safe in, she wanted to run into town but knew the monster could follow her and attack then, she’d be dooming her family. She ran into the wilderness.
Jenna ran for what she thought was hours, her paws hurt, she was breathing heavily but she kept running, she was so scared but more for her loved ones than herself, she couldn’t imagine how Balto would react if that monster killed her. She finally stopped and collapsed, breathing hard. It was a few moments before she could stand. She looked around, she wasn’t too far from Nome, she was on the end opposite of the place she started, she’d reach Balto’s boat before Nome, that was fine with her. She started to walk back to Nome. Something grabbed her by the hind leg and took her into the air. To her terror, she looked into the Outsider’s evil eyes. She couldn’t read anything in those eyes but pure cruelty and evil. It let out another warped laugh that mocked her mate’s and threw her. She slammed hard into a tree and let out a loud yelp. She landed on the ground as it approached. For a second she thought about playing dead before remembering what the monster did to its victims. She looked up at it as she heard the click as its claws extended. She whimpered as it lifted its weapon into the air and drove it forwards. She closed her eyes and awaited her death. When she didn’t die she opened her eyes. The monster had stopped inches from her snout, she could smell the blood on them. It wasn’t looking at her, she followed its gaze and found Tina standing nearby.
"Let her go Outsider! Its me you want." said Tina, hopping the monster would chase her.
The Outsider looked at Tina for a second. Its head snapped back to Jenna. Its claws retracted and it pointed to her before roaring in her face. It then turned and ran after Tina who ran off.
Jenna was still shocked, she was inches from dieing but it wanted a chance to kill Tina over taking her life. Its massage was clear though. It was saying ‘You got lucky’. She knew now where the smell of rotten meat back in the cave came from, the monster’s breath. Balto ran up to her, worry obvious on his face. He nuzzled her lovingly. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I think so." she said. She tried to stand and walk but her front ankle gave out and she went face first into the snow. She tried again with the same result, this time with a little pain in her ankle. She growl. "Why does this keep happening to me?"
Balto would of laughed if it wasn’t such a serious moment. He helped her up and let her lean on him. "Lets get you back to Nome."
"But what about Tina?"
"She’ll be fine, she has more experience with this monster than we do. She’ll meet us back at the boat." It was sunrise when they got within view of Balto’s boat. "Do you want to rest on the boat for awhile?" he asks.
"Yes." replied Jenna, her ankle was hurting pretty bad.
Tina came running up, breathing hard. "Ok, I lost it in the woods and I’m guessing it headed back to its lair with the sun rising." she said once she caught her breath.
"Sorry for running out like that."
"I can’t blame you for that. Its fine." Tina thought for a second. "I think its important for us to fully trust each other, there is something else I’ve been keeping from you but this a far more joyous thing."
"What is it?" asked Balto, hopping for some good news.
Tina walked back to where Balto and Jenna’s prints lay in the snow. She put her paw between the two sets of prints, when she lifted it, what they saw shocked Balto and Jenna. Tina’s paw print looked more like Balto’s than Jenna’s and was larger than Jenna’s. Tina giggled. "Big paws run in my family."
Balto’s eyes went wide when he heard that, he remember saying the same thing months ago to Jenna. "You’re part wolf aren’t you?"
Tina nodded with a smile. "Yes, I got it from my great, great, great grandfather and I got my looks from his mate."
Balto and Jenna looked at each other then at Tina, then they realized what she meant. "Balto, she has your eyes." said Jenna, still in a little shock.
Balto looked in a puddle nearby at his own eyes then at Tina’s, sure enough they were the same. "We’re your ancestors?" he asked.
Tina nodded and reared her head skywards before letting out a howl, not like the mocking howl Steele would sometimes do but a true wolf’s howl…

Rivals

Nome, Alaska, 7 am;

Tina finished her howl and walked over to her ancestors. "Yeah, the descendent I was talking about was my mom. She was so proud to be related to you and so am I." she said.
Balto was a little shocked but Jenna wasn’t. "I’m glad to hear it. I guess that explains why you look so much like me." said Jenna.
Balto nodded. "Yeah…I know this is supposed to be happy but that monster is still on the loose…Tina if you’re my descendent, what would happen if the Outsider killed me or Jenna?" he asked.
Tina cocked her head a little confused. "Well I’m not sure. Ether I’d simply disappear from existence or nothing because I’m not in the future so changes to the timeline might not effect me, that and it would make a time paradox." she said.
"A what?"
"A time paradox, lets see how do I explain this? Well if the Outsider killed one of you, you wouldn’t have pups and as such my ancestors wouldn’t be born and nether would I. If I was never born the Outsider wouldn’t be linked to me and couldn’t come back in time. If it never came back in time, it couldn’t kill you and I would be born and it would come back and kill you, stopping me from being born, stopping it from killing you-"
"Alright, I get the point, you’re starting to make my head hurt." Balto rubbed his head with his paw to show it.
"I know, time travel can do that to you." she smiled a little.
Jenna smiled in response. "We will stop that thing, I’d rather die than let it kill my family." she said bravely.
"Same goes for me, backing down isn’t something that works for me." said Balto.
Tina nodded. "Right, I’ve had that monster connected to me for a long time, I won’t stop until that thing is beaten for good." she said. She saw Jenna’s injured paw. "What happened?"
Jenna was confused for a second before she followed Tina’s gaze to her hurt ankle. "Oh, the Outsider threw me, I guess I landed hard on this paw." she said.
"Well lets get onto the boat and I’ll check you out, I know a few medical facts, this big brain of mine comes in handy sometimes." Tina smiled.
"Thank you."
The three begin to walk toward the boat again. "So Tina, how do you feel about being part wolf?" asked Balto, curious.
Tina laughed. "Well interesting question. I am very proud to be part wolf, even if its rather small. I wish I was more wolf, maybe Damien wouldn’t of picked me up if I looked like a wolf pup." said Tina with a laugh.
Balto smiled a little. "Yeah, though a good human might of not wanted you ether."
"I’d rather have no one than a psychopath and a homicidal genetic freak."
"Point taken."
They get up on the deck and lay Jenna down. Tina looks over Jenna’s ankle, it was a little swollen. Tina felt it with her paw, Jenna winced a little, it hurt a good bit. Tina continued and when she stopped she gave Jenna a smile. "Don’t worry, its not broken, it will be sore for awhile but you’ll be fine."
Jenna smiled. "That’s good." she said.
Balto nuzzled his mate. "I’m so glad you’re safe, it could have been a lot worse." he said. He was about to say something else when something hit him rather hard in the side. He went skidding across the deck, his shoulder getting cut up from splinters. He got up to find Steele standing where he was moments earlier. Steele’s white fur was still tinted pink from Tina and Jenna’s prank. "What are you doing here?"
Steele growled. "Well I waited all night for you to come sleep so I could kill you but you didn’t show up." he said.
Jenna’s eyes went wide, she was afraid Steele would try that. "That’s low, even for you." she said.
Steele ignored her and charged Balto. Balto tried to get out of the way but his injured shoulder prevented him from being fast enough. He braced himself for the impact. Steele collided with Balto, who stood his ground and pushed back. Steele bit down on Balto’s shoulder. Balto returned the favor.
"Balto!" said Jenna as she tried to rise but her ankle hurt too much.
"Jenna, you relax, I’ll hel-" said Tina her eyes went wide as she was interrupted by the Outsider’s mental voice.
Hello traitor. I am going to share a little secret with you, you know how you think you’ve lost some of your memories? You didn’t lose them, I stole them. said the evil voice.
"Tina, what’s wrong?" asked Jenna, something was wrong.
"The Outsider is talking to me, it can do that through the link." said Tina. "What do you mean ‘stole them’?" she asked in her head.
Just that, I took your memories, they are in my mind to use as I chose, did you enjoy that bit of your past I gave you while I was in the time stream? asked the Outsider.
Tina gasped. "That was you? You gave me that nightmare? Why?"
I can taste you fear, it is quite a wonderful taste. Now I’m going to give you a bit of info that will give you a new idea of your ‘heroic ancestor’.
Tina’s eyes went wide before they closed and she collapsed, unconscious. "Tina? Are you alright?" asked Jenna, very frightened.
Steele snapped his head to the side and threw Balto across the deck. Balto quickly got up. "Half-breed, do yourself a favor and just let me kill you."
"I don’t want to fight you Steele." replied Balto.
"Then I’ll just tear you apart." Steele charged at Balto, Balto jumped to the side to avoid him then drove his head into Steele’s ribs. Steele fell to the deck but got up quickly. "I thought you said you didn’t want to fight."
"I don’t but that doesn’t mean I won’t if I have to. This is your last warning, if we fight I won’t hold back this time."
"Nether will I."
"Don’t say I didn’t warn you." Balto leapt on Steele and clawed him across the face, leaving a bleeding cut. Steele replied with a swipe of his own, with a similar result. Balto bit down on Steele’s leg and yanked it out from under Steele. He pinned Steele to the deck and bit Steele’s shoulder. Steele