intact?”

“I could drive it.” Assured musher.

It took about two hour for Norwegian to finish his job. Surprisingly dogs helped him, by digging a tunnel from outside (Steele had that idea), so it was done much faster than anyone expected. To cave came dogs of rescue team. Balto almost pounced on his son.

“Dad!” panted exhausted Kodi.

“We are coming home.” Whispered wolfdog with tears of relief in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry, that…”

“Not now!” interrupted him wolfdog. “It all ended in good way.”

“Not for some.” Murmured Kodi, looking with hollow stare on bodies of Bart and Fitch.

“Let’s go!” ordered Steele. “All dog to own sleds, now!”

Gunnar and Peter managed to temporally fix second sled and to make tunnel wide enough to pull a card through. So they exited on open air of night. And started to prepare both sleds to way. After about quarter they were ready.

“And now? Where?” asked Peter. “It’s closer to Galena, but…”

“Yes, I’m still not sure if I want go back on fresh tracks. We know the safe path.”

“How did you get here?” asked amazed musher.

“My Steele lead us.” Meanwhile Batlo, still unharnessed, howled and turned west. “Look, he wants to return on our track.”

“What?” amazed Steele. “Galena is closer! I will lead you there.”

“Why we have to risk?” Asked wolfdog. “Let’s back on your path.”

“I don’t like it.” Murmured Steele. He and Balto were told to support Peters sled, that lost two pullers. And they have to lead way back. Gunnar hoped that five dogs managed to pull his. He knew that exhausted pack of Peter needed a solid support. “But of you are sure…” said and started to first sled. A slight blizzard started. “But let’s make it quick.”

“Exactly.” Smiled Balto, who was walking after Steele. Suddenly he hit his side, pushing him out of path.

II.II. Bye/Die

Surprised dog overturned and sunk in the fresh snow. He wanted to howl, but another hit of Balto took his breath. Malamute coughed and felt a terrible pain on his rear-left paw. That once Star wounded. He could scream, so he just helplessly submerged into the sea of whiteness. Balto was standing over him.

“I’m terribly sorry, Steele.” he said with breaking voice. “I’m so grateful you saved my son, but… Never mind. I promise I will take care about Berenice and pups.”

“Holy crap!” panted Steele, almost crying due to pain. “I would never thought, you…”

“As I said: sorry Steele. But I just have to?”

“Berenice?” asked malamute. “I can’t be.”

“I love her…” said Balto. “That means… I loved Jenna, but it’s past and…”

“You are out of his mind.” cried Steele, but his weak voice, partially muffled by snow was weak.

“I am.” Agreed wolfdog. “And I have limited chances to conquer her heart… But it would be impossible if you are alive. That why you must die. Steele…” he added with softer voice. “I’m doing only what you did once. Understand me!”

“Dammit!” called dog with weak voice. “I gave you at least a chance…”

“And I cannot do that.” Said Balto and pushed his rival under the snow. Steele pierced the roof-layer and fell down to cave that few hours earlier was a tomb of first team. Then it was about to be tomb of Steele.

Balto quickly went to first sled and took his place in the lead. Peter didn’t know that malamute had been chosen to help him, so he just harnessed Balto and gave a sign to Gunnar, he was ready. When first wave of blizzard came, they set off. They easily reached Steele’s path and started a way back. They had no guide, however way was already marked, so guide wasn’t necessary. Balto was acting in impulse, however he improvised it perfectly.

“Will you guide us, dad?” asked Kodi from second rank.

“That’s why I am here.” Smiled wolfdog, covering his confusion. Meanwhile in other team sounded the crucial question.

“But where is Steele?” asked Jimmy.

“If he is not here, I guess he run with master Peter… And Balto.” Said Raynor

“And Balto.” Repeated Jimmy, as it was a guarantee of safety. Both sleds were escaping the coming blizzard and falling snow quickly sealed the cave, where Steele was dying.

III.I. Alliance

I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever
John 14:16

Weather was cheering to fast ride. Unless convoy reached the forest on the other side of pass, they were just sliding in silence. Jimmy, leader of second sled was almost touching the first cart, careful not to lose the way. Gunnar Kaasen was sure about route, because he was convinced that his best guide, Steele, was leading. In fact the leader was Balto, however spirit of malamute was still saving the convoy. In blizzard no one, even wolfdog, was able to see the road, so clear track after last travel was matter of life and death. Balto ran as fast as he could, because of two simple reasons. He wanted to see the track before it was covered with fresh snow. And additionally he wanted to be sure that master Kaasen wouldn’t go back for Steele, when he notice the lost. But Norwegian was too wrapped up with driving sled to sensing any tragedy.

As we said, they stopped after passing icefield, in forest of Buckland area. That was just a pine wood, but after running in pass and on slope of Yukon Range it seemed to be a save haven. So both mushers stopped their sleds and started to make a camp.

“We did it!” was still repeating Peter. “We went through the Eagle Pass!”

“Don’t be so haughty.” Interrupted him Gunnar, overscreaming the blizzard. Although they were in forest, wind was howling loud. Still reminding them how close they had been to death. “That was not you, but Steele. If not he… Well, anyway. Give me that lad here, I must thank him.”

“What?” surprised musher.

“I asked you to return me Steele, at least for a while.”

“But… I thought your leader was running with you.” Said Peter with uncertain voice.

“Where is Steele? I sent him to your sled…”

“I didn’t harnessed him…”

Norwegian stood up and ran to dogs, digging dens in the snow. No one had seen the absence of malamute yet, but when human started to call his favourite and looking in ready holes, murmur started among dogs.

“O, my God!” gasped Maya. “There is actually no mister Steele here!”

“What?” barked Raynor. “He had to run in your team… It’s impossible…”

“Dad?” asked Kodi quietly, looking on the brink of forest and raging element farther. “Did mister Steele…”

“I fear he stayed there.” Replied Balto, trying to repressed the shivering of his voice.

“Oh, no…” whispered Kodi. Dog felt that thanks to him died three companions.

“We go back!” called Gunnar Kaasen, preparing cart. He turned to Peter. “You may stay here, I just have to back on pass and…”

“Sir! It’s useless.” Replied young musher with serious voice. “We would never find him in such a weather. And… we no longer know the way. If he was leading us, now…”

“Dammit!” shouted Norwegian and kicked the snow under his feet. “But we must…”

“There’s no use.” Called Peter. “I’m very sorry, sir, but we just can’t…”

“Steele.” whispered human. In eyes of hard and tough musher appeared tears.

*

Steele couldn’t estimate time of his unconsciousness, because in snow cave nothing changed. Or maybe it became even more firm prison, because warmth of malamute melted some snow and frost turned water into the solid ice. Only clue to examine the time under surface was diminution of Steele’s adipose tissue. It was funny to watch on dying of own body. Steele understood that he was knocked out maybe even for four days. Meanwhile his body was struggling with low temperature, that caused extremely high energy consumption. Steele was wounded, not in condition to do anything except of regenerating his injuries. However his body awoke him, because it hadn’t more energy to do that. Dog awoke from cold.

He was too exhausted to stand up, so he just took a look around, checking his situation. It was even worse that he could expect – the tunnel where sled and team had gotten out, was buried with mass of fresh snow. Steele crawled to wall of his prison, touched it and understood that he was trapped under ice. Almost – it was mass of dense snow, firn and actual ice, much too hard to pierce it even by healthy dog. And Steele was cold, hungry and crippled. His real-left paw was completely paralysed. But then his stare came across two bodies of dogs.

“Hey! Wake up!” he called, but then he understood those were victims of avalanche: Bart and Fitch. So he crawled to them, however it was rather an order of body than mind. He put his head on stiff carcass of Bart and inhaled deeply, in the same time sniffing smell of meat.

“So, it came to that?” he thought. “I’m going to eat dog’s meat? For what? Just to survive few days longer?”

But then before his eyes appeared a picture of Berenice. She was looking on him with love and devotion. And something was unusual in that view – she was in advanced pregnancy. It was impossible – according that she conceived that night before departure, eventual pregnancy should be visible for about month. But that shocked Steele and brutally let him know the whole situation he was. “My children are here, on this world. Still unseen, but present. I’m already father. God! Why it came so sudden! This is definitely bad time to die.” Then he thought that every time is rather not good to die, however he hoped that God got the point. “I must live! I must get away from here and return to Berenice… I’m not able to, but I must.” He recalled all data about tunnel. It was a five metres pass in snow – something easy to dig by human with spade but extremely hard for lamed and exhausted dog to repeat it. Almost impossible, that why Steele had to try.

“I’m sorry, pal.” He murmured and plunged his teethes in Bart’s body. He required energy to live and work and eating carcasses was the only way to secure that. With disgust he was devouring portions of puller’s body, however with