a little. But then she saw the look Copper gave Taya. It was one of tenderness and utter loyalty, and it made Chase want to run away from them both as fast as she could. That look stirred something inside her. At that moment hatred bubbled up from her gut and spilled all over her insides. How dare he love Steele’s daughter! After her fight with Steele, how could he love Taya? Did he even care anymore? He was betraying Chase, he was betraying his family!

Chase looked to the trail ahead and remarked conversationally, “You were the best fighter, and yet you couldn’t face your father?”

Taya’s tone was icy. “I doubt you could face yours.”

Chase was daunted for a second, but she refused to let Copper get away with his betrayal. “No, I guess not,” she said, “But I have faced yours.”

Taya’s mouth tightened.

Chase could hardly believe her own ears as she listened to her voice dip low and nasty. “What are you so afraid of? Why are you scared, huh?”

Taya slammed her paws to a stop and swore. “What are you doing this for? Do you really enjoy a good beating, or what? Why am I even listening to a cripple like you?”

Enraged fire scorched Chase’s heart black. Anger licked through her like a match to paper, and she shook as her eyes nearly burned holes through Taya with their glare. She wasn’t weak. Just because she was a cripple didn’t mean she was weak. No one called her a cripple…

Like a lightning bolt she was clawing at Taya, hissing and spitting words she couldn’t even hear. She was glad when she heard Taya’s gasp of surprise. She wished Taya had never been alive, had never been at the Northern Fights, had never met Copper, had never lived to be here now. She wanted Taya’s body to spout blood, but suddenly she was rammed in the stomach with what felt like a battering ram.

She stumbled back, and looked up to see Copper standing protectively in front of Taya, glowering at Chase. Ice rose in her heart. Her smile was hard and cold. “So,” she said softly, “This is how it is.” Copper loved Taya more than he loved his own sister. Fine. She could take it. It was his stupidity.

Copper’s shout rang through the wilderness. “Chase! What the heck do you think you’re doing? If you try to hurt Taya again, I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Chase asked dryly. She could feel her soul growing colder by the second.

Copper shook his head, at a loss for the right words. “You don’t treat Taya like that,” he growled.

The sudden silence led Chase to look over at her father. Balto stood shame-faced as he watched his children fight. Chase felt shame of her own broiling in her stomach, but she would not let it rise over the hate she felt for her brother. Balto wouldn’t guilt her into apologizing.

Dusty stood with an angry look on his face, while Ketch simply looked stunned. The wind howled through the quiet between the group.

Balto sighed painfully. “Enough.” He looked back and forth between Copper and Chase as if deciding something. “Copper, take Taya back to Nome.”

“Back?” Copper repeated, “But, Steele’s out here. He’ll slaughter–”

“Then take Ketch with you,” Balto interrupted, “Whatever you decide, Taya needs to go back. It’s not her fault, but there’s too much conflict even without having to worry about Kaila.”

“Dad,” Dusty muttered, “If there’s anyone who needs to go back, it’s Chase.”

Before Chase could voice her opinion on that, an unfamiliar scent blew through the area. Balto sniffed, then coughed. “It’s not Kaila’s pack. I thought for sure we were in their territory…”

White and gray wolves began gliding out of the melting landscape. They circled Balto and the rest of the group menacingly, and a white wolf stepped forward slightly to address them. “Is it a sudden custom for all dogs to live among wolves?” he said in a raspy voice, shaking his head, “Only this morning I heard there was a wolf-dog in a pack we attacked.”

Balto tried not to show too much interest. “Really? Well, we’re just passing through. We won’t be staying. I’m sorry if we disturbed you, distracted you from your duty.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” the white wolf laughed dryly, “You’re helping us, actually. Our duty is to kill any trespassers that try to venture through our land.”

“But isn’t this the Anvil Creek pack’s territory?” Balto asked nervously.

“The Northern Hills pack has taken over nearly all of the territory,” the white wolf growled, “Now hold still. If you survive this, you might be recruited for our pack. That only goes for the wolf-dog, of course,” he sneered. “We don’t need any mangy dogs weakening our ranks.”

Chase’s teeth came out. “I’m a wolf-dog,” she muttered. She could see Copper was irked by the wolf’s mistake, too. She looked around for a way to escape, but they were surrounded. What could they do?

Kaila’s face swam through Chase’s mind. An idea came to her, and she threw back her head and howled. The Northern Hills wolves all took a step back at the magnificent wolf howl that erupted from her seemingly-dog self. She pushed herself until her howl was as loud and strong as it would ever be, and prayed that Kaila would hear the words roaring through the howl: “We’re coming, with Northern Hills wolves! Help!”

Balto took advantage of his daughter’s distraction and broke through the circle of wolves, shouting, “Run!” Chase, Dusty, Copper, Ketch, and Taya all sprang forward and pounded hard after Balto.

Chase knew the escape plan was weak, but if Kaila and her pack still had control of their cave and if they had heard the howl, all of them would hopefully get through this alive.

Hopefully.

Chase’s heaving breaths scorched like fire up and down her throat and through her lungs. She could see the others running ahead, and she knew she was slowing down. Her three legs were doing her in. She wouldn’t be able to run fast enough to get away from these goons. She was dead meat.

Taya looked over her shoulder to see Chase nearly overtaken by the Northern Hills wolves. Chase saw the pity in the Chow/malamute’s eyes, and immediately her hatred of weakness bubbled up and made her strong, if only for a moment. She pushed her legs to run faster. Ketch had slowed down to help her, and the look of surprise on his face when she caught up was priceless. She grinned despite everything, and then she felt a stab in her back leg.

Stumbling, she looked back to see a gray wolf had bitten her one back leg, and he eyed the stream of scarlet blood on her thigh greedily. He was going to bite again, and then she would collapse and be killed. Already she was stuttering in her steps, and her bleeding back leg was almost dragging on the ground. Chase looked back at Ketch with wide eyes. This would be the last time she would ever see his face. Suddenly she found herself wishing fervently that there was a heaven for dogs, so maybe she could see him again. She had lived a stone-cold existence with no room for feelings. Maybe in heaven it could be different…

“Ketch–”

Ketch slowed and slammed a foot into the gray wolf’s face, sending the wolf tumbling head-over-tail into the snow. The wolf’s whimpering could be heard only for a few seconds as Ketch caught up again and left him far behind.

Relief and confusion poured through Chase at a dizzying rate. “Thanks,” she managed to say.

Ketch focused intently on the trail. “You’re not going without a fight,” he said fiercely, “Not while I’m still here.”

Chase nearly toppled over her own front feet and made Ketch’s rescue pointless. He caught her and leaned her against him, and they ran as one, him giving her his strength. She breathed her thanks again and concentrated on keeping upright, trying not to think about how safe she felt here, even now.

“Kaila!” Balto cried joyously from the front. The Anvil Creek pack cave loomed ahead, and new hope surged through Chase as she saw Kaila had stationed her pack around the cave, making a barrier.

Balto and the rest crashed through the barrier, and Kaila hustled them into the cave just as the Northern Hills wolves met the Anvil Creek wolves with howls of pain. Kaila shielded them from the violence with her body as they pressed against the cave wall. The conflict went on with shouts and bloodshed until a voice could be heard yelling, “Retreat! Not defeat, mind you, but…retreat.”

Snarling could be heard, and then a dark brown wolf with green eyes entered the stone chamber. He was coated with blood, and his walk was slow and tired. Kaila turned to him. “Lakota! What happened? Are you all right?”

“Fine,” he said, “I killed their leader, so they all ran like the scared pups they are.” He looked up at the sight of four wolf-dogs and two dogs huddled against the wall. “So this is the party that needed rescuing?”

“Yes,” Chase heard herself say, “We were trapped by those wolves, and all I could think of was Kaila. I’m glad you got my message.”

“We’re sorry you had to risk so much for us,” Balto apologized, “I didn’t realize you were having a conflict with another pack.”

“Balto,” Lakota said with a tired smile, “Anything for you, sir. So this is your family?” he asked Kaila.

She raised her eyebrows. “Most of them. What are you all doing here?”

Balto grinned sheepishly. “Kaila…”

Kaila’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, no. No. Dad, I don’t need another rescue.” She tapped her paw on the cave floor. “This is where I want to be. Nothing you can say will change that. I said I would come back when I was ready, remember? Well, I’m ready. And I’m staying here.”

Other wolves had slipped into the cave during Kaila’s speech. Two wolves, one a red and black female and the other a white and gray male, sat by a white and black female lying still in a corner. Two brown females, one smaller than the other, and a white female stood quietly behind Kaila, observing their visitors.

Suddenly the white female came forward and embraced Balto. “My son. I’m glad you’re safe, though your journey may have been for nothing, I’m afraid.”

“I was hoping you might be able to help us out, Mother,” Balto muttered, nodding at Kaila. He had picked up Aniu’s