excuse for how I’ve treated you and your mother. I… I should have talked to you as soon as I got back.”

Blaize nodded.

“You okay?”

“I suppose so,” Blaize said, “I guess….”

“What?” Balto asked.

Blazie looked back up at him.

“I guess that… that I thought we were invincible or something, I… I never thought anything would happen to her.”

“I know…” Balto said.

“I mean…” Blaize continued, “she was my sister, ya know, we… heh… we were a couple of shooting stars that wouldn’t, couldn’t be stopped.

His son’s smile faded.

“But then I guess reality smacked us in the face pretty hard didn’t it?”

Balto nodded.

“I mean.. heh… even stars fall, right dad?”

Balto sighed.

“Son, how… how can you still pull? I mean every… everytime I even look at a sled, I… I remember.

“D…daddy…I … I don’…don’t wa..want..to.. die. I…I’m…scar..scared.

“I remember sitting there with her.”

“Well,” Blaize said, “your experience was a little more personal than my own, I just heard about it later, while you actually witnessed it, but I think of it as a way of remembering her. It’s something she loved to do. She was dedicated to the team, to all of us… so… me pulling, is my way of honoring her memory.:

Balto nodded.

“Dad,” Blaize asked, “I know this might hurt to talk about, but I’d really like to…. what happened, at the end?”

Balto sighed.

“Blaize, the only time I have ever been prouder of her, was when I first saw you and her standing tall behind me, in harness.

She accepted the whole thing, she knew….”

Balto hung his head.

“She was extremely brave, she never cried, not once; though she must’ve been scared, and I know she was hurting, she…. She never cried.

She took it like an adult. She… she became an adult; she had that level of an understanding about the way things had turned out.”

Blaize paused before speaking.

“Do you… you think we’ll ever see her again, dad?”

Balto sighed, and looked back up at his son.

“I don’t know, but the wolves believe that once you pass from this earth, that you come back, as a guide, to help someone else through life, when they need direction the most… but.. I don’t know. I like to think that she’s safe somewhere, that she’s being taken care of, yeah I suppose… I suppose I do believe we’ll see her again someday.”

Blaize nodded.

“I’m pretty proud of you too son,” Balto said, “I saw the race today. That was some amazing pulling you did, there at the end anyway.”

“Yeah,” Blaize said, “Dad are… are you ever coming back to the team?”

“I…. I don’t know son,” Balto said, “I… I feel responsible for what happened, and until I can come to grips with that, I’m not fit to be a leader.”

“The team misses you very much,” Blaize continued, “Kaltag tries, but he isn’t a quarter of the lead dog you are.”

“Well, I’m pretty useless to anyone right now,” Balto said, “I’m to…emotionally unstable to make the kind of decisions a lead dog has to make.”

Blaize put a paw on his father’s shoulder.

“Well dad, if you ever need to talk, I’m here, alright?”

Then Blaize turned and began to walk away, towards the house, then he turned away, and started walking up the hill.

“I’m the one that’s supposed to say that to you..” Balto thought, then he walked into the house.

Blaize climbed the hill that was close to their home, from there, you could see the entire town of Nome. It was late, so all of the lights in the homes were off, and the whole town looked dead.

“But what is dead, will come to life in the morning. Where there seems to be death, life always flourishes.”

Blaize shook his head.

“Where did that come from?”

He stood on the hill, and thought about his fallen sister, and his friend.

“I wish you were here,” Blaize said, “I.. I wish that… that..”

He hung his head.

“What do I wish.”

He just stood on the hill in silence for a moment.

“I wish you were safe, and loved,” Blaize said finally.

He sighed, and turned back toward the house.

He didn’t see it, but the fog behind him, coalesced into the shape of a wolf, who watched him and smiled, then the wind blew and the wolf disappeared.

Tim smiled at Junior, who had finally fallen asleep.

The little pup had talked of nothing but sledding the entire night.

“It seems to be something that he really wants to do.” Tim thought. “The biggest thing about that will be convincing his mother,”

Tim looked over at Tycha, who was laying by the fire.

He walked over to her.

“Tych..” Tim said as he nudged her awake.

“W..what?” Tycha said, “Oh Tim.”

She yawned.

“What are you still doing up?”

“Just thinkin ‘bout things.” He said.

“What kind of things?” Tycha asked.

“You wanna walk outside with me,” Tim asked.

Tycha looked at the fire, and back up at him and yawned, clearly she didn’t.

“Okay, why not,” she said, she stood up and followed Tim as he walked outside, the wind was blowing, and he shivered at the change in temperature.

“Tych,” Tim said, what do you think of Juniors newest love?”

Tycha thought for a moment.

“You mean sledding?”

Tim nodded.

Tycha sighed.

“I think he’ll grow out of it,”

“I hope so.” She thought.

“I don’t know if he will or not, Tim said.

Tycha laughed,

“Tim you.. you aren’t actually thinking of letting him, are you?”

“I… I don’t know.” He said, “he is almost a year old now, and Balto’s right about one thing. We’re not going to be able to protect him forever, it might be time for him to find out some things for himself.”

“I don’t believe it,” Tycha said, “I thought you’d be with me on this.”

“But Tycha, I’m sure Balto would make sure he was safe, that he was careful, I trust him.”

Tycha shook her head.

“Absolutely not, not ever will I agree to let my son race.:

“Tycha you’ve got to..”

Tycha cut him off,

“NO!” she yelled, “I will not have my son end up like Jadze, Balto really watched out for her didn’t he.”

“Tycha..” Tim said.

“No really, “ Tycha continued, “she’s dead Tim, is that what you want for our son? Crushed by a..”

“Tycha that is enough,” Tim said, a slight bit of anger showing through his voice.

“Balto did his best, it was his own daughter for cryin out loud, he did everything he could.”

“But that still doesn’t change the fact, that she’s gone, does it?” Tycha said cooly.

“Tych,” Tim said, “I’m going to let him decide on this.”

“Great Tycha said, “That’s fine, maybe when it’s you, maybe when you’re standing at your son’s grave, maybe then I’ll say I told you so. Maybe then you’ll see that I was right,”

Then Tycha stomped back down into the boat.

“Tych….” Tim called after her, but she just kept walking.

Tim sighed, and slowly followed.

Chapter XII

Shadow was in full out panic mode.

He’d never felt like this before.

Aleu was gone.

He remembered her falling asleep next to him, for he’d woken up during the night, but when he woke up in the morning, she was gone.

He’d thought she might’ve just went on an early morning hunt, without telling him.”

“That would be some what foolish, but Aleu is sometimes doesn’t think of things like that.” He thought.

Then he’d went outside, he’d found Chatan.

He was dead.

It looked like expert work, broken neck, and it had been fast too, no sign of fear or discomfort showed on his face.

“In the snow at the entrance to the cave someone had used Chatan’s blood, to write a grisly T in the snow.

“T for Talbourne.” Shadow thought.

“Aniak.”

He wondered if Aleu was even still alive.

“She must be” Shadow thought, “why would they go to all the trouble of catching her, just to kill her.”

Shadow looked at the pack, who had gathered in the main chamber, to hear the news.

“I guess I’m leader now.”

He walked into the cave.

Gia dropped Aniak’s lifeless body to the ground.

The fight had taken all of ten seconds.

“The weak die off to make room for the strong..” Gia thought.

She turned to Lightning who was unsurprised at the outcome.

“Tell me,” Gia said, “Lightning, who was this Kilu that we killed?”

Lightning looked at his new leader.

“It was the only son of the second largest pack in the Onasie clan.”

Gia smiled.

“And Aleu? What did you say she did to make Aniak so mad at her?”

“She brought a pup, a very important pup, from that clan, into this cave, intending to give it shelter.”

“So,” Gia