there it was. Some one inside was in intense pain. He raised his brow and continued forward, but slower now. He padded up to the entrance and listened again. Now, there were two voices, and one of them was Steele’s, but Ishmael still could not make out what they were saying. Intrigued, he moved closer and looked in. What he saw made his muzzle drop open in surprise.

After a moment of stunned observance, he quickly turned and left without a sound. He looked around franticly, and finally saw his lieutenant sitting on the other side of the clearing. Ishmael quickly made his way to him.

“Lieutenant Ryder,” he said respectfully, saluting his superior, “could I speak with you alone, sir?” Ryder returned the salute and nodded.

“What is it, Ishmael?”

“Sir, our leader is taking advantage of his power. He’s abusing the female we found last week.”

“Ishmael, you can’t just say things like that without proof-”

“I saw it myself, sir!” At this, Ryder held up a paw for silence and looked around slowly. He then led Ishmael to a secluded place on the edge of the clearing and turned to face him.

“Tell me everything.”

Once Ishmael had recounted everything he had seen in the prisoner den, Ryder leaned close and lowered his voice.

“Now listen and listen well. This can not be allowed to stand. I’ll form a corps out of those who will follow us. Tomorrow at first light, we will remove him.”

As the sun rose on a new day, Jenna was woken by a rough nudge in the ribs. Steele stood in front of her with no expression on his face.

“Get up,” he growled. Jenna obeyed and found her legs weak from lack of use and malnourishment. Steele snorted and nodded toward the small earthen tunnel that lead out to the clearing. Slowly, reluctantly, Jenna walked out, and Steele followed her. Once they stepped out into the clearing, a small band of wolves approached and encircled Jenna. At this, one of the lieutenants stepped forward and asked what was happening.

“Steele’s decided to release the prisoner,” one of the guards replied without turning. Just then, Steele inclined his head toward the woods, and the guards marched Jenna off as he lead the way.

The lieutenant nodded and walked over to the wolves under his command and told them, but as they dispersed, he called for a dark brown male to stay with him.

“Follow them, Ishmael,” Ryder said, “I don’t trust Steele.”

“Yes, sir,” Ishmael replied, slipping into the shadows among the trees.

On Steele’s orders, the herded her to the riverbed, where there had once been a hill, but now all that remained was a cliff, rising precariously over the churning waters. At the base of the cliff, the guards broke away and formed a line behind Jenna. There was only one way to go now, and Steele quickly herded her to the top of the cliff. Sensing what was happening, Ishmael, who had been hiding in the bushes nearby, turned and ran as fast as his feet would carry him back to the clearing. In a matter of minutes, he was there. He signaled Ryder, who in turn signaled the rest of his warriors to follow him. Ishmael spun on his heels and dashed back toward the cliff with Ryder and the rest close behind him. As the cliff came into view, though, Ishmael looked up and saw Jenna crumple under Steele’s blow.

“Nooooo!” Ishmael cried as he and Ryder’s warriors fell mercilessly upon the startled guards. In a moment’s time, all of them lay dead at his paws. Just then, Steele’s voice rang out.

“Ryder! I should have guessed you’d be the one to betray me!”

“Give up, Steele,” Ryder shouted back, “It’s over!” He advanced toward the incline, but Steele suddenly hauled Jenna up with one paw and lifted her throat to his muzzle.

“Make one more move,” he growled slyly, “and I’ll tear her throat open.” Ryder stopped, and seemed to be weighing the consequences of obeying or attacking. Seeing this, Steele grinned and continued, “You wouldn’t want the blood of another innocent on your paws would you, Ryder?”

That sealed it. Ryder stepped back and bowed his head.

“You win, Steele.”

Steele burst into laughter that made Ishmael and Ryder shudder.

“This is why you were never promoted Ryder. You always made the mistake of not killing first and thinking later.” He wrapped his teeth around Jenna’s neck and was prepared to end her life when suddenly he was knocked off his paws and sent sprawling on the grassy cliff.

As he had been confronting Ryder, Steele had never once looked toward the woods from which he came.

After a moment, he regained his feet and looked toward his attacker.

There stood Balto.

“So, wolf-dog,” Steele snarled, “you finally decided to show yourself.”

“You should have known from the moment you took her that I would find you, Steele,” Balto growled, “This ends now.” With that, wolf-dog and malamute leapt at each other.

The two dove at each other again and again sinking their teeth and claws into each other’s flesh. Balto was quick and light on his feet, and Steele was stronger but slower. Thus, they were quite evenly matched. Ryder and his warriors watched in a trance of awe as both canines evaded death again and again as they came closer and closer to the peak of the cliff.

When the two combatants were a safe distance away, Ishmael ran up the hill and lifted Jenna onto his back, carrying her quickly out of harms way. As he set her down next to Ryder, her eyes blinked and she slowly sat up.

“What-Where am I?”

“You’re safe,” Ryder assured her. Then he turned to his warriors. “You all, prepare to-”

Just then, Ishmael gasped.

“Look!” he shouted, and all eyes turned toward the cliff.

In an attempt to dodge a neck blow, Balto had stepped quickly to one side only to find soft wet earth beneath his paws. He had faltered and tried to regain his footing, but Steele had already taken full advantage of the change of fate. He leapt forward and seized one of Balto’s paws in his teeth. Balto surged toward him to try to free his paw, but Steele slipped on the smooth rocky edge and fell backward off the cliff, dragging Balto with him. Hero and villain plunged into the river.

“Baltoooooo!” Jenna screamed. Her face livid with shock and fear, she bounded past Ryder and his startled warriors to the river’s edge. Even as the roaring current dragged them underwater, Balto and Steele continued to lash out at each other. Jenna turned and ran along the riverbank, keeping her eyes on Balto.

Suddenly, they came to a series of rapids, and both canines were immediately pulled under by the river’s power. A minute passed. Then two. Then three. Jenna ran a few leagues downriver and looked out onto the water. Nothing. Just as she prepared for the worst, Balto burst to the surface, gulping a huge draft of air and lunging toward shore.

By this time, Ishmael and Ryder had caught up with Jenna and ran to the riverbank as Balto’s paws touched dry land. He collapsed, exhausted, and they dragged him up next to a hollow log and leaned him against it. Noticing that he shivered in the cold air, Jenna laid gently on top of him, using her body as a shield from the wind.

“Jenna,” Balto murmured, “you’re hurt.”

“We’ll take care of that later,” she whispered, resting her head on top of his, “For now, sleep.”

The very next day, the two stood guest as Ryder was named leader of the former Dark Mountain pack, now the Ice River pack. Seeing their leader perish in the river, Steele’s few loyal supporters had reportedly dispersed and fled into the forest. As the ceremony ended, though, one of the border guards shouted that a band of wolves was approaching. Ryder’s first thought was that Steele’s loyalists had regrouped and were returning to take their former land.

“If it’s a fight they want,” he growled, “they’ll get one.”

“Wait! Look!” cried the border guard, “It’s one of ours!”

“What? How?” Ryder sprinted forward to join the guard and peered into the group of wolves advancing on them. Sure enough, in the lead was a white female, flanked by a familiar silver female. “It’s Sadera!”

Ryder burst into a run as did the border guard, and soon the entire Ice Mountain pack was racing to meet their lost friend. The two packs meet with mutual greetings as Sadera padded among her comrades.

“I see I’ve arrived a little late,” she said jokingly.

“So you have,” Ryder replied likewise, “But no matter, I believe introductions are in order?” Sadera gladly turned and acknowledged the white female behind her.

“This is Belle, the leader of the Silver Wind pack.”

“I don’t believe I’ve met you before,” Ryder said, nodding respectfully.

“It’s likely you haven’t,” Belle replied, “We’ve come nowhere near this river for more than nine months.”

“Well, now that will change,” Ryder assured her, “Come. We’ll discuss territorial needs in the clearing.” Belle nodded and followed him through the crowd, greeting those she passed. When she came to Balto and Jenna, she stopped in her tracks.

“Have we met?” she said.

“Not likely,” Balto replied, “This is the first time I’ve come this far from Nome.”