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Oh, darn. Sorry bout that. I must have been thinking about some other part of the movie

I had to think carefully about this next chapter, especially since the arguement between Aleu and Balto is something that a lot of people didn't like, because they say that Aleu was being too nasty. It took forever, but here's the next chapter.

Time was passing, months flew by, and Balto's children were growing up. Aleu and Kiro remained as outcasts, but they were happy and playful again. (Adoption day had left them emotionally scarred for weeks.) They were now more than a year old, and Balto's old boat belonged to them now. The last of the snow was melting, and Spring had arrived. There was to be a Spring celebration in the boiler room, and Balto and his family were the guests of honor today. They arrived, and the other dogs, Doc up front, greeted Balto, Jenna, and their children happily.

"Hey Balto! How are you?"

"Are those your pups? They've grown so big!"

Suddenly, a cold, smooth voice cut through the chatter,

"Well, well. Isn't this nice? Four red mutts that have none of their mother's beauty, and two scraggly wolves that take after their hideous excuse of a father!" There Steele was, the monster himself, still charming and sinister. He turned his glare to Jenna, "Well, Jenna, you better watch your back, cus you've got three wolves instead of one that could tear you limb from limb at any moment!"

This made Aleu furious.

"Hey, you'd better watch it, or your theory may come true. Only it won't be Mom, it'll be YOU!"

"Oooh, hoohoohoo, I'm so scared!"

Balto and Jenna were both blind with rage, ready to attack Steele as soon as possible. The town dogs were trying to stop the fight, except for the fact that several of them had forgotten about last year's events, and were currently in Steele's favor. But most of them had the right ideas, and simply walked out on Steele and his four or five buddies just like they did last year. Doc turned to Balto, Jenna, and the others, put his head down, and sadly whispered,

"I'm so sorry."

He walked off, just like that.

Balto turned to Aleu and Kiro, and they were clearly very angry. There were several seconds of silence, and Aleu broke it with a growling whisper,

"Dad, how could you do this to us? This has gone far enough. I can't live like this! I just need to be alone!" She was practically shouting by now. "Why do people still hate us, even after all you've been through!?"

"They just don't understand."

"Well I do. I know that if no one here accepts us, maybe our own kind will! I'm sorry, but just leave me alone right now!"

She ran off, through the town, past the boat, along the beach, and into the forest.

"Aleu!" Jenna called.

"No, Jenna. Not yet. She'll come home, I know it." But deep inside, he seriously doubted this. Kiro stepped up.

"Maybe you won't go after her, but she's my sister. I need to go, too."

Before anyone could stop him, he was running along Aleu's path, both of them destined to find out who they were, in time.

Next chapter:

"Balto, this is ridiculous. You can't just let them run off like that."

"Don't worry about it, Jen. They'll come home."

"'Don't worry about it They'll be fine.' Ha! Like there's nothing out there that could possibly kill them. There's just bears, wolverines, wolves, cliffs, fires and the ocean. Sometimes your carelessness sickens me. I don't care what you do, but I'm going out to find them. Good night!"

Jenna stormed off before Balto could say anything. This had gone too far. He would spend the night on his boat, and go after them first thing in the morning. He sighed and headed out to the old wooden ship.

At about sunrise, he felt himself plunge into darkness, and before he knew it, his warm blanket was gone and Balto was at a pounding run. The raven was after him again, and a herd of caribou was up front. It didn't take long for the raven to catch him, but he didn't flash awake like he did perviously. Instead, he had a vision within his dreaming mind, of the icy mountain in front of him crumbling and becoming ice floes in the ocean ahead. The caribou began to cross the ice dotted water. He heard a voice, a warm motherly one, and a very familiar one, speaking to him.

"My son, you need to know the animal totems who will help guide you now."

Then, the faces of the five animals below the raven on the totem pole appeared as the female voice spoke to him.

"The fox: the cunning trickster. The wolverine: your fears. The bear: inner knowing. Caribou: life."

As the wolf appeared, there was a howl, and Balto awoke. No sooner had he done so, when a silouette was visible in the shadows.

"Dad, you awake?"

"Kiro, is that you? Where's Aleu? Have you seen Jenna?"

"I talked to Aleu, but she was still mad. I tried to reason with her. She said she would fight me if I didn't leave her alone, and I didn't exactly back down." He stepped out of the shadows, and many deep cuts and gashes were visible on his legs, chest, back, stomach and face. "And no, I haven't seen Mom around. Where did she run off to?"

"She went looking for you and Aleu. Kiro, we need to go back out there."

"Okay. Let's go."

Wow, that's new.
Great job so far! I look forward to more.
(Personally, this is so much better than the real thing!) Don't give up!

Spring break is finally here, so I can put production of this story and my other one into overdrive!

Balto and Kiro had been searching for hours, but there was nothing to provide the slightest hint of Aleu's or Jenna's location. But finally, they picked up Aleu's scent and followed it to a rocky outcropping, under which was Aleu, shivering, scratched up, and miserable.

"Aleu!" Balto called, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Dad. Just leave me alone."

"Look, I know you're upset, but I came to-"

"Don't even talk to me, alright! This is all your fault. Explain yourself, or else!"

"Okay. My dad was a brown husky named Kiro. One day, he met a beautiful white wolf. I don't remember her name, but-"

"Sure, you remember the dog's name!"

"Aleu, stop it. Dad's trying to explain."

"Thank you Kiro. They were forbidden from each other because they were different, and each one was engaged with one of their own kind. Mom was supposed to be with a black wolf named Kamaio, and Dad was betrothed to a silver husky by the name of Laurana. But they did not abide the law, and before Mom had my siblings and I, Kamaio killed my father out of jealousy. After Mom had us, Kamaio prepared for another strike, but he was caught in the act and exiled from the pack. When my siblings and I were five months old, Mom walked to the top of a clif. Swirling white winds surrounded her, and she began to fade away. As she vanished, she told us to split up and find a guardian to take care of each of us. That when when I found Boris, and the rest is history."

He was shocked to find Aleu growling at him, and advancing with teeth bared.

"Aleu, what are you doing?"

"You bring misery to families. Why couldn't you just live alone so the next generation doesn't have to suffer?"

"How can you say that?"

"If you can't change the past, what's the next best thing?"

"You wouldn't! I'm your father!"

"I don't know you anymore!"

She was just about to lunge for him, when Jenna suddenly jumped between them.

"This ends. Now!"

"Jenna?"

"Mom?"

Aleu forgot her rage, and instead was filled with surprise.

"I'm glad I got here in time." She shot her glance to Balto. "You could have been killed, and by your own daughter!"

"I appreciate your help, but you need to go home. This is something that Aleu, Kiro and I have to work out together. I can manage now."

"Fine. Just don't get hurt. I can't stand to lose you."

"Don't worry. It's not the first time."

They nuzzled, and Aleu took this time to silently slink away. Kiro was the first to notice.

"Dad! Aleu's gone!"

"We've gotta go. We'll be back in a few days, hopefully."

Father and son set out on their wolf quest together, and they were bound to recieve some help and obstacles on the way.

Writing this is a lot of fun! Here's some more.

"I can't believe this. Ho could I let her get away like that?"

"Dad, it's not your fault. I can't believe my sister almost killed you!"

"It's not her fault. She was just mad."

"Well, enough standing around. We gotta find her."

They walked along a river bank, and Balto heard a stange sound. Little did he know, the image of a white wolf was there in the fog. It's eyes lit up, and Balto gasped and turned. It was gone.

"Dad, what is it?"

"Oh nothing. I thought I heard something."

Shortly after that, a raven, identical to the one Balto saw in his dream, appeared.

"Kiro, look!"

"Should we follow it?"

"I think that's what it wants us to do! Come on!"

They took off after the raven, which then disappeared into the fog. There was a log crossing a ravine, and Balto figured he may as well go across it as anywhere.

"Kiro, wait here."

"He hopped onto the log, and saw a swaying branch. As he approached toward it, the same voice from his dream rang out,

"The cunning trickster."

With that, a small figure appeared beside the branch. It was a female fox, tied to the branch by a trap. She had a sly, sultry voice that made Balto caution whether this fox was to be trusted.

"Hello there, Wolfdog. For a second or two, I thought that you might be a hunter, but today's my lucky day, and yours."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll help you on your little adventure if you get me out of here."

As if to prove her point, she tugged on the trap with her tail and forepaw.

"Okay."

Balto pulled the rope off, and the fox stood up and began walking toward him.

"How can you help me?"

"Easy. You just need a little push."

She nudged his legs in the slightest manner, and Balto fell into the river.

Kiro had not seen the fox, but he saw Balto fall from the log.

"Dad!" he called,"I'm coming!"

He jumped into the water after his father. Balto shouted, enraged, from the water.

"You said you would help me!"

"I did. Let the current take you to your destination!"

Kiro swam furiously after his father, as Balto tagged along the current like the fox said. Eventually, they both came to a stop at the riverbank where the water was calmer. Kiro manage to sputter,

"Who were you talking to?"

"A...fox. She said she would help me, and instead knocked me into the water."

They rested for a while, and woke to a pleasant surprise.

"Dad, I smell something."

"Me too." He sniffed again. "It's Aleu!"

They pulled themselves to their feet and ran after the trail.

Back in town, Jenna had just arrived home. She only told her two friends, Sylvie and Dixie, of what happened, but by the end of the day, the story spread to the whole town. She heard Kaltag, once again, using all of the different words to describe it.

"That Aleu is the most spoiled, the nastiest, the most vicious,"

"She almost killed her own father!"

Star was treated to another punch, as usual. Jenna didn't see it as that big a deal, but that night, a town meeting was held regarding the situation.

"In conclusion, Aleu, daughter of Balto and Jenna, will not be allowed to return to Nome. Resistance will be met with severe consequences."

"No! She was just angry. She didn't know what she was doing! It's my duty to protect and care for my children, and if you want to banish her for something that is not her fault, and happens often at her age, don't expect to see me again anytime soon!"

Jenna left the boiler room. She was angry at herself.

"Why did I have to tell them? Now Balto and Aleu are going to hate me. There has to be a way to warn them."

She was entranced, deep in thought, while Balto and Kiro faced problems of their own.

This is WAY better than the real Balto 2! Write more! WRITE MORE! PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE!

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I was actually thinking about starting over. I finished a good chunk of it already, and I personally think that I did a much better job at writing this one that its previous version. I really hope it's not too much of a disappointment, as I really am trying to make this the best that I can. Here's what I've done so far.



Balto ran across a vast sheet of ice, pursued by a great black raven with blood red eyes. The ice around him was cracking, and he had to slip frantically around to avoid being crushed by falling chunks. As another iceburg fell, the ground crumbled and buckled beneath Balto, tossing him a few feet above the ground. He splashed down on top of an ice floe, catching his breath, which was visible in the frigid air. The raven cawed behind him, so he began running again, leaping over the gaps between the ice floes. He looked back, sure he had lost the raven, but it was closer than ever, and when Balto turned his head back, he was staring right at a pack of wolves that had mysteriously appeared, and were now lying in wait, teeth bared, eyes glowing. He looked back at the raven, and again foward at the wolves. He was hopelessly trapped. The raven plunged. The wolves pounced. Balto vanished before any of them reached him, for a voice was awakening him.

"Balto! Balto, wake up!"

"Wha- What?"

Balto was being shaken awake by Jenna; It took him a moment to remember that he was in her house.

"Come on Balto, I've been trying to wake you for hours. You want to sleep all day or do you want to see the new puppies?"

She gestured to a basket, and in it were six tiny pups. Three were vibrant burgundy with markings just like their mother. One was darker red, like the others but without white around her eyes. The last two had identical facial markings, with faces like Jenna's except for a bridgeline running down their muzzles, like Balto. One of them was a caramel colored female, and the other was male, a rusty brown color.

"Wow, Jenna. They're little miracles, all of them. Just like you."

"You too. So, have you been having that dream again?"

"Yeah. It's kind of strange that I've been having that dream every night ever since you told me that you were going to have pups. Almost two months is a long time to see yourself getting chased by ravens."

"You've told me that the dream has ravens, wolves, foxes, wolverines, bears, and caribou, right?"

"That's right."

"Those animals are all on the totem pole outside of town, which has been there for a little more than two months. I'm starting to think that this is all connected. And one more thing. I don't think that we should tell them that they are part wolf, at least not until the situation absolutely requires it." Seeing Balto's concerned face, she quickly added, "I know what I'm doing. Trust me."

Balto looked back at Jenna and the pups before leaving to tell his friends the good news. He visited the boiler room, and sure enough, there were Nikki, Kaltag, and Star, rattling off their stories as usual. Nikki was sitting slightly farther away from Kaltag and Star, and instead with a female husky named Iyla and his two young sons, Kirby and Ralph. Kaltag was, apparantly, telling a long winded tale, all the while trying to keep Star from butting in.

"I have cousins in six different countries- Star, be quiet! There are three in Russia, one in Nor- Stop it, Star! Norway, two in Finland- Star, if you don't stop talking, I'm gonna beat you like a cheap drum! One in Canada, three at the North Pole, and five, count'em, five, all the way down in- I have had it with you Star! Antarctica!"

"I'm so sorry Kaltag, just a little excited that's all, I didn't mean to- Okay, I'll stop talking."

"Hi guys! Nikki, Kaltag, Star, Iyla!"

"Oh, hey Balto! How's Jenna?"

"That's what I came to tell you about, Star. Jenna just had them last night. There are six! Speaking of that, how's your niece doing?"

"Oh, Dusty's great, and so are Misty and Kuma. My brother's a great dad to all three of them."

"Glad to hear it. So Nikki, Kirby and Ralph are coming along well?"

"Both are excellent there, but between me and yous, Ralphy's a bit of a dope."

"Dad! I heard that!"

"Well, it's true, Ralphy-boy!"

"Very funny, Kirby!"

"Hey, for three months old, they're not that bad. Good luck to yous Balto! The first month's the hardest!"

"Thanks Nikki!"

Balto didn't have time to stay long. He was on one more sled run for the season today before the snow melted, and after going back to say one last goodbye to Jenna, was on his way.

The run lasted longer than Balto expected. It was almost two weeks long, but during the trip, Jenna would go to certain checkpoints so that she and Balto could keep in touch at a couple of intervals. They had arrived at the names for the pups this way, which were Dingo, Saba, and Lena, after Jenna's mother, father, and sister, Aleu and Kodi, after the Aleutian Islands and the Kodiak Islands, and Kiro, after Balto's father.

And when he did return, he was greeted as a hero. A banner hung across the main street, reading, "Welcome Back Balto: Hero of Nome". This was no surprise. It happened every time he returned from somewhere. His pups, however were not used to it. Their curiosity for what he had done that made him so special resulted in Balto spending hours recapping his adventure to them, and what happened afterwards, like him finally befriending Steele. They all enjoyed his fascinating stories, Aleu, Kodi, and Kiro most of all. Balto also enjoyed taking them on adventures, out in some of the places that he passed on his journey. They got to see the once frozen lake, and the former ice cave, and at the lake, Aleu swore that she saw the ghost of the bear that Balto fought and drowned under the frigid water.

"Dad, I know what I saw! It was black, blue, and yellow, but it was also see-through! It was walking on the water, and it turned its head and growled at me!" She protested, but this sighting was met with utter disbelief from her siblings, Kodi especially.

"Sometimes, I think that Dad has to stop telling you these stories. They're making you see things. It was probably just a shadow, or some funny colored fog. There are no ghosts or spirits, or anything like that."

"Then what about the white wolf? She was a spirit. Dad said so!"

"Aleu, come on. We're talking about a guy who got Mom with a northern lights trick and some fancy sledding."

"Just wait a couple months. You'll think very differently when you're older. But you'll still always be my baby brother."

"By twenty minutes. Twenty measly minutes!"

Kodi hated being called the younger sibling by Aleu. He was the second oldest but she still treated him like a baby. She considered him a tantrum-throwing loser sometimes because he gets angry a lot and is not the best runner. No matter what he said, he did look up to Balto. He considered him his greatest hero.

The pups were reaching a month and a half, and would be eight weeks old soon. Dingo and Kodi had recently met Kirby, Ralph, and Dusty, and were becoming close friends, even though their ages were several weeks apart. Saba, the youngest and the shyest, prefered to stay near Kiro and her sister, Lena. Kiro often acted like a protective father around his youngest sister, and the two were very well bonded. She also spent a lot of time with Dingo, and while talking to him, Kiro, and Lena, she once said,

"Aleu and Kodi are nice once you get to know them, but there's something about them that scares me."

For being the youngest, Saba was teased a lot by most of her family and even some of the neighbors in town. She felt that Dingo and Kiro were the only ones who understood her, and her drive to prove to her siblings that she can amount to something.

Lena was never hesitant to do anything. She had a strong mind and could figure things out for herself. Brimming with courage, and great patience if not a short temper at times, she was often considered the "popular girl" around town. She was also known for her unique markings that made her stand alone from her siblings, and the subtle beauty that seemed to lie in her dark red face and copper colored eyes.

Kiro and Dingo were very close as brothers. They had mirror personalities despite their opposite appearances: Dingo's near perfect likeness to his mother, and Kiro's wolfish looks, markings identical to Aleu's, and rusty brown fur. They both had a bit of a stormy relationship with their two oldest siblings, and both shared a special connection with Saba. They were patient, quiet, considerate and brave. They hoped that they would get adopted together when the time came, because as brothers, they were the closest thing to best friends. Them saying this to Balto reminded him that they would be adopted in two days.

On the night before his final full day with his pups, Balto slept on Jenna's porch. After eight weeks of not having the dream, it had returned.

Balto was being relentlessly pursued by the raven once more, and looked back cautiously, seeing how far he was ahead, which wasn't a lot. He didn't see the fox sitting in front of him, and he whipped his head around when he finally noticed the sly-looking vixen blocking his path, and when he turned around, a ring of animals was forming around him: the fox, three wolverines, a bear, a herd of caribou, a pack of wolves, and, leading the group, was the raven, who cawed a signal that Balto was sure meant "Attack!" Every animal dove towards him, but Balto saw them sinking lower and realized that he was rising above the ground, atop the totem pole. He jumped down to see that his attackers had vanished, and circled the totem pole, reciting the animals that the carvings represented.

"Raven, fox, wolverine, bear, caribou, wolf."

As he quietly whispered "wolf," a familiar white lupine appeared, howled, and vanished, as Balto woke. Jenna and the pups were gone. They must have gone down to the beach, he thought, and started off in that direction. Sure enough, when he got down to the beach, there were Jenna and his pups, waiting for him.

"Good morning Balto. Dreaming again?"

"Yeah. Have you seen Boris around? I haven't visited him ever since I moved in with you."

"I was just talking to him. He's on the boat right now."

"Thanks. Just give me a few moments to catch up with him. I'll be right back."

Jenna nodded and let Balto go off to meet Boris, and he was back in a few minutes.

"So Jenna, why don't we show them around the boat later, and then come back here to watch the First Day of Summer fireworks?"

"It's all right with me. Look, I know you don't want to think about it yet, but they are getting adopted tomorrow after all. Where and when should we meet tomorrow?"

"How about at noon, and right between the hospital and the dry goods store? There should be a box or a crate around there somewhere."

"Alright. Don't worry about it Balto. They'll still live very nearby. If we want to, we could visit them every day!"

"You're right. Well, we got a great day ahead of us, so let's stop talking so we can get going and enjoy every minute of it."

The rest of the day sped by, and Balto saw every event, from playing on the beach to exploring the boat to the colorful fireworks, in a dizzying blur. Before he knew it, it was night, and then morning again. As promised, he met Jenna and the pups at noon between the hospital and the dry goods store. He couldn't help but smile when he saw what crate was being used. He also noticed Rosy sitting on the sidewalk, slowly swinging her sandalled feet. The now nine-year-old hugged Jenna with a tearful smile and gently petted Balto.

"Hi Balto. Mom and Dad said that I could come down here with you and Jenna. I already talked to a lot of kids I know, and they'd be glad to adopt your puppies."

Many people that Balto recognized passed by that day, all of them nice and accepting of the pups, no matter how they looked. It was their parents that posed the problem. Many requests to adopt Aleu or Kiro were reacted to by expressions of horror. One group of children who walked away with Dingo, Saba, and Kodi overheard their parents talking to each other about "the foolishness of owners who think that putting wolfdog pups up for adoption is okay." To them, the fact that they were descended from Balto didn't matter. By the end of the day, Aleu and Kiro were still in the crate. Little did they, Jenna, or even Balto know, this was just the beginning of their greatest adventure.

Well, the rewritten version is good so far...on Balto Source nobody cares about my rewritten version of Balto's puppyhood.

A new piece of the story is here. At the rate I'm going, there will probably be three or four "chapters" in the story. If Aleu's revenge plan on Kuma seems a little cheesy, that's intended. It shows an immature side of her, and you'll notice that going away later.
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For a little while, Balto, Jenna, and the pups visited each other often, usually every day. Summer and fall allowed a lot of free time, but once winter began, Balto was back on the sled team, and Kodi, Dingo, Saba, and Lena had began the training required to eventually become sled dogs themselves. Once Aleu and Kiro got older and began to look more like powerful wolves than harmless puppies, Rosy's father kicked them out of the house. With no where else to go, they took up refuge on the boat that had been Balto's home for the first three years of his life. As the time passed, the family drifted farther and farther apart, and Aleu and Kiro rarely saw any of their siblings or parents except for Balto. The outskirts of town were dangerous, and most dogs were forbidden from going there. When Lena heard about these rules, she irritably said,

"Oh, come on. The worst that can happen out there is being pounced on by two teenaged polar bears that have only swam once in their lifetime."

Everyone knew that there was no arguing with Lena, so Balto and Jenna never brought up the subject again. But just as their siblings had been warned about the outskirts, Aleu and Kiro had been warned about the hunting grounds. They often asked why, but an answer was never given. Either that, or Balto would start to tell them, recieve a "what-did-I-tell-you?" look from Jenna, and quickly change the subject.

Time continued to pass, and that year's summer began to draw to a close. The once vibrant green leaves on the trees now had tints and flecks of gold. Aleu, being the rebel and the leader that she was, completely ignored her father's warnings about the hunting grounds, and dragged Kiro along through them when there was nothing else to do, once even daring Kiro to walk through their center all by himself, and bursting out laughing when her brother came sprinting all the way back to the boat and hiding under the blanket after he heard distant thunder. Today, Aleu's idea was a way at getting revenge on Kuma, Dusty's brother, who took pride in insulting Aleu and Kiro for their wolfish looks, at least when Kodi wasn't around to stick up for them. He often called Aleu "Aloser", putting emphasis on the name with a howling sound. Kiro was almost always calm about the situation, and as much as he tried to convince the easily-angered Aleu to think his way, she never listened, and instead insisted on taking action. While Aleu and her brother took the shortcut towards Nome, she told Kiro her plan,

"I'm thinking we'll do this. We'll find Kuma and bring him back here, and we'll creep along in the shadows, snarling and saying something ominous. We'll back him up into a corner, then howl and jump on him!"

"You stay up for way too many late-night horror stories, don't you?" Kiro asked with a smirk.

"Come on, Kirdycat, it'll be fun!" Aleu shouted laughingly as she bounded over a woodpile blocking an alley. Kiro cautiously crawled over it and gasped out while trying to keep up with his sister,

"Kirdycat, eh? Aleu, you know you're insane, right?"

"Yeah yeah. I've been told that. Now come on, we're almost there!"

Aleu laughed devilishly as she and Kiro sneaked through the crawlspace towards the boiler room, and fell silent, watching every dog, looking for Kuma, who, sure enough, was right there on a pillow in front of the furnace, drawing a lot of attention to himself as usual. Aleu narrowed her eyes at the sight of the handsome white husky, and whispered to Kiro,

"Oh, this is it. Pretty-boy's going to realize that if you can look the wolf, you can act the wolf. Wait here. It's time for phase one." With a sickly sweet voice, an elegant stance, and a very forced friendly expression, Aleu walked out to Kuma and did a sort of bow before speaking. Kiro rolled his eyes and sighed from the crawlspace.

"Good day, Kuma. Look, Kiro and I have this friend. We've told her so much about you, and she can't wait to meet you. Trust me, she is so beautiful, she'll blow you away. She lives a little ways away from town, but it'll be worth it, I can definitely tell you that. Come on."

Kuma looked a little skeptical, but nodded, and followed Aleu out the front door. She gestured to Kiro to hop out of the crawlspace and follow them. As Kiro left, he heard some of the other dogs snickering, and one hopped onto the pillow and said,

"What an idiot. After Steele became Balto's friend, he must have called in a replacement!"

The siblings led Kuma back into the hunting grounds, and took him deep into a heavily forested area. Aleu put a paw of Kuma's shoulder and said calmly,

"Wait right here. We'll be back soon." She and Kiro went a safe distance away before hysterically cracking up. Even Kiro thought it was funny.

"Phase two accomplished, eh, Aleu? And to think we're not even done with this guy yet! This was your first good idea in quite a while."

"This'll be so funny. Prepare, Kiro. Prepare for the grand finale!"

As planned, Aleu and Kiro crept along in the shadows, snarling, while Aleu menacingly whispered,

"Foolish pup. They say huskies are just like wolves, but we don't see the resemblance at all." She turned her head to Kiro, who continued,

"Quite right. Unlike you, we can stand our ground for others and ourselves. Maybe you could learn from us, huh kid?"

Aleu and Kiro joined each other side by side, shoulders hunched and legs far apart, and howled. They jumped at Kuma, pinning him to the ground. Kuma just looked up in shock and anger.

"It was you two!? That is not funny!" Aleu just looked down into the white husky's face and said smartly,

"Uh, yeah it is!" She laughed loudly, and with a quick nudge, Kiro began doing the same. Kuma growled,

"You two are such immature, idiotic..." The rest of Kuma's insult was cut off by the sound of a cracking twig, to which all three dogs came to full attention. They wheeled around just in time to spot a hunter leaning against a tree. He was dressed in Inuit clothing, and had a bag with a raven design on it. Aleu noticed the hunter taking a bullet from his bag and putting it in the gun. The dogs flinched for a second. Kiro didn't move. He just stood there, with his blue and yellow eyes wide open. The hunter aimed his gun at Kiro, who continued to just stand there, frozen in fear. Aleu's eyes filled with tears, and she shouted,

"Kiro! Move! Run! Do something!" Kiro still didn't move. Suddenly, just as the hunter pulled the trigger, Kuma panicked, and madly dashed in front of Kiro. The shot rang out, and Dusty's brother fell.

Meanwhile, back in Nome, Balto was talking to Jenna when he heard the gunshot in the distance. Jenna said,

"You know Balto, I always get mad when I hear that sound. Wait a second, have you seen Aleu or Kiro lately?"

"Oh my god. I have to get down there!"

Back in the hunting grounds, Aleu and Kiro were separated. Kiro's idea was to escape from the hunter and get help, but Aleu stayed back to try and fight him. Many bullets had already been dodged, but Aleu was losing energy from trying to avoid them and trying to get on top of the hunter at the same time. Aleu heard a familiar howl, and saw Balto running at a breakneck speed, Kiro by his side. Aleu turned her attention away from the threat for just a moment, and a bullet shot into Aleu's foreleg, and as she yelped and tried in vain to keep her balance, Balto and Kiro charged foward, pinned the hunter to the ground, and knocked him out. Kiro helped Aleu to her feet. Balto's attention had been caught by the crumpled white heap laying on the ground. He instantly recognized the dog. He sternly asked Aleu and Kiro,

"What happened? Why is he here?" Aleu and Kiro looked at each other for a moment, then started nervously blurting out the story,

"We thought we would take Kuma here and pretend to be wolves."

"Yeah. Aleu said we would get revenge on him for being mean to us."

"We did it like we planned, and then this hunter showed up,"

"And he aimed at me, and I kinda, well, froze."

"And Kuma ran in front of Kiro at the last second, and well..."

"It was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"He ran away to find you, but I stayed back here to fight the hunter."

Balto had carefully listened to every word, and he sighed sadly. Now's the time to tell them, he thought.

"Um, do you know why that hunter attacked you?" Kiro shook his head, and said softly,

"We were just going to ask you that. So tell us, why? I mean, I know we look like wolves, but why is that?" Balto guiltily looked at the ground, and confessed,

"It's because of me. I'm half wolf, and my looks must have been passed down to you two. Your brothers and sisters have wolf in them too, but they just don't look it." Kiro listened calmly, but Aleu was backing away slowly. She spat at Balto with venom in her voice,

"So it's your fault? You're the reason the only home we have is that old boat outside of town? You're the reason we were almost killed today? I don't even care what you think, just leave me alone!"

Before Balto could say anything, Aleu was running in the opposite direction. Balto started after her, but was stopped by Kiro,

"Don't worry about it, Dad. I'm going to go after her, and I promise I'll be back by morning, okay?"

Kiro ran off after Aleu, and as they disappeared, Balto realized that Jenna should know about the situation, because telling them "only when it was absolutely necessary" was her idea in the first place. Maybe there was a great benefit behind Jenna's decision, but if there was, Balto knew he should know about it now.

"...and then Aleu ran away and Kiro went after her. Kiro said he'd be back with Aleu by morning, but I just don't know. She seemed pretty upset to me." Jenna didn't act surprised or shocked at all. She sat there silently for a minute, then said thoughtfully,

"Somehow, I had a feeling this would happen, but it's not really a bad thing. It seems to be a bit of a stretch now, but they will find their place, just maybe not here. It's hard to think of, I know it is for me too, but there will come a time when they won't need us anymore. But they don't have to face this difficult time alone, Balto. It's up to you to guide them on their quest."

"But how do I start?" Balto asked, slightly confused by all that Jenna said. She answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world,

"Wait until Kiro comes back. Listen to what he has to tell you, and take it from there. Good night Balto." Jenna nuzzled Balto and lay down on the rug next to him. Balto lay awake for hours, trying to digest what he had been told, until he finally slipped into a sleep, once again troubled by the dream he had not had in so long.

He was caught between a murderous raven and a huge herd of caribou charging straight for a solid wall of ice. In other words, not a good situation. The raven quickly caught up with him, but instead of awakening, a confusing vision shrouded his dreaming mind. The ice wall crumbled in front of the caribou, and became ice floes in the water beyond that the caribou began to cross. Everything went black, and a soothing female voice began to speak calmly,

"My son, you need to know the animal totems that will help guide you now."

As the voice spoke, the faces of the animals on the totem pole appeared out of the mist, with hazy white auras around them.

"The fox: the cunning trickster, the wolverine: your fears, the bear: inner knowing, caribou: life."

As the wolf appeared, there was a howl, and Balto woke. Jenna was still asleep, and a dark, wolf-like silhouette was visible on the other side of the room. It spoke in a whisper, as not to wake Jenna,

"Hey Dad, you awake?"

"Kiro! You're here. Um, where's Aleu?" Kiro stepped out of the shadows to reveal many cuts and bite marks all over his body. He put his head down.

"Dad, I'm sorry. She's still out there, and is really taking this hard. When I tried to tell her to come home, she attacked me. She seems so different from yesterday. It's scary." Balto quickly stood up and decided without hesitation,

"We need to go back out there. We need to find her." Kiro nodded.

"All right. Let's go."

As Balto and Kiro left, Jenna opened one eye and smiled slightly. She was proud that, in time, both of them would find their place and discover who they were. And very soon, Balto would feel the same way.

must have More!!!!!!!! i love it!

I liked in the old version when you went into detail about the puppies. Other than that, I love it!