there someone here!?” she said as she bristled.

“No….. We’re fine…. it just seems so familiar”

I looked up and sniffed the air. A giant black form loomed in front of us, just barely touching a frozen beach. The water seemed to go on forever… then it clicked.

            “So….what is this place?”

“This is where my family died”

“Wonderful memories, huh?”

 “Yeah…..” I said, realizing the impact I felt. “I think we should go back now”

Kaya snorted and looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

“We haven’t even been gone for that long! You’d never pass up a chance like this!”

“Yeah, and now I’m not passing up the chance to go back”

I turned and headed back, my mind numb and spine tingling. I bristled a little from memory and tried to shake it off.

“So much for a night of freedom” Kaya grumbled, giving in and following me.

“I just want to go home” I said quietly.  

Even I was surprised at how pathetic that had sounded but Kaya didn’t say a word. We walked back solemnly across the slick, half melted snow. When we returned, no one, including our bodyguards, had woken up. I spotted Ataneq and curled up as close as I could next to him. He mumbled something in his sleep, then rolled over. I snuggled closer, an empty feeling inside me.

                                                            *          *          *

            It had been a month when spring finally set in. The snow had thawed quickly and filled all of the streams and rivers with ice cold melted snow. The grass shot up through the small amount of snow left and made it easier for us to hunt the caribou silently. Still not quite myself, I was a little more then sort of clingy to the pack and Ataneq immediately dropped my bodyguards. But even that didn’t help. Fear of getting into another fight bound me to the pack and Ataneq worried about me. Finally, he reluctantly ordered us to go into the human’s town, to at least have fun if I didn’t get better. I had never seen the town and was curious, but Kaya was excited out of her mind.

            “This is going to be so much fun!”

She darted back and forth in front of me. It was a chore just to walk straight without her cutting me off.

“We’re not going to see any people. Maybe some dogs, but probably not much else”

            “This is my first time! Don’t spoil it for me” she yipped.

We walked past the first few houses and discovered I was right. The dark streets dimly lit with glowing lights were empty. No one was awake or around. Kaya was still going wild, though. She spied a cat and chased it, barking.

“Shhhh!! Don’t wake anyone up!”

            “But that thing! Did you see it?! It was like a mini mountain lion!”

“It was a cat. Ataneq told me…my dad told him”

We turned the corner and found something that smelled good. Birds were hanging out of the windows. I stopped in front and inhaled the strangely good- smelling meats.

“What is this place?”

“No idea, but it smells delicious!”

Kaya walked right up to a long chain of some meat and pulled it down. She carefully pulled off a single one and sampled it. She didn’t even swallow it before she started to chow down on the other links of meat.

            “You have to taste this! It is soooo good!”

I knew I shouldn’t but it was really tempting. I picked up the other half and tasted. It was far different from what I was used to and it was a lot better.

                        “Hey! Lobo! Get away from that! That’s mine!”

I bristled up. I had never been talked to that way before. I whipped around and growled. A black and white husky with blue eyes strutted up like he owned the place. He might have, but he didn’t own me or Kaya.

“Who do you think you are?!” I growled.

The husky paused for a second, realizing I was not who he was looking for. We were about the same size though, so he kept on coming.

                        “I said that’s mine. Get away half bred” he said, looking down his nose at me.

My anger flared up, but he was still only a dog. A stupid one.

“Why don’t you go dig up a bone or something dog!” I said, shrugging off the insult.

The husky rolled his shoulders and cracked the joints in his neck. Then he got right up in my face so our noses touched.

                        “This is your last chance to get away in one piece” he uttered coldly.

Behind me, I heard Kaya suck up the last of the meat. The husky snarled at her for eating the last of the meat. He lunged for Kaya with dull dog’s teeth but all it took was a stuck out foot and the husky tumbled, landing flat on his back. I wouldn’t fight him, but I could scare him.

“Now why shouldn’t I tear you to pieces?!” I said quietly.

Kaya looked happy for a moment, thinking I was myself again, but she could tell I was acting. The husky couldn’t.

                        “Sorry” the husky stuttered. “You looked and smelled like someone else”

My hopes soared. I let the husky get up, tail tucked between his legs.

“Who?!” I demanded.

                        “His name is Balto. He lives in that old shipwreck outside of town. Go take your anger out on him”

With that the husky turned tail and sprinted away.

            “You’re not really going to beat him up too are you?” Kaya asked curiously.

“No, I think I might know him though”

I charged out of Nomeand headed for the giant thing on the beach. I was sure that had to be the shipwreck. The shipwreck came into my sights and I sped up leaving a disgruntled Kaya in the dust. I stopped a few feet away, waited for Kaya and when Kaya finally trotted up, I told her to wait for me here.

            “Don’t try anything you can’t handle” she smirked.

I nodded, took a deep breath and walked up the ramp taking me to the deck of the boat. I walked past a frozen water bowl, chewed bone and spied something white. It was some kind of goose with the upper part of his body tucked under a blanket. It would be a good meal since Kaya ate my half of the meat. I dropped to my stomach and stalked over to it. Something creaked and I froze. I peered over my shoulder. Nothing. This place was really creepy. I turned my attention back to the bird. I concentrated, ready to pounce when something rammed into my side and sent me sprawling to the floor. I turned to my attacker and met the same yellow and brown eyes as mine. I stopped growling and Balto cocked his head but kept his teeth bared.

“Balto?!”

            “Yeah” he said cautiously. “What do you want?!”

“It’s me… Buck” I smiled.

            “Buck’s dead” Balto growled, bristling all over again. “Did you just come to torment me too?”

“No, it’s really me!” I said desperately.

            He relaxed and circled me but it seemed more like sizing up then trying to remember who I was. I shifted uncomfortably.

            “So, how are you, huh? How are mom and dad?” he growled.

“They’re… um… well theyare dead”

That didn’t sound convincing at all. I laid back my ears, hoping he would believe me. He didn’t.

            “You’re not Buck and you tried to eat Boris” he nodded to the goose that was miraculously still asleep.

“How was I supposed to know he was your friend?!”

            “Get out of here now” he said flatly.

“But I just got here! Aren’t you at all”-

            “Go away! I’m a husky and you’re a wolf. If you were a husky, I’d believe you”

“You look exactly like me Balto” I said, raising my