All good things must come to an end at some point, and for my series, that time is now. I have finally finished the last entry in my Balto fanfic series, titled "The Last Miles". Set between
Wolf Quest and
Wings of Change, it ties up many of the loose ends created over the course of my series.
Ever since Balto was a pup, he dreamed of being a champion sled dog like his father. He may have gotten a chance to run with a team during the serum run, but the hope of running in a real race remained. Fortunately, his dream will soon become a reality. The Trans-Alaskan Derby is the biggest race of the year, and Balto is selected to lead Nome's championship team that year. He's not the only familiar face running this year though, as Steele's new owner is entered in the race too, giving the disgraced husky a chance to go toe to toe with the wolfdog who ruined him. However, Steele won't be the only one Balto will have to watch out for; from the start of the race, some teams become the victims of strange attacks. This leaves everyone wondering if the attacks are just another challenge of the wild... or if something far more sinister is behind them.
The story can be found for your viewing pleasure
hereTo get an idea of how this whole thing starts out, here's an excerpt from the first chapter, just to get you interested.
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She scanned the room before her eyes settled on a well-built black and white husky. He was her objective, and now it was just a matter of getting him to her without waking anyone else up. Taking note of where he was lying, she found the spot on the wall closest to his head. Winding up one of her hind legs, she gave the wood a soft kick. The 'thunk' of her paw on the wood was quiet enough to escape detection by everyone else, but close enough to get the husky out of his slumber.
"Hm? Wha-? Who's there?" a very sleepy voice muttered. She had his attention, so she started scratching at the wood, hoping to coax him outside to investigate.
"Ugh, this had better be good," the voice inside grumbled, before the soft clicks of claws on the floorboards started to make their way to the door. "I swear, if it's Sonya screwing with my sleep again, there'll be hell to pay." The hinges creaked, cutting the silence of the night as the husky stepped outside. He was still blinking the sleep out of his ice-blue eyes when Aniu decided to make her presence known.
"Hello Steele; long time, no see."
Steele's head snapped to the side to find the pure-white wolf sitting only feet away. He blinked a few times in surprise at having a wolf in his midst, not giving any reply. While Aniu seemed outwardly calm, inside, her fury was building towards everything this dog had done to her and her family.
It took a moment for things to register in his sleepy mind, but when they did, he was almost as surly as she was. "What do you want, fleabag?"
"Come now Steele, don't you remember me?" she asked, ignoring his insult.
"Probably not - all you wolves look the same anyways."
"Well then maybe you'll remember this name - Amak. Does that help at all?"
"Amak, Amak…" he trailed off, wiggling his toes as he worked through his brain to link a face with the name. "Hang on, I did know him. He used to live around here years ago with my owners and that half-mutt Sonya," he replied. "Yeah, but then he got kicked out once I found out his dirty little secret."
Aniu had to bite back a growl as she remembered that painful day. It was right after she realised she was carrying their pups, and she went to Amak for comfort, worried what Mayak would do if he found out. Steele ended up catching them together and gave chase, cornering them in an abandoned building before banishing them both from the town. Amak was cast out and humiliated, and things would only get worse when Mayak caught them soon after. The resulting brawl cost Amak his life, and led Mayak to pursue her until both of their ends. It was because of this that Steele was one of the two she personally blamed for Amak's death. Her rage would only be compounded as she watched him bully her only son, ostracizing him because of his half-wolf heritage.
That was over four years ago, and soon everything started to click in Steele's mind. "Hang on, I do know you. You were with him - you're Amak's wild squeeze!" he stated, chuckling at the memory. His mirth grew into all out laughter as he remembered the joy he took in shaming his rival like that, forcing Aniu to stifle a growl at him. "So, where's the lobo lover himself, eh?" he continued, creeping closer to stare right into her eyes. "Didn't he want to come and show his disgraced face again?"
Aniu wouldn't take any more insults like this, so in one swift motion she raised her paw and struck him across his smug muzzle. "How dare you talk about my mate like that! Amak died that night, and you are partly to blame!" Steele grunted as her claws left small scratches on his cheek, which quickly started to burn. It was as though someone had pushed him into poison ivy, something he never expected from a few scratches. Despite the pain, he didn't cry out, refusing to show any weakness to this wolf.
"That was… years ago," he said, wincing from the pain in his cheek. "You sure… took your time… getting back here."
"I had other concerns to attend to… but now I have only one thing left to do, and it involves you."
"Heh, if you're here to avenge your hubby, then you've got another thing coming tuts," he replied, puffing out his chest. "I won't go down easy, especially to a wolf like you."
"Is that all you think about? Revenge and fighting? My, my, no wonder you got yourself in the predicament you did," she replied, having regained her calm. "Tell me Steele; how long has it been since you've worn the trophy collar that you cherished so much?"
He froze as her question caught him off guard. "How would you know about that?"
"I have my ways," she replied, a sly smile on her muzzle.
"Fine, don't tell me; but if everything goes right, I just might get it back," he added, earning a raised brow from her. "We just got the word last week – my owner's going to enter in the derby this year. I'll make my triumphant return back to the top! Mark my words, that collar will be back on my neck soon enough."
"Really? It will be yours? I thought the trophy went to the lead dog, not the swing," she mused, causing him to scowl at her. "But now that you mention it, I know about the derby too. In fact, it's the reason I'm here. I have something to tell you."
"Oh really?" he sorted, rolling his eyes. "Did Sonya put you up to this?"
"No, and if you shut up for once in your life you might actually learn something," she spat back. Her eyes briefly flashed golden fire, and the scratches on his cheek burned sharply, forcing him to bite down to prevent from crying out. "Listen up, because I think you will be interested in this. There is a way for you to regain some of your glory, but it is not the way you think. You keep on trying to return to the past, but to do so would only lead to disaster for you and countless others. If you want to have any chance of regaining what you have lost, you must learn to move on. Only when you put the past behind you will you regain what you have lost."
"And if I refuse?"
"As I said, it might not be in your best interest. There will come a time when there will be more than just the race at stake. If you do not make the right choice, then everything I have worked for will come undone… and my vengeance will be swift and terrible," she declared as her eyes glowed bright yellow. The sight made him gasp and step back as he realised that this was no ordinary wolf. "You must move beyond the past if you are to have any hope of a future."
"But how?" he asked, but she only let out a howl as a sharp wind started to blow. It forced him to shut his eyes, but when it passed, she had vanished, not even leaving tracks on the ground. He stared wide-eyed at what had just transpired, and tried to collect himself. "What are you talking about? Move on from what?" he asked, but there was no reply from the empty night.
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So how does this whole thing play out? You'll have to follow the link and read the story to find that out. I hope you enjoy reading the biggest adventure I've made yet, and as always, comments and input are welcome.
