there.”

“I’m gone,” he said.

I’m coming with you,” Drake said.

Balto looked at him.

“Hey, someone’s gotta watch your back ya old mutt,” he said, “that Steele is one heck of a guy. He’s already killed four other’s here and with the two in Applegate that’s….”

Balto frowned at him.

“Oh sorry,” Drake said, realizing that he wasn’t helping the situation any.

“Well let’s go,” Drake said.

“I’m coming too,” a female voice said from behind him.

He whirled around to see…

“GEMENI!” He yelled.

“Hi Drake,” she said, “miss me?”

“Of course,” he said.

“Oh Balto,” he said, this is Gemeni, Gemeni this is Balto.”

It is an honor to finally meet you sir,” she said.

Balto laughed.

“Drop the sir,” he said, “you guys act like I’m some kind of god or something…”

“Well what you did was amazing, it made all of us sled dog around Alsaka look at our jobs and see that they meant something again.”

“I just did what needed to be done.” Balto said.

“So,” Drake asked. “How long are you back for.”

“Drake….” She started.

“Where’s the team?” Drake asked.

“I… I don’t know,” she said.

Drake noticed the broken, no chewed through guideline draging behind her.

“Gemeni…” Drake said.

“I thought you said sledding was your life, was your favorite thing to do in the world.”

“It was..” Gemeni said,”but I found something here I couldn’t live without.”

“What about the team?”

“I’m sure that Jack will make a great leader,” she said.

Gemeni, I… I don’t know what to say.”

“How about that you love me?”

She said as she stepped closer to him.

Balto turned around, feeling he as intruding on his friends privacy.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you,” she said.

Their noses touched.

“Well Balto,” she said, “let’s go find Jenna.”

“Gemeni,” Balto said, “Steele is awful dangerous and I wouldn’t want…”

“Come on Balto,” she said, cutting him off. “I know he’s dangerous, he attacked me remember?”

“Yeah, I guess you do” Balto said, “sorry.”

“I’ve got a score to settle with him. So let’s go,” she said. “Then we can all come back here and you guys can show me around my new home.”

Drake smiled.

They started to walk away.

“Wait,” Gemeni said.

She turned her head and bit into the leather of her harness and shook her head from side to side until it tore. She shrugged it off and it fell to the snow. “Won’t be needing that anymore,” she said.

“Now let’s go,”

The three of them took off. Balto was in the lead, as he was the only one in the group who knew where Aleu’s pack was, and Drake and Gemeni followed.

The harness, and Gemeni’s old life with it, was soon covered by the blowing snow.

CHAPTER XVII

Jenna slowly opened her eyes.

“Hey look who’s finally awake,: Aleu said.

“Aleu?” Jenna asked. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m supposed to be here,” Aleu said, “the real question is what you’re doing here, and why in heaven’s name were you out in the storm last night?”

“You wouldn’t know him,” Jenna said.

“Him?” Aleu asked.

“Steele.” Jenna said.

“I remember hearing dad talk about him a little when I was younger.” Aleu said. “What’s he got to do with anything?”

“What do you know about him?” Jenna asked.

“I know he was a sled dog, the leader of the team dad saved, and that he tried to kill dad, that’s about it.

“Well,” Jenna said, “before I met your father… he kind of had a thing for me,”

“Oh,” Aleu said.

“Yeah, well that wasn’t going anywhere, and he knew it. After your father got back from saving that team, and everyone figured out what Steele did, we banished him from Nome.”

“Banished?” Aleu said.

“He was told never to return, or he would be killed.”

“So I guess he came back, huh?” Aleu said.

“Yeah,” Jenna said, “and he started attacking me.”

“Mom are you okay? I noticed the wound on your shoulder, but I thought you hit it when you fell.”

“Yes,” Jenna said, “I’m fine, but for some reason Steele seems to be obsessed with killing me.”

“So you came here?” Aleu asked.

“Well, I didn’t know what else to do. Your father’s gone on a mail trip. He’s not supposed to be back for another five days….

…wait, how long was I out?”

“Two days,” Aleu said.

“Two days?” Jenna asked.

“Yeah,” Aleu said, “I was starting to get worried about you.”

“Well that means your dad should be here in just a few days. I hope he knows how to handle Steele.”

“Jenna?” Shadow said as he stepped into the room.

“Hello Shadow,” Jenna said.

“It’s good to see that you’re okay,” he said. “I saw you fall, you hit your head pretty hard.”

“It feels like it,” Jenna said. “Have you guys seen Steele,?”

“Seen what?” Shadow said.

“I’ll tell you the whole story later hon,” Aleu said, “just for now thought, let’s say he’s a dog out to kill mom.”

“Kill?” Shadow said.

Jenna nodded.

“Not on my watch,” Shadow said, “Balto would kill me.”

Jenna smiled.

“I’m just waiting for him to get back,” she said.

“Well you’re certainly welcome to stay here,” Shadow said.

“Grandma Jenna!”

Three little balls of fluff ran at Jenna.

“You must have been really tired,” said Thunder.

“Yeah,” Lima chimed in, “mom said that you were sleeping.”

“You got to sleep for like two whole days,” Sheik said “I wish I could do that.”

“You’re a lazy one,” Lima said to her brother.

“I am not,” Sheik said, “If I was lazy, could I do this?”

He jumped at his sister and the two of them rolled to the ground. Thunder jumped into the mix and soon they were all laughing and romping and playing.

“You’ll have to excuse them,” Aleu said. “They are so full of energy after they wake up.”

“No more than you had,” Jenna said.

Aleu grinned.

“So,” Shadow said, “can you tell me what this Steele looks like so we can look out for him?”

“Yeah,” Jenna said, “He’s a black and white Malamute…”

Aleu expression of happiness turned into one of Alarm.

“A black and white Malamute?” She asked.

“Aleu, what’s wrong?” Shadow asked.

“I… it’s nothing,” she said.

“Are you sure?” Shadow asked.

Aleu shot him a look that told him to drop the subject for now..

“I’ll tell him later,” she thought.

The Malamute’s words from the dream drifted back to her…

“Don’t help them…”

Balto, Drake and Gemeni were walking through the woods. Even though the storm had stopped, the wind still was still blowing. Balto could only see about five feet in front of him and it was still dangerously cold.. The snow stung Gemeni’s face as the group struggled through it.

“It’s a good thing I know where I’m going,” Balto thought. He looked behind him.

The group as being buffeted by the wind. Drake smiled at him.

“Well at least he’s okay,” Balto thought. Gemeni was a different story, he didn’t know if she was going to make it or not.

“I should have made her stay home,” Balto thought.

All Balto saw was a blur of black and white leap at him from the wall of snow in front of him.

The dog slammed into Balto and threw him to the ground. Balto rolled a few times and hit a tree.

“Balto!” Gemeni yelled.

The black and white dog turned to Drake.

“Steele,” Drake said.

Steele and Drake stared at one another.

Gemeni started to walk over to Balto, he hadn’t moved.

Suddenly Steele jumped over Drake and landed on Gemeni, knocking her to the snow.

She screamed.

“Get off of her you monster!” Drake yelled as he charged.

He hit Steele in the shoulder and the two of them rolled across the ground, slashing and biting at each other.

Gemeni stayed low and crawled over to Balto. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing. Gemeni stood up and turned to see Drake in trouble.

Steele was on top of him. Both of them were bloody, but Drake looked to be losing this fight. Steele was getting ready to end it.

Gemeni ran and jumped on Steele’s back, her teeth flashing, trying to bite him on the back of the neck, but he just used her momentum to throw her over his back.

She hit the snow and rolled a little ways, but she came up on her feet.

Steele smiled at her.

“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”

Then he heard a howl.

Steele turned to see four wolves behind him.

He turned back to Gemeni.

“One of these times your luck will run out samoyed….

…and when it does…”

Then he turned and ran away.

Drake stood up and ran over to