the bed.

She went down hard on her back.

Tango stepped in the bed and nudged one of them, Likea, and he started whining.

Tango raised his paw high, and Jenna screamed.

The plane taxied to a stop, and though he was soaked to the skin, Balto didn’t even notice.

The bad feeling had been steadily growing as they got closer and closer to home.

He felt like he was going to be sick.

As soon as the plane stopped rolling, Balto jumped out, not even bothering with the wing, and landing flat on his face for it.

Luke laughed.

“Not exactly the way to get out boy,” he said, “but I understand, you don’t like being wet, well neither do I, let’s go inside and….”

Luke stopped talking as he saw Balto take off running into the sheer rain.

He laughed to himself, climbed down off the plane, and went inside to change into some dry clothes.

It didn’t take Balto long to make it too Jenna’s, and the feeling got worse and worse, until he started to feel dizzy, and then right inside the gate to Jenna’s yard, he did throw up.

“Wow,” he thought, “I’m getting really worried.”

He walked up the stairs, and heard Jenna scream.

He ran then, diving through the doggy door.

He stood up.

“Man, I hate being right,” he thought.

Tango stood over the bed, Jenna was on the floor, blood rolling down her muzzle, and Tango had his paw raised high in the air.

“TANGO!” Balto yelled.

Tango paused, and turned around.

“Who are you?”

“Balto!” Jenna yelled.

She got up and ran over to him, limping all the way.

“Jen, are you hurt?” Balto asked.

“Worry about that later,” Jenna said, “he’s trying to kill the kids.”

Balto stepped forward.

“Tango, get out of here.”

Tango laughed.

“What, are you kicking me out of my own house?”

Balto looked confused.

“What?”

Tango sighed.

“I see Silver seems to like you.”

Balto looked at Jenna questioningly.

“It’s a long story,” she said, “but something is wrong with him!”

“Really?” Balto said, looking back at Tango.

“So I guess these are yours?” Tango said, gesturing toward the bed.

“That’s right,” Balto said.

Tango was on top of him before he realized anything was happening.

Tango bit and scratched, while Balto tried valiantly to get the crazy dog off of him.

He finally succeeded, and Tango rolled against the wall.

Both dogs stood up.

Balto was breathing hard now, and had to pause to catch his breath.

“Tango, I don’t want to fight you, this is your last chance, go away.”

Tango laughed.

Then he ran at Balto again.

Balto sidestepped out of the way, and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck with his teeth.

He spun in a half circle and let go, rolling Tango toward the door.

Tango rolled, bouncing off of the floor, until he hit the door, and went through it, out the doggy door, bouncing down the steps, and sprawling in the snow.

Jenna and Balto stepped through the door as well.

Tango stood up, in the rain.

“This isn’t over!” he yelled.

“Yes it is.” a voice said, from under the porch.

A black dog stepped out.

Tango started shaking, as the big black dog walked toward him.

He turned to run, but his re-injured leg tripped him up, and he fell on his face.

Tango looked back at the black dog.

He tried to stand up frantically, but the mud that the snow had turned into made the ground slippery, and he went down again.

He kicked at the black dog, and the dog tore into his leg.

Tango screamed.

“Ha!” Jenna thought, “how do you like it?”

The dog pulled Tango closer, and as Tango tried to scream again, clamped his jaws around his throat.

Jenna gasped, and turned away, as Tango’s scream turned into a wet gurgle and then fell silent.

The black dog dropped Tango to the snow.

Jenna looked back, and cringed at the crimson stain spreading through the mud puddles.

Balto was shocked by the arrival of this new stranger, and a little cautious, after all, he’d just killed someone.

The black dog looked back at them, and then down the street, as if trying to decide if he should talk to them or not.

Then he ran up on the porch.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

Balto nodded.

“I am, who are you?”

The black dog smiled.

The name’s Storm, I live in Genkoi, about sixty miles from here.”

“Why’d you do that?” Jenna asked.

“You disapprove?” Storm asked.

“No,” Jenna said, “I’m just curious.”

“He killed my sister.” Storm said.

“Oh,” Balto said, “I’m sorry.”

Storm nodded.

“I swore to myself that I would track him down and kill him, and that’s what I did. He’s been running from us for a few weeks.”

“Us?” Balto asked.

“Two of my friends came with me, and we split up, trying to find him.”

Jenna thought of something then, and stepped forward.

“Storm, who is Silver, he kept calling me that, and seemed to get really mad at me real easy?”

Storm sighed.

“Silver was his mate…. and my sister.”

“Oh,” Jenna said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“No it’s okay,” Storm said.

“Do you know what was wrong with him?” She asked.

Storm shook his head.

“Something wrong with his head, but I don’t know what.”

“Well thanks for the help,” Balto said.

Storm smiled.

“Yeah… listen, it was nice to meet you guys, but I’ve got to go find my friends, they went to White Mountain and Applegate, and I’ve got to tell them it’s over.”

“Alright,” Balto said, “good luck!”

“You too,” Storm said, then the black dog walked into the pouring rain.

Balto turned to Jenna.

“Now what happened, how did you get hurt?” Jenna started to cry.

“Oh Balto, it was horrible!”

She paused.

“He showed up the day after you left, and I guess he thought he was you, called me Jen and everything. He went to sleep, and the next time he woke up, he was Tango and he kept calling me Silver. He got real mad when he saw the pups, and now I know why… but anyway, he hit me, and I told him he was hurting me, well then he did this to my leg, and then he went to sleep and woke up as you again. Then he was himself, and he said he’d decided that it would be okay with him if Silver… me…. If I cheated on him, as long as the pups didn’t grow up.

She stopped again.

“Of course I couldn’t let that happen, so I tried to stand up for them, and he hit me again, and well… that’s when you walked in.”

“Jen, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have left you,” Balto said.

Jenna smiled.

“At least you’re here now.”

Balto licked the tears away from her face.

“And here to stay for a while.” He said

“Really?” Jenna asked.

Balto nodded.

“Luke said it would be a while before Isaloosa needed us again, so it’ll just be the trips to White Mountain now.”

Jenna smiled.

“That’s great Balto!” she said.

She winced.

“Jen, we’ve got to get you to doc’s… again.”

“But the rain, and the kids…” Jenna said.

“They’ll be fine,” Balto said, “march!”

He nudged her toward the steps.

“Okay,” she said.

The tow of them walked down the steps.

Chapter 10

Balto woke up first.

He looked beside him at Jenna, who was still sleeping.

The kids were curled up beside her.

“They’re actually sleeping at night now,” Balto thought.

He smiled.

He loved his family.

Jenna smiled, and rolled over against him.

Balto smiled and licked her ear.

Her eyes fluttered open.

“Hey sleepyhead,” he said.

She smiled at him.

“Hi Balto, I’m glad you’re staying here for now, but won’t….”

She yawned.

“….but won’t Luke get worried about you?”

“I’m going to go down and see him in the morning, so he’s not, then I’ll come back here with you, I owe you a lot of time.”

“Want to start making it up now?” she asked.

Jenna smiled at him.

“I love you Jen,” he said.

“I love you too Balto,” She said.

She put her head on his, and wrapped her front legs around his shoulders.

Soon the two of them were sound asleep.

THE END