passed the good news on to Balto.

It was exhilarating, the feeling of finally having a harness put on him. By now it was something that he'd dismissed as an old dream, or limited to that one time during the serum run. He thought his chance to become a sled dog had come and gone, but it was happening, here and now. He would not only be a sled dog, but the lead dog of Nome's champion team. As part of being on the team, their owner also set aside a doghouse and looked after Balto, making it the closest he'd ever been to having a human owner.

He quickly learned what it took to make a proper sled dog, such as finding hazards, building endurance and pacing properly to prevent the burnout that cost them the race last year. The team responded to his lead very well, his presence boosting their spirits after the disappointment of last year. They felt they could win this time, led by the wolfdog that most of them owed their lives to.

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Present Day

The race was only a couple weeks away by now, and it wouldn't be long before they would have to leave for Fairbanks for the start of the race. While most of the town was starting to buzz with predictions of how it would go, the team was more focused on getting their training in. They would need every ounce of skill they could get if they wanted to win this year, and Balto could feel the weight of their hopes resting on his shoulders. To him, the position of lead dog was not some privilege – it was a duty. It was his duty to lead his team well, and to bring out their full potential. Only then would they be able to run well enough to win the race. By doing so, they could emerge from the shadow left behind by their former lead dog.

"Well, I'd best leave you boys to your work. Will I see you tonight?" Jenna asked him.

"Maybe. I don't want to push my luck with getting caught, so I might just stay here tonight," he replied. While he was living as a sled dog now, he still found ways to sneak from the musher's home over to see Jenna or his other friends. He just had to be discrete; otherwise Gunnar would think he had run away.

"I agree - I just heard Kassen's alarm clock going off, so he's going to be out any second," Kaltag said. With that, he gave Jenna one last nuzzle before she turned back to her own home. The two males turned the other way, meeting with the rest of the team just in time for their owner to come out with their morning meal. Unlike the dry dog food most house pets lived on, sled dogs had fresher pieces of meat served to them while in training. The protein helped build their muscles, and for Balto, it was much better than the dry kibble or biscuits Rosy and her family sometimes treated him to.

"So how's everyone doing today?" Balto asked them as they were getting harnessed up for the morning run.

"I think we're fine. How about youse?" a stocky chow named Nikki replied. "Did youse get enough sleep, or did youse… stay up late?"

Balto just rolled his eyes as more than a few cheeky grins started to form on the team. "Don't worry, I slept like a log," he said, hoping to dispel the thoughts he knew they were thinking about him and Jenna. He turned to Kaltag and whispered, "Do you really have to tell everyone where I'm going?"

"I've got to tell them something, and I don't see what you're getting all bothered about," Kaltag whispered back. "C'mon, you're the alpha dog of the team now. You're entitled to have some time with your sweetie." Balto just shook his head; normally he considered things with him and Jenna to be very personal, but he had gotten used to how a lot of the sled dogs talked amongst themselves. There were some things they said that wouldn't be said in polite company, but that was just who they were, and they still managed to mind their manners when around non sled dogs.

Soon the preparations were complete, and as their musher took his position at the end of the sled, Balto called out, "Everyone ready?" They were ready for action, and on the call of 'hike' they were off, with Balto leading the way. There may not have been a finish line or the unknown brown husky, but it was still just as he dreamed it would be.

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Chapter Three: A Parting Gift

"So there we were, perched on the cliff and my buddy was barely hangin' off the edge. The line was wrapped around my leg, and I couldn't reach him myself. So, I wiggled out of my harness, and threw it to him, roping him like a cowboy would a steer. I got it looped around him, and managed to drag him up, before freeing myself. But that was just the start of our troubles, because soon we saw an angry polar bear-"

"Hang on, if this was near Fairbanks, then why are there polar bears? Don't they live near the coast?"

"It… might have been a rogue-"

"Nuh-uh, I heard Maddie say it after she learned it at school. Polar bears only live near the coast because that's where the seals are."

"Looks like Sonya's got you beat again, Steele," a third dog chipped in, causing the crowd to chuckle. The large husky whose story had been debunked just scowled at them, while the smoke-grey female who had poked the holes in his story just sat and smiled.

"Don't be so sore Steele, you were doing so well until then," she said, smirking a little. He hated it when she butted in and ruined his stories. Some of his tales may have been exaggerated, but he focused more on making it exciting than sticking to facts.

Ever since he'd been sold to his new owner in White Mountain, Sonya had always been a bit of a pest to him. Unfortunately, that pest was also his current lead dog, and he could do little or risk facing a terrible punishment. So far, she and him were the only ones who knew the full truth of how he turned against his former team just to get rid of one wolfdog he hated. She agreed to keep his secret in return for his cooperation while running on her team. Normally he wouldn't even consider running under someone like Sonya, for she was also part wolf. It was a trait that went unnoticed by her owners when they took her in, but made her lower than a purebred husky in his eyes. However, considering the alternative, he decided to grit his teeth and go along with it.

All in all, it wasn't so bad; the only problem was that it allowed him to be the butt of many of her jokes. Worse still was that she seemed to enjoy it. Since he couldn't beat her, he decided to just join her, taking every opportunity to annoy her just enough to get under her fur, but not too much that it would get him in serious trouble.

"Well if you don't think that's real enough, then how about this one? One day, Sonya screamed and ran like a scared pup all because she woke up in front of a little squirrel-"

"Hey, it was a rat!" she retorted. "Haven't you seen the teeth on those things?"

"Yeah, and I saw the bushy tail too," Steele added. "One would think such a master of the wilderness like you would know that squirrels have bushy tails."

Sonya clicked her tongue a few times, before finally conceding, "Alright, maybe it was a squirrel, but it certainly surprised me. Just imagine what it's like having some annoying thing chattering away in front of your face?"

"I don't have to – I have you for that every morning," Steele retorted. The dogs chuckled again; by now Steele and Sonya's bickering had become more of an amusement for them.

"You know, to this day I still wonder how such a lazy dog could ever be a champion. You're almost as bad as Marcus some mornings."

"Lazy? Ha! Just you wait – tomorrow morning, I'll be up bright and early for when we leave," he said, puffing out his chest. "I could probably run the race and get back before you even finish your breakfast!" It may have been another exaggeration, but his heart was in the right place. Their team was entered in the Trans-Alaskan Derby for the first time in almost five years. After months of extensive training, they were only one night away from leaving for the biggest race of their lives. For most on the team, it was only their second time that they were running this race. They may have been a little rusty, but all were determined to show their stuff and take the gold this year. That challenge would begin tomorrow, so they would spend that night sharing stories and saying their goodbyes before leaving on their journey.

Even Sonya was bitten by the competitive bug, and was glad to see everyone – including Steele – enthusiastic about the race. "You know, as much as I'd like to rebuff you… we're going to need that," she said. "How about it guys? Are we going to win this year?"

"Yes!" they all cheered.

"With you leading the way, we'll be invincible!" another husky put in.

"No need to thank me already," Steele added, before Sonya loudly cleared her throat.

"He was talking to me - nice try," she said, while Steele rolled his eyes. "But I can't ignore you guys either. We wouldn't be where we are if it weren't for you guys, and if we win, it'll be a win for the entire team. It's too bad they don't make enough prize collars for everyone – you all would look pretty good in them."

"Even me?" Steele asked, grinning his toothy grin.

"Yeah, sure… let's go with that," she mumbled, causing his grin to quickly fall into a pout. "But if we're going to go