and taunt him for being part wolf. They would say all sorts of horrible to things and push him around, kicking snow in his face, or nipping at his tail as he ran away.

But what the other dogs did to him was never as bad as what Steele would do. While the other dogs were content with simply shouting things at him, Steele would actively find Balto and physically attack him with his trio of friends in order to get back at him for their last fight. Balto may have been able to fight off one or two of them, he could never hold his own against four.

However, there remained one dog that refused to pick on him - Jenna. More than once she tried to make the others leave him alone, but she would rarely succeed. Worse still, the dogs would sometimes make fun of her too, calling her names such as 'wolf lover'. Unfortunately, she couldn't be there all the time, and most times Balto had no one to stick up for him. He did appreciate what little help she could give, but it would never fully reverse the damage done by the other dog's hurtful actions.

If he could have, he would have avoided the town altogether, but it was winter and the butcher shop scraps were the only reliable source of food, meaning Balto had to make almost daily trips into town. As hard as he tried to avoid it, someone would always see him and any dog in the area would rush to him in order to pick on him. The stress of being constantly bullied was taking its toll on Balto. “It’s all Steele’s fault! If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t pick on me all the time. I hate him! I want to see him to pay for what he’s done to me.” Despite Jenna's help, the constant harassment was making Balto bitter and more aggressive every day.

At first, when the dogs bullied him, he would simply walk away from their taunting, but the more times it happened, the more defensive Balto would get. He was getting sick of what they were saying, so he would crouch low and snarl at the dogs to try to scare them off. Sometimes they backed off, but most of the time, they would keep taunting him. Finally, it got to a point where Balto couldn't take what they were saying and he would lash out, once slashing open a dog's muzzle. It would always make them retreat, but after a few minutes they would come back and the whole thing would start over again.

Balto didn't see anything wrong with snapping back at the dogs, but Boris thought otherwise. “Balto, growling and fighting back won’t help you. It’s what they want you to do. They want to provoke you,” he said.

“Well what else can I do? I try to run, but they keep coming after me! Why can’t I fight back?” Balto replied.

“Because that would only prove what they are saying. They think that you are a dangerous wolf that will hurt them. Fighting back only confirms that.”

“But they started it!”

“That’s no excuse to finish it. Fighting them will make you no better than them.”

“But they still pick on me even when I don’t attack them! I want to show them that I won't take it lying down. I just want them to stop it.”

“I know you want it to stop, but this is not the way. If you keep fighting back at them, then they'll keep fighting back at you. You two will keep going around and around in a violent cycle with both of you only getting angrier and angrier at each other. The only way for it to stop is for you break that cycle.” Balto paced around the boat deck, still unconvinced. “Balto, this isn’t like you. You are a kind soul, and I don’t know why they can’t see that. You saved those two polar bears and until recently you were never aggressive with any dogs.”

“That’s because they were never like this with me before. The only reason they’re doing it is because Steele told those lies about me.”

“Okay, but if you keep fighting them, then you will only be confirming those lies. If you don’t act the way Steele says you do, then they’ll eventually figure out that he is a liar and stop.”

Balto thought it over. “Even if that happens, which it probably won’t, it wouldn’t change anything. They’ll still hate me for being part wolf.”

Boris tried to think of a counter point, but nothing came to mind after that. “Balto, I really don’t know what else to say that will make you feel better.”

“That’s because there isn’t anything you can say,” Balto replied. “I’m stuck being the outcast.” Boris could see that he wasn’t helping much, so he left Balto alone to sulk.

“I hate Steele! This is all because of him. I wish that something really bad would happen to him. I wish that he would go away forever and leave me alone.”

----------

A few days later, Balto was doing what he been doing almost all his life: running through the town to get away from Steele and his gang. Like all the other times before, it wasn’t because he had done anything to them, it was simply because he was there, and Steele felt like using him as a punching bag. Balto quickly turned down an alley, hoping to lose them in the side streets, but the alley was a dead end. He turned and saw the four dogs approaching him.

“Alright guys, lets do what we do best with wolves,” Steele growled as he sent his trio in front to gang up on Balto. This was what Balto hated most; Steele would rarely face him directly, he would always have his friends gang up on him and rough him up. Balto was sick of it and wanted Steele to face him directly.

“Hey Steele, why don’t you fight like a real dog and face me yourself, without your friends?” Balto growled. Nikki, Kaltag and Star just laughed at this, but Steele decided to take him up on his offer.

“Alright wolf, you want me, here I am. You three hang back, I’ll be finished with him soon.” They backed away and left the alley while Steele started to circle Balto. “You know, I never thought you’d have the guts to challenge me like that Balto. I guess you’re made of sterner stuff than I thought.”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” Balto replied. At this point, Balto didn’t care how much Steele could hurt him; he just wanted to hurt him back.

“I wonder where you get your bravery from,” Steele grinned evilly. “Although, I know it can’t come from your parents.”

“What?”

“Did you ever know your dad Balto? I didn’t think so. I bet he left you first. Probably couldn’t stand up to the fact that he had mated with a wild wolf and was going to have a half-breed kid. I know I wouldn’t stick around if that happened.”

Balto growled at Steele’s remark. “How dare you! My father did not leave me like that! You shut up or else!”

“And then there’s your mom,” Steele continued. “Oh she was probably so ashamed of what had happened too. She probably left you, hoping to forget about you.”

“You didn’t even know my mother, how could you say something like that?!”

“Would she be glad to see that you’re a survivor? Maybe, maybe not. You’d probably remind her of her mistake.”

“I’m not a mistake…” Balto growled through his teeth. “Any more, and he is going to get it. I’ll make him regret every word.”

“Oh yes you are Balto. You and all wolfdogs are mistakes. You’re not all dog, but you’re not all wolf. You’re nothing, and I’ll make sure every dog knows that. Even Jenna will know it,” he hissed.

“No… ” Jenna was the only dog who still didn't pick on him. He couldn't stand to lose her. “Not her. You leave her alone Steele!”

“Oh yes Balto. It’s a shame though; she seems to really like you. But at some point, she’s going to realize what you are. She won’t want to even look at you, you lowly, dirty wolf.”

That was the last straw; Balto would not let Steele turn Jenna against him. He snarled and launched himself at Steele, forgetting everything except his blinding rage. He wanted to make Steele pay for everything he had said and done to him. Steele was taken completely by surprise as Balto bit down into his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Balto snarled ad he swung his paws wildly and bit him repeatedly, trying to do as much damage as possible. Shoulders, face, back, anything Balto could reach he attacked.

Steele tried to shake him off, but Balto was simply attacking too fast and he couldn’t get a clear shot. Finally, he kicked out with his rear leg and managed to kick Balto in the chest, knocking him off. He turned around to call his trio, but they were gone. Balto got back up, still growling and for the first time, Steele felt fear. He was alone and Balto seemed intent on killing him.

Steele tried to run out to the main street, but Balto jumped on him, latching onto the back of his neck. Steele tried to shake him off, but Balto’s hold on him was too strong. In desperation, he ran, dragging Balto with him. He ran right through a door into an abandoned building and smashed Balto into a wall, finally dislodging him. They were in what used to be someone’s home, but the owners had moved away, leaving the building to rot.

----------

Present Day

One year later, Balto and Steele were in the same abandoned building, facing off each other once again.

“Well doesn’t this bring back memories Balto?” Steele asked. “We were here a year ago, and here we are again. Funny how