it!”

“I’m coming with you Dad...”replied Dingo.

“Son this is no time for...”

“I’m coming with you Dad!” interrupted Dingo “Your hurt and extremely tired I’m not letting you do whatever it is you’re about to do alone” he continued.

“Dingo...”

“No buts Dad! I mean it this time!”

Balto knew his son would not abandon him, there was nothing he could do but smile.

“I don’t understand, how did you find me?” asked Balto.

“Well... let’s just say Aleu wasn’t the only one to inherit some wolf traits. It’s just that mine don’t show on the outside.” Explained Dingo.

Dingo and Balto began to walk together to the cave. Balto then asked...

“How long have you been able to track?”

“Ever since I was puppy... Aleu and I used to make a game of it, Kodiak would go and hide somewhere in town and we’d track him until we found him, its how we practised. Didn’t think I would ever use it again.”

“Why haven’t you mentioned this before?” asked Balto.

“I dunno... I figured you wouldn’t want to know, you’ve never been very pro-wolf in the past, didn’t think you would approve... to be honest as I got a bit older, I’m not sure I approved.”

Balto then stopped in front of Dingo.

“Of course I would have approved, it’s a good survival technique for one thing. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, ever since this happened, is that you should never be ashamed about who you are... or in my case who you where.”

“Dad what is this all about? Why are you out here?”

Balto turned away and looked up to the sky...

“A friend... well at least I think he is anyway... told me how to get my wild back...”

Dingo looked slightly frightened...?

“Say what...? Did you hit your head or something?”

“Come on, I’ll explain on the way.” Said Balto walking away.

Dingo stood there for a moment and replied...

“Oh no... I’m gonna pull my back again aren’t I?”

The mid-night sun was once more in the sky as it was when Balto first came to the cave. Balto and Dingo came to the beach and saw the hole of blackness that was dug into the rock. Balto felt nothing from it, like it just wasn’t there.

“It’s different... I don’t feel anything anymore” said Balto.

There was no reply from Dingo; he turned to look at his son to see him staring in an almost hypnotic way at the cave.

“Dingo...?”

There was still no response; Dingo could hear whispers in his head, like Balto did. Dingo began to move closer. Balto then realised, Dingo was one quarter wolf and could be drawn into the cave by the shaman named Shadow. Balto then stood in front of Dingo and grabbed hold of him, he was still in a trance.

“Dingo!” shouted Balto, he then slapped his son on the face “Snap out of it”

Dingo reacted, in pain of course, and had snapped out of the trance.

“Owww! What... Wh... What happened? I thought I heard... where you whispering to me just now?”

“Your part wolf, she was trying to draw you in. Stay here...”

Balto walked off to the cave, determined to get back what was rightfully his. Dingo just stood there.

“Yeah sure I’ll...” the whispering then reappeared in Dingo’s head “... stay...”

Balto walked into the cave and into that darkness, he couldn’t see where he was going, the passage started to get narrower and narrower. He was about to turn back but then saw a small light ahead and the passage began to widen again. He then came to what appeared to be a large chamber with a purple light illuminating the room slightly.

Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder, but turned to find no one was there, and again another tap on his shoulder and no one there when he turned.

‘Okay that was creepy’ he thought to himself.

A figure appeared in the light, Balto reacted...

“You! Come out! You have something that belongs to me!” shouted Balto.

The figure then got closer and closer and went into the light for Balto to see. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing, it was impossible...

“...Dad...?” said Balto.

“Hello son, long time no see. My haven’t you grown.”

“This is impossible.”

“I’ve heard all about you, being the local hero. Not to mention the lead dog on a sled team. That’s quite a feather in your cap son.”

“I don’t understand... What are you doing here?”

“I wanna make up for lost time, get back the years I should have spent with you... I love you son”

Balto shed a tear as he was staring at what appeared to be his father, Ranger. Who looked like an older version of how Balto looked in his pure Husky form. They even had the same eyes.

“Come on, why don’t we go for a walk. You can tell me all about Jenna and my grandchildren, I’d really like to meet them.”

It then occurred to Balto, that something really wasn’t right.

“Sure Dad... in fact my son... ‘Steele’ is waiting outside the cave, let’s go talk to him dad.”

“Ahhh Steele, I’ve heard so much about him.”

“And Kaltag, don’t forget little Kaltag”

“Of course little Kaltag”

“Who are you!”

“What do you mean son?”

“Stop it! This is some lame trick to get me to leave! The hero stories, of course you may know about them... but how would you know about Jenna or my kids for that matter?”

“Son... I”

“I’ll give you one chance, what’s my daughters name...? Huh! WHAT IS HER NAME!”

Balto’s father then vanished from the chamber.

“Go home lower being. You don’t belong here” whispered a female voice.

“I want what belongs to me” said Balto.

“I know who you are... he belongs to me now, so go home lower being before I do something un-kind”

“No! I’m not leaving without him, he’s a part of me. I’ll challenge you for him if that’s what you want!”

“Oh I like challenges... particularly from males, their hearts and souls break so easily. Very well lower being, you wish for your true self back. But the stakes have to be high...”

“You mean my life if I loose”

“If you loose you’ll die anyway, but the stakes have to be much higher... so high that you’ll have to fight a thousand times harder... Ahhh perfect. Come in child...”

Balto looks towards the passage he entered through, to see Dingo in a trance just standing there.

“NO! YOU CAN’T NOT HIM!” shouted Balto.

“THOSE ARE MY CONDITIONS LOWER BEING! The challenge has been made! If you should win, you become what you where once again and you and the child can go... but if you should loose... not only will you die, but your son will be mine forever... eternal torment... worse than death for him.”

“I SAID NO!” shouted Balto again.

Suddenly Dingo began to choke, he couldn’t breathe. Balto ran towards him but couldn’t do anything to help him. Balto was now panicking...

“STOP! STOP THIS NOW!”

There was no answer, Dingo then fell to the floor and was starting to loose consciousness.

“ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I accept the terms!”

Dingo was now able to breathe again, but was still unconscious.

“Very well lower being, shall we begin...?” said Shadow, who had now materialised right in front of Balto...

Dingo woke up in a chamber with stone walls all around, there was no way out but he was not alone. He could make out some figures approaching him. He then leaned back against the wall, the figures turned out to be a number of wolves all of which where bigger and looked a lot more vicious than him.

“Well well what do we have here?” said the lead wolf.

“Looks like Shadow has taken to trapping Husky trash” said the Second.

“No... He’s different. Can’t you smell it?” said a third.

“You’re right. He has a bit of wolf in him, not much but it’s there.” said the lead wolf.

Dingo then tried to stand up to them.

“You come any closer and I’ll show you how much wolf I can be!” threatened Dingo.

The wolves began to laugh, but Dingo still stood his ground.

“Well how about that, the mix breed has some spine” said the Second.

“Perhaps we should snap it in two” replied the third.

Dingo backed against the wall as all three wolves approached him. Dingo couldn’t stand a chance against them. Suddenly a large grey wolf then jumped in between Dingo and the wolves.

“You lay a single paw on him and I swear to god you’ll die slowly and horribly!” said the grey wolf.

The wolves then began to back off.

“We’re just having a little fun” said the lead wolf. “Why the hell do you care so much about the little mongrel?”

The grey wolf turned to face Dingo; he looked at him with a kind face.

“He’s my son...” said the grey wolf.

Dingo looked at the wolf closer... he couldn’t believe it.

“Dad...?”

Husky Balto was facing Shadow from across the purple lit chamber. They seemed to be just staring at each other with no reaction coming from either of them.

Balto was back in Nome, but the town was completely deserted. He was walking around trying to find anyone to help him. He was about to give up when he bumped into another dog, he looked in complete surprise... it was Steele.

“Well it’s about time you showed up!” said Steele, “Come the