there Balto" came a soft voice from behind him. Balto turned and looked behind him and saw Holly.

"oh hay" Balto said trying to keep from shaking.

"what wrong? your shaking really badly" Holly said approaching balto

"it's nothing. i just got a little fright" Balto said

"oh, do you always shake like this when you get a little fright?" Holly asked

"no its just, well i was in this crowd back there and i heard a gunshot. Last time i heard that sound my entire family was killed so i ran" Balto said slowly.

There was a short pause then

"i know how you feel. My brother was killed by a human. He thought he was a wolf and shot him" Holly said sadly

"oh, im sorry. was this recent?" Balto asked

"no, it happened about a year ago" Holly replied then shook her head.

Balto began to feel uncomfortable so he tried to think of somthing else to talk about.

"so er, do you know what's going on back there?" Balto asked

"huh? oh yea there's a sled race today" Holly replied looking up at balto

"a what?" Balto asked

"well dogs are strapped to a sled ,as you may have seen, and the fastest dogs to reach the finish line wins" Holly said

"oh, that sounds fun" Balto said smiling

"it's ok but it gets old after awhile" Holly said he eyes drooping slightly

"How do you know?" Balto asked

"i used to be on a team." Holly said smiling.

"oh, kool" Balto said

Holly shrugged and again balto felt an uncomforable silence press over him. He didn't know whatelse to say.

"hay balto"

"huh?" Balto asked looking up at holly

"your paws" Holly said

"what about them?" Balto asked

"their bigger than they should be" Holly said setting her paw next to balto's to show the differece between them

"oh are they? well that's the way they've always been" Balto said.

The snow under holly's paw gave in and her paw slid over to his.

"Sorry" Holly said slightly embarrased and lifted her paw.

"look Holly ive got to go" Balto said standing up.

"alright." Holly said "ill see you later?"

"i guess, ill be living in the same place as you wont i?" Balto said smiling then left.

When balto arrived back at his home he noticed that a strange metal figure was infront of the house. balto crept around it cautiously then walked up the stairs of the porch and nudged the door. Almost instently ,as if alex had been waiting for him, the door opened and balto walked in. He stood on his hind legs and propped his paws on alex's legs who bent down and scratched him behind the ears. Balto then saw the last person he wanted to see. It was the butcher from Anchorage. He was staring at balto as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"you" the butcher said

"that's my boy's dog. He named him Husk" Alex's father said jesturing to balto.

"that's not a dog" the butcher said

"what are you talking about Tom, of course he is" Alex's father said

"john im telling you that's not a dog, that's a wolf" Tom said

There was a silence then john said "prove it"

"ok" Tom said and walked over to balto, picked balto up and brought him back over to John. Tom then grabbed one of balto's paws and held it up. "does this look like the paw of a dog to you? NO! it's too big" Tom grabbed baltos snout and balto tried to pull away but tom had him to tightly. Tom wrenched open baltos mouth and showed john his teeth. "look at those fangs. Dog's teeth dont grow that way" Tom said letting go of balto's snout. Balto jumped onto the ground and ran from the two.

"Get back here you mutt!" Tom shouted.

"Wait!" John said holding tom back "he's inside the house, he's not going anywere"

"You believe me then?" Tom asked

"well how did you automatically know that Husk was a wolf?" John asked

"This's wolf's father had been stealing from me for weeks and i wen't to put an end to it and i thought this one had just ran away after i killed the other wolves. That was back on Ice Point Cliff John. Thats in Anchorage" Tom said

"That's impossible. Husk can't be that same wolf" John said

Balto lay underneath the sheets of Alex's bed curled up and scared. He didn't know what was going to happen now. Tom was here. The person that had killed his father, mother, and sister. Balto heard the door open and he shut his eyes.

Whats going to happen to me? Balto thought.

"hay boy what's the matter?" came alex's voice

Balto relieved climbed out from under the sheets and then sat next to alex who began scratching behind his ears again.

Again the door opened but this time the door was opened with such force it left a dent in the wall. It was john.

"dad what's wrong?" Alex asked jumping up in shock.

"get away from him Alex" John said and tom appeared beside him.

"what?" Alex asked

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM THAT ANIMAL ALEX!" John shouted and Alex ,frightened, took a few steps away from balto ,who was shaking again. Tom appeared at John's side and said "what are you going to do with the wolf?"

John didn't answer he just took his belt off and then folded it in half.

"Alex come with me" Tom said. Alex shook his head. "No dad what are you doing?" Alex replied

Balto coward down and retreated backwards. pressing himself against the wall. Balto saw John lift his arm with the belt in it up then bring his arm down. Balto then shut his eyes tight and then he felt the belt strike him against the side. All balto knew now was Pain

Alex screamed and ran to balto and shielded him from john. "dad what did husk do to deserve that?" Alex asked

"Alex if you don't get out of the way ill hit you too" John said.

Alex picked balto up and started for the door but tom yanked balto from Alex and threw him back over to the bed.

"Leave" John and Tom siad.

"Not without husk" Alex said and John hit him with the belt. Alex cried and ran from the room.

John turned back to Tom and said "wanna hit?" John asked and tom took the belt and hit balto.

Again balto's side stung unmecifully. Balto kept his eyes shut as he backed away so that he didn't have to see the blows coming.

Soon both john and Tom where hitting balto over and over again with the belt. His side was blood red and every single cell in balto's body was searing in pain. Balto wanted more than anything for it to end. He even would take death over this agony. Then suddenly it stopped. Balto blinked. He heard deep breathing and then "you think he's dead?" Toms voice asked

"has to be. Look at him. there's no way he could be alive" Johns voice replied

"yea i agree" Tom's voice said.

There was the sound of footsteps walking away and the door shut.

Silence. . .

Then the door opened again and he heard the sound of alex sobbing.

"husk, what did you do to deseve this?" Alex's voice cried.

Balto blinked again and tried to turn his head but as soon as he did his neck screamed it agony and he yelped.

"Husk?" Alex asked shocked. "husk was that you?"

Balto tried to lift his head and again and it ended with the same results.

"Husky your still alive. O thank god" Alex exclaimed and wrapped his arms around balto's neck witch caused balto more pain. Balto yelped again and alex let go of him. "i can't believe what dad did to you boy" alex said sadly then alex's father came into the room and saw balto breathing and gasped.

"your still alive?" John asked going over to balto.

"No dad leave him alone. He doesent deserve this" Alex said standing between john and balto.

"out of the way alex or ill hit you again" John said and shoved alex out of the way then grabbed balto by the neck and carried from the room. As Alex heard balto's howls of pain start again he began to cry uncontrollably.

Part 4

2 years later Balto ,now a stray, stayed away from his home more than he stayed there. Everytime he even got near john began torturing him. Balto really wanted to see alex but he couldn't risk going to that house. John had taken his torturing of balto alot further last time he'd caught him. Instead or mearly hitting him with a belt, john had taken a knife to balto and had nearly killed him. Even balto himself was amazed that he'd escaped. The window had just been open and balto just climed out the window. The ground wasn't very far under the window so balto was able to get far enough from the house so john couldn't find him. But by the time balto had gotten himself hidden he was so tired he fell asleep and woke 3 days later. His body still had the scars from the deep cuts and several bruises. Balto now had learned to live alonge the streets. Apart from the constent fights with Steele balto found it miserable at times but at others enjoyable. Several good and bad things came from being a stray in a town like Nome. One bad thing was that it was hard to get food, and one good thing was that he had learned nome better than anyone else and could get anywhere in nome faster than even the sled dogs. Balto's life these days could contained only three acts. Look for food, Fight with Steele, and go home.

Balto's home was no longer alex's house. He had found a shipwreacked boat outside nome and he had made that his home. It wasn't to bad but it was often very cold, which made it hard to get sleep.

At this time of day balto was in his 'look for food' act and he was having little success. Nome now nicknamed him the 'wolf dog' and it caused people ,who would normally just throw food out, to take care to bag everything then throw them away. Balto