to the matter than Dixie suspected.  And it wasn’t just that he knew Taya too well to take what Dixie had said at face value.  He knew that Taya couldn’t have run off with Steele because he knew that Steele was Taya’s father.

Meanwhile, about a mile and a half outside of Nome, four dogs were marching along: Steele, Taya, and two street dogs Steele had recruited.  Taya looked like she had been hit by a tank, which was pretty close to what the other three had done.

“You know Taya, it was quite a shock when I found out you’d taken Copper for a mate,” Steele was saying.  “And you didn’t even invite me to the wedding,” he added sarcastically.

Taya’s ears were plastered against her skull.  “That’s because I’m not stupid,” she replied.  “You’ve never been anything but trouble for me or anyone else.”

“And you really thought I would be OK with you getting mixed up with Balto’s pack of half-breeds?” Steele asked.  “You thought I’d just go on my way and let you live happily ever after with a wolf-dog, is that it?”

“Why do you think I didn’t tell you,besides the fact that I thought I'd already wiped you out?  Anyway, those half-breeds have been a lot better to me than you were, dad,” she growled.  “And at least Copper didn’t leave me to die like you did.  Like you’re planning to do right now.”

“I had better things to do than waste my time with kids.  That was your mom’s job.”  Taya's fur bristled and a snarl rose in her throat, but Steele ignored her.  “Now keep on walking and don’t look back.  And remember, if I ever see you again…” he drew a paw across his throat.

Taya bared her teeth, but she knew she couldn’t fight three at once.  So she kept on walking.

Steele waited until she had gone about a hundred yards and was out of earshot.  Then he turned to his accomplices and gave a toothy grin.  “Make sure she doesn’t come back,” he said.  He watched, laughing to himself as they took off after Taya.

Copper headed off in the direction Dixie had told him, wondering what Steele was up to now.  He came across Toby and Luna playing in their favorite spot, a storage lot by the shipyard.  “Hey, dad!” called Luna.  “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” said Copper, not wanting to worry Luna.  “I’m just trying to find your mother, that’s all.”

Luna jumped off the beam she and Toby had been using as a seesaw (luckily Toby’s end was down at the moment).  “I’ll help,” she offered.

Toby hopped off.  “Me too,” he volunteered.  He’d been getting tired of the seesaw anyway.

Copper’s eyes twitched back and forth.  “It’s a little more complicated than that,” he said.

“Like what?” asked Toby.

“Well…” said Copper slowly.  “She’s missing.  She was seen this morning heading out of town with another dog.”

“Who was it?” asked Luna.

Copper lowered his head.  “Steele.”

“STEELE?” asked Toby and Luna in unison.  “But what’s he doing back in town?”

“I don’t know, but it can’t be good,” said Copper.  “Listen, I’m going to go find Taya.  You two had better stay here.”

“Uh-uh,” said Toby.  “You’re not leaving me out of the action.”

“And you’re not leaving me behind,” said Luna quickly.  “I still owe Steele for putting me in that trash can last time.”

“You’re not coming,” answered Copper.  “Either of you.  I’m sure I can find her on my own.  Besides, we’re dealing with Steele here.  The last thing I want is to put you kids in danger.”

“But we’ll miss all the fun!” protested Toby.

“This isn’t about fun,” said Copper.  “It’s about finding Taya before something happens.”

“Well in that case, what about my nose?” asked Toby.  “Part bloodhound, remember?”

“Your mother would never allow it,” said Copper.

“And if she does?” asked Toby hopefully.

“Well, you go ask her.  If she says yes, than I guess you can come.”

“What about me?” asked Luna.  “I should get to go if he does!”

“Toby’s a boy, and we may need his nose,” replied Copper, not adding that he was quite sure Toby’s mother would say no anyway.

“Yeah, to find my mom,” answered Luna.  “And what does his being a boy have to do with it?  If I could survive an avalanche, I can handle anything Steele can throw at me.”

“Listen,” said Copper.  “Toby, you go see if your mother will let you come.  And Luna, I guess if he can come, so can you.”

As soon as Toby took off for his house, Copper took off in pursuit of Taya.  ‘Maybe if I can get a lead on them, they’ll just give up,’ he thought to himself.

Toby went to his house.  “Mom, Taya’s missing.  Can I help Copper look for her?”

Terry, Toby’s mother, lifted her ears inquisitively.  She knew from long experience that a brief explanation from Toby was usually a sign that there were details he didn’t want her to know.  “What do you mean by ‘missing?’”

“I mean they don’t know where she is,” answered Toby.  “Copper said my nose might come in handy, and told me that if you said it was okay I could help.”

Terry considered.  It sounded harmless, just a little search.  “Well, alright,” she agreed.

“Yeah!” Toby cheered.  “Thanks, mom!”  And he ran out the door before she could change her mind.

‘It’s probably another one of his Balto games,' thought Terry.

“Mom said yes!” Toby told Luna.

“Great,” said Luna.  “But somebody left without us.”

Toby looked around.  “Agh.  Leave it to your dad to pull a stunt like that.”

“So how do we catch up to him?” asked Luna.

 Toby looked around, his gaze happening to fall on the sign for the street where Pete lived.  “I think I’ve got an idea,” he said, dashing off.

“Waddya want?” asked Pete when Toby came running up to him.

“Pete,” panted Toby, “I know you can’t stand me, but I really need your help.  Luna and I need a lift.”

“Forget it,” snorted Pete.

“I’ve got five bones stashed away that I’d be willing to part with,” offered Toby temptingly.

“And I’ve got a dozen, straight from the butcher,” answered Pete.  “Now scram.”

Biting back a nasty quip about Pete’s likely method of obtaining the bones, Toby decided to pull out the big guns.  “You know,” he said, “I’ve heard it really impresses girls when they see you helping out little kids.”

Pete glanced at them with a skeptical look on his face.  His ears and tail were perked, however, so Toby knew he was intrigued.  “Is that a fact?” asked Pete, sounding bored.

“Oh, yes,” agreed Luna with a smile.  “I know quite a few girls your age who are always looking for a guy who’s good with kids.”

Pete shrugged.  “Well…” he said slowly, “Since I’ve got nothing else to do, I guess I could consider it.”

“I’m sure two little pups like us won’t be too much of a load for a big tough guy like you,” added Luna, earning a grin from Toby.

That clinched it.  What Pete lacked in altruism, he more than made up for in ego. The girl husky sticking her head out a door across the street probably helped too.  “Sure, I’ll help you kids out.  Where do you want to go?” he asked, sounding eager and energetic.

“Just to the west edge of town,” said Toby.  “And a little bit past that maybe.”

Pete picked them up and tossed them onto his back.  “Hold on then,” he said, running off.

“Um, Pete,” said Toby, “The other west.”

“Right,” muttered Pete, skidding to a stop and whipping back in the other direction.  “I knew that.”

It took Taya a few moments to figure out what was going on, but when she heard the sound of running paws behind her and turned to look, there were Steele’s minions hot on her tail.  Panicking, she darted off at top speed.  Racing across the tundra, she soon began to pant as her muscles throbbed and her lungs began to ache.  ‘Gotta get out of here,’ she thought.  But there was no place to go.  Then an old building appeared in the distance and she raced toward it.  It looked familiar, but Taya had no time to try and remember where she had seen it before.  The front door was open, so she dashed in and slammed it shut with her back legs.  She heard Steele’s goons barking outside for a moment, then they left.

Taya looked around.  She was in a room that took up most of the building.  At one end, several crates covered by a faded red-checked tablecloth