fall.”

Balto smiled.

“What?” Angel asked.

Just then Luke took the plane into a sheer dive at the mountainside, pulling a corkscrew turn that brought the plane up ninety degrees, on its right wing, scraping through an opening barely wide enough for the plane to fit through.

Angel screamed, and Balto grinned.

They were flying straight towards a rock bridge.

Luke pulled the plane into a loop, coming out underneath the bridge, and taking it into a spinning dive, into a gorge.

A river ran through the gorge, and Luke skimmed it, the skids, that replaced the wheels this time of year, skipped off of the water.

“We’re gonna die!” Angel yelled.

Balto smiled and turned to her.

“Here comes the best part.”

“What?!” She yelled.

Then she saw the river end.

“Oh no,” she said, “not…..”

She didn’t finish, as Luke dove the plane off the edge of the largest waterfall in the region.

It had to be at least six hundred feet, straight down.

Luke spun the plane, as it plunged, its wings cutting in and out of the water, spraying its occupants.

Angel was to busy being scared out of her mind to notice she was soaked.

It didn’t look like they were going to pull out of the dive.

The dark pool of water was rushing up at them.

At the last second, Luke jerked back on the stick.

The wings whined in protest, but the plane’s nose rose.

Luke turned the plane on it’s wings again, and they were so close, that the tip of the left wing dipped into the water.

Angel stared out of the plane, breathing hard, her eyes wide.

Balto cheered, as the plane did another corkscrew, taking it up and away from the river, and returning to the clouds.

“Am I alive?!” Angel thought.

“Now that was fun!” Balto yelled.

He turned to Angel.

“Wanna do it again?”

She shook her head very quickly.

Balto laughed.

“I thought you might not like that. Luke is practicing for the air show that’s coming up soon, it’ll be the first one ever held in Nome.”

“That was insane!” Angel yelled. “We… we could’ve been killed!”

Balto laughed.

“Luke’s pretty good, besides, at the speeds we were going, we wouldn’t feel it anyway.”

Angel looked at him.

“Not helping!”

Balto laughed again.

“Well, we’re going to circle, and then we’ll go back to the house. What’d you think?”

“It was fun!” Angel said, “once you get passed the almost smashing into the rocks, or crashing into the river:

Balto laughed, and Luke pointed the plane’s nose toward the ground.

Chapter 4

Dash, June and his children walked back into the cave.

“That was fun Dash,” she said, “thank you for inviting me along.”

Dash smiled.

“Thank you,” he said, “were it not for you, I…. I don’t know what I would have done today.”

She smiled back at him.

“Well, just don’t seclude yourself from us… okay?”

Dash nodded.

“I think…. I think the worst is over now.”

“That’s good to hear.” June said. “I’m going to go up to my chambers now, and get some rest.”

She yawned.

“Gosh, I’m really tired, those kids really took it out of me.”

Dash nodded and June started to walk away.

Dash stared after her.

“Could I?” He thought.

Then he snapped out of it, and led his kids to their own chambers.

“You guys lay down,” he said, “and I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Where are you going dad?” Kalia asked.

Dash smiled at her.

“I’m gonna go see a friend, now lay down, it’s late, and you know you’ve got the hunt tomorrow.”

Dash turned, and as the kids laid down, and began to go to sleep, he snuck out of his chambers, and quietly up the next few shelves.

“Is this the right thing to do?” Dash asked himself.

He didn’t know.

He stepped inside her chambers.

“Dash?” June said, getting up and walking over to him. “What are you doing here?”

Dash smiled.

“I hope I didn’t wake you up.” He said. “I…I just wanted to tell you….. I really enjoyed tonight.”

She smiled at him.

“So did I, you have a great set of kids there.”

Dash nodded.

“Look…uh …” Dash said, “I was wondering…. If…uh…. you’d like to do that again, tomorrow night?”

“Will the kids be there again?” She asked, sounding somewhat hopeful.

“No,” Dash said, “actually, they’re…. they’re going on a hunt tomorrow, and….

June smiled.

“…well it will be just the two of us.” Dash finished.

“Yeah,” she said, “I’d love to.”

“Great,” Dash said.

“Umm…. so… so I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

June nodded.

“Tomorrow.”

Dash sighed, and smiled at her, then he turned and walked off.

Balto heard someone scratching on the door.

Luke hadn’t gotten to putting in a doggy door yet, he just left the side window open, so that Balto could come and go as he liked.

Balto walked over to the door.

“It’s kinda late,” he thought, “I wonder who it could be?”

He went to the window, and jumped up on the table beneath it, then to the snow outside.

Balto walked to the front of the house.

Angel was on the porch.

Balto smiled.

“Hey Angel,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

She smiled, and bounded down the steps to him.

“I.. I was thinking that we could go for a walk,” she said, “you know, and just talk.”

“Sure,” Balto said.

The two of them walked away. 

It was about that same time, that Dash and June stopped walking by the spring that was about five miles away from the cave. June was laughing about something Dash had said.

Dash loved it here because….

“Because Shasta loved it here…” He thought.

The spring’s water was hot, and so the air around it was full of steam, and warmth.

There was no snow around the spring, as the heat melted it, instead there was green grass.

“Oh Dash,” June said, “it’s… it’s beautiful!”

Dash smiled.

“I told you it was.”

To his knowledge, he was the only one that knew that the spring was here.

“Shasta used to love to come down here, just to get away…”

“The water is warm then?” June asked.

Dash nodded.

“But not hot?”

Dash shook his head.

“Why?”

June smiled, and pushed him.

Dash fell backwards off of the rock’s, and into the pool of warm water.

He swam to the surface.

“What was that for?” He asked.

June laughed.

“You’re wet!”

Dash made a show of slipping on the rocks when he tried to climb out.

“Well…” he said, “help me.”

June stuck her head out, and grabbed a hold of his fur with her teeth.

Dash wrapped his front legs around her shoulders.

She looked at him surprised.

“Don’t you dare…”

She squealed, as Dash threw himself backwards, dragging her off of the rocks.

The two of them landed in the water with a splash.

June swam to the surface.

Dash was laughing at her.

“You’re wet.” He said.

“Dash!” June said, “I can’t believe you did that.”

Dash splashed water at her.

She sputtered.

“Dash!”

Dash splashed her again, and dove under the water.

She laughed, and looked around for him.

The steam hung around the surface of the water, and made it hard for her to see.

Suddenly, Dash splashed her again,

She turned around and smiled, splashing him back.

Soon, the air was full of flying water.

The two wolves romped and played in the water for almost another half hour.

Finally, Dash leapt at June, and she pulled back enough that he didn’t hit her, but…. When he landed…… their noses were touching.

June looked surprised, then smiled.

Dash backpedaled away.

“Dash?” June asked.

Dash sighed.

“I… I’m sorry June,” he said, “I can’t…..”

“Can’t what?” June asked, walking through the water over to him.

“Do…. this….” He said. “I…. I thought… maybe I could but….”

He sighed.

“Let’s go home.” He said.

June followed him, as he climbed out of the water, and walked slowly toward the cave.

Balto and Angel had been laughing and talking for about two hours now, and the two had just re-entered town.

Balto was finding that he enjoyed her company very much.

“So, you’ll be leaving in a few days then, huh?” Balto said.

Angel nodded.

“Will you come back?” Balto asked.

“I’m pretty sure we will,” Angel said, “probably about once a month.”

Balto nodded.

“Maybe next time you can meet