nose into things that don't concern you?"

"Just because they don't concern me doesn't mean I can't try to help," Balto replied calmly. "I can understand wanting to stay out of things that don't affect you, but sometimes you can't just stay to the side. Sometimes, you have to jump in because if you don't at least try to help… things could get bad very quickly, to the point where they will start to affect you," he explained, before adding, "And you still haven't answered my question."

Steele thought his words over, racking his brains for a good reason. "Well… why wouldn't I? I mean, I'm the best racing dog out there. I can run circles around any dog in the world," he replied. "From the start I've always been the best. I was the first of my siblings to get on a team, then the youngest lead dog in town. I won my first race, and all other races after that. I've never had anything else than best."

"It sounds to me like being a champion is the only thing you've ever known."

There was a pause, before Steele started to chuckle. "Heh, you think you're so clever don't you? Although… I suppose you're right. No matter what, I got what I wanted as long as I focused and kept at it. There, does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Balto nodded, while thinking, 'In more way than one. None of these words sound like they're from a deliberate cheater - just someone determined to get what they wanted, and I think most of us here can relate to that.'

"So what about you, wolfdog?" he asked, breaking the silence. "What brought you out here?"

"Puppyhood dream," he replied without hesitation. "I've always wanted to run in a sled race like my father used to, and now I got the chance to live it out."

"Alright… but after you run the race, what then? You'd already have lived your dream."

Now it was Balto's turn to be stumped. "You know, I really don't know. I haven't thought about it much… I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."

The two were silent after that, with Balto starting to wonder what he could do with himself after this race. The night wore on, and the featureless landscape started to wear on them. Steele let out a yawn, but refused to fall asleep. He took a quick look at Balto, and saw the wolfdog's eyes were shut, and he was snoring softly. 'Wow, here he is being such a bigshot hero, and yet he's asleep on the job,' Steele thought, and the fact they were alone stoked a very tempting thought in him. 'Stupid mutt - I should kick his tail for lazing about on the job. Or even better, I'll get back at him for everything ruining me. There's no way I'm letting a wolfdog like him take my prize.' As the anger built, he stood up, towering over the sleeping Balto. He growled softly as a whole multitude of violent ideas sped through his head, but at the last second, he wavered. No matter what, if he did anything they would know it was him. They'd turn on him, and Sonya would probably tell his team his secret. He'd be torn apart, cast out, and would lose any chance of regaining his glory.

He didn't like to admit it, but he was no longer the top dog around here. He couldn't turn a crowd around like before, nor did he have as many friends to back him up. Even if he did get away with it, he would still be the second dog on the team. Nothing would change for him. He sat back down, and turned back towards the river. 'What's the point? Sonya's going to get the prize anyways if we win… no, we will win! They have me around, and I'm certainly not going to let that smug Balto take it. The champion collar is the one thing he didn't take from me, and I'm not going to let him have it!'

He failed to notice it, but beside him, a small smile started to form on Balto's muzzle. The half-wolf was quite aware of what was going on, and when he heard Steele calm down instead of striking him, it helped prove something he thought right. 'Good boy Steele. Now let's see if you can stay through the entire night.'

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Chapter Ten: A Victory on the Home Front

And so through the night the dogs waited, waited and waited. Some were kept alert by their anxiety, while others started to doze from the monotony. Balto was part of the former, and while his eyes were close, his ears were carefully trained on Steele to see how he would act. The minutes ticked by, but Steele stayed rooted to the spot, watching and waiting through the dark night. Finally, the morning sun started to rise, and another day began without incident. Going the whole night without any attack was a huge relief. A quick check showed that all of their supplies were accounted for, and for the first time in days, the teams were less on edge. The danger had passed and now they could go back to focusing on what was important - running the race.

"So what do youse think? Did we finally shake whatever was chasin' us?" Nikki asked.

"Unless it decided to take the day off, we might have," Balto replied.

"Or maybe the culprit just knew they were being watched," Kaltag added. "C'mon boss, you have to admit it - the one time nothing happens is the one time you've got the prime suspect under your eye. Doesn't that strike you as fishy at all?"

"Are you sure he was under my eye? After all, it was a long night, and I may have… nodded off," he replied with a wink.

"Wait a minute - youse actually let your guard down around him?" Nikki queried.

"No, but if I was going to catch him doing anything, I had to make him think I was," Balto replied. "It's actually quite easy to pretend to fall asleep; even though my eyes were closed, my ears heard all. I gave Steele the opportunity he would need to pull something off, but he didn't take them. He stayed at his post all night, never making any move against me or anyone else," he explained, turning to Kaltag. "So, what do you think about that?"

"It does weaken my case a bit, doesn't it?" Kaltag admitted. "I don't know… it just seems too easy. He could've seen through your bluff or something like that. I know what you're trying to do, but even if he stayed up every night, I don't think I'd trust him."

"I never said you had to," Balto replied. "All I ask is that you have a little more faith in what I'm saying."

"Okay… at least you tried to see if it was him," he conceded.

"That's right, and for the record, I do not think you're as bad as Steele," Balto added. "At worst, you leap before you think, but that's just because you follow your instincts. There's nothing wrong with that."

Kaltag gave a few glances towards him, but didn't respond. He was torn between his frustration with Steele, and wanting to make amends with Balto. He knew he shouldn't have blown up like he did two nights ago, but he couldn't ignore that he still suspected Steele of wrongdoing. Balto could tell he was still making up his mind, and decided against pushing him further. If Kaltag wanted to apologise, he would let him do it when he was ready.

Still, the truce between them was enough to improve their moods, which was a victory in Balto's book. He needed everyone firing on all cylinders and running as one if they were going to conquer their next challenge. As they got into their harnesses, they saw the mountains looming in the distance - the Nulato Hills. In spite of the name, they were anything but - the mountains towered over them and stretched father than any of them could see to the north and south. They acted as a natural barrier between the Alaskan Interior and the Seward Peninsula, and were known for their fierce storms. Balto himself remembered the storm he had to run through to find the team on the serum run. Once again he would be running through this pass, but now he trusted his wolf senses; they wouldn't get lost this time.

Once they were together, the call was given and they bolted forward. They passed by Steele and Sonya on their way out, with Kaltag glad that they were still ahead of them. To lose again would be one thing, but to lose to his former boss would probably have been too much to handle. Their path took them straight across the flat plain surrounding Nulato towards some foothills. They aimed for a valley, one of many that snaked through the range. It was these valleys that were the hardest challenge of the Derby - they formed a natural maze in the mountains, and one wrong turn would easily send them way off course. They'd heard a story of one team that had become so turned around in the mountains that they emerged too far south of where they supposed to be. What they thought was the land past the mountain range was actually the frozen sea ice of Norton Sound. Fortunately, their path took them back to land - but they ended up in the town of Stebbins instead of Nome, clear on the other side of the sound.

It was here that Balto focused as much as he could, keeping track of their heading like a hawk. They needed to be heading roughly west towards the town of Koyuk without straying too far south or north. For the