give slight commands to the dogs behind him, depending on what the musher commands him. The two behind him, they mostly have to put their weight forward and follow, but if the leader is too sluggish, they might slightly nip him to tell him to go forward. That's actually the orders of every dog behind another one: to keep the pace steady and to keep the dogs working together, they have to urge a sluggish dog forward to match the pace. I may be a famous sled dog, but I could be wrong. Brain's gettin' rusty..."

"Anyway, the backers have the second most important job. They are the ones who have to directly pull their cargo, or just their musher. They are also the most depended on, for if they slow down, the whole team has to slow down. And this here is Kodi's first time in the lead." he finished as the musher finally gave the ok signal. Balto, without knowing it, crouched to the ground as if ready to start. "Ready. Set. AND... they're off!" A few moments after the dogs had left with the mail, the crowd cleared up, and finally Balto and Rodeo were the only ones left.

Balto smiled. "Now let's go and take the tour of the buildings... Oh! It's beginning to get dark. Seems like the sled team with Kodi are gonna have to camp in the wilderness. How 'bout you go to Jenna's house, you know, the house on the hill, and sleep there. I'm not letting my son die out there. What's worse, there's a blizzard. Why did the humans pick such a bad time?"

Rodeo shook his head. "I dunno, Balto. You go find them, and I'll tell Jenna where you are going to be."

Balto nodded. "But she will worry. OK. See you tomorrow, at the boat. Don't come looking for me." With that, the famous half breed who saved Nome raced into the drifts. Rodeo watched after him. "I hope he doesn't get lost like I was..." he said a bit worried. With a sigh, he turned and began trotting toward the hill. But a snarl of a husky male stopped him in his tracks.

"So you're the little stepson of Balto, eh? Then we were destined to battle." Another yearling, a black and white husky, spat the last word out at him. Snarling, but very nervous, Rodeo's hair stood on end. "Who are YOU?" Rodeo said, keeping his voice a very low growl.

"Oh, Pipsqueak got somethin' to say. I'm Metel, the son of Steele, top dog on Kodi's rival sled team. And for your information, half breed, I'm the one who always wins. I'm actually the clever one that got Kodi out of the way. Heh ha ha."

Rodeo rose to the challenge. "Well, hot shot, I'm the one who has the wolf in me. How do you like that?"

Metel snickered. "Oh, I like it just fine. The stronger they are, the harder they fall, they say..."

"Leave him alone, Metel. And if I catch you, your little servants, or Steele around here ever again, YOU and them will pay... Rodeo, are you ok?" The burgondy husky that was Balto's wife came up and scared the dogs away, and she wondered if he had gotten hurt. "I'm ok, Jenna."

"Just call me Mom."

Rodeo was beginning to like this place, even if he was teased.

Chapter 4: Time To Rescue The Hero

Rodeo was up at dawn, saying to Jenna that he'd be back that afternoon. He headed to the beach, and found the Russian goose Boris on the boat, worriedly staring into the Alaskan plain while waiting for Balto. "What if... what if he's hurt? What if the storm has made him an icicle?"

"That wouldn't happen. Balto's the most terrific, brave, and strong wolf I've ever met."

Boris had never completely doubted Balto, but now he had the most reason to. "You mean dog, this time..." he grumbled.

Rodeo jumped up and put his paws on the smooth wood of the boat's fencing to keep people on board. "Boris, lighten up. He'll come. Just wait and see."

"I have yet to see a more convincing sentence than that." Boris said sarcastically.

Finally, when Rodeo had gotten tired of waiting, he said, "I'm moving out to find Balto. It's time to rescue the hero!" Rodeo raced toward the hill with Jenna's house, before Boris could say a word.

"Yep." Boris said to himself. "They're the same, all right."

As Rodeo climbed the hill, he looked down at the way the team had gone. He could not see them, not even the flickering light of their lamp. It looked as if the team had never gone there. Rodeo slipped into the doggy door and walked over to Jenna. "Father's not home yet... and... oh Mom, I just HAVE to save him..." Rodeo had to hurry, and so he turned to leave. Jenna said urgently, "Wait..."

"...I just hope you do your best, and don't stop believing in yourself or wolves. It's the thing that kept Balto going." Rodeo smiled. "Thanks Mom." Jenna nuzzled Rodeo quickly in goodbye, and Rodeo went. "It's almost as if he is truly my son... he is just like Balto..."

Rodeo raced down the path, following the pawprints and sled marks. Rodeo could feel the air fresh in his lungs, uplifting his heart. It brought happiness into his soul, but when he felt the storm settling in, his happiness died away. He knew he must hurry, for in the cold emptiness, his father and the musher could get frozen to death or eaten.

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Balto felt weak and tired, wondering why he had followed Kodi when he knew he could be endangering his own life. But Balto also knew that he was always willing to help others even if it meant sacrificing his very life. Slowly creeping to the sled, he nudged the musher's hand, which was frozen, sticking to the bar. Balto moved slowly over to Kodi's limp body. "Oh, Kodi... I am so sorry... m'boy, you still made us proud, don't worry. You always will even in death..." Balto lifted his nose to the sky, his breath puffing smoke into the air. The wind was picking up, and it was snowing harder. Balto howled the feeblest howl he had every made, hoping someone would hear. He did not know it, but someone very special did.

Balto's sides heaved, and he tried his best to pull Kodi over to the sled. He began to cry. He saw Aleu, howling toward the sky. He saw Kodi, playing with his brothers and sisters. He even saw Boris, trying to fly. And then, there was Rodeo, looking up in fascination as Balto told him how a sledding team worked. Then, he remembered Aniu, the one wolf that gave him the courage and strength to climb back up the cliff when he was saving Nome.

All these people were special to him. Then Jenna appeared, and Balto knew she was the most special of them all. Balto and Jenna had been through almost everything together.

Balto began to quiet his crying as he heard a twig crack. He stood up, his fur raising. He heard a very sad voice that flattened his fur. "Balto... oh my father... what will Jenna think?"

"Rodeo?"

"Balto?"

"Wow! Where were you?"

"I was back in Nome, duh. Trying to find you."

"And for once, I'm happy you came looking for me. Come on, help me wake up as many dogs as we can, then we can put the remaining on the sled. And you, Rodeo, receive the true honors... you are going to be the one who leads us home. Just keep on going straight and we'll be home in no time."

"If you knew how to get home, why didn't you come back yourself?" Rodeo asked. It was rather puzzling.

"If you'd like to know, I was too weak. But now I have the strength again." Balto stood up, shaking the snow off his fur. He went over to the sled and woke the musher with happy barks, and then Balto rushed over to help Rodeo get the harness on. Rodeo smiled. "Now I'll truly belong here in Nome. You know, Father, something about your howl makes me confident again."

"And something about your voice tells me you love sledding."

The musher wrenched his hand free from the icy bar, and then grabbed on again. "Mush, my team! Mush!"

Kodi and Balto ran side by side behind Rodeo who was beginning to understand that his foster father was someone he knew. Now he understood: his real father had been in Aniu's pack. And Aniu was Balto's mother. The two had Balto for their first litter and Rodeo for their second. So... they were actually brothers!

Even as the wind picked up and the snow began to fall heavier, father, son and brother brought the team to Nome. It seemed the blizzard wouldn't be as bad as planned, but it still gave the team trouble. Fueled by the visions of home, the party moved toward Nome. Kodi saw his food dish back home and heard his master praise him. Balto saw the Russian snow goose and Jenna welcoming him home. Though Rodeo had no happy vision of home, he had a sense of pride that he'd never be teased on as much again. He knew he would be praised and wondered at, but it wasn't that he adored the glory so much. It was because he felt good that he helped some one.

Let's see what Metel and Steele think of this. I'm glad I'm not a glory hound like him...

They were almost there.

Boris heard the barking of many dogs, and he looked up. Seeing the team was back with Rodeo in the lead, he leaped up and hovered in the air for as long as he could. "You did it, Rodeo! You're a hero!"

8 year old Rosy was crying in her father's arms, thinking that Balto, Kodi and Rodeo were gone. She sniffled. "Papa? Who will save the town now?" Her father looked up. "Balto and Rodeo will." Rosy whirled, laughing. Throwing her musher's hat into the air, she signaled the finish line.

Jenna had been lazily watching TV on her little hay bale that served as a chair, when she heard the noises of barking and astonished human gasps. Jumping up, setting her paws on the window sill, she saw the team. Barking loudly, she woke Rosy's mother as she raced through the doggy door and out toward Nome Central.

After all three close friends of Balto and his companions were there, a new shape entered the crowd. Sneakily, without being noticed, he led a small dog toward the