fast, spotting fur of crying Berenice. On face of mongrel were numerous cuts, one of eyes was changed to the bleeding well. Avenger was dying.

“Get him out, now!” called Steele, but when he heard that Berenice was just crying, he turned back and saw that there was no use.

“No… it’s… too late.” Whispered dog, spitting with blood. “Thanks you tried… but I failed anyway… Weak… whole my life I was too weak.” He closed his untouched eye and sighed with fading breath. “Agatha…” Then he died.

Dog surrounding him just took few steps back, too shocked to act. Next to wall of boiler room stayed just few dogs, over two blooded bodies – of Kodi and Victor. Jenna was crying over her lifeless son. Berenice was gently licking dead muzzle of yellow furred. Between were standing Balto and Steele, looking on each other. Wolfdog opened his jaws, however he had no idea what to say.

Meanwhile Berenice was lying, cuddled to Victor’s body and crying. She was licking his blooded muzzle and silently singing.

“You don’t have to be a hero // To rule place where you belong // You don’t need to be so noble // All you need is to be strong.” But suddenly stopped and murmured with firm voice. “No! He was a hero, and you just failed to see that!”

“My love.” Said malamute. Berenice raised her head from Victor’s body. “I know I’m doing bad… but I have to.” She came to him and licked his cheek.

“Do what you must. I understand…” she whispered. “Let our friend rest in peace… But be back. You already know, I can’t lose you.”

“I’ll be back.” Smiled Steele. “I’m always back on time… or just a bit late.” Then he looked on Balto again.

“It happened bad, however we can’t change it. But I have a duty to do, to avenge death of my friend.” All dogs there bared their fangs, ready to stop Steele if he would pounce on wolfdog.

“You promised.” Sobbed Jenna, raising her stare from Kodi’s body.

“I promised not to stand against Balto.” Nodded malamute. “And I will keep that oath.” Berenice looked on him a bit surprised, but he continued. “However my promise said nothing about others… close to him. Balto, I think I know that neglected Victor. It was some white wolf on the Eagle Pass.”

“Mother!” whispered wolfdog with fear.

“I know that is very improper moment…” smiled leader with devilish smile. “But… tag! You’re it!” cried with all his mind and turned back. Few seconds later he was running at full speed on north.

“Mother!” repeated Balto and set off following malamute. They ran among confused dogs and disappeared in darkness of Buckland Road. All dogs were looking in that direction for a while then again turned to bodies.

“Now, the spirits of our ancestors will judge them.” Said Berenice. “It’s no longer our business. And now, help us.” She ordered pointing on Jenna.

Dogs came closer to two bitches and without word few stronger males took bodies of Kodi and Victor. Then without hate nor malice, dead were taken on outskirts of town to be buried on Green Meadow, the most beautiful place of Nome.

“I didn’t want to be that way.” Said Berenice to Jenna, who were coming next to her.

“What will be now?” sobbed red furred, suddenly cuddling to she-malamute’s side.

“I don’t know.” Replied Berenice. “But whatever will happen, it all will be over.”

V.II. Bye/Die pt. 2

Steele was running with speed that scared even himself. Lamed dog should tire himself with such effort, but it was necessary. Malamute was speeding in wet snow, making another kilometres of road and still maintaining a proper distance from Balto. He was faster (“How it could be?” he thought. “But it’s true.” Replied some voice in his mind), however he had to travel with moderate tempo to let Balto stick on his tail.

Wolfdog was so terrified about his mother that he didn’t think rationally. He just believed Steele that Aniu was still alive and malamute was about to kill her. He ignored very strange acting of Steele, who seemed let him chase, not overrunning him. Hybrid was thinking just about two things – he lost his son and he could lose his mother if he fail.

Steele made that plan spontaneously, just like Balto once decided to kill on the spur of the moment. He wanted to lure rival to the Eagle Pass and… “Well, I didn’t work on that part, but I will.” Thought leader.

They had to eat, hunt and sleep, but apart of that whole chase was just a one moment. When Steele decided to take a rest he speeded up to overrun hybrid for few miles and laid himself to sleep in some shelter. When Balto failed to find fresh tracks he also fell asleep with hopeless cry on face. But on the next day the run started again. And that way over and over, three times before they reached mountains.

On the route it fortunately happened (for both) that there were plenty of food, easy to get. Steele even purposely two times left carcasses for wolfdog, just to be sure he followed him. What was even more fortunate, they didn’t meet any wolfpack. Maybe it was caused by ancestors spirits – two pack accidentally went several miles aside when that strange race was reaching their territory. One of that group was Juniper Pack – lead by Wind, son of Okto. Leader had just depose former chief – Robert and was holding his reign firmly. But that night something advised him to left the valley. He sensed something really strange on Northern Road so he guided his pack away.

He even heard some scary calls from that forest. Some wolf was calling with so dreadful and desperate voice, that leader thought it was a ghost.

“Steele! Stop!” sounded a scary plead over forest of valley. Wind was glad he wasn’t there.

On the evening of third day they reached the ice fields. It was prime of April, snow was melting fast, making usual dangerous place even more deadly trap. Slippery slope was extremely slippery and ice crack almost invisible under dark, melting firn. Crossing that area meant death. Steele entered it with full speed.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3;1

What seemed to be a gentle wind in the forest, turn out to be almost a hurricane on open area. Steele had to run carefully not only to step on some crack, but just not to fall down, knocked out by frosty blows. It was night already, when malamute started to take another metres of ice field. He knew that every false step meant a death and there was no longer Victor near to help him. But he was running anyway, clenching his jaws.

“Father!” he called in mind. “I beg you… Help me.” He wasn’t sure if he had right to ask for that, however he asked. “I know that what I’m doing is wrong. But I need to do it right… I’m not as noble as you, but let me be noble in the way I could. I must fulfil my promise, I gave Victor. I’m not doing it for my vengeance… all right, for that too. But also I’m doing what I was asked by a friend. Can you understand that?”

Suddenly in blizzard before him he noticed some blurred silhouette of giant malamute. It had to be Sharp, Steele believed it. Some voice in his mind was calling that he was following just a fathom of his imagination, but dog was sure that his father came.

“You were the best whole your life… and I was trying to be so. I failed many times, but after every fall I stood up. Your pawprints were so hard… I was running astray, but still near of your path. I did my best.” Ghost seemed to nod his head with understanding. So they were both speeding in walls of snow, right ahead.  Steele still wasn’t sure if father was helping him, but premise for that was a fact he was still alive.

“Do you here me? I’m your son, after all. Maybe I haven’t made you proud, but I wished to… I was avenging for you, because I didn’t know any other way to follow your example. I just… wanted to be as you. If not by your way, by mine. I failed, but I tried.”

“You haven’t failed.” Sounded a voice in his mind. “You just… chose a harsh way. Somehow I disagree with many of your choices. But the outcome surely made me proud. You did it by your way, indeed.”

“So, I deserved to be your son?”

“You deserved to be even someone more.” Replied spirit. “To be yourself.”

Then ghost dispelled with sudden end of blizzard. Steele stopped, feeling that the way was over and there is no need to run further. He was in place, whatever that place actually was. He turned back to see nightly landscape with icefield covered with layer of fresh snow. A lone silhouette of Balto was carefully following him. But the path back was no longer visible. So both dogs were in the night on deadly trap with no way back. When Steele understood that, he burst in laughter. When it sounded, some snow slid down, causing a micro avalanche. Malamute then that melting snow, covered with fresh potion of white was in every moment ready to fall down into bluff about two four hundred feet below them.

“What the hell you’re laughing at?” panted Balto, barely climbing to the leader.

“At fool.” Replied malamute. “At you.”

“You won’t hurt my mother.”

“Of course you won’t because she is already dead!” called Steele and a bit more snow slid from slope.

“What?”

“Most likely she died in plague three years ago.” Said dog. “Or maybe she survived. It doesn’t matter. The point is that you came here and you are all alone.”

“You can’t kill me.” Panted Balto, slowly getting stuck in dense snow. “You promised.”

“I promised many things… And I hope to keep all of them.” He noticed a narrow path down, coming lower that way where Balto was. He started to carefully walk there, leaving surprised Balto on centre of icefield. “I can’t kill you, but you blindness will do that.” Explained. “As we both know no one except me is able to safety cross that field. But I will give you a chance to survive… I owe that to Jenna. And I’m doing it because you were really nice for Berenice.