riverbed that goes directly west, while the trail goes around it. It got us to first place that time, even though Steele wanted to take the long way around."

"That's perfect, we need something like that," Balto said.

"But what if Steele remembers it too?" Nikki asked. "It may have been your find, but he was with us, and might know where it is too."

"Well, we'll just have to see when we get there," Balto said. They continued to run through the woods, keeping an eye out for the riverbed. Balto focused on following the trail before them, the marks in the trail moving straight ahead, past a small break in the trees that had some ice underneath the snow.

"There it is!" Kaltag cried. "And what do you know; it's all clear. Steele completely forgot about it!"

"All the better for us. C'mon, let's go!" Balto cried, taking them off the trail and into the shallow ravine that the riverbed lay in. A quick look showed that there were no marked tress here - Steele was taking the long way because of them. 'Hm, poetic justice, maybe?' The snow underfoot was fresh and untouched, but was fluffy enough that their runners sailed across with ease. The straight but narrow depression made travel much easier than the winding they had to do in earlier portions of the trail. The river was shallow enough that it was all solid ice, leaving no threat of them falling into icy water. The ravine walls started to even out, but even when they started to see the opening from the treeline into open tundra, they were unsure of how their gambit had helped them.

"We're almost back on the main path - can you see Steele anywhere?" Star asked.

"No, but I can't see his trail either," Balto said.

"Maybe we passed him already?" Kaltag asked.

"Maybe, or maybe he - woah!" Balto cried as they emerged, back onto the main path, almost sideswiping Steele's team. The other husky jolted to the side when he saw them, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Oh, there he is."

"Where did you come from?" Steele demanded.

"Aw, Steele, don't tell me you forgot about the shortcut we used a few years back," Kaltag replied. "Remember? It was from the first race Nikki, Star and I ran with you."

The mention of that clicked the memory back into place, and Steele cursed under his breath for forgetting it. He thought following Balto's marks would give him an edge, but they instead led him down a less desirable route. Now the two teams were pulled up side-by-side, neck and neck with each other. While he preferred having a comfortable lead, he had to admit he enjoyed having them so close. The thrill of the challenge made him feel more alive than anything, and he knew that no matter how close it was, he only needed to cross the finish first by a nose to win.

Across the tundra they went, pumping their legs as hard as they would go. Steele may not have run competitively for the past couple of years, but his years of prior training still remained. Balto, meanwhile, may have been less experienced, but he made up for it through a combination of natural skill and tenacity. As they ran, sometimes one would inch ahead before the other would step up and inch forwards. The two constantly traded places in the lead, proving just how evenly matched they were.

Up ahead were two cliffs that rose up, with only a narrow pass between them. Some common names for this were 'The Bottleneck' or 'The Gates of Nome' because of how they forced racers through them. The pass was only wide enough for one team to traverse safely, meaning one of them would have to pull forwards or behind to prevent them from slamming into the hard rocks surrounding them. Both teams didn't show any signs of slowing, which meant that the pass was going to turn into a game of chicken. Both wanted to wait until the last second, but with the cliff walls closing in on them quickly, time was running out. It wasn't long before both teams pulled closer and closer to each other in the narrowing space, until the sled runners were bumping up against each other. Shoulders rubbed against each other, while even the mushers were bumping elbows, but neither wanted to yield, even in the still-narrowing space.

Balto knew he would run out of space soon, and planned on waiting until the last second before pulling back. He was sure Steele wouldn't, but even the husky would surprise him that day. Right before the narrowest part of the gap, Steele pulled back, settling into a position directly behind them. As they emerged from the pass, a thunderous bang blew above their heads. It was the three-mile marker - the first sign that they were on the home stretch, and in the lead too. Looking back, Balto noted that Steele was still behind them, seemingly trying to return back to the head position, but now that he had this advantage, he intended to keep it. He matched all of their course changes, keeping directly ahead of them and blocking any attempt for Steele to pass. This went back and forth a few times, with Balto keeping ahead of them.

What he didn't realize was that Steele was actually being quite clever. Being in their wake allowed his team to recover a bit of strength, and he'd proven that Balto was going to follow every turn of his. Finally he spotted what he wanted too, and made a dash to the left. Balto matched his turn, but because he was watching Steele, he failed to notice the snowdrift in front of them until they were almost on it. A yell from Kaltag caught his attention in time, but they still ended up grazing the drift, slowing them down and allowing Steele to swing right and get back alongside them.

"You're not the only one who knows some old tricks," he said, causing Balto to mentally kick himself. His own team had used a similar fake out on Steele the first day of the race. It had only been a week ago, but the race had been so long and arduous, he'd almost forgotten about it. Now the two rivals were back to being neck and neck, as the second bang from the two mile mark flashed above their heads. The town was in sight, and they were almost to the finish, where one of them would be crowned the fastest dog alive. By now their breath came in gasps, each determined to get ahead. The one mile marker flashed soon after, and they could already see the lines of people gathered on the streets, awaiting their return. This was it - the make or break moment.

The crowd was already cheering them on as they entered the town. Most would only get a fleeting glimpse of the teams as they screamed past, but they were more excited with how close of a race this was going to be. They rounded the final turn, and right ahead, at the end of the road was the red banner that marked the end of their journey. Hundreds of miles and days of travel would all culminate in the final dash to the end.

So many faces lined the road; some he recognized, some he didn't, but all were cheering them on. The sound became a deafening roar in his ears, but then it seemed to dull a bit, before being punctuated by a sharp howl. No one else reacted to it, and when he looked up, he saw her. The snow white wolf that had watched over him throughout his life. His protector, his guide, his mother. Aniu was there, perched on a rooftop, watching the action unfold. He only heard her howl before the background shouts returned, but he could see her yelling, urging him to not give up like every other spectator on the street. He turned his focus back to the road, and that's when the teams pushed themselves beyond their limits.

Up ahead, he saw the brilliant red fur that could only be Jenna's. She was jumping ecstatically by now, along with the young girl by her side. This was it - he would rise higher than he ever had in front of the two he cared about the most. The finish line closed in, but neither team had a clear advantage. For Steele, this was not the time for any trick or slight of hand. He was going to beat Balto fair and square today, to show that he was better than him. They were on equal ground now, so it was only a matter of who would cross the finish first.

The teams closed in, and to many it looked like it would be a photo finish. Twenty feet, ten feet, five - their paws pounded through the snow, and just as they hit the finish line, both dogs lunged toward the prize. Their bodies shot forward, straining against the harnesses while they both let out a loud yell. The cheers reached a fever pitch as the dogs lunged towards victory, but only one would have the distance needed to cross first.

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Chapter Fourteen: The End of the Road

Balto's feet madly flew through the air. He'd put everything into his final lunge, but that meant there was little left for the landing afterwards. Where his legs had been as precise as a dancer's before, now they suddenly failed him. The first couple of strides were clumsy, but he still was upright before his legs finally gave out beneath him. His team was quick to spot his trouble and ground to a halt right before their lead slammed to ground, completely spent. Beside them, Steele's team skidded to a stop, and even the husky was soon on the ground from the exertion of the race. Soon, scores of people were approaching; many of them hadn't seen dogs run that hard before, leading to some concerns over whether they were alright.

"Balto!" he heard a voice cry, before a familiar red body entered his field of vision. "Oh Balto, are you okay?"

"Jenna… I'm home," was the only reply he could muster between his gasping breaths. His heart slammed against his ribcage, every muscle in his body burned, and his whole body trembled at the exertion