jumped to the next roof.

Drake and Jenna were still talking.

“… so how did you know the pass was a short cut?” Jenna asked.

Drake laughed.

“Well, I didn’t…”

He was cut off by a sinister sounding voice.

“Hello there Jenna.”

They turned around.

Steele stood in the middle of the alley, Kaltag and Nikki by his side.

“St… Steele…” Drake stuttered.

He took a step back.

Jenna was shaking.

Drake took another step back.

Steele smiled.

“Get out of here Drake.”

Drake gulped, nodded, turned and sprinted down the alley.

Jenna suddenly realized he wasn’t beside her anymore.

She turned her head.

“Drake?”

Steele laughed again and stepped forward.

“Looks like your precious Drake-ie isn’t as brave as you thought he was…”

Steele took another step forward.

‘… pretty smart though…”

Jenna started to step backward, instantly so enraged at Drake she could hardly see straight.

“How could he do that?!” Jenna screamed within the confines of her mind. “How could he just leave me here?!”

Jenna’s body was then completely overtaken by fear as her tail brushed the fence behind her.

“TRAPPED!”

Steele smiled and Kaltag and Nikki snarled.

“This is going to be fun.” Nikki said.

Steele laughed again.

“Wh…. What do you want?”

Steele grinned malevolently, as he continued to step forward, stopping right un front of her face.

“Well Jenna, I told you that no one refuses me…”

Jenna followed his gaze as he dropped his down to her paws and then slowly tracked upward to her eyes.

“… and if it won’t be given to me…. well…”

He laughed.

“… I just have to take it.”

Jenna gasped, and Steele grinned evilly.

“Relax Jenna, I promise it won’t be as bad as you think, not if you’re cooperative….”

He bent his head near hers, and Jenna could feel his breath on her neck.

“Just relax…” Steele said. “Who knows, maybe you’ll have some fun…”

Jenna screamed.

Balto was getting ready to jump from the fence he was on, to the roof above, when he heard the sound.

“Sounds like someone’s in trouble.” He thought.

Balto leapt to the roof, and ran in the direction the scream had come from.

Balto reached the spot a few moments later.

“Steele…” Balto thought.

He looked down at the female whom Steele had cornered.

“Oh…. It’s her.” Balto thought. “Good enough for her, hanging around someone like that, she got what she deserves. You don’t my friendship, I don’t need yours Jenna.”

Balto turned and walked away.

His mind began screaming at him.

“What’s he going to do to her?” He thought.

Balto had a pretty good idea.

“Why do I care?” Balto thought. “Why would I risk my neck for…”

Balto stopped.

“I can’t leave her.” He realized.

He sighed.

“Man I’m gonna get my tail whooped.”

But still, Balto could not make himself take another step.

“Oh man..” Balto said aloud.

Then he turned around and ran back to the alleyway.

“This is it…” Jenna thought.

Steele grinned and raised his paw high up in the air.

“Sorry Jenna,” he said, “but I think try to fight me if you’re awake, so…”

He dropped his paw, and Jenna felt a tremendous pressure on the side of her head, right beneath her ear.

She couldn’t remain standing and fell to the snow covered ground.

“GET UP!” Her mind screamed at her, “RUN AWAY!”

But she could do neither.

Steele grinned at her, and the edges of Jenna’s vision became fuzzy, and then faded to black.

“NOOO!” Jenna screamed in her head.

She knew without a doubt what would happen if she blacked out.

She shook her head, trying to remain conscious, but she felt herself beginning to drift away.

Her vision was incredibly blurry by the time that someone crashed into Steele from above.

“Balto?” Jenna thought.

Then her eyes closed and her world dissolved into blackness.

As Balto ran along the roof top, his mind screamed at him.

“You’re gonna DIE! There’s no way you can beat Steele!”

But Balto ran on, pushed by something he could not see, or feel, fate.

Balto saw Steele knock Jenna to the ground, and was instantly filled with a fire unlike any he’d ever experienced.

It made little sense to him.

“Why should I care about her?” Balto thought. “She doesn’t care about me, and yet…”

At that time Balto reached the end of the roof and leapt off.

He sailed into Steele’s side, knocking him away from Jenna, and into a wall.

Steele stood up and shook his head.

Balto stood there in the alley.

“You’re DEAD!” Balto thought.

Steele stood up.

He spit on the ground, and looked at it.

The snow was pink.

Steele glared at Balto.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the half breed.”

Balto growled.

“Oh,” Steele said, grinning, “so you want to die.”

Kaltag and Nikki were surprised at this turn of events, and didn’t know what to do.

Steele looked at them and nodded, then began to walk forward, as the other two circled behind Balto.

“Come on Balto…” Steele said. “What does she mean to you? If you think she likes you you’re just kidding yourself, in fact, no one likes you, why are you even still here, can’t you take a hint?”

Balto growled again, as Steele started to circle him.

“Come on, leave us alone, and I’ll spare your miserable little life.”

Balto growled again.

Steele grinned

“So be it.”

He nodded his head, and Balto heard growling and barking behind him.

He turned just as Nikki and Kaltag barreled into him.

Balto flew through the air and slid to a stop in front of the wall.

He stood up and shook himself off.

Steele smiled, as he and his buddies started forward.

“You’re so DEAD!” Balto thought.

Nikki charged forward then, and Balto ducked.

Nikki kept running, up onto Balto’s back, and Balto turned, throwing Nikki into the wall.

Nikki hit the ground and didn’t move.

“Whoa!” Balto thought. “How the heck did that happen?”

Kaltag charged then, and soon Balto had a raging Chinook in his face, clawing and biting at him.

Kaltag was definitely winning this battle, as Balto stumbled backwards under the onslaught.

Steele laughed, as Kaltag caught Balto in the face with a strike from his paw, and then turned, kicking Balto in the side of the head with both legs, throwing him to the snow.

Balto didn’t think he could get up.

“I’ve got to…’ He thought. “Jenna..”

He didn’t know why the young husky meant so much to him all of a sudden, after all she didn’t like him anyway…

Balto struggled to his feet, and suddenly felt a strength he’d never felt before, surge through him, the strength of an injured, and very scared wolf.

Kaltag charged in again, and Balto let go, letting the instincts of his ancestors guide him.

The battle soon shifted dramatically, and Kaltag ran away.

“Come back here you coward.” Steele yelled.

Kaltag didn’t return.

Steele looked at Balto, who glared at him.

“I guess if you want something right you’ve got to do it yourself.” Steele said.

He charged Balto, and the two of them rolled, fighting and biting.

Balto knew he was getting hurt, and getting hurt pretty bad, but he didn’t really feel it, so in the grips of his wolf side, Steele on the other hand did.

After a few minutes, Steele rolled away, bleeding and bruised.

Balto could hardly stand.

Steele wiped some blood off his face with his paw and spat on the ground.

“This isn’t over wolf dog.” He said, “not by a long shot, someday, you’ll get what’s coming to you. I just hope I’m there to see it.”

Then Steele turned and ran down the alley.

Balto collapsed to the snow, the adrenaline that had kept him standing depleted.

Balto took a minute to catch his breath, and started to feel just how hurt he was, as the sensation of pain returned to him.

Balto winced.

He stood up slowly and walked over to Jenna.

The young husky wasn’t moving, though she was breathing.

Balto started to walk away, then looked over his shoulder.

“What if Steele comes back?” He thought.

He limped back over to her, and pulled the young husky up on his shoulders, growling at the pain doing so caused, then he limped toward home.

Chapter 9 

Jenna was falling.

She didn’t know where she was falling from, but she was falling.

She could feel the wind rushing by her ears, underneath the bandanna she wore around her neck… everywhere.

She looked up and saw Drake standing on top of a snow covered cliff, staring down at her.

“Jenna!” He yelled.

Jenna didn’t respond.

“Jenna!”

She closed her eyes, and looked down.

“Jenna!”

She opened her eyes and saw the trees rushing upward at her.

“I don’t want to die.” Jenna thought, then she fell away from Drake, down, down into the trees.

The last thing she heard was a familiar voice.

“Jenna?”

“Balto?” Jenna thought.

Then her world collapsed once more into blackness.

Jenna opened her