ran.  Fooled by the trick, the alpha male lunged at him.  Suddenly, Juneau pivoted and ducked beneath Shonee's legs.  He clung to the pale wolf's back as he howled in pain.  Remember what Aspen taught you, the hybrid thought, and he suddenly let go.  Confused and blinded by pain, the villain spun around to meet him, but not straight-on.  Juneau rammed his small body squarely at Shonee, and they met shoulder-to-shoulder.  

It had the effect of a small, hard object hurled a long distance.  Overcome with the sharp pain of what felt like a large rock, Shonee staggered.  Pawnee took over, tackling and knocking down the leader. 

Juneau stood back, exhausted and cut-up but satisfied as the rest of the clan materialized, thundering over the wall of stone.  He could see the back elder standing at the edge, gazing at him with intense satisfaction radiating from his almond-shaped eyes.  The wolfdog grinned, and his grin only got wider when he caught a small glimpse of Balto hurling himself over the side alongside Aspen.

Before long the fight was over.  Shonee, exhausted and bruised, was firmly held in check by four wolves.  Several loners under his command had been spotted and captured.  Deprived of their leader, they gave up easily, and when the dust settled, there were a only a few scratches to prove that a battle had taken place.  Juneau, Pawnee, and Aspen had the worst marks to show of, and they were only slightly winded.  The three turned as Balto trotted up to them.

"Looks like I missed most of the fun, eh?"  Balto's gaze swept over Pawnee, Aspen, and Juneau.  It lingered on his nephew, and he nodded in satisfaction.  "You're a natural at this fighting stuff, kiddo."  He scrubbed Juneau's head.

"Are you all right?"  Pawnee moved closer to Aspen and began to lick a few cuts on her shoulder.  She smiled and winked exclusively at Juneau, who did the same.  She smirked as he turned to her, concerned.  "Of course I'm all right, silly.  My apprentice did all the fighting.  Well, almost all of it," she amended with a smile.  "Let's go back to the cave and have some dinner, shall we?  I'm starved."

After a good dinner and a barrage of questions from the others, Juneau was sleepy and contented, especially after he recalled how Shonee had been banished from the mountain, never to return.  He felt himself nodding off when a large creamy paw nudged him to wakefulness.  "Juneau?  It's me.  I need to talk to you.  The elder, Pawnee, and Aspen are waiting."  It was Balto.  He scooted the pup out of the cave entrance and into the soft twilight.  They could both make out three shadows - a scruffy, stooped one, a strong, wiry one, and a slender, sleek one.  They sat down next to their friends.

"Juneau, you have proven yourself a capable leader.  In time, you could be a great ruler of the Northern Heights clan.  However, is that what you want to do?"  The elder faced him gravely.  "If you don't want to, you don't have to."

Juneau thought of the strange humans, so tall and queer-acting, and of Cal and the other bully dogs in Nome, and of the sled dogs and a dream that he'd never see fulfilled.  He thought of Aunt Jenna and Uncle Balto and Brite and Boris and the wild, uninhabited beach, and the peaceful boat on warm summer nights, with the waves lapping against the shore.  But most of all, he remembered his father, the wolf clan leader.  He turned back to his fellow lupines.

"I want to stay here," he said slowly, "if I can still visit my aunt and uncle and my friend who lives close by."

The elder pondered the request.  Finally he spoke.  "Consider it done, boy."

The pup and his uncle jumped and rolled over and over each other in glee.  "I can still visit you!"  Juneau cried.  "And you can visit me!"

"You bet, kid!"  Balto panted happily.

Three months later....(Epilogue)

"Brite!  You're here!"  Juneau, taller and stronger than ever, bounced down the rocky mountain path to meet his friend.  She'd been to visit many times since Juneau had gone into training to become the next leader of the wolf clan.  This time around, her face was sober under the pleased mask.  He noticed, and asked her about it.

"Oh, Juneau," she whispered, "my owner decided to move south, and left me here.  I've been all on my own for the past week, and it's been miserable.  But I can handle it," she added quickly, her icy blue eyes taking on a steely look.

"Well, maybe you can stay here," Juneau said, ignoring his friend's stubborn look.  It told him that she could handle living alone, but he knew otherwise.  She might survive, but Cal and the others would torment her to no end.  Nudging her gently, he guided her up the path.

"Where are you taking me?  Back to the clan?"  Brite's tone was casual, but Juneau knew her enough to hear the excited edge in it.  She liked to wrestle with Aspen and talk with Pawnee, who was taking over the leadership role until Juneau was old enough to.  "Yes.  By the way," Juneau remembered suddenly, "There's talk about Pawnee and Aspen becoming mates."

"Really?  I knew it all along."  Brite smiled knowingly. 

Before long they'd reached the top, where wolves rushed to greet them.  The wolves all liked Brite as much as she liked them.  They eagerly agreed to the idea of her staying with them, and she spluttered her gratefulness.

"No problem," laughed Pawnee, with Aspen at his side.  "What are friends for?"

"You've never been more right," Juneau responded, butting Brite playfully.