muttered.

"Ah, I'm just yanking your leash. If anything, seeing you two gives more hope to the rest of us 'average guys'," Kaltag added. "So, did you two have a good night?"

"Yep, I'm just wishing it could be longer," Balto replied.

"Hehe, well I suppose even the lead dog of the team has to have time to unwind."

"Hey, what fun is the position if there aren't any perks?"

While Balto had proved his competency with a team during the serum run, many of the townspeople were still hesitant to take him in. He was still a half-wolf, and viewed as potentially unpredictable. For a time, it looked as though he would have only that one moment of glory, but that suited him just fine. He was more concerned with keeping the peace in town and later raising the litter of pups that he and Jenna had. Life outside the public spotlight suited the humble wolfdog quite well, but the hand of fate would place him in a harness once again…

----------

One Year Earlier

Steele had been banished after his treachery against the team was exposed, and even though Balto had been the one to lead them home, he technically wasn't a part of the team in their owner's eyes. That meant Kaltag was next in line to become lead dog. While he could hold his own in any race, he lacked the experience that a good leader needed. Steele had always been the one to take glory for himself, which meant that very few on the team were ever given a chance to expand their own skills. Steele's domination left them all in the dust, and that would become readily apparent in the year following the serum run.

The Trans-Alaskan Derby was an event that all sled dogs and their mushers looked forward to throughout the year. It was a gruelling six hundred mile race from Fairbanks to Nome, across most of the Alaskan frontier. Held every year in January, it was the true test of a sled dog's skill and endurance. In the end, only one team would cross the finish first and be crowned Alaska's champion. Most of the material prizes went to the human owner, but the race organizers also produced two trophy collars for the dogs. The winner would receive the golden collar while a similar silver collar was awarded to the runner-up. For four years in a row, Kaltag's team had won first place thanks to the skill – and sometimes conniving tactics – of their lead dog Steele, allowing the golden collar to represent the respect and awe he received from the town's dogs. That respect would quickly collapse once his treachery was exposed, and the collar was stripped from his neck before he was sent out into the cold.

After that, Kaltag stowed the old collar away, hiding it because of how much it symbolised his former lead dog, with whom - at best - he had a strained relationship. While he was made lead dog after that, he wanted to earn the trophy instead of just taking it by default. In the year following he trained relentlessly with his team, hoping that when the time came, he would emerge triumphant from Steele's shadow.

Balto too had an interest in the upcoming race. Sled races had always fascinated him since he was young, and the fact that several of his newfound friends were running in it only fuelled his excitement. There were some mumblings that Balto might lead the team during the race, but Kaltag's owner never seemed to hold much of an interest in the stray half-wolf. He wanted to use dogs he'd trained for years instead of adding in someone new. It meant he still wouldn't get the chance to live out his dream, but he was still grateful that his friends respected him enough to want him on the team.

So Balto stayed back in Nome, eagerly waiting in the old mill for updates to be relayed through the telegraph office. Every time they heard that Kaltag was still in the running, they would cheer, no matter what position they were in. They were their home team and they knew that nothing was final until the end of the race. The mood in town became only more charged as the teams got closer to home, reaching a fever pitch on the day they were supposed to return. Everyone in town wanted to know if their team would bring the trophy home for a fifth time. The news that they were in second place when leaving the last checkpoint only increased their mirth. At the very least they would still get the silver, but they also had a shot at taking the gold once again.

Balto was so excited that he barely slept the night before. Part of it was the anticipation of seeing the team return victorious, but part of it also stemmed from imagining himself in the lead instead, racing to victory to a cheering crowd, crossing the finish line and seeing Jenna's beaming face. He would be able to show that even though he was half-wolf, he was just as equal as any other dog. It was a dream he'd held for years, but for now, he would have to watch from the sidelines once again.

He went into town the next day as the crowds gathered for the approaching racers. He wasn't alone either, as he wanted to show his eight month old daughter Aleu the thrill of a sled dog race as well. While her brothers and sisters had already been adopted, she was left behind. Part of it may have been due to her wolfish appearance, causing him to cling onto the idea that if he could pass her off as a dog, she would get accepted into a human home. He hadn't told her everything about her breeding, and tried to get her excited with things that would excite other dogs, but his efforts reaped only mixed results.

"Aw, papa, why do we have to go into town? I want to play with Muk and Luk."

"Trust me kiddo, you'll love this. The sled teams are coming to Nome for the finish of a big race. You should see how fast they can run."

"But they're just running – hide and seek is much more fun."

Try as he might to ease her misgivings, she didn't seem very thrilled as he led her through the town and up to the rooftops for the best vantage point of the finish. It wasn't long before the marker flares started to go off, and the cheers grew as the end drew nearer. The only one who didn't seem excited was Aleu, who was growing bored from sitting for long periods of time. More than once Balto had to stop her from sneaking off, trying to assure her that this would be fun. This wasn't the first time that his hopes for Aleu would conflict with her interests, nor would it be the last. Despite his wishes, she would always prefer to run free, a quality that would persist until she found out the hard way about her heritage. Upset, she ran away, wanting to find her own place in this world. She would eventually find it within a wolfpack, and only then was Balto able to let go of his daughter, and let her lead her own life.

The one-mile flare went off, and cheers erupted through the town, matched by a howl from Balto. He trained his eyes on the last corner, hoping to see a tan Chinook come around and win the prize. He could hear the barking of dogs approaching, but he let out a groan when they came around the corner. The team was led by a red husky whose fur seemed to stick out, giving him a puffed out appearance. His hope was that Kaltag wouldn't be far behind, but no one came around the corner as the unknown husky crossed the finish and took the gold, albeit to slightly muted cheers. Balto wasn't the only one who was disappointed with the outcome.

A second team crossed the finish, then a third, but neither were Kaltag's team. By now, he was starting to wonder if something had happened, requiring him to go out and rescue them - again. Fortunately, his fears would be put to rest when the loud cheering returned, and around the corner came his friends. He could tell they were on their last legs, with some looking like they were barely able to keep upright. They crossed the finish line and made it home, albeit in fourth place.

By now, Aleu was getting very restless, and once he saw them return home safely, he decided to take her home before going back to congratulate the team. Granted, it was still a good result compared to many other teams, some of whom didn't even make it to the finish, but Kaltag had been riding on his hopes for victory. It turned out that in his drive to win, he'd pushed the team too hard on the last leg. They'd taken the lead, but started to burn out shortly after, costing them the race. Their owner was disappointed with the result too. He felt his training had been perfect, but Kaltag lacked the experience and instinct of a good lead dog. There had been a few times where he noticed him acting more cautious than he needed, possibly costing them the advantage they needed to win. He needed a dog that was gutsier and more comfortable in the wilderness. He pondered and pondered this, but it wasn't until a few days later, during the commemoration for the anniversary of the serum run that he got an unconventional idea.

The only other dog he knew that could run on par with his former lead was Balto, but he'd been hesitant to take the half-wolf in. It wasn't that he bore any ill feelings towards him; he just wanted the best dogs for the team. As he thought, he was reminded of how Balto got him home safely, in spite of them being off the trail and with him knocked out. The half-wolf was able to get him home without any further direction, something that was rarely, if ever, heard of for a sled dog. He would ponder this for a good part of the spring and summer, unsure of what to do. It wasn't until the following winter, after Balto had returned from seeing Aleu off to her new home, that he decided to take the plunge. The man was quite surprised at how readily Balto came to him when called, but that was because the ears of his team were privy to his intentions, and passed the