“Steele, stop!” Balto pleaded, “We have to return the medicine!”

“Don’t touch that box you, wretched mutt! I’m lead dog! I’m callin’ the shots around here!” Steele growled. He was ready to attack Balto. He showed his viscously sharp teeth and his razor-like claws.

“Hey, he can’t do that! Can he?” Kaltag asked to no one in particular.

“No, you idiot!” Nikki said.

“Steele, you have to return the medicine! Some are already dead!” Balto cried. He thought of a way to persuade Steele to return to Nome.

“Steele! You know, if you return the antitoxin to Nome, and save Rosie, Jenna would love you,” Balto spoke slyly. His eyelids almost closed his eyes. He turned around, his back to Steele.

“Well… I guess you’re right mutt. That’s not a bad idea!” Steele said happily.

Balto swiftly turned around, and kicked Steele in the jaw. His mouth started to bleed. He was on two feet but got back down. His collar was stained with crimson blood.

Steele jumped, and tackled Balto, possibly fracturing something. Balto fought back, and scratched Steele near his eye, now his black and white fur, was badly stained with blood.

Steele growled. He scratched Balto on his back, ripping the bandana. Now the red-orange token Jenna gave to him, was now a deep, deep red. Steele now bit into Balto’s ear, tail and front leg and paw. Balto at this point couldn’t stand, but he fought on for Rosie. One last blow to Balto would result in his death.

“Steele, you know what’s worse than losing a fight to me?” Balto ask.

“No, wretch, what?”

“Losing to a wolf-dog!” Balto jumped mouth agape. He talked Steele, he stumbled over a cliff. It must have been 170,000,000 feet from the top to the bottom. The small bits of snow and rocks fell from the gargantuan cliff. They seemed to disappear in seconds.

“I’ll get you wolf-dog! You’ll be sorry!” Steele hollered as he flew through the shredding winds, hitting jagged rocks that pierced his sides. Balto ran immediately to the edge of the cliff. He looked down with the stained bandana flowing through the wind. He let out a sigh of relief. He was glad that that was over.

He heard distant cheering. It was the other sled dogs. He wondered why they were so happy. Steele was badly injured, or possibly dead. Balto winced at the thought he’d murdered somebody. He was a hero, not a fugitive. He valiantly strutted over to the sled where the other dogs waited to be led back.

**

As Balto weaved his way through the blistering cold winds, he saw a distant light. He squinted his eyes so that the snow wouldn’t get in his eyes. I was the quarantine sign! That meant they were close to Nome! Now Balto had a sudden burst of energy. He could make it home now even as tired as he was.

“Guys! Look! It’s the quarantine sign! That means we’re almost home! Let’s get moving!” Balto shouted so that anyone of a 1 mile radios could hear. The team obeyed their command. They trudged on. Now that they were this close, they couldn’t let them down!

Balto sniffed the air. He looked shocked. He came to an abrupt stop.

“What happened?” Star called out.

“Wolves.”

The team shuddered. They were terrified of wolves. They had never come face to face with them before.

“You guys, if run fast without making a lot of noise, they won’t hear us. Let’s go!” Balto whispered as loud as he could.

They ran the rest of the way to Nome. No stopping. Not at all. Balto sniffed again.

“Rosie,” Balto murmured under his breath.

**

“Balto? Balto! Balto, is that you?!” Jenna cried. Boris next to her.

“Kiddo? That you?” Boris cried.

Balto practically jumped out of his harness to greet Jenna and Boris. The preened each other for what seemed forever.

“Hey! What about me, eh kiddo?” Boris asked.

“Boris! I missed you, you old goose!”

“Wait, where’s Steele? And what on earth did you do to my bandana? It’s covered in… blood. Balto, what happened?” Jenna tended to worry like this.

“Well, Steele, he kind of... tried to kill me. Just to take the medicine home to you. And I fought back, and pushed him off a cliff. But we don’t know if he’s dead or not.” Balto explained in the easiest way.

“Well……” Jenna thought, “Not always a happy ending.”

BBBBOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Something crashed against the boiler room door.

“Steele?” Dixie asked.

“What?” Steele asked.

“Steeley!!! I knew you come home to me!!!” she cried running over to hug him.

“Move wench.” He shoved her with his huge paw. He was still stained with blood.

“What happened?”

“Balto.”

To be continued………….