attacked by a bear.

The musher was killed, along with the rest of the team, except you me and Balto. The two of us are hurt really bad, and if you don't get us to a doc soon, we're going to die.

Now the nearest doc, lives on the top of that hill..."

"Hill?" Junior thought, "that's a mountain!"

"You have to get us to the top, to the doc before sunrise tomorrow morning, or we'll die, and you will have failed.

"The two of them, plus the tire, and the sled, that's like over a hundred and fifty pounds!" Junior thought.

He looked up at the mountain.

"And that must be at least fifty, if not sixty or seventy miles, and up hill all the way...:

"Time is running out Junior,": Balto said.

Junior looked back at him.

"Don't worry Balto, Kaltag, I'll get you to the top."

Then junior took off running straight for the huge mountain.

Chapter XIV

Junior had been pulling for hours, it was past midnight now, and he was only about halfway there. His shoulder's and back hurt, and he wanted to stop. He wanted to give up.

"But I can't, my friends are depending on me!" He thought.

He kept making his way slowly up the mountain.

It had started snowing hard about two hours ago, and his face was covered in ice.

Suddenly, he slipped, and fell.

The sled slid backwards, and Junior went with it.

"Get your feet under you!" Kaltag yelled.

Junior looked behind him.

They were sliding toward a cliff,

Junior’s feet scrabbled on the ice, trying find purchase on the slick surface.

Kaltag watched as the back of sled slid off of the cliff.

“Junior!” He yelled.

Junior finally got the sled to stop, and it jerked.

Balto, who was standing on the edge of the sled, was thrown off of it.

He grabbed onto the back of it, and Kaltag moved down to try to help Balto back up.

Junior started to slowly pull the sled up the hill, inch by inch.

Balto looked down below him.

He couldn’t see the ground, for the blowing snow, he looked back up at Kaltag, who was holding him on the sled.

Then Kaltag’s paw slipped.

Balto fell through the snow, and disappeared from view.

“Balto!” Kaltag yelled.

Junior finally got the sled up onto the top of the hill.

Junior looked behind him.

“Are you okay?”

Kaltag just sat there, staring at the cliff.

Junior walked over to him, wrapping the guideline around the sled as he did so.

“Kaltag?”

Kaltag said nothing.

“Kaltag, where’s Balto?”

Kaltag hung his head.

Junior ran to the edge of the cliff, pulling the sled along with him.

“Balto!” He yelled over the cliff.

He looked down, but all he could see was swirling snow.

He ran back over to Kaltag.

“Come on kid,” Kaltag said slowly, “we’ve got a mountain to climb.”

He hung his head again, and climbed back on the sled.

“What?” Junior said, “are you just going to let him die!”

Kaltag looked back up at him.

“Success of the mission before all else, remember?”

“Screw that,” Junior said, there is no mission, and even if there was, I’d still go help Balto. Condemn me if you want, stop teaching me, I don’t

care, I’m going.

Junior reached back and unclipped himself from the guideline.

“You gonna help?”

“Yeah,” Kaltag said, as he followed.

“You passed kid.” Kaltag thought, “you passed.

Junior climbed down through the snow.

He didn’t know if Kaltag was following him or not.

“And I don’t really care,” he thought. “If being a sled dog means abandoning your friends, I don’t want it.”

Through the blowing snow, he suddenly glimpsed a gray heap.

“Balto?!” Tim yelled.

He ran over to him, sure enough, it was Balto.

Balto opened his eyes.

“Ow,” he groaned.

“Are you okay?” Tim asked.

“I don’t know,” Balto responded.

He slowly stood up.

“Yeah, I think I’m think I’m alright.”

Kaltag caught up to them then.

“Hey ya Balto, you okay?”

“I think so,” Balto said, “my head hurts a bit, but I think I’ll be okay.”

Kaltag smiled at him.

“That was quite a fall you took there.

Balto walked over to Junior.

“Let’s get off of this mountain.”

Junior hung his head, and slowly walked off.

Balto and Kaltag followed.

It was morning before the group made it back to the field where they’d started.

Junior looked dejectedly at Balto.

“So I guess I failed, huh?”

“What?” Balto asked.

“I didn’t get either of you to the top.”

“Junior,” Kaltag said, “That was the best, the fastest, the most unselfish…”

It was Balto who interrupted his rambling this time.

“You did good kid.”

You came after me, why?”

Junior smiled.

“Remember your speech about helping another sled dog no matter what?”

Balto nodded.

“Well?” Junior said.

Balto smiled.

I’m glad you were paying attention kid.”

Junior turned to Kaltag, who was hooking himself up to the small sled.

“Kaltag, did you really want me to leave Balto down there?”

“What?” Balto asked.

Junior turned to Balto.

“When you fell off of the cliff, he wanted me to continue to the top, to leave you down there.”

Balto looked confused.

“Kaltag?”

Kaltag smiled.

“It was only a test; of course I didn’t want you to leave Balto out there. If you had continued, I would have stopped you, and then it would have turned into another lesson. I’d be talking to you about what Balto said earlier, instead of congratulating you on what a great job you did out there.”

Junior smiled.

“So I didn’t fail.”

“No kid,” Balto said, “you didn’t fail. Now come on, let’s get you home. Your parents are probably worried about you.”

The three of them headed back to the boat.

Tim saw them approaching, and ran to the top of the boat.

The group made their way up the gangplank and up to Tim.

“Junior, you’re alright!” Tim said, “your mother and I have been worried that something happened to you. Why have you been gone so long?”

“It’s a long story dad,” Junior said, as he stumbled past him. “I’ll tell you in the morning.”

“It is morning Junior.” Tim said.

Junior yawned.

“Then whenever I get up.”

He stumbled down into the boat.

Balto smiled at Tim.

“You ought to be very proud of him, he saved my life today, er.. tonight.”

“What happened?” Tim asked

“Well I’m going to let Junior tell you the story,” Balto answered.

“What do you think Kaltag, is he ready?”

“I think he is.” Kaltag responded.

“When’s the next time?” Balto asked.

“Day after tomorrow.” Kaltag responded again.

“Good, he can take Blaize’s spot for that one time, I’m sure he’ll be okay with it.”

Kaltag nodded and turned, still pulling the little sled, and started for home.

Balto turned back to Tim.

“Can I see Junior for a minute?”

“Yeah, Tim said, “come on.”

He walked up into the boat, Balto followed.

Balto smiled.

“Hey Tycha, how are you doing?”

Tycha just glared at him, and walked up out of the boat.

Tim noticed the confused look on Balto’s face.

“You’ll have to excuse her,” Tim said, “she’s not too happy about Tim’s sledding interest.”

Balto nodded he was about to say something else, when he saw Junior.

“Hey Junior,” Balto said, “I know you’re tired, but I need to talk to ya for a minute.”

Junior stood up and walked over to him.

“Oh you probably want this back, huh?”

He gestured at the harness.

“No,” Balto said, “you better keep that, you’re going to need it, there’s no class tomorrow.”

“What?” Junior asked.

“You’re going to need the rest if you’re going to take Blaize’s place on the team Thursday.”

“Really!” Junior almost yelled. “That will be great!”

Balto smiled.

“Okay, then I’m going to leave you to get some rest, I need it as well.

“Tim, thank you,” Balto said.

Then he walked out of the boat.

Balto stood next to Junior as he waited for the musher to come out of the shed.

The rest of the team was strapped up and ready to go.

Junior had taken Blaize’s spot on the second string. The dog running beside him was a new one too, a female.

“Just you remember what Kaltag and I taught you.” Balto said to Junior.

“I will,” Junior said.

Tim walked up beside him, his mother hadn’t come to see him off, she was back at the boat.

“You be careful son, don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

Junior smiled.

“Don’t worry dad, I’ll be careful, where’s mom?”

Tim hung his head.

“She… she didn’t come.”

“Oh,” Junior said,

“Yeah,” Tim sighed.

“Don’t worry about me dad,” Junior said, I’ve had two of the best teachers in the world, I’ll be