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Hunting with a pack was definitely a new experience for me. Akiak kept explaining to me everyone’s roles, but I kept picturing getting kicked in the head by a caribou’s hoof.

 

“If you’re scared, you can go watch the pups with Michelo.” Akiak taunted when he caught me spacing out again.

 

“You just don’t want to see if I’m faster than you.” I countered with a grin.

 

“Not true. I’d very much like to prove you wrong.” He puffed out his chest and raised his head high until Nilak trotted past, shooting a disgusted look back at the younger wolf. Akiak back-peddled for a second and averted his eyes. I simply lowered my head briefly when the beta glanced in my direction, at which point he moved on without a word. 

 

After traveling in silence for a minute, I grinned. “You almost just got left behind on another hunt.”

 

“Shut up, Balto.” He grumbled.

 

I couldn’t help but chuckle in response, laughing even harder when I noticed Sakari, who was walking behind us, had joined in. The brief respite from the tension helped to lift my spirits just as I caught the scent of caribou on the wind.

 

Ataneq and Nilak went to scout ahead for a good position to attack from while Saghani and Miki crawled to a ridge just above us to keep an eye on the herd. Yakone, Akiak, Sakari and I stayed back, crouched in the snow to wait.

 

After a few minutes of tense waiting, Miki glanced back at us and tilted her head, silently motioning for us to join her. We stealthily made our way to her side and I had to consciously shut my mouth as I topped the ridge. At first I thought I was looking at an unremarkable field of mud created by the melting snow. It was when the mud started shifting and breaking off and slowly moving across the snow that I realized they were caribou. I’d never seen so many in my life.

 

Akiak was practically drooling next to me.

 

I watched in fascinated silence, unaware of the time passing until my antsy friend cautiously whispered. “What’s taking them so long?”

 

Miki shook her head, looking worried as she scanned the area below us. It was then that a sudden cry cut through the frigid air. We were on our feet in an instant, charging toward the sound.

 

My heart was pounding frantically in my chest. All I could think was that the hunters had finally caught up and had shot the alpha. As we neared, another cry, this one drawn out into a painful howl, reached my ears. That’s when it hit me- that wasn’t a wolf howl. The deep baying howl was that of a hunting dog.

 

My paws suddenly increased the intensity of their pounding as I pulled far ahead of the other members of the pack. I skid to a stumbling stop as I reached the clearing where the sounds had originated from. In front of me were Nilak and Ataneq, looking quite healthy, but also quite murderous as they cornered a large, cowering, brown dog against a tree. 

 

“Dallas!” I cried in surprise.

 

The lab risked a glance up at me and relief instantly flooded his face until Nilak snapped at him to stay still.

 

Ataneq’s expression softened somewhat as he looked between the dog and me. “You know him?” He asked.

 

The other wolves had caught up now, but were keeping their distance, forming a half circle behind me as they watched intently.

 

“Yes.” I answered. “Please, let me talk to him. You could all be in danger right now.”

 

Nilak let out a low growl as he inched toward the dog who was frantically looking to me for help.

 

“Not from him!” I snapped and suddenly all attention was on me.

 

“Then from who?” Nilak growled.

 

“Hunters.” Ataneq answered calmly, looking to me for confirmation. I nodded. “Speak with him then, but be quick.”

 

I tilted my head in gratitude and came forward as Ataneq forced Nilak to step back and give us room. The lab was still cowering, afraid to move, but his eyes followed me hopefully. “Dallas, are your owners with you?” The dog nodded. “How close? Do we have time?” Another nod, but this one hesitant and noncommittal. I turned to Antaneq. “You need to get everyone out of here now.”

 

“What have you done?” Nilak barked, bearing down on me.

 

“Enough, Nilak.” The alpha ordered. “What are you going to do, Balto?”

 

“Lead them away from you.” I answered, purposefully not looking at the rest of the group, specifically Sakari and Akiak.

 

“And who’s to say they won’t follow us?” The beta asked, quietly this time, though his tone was still laced with accusation.

 

“The hunters are not after us, Nilak.” Ataneq replied, his gaze never leaving me. “I meant what I said, Balto. We will help you.”

 

“I know…but… I have to do this. You know I’m right.” From his conflicted expression as he nodded, I knew he did. There was no way he could protect his family and me, not from humans with guns and an agenda.

 

“I wish you luck, then, Friend. You can always come back.” He added, catching my eyes, and transmitting a look of regret that hit me hard. We both knew I never would.

 

I nodded in thanks anyways. I risked a glance at the others, but could only take a moment of Sakari’s confused frown before I looked away. “Let’s go, Dallas. Show me where they are.”

 

The lab hesitantly and shakily gained his feet, cautiously backing away from the wolves before finally turning to lead me. I could hear Ataneq’s order for his pack to head home, and then the wolves were gone. My one shot at some semblance of normalcy faded into the trees as I ran in the opposite direction.

 

“Dallas.” I spoke up after a few minutes of silence, which was all you could expect from the lab on most days. Word was, he used to be quite the talker, but new owners had quickly stamped out the dog’s excitability. Due to his shy nature, I hardly knew the dog, but he’d always been accepting of me. It was Dallas’s partner, the elk hound, that I had to watch out for. Kaltag had warned me of him. Dallas was a retriever, but Nash was a killer. “Are you up here to hunt me?”

 

“At first.” Dallas answered softly. “They’re still looking for you, but they got distracted by the caribou.”

 

“Where’s Nash?”

 

“With them. I wandered off this morning and was about to head back when I ran into those wolves. They’re probably looking for me.”

 

I nodded thoughtfully and kept my ears perked for any sound of them. The stench of the caribou was hard to smell past, but I had to trust my senses were enough to smell or hear the humans before they spotted me.

 

“What are you going to do?” Dallas asked.

 

“I have to lead them away from here and go back.”

 

“That’s suicide. They think you attacked-.”
 

“I know, but I don’t have a choice. This is my problem. No one else is going to die for it.”

 

“But-.” The sharp report of a rifle cut him off.

 

“They’re close… Go back to them. I’ll lead them away and you give chase. Don’t let Nash or the humans suspect anything.” The lab reluctantly nodded. “Thank you.” We started running and I split off at an angle just as the sound of the human voices reached my ears.

 

I usually never had to worry about outrunning anything. I was faster than any dog I had ever met and certainly much faster than humans, but I wasn’t anywhere near as fast as their bullets. That thought kept running through my head as I snuck closer to the humans’ position. They had taken down a few caribou a good distance to my right and were leaving their cover to survey the kills, guns slung over their shoulders, Nash trotting at their heels. Now was my time.

 

I took off at a dead sprint, cutting between the hunters and the caribou as I kicked up the snow behind me.

 

“Whoa!” One of the humans cried in surprise.

 

“It’s him!” The other shouted. “Git ‘im, Nash!”

 

Seconds later, bullets were pelting the ground behind me. A shot exploded mere feet in front of me, imbedding itself into the trunk of a tree and sending sharp splinters flying in all directions. My face stung and I was sure some had hit me in the eye, partially blinding me. I stumbled to regain my feet and kept running, but had slowed enough to give the elk hound time to catch up.

 

I felt the stocky dog crash into my hind leg, his teeth clamping down through the thick fur to my flesh. I fell and rolled, dislodging the dog and sending him flying a few feet away. I was too slow getting up, and Nash was already charging for me again when a brown blur came out of nowhere, knocking the elk hound off his feet again.

 

“Go!” Dallas cried, keeping a wary eye on his partner as he staggered.

 

I didn’t need telling twice. I ran, the barking and gun shots fading into silence as I put more and more distance between myself and the

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