hit the ground below, but he knew.

Steele crawled up onto the ledge and walked into the cave. The entrance he had come into led right into Aleu’s room. He saw the small family there and decided not to mess with them…

Not yet.

He walked over to where Jenna was sleeping, alone.

“The game begins,” he thought to himself, “the game begins….”

Chapter XIX

Balto’s first clue that something was wrong was the screaming.

He opened his eyes. He’d fallen asleep last night. He was supposed to be alternating with Shadow watching the front entrance.

“Shadow should have woken me up,” he thought as he stood up. Then he heard the screaming again.

“Oh, come quick,” the voice yelled, “it’s horrible!”

Balto got up and ran to the source of all of the yelling. He noticed it was coming from Aleu’s chamber.

“Jenna,” he thought.

He took off running up the ledges, toward her room, hoping he was wrong.

When he entered the room, he saw a red dog that was very dead laying on the floor.

He almost passed out, he couldn’t believe it.

Tears came to his eyes. He blinked them away, a rage building inside of him.

He forced himself to walk over closer to what had been his mate and friend.”

“Balto? Are you okay?”

“Balto turned, as near to killing someone as he’d ever been.

“No I’m not okay that’s my… he trailed off.

“Jenna?”

He ran over to her. She was sitting on the floor beside the wall.

“Jenna! You’re alive!” Balto said.

He nuzzled her, “I was sure that was you over there.”

“Balto,” Jenna said, “what’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t know,” Balto said.

“Balto,” she continued, “he was here last night, that’s a wolf from Aleu’s pack. He killed her and brought her up here next to me, but why? He was here why didn’t he..” her voice dissolved into tears then.

She layed her head against Balto’s shoulder and cried.

“I’m scared Balto,” she said.

“I know,” Balto said, “I am too.”

Wait a minute, who was guarding this entrance?”

He looked at the tracks of snow that led out of the chamber and followed them out to the cliff.

There was no one out here. He leaned over the edge, and pulled his head back, just in time for Steele’s paw to sail past his head. Steele leapt onto the cliff.

“Long time no see half breed,” Steele spit at him. I should have killed you a long time ago, then you wouldn’t have ruined my life.

I had it all in Nome, but you had to take that all away, didn’t you? “

“Why Steele?” Balto said.

“I just realized my calling in life, nothing good will ever happen to me again. I lost all chance of leading a happy life when Jingle started cheating on me.

I killed her you know?”

“Yes, I do Steele,” Balto said, I do, I know about Kyle, and Tristan and that runaway, and all of the other’s.”

“They just got in the way,” Steele said, “you’ve been my target all along, but you were gone so I settled for Jenna.”

“Don’t you even say her name,” Balto said, a deep rage building in him, that he’d never felt before. He fought to keep it in check.

“Ooh, hit a nerve there didn’t I wolf dog?”

“Dad?” Aleu said as she stepped out of the cave.

“Aleu no!” Balto said, but it was too late.

Steele jumped over Balto and smashed into Aleu, but no sooner than Steele got up he was hit by Shadow, who’d come out as well. Aleu ran back inside as the two began to battle one another. The entire pack had gathered in the chamber, watching the fight. As Steele was thrown to the ground once again by Shadows attacks, he saw them all.

“They won’t give up till I’m dead,” he realized he wasn’t going to win this one.

“Time to cut my losses,” he thought.

He jumped up and ran at Balto. He jumped and landed on him, using his back as a springboard, and jumped onto the side of the mountain. He began to run away.

“He’s mine,” Balto said.

He said it with a fury in his voice that no one had every heard before, no one challenged him as he jumped onto the side of the mountain and took off after Steele.

Chapter XX

“STEELE!” yelled Balto.

Steele turned around.

Balto stood there, the wind buffeting him, threatening to blow him off of the mountain.

Steele grinned and stopped.

“Balto,” he said, ”you never were very smart, were you, guess that’s the wolf side of you shining through though, right?” he laughed.

“Look around you, there is no one to help you now, no family to guard the precious hero. You’ve killed yourself half breed.”

“We’ll see,” Balto said.

Then simultaneously the two dogs leapt at each other, colliding in mid-air. They both fell to the snow, Steele rolling on top of Balto.

Steele got in a few good hits to Balto’s face, before h was thrown off.

Balto’s face was bloody now,” he looked at Steele, who wasn’t even scratched.

“This isn’t a good way to start,” he thought.

Come on wolf dog,” Steele taunted, “I’ve got to end this, so I can go back and get Jenna.”

“You know,” Steele said, “our pups would look better than yours.”

Balto became completely enraged, and surrendered to it this time, letting his fury fuel his efforts.

“Don’t you even think about that!” He screamed as he lunged at Steele.

But rage and anger often give way to rash decisions, and this was one of those times.

Steele sidestepped Balto’s attack and grabbed him by the leg, with his teeth!

He locked his jaws onto Balto’s leg and yanked his head back and forth, trying his best to break it.

Balto screamed as Steele’s dug down to the bone. He tried to get Steele off, but it was no use.

“Get off him!”

Steele turned just in time to catch Jenna’s paw straight in the face. The strike pushed him backwards a few feet.

“How do you like it Steele?” Jenna asked. Then she hit him again and again… and again.

Steele backpedaled, completely surprised by this new enemy.

His back paws scraped the edge of the mountains peak.

Jenna stood up on her back legs and threw all her weight into Steele’s shoulder.

He tried to balance on the edge of the cliff, seeming to hover for a few horrifying moments.

Then he fell backwards.

Jenna looked over the edge, she couldn’t see a thing. She fell to the ground then and started sobbing.

Balto limped over to her, he couldn’t put any weight on his left front leg.

He dropped beside her, breathing heavy.

She crawled over and laid her head on his back, still crying softly.

“Balto,” she said, lifting her head. “I killed someone.” “Now I’m a murderer.”

“No Jenna,” Balto said, “you’re not a murderer, you just did what had to be done.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I saw you getting hurt by him, and I just… I couldn’t take it.”

You did well,” Balto said, “I’m glad you showed up when you did. I thought he was going to take my leg off.”

“Balto, you’re hurt,” Jenna said.

Balto looked at the red snow around him.

“Yeah,” he said, “but I’ll be alright.”

He stood up.”

“That leg looks bad,” Jenna said.

“It hurts,” Balto said.

“Which is a gross understatement,” he thought.

“Here,” Jenna said, “sliding her bandanna off of her head with her paws.

Balto slid it over his own head.

Jenna smiled at him.

“I seem to remember someone showing me how to do this sometime,” she said, as she tucked his injured leg into the bottom of it.

He smiled back at her.

“I wonder who that was?” He asked.

Jenna just shrugged.

“Come on, she said, “let’s go home.”

Epilogue

“I’m dying,” Steele thought.

He was cold all over and he was laying in something wet, he didn’t want to look at what it was. He knew he’d fallen a long ways.

“It’s not fair,” he thought, “I had him, then that mate of his showed up and ruined everything.”

He rolled over and felt a shooting pain in his leg.

“Probably broken,” He thought.

“I feel pretty good, for someone who’s dying.

He suddenly realized that it wasn’t blood he was lying in, it was a creek, and that’s why he was cold. He stood up…

and promptly fell back into the creek.

“Yep,” he thought, “It’s broken.”

He stood up again, slower this time.

“Jenna is gonna pay for this,” he thought, “that’s twice she’s embarrassed me now.

Oh yes, as soon as I’m healed, she’ll pay……..