- Hmm... It would be hard to find him. -  he said. - I remember where the territory they lived is, but I got there falling in a river, climbing a mount, falling from it and fighting a trio of wolverines and a bear! Besides we have no guarantee that Nava is still there, or even... well... alive.

Balto was right, Nava was not as young as he was before, and it was hard for a wolf to survive without the safety of a pack. But Dan had to try.

- Well, just tell me where it is and I'll go there. – he said, decided.

Kodi nodded negatively.

- We can't go there without any assurance that Nava's there. We need a plan. – he said.

Dan didn't try to convince them anymore. After some discussing, they decided to give time to time, and wait until a better plan appeared. They couldn’t risk themselves in “a wild wolf chase”.

At night, when everyone was sleeping, Dan got up from the captain’s quarters, and walked down the wooden board to the frozen beach again, to look at his reflection on the ice. He looked and saw again a wolf-dog, with brown eyes, and brown fur. He didn't know what reflection he was supposed to see for real. He imagined if all of that happened for a reason. He couldn't just be dragged through time and be transformed like that for nothing. He was liking this dog life until now, but he couldn’t just leave his family behind, they should be worried about him, and just giving up of everything to just leave like a dog in a small town? The idea of liking living as a dog sounded silly, but he couldn't help but feeling better like that. He shook his head, annoyed by the duality of thoughts. He didn’t even know what reflection he was wanting to see anymore.

- What am I supposed to be? - he asked to the nothing, lost.

~~~

          On the next day, Dan was looking at the start line in the race track, excited that he was finally going to see a real sled race. Beside him there was Jenna and Boris. The teams were taking their positions. In Balto's team, there were Star, Nikki, Kaltag and some other dogs that Dan didn't know. In Kodi's, the only dogs he knew were Dusty, Ralph and Kirby. In the third team he recognized Steele leading the team, vainglorious, even if almost no one was paying attention to him, with exception of some females gathered behind the safety line that kept them away from the track. In the race, each team should deliver part of the mail to White Mountain, and go back. The first team to pass the finish line would win.

A man went to a side of the track and warned the mushers that the race was about to begin.

- On your marks! Ready... set... GO! - the man yelled and then shot with a gun to the sky.

The teams left, and Dan got impressed at how Balto and Kodi were fast. In a few seconds they were disputing the lead, slowly leaving the third team behind. Dan noticed that Steele was getting angry because of this, and started to run faster without his musher telling him to. The teams got away from the city, and slowly disappeared at distance, amongst snow dunes.

Dan walked backwards, trying to see the teams, when suddenly he collided with someone. He looked back to see who he had hit, and saw a young female husky. She looked to be about his age (as a dog). Her fur was light gray and white, and she was wearing a common dog collar around her neck. What really caught his attention was her eyes, blue, of a beautiful tone that made them look like sapphires. Lately he was getting used to dogs’ enhanced senses, and to distinguishing everyone’s scent… but there was something about this female’s scent that made him… nervous. He had never seen a dog like that. He could feel shivers running through his body, and froze in place.

- Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention. – she apologized with a smile.

She was looking at him a bit timid, and intrigued. Dan gulped. How could that be happening?

- Uhh, it's ok. - he said, nervously.

She smiled friendly.

- Hi, my name's Luna. - the young female introduced herself.   

- I'm Dan. - he answered, smiling back.

Luna made a curious face.

- I haven't met many dogs with human names. - she said.

Dan smiled again.

- Well, Luna is a human name too. – he said. – And I think it's a beautiful name. – those last words came out before he could hold them.

Luna chuckled. She was even more beautiful when she was smiling.

A girl called Luna's name from the crowd.

- Nice to meet you, Dan. See you. - she said and walked away.

- Sure... - Dan said, though knowing she couldn’t hear it anymore. He unconsciously smiled, unaware of things around him.

But suddenly he gave himself an imaginary kick. It was ridiculous, he was a human! How could he feel like that about Luna? Even with that thought, he couldn't take his eyes off her until she disappeared within the crowd. “How on Earth did you get yourself in that, Daniel?! Cheerleaders, other schools girls, anything, but this?!”, he thought. That situation seemed just too ridiculous.

- Dan, anything wrong? - Jenna asked, taking Dan back to the reality.

- Nothing. - he lied, giving a last glance to where Luna had gone. 

- Do you want to eat anything before the teams get back? - Jenna asked. - You look like you haven't eaten lately.

Jenna was right. Dan didn't eat anything since he arrived in Nome. He didn't even feel hungry by that time. Yet, he had felt his stomach growling for food earlier, but the excitement of the race had snuffed it away.

- Yeah, please. - he accepted Jenna's offer.

- Okay, let's go to Rosie's house. - Jenna said, and started walking.

Dan remembered that he never knew how Balto fed. He had no master to feed him, so… While they were walking to Rosie’s house, Dan got closer to Boris.