And seeing amaze on stranger’s face, he added joyfully. “Sorry, it’s from your preys. Just add to my account.”

“Why did you do it?”

“I was hungry.” Replied former leader. “And when I’m hungry I don’t care about anyone’s districts.”

“Why did you fed me?”

“I don’t know.” Said Steele honestly. “Is this so important?” asked, eating remnants of roe. He judged that he should to strengthen himself before next hunting. It was better for both dog and wolf.

“No, it doesn’t matter.” Answered darkfurred. “My name is Niju.” Dog nodded his head with shadow of polite gesture, but name of saved creature wasn’t in his concern. “And who are you? You look as some pedigree sled dog. Why are wandering in forest?”

“Is this so important?” repeated malamute, tired of telling his pitiful story to himself or someone else. “My name is Steele.” Said trying to sound as friendly as he could. “He let me save him.” Thought dog with amusement. “I’m owe that to him.”

When former leader finished his meal, he laid on the snow and was resting for a while. Niju hasn’t dared to interrupt that break. As we have already noticed, wolf was adolescent male, just before maturity. He was well grown and looked as strong and agile but his muscles still weren’t as fit as in elders predators are. Steele wasn’t able to precisely estimate Niju’s condition, but he could bet that if wolf was healthy he would be mowing with youthful clumsiness. And malamute was living symbol of ideal northern dog – mature, seven-year-old male was at the peak of his fitness, still gifted with young’s strength and yet experienced with long life of sled champion. At least that should was a week earlier, because that evening former leader was just a shadow of old Steele. However, he still was clearly dominant over wolf. The hunger sculpted dog’s profile but greater changes weren’t caused by lack of food. That once burning with energy and will of life dog was balancing on the edge of total indifference and despondency. In fact he wasn’t interested in Niju and his fate as something real. This adventure appealed to him as some strange amusement in his mournful way. He was looking on agony and recovering of wolf from emotional distance, being somewhere in other place, at lest spiritually. Predator seemed to get it so he didn’t want to interrupt his saviour his daydream.

Finally, just before the midnight, Steele awoke from passivity, stood and said with lazy murmur.

“Wait here. I’ll try to hung something.” He didn’t wait for any answer – just went away into dark forest.

Although gloomy December’s night, there wasn’t too cold. Dog estimated the temperature as only minus fourteen degrees and he thought that it wouldn’t be much colder in next few hours. From the sea was blowing warm wind, that already had thrown down from air most of the snow and in that moment was only warming frostbitten forests and tundra plains. Steele considered it as serious gift from fortune, because if frost and blizzard were still storming, he wouldn’t saved Niju. Maybe he had some problems on his own.

For the very first time obvious luck shone on malamute on his hunt, but it could be just the beginner’s luck. He found four hares and two of them ate in spot. Remaining two he brought to sleeping Niju and left them in snow nearby. He laid to rest in own snow-den just before the dawn and fell asleep right after. He awoke about the midday.

He felt some movement over surface of snow, so he instantly raised his head. He saw Niju, trying to walk into forest. Wolf was still very weak and his tries looked rather pathetic. Finally he lost his balance and hobbled just few yards away from shelter. Steele in last moment prevent him from falling.

“Well, don’t you even say me <goodbye>?” asked with irony and wolf looked on him with hear.

“Ow, that’s you...” sighed with relief. “I thought...” he started uncertainly, like he was ashamed by his idea. “That you already have gone away.” Malamute’s laughter interrupted him.

“Come on! You are barely walking! Get back to your den and I’ll get some food. For next few days you won’t get from here. So I won’t too. For the rabies sake I would feed you and then left for certain death?”

“I have no idea. I don’t know dog’s customs.” Said with slight irony.

“I’m not a dog!” growled Steele. But from under that anger sounded pain. Former leader added quieter. “Not anymore. Now I’m just a wolf like you. Or even in greater degree.” Stares of wolf and malamute crossed. “It doesn’t matter. You won’t understand.” Then he went to the forest.

Why should he explain Niju what had happened? That by endangering life of his owner he put away all the Code of sledge dog? That he became an savage, that was despising all his life? Steele hated wolves not because their blood – that wasn’t theirs fault. But he hated theirs wild way of life, that made them live for own not for theirs masters – humans. When countless times he harassed Balto and reminding him his origins, he didn’t do it from just sadism or for fun. He just had been smelling wolf in Balto’s fur and considered that this mixed blood makes hybrid uncertain and treacherous. But he just had proven that it was wrong idea – he had shown himself a wolf or something worse. Those wild savages at least could serve theirs packs. And him? He made one-creature pack, which matter put over his original pack, even over master’s life. This was not the way that mother wanted from him.

“I’m a traitor. I’m a wolf.” Whispered Steele and pounced on polar fox.

For the next time ancestors spirits were benevolent for him. He got actrofox on open space, just on Bear’s Mountain foot. As a fast and agile sled dog he catch smaller carnivore with ease and killed him in one blow of his jaws. Then he returned to ill comrade. He found his sleeping, so he fell asleep himself in den next to.

For whole next day (just as warm as previous one) Steele was hunting, but that time he failed. He returned to Niju for a night. Wolf was already making first steps in vicinity.

“Bad luck?” asked.

“Bad luck.” Agreed Steele. By that exchange of words they exhausted daily standard of courtesy. But young wolf didn’t stand that silence.

“But what will be then? When I will able to walk?”

“I suppose you will be walking then.” Replied malamute with indifferent tone. He wasn’t in mood to chat, because he felt a incoming wave of bitter memories and expecting hard dreams that night.

“But where you will go, when you won’t have to baby-sit me?”

“I have never had to.” Growled Steele but after few seconds he gathered whole stock of fondness toward comrade and added. “I will go ahead. I was going to Buckland. When I’ll make sure, you could hunt, I’ll march there.”

“You are returning there? You’ve lost your sled?” interrogated younger.

“Just going.” Replied Steele. „Maybe to start all over again. Being the dog again.”

“You know...” murmured Niju. “I have my pack next to ocean shore. I’ve lost them during that blasted storm. They went away, probably thinking I’m dead. But now I can back to the isthmus and... Do you want to go with me? To join our clan?

“What? I?” laughed former leader, wasn’t aware what kind of honour made him Niju – proposing a stray dog to join wolf’s clan. That was not common in the wild. But Steele, still remaining pedigree dog in heart, took it as an outrage. “You lost your mind? Maybe I’m wolf now but It doesn’t mean that I’m it according to my will. If I would ever come to you, that would mean that I get wild to the core. For now I’m far from it. Thanks for good intentions... But I’ll try to deserve for better fate.”

“If you change your mind... I will wait for you.” Replied Niju with tensed voice. He didn’t want to show shame to his saviour but he felt how much malamute despise of wild ones. If he consider himself as savage in some degree, it meant only that he also is disgust by his own person.

“Good night.” Said former leader, covering himself in snow. „If I won’t wake up on time, dig me out about midday.”

Next few days passed in normal, boring routine – Steele was hunting and Niju was practicing walking nearby their shelter. With every day he became healthier but also quieter – he didn’t speak with saviour if that wasn’t necessary. Steele didn’t regretted that – he was still feeding his charge but didn’t try to start any talk. Dog and wolf really liked themselves in the same rate that they despise themselves.

And at some evening, when Steele was returning from hunting, he discovered that Niju had left, leaving just a scent-message.

“Thank you.” It said. But in wolf’s aroma smelt some portion of anger. At twelfth February Steele started his march on Bear’s Mountain foot to Buckland.

II. The encounter

How strange! Since he had stared off into farther way and had to hung only for himself, game seemed to disappeared. In addition two days later some another snow-storm came, forcing malamute to stop and rest in improvised shelter. In third day he felt hunger and since that time he was running like in a trance, racing with his own weakness. To Buckland’s Valley (By locals called sometimes “The Bears Valley”) he got on seventeenth February, but death almost took him just before his destination.

On journey last day’s morning he smelt caribu’s scent. His mind was too dimmed with hunger to think rationally. He didn’t ask himself, how it could be that so big game could be found next to human’s seat. Actually former leader came across tracks of half-tamed herd of caribu, owned by one of the Bucklanders. Ignoring proximity of the town, Steele sneaked to improvised (with logs and branches) corral, where half-wild animals were regular feed by humans. The herd was counting eight creatures but dog was already reasoning with stomach so