ordering them to the left. The scent however went to the right, and at this Balto whined, facing that way. "C'mon, get on by that, and haw!" he yelled again, more insistent this time. Despite his doubts, Balto knew better than to disobey the directions of their musher. So, they took the left, losing the trail, but that only strengthened Balto's resolve to find it again.

----------

"He's gettin' bolder that's for sure," Nikki said. "I mean, attackin' in broad daylight isn't exactly subtle."

"And going after a human too – this guy obviously has no fear," Star added.

"He's definitely stepping up his attacks, but if there's any silver lining from today, it's this," Balto continued. "We now have a clearer picture of what's doing this, and I got his scent off the blood from his wound. If he shows up again, not only will we know, but if the wind is with us we'd have some advance warning for when that wolf comes."

"So I guess it's official, huh?" Kaltag added. "It's not Steele, or any of the dogs doing this - it's that wolf and it always was."

"That's right," Balto affirmed. Kaltag was quiet as he shuffled his paws, before he started to say what he knew had to be said.

"Look, uh, I'm sorry if I got a little snappy with you earlier," he apologised. "It's just… I suppose it was just having Steele around and it opened up some old wounds-"

"No need to say anymore," Balto cut in. "I know that you and Steele didn't have the best relationship before, and if I was I your position, I might've thought the same."

"But I took it out on you when you were just trying to be careful," he said. "I wanted so badly to turn things around on him, but that just made me lose focus, didn't it?"

"Maybe, but truth be told, I'd rather have you share your concerns with me than keep them bottled up. I'm glad you felt secure enough to tell me your thoughts. I may not have agreed entirely, but I was listening to you. I just didn't think the action you wanted was the right one," he replied. "And the same goes for everyone else here, too."

"In that case, then can we do something about Kal's snoring - it's starting to give me nightmares," Star quipped, causing everyone to burst out laughing. Kaltag just gave him a playful shove, but the collective mirth helped break the hold of what had been a very stressful few days. Balto was glad that no matter what, he, Kaltag and the team were always able to pull through together. The Chinook had practically become his right hand dog over the past couple of years, after Steele had been exiled from Nome. This was not the first time they had butted heads, and it probably wouldn't be the last, but Balto was secure in the knowledge that they would always be able to work it out in the end.

"It's too bad we couldn't follow the trail," Kaltag added after the laughter died down. "He's still out there and could be anywhere by now."

"Yeah, he could even be… right here!" Nikki added, leaning in and nipping Star, causing the smaller husky to yelp in fright. There was another round of laughter from the team, proving that things were finally started to go back to normal between them.

Their progress through the mountain range would be slowed by the ascent, so sled teams often made camp in the bush, getting some rest before continuing to Koyuk the second day. Their owner was quick to build a fire and was now snoozing nearby, with one hand planted underneath his pillow. They knew that under his head, his hand was clutched around the revolver that had been used earlier, cocked and loaded. At the slightest sign of trouble, they wouldn't be caught defenseless. While the rest of the team started to settle for the night, Balto was at attention, scanning the dark bushes for sign of any trouble, occasionally sniffing to catch any odd scents. His ears were tuned as well, listening for anything coming towards them, or for the cries of any other nearby teams that might be in distress. Kaltag noticed his attention, and went to his side.

"Anything?"

"Nope, and I hope it stays that way," he replied.

"Yeah. It's scary, but it's a bit of a relief too, knowing what we're dealing with. Then again, I suppose you knew what it was all along; this was just the proof you needed."

"It's too bad another team had to attacked to get it," he mused. "It's strange though, a wolf - even a loner - doing something like this is almost unheard of. It's pursuing us and taking us out one by one, but why? This is really bizarre, and that's why I don't like it… there's something more to this and we have to find it out before the wolf strikes again."

"Yeah, but if we do, we can't do it without any sleep," Kaltag added. "C'mon boss, it's been a long day. You need some rest."

"Yeah, I know," he conceded, reluctant to break his watch. "Thanks."

"Hey, that's what teammates do – we look out for each other."

Balto nodded, but didn't reveal that there was something else troubling him. 'I can't shake this feeling that something about that scent was familiar. It's like I know who it is, but I can't remember. The attacks seem like something I've seen before too, but can't put a pin on it. There's something else I'm missing here.'

----------

The grand race, the thrill of competing, the joy of being first, all shattered by the shadow. Relentlessly pursuing them, hunting them down one by one. Balto and the stranger raced to stay ahead, but even he fell, leaving him alone with the monster once more. 'No, not again! This can't happen again! I'm so close!' Balto thought as he faced down the shadow, his fear consuming him.

"It's just you and me now… there's no escape this time." The shadow reared up to pounce, but a cry came from above, catching both off guard. The shadow shrank in fear as the raven swooped in, striking from above. The shadow tried to snap back, but on the next pass, the raven became a wolf surrounded by blazing white light. The wolf lunged, and with one strike, it beat the shadow back, the light causing it to fade into the ether. The blazing light faded, revealing a wolf that was all too familiar to him.

This was his mother, Aniu. Balto had been separated from her when he was just a pup, but she'd always been watching over him, as a spirit guide bound to the world. He had a feeling that she was behind these dreams, using them to try to convey some sort of message to him, but he hadn't quite figured out what they were yet. However, instead of turning to him, she turned towards the stranger, standing over his body with a sort of reverence. Balto joined her, and was surprised to find tears in her eyes and down her muzzle. It was obvious the death of this husky moved her, but he didn't know why.

"Mother?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"He always was so brave," she whispered.

"Who? Who was he… how do you know him?"

"His name was Amak," she answered. "As for how I knew him… that story will have to wait until the time is right," she finished, before starting to turn away.

"Wait, come back! I need your help! Sled dogs are getting hurt, but I don't know how to stop it," Balto pleaded. "Please, I need your help."

"My son, the greatest challenges you have faced you have always surmounted without my direct help," she said. "Besides, as a guide I cannot interfere directly. I can only advise you by telling you this: when the enemy reveals itself again, you must make sure that the past does not leave you without allies. Only when your rival can move on from his defeat will you prevail over this dark terror."

"Wait… what?" he asked, but she just let out a howl, before fading into the wind. "No! Come back! Who's doing this to us? What can I do? Who's Amak?"

"When we meet next, after you have lived your dream, I will tell you everything. Once I fulfil your father's last wish, then I will be at peace… and my time on this world will come to an end."

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Chapter Eleven: The Enemy Revealed

"Did you hear that another team got attacked in the mountains?"

"Yeah, and in broad daylight too!"

"Did Balto really fight the wolf off himself?"

"I heard he chased it halfway through the mountains!"

"You're both wrong - the second the wolf saw him, it ran away with its tail between its legs. It knew better than to mess around with a hero like him."

News of the encounter spread like wildfire when the teams pulled into Koyuk. The second the team mentioned seeing the perpetrator behind the attacks, all eyes and ears were instantly on Balto. He did his best to explain the situation, but as most stories do, once others started passing it along, some parts were altered along the way. By the time it reached Steele's ears, there were so many versions that he didn't know what to make of it. Granted, hearing heroic stories was nothing new to Steele, but there was something putting him off about these ones: they weren't about him.

All attention was on his biggest rival, supplanting the story that was big in his mind. The runner-up team had been attacked, and the lead team suddenly had a