asked.

“Right,” the dog said, “first of all, my name is Ben, and I’m sorry for what has happened.”

“Is that it?” Kodi said.

“No, it’s not,” Ben continued. “But you need to learn some patience.

Kodi growled.

“Alright, Alright.”

Ben sighed.

“She came here.”

Kodi almost hit him again.

“Last night!” Kodi said.

Ben shrunk back from Kodi and nodded.

“Is she still…”

“Here?” Ben finished for him. “No, no I wouldn’t let her stay.”

Kodi snapped his eyes to Ben’s.

“What!”

“By now you know of her … condition, right?”

Kodi nodded.

“I don’t want kids.” Ben said.

Kodi couldn’t help it anymore.

He hit him.

Ben tumbled over backwards again.

“Hey! What the…” Ben said, but Kodi leapt over to him, and put a paw on his throat, cutting off whatever other words might have followed.

“Where did she go?” Kodi asked.

“I… don’t… know.” Ben choked out.

Kodi pushed down harder.

“I don’t… don’t know, for… for real… man, get… get off me…”

Kodi let him back up, glaring at him.

“She did leave you a message though.” Ben said.

“What is that?” Kodi asked.

“She said that if I saw you I was to tell you that she loved you more than you will ever know, and that she hopes you have a good life without her. Then she left.”

Kodi drew back his paw again, and Ben stepped back.

“Please don’t hit me man, I swear that’s all I know. I tried to call her back, but she wouldn’t come… please leave me alone.”

Kodi smiled.

“Alright.”

He turned to leave, and Ben sighed with relief.

Then suddenly, he spun around, first he hit him with his paw, catching Ben in the side of the head. Then he spun around, kicking Ben in the face with his back legs.

Ben sailed through the air, over a couch, and rolled onto his blanket, where he stopped…

He didn’t move.

Kodi walked over to him.

“Dang,” He thought, “you’re still breathing…. Lucky…”

Kodi looked down at the dog, and suddenly wanted to end Ben’s life, right then and there. It took all Kodi had not to.

Instead Kodi spit on him.

“Sweet Dreams…” he said, as he turned and walked out of the cabin.

As soon as Kodi was out of the cabin, the wind blew, carrying with it Dusty’s scent.

Kodi turned his nose upward, and caught the trail.

“Into the woods…” Kodi thought. “Oh Dusty, I hope you’re alright!”

Then Kodi took off, sprinting for the edge of the forest.

Chapter 5

Dusty stumbled through the cold wind and snow.

Her thoughts drifted back to a time when she’d ventured out in a storm similar to this one, and…

Her thoughts screeched to a halt.

“… and Kodi rescued me… I’d be dead if it weren’t for him.”

She sighed, and looked back toward Nome, then abruptly turned away.

“I can’t go back.” Dusty said aloud. “He’s better off without me now.”

More tears came to her eyes, as she struggled onward.

She figured she should be about halfway to Applegate, maybe she could find shelter there.

She shivered.

“If I make it that far...” Dusty thought.

Suddenly she heard a howl above her and to her right.

Dusty stopped walking.

“Uh-oh.” She thought.

Then the wolves were on her.

Dusty managed to scream once, before the lead wolf hit her in the head.

She collapsed to the snow.

“What are we gonna do with her Tyrel?” One of the wolves asked the one that had hit her.

“She’s awful pretty …” one said with a smile.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry…” another said.

“There’s a beautiful female lying unconscious at your paws James, and only you would be thinking of eating her.”

“Knock it off!” Tyrel said. “No one’s doing anything with her, not until Gareth sees her.”

“You know he’s obsessed with finding that one female,” one of the wolves said. “You know, the former leader?”

“Aleu.” Tyrel said. “Her name is Aleu, and you should know that! Aleu is our greatest and most dangerous enemy.”

‘Is it Aleu?” Another asked.

Tyrel looked closely at Dusty.

“I don’t know… it looks kind of like her…”

“Let’s just take her back, that way if it isn’t, I can get supper.” James said.

“Yeah James,” Tyrel said, “I have to agree with the others on this one. She’s beautiful, and all you can think about is eating her. Is there something wrong with you?”

James sighed.

“No, I agree, she’s cute, but I’m HUNGRY!”

Tyrel and the other wolves laughed.

“Alright James,” Tyrel said, “tell you what, if it’s not Aleu, you can have her after we finish with her, how’s that?”

“Sounds good to me.” James said.

“See,” Tyrel said, as one of the wolves lifted Dusty’s limp form on his shoulders. “… everyone is happy now, and no fighting, see how that works, it’s called compromise…”

His voice faded as he walked through the forest, and back to the cave.

It was night, and Balto was sleeping.

He hadn’t really intended to stay at Jenna’s tonoght, but he had fallen asleep on the couch.

Jenna was back from her day alone, and Balto thought that she had enjoyed it.

The pups were snuggled up next to him, and they made Balto feel warm all over.

Balto smiled, and was about to fall back asleep, when he heard a crash, and some broken glass fell to the floor.

He sat up fast and listened.

Nothing.

He got up and walked into the other room.

He froze.

There were two wolves standing in the kitchen, broken glass all around them, and they were talking.

Balto couldn’t really understand them, so he leaned in closer.

“Ah got a spy do we?”

The voice came from just behind Balto, and made him jump.

He whirled around.

There were two more wolves behind him.

They didn’t look too happy.

“What do you want?”

Balto asked, as the four wolves encircled him.

“He wants to know what we want…” One of the wolves hissed.

“Should we tell him, tell him of the one…” Another hissed.

“Yes, should we? Should we tell him of the one who is to bring the Father of Darkness?”

The wolves stopped.

Balto looked around.

Then one of the wolves leapt at him.

The wolf knocked Balto out of the circle, and into the table leg, which broke, causing the table to fall on Balto’s head.

He stood up, just as the wolf attacked again.

The wolf was fast, faster than any Balto had ever seen, and was good, very good.

By the end of five minutes, Balto hadn’t laid a paw on the wolf, and had been hit more times than he could count.

He was losing, and losing badly.

The wolf finally hit him again, and Balto’s vision blurred.

“I can’t… fight… them.” He thought, as he fell to the floor.

He heard a scream from in the other room.

“Jenna?” Balto thought.

Then the world dissolved into comforting blackness…

Kodi followed his nose to the open field where the wolves had taken Dusty.

Suddenly, her trail ended.

“What?” Kodi thought, concerned.

He lifted his head and looked around through the blowing snow.

“Oh no!” he said aloud.

He ran over to the stain on the snow.

He didn’t know why the snow hadn’t covered it up already, but he was glad.

It was a stain of blood, and it was fairly fresh.

He hung his head and closed his eyes.

“Dusty…” He said.

He looked around.

There was no sign of her.

“I was so stupid.” Kodi thought.

He turned around, and started back home.

Balto opened his eyes.

He groaned.

His vision slowly stopped moving back and forth, and solidified to form Kodi.

“Dad?”

Balto groaned again and sat up.

“What happened to you?”

“Wolves…” Balto said.

“What?” Kodi asked.

Balto’s memory came back to him in a flash.

“Jenna!” He said.

Balto ran into the living room.

“Where is she?!” Balto said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kodi said

“She was right here!” Balto yelled.

“Dad… I don’t know…”

Balto cut his son off.

“The one who will bring the father of darkness…” Balto mumbled.

Kodi looked very confused now.

“What… Dad are you okay, I don’t know what you’re saying.”

“It’s what the wolves said.”

“Wolves, what… what wolves?” Kodi asked.

“The wolves that attacked me.” Balto said.

“You were attacked by wolves?” Kodi asked.

“Yeah…” Balto said. “Father of darkness… Jenna!”

“Dad…” Kodi