Mountain," he started to explain. "But, they're probably going to retire in a few years, so my dad wants me to take over for him."

"So you're putting a team together."

"Pretty much," Bobby said. "I've already got a couple dogs I've been training, but I'm going to need more as time goes on." He looked down at the pup in his hands, and started rubbing the top of his head. "I think I could train this little guy to be on my team when he gets older."

Kodi was ecstatic! He was going to be a sled dog, just like he always wanted. He glanced at his father to find he was giving him a proud look. Could Kodi have been any happier on this day?

As the day wore on, the box was emptied, slowly but surely. Until, Aleu was the only one left. As night fell, it became apparent that Aleu wasn't going to be adopted on this day...or maybe not ever. Balto and Jenna tried for many months to find a home for her, but to no avail. So, they kept her, trying to keep a certain secret safe from her, until one day, she narrowly escaped a hunter...

Chapter 10: Balto's Past

Nome, Alaska

Autumn 1927

"I knew there was something wrong with me!" Aleu cried.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Aleu," Balto protested. "You have a proud heritage. Your mother is a purebred husky."

"Then what are you?"

Balto hung his head low. With a sigh, he said, "Aleu, you remember all those times I used to tell you that I was different from the other dogs in town?"

Aleu nodded.

"Well, it's because I'm part wolf."

"What!" Aleu exclaimed. "How could that happen?"

"Aleu, you might not like the story I'm about to tell you..." Balto was prepared to tell her everything. "My dad was a husky who had pups with a wolf," he began.

"My grandmother was a wild animal? Did she teach you how to tell when a human wants to kill you?!"

"Well see, my father's master was a musher," Balto continued. "He worked for the gold miners in town here in Nome, and sort of as a hobby, he bred huskies, and sold them to other mushers and families in town." As Balto went on, the images began to come back to him, of the musher's barn, and Nome back when he was born. It almost seemed like a movie of memories, reeling before his eyes. "He had this idea about how to breed the perfect work dog," Balto said, "A hard working animal that was good and strong, but also had the loyalty of 'man's best friend.' He captured a wolf out in the wild...my mother, and bred her and my father together. My mother was let go once my siblings and I were born, but the experiment didn't go over so well, as my father's owner...my owner I should say, found that the outcome was not as he hoped...he'd created a litter of aggressive animals, with almost no desire to serve humans." Balto remembered seeing one of his brothers lash out at his master, for no reason, other than the fact that he tried to pet him. "This so called 'wolf-dog' was known to be short tempered and attacked humans at random."

Aleu could not believe what she was being told. "My aunts and uncles attacked humans? Please don't tell me that you were like that!" she demanded.

"Well, somewhat," Balto said shamefully. "My dad helped straighten me out, though. I lived with him much longer than my brothers and sisters. All the other mushers in town bought them almost right way. Seemed like everyone wanted to try out this new experiment. But since I was the smallest of the litter, I was never sold. Anyway, after all the other mushers began to figure out just how bad their investment was, they came back to my owner, demanding their money back. He found he had no choice but to return their money. But, after he took back my brothers and sisters, well...they were of no use to him, so he decided they had to be done away with..."

Aleu gasped. "You mean..."

"I saw my master kill one of my brothers, right in front of me! It was terrible." Balto trembled, as he recalled the terrifying image of his brother being carried to a corner of the barn by his master, with an axe. "One by one, day after day, they were all done in, until I was the only was left. I knew my time was coming, but my father wanted to save me. So, he sneaked me out of the barn one night, and took me to the outskirts of town, looking for a safe place for me. He ended up finding this old abandoned ship. It looked like no one had been here for years, so he figured I'd be safe. He left me...all alone. He'd come and visit almost every day, and bring me food. But, it was still a lonely life, knowing I could never go back into town. Eventually, my dad somehow made contact with my mother, and she started visiting quite often too...along with many others." Balto remembered how much joy it brought him that day, when his father climbed over the deck wall, with his mother at his side. Many similar looking figures followed. "Turns out she was the leader of a wolf pack, and they all came along whenever she visited," Balto said. "Then one day, my father got sick, and it became harder and harder for him to make it out to the ship. Eventually, he just stopped coming. Later on, I heard word that he had died in his sleep. My mother kept coming however, and eventually took me into her pack. I had only seen her so many times, and wasn't with the pack long, until one day, I was accidentally separated from her. I was lost for weeks. It was really scary for me. Eventually, I managed to track my way back to the ship. I waited there, knowing she would come back to look for me...but she never did, and neither did her pack. To this day, I still don't know what happened to them, so I never really spent much time with...the wolf....but I remember she was white as snow," Balto recalled, beginning to smile. "And she had this warm voice that made me feel safe. After she disappeared, I thought I didn't have a friend in the world. Then one day, Boris appeared and took me in and...Well, after being raised by a goose, it's a wonder I don't honk instead of bark." As Balto finished, he felt himself coming back to reality, and the "clip show" he seemed to be fantasizing, ended.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Aleu asked, in a harsh manner.

"Because...I wanted to protect you," Balto softly replied.

"Protect me! From what? From the fact that no human will ever want me because I'm part wild animal?"

"Aleu..."

"It's not fair. I hate you!" And before Balto could say anything, Aleu bounded out of the ship, and ran off...

Chapter 11: The Battle

Night had come and gone, and Aleu had journeyed far off into the wilderness. She couldn't figure out why she was doing this, or really where she was going, but right now, she could think of going just about anywhere, but home. She was walking along a rocky mountain trail, going wherever it would take her. There was woodland scenery all to her right, and a beautiful sun painted gorge to her left. It appeared to be the home to a small, dried out riverbed a great distance below, with a few "waterfalls" coming from a few places above. They were really only very tiny streams of water pouring over the sides of the gorge, which dissipated into almost nothing as they reached the bottom. It must have been a very dry season for things being this way. Aleu figured it must have been beautiful scene when the water was coming down in full force. As she walked, she stayed sharp, unsure what this unfamiliar terrain may throw upon her. Then suddenly, she began to sniff the air. A familiar scent, of an animal of some sort was wafting in the breeze...one that she knew personally. She was sure of it, but couldn't put her paw on who it was. She started to look around to figure out where it was coming from. But, she was unable to in time, as a mighty blow struck the side of her head. She let out a yelp of pain, and groaned as she fell to the ground...

Balto had been hot on Aleu's trail all morning, determined to find her. He sniffed the ground, as he went along, following the scent. It had become stronger as Balto moved, and he began to feel relieved. He moved faster as he sensed he was about to find his daughter, very soon. But, it all didn't last, as Balto stopped short, detecting the scent of yet another presence, very close by. Balto froze, in complete disbelieve. "It can't be..." he thought. He began to feel afraid for his daughter. "Aleu!" he yelled, bounding forward desperately. "Aleu, where are you?"

"Papa!" a voice shrieked, not too far away. Balto followed the sound of the voice over a small hill, and found himself standing at the edge of a gully. It was very wide, and its ground was covered with heavy grass.

"Aleu, are you down there?" Balto called.

"Over here!" Aleu responded. She was not in the gully, but rather her voice seemed to be coming from somewhere else nearby. Balto ran along the edge of the gully, and found a huge depression a few feet away from it. It seemed to be some sort of naturally formed pit in the ground. It was fairly deep, with steep walls, and it was there, that Balto could see his daughter, trapped inside.

"Aleu!" Balto said in relief.

"Papa, get away!" Aleu begged, "It's a trick!"

"What?" Balto responded. But he never had a chance to say anything else. He heard an angry roar come upon him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Steele, before he plowed