it is necessary to have those you know you can count on…. I’m going to hold a competition to decide the new members. It will be mostly a fighting competition, but it will also entail survival skills, agility feats, and… and a climactic event that I’m not revealing to anyone, not until it happens.”

Dash nodded, thinking.

“I know that Talkeet has been wanting to do this.” Shadow said.

Dash nodded.

“Dash,” Shadow said, “we’re not going to bar the competitors from killing one another, it’s up to the fighters…. After all, on our team you’ve got to be willing to do anything to win… you know what the price sometimes is…”

Dash nodded again.

“When?”

“Probably two weeks, that should give everyone enough time to prepare.”

Dash nodded.

“Thank you Shadow.”

Shadow smiled.

“Thank you, were it not for you… well, I have no idea how that wolf got on top of me.”

Dash nodded again and smiled.

“And Timbre saved me, I think all of us are alive because of another.”

“It was a near thing.” Shadow said.

Dash nodded.

“Too close.”

Shadow agreed.

“Well,” Dash said, “I’m going to be getting back to my family. I’ll talk to you later.”

Shadow nodded, turned and walked off.

Dash too left, ready to be with his family again.

 

Dash and June had just returned, with their kids, from their walk.

It had been good to get away from the cave, and Dash had almost forgotten about the morning’s events while he was out there.

June had a talent for cheering him up.

Dash looked over at June.

The two of them had talked, and though she hated the Talkeet would be put in danger, she was still willing to let him try.

Nothing would make Dash prouder than his son following in his footsteps, and becoming a member of the team, he just… he just wanted him to be ready.

June saw the signal, and led the other children into the chamber.

Talkeet started to follow.

“Talkeet,” Dash said, “why don’t you come with me, I need to talk to you.”

His son stopped, turned and walked back to his father.

Dash led him outside the cave once more.

“Son, I guess you heard about what happened this morning.”

Talkeet nodded.

“Shadow fears that we are on the verge of war with the Uniea clan, and now more than ever we need that team.”

He sighed.

“Son, Talkeet, Shadow is going to be holding a competition soon, about two weeks, to see who will be on the new team…”

Talkeet’s mouth dropped open.

“… and well, you’re old enough, it’s your decision.”

“I want to!” Talkeet almost yelled.

“Now slow down son,” Dash said, “this isn’t going to be easy. The competition will be very hard, and… and very dangerous.”

“I don’t care!” Talkeet said, “I… I’ve always wanted to be on the team.”

“I know,” Dash said, “and nothing would make me prouder, but I also don’t want to see you hurt, if you do this thing, you’re going to have mine and Lightning’s help.”

Talkeet nodded.

“Great!”

“We’ll start first thing tomorrow morning, and I mean early.”

“Okay!” Talkeet said. “Can I go tell Kalia!”

Dash smiled.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Talkeet cheered and ran for the cave,

Dash followed him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Four

 

Balto snuck slowly and silently through the dark alleyway.

His opponent had eluded him as yet, but…

Balto would find her.

He scanned the darkness ahead of him, but saw nothing.

He heard a sound above him, and looked up.

He was under a tin overhang.

Balto smiled.

“Mistake number one.” He thought.

He snuck slowly out from under the overhang.

Suddenly, he heard a crunching sound, and looked up to see a ton of snow sliding off of the roof.

It landed on top of him, along with something a little heavier.

Balto poked his head out of the snow to see Jenna sprinting away.

He smiled and took off after her.

She was pretty fast…. but Balto was faster.

Soon, he caught up with her, and got close enough to jump on her back.

Jenna squealed, and the two of them went down, rolling down the hill into the forest below.

Balto came out on top, and looked down at her, completely out of breath.

“You… you cheated!”

Jenna smiled.

“But I got you anyway,” Balto said, “see, it never pays to cheat.”

“Oh really?” Jenna said.

She kicked her back legs, and suddenly their positions were reversed.

Now Jenna sat on top of a very surprised Balto.

“… or not.” He said.

She laughed and licked his nose, then hopped off of him.

Balto stood up slowly.

Jenna walked over to him.

“We better be getting back to the kids, don’t you think?”

Balto nodded.

“No telling what they’re into.”

“We better go back and se if the house can be salvaged.” Jenna added with a laugh, then the two of them walked away.

 

Dash was extremely surprised.

Talkeet had taken to the training like a fish to water.

And he was getting very good.

Shadow had helped out a little, though Lightning was the primary teacher, with Dash adding things here and there.

Dash sighed.

The competition was in a week, would he be ready?

He decided to try something and cut off Lightning.

“Son, it’s time for you to try something.”

“What’s that dad?” Asked Talkeet.

“I want you to fight me.”

“What?” Talkeet asked, “I can’t do that.”

“Yes you can,” Dash said, “just a sparring match, no more.”

Talkeet shrugged.

“All right.”

“Lightning?” Dash said.

Lightning stepped back, actually quite eager to see how his student was doing.

Dash was a good fighter.

Dash and Talkeet stared at each other, father and son.

Talkeet made the first move, something which caught Dash off guard.

They’d taught him to be a re-active fighter, someone who waits for an attack and then answers it with his own.

Apparently Talkeet had other ideas.

His first hit would’ve hurt had they not been sparring.

Talkeet’s paw clipped his father’s head.

“One.” Lightning said with a smile.

Talkeet landed and immediately kicked out with his back legs, stopping just short of hitting Dash in the face.

“Two,” Lightning said.

“Alright,” Dash thought, “time to end this.”

Talkeet tried to repeat his flying attack, but Dash ducked, and Talkeet soared over his back.

As Talkeet hit the ground, Dash was already spinning around.

His paws tapped his son on the side of the head twice, then he turned and knocked him backwards with a kick to the chest.

“One… two…. three….” Lightning said.

Talkeet smiled at Dash, and leapt at him again.

Dash expected his son to guess that he would duck again, and so leapt in the air.

Talkeet collided with his father, and the two fell to the ground.

They rolled to a stop, and Dash tapped him twice more on the nose.

“…four… five….” Lightning said.

Talkeet smiled, and kicked out with his back legs, throwing his father in to the air.

Before Dash hit the ground, he felt three taps, and a kick, which sent him across the snow.

“…three…. four… five… six…” Lightning said.

Dash rolled over, and stood up, just as Talkeet reached him.

The two grappled, and Talkeet got his back leg crossed with his father’s, then he pulled back sharply, adding two taps to the face as his father fell backwards.

“…seven…. eight…” Lightning said.

Dash blinked, and Talkeet was on top of him again.

Talkeet grinned in triumph as he added the last two.

“…nine… ten.” Lightning said.

Talkeet jumped off of his father.

“I win.” He said.

Dash nodded, impressed.

“Well… keep practicing with Lightning. You can never become overconfident, that will get you killed.”

Talkeet smiled, nodded, and ran over to where Lightning was ready to resume teaching him.

Dash watched, as his son practiced.

“He’ll be ready.” Dash thought.

 

Balto and Jenna were sitting on the porch.

Jenna laid her head on his shoulder.

Balto smiled.

It felt good to be back on her good side.

Jenna smiled, and nuzzled him between the ears.

She too was glad that they had gotten back together.

She’d missed him almost as much as he’d missed her.

Though the level of trust the two had wasn’t what it used to be, Jenna always had to wonder now, it was slowly growing.

Jenna laughed.

“Do you remember how we met?”

Balto nodded, well, as best he could laying down.

He smiled.

“I was a klutz then.”

“Then?” Jenna asked.

“Hey!” Balto said.

Jenna laughed.

“You stumbled over your words a bit then Balto, why is that?”

She smiled.

Balto didn’t answer.

She laughed again.

“Do you remember the second time we met?” Balto asked.

Jenna sighed.

“Yeah.”

Her mind slowly floated back to that day, what seemed like so long ago…..

 

Jenna was sitting alongside Steele.

She was growing to dislike the champion lead dog, he was very popular, and

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