don’t know.  Being your friend so far has been pretty hazardous, y’know?”

“Luna!”

“I’m joking, I’m joking.”  She wagged her tail weakly.  “We’re still friends, on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“Don’t just leave me here.  They haven’t had a lot of business lately, so I’m the only one in the room.  It’s like solitary confinement.  Promise you’ll come back every day.”

Toby laid his ears back and shook his head.  “With visitors around?  Not a chance.”

“Then drop by when nobody’s around, like right now.”

Toby nodded.  “It’s a deal.”

Luna yawned.  “Well, the doc says I need to get plenty of sleep.  Goodnight Toby.”  She curled up as best she could and went to sleep.

“Goodnight, Luna,” said Toby.  Using his claws he pried up the grate in the floor and disappeared.

The next day Toby came to the grate.  He didn’t go in because he could hear that someone was talking to Luna.  “He’s a big fan,” Luna was saying.  “Every time we play it’s always Balto, Balto, Balto.”  She giggled.  “I still haven’t clued him in to my little secret.”

Her visitor chuckled.  “What, you’re embarrassed?”

“No, I’d just rather not tell him yet.”

“I know what you mean,” said another voice.  This one was female.  “It’s more fun to keep secrets, isn’t it?”

“I hope you haven’t been keeping any from me,” said the other voice with a hint of a chuckle.

Then a noise was heard in the next room.  “Go!  I think someone’s coming!” said Luna.  Toby heard a rush of paws, the scrape of a window opening, some muffled thuds, and then the window slamming shut.

‘What was that all about?’ he wondered.  He considered asking Luna that night, but he didn’t want her to know he’d been listening, especially since he hadn’t meant to.  In the end he chose not to ask, but for the next several days the question played at the back of his mind.  After a while the vet said that Luna was well enough to go home, and she and Toby took to playing their usual games, although they had to take it easy while her legs healed.  Between taking care not to play too hard and making himself scarce whenever anyone walked by, Toby was too busy to wonder about the mysterious conversation.  By the time the casts and brace had come off he had forgotten all about it.

               One day while they were playing a black-and-white malamute came up to them.  “Do either of you kids know where I can find Balto?” he asked.

               Toby’s tail went between his legs.  He didn’t like this stranger.  He seemed familiar, as if Toby had seen him or heard about him before.  “I don’t know,” he said.

               The malamute looked at Luna.  “How about you?” he asked.  “I understand he visited you while you were in the hospital.”

               “Say what?” asked Toby, whipping his head toward Luna.

               Luna’s tail crept between her legs.  “Where did you hear a story like that?” she asked.

               The malamute shrugged.  “Things… get around.”  He smiled.  “After all, it’s not every day a big hero like him visits a little girl at the vet.”

               “Well, I don’t think it’s really your business anyway,” she said.

               “I can see this is getting us nowhere,” said the stranger.  And he picked up Luna.

               “Hey!” she protested.  “Put me down!”

Toby ran up to the stranger.  “Put her down,” he threatened, “Or I’ll beat the tar out of you!”

But the malamute kicked him away as if he were flicking aside a pebble.  “Stay out of my business, kid,” he snarled, bounding off.

Toby ran after him, but the bigger dog was much faster and easily outdistanced him.  Toby started to whimper.  What could he do now?

“What’s up, kid?” asked Pete, strolling up right at that instant.

“Some creep just grabbed Luna and took off!” said Toby.  “I tried to stop him, but…” he sniffled.  “I was too slow,” he whined.  “You’ve gotta help me.”

“Well, sorry, runt.  But I don’t know who it was or what he smelled like, so you’re on your own.”  And Pete walked away.

“What good is being a purebred if you’re too much of a snob to help someone?” Toby shouted at his half-brother’s back.

“Get lost,” answered Pete without so much as a backward glance.

‘Stupid pig,’ thought Toby.  ‘Thinks he’s so much better than me cause he’s older and I just happen to be part-‘

“Bloodhound!” he exclaimed.  He’d never been happy about being part bloodhound, but now he was glad that he was.  He ran back to the alley where he’d been playing with Luna and sniffed at the stranger’s footprints.  ‘Yes!’ he thought.  ‘I’ve got him now!’  And he began to follow his nose.

“Put me down, you big jerk!” yipped Luna.  “Let me go or I’ll bite you!”

“Hush up and keep your teeth to yourself, princess,” snarled her kidnapper, “Or I’ll tear you apart and leave you for the birds.”

Luna could tell by his voice that he meant it.  She gulped.  ‘Where is he taking me?’ she thought.

They traveled through several streets and back alleyways until they came to a narrow dead-end corridor between two houses.  Here Luna found herself dumped unceremoniously into an empty garbage can.  “Now you can bark,” the stranger said.  “In fact,” he added, baring his teeth, “I strongly suggest that you do.  Yell for help, and keep on doing it.  I’ll be going now, but I’ll be close by.”  And he disappeared.

“Hey!” she yelled.  “Let me out of here!”  She tried to knock the can over, but snow was piled up all around it and it wouldn’t move.  “Let me out!” she barked.  “Help!  Anyone?  Get me out of here!”

She barked for what felt like hours before a dog’s face appeared over the edge of the trash can.  It was Balto.  “Luna?” he asked.  “What are you doing in there?”

“Some creep grabbed me and threw me in here.”

“Hang on,” he said, hooking his paws over the rim of the can.  He pulled, and the can tipped over.  “Sorry about the rough landing,” he said.  “Are you okay?”

“Oh, she’s fine,” said a cruel voice from behind them.  “But you won’t be, wolf-dog.”

Balto spun around to see an all-too-familiar dog standing in the entrance to the alleyway.  “Steele,” he growled.  “I might have guessed.”

“It’s time to finish a little old business,” said Steele, stepping closer.

Balto picked up Luna and pushed her into a hole that went under a house.  “Get out of here,” he ordered.  Then he turned and launched himself at Steele.

Toby tracked Luna’s kidnapper through the streets of Nome.  He almost lost the scent several times, but each time he managed to pick up the trail again.  He finally tracked the smell to an alley.  He listened.  He could tell a fight was in progress, but who was fighting?  He peered around the corner and saw two dogs.  One he recognized as the kidnapper, and the other had to be none other than… “Balto?” he asked in wonder.

“You ruined me!” raged the stranger.  “I was the lead dog until you came along and got in the way!”

“You were willing to let innocent children die just to satisfy your pride,” Balto answered.  “I didn’t ruin you, Steele.  You did.”

“Steele?!” Toby wondered aloud.  ‘So that’s why he looks so familiar!  He’s just like in Mom’s stories!’

"I don't know how you survived that last fight, Steele, but I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else," Balto growled.

Steele grinned malevolently.  "Very heroic.  But then, last words usually are," he snarled as he lunged at Balto.  Toby watched dumbstruck as dog and wolf-dog battled it out.  Steele managed to get a grip on Balto and threw him against the wall.  Balto sank to the ground and lay motionless.

Steele stepped