back.  “Not a chance.  You expect me to let my son go up against Steele?  What are you thinking?”

Toby smiled.  “Don’t worry, mom.  I’ve done it before and came out of it just fine.  Besides, I already took on a guy with a gun today, and Steele won’t even…”

“Wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE,” Terry cut him off.  “What’s this about a gun?”

Toby’s ears went down.  “Oh, uh…heh heh.  Guess I forgot to mention that, huh?”

Terry shook her head.  “Your father is level-headed.  I’m level-headed, or at least I was before you came along.  What on earth happened to you?”  She listened patiently as Toby explained about Carson.  “Is there anything else you don’t want me to know?” she asked.  “Any rabid grizzly bears, perhaps?”

Toby considered.  “Nope, I don’t think so.”  She gave him a look.  “For real this time, mom.  That’s all that happened.  And like I was saying earlier, the plan for tomorrow is perfectly safe.”

Terry groaned.  “With you, nothing is safe.”

“Steele won’t even recognize me.  I’ll be in disguise.  Please mom?  They’re counting on me.”

She shook her head.  “I should probably have my head examined for this, but okay.”  Before Toby could cheer, she added quickly, “But if something goes wrong, you get out of there pronto.”

“Relax, mom,” said Toby.  “What could go wrong?”

The next day, a small black puppy came up to Steele.  “Are you looking for Balto?” he asked.

Steele’s eyes glinted.  “Who wants to know?” he replied.

The pup shrugged.  “I dunno.  I just heard that someone around here was looking for him.  Well, if you see anyone who wants to know, he’s at the harbor yard.”

“The harbor yard?”

The black pup pumped his head up and down.  “That’s right.  The one just a block or so thataway.”  And he pointed.  “The one with all the piles of boxes.  Can’t miss it.”

“Thanks, kid,” muttered Steele, trying to sound bored.  “By the way, you look familiar.  Have we met?”

Toby shrugged.  “Who knows?  We black dogs all look alike.”  He turned around.  “Well, see ya.”  And he trotted off, breaking into a dead run as soon as he was around the corner and out of sight.

“Do ya want us to go get him now, boss?” one of the street dogs asked Steele.

Steele stood up.  “Yes.  I think it’s time to finish my business with that half-breed once and for all.”

Toby rushed into the harbor yard.  “Is everything ready?” he asked, rolling in the snow to get rid of the soot.  The impromptu-cleaning job only worked halfway, giving him the appearance of a muddy Dalmatian.

Taya nodded.  “Steele’s gonna be sorry he ever set foot in Nome.”

“Good,” said Toby, “Cause here they come.”

Steele came into the lot and looked around.  “Alright, where are you, lobo?”

Taya stepped out from her hiding place.  “Sorry, dad.  Balto had to be away on other business.  But I told him I’d be here to settle the matter.”

“Taya?” asked Steele.  “I thought I told you not to come back.”

 “I know.  But then again, I’m stubborn, thick-headed, and demented, just like someone else we know.”  Steele’s eyes narrowed as Taya continued.  “The difference is, I don’t turn my back on my family.  Not now, not ever.”

“Get her,” Steele ordered, but at precisely that moment a blur shot out of the boxes behind him and took down one of his dogs.  Copper had been lying in wait for a sneak attack.  With a howl, he turned and launched himself at the other dog.  Steele looked at the scene in confusion just before receiving a full-body tackle from Taya.  The blow stunned him only for a moment, but then he launched himself at his daughter and the fight began in earnest.

It wasn’t fun for either of them.  They darted in and out, swiping blows at each other with every pass.  Some missed, but most connected, and there was really no way of knowing who was winning.  If Copper had been able to join the fight it would have been all over for Steele, but he had his paws full with the other stray.  Taya was drawing on all her experience in the Fights, but she and Steele seemed evenly matched.  She needed a diversion.

 “I was going to stay away, but then I figured something out.”  She paused to block several blows from Steele.  “You’re not my father.”

“What?” asked Steele, his eyes widening.  He hesitated for a split second, but that was all Taya needed to give a vicious swipe to his face with her paw.  He stumbled back and Taya pressed the attack.

“Oh, you may be my dad, but you’re no father to me,” she growled.  “Fathers are supposed to be kind.  They raise you, take care of you, show you the right way to live!”  Steele was cornered by now, and Taya’s eyes were on fire.  “My brother Hawk raised me.  My friends took care of me.  And Copper showed me how to live.”  She narrowed her eyes and knocked him down with another vicious blow.  She stood over him, teeth bared.  “So now it’s over.”

A vicious kick to her stomach knocked her backwards.  Winded, she was helpless as Steele attacked.  Now it was her turn to feel the brunt of the fight.  “I’m gonna give you one last chance,” he snarled.  “Run along now, or it will be over.”

Taya struggled to her feet and wiped the corner of her mouth.  “I won’t,” she said, panting for breath.  “I am done running.  I won’t be like you.  I’m better than that.”

“WRONG ANSWER!” yelled Steele, seizing her and throwing her to the ground.  By this point it would have been impossible to be certain whether or not he was rabid.  “You’ve got spirit, Taya, but you’ll always be second best to me.  First I’ll teach you a lesson, then your precious Copper, and then it’s bye-bye for the kids.”

 Taya’s eyes flashed.  “NO!” she screamed, leaping up and driving him back.  Steele had done something very unwise.  He had reminded her of the cause she was fighting for.  She slammed into him with her full weight, making him trip and slide backward through the snow until he bumped into a pile of crates.  “Stay…away…from my…FAMILY!” she yelled.

Steele looked up at her with baleful eyes.  “Go ahead then,” he said.  “Finish me off, why don’t you?”

If Taya had tried to claim she wasn’t tempted, she would have been lying.  But looking down at her dad, she decided that angry as she was, she wouldn’t give in to him.  Evil for evil was what he had taught her.  But Copper…he had shown her what mercy was.  “No,” she said.  “I’m not like you, dad.  I’m done killing.”

As she turned away, Steele struggled to his feet.  “Hey,” he growled, “I’m not through with you yet.”

“No,” snapped Taya, “But I’m through with you.  If you know what’s good for you, get out of Nome now.”

 Furious, Steele charged blindly at her.  Taya listened to his footsteps, then jumped aside.  Steele barreled past her and straight into an unsteady pile of boxes.  The pile teetered as he gazed up at it in a daze.

Taya stepped back as the boxes fell.

Once he realized Steele was down, the third dog gave up without a fight.  Toby and Luna ran up to Taya.  “That was amazing,” said Toby.

“Yeah, I didn’t know you could fight like that,” said Luna.

“Neither did I,” admitted Taya.  “I never fought like that in the ring.”

“So what happened?” asked Copper.

“I guess I won because I had something worth fighting for.  He didn’t.  Now come on, let’s go.”

Rex came up to them at that moment.  “I heard a fight around here.  What’s going on?”

Toby flinched.  He had forgotten how close the harbor was to his dad’s place.  They had told Rex about the situation the night before, but his duty as a police dog drove him to investigate anyway.

“Just…a little family matter,” said Taya.  “But it’s over now.”

Rex looked her up and down, noting the many bruises she bore from the fight.  “I hope so.”  He looked over the rest of the scene and started to leave.  “Very well then.  And you, son,” he said to Toby, “Had better march straight home and have a bath right now.”

“Aw, dad,” groaned Toby.

“No buts about it.  Home.  Now.”

“Oh, okay,” said Toby.  “Mom’s gonna kill me when she sees me like this.”

“Oh, and by the way,” added Rex, ignoring