Foreword

Well, here I am again, writing another Balto fanfiction. This one is a direct sequel to my previous story, “The First Day”. Spoiler Alert: It ends with Balto catching Steele and banishing him from the town. (Steele being banished isn’t exactly a new concept. It’s something that has been around in Balto fanfics since the mid-90’s) However, I left that story with a cliffhanger ending, with Steele meeting someone from his past after days of wandering in the wilderness.

Now, we pick up right where my last story left off, with a new character by the name of Sonya. She is someone who has a bit of a past with Steele, and that past will be revealed over the course of the story. Much like “The First Day”, this story jumps between the present and the past, essentially making it two stories in one. I also made sure to have Steele do what he does best - be the bad guy. After all, that’s why so many people love him. (Why did they have to cut him from Wings of Change?!)

I will admit that this story was a challenge to write. It uses mostly original characters and it made me feel as though I was going into truly uncharted territory. There were other obstacles, which delayed the writing of this story: homework, needing to re-write entire scenes, family holidays, catching swine flu - did I mention homework? (Curse you Physics!) Right now, I’m at the point where I don’t care how well this story does - I’m just glad to be finished with it. So, sit back and enjoy iWolf231’s second fanfic - “A Second Chance”.

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Prologue: An Unwelcome Visitor

It just had to be him. After all this time, he had to be the one that appeared in the dead of night. There were hundreds, if not thousands of black and white huskies in Alaska, but out of all of them, it was him. It was the one dog that she had hoped to never see again.

When the others found him, he was in pretty bad shape. He had collapsed in the middle of the street out of exhaustion and had to be dragged into the general store’s boiler room. They gathered to watch over the newcomer, but she stayed back, hoping that it might not be him. She hoped that it was just another husky who was black and white.

Finally, he did wake up, “Where……where am I?” he weakly asked.

“You’re in the town of White Mountain. Can you tell us who you are?” another husky responded. This was it; now she would know if he had finally dropped back into her life.

“I’m…… Steele,” he responded. The others murmured in surprise while her heart fell. Steele was a champion sled dog who had won the coveted golden collar four times in a row, with his most recent win being just a couple of weeks ago. She knew that his owner lived in Nome, so why would he be in their town, without his team and without the fancy collar that he wore as a badge of glory?

“Uh-oh, Sonya’s going to want to know about this,” one of them said.

“I already do,” she replied as she walked through the crowd to meet him directly. When he saw her, his ice blue eyes locked in shock onto her golden eyes, “Hello there Steele,” she said coldly, “You may not remember me, but I remember you. I remember everything you did to me. I’ve waited a long time for this.”

There was something about Steele that the dogs of Nome didn’t know, but the dogs of White Mountain knew all too well. Steele had a long history with Sonya and it was well known in this town that no good would come if they were ever put in the same room again. She glared at him, waiting for his response, but it never came. He just started at her as though he had been slapped across the face.

“Well, aren’t you going to say anything?” she snapped.

“Um….. hello Sonya. Long time no see,” he replied.

“Hello? That’s all you can say after what you did to us? That’s all you can say after what you put me through all those years ago!” she yelled, “Get out of here!”

“Sonya, no,” a brown and white husky spoke up, “He’s obviously exhausted and needs to rest.”

“I don’t care Jake,” she retorted.

“C'mon Sonya, let him stay,” another dog chipped in, followed by many others. Seeing how she was vastly outvoted, Sonya relented.

“…… Fine” she growled, and trotted out of the room with Jake following. The night was pitch dark, with the only light coming from the glow of the boiler. The orange glow framed itself around Sonya, illuminating the dark grey fur that ran along her back and sides, smoothly transitioning into the white that covered her paws, muzzle and underside. The light glinted across her collar, which was thicker than most collars and had silver studs embedded in it.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jake asked, but she didn’t respond, “Sonya!”

“I’m fine Jake,” she snapped.

“You don’t exactly sound fine to me,” Jake replied, “I’ll just cut to the chase. I know you’re ticked because Steele’s here.”

“Ticked does not even begin to describe how I feel,” she replied, “After all this time, it just has to be him. He has to show up,” she trailed off and sat down in the snow.

“Maybe it won’t be as bad as last time,” he suggested, “Maybe he’s changed.”

“No, dogs like Steele don’t change. No matter what happens, they always stay the same,” she replied.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“Well, changed dog or not, something definitely happened to him. Champion sled dogs don’t wander into town in the dead of night without their team or their trophy collars,” Jake said, referring to the gold-studded collar that Steele usually wore.

“He never deserved the thing in the first place,” Sonya muttered.

“What do you think happened to him?” Jake asked.

“I don’t know and I don’t care. I just want him out of here as quickly as possible.”

“What? You saw what shape he was in; sending him out would be the end of him.”

“Then good riddance,” she said flatly.

“Sonya, this isn’t like you. I've never seen you act so coldly to anyone else.”

“That’s because no one else did what he did to me!” she snapped, “You remember what he did right? What he did to our team? What he did to Amak…”

Amak had been the leader of their sled team a few years back, taking Sonya under his wing when she was growing up. He always had a strong sense of right and wrong and made sure to share it with his team. Granted, his opinions sometimes led to disagreements between him and his team, but they always respected him as a leader. He had become a father figure for Sonya, which made it all the more painful for her when he was forced away from them…… all because of Steele.

“Yes, I do remember he did, but I also remember what Amak was like," Jake continued, "He’d never want us to turn anyone out into the cold - even if they were Steele.”

“Yeah, I guess he wouldn’t,” she replied. They sat in the snow for a few minutes more, but soon Jake started to shiver from the night’s cold.

“Brr. Sonya, let’s go back in. My tail is starting to freeze.”

“Are you sure? I don’t feel anything.”

“Not everyone is as well built for the cold as you,” he replied and he turned back towards the warm boiler room with Sonya following him. When they got back inside, they saw that Steele was still lying down, while the other dogs had started talking amongst themselves.

“So, has he said anything else?” Jake asked.

“Actually, he fell back asleep shortly after you guys went out,” a large malamute replied.

“Then wake him up,” Sonya said, “I want some answers!”

“Sonya, it's the middle of the night and we all need some sleep,” the malamute replied, "We can deal with him in the morning."

"Ya, I'm tired Sonya," Jake yawned.

“…… Alright, he can have his rest,” she reluctantly replied, “But tomorrow he’s giving us an answer or he’s out of here.”

With that, the dogs started to leave for home. Sonya stayed behind for a little longer, before turning to leave as well. She walked past Steele’s still form, holding back the urge to kick him in the head. She pushed the creaking door open, taking a moment to breathe in the crisp night air.

“So, were you surprised to see me Sonya? I know I was.”

She froze and looked back to see Steele sitting up, with a smug expression on his face, “You could say that,” she replied and walked back into the room, “Though I’m not sure you really want to know how I feel about you being here.”

“I see you’ve kept the old silver collar,” Steele said, indicating the silver-studded collar around her neck, “It’s actually fitting for a second-rate dog to have only the second best trophy.”

“Better that I have this than nothing,” she replied, “You know, you look a little funny without your golden collar. What happened to it?”

“That’s none of your concern,” he replied.

“Oh I think it is my concern Steele. I want to know why, after all this time, you come back here,” she said sharply, “Why here? Why would you come back here? Why can’t you leave me alone? Why can’t you leave my team alone?!”

“Oh, you think it’s all about you and your team do you? I thought I was supposed to be the one with the ego,” Steele replied coyly.

Sonya had no patience for his games, and pushed him roughly onto his back, holding him down with her paws, “Answer the question tough guy or I promise you things will get ugly very fast,” she growled.

Despite being pinned on his back Steele showed no fear or submission to her. He would never bring himself to show fear to dogs like Sonya, “My, my, you still do have your violent temper. I wonder what your old pal Amak would think if he saw you like this? He’d probably give you another one of his boring lectures. Heh, the lobo-lover always did have his head stuck in the snowdrift.”

This was more than Sonya could handle and in one sudden motion, struck a hard blow across his face with her paw, “You shut up! Amak was twice the dog you’ll ever be so how dare you say something like that!” she screamed and stormed out of the room, kicking the door closed with a loud bang. Steele remained where he was, and despite the sting from Sonya’s blow, he started to crack into a grin.

“Oh Sonya……… you always were an unstable wolfdog.”

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Chapter 1: Lost and Found

That night, Sonya’s tail twitched in her sleep. She was dreaming, but it was no ordinary dream; it was a memory. A memory that she had tried to bury, but every now and then managed to come out of her subconscious and play out in her mind. In her drowse, she murmured, “No…… don’t go…… come back…… don’t leave…… momma………”

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Six years earlier

At first, her memories were jumbled; flashes from when she was a tiny puppy. One moment, she was lying helpless, curled up against her mother with her siblings. They were in a cave, which was much warmer than the snowy forest outside. The next moment, she was taking her first, shaky steps while being encouraged by her father. She tried desperately to hold onto his image. She could remember a pair of large, dark grey paws, the cold feeling of his large nose nudging her and a large, bushy tail. She tried to remember more, but those few flashes were all that she could hold onto.

As the memories progressed, they became more coherent. She could remember tussling with her siblings and chasing a squirrel before it scampered up a tree. She could also remember her mother in more detail. Her mother had smokey fur along her back, which smoothly transitioned into a snow-white underside. In many ways, she looked like Sonya did now, except Sonya had darker grey fur, courtesy of her father.

There were others with her mother and father too; they would sometimes help her mother take care of her and her siblings. Sonya remembered noticing how different her mother seemed compared to the others. Most of the adults, along with Sonya and a couple of her siblings had golden eyes, while her mother had light brown eyes. Also, the others held their tails down towards the ground while her mother’s curled up towards her back. There was another thing that was different about her mother; she wore something around her neck. It was a strip of leather with a metal ring tied to it at the front. The ring would swing as she walked and Sonya remembered batting it around for fun.

“Hehe, she’s certainly taken an interest in your collar,” she heard a deep voice say. Without looking, she could tell it was her father's voice, “She’s already a sled dog in the making. I had a feeling she would take after you.”

“She gets things from you too you know,” her mother replied, “Just yesterday, she was trying to howl.”

“Howling? Ahh, that’s my girl,” he said and leaned down to nuzzle Sonya. She giggled and licked his muzzle with her tiny tongue. This was how it always started; she had a safe and happy life with her family as a pup, but it would soon change for the worse.

She was woken up one night by a thunderous boom before being picked up and whisked away by her mother. Outside the cave, utter chaos had broken out and the area was filled with barks and howls. Everyone was screaming and running, trying to get away from whatever terror was coming for them as the loud bangs continued.

“Sierra! You’ve got to get out of here!” her father shouted, “You’ve got to-“ another boom rang out and her father said no more. Her mother ran away from the scene, dashing through the forest with a terrified Sonya being carried in her jaws.

Sonya kept her eyes shut in fear and heard another bang behind them. Her mother fell to the ground, but she was quickly on her feet again. However, after getting up her stride was slower and had developed a growing limp. Her mother gasped in pain but she kept moving, desperate to deliver her child to safety. When Sonya did open her eyes, she saw that her mother had left the woods and was trotting towards a collection of square buildings. Every step was becoming a struggle, but she soldiered on, walking towards a small shed near one of the buildings. Finally, she collapsed only feet away from the shed and Sonya was dropped to the ground.

Sonya looked back and finally saw what had caused her mother’s distress. A small wound had been made in her side, staining her fur with red blood. Her mother slowly picked herself up and half walked, half dragged herself to the door of the shed and scratched at it.

“Amak, are you there?” she called out, her breath coming in short gasps, “Amak, it’s me. It’s Sierra,” she collapsed again as her wound took its toll on her.

The door creaked open and another dog, much like her mother came out. Where Sierra’s fur was silver, his was a dark brown, with lighter brown markings on his paws and around his sky-blue eyes. He too wore a collar with a ring around his neck.

“Sierra? What are you doing here? Don’t you know how much trouble you’d be in if anyone saw you here?” he asked.

“Amak listen, I don’t have much time,” she gasped, “You’re the only one I can trust with her.”

“Her?” he asked, and he noticed the small pup sitting behind her, shaking from the sudden ordeal she had been through, “Sierra what are you getting at? What happened to you?” he asked, looking at her wound, “That looks like a…… gunshot.”

“Hunters came for the wolves, and they thought…… I was one of them. I managed to get away…… but not before one of them took a shot at me,” Sierra's breathing was becoming shallower, making it more difficult to talk, “The others tried to scatter…… each one taking a pup…… I don’t know how many got away.”

“Sierra you need help. I’m going to get my humans to look after you,” Amak said.

“No, it’s too late for me Amak. There’s nothing you can do for me, but there is something I need you to do for her…”

“Don’t talk like that Sierra. You’re going to be just fine.”

“No, you have to listen to me!” she snapped, “Someone has to look after my little baby.... and you’re the only one I can trust. Can you do that for me?”

“Me?”

“Amak, I may have been sent away from the team, but I still think of you as my lead dog and my best friend. If there’s anyone I would trust with her it would be you.”

“But I don’t know the first thing about raising a pup! Why would you trust me?”

“Because you always stuck out for me. Even when the others harassed me and wanted to banish me for loving a wolf, you stayed by my side. You never turned your back on me and I know you wouldn’t turn your back on her just because she’s……”

“… Half wolf?” he finished, and she nodded.

Sierra looked over at Sonya, “Come here little one,” her mother called out. Sonya slowly came up to her mother’s face and could see her eyes had started to glaze over, “My child, there’s something very important I need you to do for me.”

“What is it momma?” she asked.

“I won’t lie to you. I’m too badly hurt and I won’t be with you much longer. I need you to stay with Amak. He’s a good friend of mine…… you can trust him.”

“What? But what about poppa and the others?”

“I don’t know if any of them made it. You’re safer with Amak. He’ll look after you and keep you safe. Make sure you do what he says okay? Think of him like how you think of me or poppa,” she finished, and her eyes began to close.

“No! I want to stay with you momma,” Sonya cried, but her mother did not reply. Her eyes had closed and her body no longer rose and fell with her breathing, “Momma? Momma wake up! Please wake up!” she turned towards Amak, “Why won’t she wake up?”

Amak was at a loss for words. Sierra had been his friend, but after disappearing for three months, he only got to see her for three minutes before she had succumbed to her injuries. Now he had to take care of her young daughter too.

“Momma, don’t go momma. Don’t leave me,” she said, as tears started to form in her eyes. As much as she didn’t want to believe it, there was no escaping the fact that her mother was now gone.

“MOMMA!”

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Present Day

“Momma!” Sonya cried as she was shocked out of her dream. Six years later, the memory of her mother’s death still remained, burned into her memory. She had given her life in order to deliver her daughter to safety, but it could have just as easily been another one of her siblings that had been saved. It was pure luck that she was the one that survived.

Those few memories were all of her family that she had managed to hold on to over the years - everything else had disappeared with time. She knew what her mother looked like, but she could never recover a full image of her father. The flash of big grey paws in front of her were the best she could get. She didn’t even know if her parents had given her a name themselves; Sonya was what Amak’s family had named her when they took her in.

She stood up, letting her blanket fall off her back and stretched herself out before stepping out of the small shed that she slept in. This shed was the same one that her mother had taken her to; the same one that Amak had lived in years ago. Sonya would quickly learn that Amak was an old friend of Sierra’s and that they had both been on the same dog team, under the ownership of a man named Jonathan Vance. They had been very close friends, even when Sierra had been banished for being mates with a wolf. It was because of that friendship that Sierra had entrusted her daughter to him over anyone else. Amak had raised her from a small pup, and he was as much of a father to her as the wolf that she could only remember flashes of.

Jonathan had found her the following morning, still whimpering over her mother’s body. Taking pity on the lone pup, he took her into his home, adopting her as his latest dog. However, he had never made the connection between Sonya and Sierra, nor that he now had a half-wolf in his possession. Jonathan was a well-traveled man who would always have a story to tell to his two children, Marcus and Maddie. These stories came about from his job, which was delivering cargo to the many towns of Alaska. The cargo was often food and other supplies that were vital to the residents of the Alaskan bush. Delivering them often took a day or two, but it was a profession that paid well. However, Jonathan had other interests than being a simple delivery boy. His true passion was dog racing, which was probably true with more than half of the residents of Alaska. Marcus in particular was fascinated by his father’s stories and they had led the seventeen year old to aspire to be a sled dog champion himself.

That was one thing that she and Marcus shared; both of their aspirations came from one of their parents. He wanted to be a racing musher like his father, while she wanted to be a racing dog like her mother. However, both would have to start out small. When Marcus started out sledding in his early teens, he was only allowed to do some odd jobs around town. He would deliver packages between the various businesses and have Sonya help him by pulling the cargo on thier sled. As they got more experienced, they would be allowed out of the town and could go back and forth between the Inuit camp a dozen miles away, picking up the surplus meat that the hunters wanted to sell and delivering it to the town’s butcher.

For the first couple of years, that was all she could do. It was also during these early years that she got a first-hand taste of what it meant to be a half-wolf in a dog’s town. While the humans remained ignorant of her breeding, the dogs had been able to figure it out when they learned of her relation to Sierra. Every one of them had a deep-seated hatred for wolves and wolf-hybrids and it showed. It was because of that hate that her mother had been banished, forced to live with her mate’s pack. It was also because of that hate that Sonya was the target of ridicule for the first few years of her life. It was hard, but after helping her team out of a tight spot of few years ago, she proved to everyone that she was a capable sled dog. So capable in fact, that after the incident that had resulted in Amak being forced to leave, she was promoted to the lead dog of the team.

She had been promoted over everyone else simply because she was the best for the job. She had an excellent sense of direction and was able to sniff out the trail even in bad weather. These talents had come from her half-wolf breeding, but that was something that Jonathan had never figured out. He simply thought that she was an incredibly smart dog.

After being promoted to the lead of the team her runs with Marcus became less frequent as Jonathan would use her as the lead on his team, leaving Marcus to use another as a substitute. While she did love the thrill of leading an entire team through the wilderness, she also enjoyed the one on one time she would get with Marcus. He was one of the first humans she formed a strong bond with and always loved spending time with him. Marcus too enjoyed having Sonya lead the way, as she was his first dog, something people rarely forget.

After years of gaining experience with short trips, Marcus was itching at the chance to go out on a longer run. His father too knew that the time would come when his son would have to go out on his own, but he had been reluctant to allow him. Sledding alone in the wild was not for the faint of heart.

She trotted up to her home, scratching at the door to be let in. Once in, she ate up her morning kibble while the family ate their breakfast. At first, their chatter was the usual stuff; who had won the most recent baseball game, who had passed through the town and how the stocks were faring. Nothing of much interest to a dog like Sonya.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you that I have to make a run into Koyuk this Friday,” Jonathan started.

“What are you delivering then?” his wife Ellie asked.

“The mail shipment. Their usual mailman fell ill with the flu so I volunteered to take his place.”

It was now that Marcus would ask the question he had been waiting to ask, “Uh, dad. You know how earlier I was asking when I could go out on longer runs?”

“Yes…”

“Well, I was wondering, could I take the mail shipment to Koyuk for you?” he asked.

Jonathan stared at him for a moment, “You?”

“Yeah. You said yourself last week that I’m going to be getting old enough to go on longer runs soon, so why not now?”

“I don’t know… you’ve never been so far from home before.”

“Oh come on, I’ve got to have a chance sometime. Why can’t I try something new? Besides, Sonya’s always looked after you when you’ve gone out, so I’ll be just fine with her.”

Jonathan thought it over for a moment. He was a little wary about sending his son out alone for a trip that would probably take a couple of days. However, Marcus did have a point; he would have to learn what it was like sometime, “Alright, but I don’t want you to try anything risky. Stick to the trail okay? I don’t want you getting lost.”

“It’s about time you let him out on his own,” Sonya thought, “Considering how well I do my job with him, I’m surprised you didn’t let him go out earlier.”

“I will, thanks,” Marcus replied, “Speaking of lost things, have they found any trace Steele yet?” Sonya stopped eating mid-chew, “Since when has Steele been missing?”

“I’m afraid not Marcus and I’m not sure that they ever will,” he replied, “Steele went missing in a blizzard and he probably won’t be found at all.”

“I heard that his owner put out a message asking if anyone had seen him pass through the towns,” Ellie continued, "Didn't you know him from a few years back?"

“Yes, I did know Gunnar, and that sounds like something he'd do. He always favored Steele,” Jonathan replied, “All things considered, he's lucky that he was able to get back and complete the serum run in time.”

“How did he get home?” Maddie asked.

“Now this is where it gets interesting,” Jonathan continued, “Apparently some stray half wolf came across the team, put himself in the harness and led them home. I think the townsfolk called him ‘Balto’ or something like that.”

“And they all lived happily ever after,” Marcus finished.

This development surprised Sonya, “Wait, Steele didn’t mention anything about being lost. Then again, he isn't the type to admit failure. Him getting lost would explain why he is here, but how would he get lost in the first place?” she thought, “What does this ‘serum run’ have to do with it all? Still, a wolfdog like me led them home? Wow, if I ever meet this Balto guy I’m gonna give him all the bones I’ve hidden away,” Knowing that the others would want to hear about this, she scratched at the door to be let out and set off along the town’s streets.

White Mountain was a small, quiet town that was used mainly as a stopover for mail and other supplies heading to other towns and villages in the Alaskan bush. Sonya had always enjoyed the cozy feel it had to it - the camaraderie between the people was similar to the bond between the members of a sled team.

When she made it to the store’s boiler room, she saw that there was already a group of dogs there. Most were from her own team; in addition to Jake, there was Bruno and Misha, the team dogs and the wheel dogs Tom and Felix. There were others from the town that she didn’t know as well, most of them females, “Probably Steele’s fan club.”

"Sonya, there you are. You're just in time," Jake called as Steele finished stretching himself out, "Well Steele, are you feeling any better?”

“Why yes, thank you,” Steele replied, “I guess a little rest is all I needed.”

“Can you tell us what happened to you?” Bruno asked.

“I don’t know…… it’s all a blur…”

“Hey Steele, why don’t you start with when you got lost,” Sonya started.

“I didn’t get lost,” Steele snapped, “What would make you say something like that?”

“Well, it would explain why you are here,” she replied.

“Sonya, what are you getting at?” Jake asked.

“This morning I overheard my humans talking about him. They said that he had been on something called the ‘serum run’ and had gotten separated from his team,” she replied, “However, I’m sure that Steele could gladly shed some more light on this.”

Steele scowled as he realized that Sonya was already a step ahead of him. He would have to think of something to say fast, “I can’t tell them what really happened. If anyone else ever found out what I did, it would be like Nome all over again. I’m going to have to think of something else to tell them. Something that is gripping, and doesn’t make me look bad.”

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Chapter 2: Something’s Not Right

“Well Steele, we’re waiting,” Sonya said impatiently as Steele quickly prepared his cover story.

“Okay, here it goes,” he started, “I was the lead dog on a run from Nenana to Nome. Several of the kids in Nome had gotten ill and medicine had to be delivered to them. My team had already picked up the medicine, but on the return trip to Nome, things started to turn for the worse. We were running in the middle of a blizzard so I could barely see what was in front of me. Then, out of nowhere, we ran right off the edge of a cliff. I must have blacked out from the impact because the next thing I knew, I was waking up and there was no trace of my team,” So far, most of the story was true; however Steele had conveniently left out a few details. He had gotten his team lost and he hadn’t been knocked out in the fall. After hours of sitting in the cold, the last dog he wanted to see appeared. Balto, a wolfdog whom Steele despised, came to them claiming that he could lead the team home. However, Steele was not about to let any stray half-wolf take his team. This race was his to win - not Balto’s. He tried to stop Balto, but he missed on one of his lunges and fell off another cliff. By the time Steele had climbed back up, Balto was leading his team, along with his glory, away from him.

However, that would not be the story that Steele would tell them. No, his version would make no mention of Balto at all. To make the next part more convincing, he sniffled a little, adding a sadder tone to his voice, “I don’t know if the rest of the team made it, or even if the medicine survived the fall. Oh those poor kids; I tried so hard for them,” he said before burying his face in his paws.

“Oh, you poor thing,” one of the female dogs said, but Sonya only rolled her eyes. She had always been able to tell when Steele was exaggerating. Underneath his paws, Steele grinned wildly, “Hehe, those dupes are actually buying it,” he put a worried look on his face as looked back out at them, “I wandered for days, hoping I would find them, but instead I ended up here. I - I didn’t make it for them,” Steele said, adding a few whimpers, “Steele, you can do better than this,” Suddenly, he howled out a cry and some of the other dogs came over to comfort him, “Yup, if I just keep playing the tragic hero, I’ll have them rolling over for me in no time.”

“Pull yourself together Steele, this story has a happy ending,” Sonya cut in, interrupting his fake sobs, “It turns out that your team had been found and someone managed to take your place and lead them home. The medicine was delivered and I guess the children were saved.”

“But who took the lead?” Misha asked.

“Now that’s where the story takes an unexpected turn. Jonathan said that it was some stray half-wolf that led them home. A half-wolf named Balto.”

Sonya heard Steele give out a low growl, which he tried to cover up by turning it into a cough, “So, a wolfdog…… led them home. Well that’s…… that’s great. I’m glad those kids are all right,” he said flatly. Sonya couldn’t ignore how unimpressed Steele sounded when he had heard that the team had made it home. She knew that he didn’t like wolfdogs at all and would probably have his ego bruised a little by being replaced, but wouldn’t he be happy or at least surprised to hear that his team had made it home safely?

“A wolfdog led them home? How could a mutt like that lead a team?” one of the other dogs shot in.

“Never underestimate what wolves are capable of,” Jake replied, “If Sonya here has shown us anything, it’s that hybrids are always more than they seem on the outside,” Sonya shot the dog a nasty look and that shut him up.

“There’s one more thing I think you should know Steele,” Sonya added, “Your owner is looking for you. I’m sure that if we got one of the humans, they would find you and get you back home.”

“No!” he said sharply, “I mean, you don’t need to trouble yourself with that.”

“No? Why not? Don’t you want to see your team again?” she asked.

“Not exactly,” he muttered.

Once again, Sonya’s sensitive ears caught his comment, “Sorry, what was that?”

“I didn’t say anything,” he said quickly, “I just don’t think you should trouble yourselves.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to go back to Nome?” she asked.

Sonya was becoming a little too nosy for his taste; he would have to get them out of here quickly, “Uh, actually guys, I’m starting to feel a little off again. Could I have some time alone to rest?” he asked. The others nodded in agreement and started to leave the room. Sonya held back, looking at him with a puzzled expression, but eventually she too left.

“I’ve got to be more careful about what I say. I can’t let what I did slip out,” he thought. He couldn’t let them know that after Balto had taken his place, he had sabotaged the marks Balto had left in order to get rid of the wolfdog. While the team had gotten even more lost, he returned to Nome and told them that the entire team had died. However, Balto somehow managed to get the team home, exposing him as a liar. Once the dogs caught him, he was banished from the town, leading him to where he was now, “Those traitors in Nome may have cast me out, but the dogs here will probably take me in. After all, I'm Alaska’s champion dog. I’ll just lay low here for a little while and start fresh. As long as this town’s wolfdog doesn’t get too nosy, I’ll be fine. Soon, I’ll be in charge again and it’ll be just like the old days. Before I ever met Balto.”

----------

As they walked back home, Sonya had to let her suspicions be known, “Alright, call me crazy, but I know I can’t be the only one that noticed how Steele reacted when we gave him the news,” she said.

“Or how evasive he was before you mentioned the serum run,” Jake added.

“So you noticed it too huh?” Sonya asked and he nodded in reply.

“If he was part of an important run, why didn’t he tell us in the first place?" Misha added, "If he thought his team had been hurt, why wouldn’t he have told us about them the second we found him last night?”

“Also, when we told him that his team was safe and the medicine had been delivered, he barely seemed surprised. It was almost like he already knew that it had happened,” Sonya continued.

“Did any of you hear the growl he gave out when we told him that a wolfdog came and helped the team?” Jake asked, “I know he tried to cover it with a cough, but I know a growl when I hear one.”

“I heard it too Jake,” Sonya replied, “I know better than anyone else that he doesn’t like hybrids, but wouldn’t he be happy that his team made it home?”

“Maybe his ego was bruised and he didn’t like the idea of being left behind. You know how much he loves the spotlight,” Bruno suggested.

“I know, but this isn't adding up,” she said, “Something doesn’t feel right about this. You all saw how he reacted when we told him that his owner was wanting to bring him back to Nome right?”

“You mean how he almost jumped out of his skin?” Misha replied.

“Exactly. Why would something like that make a dog like him so nervous?” Sonya asked.

“What are you saying?” Jake asked, “That Steele doesn’t want to be found here?”

“Maybe, but we can’t be sure without any proof,” she replied.

“So how do we get some proof?” Felix asked.

“Easy. We get him found,” Sonya replied. There was no hiding that Sonya didn't trust Steele's answer. From the second she met him, she had never trusted anything that husky said.

----------

Five Years Earlier

Early on, Amak had made sure that Sonya knew who her parents were. He told her that her father had been a wolf from a nearby pack, while her mother had been a sled dog on Amak’s team. Amak couldn’t tell her much about her father, never having met him, but he could tell her about her mother. They had been trained together and had run many sled trips around Alaska. The more she heard about sledding from him, the more it fascinated her. They would run long distances through the wilderness, working together as one. As Amak once put it, they were like a family, with everyone looking out for each other. These stories were what gave her a drive towards running. She wanted to be a sled dog like her mother; she wanted to travel and to belong to the team's family.

Unfortunately, the sled dogs didn’t want anything to do with her. She would innocently approach them, but they would always avert their gaze and try to avoid her. Some would go so far as to bark at her and chase her away. They would shout things at her like “Go away you little mutt!” or “Get out of here wolfdog!” Everywhere she turned, she met hostility. While Amak got to stay with his owners due to him being the lead dog, Sonya would have to stay with the rest of the team in a barn that Jonathan had set up for them, where the others would push her away, forcing her to sleep in a corner. She would always be isolated from the rest of the team, leaving Amak to be the only one she could talk to. He tried his best to make the other team dogs more accepting of her, but despite him being their lead dog, they wouldn’t get over their prejudice towards half-wolves. Finally, Sonya had to know why they treated her this way.

“Amak, why do they always push me away?” she asked, “Why do they always shout things like ‘mutt’ or ‘wolfdog’ at me?”

“I’m not going to lie to you kid. A lot of dogs in this town don’t like wolves and wolfdogs like you,” he replied.

“But why? What’s their problem with wolves?” she asked.

“Well, I suppose it’s better that you hear this from me instead of someone else,” he started, “There are a lot of stories thrown around about wolf packs attacking sled teams, or wolf-hybrids turning on their friends. They see wolves as dangerous, savage creatures that will hunt them down.”

“But I don’t want to hunt them,” she replied, “I just want to know them.”

“I know, and it’s unfair for you. You didn’t get to choose who you got to be, but most of the dogs here are so set in their hate of wolves,” he replied, “Now listen, over the course of your life you’re going to hear a lot of different things about you and your parents, but most of what they throw around won’t be true. You just have to ignore them.”

That was easier said than done. There were many dogs in White Mountain and each of them disliked her to varying degrees because of her half-wolf status. But out of all of them, there was one would take an almost sadistic pleasure in tormenting her. That dog was Steele. At this point in his career, Steele wasn’t anything special; simply another dog on his team, but he acted as though he already ruled the town. Granted, he was a talented dog, but his talent only led to him having an over-inflated ego. In his mind, the only dogs that mattered in the world were the purebred sled dogs; anyone of a mixed breeding was inferior. Unfortunately, Sonya fell into that category. Like most of the dogs that pushed her around, he never took the time to get to know her; he simply saw her through prejudiced eyes and decided to hate her from the start.

On the day that she first met him, Sonya had decided to take an early morning walk around the edge of town. The dogs within the town would always shoo her away in the streets, leaving the outskirts the only place she could walk unimpeded. She was simply walking behind the houses, enjoying the sights, when suddenly, her foot stepped on something underneath the snow. That something was a husky who had buried himself in the snow behind his owner’s home until Sonya had unwittingly stepped on his tail.

“Watch it!” the black and white dog screamed after bursting out of the snow, “Can’t a guy sleep in a little?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you under there,” Sonya apologized.

“You should be sorry. Don't you know who I am and..... hang on, you look familiar,” he said, “You’re that half-wolf Sonya. What are you doing way out here wolfy?”

“I’m just taking a little walk,” she replied.

“At the edge of town?”

“Yeah, is that a problem?” she shot back.

“Not at all, if you’re considering walking back into the woods where a dirty wolf like you belongs,” he sneered, “This town’s only for sled dogs, not stupid little mutts.”

Sonya was becoming very irritated very quickly. He had known him for maybe thirty seconds and he was already insulting her wolf side, “Hey, why don’t you bury your head back in the snow and leave me alone?” she replied.

“No, I want to know what a half breed like you is doing in this town,” he continued, “What happened, did your parents ditch you when they realized their mistake?”

“Shut up!” she snapped, “My parents did not ditch me! My mother died trying to save me so how dare you say something like that!” The mere mention of her mother brought back the horrific memory of that day. The sound of the gunfire; being carried through the woods; watching her mother take her last breath…

“Oh come on Sonya, it was only a matter of time. After all, you’re not all dog, but you’re not all wolf. You’ll never fit in perfectly with either side,” he said.

“I would be fine here if you’d leave me alone!” she said, becoming more upset by the second.

“No, you wouldn’t be fine. I know that the other dogs on your team always push you away, and they should. You don’t belong with anyone, and even your parents knew it. In fact, they’re probably glad that they don’t have to deal with a mongrel like you.”

“THAT’S NOT TRUE! MY PARENTS LOVED ME! IT’S BECAUSE OF PEOPLE AND DOGS LIKE YOU THAT THEY ARE DEAD!” she screamed. She would not take this lying down; her parents had saved her life and she would not allow Steele to slander their good name. She let out a savage snarl and lunged at Steele, knocking him to the ground. She wanted to hurt Steele for what he had said and to show him that she would not just roll over for him. If she could hurt him back then it might make him back off.

Unfortunately, Sonya didn’t know that Steele was no slouch when it came to fighting. He was on the ground for only a couple of seconds before he was able to roll over, holding Sonya down to the ground. He bit into her shoulder to try to force her submit, but she did no such thing. Instead, she took advantage of the fact that his head was down low and delivered a bite to his ear. The sharp pain caused Steele to stumble back, allowing Sonya to get up. The two dogs faced off against each other, preparing for the next round. They both charged at each other full force, colliding head on. Their fight intensified and soon they were on their hind legs, trying to push each other back while snapping back and forth with their jaws. Finally, Sonya was able to get solid enough footing to push Steele onto his back. She jumped on him and was about to sink her teeth into his chest when another voice rang out.

“Sonya! Stop!” she turned and saw it was Amak, staring at the scene with a look of shock on his face, “Just what is going on here?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Steele cut in, “Your little mutt here attacked me! She’s a dangerous wolf that needs to be put down.”

“I didn’t ask you!” he snapped at him, “Sonya, would you care to explain this.”

“He started it!” she replied, “I was just walking and then he started saying all these horrible things about my parents. I only wanted him to stop!”

“Yeah, well you stepped on me!” Steele retorted.

“I said I was sorry; what more do you want?!” she snapped back.

“Well, maybe you could leave our town and run away like the wild wolf you are,” he replied.

“That’s enough out of you,” Amak barked, snapping at Steele’s heels, “Go on, get out of here! You've always been the one who causes trouble.”

“Fine,” he growled, knowing he couldn’t take on Sonya and Amak together, “Your lobo-loving friend can’t be around to protect you all the time half-breed,” he growled to Sonya before trotting off. With him gone, Amak could turn his full attention to Sonya, who could tell by his expression that he was not pleased with what she had done.

“Come on, we’re going to talk in private,” he said, and she followed behind him to his shed. Once there, he closed the door so they could talk undisturbed.

“Look, I can understand why you’d be upset with someone putting down your folks, but you shouldn’t let it get to the point where you’re snapping at each other,” he started.

“But he started it! He was the one saying those awful things about my mother,” she replied.

“Just because he starts something doesn’t mean you need to finish it.”

“Why not? Am I supposed to just let him say those lies about me and my parents?”

“The only reason he says those lies is because he knows it will provoke you,” Amak replied, “He wants to show that wolfdogs are dangerous, and he will do that by provoking you into a fight. If you attack him, you’re only proving that he is right!”

“But if I don’t fight back then it would make me look weaker!” she said, “Why can’t I show him I’m dangerous? Maybe it’ll make him back off and leave me alone.”

“No it won’t,” Amak replied, “Bullies like Steele don’t give up easily. If anything, fighting back will make him want to get back at you, and soon you two would be locked in a never-ending cycle of fighting and revenge. You’re lucky I was there to make Steele back off.”

“So what you’re saying is that he’ll pick on me if I fight, but he’ll also pick on me if I run. Is there any way to escape him?” she asked.

“I….. I don’t know,” he replied sadly.

“It’s not fair,” she said, “Why does everyone have to hate wolves. They’ve done nothing to them.”

“I know, and it is unfair for you because other than this little tussle, you’ve been so well behaved,” Amak replied.

There was a pause until Sonya spoke up, “Amak, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why are you so tolerant of wolves while the others seem to hate them?”

“Well, I suppose it’s partly because of how I was raised. My parents always told me that you never truly know someone until you meet them face to face and talk to them,” he replied, “I’ve never met a wolf, so I have no idea if I would hate them or not. However, if I did get the chance, I’d love to able to talk to them and get to know them.”

“But what if they didn’t like you? What if they thought you would hurt them, like how dogs think wolves will hurt them?”

“Well, if that was the case, then I’d back off. If they think I’m going to hurt them, then it would be best to prove them wrong by not fighting them,” he said, “Just like it would be best for you to prove Steele wrong by not letting him provoke you.”

Sonya thought it over, and realized that he was right, “I’ll try,” she replied.

“Good. You should be more careful with the fights you pick, because you may end up getting someone you care about caught in the crossfire.”

----------

Present Day

That was how Steele had acted towards her since day one. What he thought of her did not come from what he knew, but from what he thought he knew. He had been raised with the prejudice against wolves that was prevalent in dogs, never taking a moment to question it. When Sonya was younger, most of the dogs just avoided her, but Steele would actively seek her out in order to bully her. It was for this reason that she hated him more than the others and it was for this reason that she wanted him out of town last night. She didn’t want to have to go through his taunting again, after the years of peace she had enjoyed since he had moved away. Steele was going home whether he liked it or not.

“Sonya! There you are girl,” Marcus called out when he saw her and she knew that this would be her chance. Instead of coming to him, she dashed the other way, back towards the general store, “Hey Sonya, come back!” he called, but she kept on running towards the store, leading Marcus to give chase. Finally she reached it and crept in the door with Marcus following her.

Steele had started to settle himself down for a midday nap, but was jolted out of his doze by Marcus barging in, “Gah! Sonya! What is it now you mutt?” he growled.

“Oh nothing,” she replied, “I just wanted you to be found, that’s all.”

“Hey, what’s going on here?” the store owner asked as he walked in, alerted to the sound of Marcus coming in to the room.

“Sorry, my dog got away from me,” Marcus replied, grabbing onto Sonya’s collar.

“Is he yours too?” the owner asked, indicating Steele.

“No, he isn’t,” Marcus replied and the store owner took a closer look at Steele.

“Hmm, he seems familiar…… could it be…” he trailed off as he went back into the office to find something. He came back a few minutes later holding a photo that looked as though it had been clipped out of a newspaper. Steele’s stomach turned as he realized that it was his photo from the race a few weeks ago, “Oh wow, I don’t believe it,” the owner whispered, “It’s Steele. It’s actually Steele,” he said as he patted the black and white husky on the head. Steele knew he’d been found out. He had hoped to stay hidden for as long as possible, but thanks to Sonya, he had been found after less than a day.

Excited, the store owner ran to the telegraph office to have the news relayed to Nome. Steele’s owner had noticed when his prized dog went missing and had sent out messages asking for any information. While they waited for a response, word spread around the small town and it wasn’t long before a crowd had gathered to see Alaska’s champion dog. Sonya didn’t mind that Steele was, once again, the center of attention. She knew that with this, he would be out of her life again. She peeked through the crowd of legs, expecting to see Steele with his usual ‘cute dog’ face as he received all the attention, but she got a big surprise. Instead, Steele was fuming and barely responded as people scratched him behind the ears and rubbed his belly. This only confirmed her earlier suspicions. He wasn’t surprised when he had found out that his team was safe, and he wasn’t happy about going home to them. Did he even like them?

Soon, a response arrived. His owner was glad to hear he was safe, but it would be a few days before he would be able to make the trip over to get him. In the meantime, he asked Jonathan, who was an old acquaintance of him, to look after Steele for him.

That evening, the town dogs had gathered again to celebrate. A few were disappointed that Alaska’s champion would be leaving so soon, but most were happy that he was going back home. However, Steele’s thanks to them always seemed to be half-hearted. Finally, Sonya’s curiosity got the best of her and she went up to him, “So Steele, are you happy that you’ll see your buddies again soon?” she asked.

“I guess…,” he mumbled.

“You guess? That’s not much of an answer.”

“You didn’t need to interfere like that you mongrel. I would’ve been just fine on my own,” he replied, “You did this just to get rid of me.”

“Oh sure, it's all about you," she replied sarcastically, "Can't I do something to help you?”

“I don’t need any help from a mutt like you. I can do just fine on my own,” he replied.

“Oh, come on, there’s got to be something about this that’s bothering you,” she inquired.

“Yes, there is. It’s that your kind is always meddling around,” he growled.

“Just what is that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“Never mind, it’s none of your concern,” he replied.

“I think it is my concern,” she retorted, “From the second you got here, you’ve been acting like you're hiding from something.”

“I’m not hiding from anything,” he hissed, his tone becoming more aggressive.

“Well something had to have happened that’s making you less than enthusiastic about seeing your team. What happened, did you have a fight with them?”

“Nothing happened!” Steele snapped, grabbing everyone’s attention. The last thing Sonya needed on her paws was a public argument with Steele, so she decided to back off.

“Fine, be that way,” she replied and left the boiler room for home, still thinking about that exchange.

“Wow, he seems really tense now,” she thought to herself, “It does seem like he was trying to hide here, but what was he hiding from? He got upset when I mentioned his friends, so maybe something did happen between them. Maybe they did get into a fight? Then again, does all this really matter? He is going home in a few days.”

----------

Chapter 3: The Divide Widens

Four Years Earlier

In the past year, Sonya had started her training as a sled dog. While she hoped that it would mean that she would be able to go with Amak on his sled trips, that would not be the case. Instead, Jonathan had thought that she would be better at hauling freight around town. While Amak and the team went out for long trips or prepared for sled races, she would have to stay behind and help Marcus make deliveries around the town as part of his new part-time job. However, Sonya was capable of much more than just pulling cargo around. The one thing that Jonathan had always missed was that there was wolf breeding in her. She had inherited the speed and endurance of her father and would use it frequently to complete their deliveries as quick as any racing team. Despite her skills, and Marcus’s suggestions, he was still reluctant to use her on his main team.

“I don’t think I should son,” he said, after Marcus had suggested it once again, “One, she doesn’t have much experience and two, she’s probably better off hauling cargo around. Besides, she also seems to have a bit of a temper,” The temper that Jonathan had noticed was the result of the other dog’s constant harassment of her. Despite Amak’s urgings, she would often get into tussles with the other dogs when they started picking on her, with the worst being Steele. Steele had already started out with an over-sized ego, but then something happened that year that inflated it to titanic proportions. He had been promoted to lead dog. Being the lead of his team made him think he was invincible and he enjoyed exercising his power on anyone he could. He would not easily forget his last scuffle with Sonya and had stepped up his efforts to harass her. To ensure the odds would be in his favor, he would also bring a few dogs from his team and use their greater numbers to surround her.

Sonya hated being ganged up by so many dogs at once, and would always assume a defensive pose whenever they had her cornered. The insults would start flying, one thing would lead to another and it would end up with either Sonya being attacked, or Sonya running away while they laughed cruelly, “That’s right wolfdog, get out of here! Get out of this town and never come back!” Steele would shout at her. Sonya hated it all. The dogs wouldn’t give her a chance to fit in and her owner had put in her in a dead end position. All she wanted was to be able to run with a team like Amak did. She wanted to belong with them, but no one would give her a chance. No one wanted a half wolf on their team.

“Good riddance to that half-breed scrub dog,” some dogs would say.

“Yeah, this way we won’t have that wolf turn on us when we’re out on the trail,” another would reply.

----------

Today was like most days; Sonya was out helping Marcus shuttle packages from one end of town to another, driven to run as hard as she could. Her speed had once again allowed them to finish their work quickly. She dashed through the town, pulling Marcus along at lightning speed. This was one of the few times where she felt free. There were no dogs picking on her and she could run as fast as she could. Unfortunately, White Mountain was a small town, so these moments would only last for a minute or two before they would reach their destination and have to stop. Still, she yearned to run out of the town, leading a team through the wilderness. However, her fantasy would be cut short when another man walked around the corner and right into their path. Marcus saw him too and the both of them slammed on the brakes, coming to a stop right at his feet.

“Hey, careful there,” the man said in a gravelly voice. Judging from his clothing, he was a musher too.

“Sorry about that. I guess we were going a little too fast,” Marcus replied.

“You’re right about that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one dog go that quickly,” the man replied as he knelt down to take a closer look at Sonya, “And I’ve been in dog racing for years. What’s your name kid?”

“Marcus. Marcus Vance.”

“Vance? You mean you’re Jonathan Vance’s son?” the man asked.

“Yes, and I’m going to be a dog racer like him when I’m older,” Marcus replied.

“Well you certainly have the spirit already,” he replied, “But can your dog back your claims up?”

“Of course she can! Sonya is always running ahead of time and she could probably beat most of the dogs in this town!” he replied.

“Heh, that sounds like a challenge,” the man replied, “What would you say to a one on one race kid? We take only one dog each, go out from the town to the tree line and back, with the first one back being the winner. Then we’ll see just how good you are.”

“I accept,” Marcus replied, and Sonya’s heart rose. She would actually get a chance to race another dog. Maybe this would finally show the others what she was capable of.

“Perfect, I’ll just get Steele hooked up and we’ll go out,” he replied. The mention of Steele caused her euphoria to crash. Out of all the dogs in town, she would have to race her worst enemy.

“This could end up being a complete disaster,” she thought, “But if I win, maybe it’ll finally show everyone what I’m capable of. Maybe Steele will finally shut up too.”

The man got Steele hooked up to his sled while Marcus positioned himself beside him. Sonya and Steele glanced at each other, each one looking uncomfortable about this, ”Is this some kind of joke?” Steele asked, “I mean, I have better things to do with my time than to race a lowly scrub dog.”

“Well sorry for interrupting your time admiring yourself in the mirror,” Sonya shot back, causing Steele to growl at her. Finally, the two racers had finished preparing and each got onto the backs of their sleds.

“Okay kid, ready to go?” the man asked, and Marcus nodded in reply, “Alright then, three, two, one, GO!” he called and the two sleds shot off through the town.

At first, Steele’s owner was going easy on Marcus, thinking him to be just an inexperienced kid. However, Sonya was driven to beat her rival and was starting to pull ahead of him. Soon, she wasn’t just pulling ahead; she was peeling away from them. Never the type to be one-upped, Steele stepped into a higher gear. As they left the town, Steele was neck and neck with her. It was obvious just how evenly matched the two dogs were, as they were running side-by-side for the majority of the race. They reached the edge of the tree line and circled around to return to the town.

Throughout the race, Steele had been running full speed, trying to gain an advantage over Sonya. However, he had used up so much energy that he was starting to tire at the end. He tried to keep running, but soon he started to lag behind her. Sonya had kept her speed steady, avoiding extra spurts while waiting for the return trip to speed up. It was a trick that Amak had told her and it, combined with her endurance gave her an edge in that race. Steele had exhausted himself trying to overtake Sonya while she conserved her energy. Finally, they pulled into town, with Sonya well ahead. As she pulled to a stop, her head buzzed with what had happened. She had won. She had beaten Steele at his own game.

She was completely elated. This had been her first chance at racing and she had beaten an experienced lead dog. Not even in her dreams had she thought this possible, “Ha! I won Steele!” she said, “So, do you still think I’m a useless, slow, good for nothing half-breed?”

“You just got lucky,” he replied, panting, “There’s no way a mutt like you would beat me in a real race.”

“Marcus, there you are,” she heard a voice call. It was Jonathan, coming to see his son.

“Dad! Dad! I won!” he excitedly replied.

“You won? What did you win?”

“What he means,” the other man continued, “Is that your son managed to beat my prized lead dog Jonathan.”

“Marcus….. you beat Gunnar?” Jonathan replied.

“Yeah, I did. Wait, how do you know him?” Marcus asked.

“Oh, we go a bit of a ways back,” Jonathan replied, “Marcus, this is Gunnar Kassen. I suppose you could call us racing rivals. For the past few years I’ve tried to beat him in dog racing, but he always manages to slip ahead.”

“Well, I don’t mean to brag, but yeah, I have always managed to beat you Jonathan. Maybe you should have your kid run the race next year for you?” he joked.

“Haha, very funny,” Jonathan replied, “But I can’t believe it. Sonya actually beat Steele.”

“She sure did,” Gunnar continued, “Your kid’s dog certainly is something else. I know a racing dog when I see one and that Sonya is definitely racing material.”

“Racing material…” he replied with a look of pure surprise, “I never thought she’d have it in her. I always thought I could tell a racing dog from a cargo dog, but after this….”

“You know it’s never to late to start her out on racing, ” Gunnar said, “After all, you’re going to need all you can get if you want to beat me next year.”

“I suppose I will,” Jonathan replied.

----------

A couple of days later, Jonathan had made his decision. Sonya would be added to his team and he would train her over the next year to get her, along with the rest of the team ready for the next Trans-Alaskan Derby. While Sonya was glad to finally be a part of the team, the rest of them weren’t as keen.

“Amak, are you sure we should let Sonya run with us?” Jake asked, "I mean, she's just a freight dog."

“She's more than just a freight dog,” he replied, “She’s just as capable as any of us and we’re going to need every dog we can get for next year’s race.”

“A race? What race?” Sonya asked.

“There’s a big race that’s held every year called the Trans-Alaskan Derby,” Bruno replied, “It’s the biggest race of the year, with the grand prize being the golden collar.”

“The last race was a few weeks ago and lets just say it didn’t go as well as we had hoped,” Amak continued.

“Amak has had his eyes on that golden collar for a while, but we’ll have to wait another year before we get another shot,” Jake finished.

“A shot that we might not get if our local wolf decides to turn on us,” Misha shot in.

“Hey, I have never done anything like that and I won’t,” Sonya replied.

“Guys, lay off her,” Amak continued, “I’m sick of all of you putting her down like that. A dog from another team I can understand, but you? I expect better of you guys. Sonya is on our team and she is one of us now so I expect you to treat her as such.”

The others didn’t say anything and only nodded, albeit reluctantly. One by one, they left the barn, leaving Amak and Sonya alone, “They still aren’t going to trust me aren’t they?” she asked.

“Maybe not now, but give them time. It can be hard for a dog to overcome their distrust of wolves,” he replied, “However, one good thing did come out of this. You made the team kiddo. I’m so proud of you.”

“And I got to one-up Steele,” she continued.

“Hehe, that’s true, but a full blown race is much more challenging than what you just did. There will be long days of non-stop running, while having to deal with storms, dangerous trails, along with the competition from other teams. It’s not something that’s for everyone; are you sure you want to do this?”

“Of course I would! I’ve always wanted to run on a team with the other dogs. I’ve always wanted to belong with them. Besides, I could outrun any of them easily!” she said.

Seeing her determination made Amak grin from ear to ear. He too knew how the racing spirit burned in a dog's soul, “I had a feeling you would. You truly are Sierra’s daughter.”

That day would be a major turning point in Sonya’s life. She would finally get the opportunity to run on a team with the others. While it would still be a little while before the others would fully trust her, it was a start towards her dream of being a racing dog.

----------

Present Day

Today, Marcus was in for a real treat. To help him prepare for his first big run into Koyuk, he was going to take the entire team out for a practice run. It would only be a few miles but it would help him get used to handling multiple dogs. Marcus knew his dad’s dog team was experienced, but he had never led a team of so many dogs by himself. Usually all he needed was one dog for his short trips, not the half-dozen or more needed for long distances. He had just finished putting the harness around Sonya when his father came over with Steele following at his heels. Sonya couldn’t help but notice that Steele was wearing a standard sled collar around his neck now, “What is he doing here?”

“Well son, are you ready to handle the whole team?” he asked.

“I think so,” he replied.

“Good. Now, do you have room for one more?”

“One more? Who?” Marcus asked.

“Steele. His owner asked me to look after him until he got here and I thought it would be best if we gave him something to do while he’s waiting,” he replied. Sonya looked back in shock. She would actually have to run on the same team as him? “Please tell me this is some sort of sick joke.”

“Okay…. where should I put him?” Marcus asked.

“Oh please put him near the back,” Sonya thought.

“Well, Steele is a lead dog too. Why don’t you put him near the front, right beside Sonya?”

“Ugh.”

Jonathan led Steele over to the sled while Marcus rearranged the others to make room for Steele. However, Steele did not enjoy the idea of being anywhere near Sonya and tried to wiggle and squirm his way out of the harness. It wasn’t until Sonya nipped him in his rear did he sit still long enough for Marcus to attach the harness to him, placing him to the left and slightly behind Sonya, “Hehe, you show him girl,” Marcus whispered to her, causing Steele to growl slightly. He was so used to being his owner’s favorite, he hated seeing Marcus favor Sonya over him.

“I’ll show that kid what a real lead dog can do,” he thought as Marcus took his position on the sled.

“Alright son, you know the basic commands right?” Jonathan asked.

“’Mush’ or ‘hike’ to start them or to go faster. ‘Whoa’ for stop, but I may need to use the sled brakes too. ‘Gee’ to turn right, ‘Haw’ to turn left,” Marcus recited.

“That’s right. Now, you can also assist the turn by leaning your body as well. Also, don’t push the team faster than you can handle them. Keep it at a pace you find comfortable.”

“Alright dad,” he replied.

“Oh, and one more thing. If some of the dogs start acting up, don’t be afraid to rearrange them. Sometimes they need to be demoted a little to smarten them up.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Meanwhile, Sonya was giving the team her own little pep talk, “Alright guys, let’s remember to keep it smooth for Marcus; he isn’t the most experienced with a full team. Just remember to follow my lead and we’ll be fine.”

“I don’t need to be led around by any mutt,” Steele growled. A few of the team members groaned; another argument was the last thing they would need, “I can show this kid what a true lead dog is like.”

“Steele, you’re only here as a guest. I’m the leader of the team, okay?” she snapped back.

“You’re no leader. You’re only half-dog, so at most, you’re half a leader,” he sneered.

“Mush!” Marcus called out.

“Steele, now is not the time for this,” Sonya replied as the team started moving. They were starting out at a slow pace, but while Sonya was trying to maintain their speed, Steele kept trying to pull ahead, yanking on the harness to try to go faster, “Steele stop it, you’re going to pull the harness apart,” she said.

“Shut up wolfdog. I’m the better lead so I can go as fast as I want,” he replied, still trying to pull ahead of her.

“No you can’t. One, you’re not the lead, I am. Two, we have to follow Marcus’s commands and he hasn’t told us to speed up yet,” Sonya replied.

“This kid doesn’t know what he’s doing. You said it yourself that he’s inexperienced. I can lead this team better than he can,” Unfortunately, the dogs behind them mistook Steele’s constant tugging as an order to go faster, so they picked up speed. Sonya was forced to match their pace to avoid being run over by Jake, who was directly behind her. Marcus however, had no knowledge of Steele and Sonya’s little spat so he just enjoyed the fun of running a dog team himself, laughing all they way, “See, your kid doesn’t need to give out orders. He’d probably have more fun with me as the lead instead of you,” Steele said.

“Haw! Haw!” Marcus called out, signaling the team to make a left turn. Steele happily obliged, yanking harder than Sonya could take, almost pulling her right off her feet. Fortunately, she didn’t trip or else the entire team would have come to a crashing halt.

“Watch it Steele! You almost knocked me over!” she screamed.

“Heh, too bad I didn’t succeed,” he smirked. Sonya scowled at him and decided that if he crossed the line one more time, she would take matters into her own paws.

“Alright guys, Gee!” Marcus called, this time to signal a turn to the right. Sonya started out the turn smoothly, but that wasn’t enough for the impatient Steele.

“Move it wolfy!” he growled and slammed into her side, knocking her off her feet and setting off an unstoppable chain reaction. Sonya crashed to the ground and Jake had only a split second to brace himself for the collision with her, and another for when Misha slammed into his back. The dogs running in the second row beside them, including Steele, were yanked to a sudden stop through their harnesses and fell too. Fortunately, Marcus was able to slam on the sled’s brake before it ran over his crashed team.

Seething, Sonya was on Steele in an instant, sinking her teeth into his shoulder and slamming him to the ground. However, Steele was quick to retaliate, rolling himself free of her grasp. The two lunged at each other again and soon the thrashing of their fight had completely tangled the harness around them and those directly behind them. However, their fight would be cut short by Marcus, who came up to separate the two. He held each of them by their collars, but they still tried to lunge at each other. Knowing he couldn’t untangle the lines with them snapping at each other, he unclipped Steele and shooed him away. Steele took advantage of his freedom and ran a short distance away, out of Sonya’s reach, “Haha, you can’t catch me half-breed!” he taunted, infuriating her even more. She tried to lunge for him, but her harness held her back.

“Hey! Hey! Stop it Sonya! Look what you’re doing to poor Jake!” Marcus yelled and Sonya looked back to see what he meant. During the crash the line had become entangled around many of the dogs, including Jake. When Sonya tried to lunge at Steele, it only tightened the lines that had wrapped around his neck. By the time Marcus had calmed her down, she had already half-strangled him.

“Oh no, Jake. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she said as Marcus unwrapped the line from around him. She felt terrible about it, but brushed it off as Steele’s fault, “That stupid ass! He caused us to crash, it’s all his fault!” she glowered as Steele continued to pace around the area, trying to provoke her to lunge at him again. It took Marcus a few minutes to untangle everything and he called Steele over. The husky tried to take his place beside Sonya but Marcus grabbed his collar, leading him towards the rear. Steele whined and tried to get back to the front, but Marcus’s hand held him back.

“Nuh-uh, I saw that stunt you pulled. You’re going in the back,” he said, causing Steele to scowl. He rearranged the team and Sonya couldn’t help but grin at the sight of a champion being reduced to a wheel dog. With the team reset, Marcus called for them to go and they completed their run, returning to White Mountain by midday. The team was unhooked and allowed to roam, with Sonya and Steele going in two different directions. He followed the team through the town while she trotted to her shed to rest. A mix of emotions ran through Sonya. First, there was the regret towards hurting Jake; she hoped that he wouldn’t be too mad at her for this. Soon, the regret gave way to anger towards Steele. She had been right; he hadn’t changed at all. In less than ten minutes, he had proven that he was the same prejudiced jerk as before. No matter what, he would always stay the same; always picking on her and making her life hard because of her wolf side.

“Why?” she said to herself, “Why couldn’t you have just left me alone? Why do you always have to come back? Why can’t you go away forever?!”

“Hey, what did I do to you?” a voice replied. She turned and saw that it was Jake standing in the doorway.

“Oh Jake, it’s not you. It’s-“

“Steele?” he finished and she nodded, “That’s no surprise.”

“Look Jake, I’m really sorry about what happened today. Is your neck okay?” she said.

“I’ll be fine, but there’s something I want to talk to you about,” he said as he entered the shed, “You shouldn’t let Steele get to you like that Sonya.”

“I know, but he is so persistent. He doesn’t stop until I do something,” she replied.

“That is true, and I will admit wanting to sock him a couple of times too. However, I don’t let him provoke me; I don’t want to get myself or my friends caught up in a fight.”

“You should be more careful with the fights you pick, because you may end up getting someone you care about caught in the crossfire.”

Amak’s old words had pushed themselves into Sonya’s mind and it was now that she realized the truth behind them. While trying to get back Steele today, she had been choking Jake with his own harness. Instead of hurting Steele, she had hurt one of her best friends, “Anyway, I just want you to be careful out there Sonya. I’d hate to have anything happen to my lead dog,” he finished before leaving Sonya to her own thoughts.

“Oh Amak, I wish you were here now. You’d know what to do with Steele.”

----------

Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

Three Years Ago

In the months leading up to the race, Jonathan had been rigorously training his team, running them through the dozen mile hop to nearby Golovin and back, always trying to push the dogs faster. This was the first chance Sonya had to run as part of a team and she loved every minute of it. At first, running non-stop for hours on end was difficult, but as the days passed, it became easier and easier for her, with her wolf stamina allowing her to keep pace for hours at a time. Her stamina also allowed her to gain a relatively high position on the team as one of the swing dogs (Jake was the other). Her job was to assist Amak in setting the pace and to help swing the sled around turns (hence the term ‘swing dog’). During the training, Jonathan had tried Sonya in all the different positions on the team and found that she worked best right behind Amak. Sonya could have been a wheel dog for all she cared; she just wanted to be on the team with the others.

Two weeks before the race, Jonathan went out on a hunting trip with a friend, staying with him in his cabin that was to the west of White Mountain. By now, Sonya had gotten used to the rigors of dog sledding so the short trip wasn’t much trouble at all. During the day, they would search for the caribou herds that their humans were hunting, but for the first few days they had little luck. They knew that the herd would be gathered in one spot, but where that spot was had yet to be found.

Despite her competence with sledding, most of the team was still reluctant to accept her. The upcoming race was at the forefront of their minds and most were convinced that Sonya, a former cargo dog, would slow them down. Even though she had been on their team for almost a year, they were still distrustful of the half-wolf. She was still excluded her from their social time, so while they chatted in the evenings, she went off around the other side of the cabin and had started watching the northern lights as they danced in the sky.

“Enjoying the show?” she heard a voice ask. She turned around and saw it was Amak.

“Yes,” she replied.

“You know, your mother loved watching the lights too. I once took her out at night to see them and she loved the whole thing.”

“You took my mom to see them? It almost sounds like it was a date,” Sonya replied.

“That’s because it was,” he said, “This was before she met your father and I will admit having a big crush on her. However, we later found it best if we remained friends. Eventually, she would meet your father.”

“Did you ever meet him?” she asked, wanting to know more about her father.

“Unfortunately no, but from the way Sierra talked about him he sounded like a great guy. I was the only one that she told about him, and for good reason. As you probably know all too well, most dogs hate wolves, and the idea of a dog becoming a mate with one of them disgusted them. So, I was the only one your mother trusted her secret with.”

“You told me that my mother had been banished before I was born. Was it because of her being with him?” Sonya asked.

“Unfortunately, yes. He tried to visit her in town and one of the other dogs caught them together. When I found them, they were completely surrounded. Once they figured out that she was in love with him, they disowned her and banished her from the town,” he said, “I tried so hard to convince them to let her stay, but they were so stubborn. They didn’t want to have to deal with the possibility of Sierra having half wolf pups in the town, so they kicked her out.”

“It was all because she loved someone different from them, wasn’t it?” she asked and Amak nodded, “Why would they be so afraid of half-wolf pups anyways?”

“Because they would be much closer to wolves than the other dogs. There are stories of half-wolf pups being temperamental and turning on other dogs - sometimes people too.”

“Are any of the stories true?” she asked.

“I can’t say myself. I haven’t seen any half-wolf turn on someone unprovoked, including you,” he replied, “I’ve tried so many times to convince the others that you’re okay, but they’re so set in their ways.”

“At least you’re not as stubborn as them,” she said, “I bet if you met a wolf you would see the good in them.”

“Maybe I already have,” Amak replied.

“What do you mean by that?” she asked.

“Oh, you’ll never guess,” he replied. She was the closest thing to a wolf that Amak had known, so she assumed he meant her, “Well it’s getting late, you need your sleep,” he said, and Sonya obliged, trotting back around to where the others were while Amak stayed behind, watching the lights.

“Oh Sierra, I hope I know what I’m doing," he said, "This could horribly backfire on me.”

----------

A couple of nights later, Sonya was starting to doze off in the hole she had dug for herself in the snow, but soon heard the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow. She perked her head up and saw Amak starting to enter the woods. Curious, she continued watching him to see what he was up to, and when she did, her jaw dropped. Amak had met up with a snow-white wolf and they had started chatting with each other.

“Oh wow, so that’s what he meant by ‘I already have’. Well, he did once say to me that he always wanted to meet a wolf. If only the others could see this; they could see that wolves aren’t that bad. I mean, he’s just chatting with her,” she thought, “Wait, her? Has Amak found someone to his liking? Aw, that’s so sweet of him. I wonder why he didn’t tell me about this?” she thought, but then remembered their earlier discussion, “If they banished my mother for being with a wolf, then there’s nothing stopping them from doing the same to Amak. No wonder he didn’t tell me; if it got out it would destroy him."

Beside her, Jake started to stir and poked his head out from under the snow, “Sonya, what are you looking at?” he sleepily asked.

“Um……. nothing,” she said, hoping that Jake hadn’t seen Amak. Fortunately, he had moved on with his companion.

“Are you sure? You seem pretty interested in what's out there.”

“It was nothing,” she replied, “I thought I heard something, but whatever it was is gone.”

“… Okay,” he finished and retreated back into his hole, with Sonya doing the same soon after.

“I hope you know what you’re doing Amak. I don’t want to lose you the way I lost my mother too.”

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Present Day

The next few days went by slowly, with Sonya doing everything she could to avoid Steele. She only wanted his owner to come and take him away from her. Once he was gone, she could go back to the way things were before he had dropped in. She would be able to lead the team with Marcus for his first big sled run, without having to deal with anyone trying to take over her team. Slowly, but surely, the day came and when it did, she was completely ecstatic.

Steele on the other hand was feeling a sickly mixture of anger and fear, with the fear taking center stage. For the past few days, he had tried to forget about what was coming. However when his owner did arrive, along with his old team, the memories of what had happened a couple weeks ago hit him like a brick wall.

“But I’m your lead dog!”

“Not anymore. A true leader would have gotten us home. A true leader would have been willing to admit they were wrong! A true leader wouldn’t have lied about what happened! You’re no leader! You’re nothing but a fraud!”

Unlike the dogs of White Mountain, Steele had not been able to hide the truth from the dogs of Nome. After trying to fight Balto away from the sled, he had fallen off a cliff. By the time he had gotten back up, Balto had taken his place and was leading his team, along with any glory he would get from the serum run away. As revenge, Steele sabotaged the marks that Balto had left along his journey, sending him in the wrong direction. While the team got even more lost, he had followed the trail back to Nome. At first, it looked like he would get away with what he had done, but somehow, Balto managed to find the correct path and get the team home.

Steele managed to slip away when his team returned, but he would only evade them for a day before none other than Balto would catch him. He was dragged before the town and forced to admit what he had done. After that, the town, including his own friends immediately disowned him, banishing him from the town.

“Steele, you’re no champion of ours. You don’t even deserve that fancy collar.”

“Steele, I want you to walk away. Walk away from this town. Walk away and never return.”

Those were the last words spoken to him by Balto and his former friends before he was sent out into the cold. After days of wandering in the wilderness, he dragged himself into White Mountain. He had hoped that he would make a fresh start here, but the meddling of another wolfdog would ruin that. He had been revealed and his owner was going to bring him back to the town that had wanted to tear his head off.

“Damn you Sonya,” he muttered to himself, “Damn you and your entire half-breed kind.”

Steele had curled himself up in the crawlspace under the Vance’s house, hoping to hide from his team when they would come into town. Hopefully, if his owner didn’t find him, he would be left behind and wouldn’t have to deal with his former friends. As he looked around the cramped space, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of familiarity. Before he had left Nome, he had done the same thing under the hospital to avoid being caught before.

Soon he heard the thump of boots on the front porch, followed by a knock on the front door. Another pair of feet answered from inside, “Ah Gunnar, it’s good to see you made it,” Jonathan greeted.

“Thanks Jonathan, I trust you’ve been doing well?” the gravelly voice of his owner replied.

“Oh yes, come in. Can I get you anything?”

“No thanks,” he replied, stepping into the home, “So, how’s my old Steele doing?”

“He’s doing great. I even had my son run him with the team to give him a little exercise.”

“Really? Well, I hope he wasn’t too much for your kid to handle.”

“Oh no, he got home alright. We’ve taken good care of your dog for you Gunnar.”

“Thanks for that, though there is something I’ve been thinking about that you may be interested in.”

“And what would that be?” Jonathan asked.

“How would you feel about taking care of him for a little longer?”

----------

Sonya hummed to herself as she trotted down the street. She hadn’t seen Steele all day and she hoped to never see him again. She hadn’t felt this happy since he first moved away to Nome a few years ago. In the years since, he really hadn’t changed much. He was still an egomaniac who looked down upon anyone he considered inferior, including dogs with a mixed breeding. She was so distracted by her happy thoughts that she bumped right into another dog.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized.

“It’s no problem,” the tan colored dog replied. He was a Chinook, a rarer breed of sled dog.

“Hey, I haven’t seen you here before? Are you new in town?” she asked.

“Yeah, my team just came in. We’re only going to be here for a short time so I wanted to look around before we left,” he replied.

“So what brings you to town? I don’t think I got your name,” she continued.

“It’s Kaltag,” the Chinook replied, “And you are?”

“Sonya.”

“Well Sonya, it’s actually someone else that brings me into town.”

“Oh? Who? An old girlfriend?” she teased.

“Heh, I wish,” he replied, “No, the dog that has brought me here is someone I’d rather not see again, but he’s important to my owner.”

“Who is it?”

“You may have heard of him. He’s a husky named Steele.”

Sonya completely froze when she heard this, “Steele?”

“Yeah. He used to be the lead dog of the team I’m on, but I’m in charge now. We kicked him out of our town when we realized that he was a no good liar,” he replied, his tone becoming more of a growl. “Our owner thought he had gotten lost, but he wasn’t awake when it happened.”

A million different thoughts rushed through her head. Her suspicions were true; there had been more to Steele’s story than he led on. She knew she would have never gotten anything from Steele, but now she had something foolproof: an actual witness, “What do you mean ‘he wasn’t awake’? What happened?”

“Well, it all started when several of the kids in our town got sick with diphtheria. There were so many patients that the doctor ran out of the medicine used to treat them. So, a team was put together that would travel from Nome to Nenana to pick up the medicine and bring it back. I was on that team and Steele was the lead dog. We got to Nenana without any problems, but on the return trip, a fierce storm hit and soon we were completely lost,” So far the story was matching up with what Steele had said, but it wouldn’t for much longer.

“We tried to tell Steele to double back, but he insisted on pushing forward. Suddenly, we went over an icy hill and the sled crashed at the bottom. Our musher was thrown from his sled and knocked out by the impact. We were completely lost and now we didn’t even have our musher to direct us. To make matters worse, Steele just sat there after that, without trying to get us back together,” Kaltag continued.

“Steele never mentioned anything like this. He just told us he’d been knocked out,” she thought as Kaltag continued his story.

“We sat around for hours, thinking we had failed our mission, but then out of the blue comes Balto. I tell ya, I had never been happier to see him than when he came to us that day. He had somehow followed us and had left a trail by scratching the bark off trees to mark a path. All we had to do was follow his marks and we would be home free. Unfortunately, Steele had other plans.”

“So Steele was awake when Balto found them? Wait, Balto was a wolfdog too….. I don’t like where this is going.”

“Steele tried to keep Balto from helping us and gave him a bit of a beating, but that tough mutt never backed down. He wanted to help those kids as much as we did, but Steele couldn’t see beyond his own ego to let him help. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he was careless and knocked the crate containing the medicine over. That was when I knew that Steele was doing more harm than good. I was seconds away from jumping in there myself to stop him when Steele tried to lunge at Balto again. However, he overshot him and fell off the ledge. With Steele out of the way, we let Balto take charge and started to head home.”

“So you left Steele down there?” she asked. Other than a few minor details, the story was still similar to what Steele had told them.

“Well, putting it that way makes it seem so harsh, but yes. We left him because we knew he wouldn’t be able to get us home. However, it didn’t take very long for him to get back up and run ahead of us. He completely had it in for Balto and decided to sabotage his marks, adding extra trails that went in the wrong direction.”

Sonya could feel her blood start to boil. Steele had actually tried to send his own team with vital cargo the wrong way, “All Steele cared about was getting rid of Balto,” Kaltag continued, “His prejudice drove him to completely ignore his team and the mission in order to get rid of one hybrid who, really isn’t all that bad when you get to know him.”

“He…. he lied,” Sonya growled, “He lied to us! He told us he got separated from the team. He never mentioned meeting Balto at all. I didn’t even think they knew each other. And to think he tried to get rid of the team as well! He may as well have tried to kill those kids himself!”

“I couldn’t have said it better,” Kaltag replied, “While we got even more lost, Steele made it back to Nome alone and spun this story about how we had all died horribly. He probably figured that he might as well get a little pity attention from all of this. But, he forgot one crucial thing: we had a half-wolf leading us. Balto knew he couldn’t use his visual marks, so he sniffed his way home. Steele tried to hide when he knew his plan had gone bust, but it wasn’t long before we found him. We made him confess what he had done and that’s when we kicked him out of town,” Kaltag finished.

Sonya had heard all she needed to know. Steele had been lying from the start and even worse, he had purposely sent his own team the wrong way. He had never been in it for the children; he was only in it for the glory, like he always had been. Her face contorted in anger with her hackles raised, exposing her white canines.

“Hey, are you okay there?” Kaltag asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.

“I’m fine…… but Steele won’t be!” she howled and took off like a bullet. This time, Steele would not get away. This time, he was going to pay for what he had done.

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Chapter 5: Stolen Glory

Steele couldn’t decide whether to cry or cheer over what he had been hearing for the past few minutes. After all of these years of loyal service with his owner, he was being sold, “I’ve been thinking that Steele might be starting to lose his racing edge,” his owner continued, unaware that Steele had been eavesdropping on their entire conversation, “Usually he’s had no problem with overtaking other teams, but this year, it seemed more difficult for him. In fact, I might not have won the last race if the other team hadn’t tripped up in the last couple of miles.”

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Jonathan replied, “Steele isn’t as young as he used to be.”

“Yeah, and I think his sense of direction may be going too. You heard about the serum run right?”

“Of course. It was international news.”

“Well, during that run, Steele led the team right off the trail, accidentally taking us off a cliff.”

“Yikes,” Jonathan replied.

“Yep, if that stray half-wolf hadn’t found us and taken us home, we would’ve all perished in that storm. It’s funny, I’m not usually the type to believe in angels of mercy, but having that wolfdog find us in that blizzard and take us home…… it kinda makes you rethink how you see the world.”

“Well Gunnar, for all we know, dogs are a bit smarter than we think they are. Maybe this stray hybrid knew what was going on and wanted to help?”

“Heh, you actually believe that?” Gunnar asked.

“Well, like you, I’ve experienced amazing things. My dogs have been able to pull off amazing feats in the worst conditions. You remember when I last raced you three years ago right?”

“Oh yes. If my memory serves me correctly, that was the last time the derby finished in White Mountain before the officials extended it to Nome. Heh, you sure gave me a run for my money that time. What are you getting at?”

“I gave you a run for your money not because of what I could do as a musher, but because of what my dogs could do that I could not.”

----------

Three Years Earlier

Sonya couldn’t believe it - today was the day. The day that she could finally prove herself to the team, and show that she was as good as any of them. First, the team would make the run from White Mountain to Fairbanks, where the Trans-Alaskan Derby would start. Their pace was kept moderate to avoid over-exertion before the race, when they would need to give everything they had to stay ahead of the other teams. After reaching the town, they would have a couple of days to rest before the start of the race; when the real fun would begin.

The racers were lined up on the edge of the town, facing out towards the Alaskan wilderness. There, they would have to beat the elements - and the other teams - to the finish in White Mountain. Sonya could feel her heart pounding from the excitement. She was elated that she was finally getting the chance to race, but she was nervous too. This was her first big race and she wanted nothing more than to prove herself to her team. While they waited for the starting gun, she looked around at the competition. A few feet away was none other than Steele. Since their last race, he had refused to admit that a half-wolf was faster than him. Whenever anyone would ask him about it, he would say that she just got lucky - or that she cheated. He seemed to change his story every other day.

He turned and glared at her as they waited at the starting gate, “So, I guess your owner must be scraping the bottom of the barrel if he’s using a slow dog like you,” he said.

“Just you wait and see Steele. I’m a real sled dog now and I promise you that all you’ll see is my tail in this race,” she replied.

“We’ll see about that,” he finished.

“Easy there Sonya,” Amak said as he turned to face her, “You may have talent, but it’ll do you no good if you get too cocky. Besides, this is a team effort.”

“I know that,” she replied, “But I really want to beat Steele.”

“Don’t worry; as long as you stay sharp and follow my lead, I promise you that we will beat that glory hound over there,” he said and soon Jonathan took his position at the end of the sled. The race was about to start at any second, “Alright, are you ready guys?” Amak called out and the team barked out in reply.

“Racers, on your mark… get set… GO!” the official called and fired the starting pistol, sending the racers lurching forward. Early on, a few of the teams pulled ahead, trying to get an early advantage, but Amak and his team held back. They knew that exhausting themselves too early in the race wouldn’t help them in the long run. One of the teams ahead of them was Steele’s and Sonya kept her eyes locked on him, not wanting him to get too far ahead.

Sonya was exhilarated by all of this. She was competing against other dogs to see who would be the fastest, and after being at the low end of the sledding food chain for so long, she was driven to win and show everyone what she was capable of. Soon, they had passed through the treeline into the wild forests of Alaska. In here, the trail narrowed, making passing other teams difficult. Already a few of the teams were starting to tire, as they had used up most of their energy in to get ahead early. Amak was able to easily pass these teams, allowing them to move up a few positions. However, these gains were just the start. They still had a long way to go before this race would be over.

----------

Over the next few days, their team would move up many more positions, either by passing other teams, or when a team ahead of them pulled out of the race. The days were long and exhausting but Sonya pulled herself through each one. Even though her wolf side gave her heightened endurance for running, the rigors of the race still wore her, along with the rest of the team, out by the end of the day. Despite the adverse conditions, there was one thing that kept her going. Steele’s team was still ahead of them. After being pushed around by that egomaniac for so long, Sonya adored the idea of beating him again. This time, it would be official and if they won, then every dog would know of her victory.

They were now on the last leg of the race and in third position. After passing through their last checkpoint, they had learned that Steele’s team was now in first, but only half a mile ahead of them. They were gaining on them, but they encountered a snag. A snowstorm had blown in, obscuring visibility and causing them to accidentally leave the trail, “Amak, wait! We have to get our bearings!” Jake called out after several hours of wandering aimlessly through the woods.

“I agree,” he replied and the entire team came to a halt. They looked around, hoping to see some sign of the trail or another team, but there was none. White Mountain was west of them and they had been going in roughly that direction, but if they didn’t get their heading just right, then they risked overshooting the town entirely. Amak had started sniffing the air, hoping to detect a trace of the teams ahead in the wind. Much like how wolves tracked their packmates scents in order to navigate, sled dogs could follow the scent trail left by the teams ahead of them. Intrigued, Sonya decided to try it for herself as well. Amak sniffed for a minute or two, but even the nose of a lead dog could do so much and the teams ahead were too far away for Amak to get a fix on them.

“I can’t find them,” he said.

“You mean we’re lost?” Jake asked.

“Great, now we’re never getting home,” Tom put in.

“Don’t say that, there’s got to be a way out of here. We’ll go another few miles and try again,” he replied, but before he could go, he noticed that Sonya was still rooted to the spot with her nose in the air. “Sonya, they’re too far ahead to smell them. C’mon, lets go.”

“But I think I can smell them,” she replied. It was true, she could faintly pick up the scent of another team, carried by the winds of the storm, “They’re ahead, but to the right a little,” she said, pointing her head in the direction she meant.

“Just what makes you so sure?” Jake snapped, “I mean, you’re the least experienced of us and you’re not even all dog.”

“Hey, I’m not hearing you give any better ideas!” Sonya replied, “I know they’re there, I’m picking up their scent on the wind. Amak, I know it’s your call in the end, but they’re there. I’m sure of it.”

Amak thought it over and without any better alternative, decided to take her advice, “Alright guys, were changing course. Hopefully it will get us back on the trail,” he said, and the dogs followed him in the direction that Sonya had laid out, “Sonya, I need you to keep sniffing for them. See if they change direction anytime okay?” he asked.

“You got it boss,” she replied.

“I hope you know what you’re doing Sonya,” Jake muttered, but she ignored him. She focused on running ahead, all the while trying to get a better fix on the team ahead of them.

“I hope I know what I’m doing too.”

----------

They followed the scent trail for hours through the woods. The storm had cleared, giving them clear visibility on all sides, but they still could not see the trail. The scent was much stronger now and everyone knew that they were getting closer, “C’mon, where are you?” Amak muttered.

“They’re really close. It’s almost like we’re on top of them,” Sonya said and she would find out how true her words were when they burst through the brush, almost slamming into Steele’s team side-on. Steele screamed in terror from their sudden appearance, but fortunately the two teams were able to swerve away from a collision and were now running side-by-side.

“What do you think you’re doing you maniacs?!” Steele yelled at them.

“We’re beating the tail off of you, that’s what,” Sonya retorted.

“Oh my god, she did it! That wolfdog actually did it!” Misha cried.

“We’re going to win!” Jake continued.

“It’s not over ‘till we reach the finish,” Amak said.

“That means MUSH you guys!” Sonya finished, and the team obliged, stepping up into a higher gear. Not one to be outdone, Steele’s team also stepped up their game and the two teams were running as fast as they could towards the finish. They burst out of the woods and onto the snow-covered plains that surrounded White Mountain. Both teams were running with all their heart for the final dash. Steele and Amak were neck and neck, with neither one able to get a clear advantage over the other. They entered the town surrounded by the cheers of all the spectators. There were only a hundred yards to go - this would be an extremely close race.

It was in this final dash that Amak’s team started to pull ahead of Steele. It was gradual, but they were creeping up on him, and soon Steele was level with Sonya, who blew him a raspberry as she ran beside him. This was what she had dreamed of, to win a race and prove to everyone that she could be a racing dog. The finish was getting closer and closer; they only needed a few more seconds and they would win.

“Not so slow now am I Steele!” she called, and Steele only growled in response. He was so close to winning and wouldn’t let anyone, let alone a wolfdog, take that from him. Unfortunately for Sonya, Steele had a nasty trick up his sleeve. In one sudden motion, he reared up and snapped at Sonya’s paws, not intending to hit her, just scare her. She saw him lunge and tried to jump out of the way, but she stumbled on her landing. Her stumble caused her to lose speed, affecting everyone else as well.

It wasn’t a drastic change, but it was what Steele had wanted to happen. By causing Sonya to stumble, he had managed to slow down her team just enough for him to pull ahead. Sonya regained her footing and the rest of the team raced to regain their lost ground, but the damage had already been done. Steele crossed the finish first.

Sonya was crushed. She had been hoping for so long that this would be her chance to show that she could be a real sled dog and she had blown it. She held her head low, sure that this foul-up would push her back to where she had been before: a target of ridicule. The dogs were unhooked while the judge awarded the prizes, “The first-place golden collar is awarded to Mr. Kassen and his lead dog Steele, while the runner-up silver collar is awarded to Mr. Vance and his lead dog Amak,” the judge placed the new collars, having gold and silver studs respectively on Steele and Amak while the crowd applauded. After receiving his prize, Steele proceeded to prance around the street to show off his new collar, while the female dogs swooned. Amak knew Steele had pulled a dirty trick and glared at the husky while he paraded himself in front of his fan club, seething.

Sonya trotted away from the scene and down an alley. She was sure that the team would surely blame her for their loss. After all, she was the wolfdog and the outcast of the team. She had stumbled and had lost the team the race that had almost been theirs.

“Hey Sonya!” she heard Jake call out, but she didn’t reply, “Sonya! Hold up!” he continued, followed by the calls of the rest of the team. She kept on walking, so they had to chase after her to catch up, “Sonya, wait, there’s something we want to say,” Jake said, and she finally stopped.

“You want to say that it’s my fault we lost, don’t you?” she replied.

“No, Sonya…… you were brilliant today. You sniffed out Steele’s team and got us caught up with them. Not even Amak was able to pull it off, but you did. You got us home for the final dash,” he said.

“Haha, did you see the look on his face when we almost hit him?” Bruno laughed, “He looked like he was about to wet himself!”

“But we still lost,” she said.

“We only lost because of Steele’s dirty trick,” Felix replied, “We saw what he did and had he not cheated, we would’ve won.”

“Yeah Sonya; as far as I’m concerned, we won that race, thanks to you,” Jake finished, “It’s too bad the humans didn’t catch Steele in the act.”

“I wanted so badly to win. I wanted to show that I could be a real sled dog,” she said.

“Sonya, you did show us that with what you did today,” Jake replied, “Look, I know we haven’t always been on good terms, but after today, after all we’ve been through, I’m willing to give you another chance. What do you say? Can you forgive some foolish sled-dogs for their stupidity?”

While Sonya may not have won the race, she would still get something else that she had wanted; to be accepted by her entire team; “Yes!” she cried and play-tackled Jake to the ground. The rest of the team joined in too, all of them barking and laughing in joy. After that, they spent the rest of the day goofing off and having fun with each other. Amak may have been missing from the celebration, but Sonya barely noticed. It wasn’t until the evening that the team decided to retire to their barn, and relax after a full day.

Sonya couldn’t believe it, but then again, it was what she had wanted all along. She had wanted to prove herself to the others and she had done just that, “Hey Jake, do you know where Amak is?” she asked.

“Not really, but he’s probably at home resting,” he replied.

“Ah yes, the lead dog gets to stay in the house while we have to tough it out,” she said.

“Yeah, but it’s not so bad. Besides, at the rate you’re going you just may become lead dog yourself,” he said.

“Do you really think so?” she asked.

“Hey, if you could sniff out a team in a blizzard, then why not?”

----------

Present Day

Steele remembered the day that the men were talking about as well. It was the day that he had first won his prized golden collar, a trophy he had managed to keep until one of his mutinous teammates ripped it from his neck, “I was able to catch up to you because my dogs were able to sniff your team out, something I never would’ve been able to do. They did it without me ordering them to,” Jonathan continued, “Somehow, my dogs knew that we had to win and they acted accordingly.”

“I see,” Gunnar replied, “That’s some story you’ve got there. Though, I’ve always wondered why you haven’t run in the derby in the years since?”

“Well, I suppose it partly has to with how my old lead Amak vanished. Without him, I don’t think I would’ve stood a chance in a race that big. Granted, I still run some of the smaller races, but I’m taking a break from the derby for a little while.”

“Well, now that you have Steele with ya, you might have a better chance next year,” Gunnar finished. The men continued talking above him, but Steele stopped paying attention to them and started walking out of the crawlspace. While the idea of being sold to another musher would have mortified him in the past, now it seemed like a blessing. He wouldn’t have to go back to Nome. He wouldn’t have to deal with the dogs that kicked him out. Over time, he could probably forget that entire ordeal ever happened. He would have a fresh start.

However, being sold to Mr. Vance meant that he would have to be on the same team as Sonya, something he did not look forward to. She was a half-wolf and he hated the idea of running under the command of a mutt like her. He wouldn’t have done it with Balto, and he wasn’t going to do it with Sonya.

“She probably won’t like it, but then again, neither do I. But, if I had to choose between being torn apart and working with her, I’d take the latter,” he thought, “The only way I’d ever get in trouble is if someone else found out what I had done on the serum run. Ugh, if that wolfdog found out, she’d completely-“ Steele’s thought was cut short as he emerged from the crawlspace and saw Sonya standing right outside the entrance, as though she had been waiting for him.

She glared at him, eyes burning with anger and her hackles were slightly raised. Steele thought that she was just upset that he had snuck under her own home, “Her wolf side has probably made her a little territorial.” “Look Sonya, I-“

“You…..” she growled, “You lying son of a bitch.”

----------

Chapter 6: The Secret’s Out

“Sonya, let me explain,” Steele said.

“Shut up! You lied to us!” she snapped, “You played us all like saps! If we had known what you had done-“

“Look, I really don’t know what you’re talking about-“

“I’M TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU ALMOST KILLED THOSE KIDS AND YOUR TEAM! I’M TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU TRIED TO COVER UP WHAT YOU HAD DONE!” Steele’s blood turned to ice after she said that. She knew about the serum run, and she looked about ready to destroy him, “Oh yes, I know everything now and soon everyone else will too. If I were you, I’d start running right now to get a head start. Otherwise, I’m going to have the entire town after you in five minutes.” His stomach jumped into his throat. If she told everyone, then they would kick him out. He’d be forced to wander through the cold wilderness again. He’d be an outcast, all because of the meddling of another wolfdog.

“No. Not again,” he said.

“Oh yes again. I’ve been waiting for the perfect chance for this. Now I can put you through what you put Amak through!” As much as she wanted to, she had to hold back the urge to attack him now. She knew she would need everyone else as backup, so she started to walk away from him, hoping he would take her advice and start running. However, Steele was not one to admit defeat easily. He wasn’t going to be ruined like this; not again.

He leaped at her, catching her by the shoulder and slamming her into the side of the house. In retaliation, she bit into his neck; not enough to cause a fatal wound, but enough to cause him excruciating pain. Steele screamed and thrashed around in an attempt to knock her loose, but her fangs held. Finally, he rolled onto his side, using his larger bulk to crush Sonya, forcing her to release him. Once he was free, both dogs quickly got up, but Sonya was the first to act, rearing up and knocking him to the ground with her front paws.

Before she could rear up for another strike, Steele lashed out, biting into Sonya’s leg. She screamed as he ground his teeth, trying to break her bones, and it took much effort to yank her paw free. The wound he had left stung, but it was nothing more than a few puncture marks; nothing she couldn’t handle. Sonya could tell that he was trying to stop her from telling his secret, but she would never back down to him. No matter what, she would stop him. She jumped at him, but he managed to dodge her before slamming into her side, knocking her to the ground. Once she was down, he put his paws on her neck and started to press. She gasped for air, but he held firm.

“I can’t let you ruin me like this,” Steele growled, “Just keep quiet and I’ll let go.”

“That may have worked years ago, but it won’t work now. I won’t let you get away with this,” she replied. She thrashed and squirmed to try to break free, but Steele’s heavier body held her down. Finally, she thrashed herself so that she was directly under him, and with all the force she could muster, she kicked out one of her rear legs, hitting Steele directly in his……… spot between his legs.

The effect of the blow was instantaneous to the male husky. He felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him and his eyes rolled back as he groaned in pain. While he was stunned, Sonya felt his grip slacken and she kicked him there once more to overwhelm him, causing him to collapse on his side. Steele lay on his side moaning while Sonya coughed from the assault. At this point, her original plan was forgotten, replaced by rage for what he had just done. He had lied to the entire town and had tried to strangle her to keep her quiet. He was still using the same dirty tricks he had always used to keep his reputation clean. Sonya would not let him get away with this, not again. Before he could get up, she jumped at him, biting and scratching anything she could reach. She wanted to hurt him for everything he had done to her. She wanted to see him suffer.

Suddenly, a pair of hands roughly grabbed her and yanked her off of him, “Sonya! What the hell is wrong with you!” Jonathan screamed as he dragged her away from Steele by her collar. Livid, she tried to break free and continue her assault, but he held on to her, dragging her inside the house, “I can’t have you attack your new teammate,” Jonathan said as he closed the door behind him. Sonya barked and scratched at the door to be let out, but no one replied. Eventually, she gave up and walked onto the couch, still seething.

She had been so close to stopping him, but as usual, the humans had always sided with him, never seeing what kind of dog he truly was, “If only they knew what he had done. If they knew how horrible he was, they would cast him out like an old tissue,” she thought, “If only I could tell them what really happened…”

----------

Three Years Ago

The disappointment over their defeat would have been much easier to swallow if Steele didn’t constantly gloat about it. While the rest of his team had taken their win graciously, Steele instead used it as another reason to taunt Sonya, saying that she was the reason that her team lost, “What went wrong Sonya? I thought wolves were supposed to be big and brave but you jumped like a scared pup!” he laughed, causing her to snarl at him. More than once Amak would have to come by in order to break the two up.

To add to their frustration, Steele loved telling overblown stories in which he would always end up as the brave hero who saved the day. Most of the dogs enjoyed his stories, but Sonya and Amak could tell when he was exaggerating and just rolled their eyes at him. On one of these days, Steele had decided to tell his abridged version of the most recent race. Among the inaccuracies were that Steele claimed to have overtaken fifty teams in the first half-hour (there were only a couple dozen teams in the race), that he had been able to dodge an avalanche (not impossible, but extremely difficult due to an avalanche’s speed), and also that he had been able to get through the storm by sniffing his way to White Mountain.

“Hey, that’s my trick you thief! I should sue!” Sonya thought as Steele got the last part of his story - the final dash to the finish.

“So there we were, neck and neck with the finish line only yards away. It seemed like Amak would win, so I thought to myself ‘Steele, you can do this. You just have to believe in yourself.’ I summoned all my inner strength, and pushed myself harder than I thought I could before and by some miracle, I was able to pull ahead and win the race.”

The other dogs ‘ooohed’ and ‘aaahed’ at this while Steele grinned and started walking around holding his head high, like he owned the place. At this point, Amak had had enough of Steele’s stories and decided to step up.

“Well, that’s a very riveting tale Steele,” he cut in, “But I remember that race too and there’s a small part at the end that you missed.”

Steele’s grin changed to a scowl, “Like what?”

“Oh I don’t know…” Sonya continued, “How about the part where you tried to snap my feet off at the end?”

“Uh, uh, I don’t recall ever doing anything that horrible,” he replied, putting on his best good-dog face, “I would never try something like-“

“Oh cut the crap Steele, you’re no hero or superdog,” Sonya shot back, “You’re nothing but a cheater and a liar. You’re lucky I didn’t rip you apart then!”

“Rip me apart eh? I knew it. I knew you were like that Sonya. Even though you’re only half of it, you’re still a wild wolf,” Sonya gritted her teeth as she glared at him, but he wasn’t finished with her, “Why don’t you go back and howl with your pack? That is, if they’d even want a half-breed like you,” he said before giving out a mocking impression of a howl.

His howl would be cut short by Sonya as she lunged at him, knocking him over. Steele was quick to retaliate and they both snapped at each other, trying to gain the other hand. She had taken enough of his abuse and finally had it with him. Amak jumped into the fray and tried to break them up.

“THAT”S ENOUGH!” he turned to her, “You should know better than that. You know he’s only doing it to get a reaction so don’t give him what he wants.”

“Oh, but I don’t blame her Amak. After all, she is a wolf and they are known to be temperamental,” Steele shot in.

“YOU SHUT UP!” she cried and tried to lunge at Steele again, but Amak stopped her. Steele kept on laughing at her, so Amak turned on him next.

“Oh, are you going to give me a talking-to too?” Steele asked. Amak said nothing and simply grabbed Steele’s neck in his jaws and slammed him into the ground, “Hey what are you doing?” Steele cried out.

“Well talking to you wasn’t working, so I’m trying this,” Amak replied. Steele tried to get up but Amak held him down with his paws pressing on his chest, “Listen to me, and listen to me well because I’m only going to say this once. You may be the champion now, but that doesn’t mean that the rules don’t apply to you. You will stop bullying my teammate and you stop acting like an arrogant, stuck-up ass all the time! Understand!?” Steele nodded, but he still held the scowl on his face. Amak let him up and he decided to get out of there before there was any more trouble. Seeing that the story was over, the other dogs left too, leaving only Amak and Sonya.

“Nothing’s changed,” she said, “Even after I got our team out of that blizzard, he still picks on me. What can I do?”

“There really isn’t much you can do other than tough it out,” Amak replied, “Giving him a reaction is only what he wants.”

“But he’ll still pick on me even if I don’t react to him! I've tried ignoring him but he simply follows me around,” she said, “I can’t sit and do nothing forever. Why can’t I beat him up? Why can’t I fight back? Why can’t I show him to not mess with me?”

“Because you’d get yourself in even more trouble. He has friends and if they saw you attacking him, they would fight back. You may be able to fight off one, but certainly not his whole team at once.”

“But it’s not fair!”

“I know,” Amak replied, and Sonya could see that this injustice was hurting him as much as it was hurting her, “I know it’s hard for you; heck, it’s even hard for me to watch you go through this. I know Steele is persistent, but fighting back with violence will never solve the problem once and for all. If anything, it’ll only lead to more hurt.”

There was a pause, then Sonya spoke again, “I bet Steele wouldn’t be so happy if he hadn’t won that race. We were so close… and I was the one that tripped up.”

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up about that. You only tripped because Steele cheated, and despite that, we still managed to get second place. Considering this was your first big race that’s amazing. We got second place, even though everyone said that you were only a scrub dog, good enough for pulling freight. Even dogs on our own team were saying that you would never be a racing dog and you proved them all wrong,” There was truth in his words. Ever since that race, the dogs on their team had been acting much more civil towards Sonya. They included her in their social time and no longer pushed her towards the corner of the barn when they slept, “You got us to second place and I’m proud of you for that. I’m sure your parents would be proud of you too,” he finished.

“But my parents are gone,” she said sadly, “They would never know about this.”

“Actually, they might,” Amak said, “You know how on some nights, the aurora comes out?”

“Of course,” she replied.

“Well, I have heard a story that says that the spirits of those who have passed watch over us when the aurora shines in the night sky. If that’s the case, then I’m sure that your parents have been watching over you for a long time.”

“Really?” she said, and he nodded in reply, “Where did you hear something like that? I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of the sled dogs talk about anything like that.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Oh really? If it isn't from a dog, then it might be from his new wolf friend,” she thought, “Well, thanks for telling me that Amak. I-I don’t think I’ve ever told you this, but you’ve been like a father to me. You've always been there for me and I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you for that.”

“Here’s how: Try not to get yourself into any more trouble with Steele okay?” he replied, and she nodded, “Now go on, you should be getting home,” he finished and Sonya obliged, trotting out of the boiler room and back towards the barn that held the rest of her team. She quietly tiptoed to her spot in the hay and lay herself down.

“Hey Sonya, you okay?” Jake whispered beside her, “I heard you got into another scuffle with Steele.”

“I’m fine,” she whispered back.

“Are you sure? I heard some really nasty stuff about you and your folks.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t handled before. I mean, I had to deal with you guys too,” she replied.

"That's true," he replied and paused for a moment, “Sonya, I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry for treating you the way I did before.”

“Thanks Jake,” she replied, “But why did you pick on me with the others in the first place?”

“I guess….. I’ve heard so much bad about wolves and that was all I saw in you. I didn’t take the chance to know you like Amak did, but now I feel really stupid about it because you’re such a great dog. You got us to second place in that race on your first ever try - all with that wolfy nose of yours.”

“I see…… do you think that’s why Steele hates me?” she asked, “Is it because he’s heard nothing but bad about wolves?”

“Probably.”

“Do you think he’ll ever change like you guys did?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, “With a dog like Steele, it’d take something pretty big to make him change.”

----------

Present Day

Sonya paced around her yard fuming. To keep her from attacking Steele, she had been tied to a metal stake, leaving her mobility limited. She had been there the rest of the day and the entire night. By now, the first rays of the morning sun were starting to shine above the horizon. Steele had done something very horrible and yet he was going to get away with it. He deserved to be shipped back to Nome in a tiny crate, where he would have to own up to what he had done. Instead, she had learned that he was being sold to her owner and would get to stay here, where she would have to deal with him again “Why did this have to happen? Why couldn’t he have floated away to Siberia?”

Despite this setback, Sonya had been very close to victory. She had found out Steele’s secret and could have used it against him. Instead, she had gotten into a fight with him and that ended up doing more harm than good. After attacking Steele, Jonathan had tied her up to prevent her from lunging at him again. However, it also prevented her from telling another teammate what had happened. To add insult to injury, he wouldn’t let her lead Marcus on his first trip, wanting to avoid her turning on his son (something Steele snickered at). So when it came time to leave, Marcus went with his father’s new dog - none other than Steele - leading the way. This was why she was fuming. She had been looking forward for a chance to take Marcus out on a longer run, but that chance had been stolen away from her.

“It’s not fair. Steele always gets the good breaks,” she muttered to herself, “I hope you enjoy your trip Steele, because it will be your last. I’ll make sure of that,” she finished and continued to pace. Soon, she heard the sound of snow crunching behind her and turned to see that it was Kaltag.

“Hey there Sonya, how are you holding up?” he asked.

“Fine, except for the fact that someone I care about is in the paws of someone who can’t be trusted,” she replied.

Sonya sat in the snow and Kaltag sat beside her, “Well, I guess that is a bit of a problem.”

“There is one good thing though,” she continued, “The second he comes back, I’m going to expose him as the fraud and the liar he is! He’ll be chased out of town and he'll be out of my life forever. It's what he deserves.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked.

“Of course I am. He deserves to be run out of town and to be made the outcast, just like how he made me the outcast.”

“Maybe you’re right…… Hey, did I ever tell you that I also used to be one of dogs who would pick on Balto, along with Steele?”

“No.”

“Well I did, but after we kicked Steele out, Balto was willing to give me another chance, as long as I gave him another one too. We decided to bury our past feelings and leave them behind. We broke the cycle of anger that we had been caught up in and it worked out for the better for us. Now, Steele may be a horrible, egotistical jerk, but he’s already had justice served to him. He’s already been cast out of a town and has lost his champion status. I think he already has gotten what was coming to him.”

“I don’t know….” she said.

“Let me put it this way. Do you want to continue to be a constant target of Steele’s harassment, or do you want the cycle to end and to have peace?”

“I do want peace….. but Steele would never agree to it.”

“Oh he might, considering you’re the only one that knows the truth. A secret like that can be a powerful trump card and I’m sure he’d be willing to compromise if it meant keeping his secret safe.”

“I guess….. I’ll think about it,” she finished.

“You do that. It’s never too late to give someone another chance. You may find it better than fighting.”

“Kaltag! It’s time to go boy!” a voice called from the street.

“Oh, I’ve gotta run. It was nice meeting you Sonya,” he said as he turned to leave.

“Wait, one more thing,” she called out, “Even after everything you did to him, what did you have to do to get Balto to give you another chance?”

He stopped and turned to her, with a small grin on his face, “Oh it wasn't much really. I just had to ask him for one.”

----------

Chapter 7: Steele’s Treachery

The plan for Marcus’s run to Koyuk was straightforward. He would travel during the day, making it to the town late in the evening. He would stay at an inn in the town for the night and then come back home the following day. It would be the longest time Marcus had been out on his own, but it was something that he had been looking forward to. Even though it was only a simple mail run, it would not be without its risks. The hardest stretch would be the Darby Mountains, a mountain range that sat in between White Mountain and Koyuk. Any mountain trail was dangerous, with sheer cliffs, sudden storms and avalanches being just a few of the risks on the journey.

The first day was clear and passed by without incident. The following morning however, the weather had started to act up, growing into a full out storm by the afternoon. Jonathan and Ellie waited anxiously for their son to return, but as evening turned to night, there was still no sign of him. They lit a lantern in the hopes of guiding him home, but by midnight, there was still no sign of him, “Jonathan, where do you think he is?” Ellie asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied, “He may have been delayed by the storm. Maybe he turned back to Koyuk to wait it out.”

“You don’t think he’s lost do you?”

“I hope not, but our Marcus is a smart kid. I’m sure he’ll think of something,” he said, and knowing that there was nothing they could do tonight, they both went up to bed.

Sonya however was still wide awake. With her, Marcus was never late, always coming home on time, “Then again, he isn’t with me. He’s with Steele,” she thought, hoping that the husky had not gotten her friend lost.

----------

The next morning, there was still no sign of Marcus and the storm was still blowing. The dogs had gathered in the boiler room to wait it out while Sonya asked around for any information. Finally, she managed to get an answer from the lead dog on another team that had just come in from Koyuk, “Sure, I saw a kid leave yesterday; in fact he was a couple of hours ahead of us,” the copper husky said.

“Did you see any sign of him after that?” she asked, “Did you see him turn back?”

“I’m afraid not. My team pressed on through the storm and we didn’t see him stop or turn back to Koyuk. We had been following the trail his team had left, but it faded away in the Darby mountain pass,” he finished. Sonya’s stomach dropped. He had left the town, but no one saw him go back. He was still out there, somewhere in the mountains. She was starting to panic now. Getting lost in a mountain pass was the worst thing that could happen. There were sheer cliffs, avalanches, not to mention the fact that storms on mountains tended to be much fiercer than on level ground, “Look, I know you’re concerned for your kid and all,” he continued, “But we can’t do anything until this storm clears. Maybe they’ll send someone in the morning.”

“That’s not good enough!” she snapped, “Marcus could be lost, he could be hurt. Humans aren’t built for this climate. If he’s out there for too long he could…… he could….” Sonya could not bring herself to say it. She couldn’t bear the idea of losing her kid and tears started to form in her eyes.

“Look, you know as well as I do that it would be stupid to risk anyone else in this weather,” he said as the wind gusted outside, “There isn’t anything we can do now.”

“There may not be anything that you can do, but I’m not ready to give up yet,” she said as she started to walk out of the room.

“Hey, where are you going?” he asked, “You’re not actually considering going out there are you?”

“Well I don’t see you thinking up any better ideas,” she replied, pushing the door open.

“But-“

“I don’t want to hear it!” she snapped, “There isn’t anything you can say or do that will stop me.”

“Well, if that’s the case….. then good luck,” he said, “Bring him home.”

She nodded and stepped out into the storm. The wind was howling and the snow obscured visibility, but her thick double coat helped block out most of the cold. She turned to the east and headed out of the town, praying that Marcus was okay.

----------

By now, Sonya had been running for hours against the wind, following the trail that had been cut by the previous team. She had reached the Darby Mountains and was trotting up the western portion of the mountain trail. Her muscles hurt from the constant exertion and frost had started to cover her muzzle but she pressed on, determined to find Marcus. She would occasionally pause and sniff the air, finding faint traces of her team, but the fierce winds made pinpointing their location difficult. She trudged on, but one of her steps, she felt a sharp pain in one of her front legs and stumbled, sliding down a small embankment. She looked and saw that it was the same leg that Steele had ground his teeth into. The injury had not fully healed and had started to twinge from the strain of running, so she decided to rest it before moving on.

As she looked around, she noticed that there were faint signs of sled travel at the bottom of the hill. The falling snow may have obscured the tracks left by the runners, but the bent branches and the scent of her team were unmistakable. They had taken a wrong turn and had followed the hill down into a ravine. However, their path snaked north, while their home was west of them, “Great, as if getting one team lost in a blizzard wasn’t enough for Steele, he has to go and do it again,” she thought as she picked herself up and followed their scent through the ravine. The path continued down the slope to the bottom, before starting to climb out of the depression. Once she had scaled the opposite end of the ravine, she emerged on a shallow slope of the mountain, which gave way to a sharp drop thirty feet to her left. This path usually wouldn’t be much trouble for a sled team, but there was always the risk of an avalanche sweeping them away.

“Don’t think like that. You’ve got to hope that they’re okay. Oh I could spend hours searching this mountain - hours that the team might not have,” Sonya knew time was critical, so in a last ditch effort to locate her team, she did something that she rarely did. She arched her head back and let out a long howl. Her wolf ancestors had used howls to locate lost pack members in the past and she would use it today to locate her lost team. She let her howl fall and listened intently for any reply. She had not used a howl in such a way before, so she had no idea if her team would recognize it as hers - that is, if they were close enough to hear her at all.

However, her efforts would pay off as she heard a reply, ahead and slightly to her left. It was a husky howl and others soon joined it. Her team was okay and had given her the way to them. She dashed through the snow, stopping at edge of a steep hill, but she could not see her team, only the open edge over the cliff, “Could I have missed them? Maybe I should try again,” she thought. Just as she leaned back to let out another howl, she suddenly felt the snow beneath her start to give way from under her. She tried to dash away, but it was too late and she fell straight down, landing hard in a snow bank below. Pain shot through her injured leg on impact, but she ignored it as she tried to regain her senses from the fall.

“Sonya?” she heard a voice say, and she turned to see her entire team. They had stopped at the base of the drop on a ledge, which was about twenty feet across before giving way to another sheer drop, “Sonya, what are you doing out here?” Jake asked.

“Oh, I thought I might drop in on you guys,” she replied, earning a chuckle from a couple of the dogs, “What happened here? Do you guys need any help?”

“We don’t need your help,” Steele growled. He had sat himself down a short distance away, not making any effort to do anything about their situation, “Why don’t you run along back to your pack wolfdog?”

Sonya chose to ignore his last comment, “Jake, what happened?”

“Well, on the return trip earlier today, Steele got lost in the storm, so we ended up leaving the trail, following a ravine until we got to the ledge above us,” Jake started, “Suddenly, the snow beneath us collapsed and we fell, just like you did a minute ago. However, not everyone had as soft a landing as you did,” he said and motioned his head to the left. She looked over and what she saw made her heart sink. Propped up against a rock was Marcus. He was unconscious and shivering from the cold, while his leg stuck out at an odd angle - he had broken it in the fall, “He came down hard on his leg and it cracked right in two,” Jake continued, "He couldn't direct us after the fall, so all we could do was wait and hope someone would find us." Sonya came up to Marcus and licked his face to try to get some sort of response from him. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw her sitting beside him.

“Sonya? I-I guess you d-did follow m-me,” he said weakly, his teeth chattering. He slowly put his arm around her and hugged her close to him, “I w-want to go h-home girl. I-I just want t-to go home,” he stuttered and then cried out from the pain in his leg. Soon, his eyes closed and he was silent; he had passed out again. He was alive, but he needed medical attention soon. Sonya gave his face a quick nuzzle before getting to work.

Looking around, she saw that the ledge they were on continued along the mountainside to the north and the south. The south path would be their way home, “Alright, I want everyone to listen up! We need to get Marcus home and we need to do it quickly. You three-“ Sonya said, facing Bruno, Tom and Felix, “I need you to help Marcus get into the bed of the sled. Make sure you’re careful with his injured leg. Everyone else, I want you to get strapped up and ready to leave,” she proceeded to pick up the lead harness but a large, white paw quickly stomped it down.

“Just what do you think you’re doing wolfdog,” Steele sneered as he glared at her, “That harness is for the lead dog only!”

Sonya growled at him and tried to get the harness free, but his paw held it firmly down, “Steele, I don’t have time for this. We need to get Marcus home now!” she snapped. She continued to try to pull the harness free, so Steele shoved her away with his shoulder. Sonya quickly got herself back up, glaring at Steele. She had hoped to avoid another confrontation, but if she had to beat him down in order to get Marcus and the team home safely, then she wouldn’t hesitate to do so, “Steele, we have to get him home soon,” she said, “I can help you, you just need to follow me.”

“I’m not about to take any orders from a mutt like you! I don’t know about the rest of your dogs, but I actually have a shred of dignity,” Steele sneered.

“I don’t give a grizzly’s ass about your dignity! Marcus is hurt and he needs our help! I can do this with or without you. It’s your choice,” she said, but Steele gave no reply, “Fine, have it your way. You can be left behind…. again.”

The mere mention of being left behind, just like when his old team had abandoned him set Steele off. Snarling, he launched himself at Sonya, knocking her to the ground. Before she could recover, he grabbed the scruff of her neck and threw her to the side, with her stopping only feet away from the cliff. He charged in for another attack, but in a flash, she lashed back, sinking her fangs into his thick neck. Twisting her body, she managed to pull him down to the ground as well. They both quickly got up, but Sonya was the first act, ramming her head directly into his. The hard impact made Steele see stars as he stumbled back, not knowing that he was straying towards the cliff until his rear legs slid off it. Steele desperately held onto the edge with his front legs, but he could feel himself starting to slip as Sonya came up to him.

As she stared down at him, dangling off the cliff, all she could think of was what he had done to her. How he had hurt her, how he had made her life miserable. She wanted to strike back at him for what he had done to her...... and what he had done to Amak.

----------

Three Years Ago

Ever since Amak had given him his little talking-to, Steele had been a little more subdued around him and the rest of the team, something that they all enjoyed greatly. Then the news came that Sonya had been dreaming of: Steele’s owner was moving to Nome and taking his team with him. Finally, she would be free of him. She eagerly counted down the days until he would be gone, with each passing day making her happier and happier.

With only two days to go, she walked down the moonlit streets, humming to herself. However, as she passed an abandoned cabin, she heard a commotion coming from inside it. It sounded like multiple dogs and she faintly recognized one of them as Amak. Curious, she poked her head inside and gasped at the sight before her. On one side of the building was Steele and his entire team, snarling and bristling. On the other side was Amak, pressed up against the wall with another creature, who looked completely terrified. This creature was a wolf, white as snow and with bright golden eyes. Sonya recognized her as the same wolf that she had seen with Amak before their last race. Amak had put himself directly between the wolf and Steele, obviously to protect her.

“Well well Amak, what’s wrong here with this picture?’ Steele sneered.

“You all leave her alone!” Amak barked, causing them to laugh cruelly at him.

“Oh Amak, you of all dogs should know that wolves aren’t welcome in this town,” Steele said.

“But she has no where else to go,” Amak replied, “Please, it won’t be for very long.”

Sonya knew that Amak and the wolf were vastly outnumbered, so she burst through the doors, surprising everyone inside, “What’s going on?”

“No, Sonya don’t. Get out of here,” he said, but she paid no attention. She was determined to help her lead dog and her best friend.

“Steele, what are you doing?” she asked.

“Well Sonya, it seems like your pal Amak seems to enjoy things on the wild side, if you get my drift,” Steele sneered, causing Amak to snarl at him, “Oh, did I hit a nerve there? I guess your wolfy friend must have had more of an influence on you than I thought.”

“So what if I am with a wolf?” Amak replied, “You guys never got this upset when I was sticking up for Sonya and she’s half wolf.”

“That’s true, but in order for there to be any half-wolves, a wolf and a dog have to come together,” Steele said, “There’s more than enough of those mutts running around our towns, so if you want to keep yourself and your sweetheart safe, you’ll get out of here.”

“NO!” Sonya screamed and tried to lunge at Steele, but two of the dogs on his team caught her and held her down before she could reach them, “You can’t do this! Let me go!” she yelled as she struggled to break free.

“C’mon, lets get that wolf!” a stocky malamute called out but Amak reared up, knocking him down. However, that was only one dog and two more started to advance on the wolf, who snarled at them. Amak tried chasing them away, but that allowed the first malamute to get up. They were completely surrounded, and Amak was running out of options.

“Steele, stop this!” he called out, but his plea was only met by cruel laughter. Steele was taking much pleasure in seeing his rival in such a tight spot.

“No way lobo lover. This town isn’t big enough for wolves,” he sneered. His team was getting closer, and Sonya couldn’t break free to back him up. Suddenly, the wolf tried to lunge at one of the dogs in a bid to escape, but instantly, four dogs were on her, biting and scratching at her. Amak jumped in to pull them off her, but there were too many for him to fight off. Sonya continued to struggle but her captors held firm. Finally, Steele barked to call the attackers off. They retreated and he approached Amak, who shakily got up from the attack, “I’m sorry it has to be this way Amak, but you know the rules. We can’t have wolves and their spawn running around town.”

“Steele, please, don’t hurt her. You can do what you want to me, but don’t hurt her,” he said. Sonya could tell by his expression that he was desperate. Never before had she seen a husky like him look so scared, or so defeated. Steele smirked at seeing him in this situation. He had finally found a way to defeat him.

“Alright Amak, we won’t hurt her,” he said, “But you have to get out of this town with that fleabag. You can run around in the wild all you want. In my eyes, you’re not a sled dog anymore.”

“NO!” she screamed, but Amak had already made his decision.

“…Alright, I’ll go. Just let me say goodbye before I do,” he said, defeated.

Steele nodded, calling the two dogs holding Sonya off. Once she was free, her first thought was to lunge for Steele’s throat, but Amak held her back, “Sonya don’t, it won’t change anything,” he said sadly.

“But you can’t leave Amak, you can’t.”

“I don’t have much choice here. It’s the only way I can keep her safe,” he said, indicating to the wolf.

“But why? Why her?”

“She’s very important to me, and I’m important to her. Right now, she needs me.”

“I need you too,” she said, trying to hold back her tears.

“Sonya, you’ve come a long way since I found you. You’ve grown up so much,” he said and now it was his turn to start holding back tears, “But you’re a real sled dog now. You’re one of the team, and I know you’ll do fine without me. You’re tough - no matter what you’ll always make it through.”

“But what about the rest of the team? Who will lead them?” she asked.

“You will,” he replied. Using his paw he managed to loosen his collar - the same silver-studded collar he had won only a couple weeks before - and pulled it off his neck before putting it over Sonya’s shoulders.

“Me? But I can’t…... I don’t know if I’m ready,” she said.

“Trust me, I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think you were,” he replied, “You have what it takes to lead and I’m sure the others will follow you.”

Finally, Sonya broke down crying while Amak nuzzled her to comfort her, “I don’t want you to go,” she sobbed, “I won’t let them do this. I'll make him pay for this.”

“No Sonya, it won't change anything. You can't change the past. Taking revenge won't undo what has already been done. It never has and in most cases has only led to more hurt," he replied, "I know you're going to miss me, but I want you to know this: I have always thought of you as my baby and I always will. You’ll always be my little baby,” Sonya couldn’t take any more of this and ran out of the building. The one dog who had always been there for her would now be gone. She howled in anguish for the loss of her lead dog. He had been like a father to her and now he was gone. For the second time in her life she had been orphaned, all because of the rampant hatred towards wolves.

----------

Present Day

That day had been the worst day of her life since her parents had been killed. Amak had been forced into leaving, but even after Steele’s team had moved away, he had never returned. Sonya had searched for him for days, but she found no trace of him. Ever since, the expression on Amak’s face as he faced Steele’s team had burned itself into Sonya’s memory. It was the only time she had seen anyone look so scared.

Three years later, she watched as Steele held on for his life, wearing the same expression of terror that Amak had worn. After all this time, she had finally been able to push him down to the level he had pushed Amak to. Part of her was screaming to finish him off, but she held back. As much as she hated Steele, she remembered that Amak had never wanted her to be consumed by her anger.

"You can't change the past. Taking revenge won't undo what has already been done."

----------

Chapter 8: An Unlikely Ally

For Steele, each second struggling over the ledge felt like an eternity. This was one of the few times in his life that he had ever felt true fear. Sonya could easily push him over the ledge and send him to his death, but she just stood there. The seconds painfully ticked by, with Steele anticipating her strike, “Come on, if you’re going to do it, do it and get it over with,” he thought.

However, the strike never came. As much as she hated him, she could not bring herself to knock him over. The debate raged in her; one side wanted to get rid of him once and for all, while the other side felt like that was going too far. He may have done so many horrible things, but killing was a terrible thing as well. Besides, it wouldn’t fix Marcus’s broken leg or prevent them from crashing.

“You should be more careful with the fights you pick, because you may end up getting someone you care about caught in the crossfire.”

Amak’s words rang in her head, and she realized how true they were. All this time she had been feuding with Steele, but in doing so, she had caused herself to be left behind, with Steele taking her place. Had she not attacked him, she would have led the team home by now. Instead, they had kept on fighting, and Marcus was the one who had been caught in the crossfire this time. She had caused this and she would have to be the one to fix this.

“It’s never too late to give someone another chance. You may find it better than fighting.”

Steele’s grip was weakening and he felt himself start to slide off the ledge. Seeing this, Sonya dashed towards him and grabbed his collar in her jaws, pulling back to halt his fall, “Help me over here!” she called out and two other dogs came up to help her pull the larger husky back onto the ledge. Once he was safe, he stood up on shaking legs, surprised with what she had done. Even after everything he had done to her, she still saved his life.

“You know, you sure have caused a lot of trouble for me today,” she said, “But I suppose I also had a part in this trouble too.”

“Sonya…. why?” he asked.

“Why did I save you? Because, unlike you, I know that acting out of spite doesn’t just hurt the one you’re targeting,” she replied, “Besides, what we were doing before wasn’t working, so I’m trying this. Marcus isn’t going to get home if we keep fighting like this. Do you want to do something good for a change?” she asked.

“….. Yes.”

“Then help me get him home. Can you do that? Can you run under the command of a half-wolf?”

Steele thought it over. He had never liked the idea of taking orders from half-breeds, but it was either this, or get left behind in the cold, “Alright, I’ll follow you.”

“Good. Now, since there aren’t enough harnesses for all of us, I’ll lead the way ahead of the sled,” she replied, “You can lead the team. Just keep watching my tail and you’ll be fine.”

“Wait, since we fell down that ledge, we can’t simply go back the way we came,” he said, “How will we get home?”

“Well, you guys went to the north of the trail, so if we go south…” she said, indicating towards the path on her left which hugged the mountainside, “…we should find the trail.” With that, they set to work. The other dogs had finished putting Marcus in the cargo bed and Steele pulled the lead harness over himself, while Sonya stood free in front of him, “Is everyone ready?” she called out and everyone replied yes, “Then mush!” she said as she bolted off, with the rest of the team dashing to follow her.

The first few minutes of their journey were straightforward, but soon the path they were on started to slope to the side, towards the open chasm. The dogs had no trouble walking along the slope, but the sled was different matter. The heavy weight of it wanted to slide down the hill, while the dogs pulling it wanted to stay on course. The wheel dogs were trying their best to keep it moving straight, but soon the dead weight of it became too much for them. Their legs gave out and the sled slid down, pulling the rest of the team with it.

They dug their heels into the deep snow to slow down, but it had little effect. It was only when a rock caught on the side of the runners did their fall stop. Sonya looked back to see what had happened and gasped when she saw the sled teetering on the steep hill. If it titled too far, then anything unsecured would roll out the side and tumble down the hill. Unfortunately, there was something in the sled that wasn’t tied down: Marcus. Sonya watched in horror as his limp form started to roll out of the side. She dashed down the hill screaming, desperate to catch her friend, but the team had slid too far away from her. She wasn’t going to make it in time.

Steele had been focused on trying to pull the sled back up, but was alerted by Sonya’s screaming that there was other trouble. Looking back, he too saw Marcus start to roll out of the sled. Knowing that Sonya was too far away, he sprang into action. In one quick motion, he unclipped himself from the harness and half ran, half slid down the hill. Jumping onto the sled, he grabbed hold Marcus’s coat sleeve in his jaws just as he had left the cargo bed.

He had caught him, but he wasn’t out of trouble yet. Marcus’s dead weight was pulling Steele down and the husky would only have a few seconds before he was dragged away with him. Fortunately, his actions would buy the crucial seconds needed for Sonya to get down there and help pull him back. The two dogs strained to lift the heavy teen into the sled, and after much pulling and yanking, while being careful to not bump his leg too much, they got him secured back in the sled.

Knowing they had to get off the mountainside quickly, Steele returned to the lead, got in his harness and slowly, but carefully, the team started to pull themselves back up the hill. Sonya went ahead and called out, “Hey! The path is more level over here. You can take a break once you get there,” The team followed her call, finding themselves on a straight path. Everyone stopped to catch their breath with a few, including Steele, lying down out of exhaustion. They had only been on the road for about half an hour, but pulling a heavy sled uphill took a lot out of them.

As he lay there, Sonya approached Steele. He had just saved her best friend and she had to say something, “Steele, thank you. Marcus would’ve fallen if you hadn’t acted.”

“I guess it was a good thing that you let me come along then,” he replied, “Sonya, why are you doing this. You hate me. You didn’t need to come out here to save me; you could have stayed home and left me to freeze.”

“You’re right, I could have left you to freeze,” she replied, “That would’ve gotten rid of you, but it would mean that the rest of my team and my one of my owners would die too. Sacrificing them to get rid of you would be a very petty thing to do…… sound familiar?” Steele knew that she was alluding to what he had done on the serum run. He had tried to get rid of Balto, but in doing so he also put his team in danger. Before, he had always thought of them as underlings, but after some time away from them, he was actually starting to miss their company. After resting for a few more minutes, Sonya called out, “Alright guys, let’s get moving again.”

They all got up and continued following her through the mountain trail. Eventually, it led down into a ravine, one that Sonya recognized as the one that she had come through. Encouraged, she picked up her pace, with the team running to catch up with her. Finally, they left the ravine and were back on the main trail, turning west towards home. They had found the trail, but the storm was still howling, blowing snow across their path and obscuring their sight. Steele kept his eyes focused on Sonya’s tail, determined to not lose her, but the snowfall made it more difficult to keep track of her. It didn't help that her silver and white fur blended in quite well with the snow, causing her to disappear for minutes at a time.

Sonya’s injured leg had been throbbing all along this journey, but she soldiered on, desperate to get home. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through it and she collapsed, tumbling down a small hill. She had been running almost non-stop for hours in order to find her team and the exhaustion had finally caught up with her. She just wanted to rest, but she had to get home. Soon, her eyes began to droop, eventually closing.

Steele had lost sight of her again, but he simply assumed she was still running ahead. Finally, he realized that even her scent was gone from the trail; it was as though she had vanished into thin air. He desperately looked left and right, thinking that they may have passed her, but all he saw was swirling white. Finally, he stopped, knowing that running aimlessly would be useless.

“No, no, no! I can’t have lost her! Where are you Sonya? I can believe I’m thinking this, but I need you to get me home. I don’t want to be stuck out in the cold again,” he thought as he stood there.

“Hey Steele, what’s the hold up?” Jake asked.

“I can’t find her,” he replied.

“WHAT? You mean you’ve gotten us lost for the second time on the same trip! Are you going for some kind of record here?” Jake howled in anguish.

“You shut up!” Steele snapped, wheeling around to face him, “With all that yelling and howling, you’ll probably attract a wolf and-“ Steele suddenly stopped, as an idea had come to him. It was an idea that he had never considered before, because for the longest time he had thought it to be below his dignity. After all, howling was something wild wolves did. “I can’t believe I’m about to do this, but here goes nothing,” he thought as he arched his head back and let out a loud howl. At first it sounded like his usual mockeries, but with his second try, he pushed it towards a long, wailing note.

Sonya was shocked awake by the howl cutting through the wind. It sounded distant, and she mentally kicked herself for falling asleep out here. The howl was a husky howl, but it wasn’t one she recognized. The only husky whom she hadn’t heard a howl from was- “Steele,” she said to herself before howling back a reply.

Steele heard her reply and turned around to follow it, “What is Sonya doing behind us? She can’t be lying down on the job,” when he came up to her, he saw that she was in fact lying down, but it was not out of laziness. She was panting from exhaustion, and when she tried to get up, she would gasp in pain, “Sonya, what is it?’ he asked.

“It’s my leg,” she replied, and Steele noticed her one leg still showed the wound he had given her, “Ack, I can’t run with this anymore. I guess I pushed myself too far.”

“What do you want us to do?” Steele asked.

“You guys have to keep moving; you have to get Marcus home. Just keep going west along the riverbed and you’ll get home,” she replied.

“What about you?” Jake asked, “You’re coming with us right?”

“No, I’ll just slow you down and Marcus can’t afford any more delays,” she said.

“No! We can’t leave you out here like this! You’ll freeze to death,” Jake protested.

“I’m part wolf; I'm sure I can think of something,” she replied, “Every second you wait is time lost, you guys have to go now.”

“But-“

“No buts!” she said, “You have to get home while you can.”

Jake looked at Steele, “We can’t leave her like this. She’s our lead dog.”

“That’s right, I am your lead dog and I am telling you to go on without me,” she replied.

“No Sonya,” Steele replied.

“Steele, I’m giving you an order!”

“Yeah, well, you know how bad I am at following orders,” he replied as he unclipped himself from the harness.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“C’mon, get in the sled,” he said, picking Sonya up by her collar, “You’re coming with us whether you like it or not,” he pulled Sonya over to the sled and helped her get in. Soon, she was lying in the cargo bed, on top of Marcus’s chest. Steele resumed his position at the lead and started the team up again, pulling them towards their home.

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Jonathan had been tossing in his sleep, worried about his son. A few times in the night he thought he had heard Marcus coming home, but it would turn out to be someone else’s door opening, or a neighbor’s dog barking. He had finally started to settle himself down, until he heard more barking. At first, he thought it was another dog from the town, but the barking didn’t stop, and it was soon followed by the sound of scratching at the door.

He bolted out of bed and went down the hall to the front door. He lit a lantern and opened the door to find that Christmas had come early this year. Right in front of him was the entire team, with Marcus and Sonya lying in the sled. He jumped out into the cold night and quickly grabbed Marcus and Sonya in a tight hug, causing Marcus to stir out of his sleep, “Aah, dad? What’s going on? How did I get here?” he asked.

“The dogs… the dogs brought you back!” he cried, “I always knew that they were smarter than they looked. I bet it was our own Sonya that led them home - she always was the smart one.”

“I wish I could take all the credit, but it was the whole team that helped,” she thought, “They always were there for me.”

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Three Years Ago

Sonya was completely beside herself in misery. Her adoptive father had been banished from the town, and she had been pushed into being the lead dog with a team she wasn’t sure would trust her leadership, “They trust me as a teammate, but none of them would be willing to run under a half-wolf. Without Amak, it’ll just be back to the way it was before. No one will trust me and I’ll be the outcast of the team. Oh Amak, why did you push this on me? I’m not ready for this,” she thought as she sobbed her eyes out.

That night, Steele had told everyone another one of his stories, where he had valiantly fought away a wolf and Amak, making sure to rub in the fact that he had kicked out their leader to Amak’s team. Most of them were shocked over their loss, but they knew that one of them would be taking it the hardest.

“Sonya?” Jake called as he poked his head in the barn. Sonya had curled up in a corner and didn’t respond to his call. One by one, the team started to enter the barn. Even as they gathered around her, she didn’t respond, occasionally letting out another sob, “Sonya, I know that Amak meant a lot to you,” Jake started, “He meant a lot to us too. He was our lead, so he was….. he was…”

“Family?” she mumbled, remembering how Amak had once described a sled team to her.

“Yes, he was family. I know we haven’t treated you the best over the years, but Amak had always thought of you as one of his own, so that makes you one of our own too,” Jake continued, “You’re a part of our family Sonya, and we know that if Amak wanted you to be the lead dog, he’d want us to follow you.”

“You - you really mean that?” she asked, “Even though I don’t have much experience?”

“Hey, no one is experienced on their first day,” Misha replied, “But you have talent. Talent that only a lead dog can have.”

“I know this is hard for you; it sure is for us, but we’re a team Sonya,” Jake continued, “You aren’t alone anymore. We’ll always be there for you. Besides, someone has to lead us and you’re the best dog for the job.”

“Even though I’m only half dog?” she asked.

“Hey, there are some things that a dog can’t do,” Jake replied, “But that a wolf can.”

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Epilogue: A New Deal

Sonya had been resting for the past few days, and during that time, she had been mulling over what to do with Steele. Before, she had wanted to tell everyone what she had learned, but after that run, something in her head was telling her not to. She knew that it would result in him being banished, but that didn’t seem like the right thing to do anymore. He may have gotten Marcus lost, but he had also helped her get him home, along with making sure she got home safely as well.

“Balto was willing to give me another chance, as long as I gave him another one too. We decided to bury our past feelings and leave them behind.”

She had mostly been thinking over Kaltag’s words. Like Steele, he had been a bully before, but Balto still decided to let him start over. Could she forgive Steele the same way Balto had forgiven Kaltag? Could she just bury what he had done to her? “Well, if I’m going to be on the same team as him, I may have to. However, I will need a way to keep him on a tight leash.”

As she lay in front of the fireplace, she heard a faint rustling under the floorboards. Curious, she got up and walked to the door, passing by Marcus, who was resting on the couch. His leg had been wrapped in a cast, and other than needing some time near the fire to warm up after being out in the cold for so long, he had suffered no other injuries. She left the house and crept around the side until she found the open board that led into the crawlspace. She poked her head in and saw that it was Steele, hiding under her home.

“So that’s where you’ve been,” she said, “I haven’t seen you since we got back home.”

“Yeah, well it’s probably safer here, considering you’ve probably told everyone that I’m a big liar by now,” he replied.

“Actually, I haven’t told anyone yet,” she replied, “I’ve been spending the last few days thinking about what to do with you, and I’ve made my decision. I’m not going to tell them and I’ll let you stay in White Mountain,” she said.

“R-really?” he asked, “You’re letting me off the hook?”

“Not exactly. There will be one condition that I expect you to follow,” she replied. He may have helped her out, but she wasn’t going to let him off with a slap on the paw. She would have to make sure that there wouldn’t be a repeat of what had happened before, “First thing’s first; on this team, I am the lead dog. Not you, me. I expect you to follow my instructions and I don’t want any back-sass from you about me being part-wolf. You may have helped me get Marcus home, but don’t think that means I’ll instantly forgive everything you did to me,” she said. She may have been willing to accept him into her team, but he would still have to earn her trust, “Now, is that too much to ask? Can you run under the orders of a half-wolf, or do you want to try your luck in the next town?”

“I’d rather stay here,” he replied, “If it means I can stay here, then I suppose I can tolerate being around you,” he may have accepted her offer, but Steele would always have his prejudice against half-wolves.

“Good,” she finished and turned to leave. However, another thought came to her, and she stopped, “Oh, and Steele, thanks for not leaving me behind.”

“It was only fair. After all, you did save me from falling off that cliff,” he replied, “Not even Balto did that for me.”

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Sonya, Jake, Sierra, Jonathan, Ellie, Marcus, Maddie, Bruno, Misha, Tom, Felix and Amak belong to iWolf231, and may not be used in any way without my direct permission.

All other characters belong to Universal Studios and Amblimation