Finale: One Last Chance

 Kaila lay staring up at the stars from the deck of her father’s boat. The night was pitch black, and the wind was restless, tossing her fur about and stirring her soul. She sighed and shifted around. The wind’s wild gusts mirrored her spirit. She was restless, too.

From somewhere among the hills a wolf howled, and the eerie cry ran through Kaila’s bones and made her shiver with memories. She had once been part of a pack, but she had chosen to stay with her family here in Nome until she felt it was time to go back. It had been six months, and the wolf in her mixed blood was reawakening. She could feel it. It was time.

Kaila stood up, and to her satisfaction she found she was wide awake, her senses open to every sight and smell. She tensed her muscles to spring from the deck, but then she stopped to consider something.

Last time she had met up with the Anvil Creek pack, she had been running away. Now it was different. She wasn’t running away; in fact, she was running to something, to her future. She needed to make sure her family understood that.

Kaila turned around and pattered down below deck, where her father, Balto, lay curled up in a corner fast asleep. Kaila nudged him with her nose. He mumbled something and turned over.

She poked him with her paw, and when that didn’t work she grew impatient and hissed, “Dad!”

Balto’s eyes half-opened blearily. “What? What is it, Kaila?”

“Dad, I’m leaving,” she whispered, “And this time it’s for good. I’m not running away. I just know that it’s time the Anvil Creek pack got their best hunter back.” Her tail wagged slightly with pride.

Balto’s tired eyes tried to focus on her. “You’re leaving? But…”

“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll be fine,” Kaila told him, “Really. Don’t worry…I love you.” She rubbed her cheek against his ear.

“I love you, too, Kaila…” Balto nudged her affectionately, but a few seconds later his breathing was even and deep, and she knew he had fallen back asleep.

She shook her head, and fairly leaped up to the deck and sailed over the railing to hit the ground with a thud that was muffled by the snow. Thinking back, she bounded across the beach and ran to the hills that edged the other side of town.

Kaila slowed to a standstill to decipher where she was, and then she climbed the slope of the nearest hill to come across a pile of broken colored bottles at the top. She stared at them as if half-expecting the Northern Lights to shoot out of the glass of their own accord, but it turned out even the Aurora wasn’t necessary.

A regal white wolf seemed to blow in on the snow-scattered wind to stand before Kaila with a knowing look in her eyes. Kaila nodded to her grandmother, and wondered how the old wolf knew. “Aniu.”

“Kaila.” The old wolf’s golden eyes gleamed. “We’ve been waiting for you.” Aniu turned and melted into the night, and as Kaila followed excitement kicked in her stomach.

Grandmother and granddaughter traveled across the tundra to the same pack cave they had all those months before. The only difference was Kaila was there to stay.

Copper awoke with a jolt the next morning, and looked up irritably at his owner, Johnson, whose loud snores had interrupted Copper’s sleep. Johnson lay sprawled out on the bed with his mouth wide open to let earth-shaking snores rattle the room. Copper sighed and stood up, shaking out his bright fur. Johnson had been staying up late working on a novel or working at whatever job he could find. He was still in debt, but at least he was bringing in some money. He would be snoring for a long time, so there was no point in trying to sleep anymore.

Copper padded into the kitchen and sniffed the lingering smells of last night’s dinner. His stomach immediately clenched. He couldn’t eat. If Johnson remembered to put out dog food, Torpedo could have it all.

Copper slipped through the doggy door and out into the cold morning. The frosty wind whipped inside his fur, chilling him, and he shivered. He trotted down the empty street and kept going, winding his way out of town until he came upon the hills.

The sun hung waiting behind the snowy crests, and then in one glorious moment it rose, dipping the hills in a molten red-gold glow. Copper sat to take in the beautiful event that happened every morning, yet was missed by all the people who slept on. ‘Pity the sleepers,’ Copper thought with a sad smile.

The golden hills were almost the exact same color of the fur of a girl dog he had once known. Her name was Taya.

Copper sighed again. He had been dreaming about Taya, and that was why he had been so annoyed at Johnson for waking him up. Much of the dream was lost to him, but he could still remember her face. Taya had been as angry as ever, spitting insults at him with the fury of a burning fire, but her soft blue eyes carried another message altogether. In real life, he had helped her escape from a dog-fighting ring and put her on a sled as a stowaway so she could start a new life in White Mountain. Now it had been six months, and he missed her with a strength he had never experienced before. He doubted he would ever see her again, though, and that made the hurt even bigger than before. But the worst part wasn’t that she was a few miles away, living a life that he would never be a part of. The worst part was he was Balto’s son, and she was Steele’s daughter, so they could never, never be together.

A wild cry echoed from the other side of town. Copper’s eyes widened and his ears perked up when he recognized the voice as Balto’s, and his heart almost stopped when he heard the word his father was shouting: “KAILA!!”

‘No,’ he thought as his mind seemed to empty out. He couldn’t feel anything inside or outside. His mind was blank with disbelief. ‘No. Not again. Never again.’

Suddenly his heart bounced harder and harder against his chest, and his mind sped up with his pulse. Copper flew across the snow, his paws mashing down so hard they stung, but he barely felt it. As his father’s boat rushed nearer and nearer to him, all he could think was, ‘Kaila. Please be there. Please be safe. Oh, Kaila…’

Chase’s eyes fluttered open, and she yawned and started to get up, but then she remembered who was lying beside her. She shifted in the dirt of the alleyway and looked over at Ketch, her closest friend. He lay sleeping beside her, his body gently bobbing up and down and a small smile on his face. Chase couldn’t remember how she had ended up sleeping in the alleys. Maybe it had been the long day of training the alleyway dogs, making them stronger; Steele had once come and made the street dogs fight each other to build a strong army against Balto and his family. Chase and Ketch had continued the practice, but an army or violent group it was not. It was simple training to make the street dogs stronger, since most of them were suffering from some kind of weakening handicap or sickness.

Chase huddled against Ketch and curved her body to his, and smiled. Right here, right now, when there was no one to watch her or judge her, she let down her guard. She relaxed, and let her usually-determined face wash through all the emotions she hid from view from the world.

Ketch was warm and comforting. Chase watched as he moved his head to the side, his face close to hers. She looked around before nuzzling him tenderly, brushing back the brown fur that so easily came loose because of an illness he had had almost as long as he could remember. She stroked his side, and without thinking softly licked his ears. His musky smell filled her, and she sighed with half contentment, half fear. Why was she doing this?

Ketch just felt so safe. With him, she was safe. With him–

Ketch’s hazel eyes cracked open, and Chase froze, wondering what he would say.

He lifted his head, shivered, and grinned at her. “Brrr. It’s cold out here. Good morning, Chase.”

“Hey,” she said in reply, relief flipping inside her stomach. He hadn’t noticed her sudden affection. Today would just be a normal day, with the two of them as normal friends.

Suddenly an anguished cry pierced the air: “KAILA!!”

The echo faded away, and Chase leapt to her feet. “My dad,” she said, her ears straight up and listening hard, “Something must have happened to Kaila. I’d better go find out what.”

“Would you want an escort?” Ketch asked.

Chase hesitated. “Thanks, Ketch, but no thanks. If it’s about Kaila, it’s probably family-only.”

Ketch snorted. “With all that happens with your family, sometimes I think I’d have to become a member just to understand what’s going on around here!”

Chase stiffened. Was he implying…? No. It was just her mind mocking her. ‘Snap out of it, Chase,’ she commanded herself. “Start the troops if I’m not back in five,” she told him, referring to the street dogs, which they called ‘the troops’. She ran out of the damp alleyways and onto the tundra. She circled around Nome before catching sight of Balto’s boat and two figures waiting on the deck.

She ran as fast as her three legs could carry her, and padded up to the deck to skid to a stop in front of Balto and Copper. “Okay, what’s up?” she demanded.

“I just can’t believe her,” Copper muttered to himself.

Balto’s face was solemn and seemed to age before her eyes. “Chase…Kaila’s gone.”

Chase stared at both of them in disbelief. “What?”

Dusty slowly emerged from sleep and shook himself, his red-speckled fur tossing back and forth. He looked across the room and smiled, and jumped out of the armchair and padded up to the four dogs huddled against each other on the carpet. Three of them were pups, two gray and one gray with a red chest. They were Silver, Gail, and Robin, the pups Kira had unwillingly had with a gray mutt named Lucas, who was now dead (murdered at Kira’s paws). Kira lay behind her pups, curled around them as if to protect them even in sleep. Dusty gazed down at her fondly. They had been through very hard times, but now it seemed things had quietened down. And that was just fine with him.

Dusty rubbed his head against Kira’s, and her blue-green eyes snapped open instantly and glanced around the room. Then she saw him, and her rigid body relaxed. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Well, that’s a great way to greet someone!” Dusty exclaimed quietly, so as not to wake the pups, “ ‘Oh, it’s just you.’ C’mon, Kira!”

She smiled wanly. “Sorry, Dusty. I was dreaming…about Lucas. He was back, and he was coming after the pups…” She shuddered, and looked back up at Dusty. “I’m glad it was only you.”

Dusty laughed nervously. “Well, you’ll never have to worry about Lucas again. I’ll never forget seeing you…kill him.”

“I may have killed him, but I’ll never get rid of what he did to me.” Kira scooped Silver closer, and instantly all the pups whimpered and whined in chorus, then snuggled in closer and fell back asleep. Dusty smiled in spite of himself

“It has done some good things,” Kira continued, nodding to the pups. Her blue-green eyes flamed emerald green. “But he hurt me. And I don’t forgive and forget.”

Dusty nudged her face and murmured, “I know. I know. I wish I could tell you to let it go, but this is the kind of thing that even I can’t forget about. Just think about the pups, Kira. At least they’re a wonderful thing to come out of such a mess.”

Kira’s face softened, but her eyes still sparked. “Yes, but I wish you were the father. Not…him.” She suddenly stiffened, and a dullness scratched across her eyes. “Julie’s parents are talking about selling the pups.”

Dusty started. “Now?” Dusty’s owners were Mr. and Mrs. Tolbeck, and Julie, their young daughter. They had taken Kira and her pups in after her trials with Dusty in the barren tundra. “But the pups are four months old! Who would take them now?” Inside he thought, ‘They can’t take them. They just can’t…’

“I heard Julie’s parents talking to her last night,” Kira spat bitterly, “They said there was no way they were keeping five dogs in the same house, and that they should sell them before the pups lose that cute puppy look everybody drools over.” Kira clenched her teeth defiantly. “It makes sense, but…they can’t sell them just like that. They can’t!”

Dusty was unsure what to say. He would miss the pups as much as Kira, but they couldn’t stay forever. He rubbed his head tenderly against hers. “Shhh.”

She tensed for a minute, but with his silent reassurance she slowly relaxed.

“It’ll be hard, but at least you’ll still be able to see them around town,” Dusty said softly, “It’ll be all right, Kira. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but it will be all right.”

Kira nodded and closed her eyes, and when she opened them again their fiery green had subsided to blue-green like ocean waves. She nuzzled his neck and licked his chin. Her breath was sweet against his face.

A warm current coursed through Dusty’s blood, and he couldn’t think of any place he would rather be–

Copper burst through the doggy door and hit the carpet with a dull thump. Dusty felt heat zipping up his face. His brother knew about his affection for Kira, but being walked in on made his toes curl and his face flush red. “Copper, what–”

“Dusty! Get to Dad’s boat!” Copper gasped. He paused to heave in tearing breaths, and cold sweat beaded on his fur. He straightened up and stared at Dusty. “Family meeting. Now. Run there now. We know you’re fast, so get there as fast as you can!”

Dusty’s mind was a jumble of pieces of broken thought. “Copper, why? Copper!” There was no reply. Copper had bolted out into the cold again, leaving an air of confusion behind him.

The pups had woken up.

“Was that Copper? What did he want, Mom?” Silver yawned.

“Dusty has some family business to take care of,” Kira explained. She looked at Dusty. “Go. Copper’s usually not so…blunt. Something’s up.”

“I’ll be back right afterwards,” Dusty promised. He nudged each pup good morning and then dashed off out the door and down the street. His paws pumping hard, he ran out of town and across the beach. Rhythmic thumping behind him and scents tossed on the wind told Dusty Copper was already racing back with their mother, Jenna, in tow.

The three dogs clattered up the ramp to the deck where they found Chase and Balto waiting in silence. Copper sat, breathing hard and fast.

Balto furrowed an eyebrow in concern. “Thank you, Copper.”

“No problem,” Copper wheezed.

Jenna stepped forward. “Balto, what is this all about? Copper wouldn’t tell me and–” She froze. Her brown eyes flicked over the boat, the tundra, the faces of her husband and children. “Where’s Kaila?” Her voice choked, and her face betrayed that she suddenly knew.

Dusty felt himself sink. Oh, no. Not again. What reason did she have to run…?

Balto faced his family with solemn eyes. “Kaila ran away again…and I don’t know why.”

Kaila awoke with the flooding sense that she was home. She sat up, sifting the cool dirt with her paws. Around her lay seven wolves, and she smiled as she recognized each one. The earthy smell of the cave swirled into her as a pang of sadness hit her heart. Sirius, the old pack leader, was no longer here. He had drowned when they had crossed a river to get to his mate Kiowa’s whelping den so she could have pups. The pain Kaila felt for Sirius wasn’t sharp anymore. It had dulled over time.

Kaila suddenly felt a rush of guilt. Sirius had been like a second father to her. Shouldn’t her pain hurt more?

A dark brown wolf lying almost face to face with her opened his green eyes and stared straight into her brown eyes. He blinked once, twice, and then shook his head and gawked at her. “Kaila?”

She smiled so wide she felt like her face would split. She just couldn’t help it. She was back with her other family, the Anvil Creek pack. She was home. “Hey, Lakota.”

Lakota scrambled up and hugged her so hard she felt the air pushed out of her lungs. “Uh!” she gasped, and smiled weakly. “I missed you, too.”

Lakota backed off and regained control of himself. “Sorry. But…when did you get back? Why did you come back? How–” His eyes narrowed, and he spun around. “Mom!”

Kaila heard a yip from behind her, and she found herself being tackled by a very enthusiastic light brown wolf with one blue eye and one brown.

“Kaila!” the young wolf shouted, successfully blowing out Kaila’s eardrums and waking the rest of the pack. “You’re back, you’re back, you’re back, you’re–”

“Get off me, Sarai!” Kaila pinned her friend to the ground and let her up. “I told you I’d come back, didn’t I?”

The cave filled with a flurry of commotion as Kaila greeted the old friends she had left behind: Kiowa, Sage, Nilak, and Cheyenne.

Nilak and Cheyenne.

Kaila stared wonderingly at the two wolves, remembering them as the newborn pups whose birth had brought about the death of their father, Sirius, and the joy of being Kiowa’s first litter. The two pups were six months old and as big as Kaila now. Nilak still had the gray and white fur that had inspired his name, and his sharp brown eyes showed wisdom beyond his years. Cheyenne had black ears and paws, but the rest of her fur was a dark red-brown. Her eyes were fierce, and Kaila could tell Cheyenne might be rivaling her for best hunter in the pack. Nevertheless, it was both shocking and fulfilling to see how much the pups had grown.

“Mom,” Lakota said suspiciously, “You wouldn’t happen to know how Kaila got here, would you?”

“Yeah, how did you know I wanted to come back?” Kaila inquired.

Aniu smiled mysteriously. “Grandmotherly instinct, perhaps.” She winked at Kaila.

Kaila wasn’t exactly sure what that wink meant, but not for the first time she had the feeling Aniu was more than she seemed.

“Oh, who cares?” Sarai cried, “I’m just glad you’re back!”

“This is good timing,” Nilak said quietly, “Now we have another member to fight against the Northern Hills pack.”

Kaila snapped to attention. “What?”

“Oh, why do you always have to bring the war up?” Sarai complained.

“Well, we’re not in any position to ignore it,” Sage huffed.

Kaila looked worriedly from face to face. “There’s a war?”

Lakota sighed. “Awhile ago, the Northern Hills pack sent in a wolf called Silver Arrow to spy on us. We let him join this pack when we found him almost frozen outside the cave, and he told us his pack had abandoned him.” Lakota’s dark face twisted with disgust. “Then Silver Arrow found out we were planning to take a part of the Northern Hills pack’s territory, and he rushed back to that pack and betrayed our plans to them. It turned out Silver Arrow was really a member of that pack, and he had been ‘abandoned’ just to spy on us. There was a war, and we won, but now the Northern Hills pack wants their territory back, or at least revenge. They’ve been threatening us for a week now. There might be an attack any day.”

“I think I know that story,” Kaila murmured, “Sirius told it to me when I first came here.”

“Sirius? Our father?” Cheyenne said eagerly, “He told you that?”

Kaila was taken by surprise, but she nodded and observed the brightness of Cheyenne’s eyes when her missing parent was mentioned. Nilak had become very still, and his eyes were dark and piercing. Kaila tried to imagine what it would be like to live without a father, and the result was overwhelming sadness. Now she understood: Cheyenne and Nilak would do anything they thought would make Sirius proud. They wanted to be his living legacy.

A heavy silence descended on the pack as they each took a moment to remember Sirius.

Then Aniu stepped forward and howled sharp and clear. Heads rose, and Kaila felt Lakota brush against her as he came forward and howled deep and brassy. Sage joined in strong and sweet, and then Sarai with a call of the wild that sent an awed shiver down Kaila’s spine. Kiowa’s howl soared high above the rest, and the only two new calls were Cheyenne’s and Nilak’s, Cheyenne howling sweet and diamond-clear, Nilak calling hard and rumbling like thunder. Kaila could almost feel Sirius smiling.

She thrust her head up and howled triumphantly, the notes bouncing off the cave walls and out across the tundra. The Anvil Creek pack wasn’t the same, but it was whole.

Copper could barely hear his own muttering. He didn’t even know he was saying anything out loud. His mind buzzed. He watched dully as Chase said something, but her speech was a wordless roar he heard from a million miles away. His mind had shut down until all he could think of was a single word: ‘Kaila Kaila Kaila Kaila Kaila Kaila…’

He couldn’t take it anymore. Words erupted from him and shot holes through the uneasy silence that encircled them: “Why are we all just standing around like this? Kaila is out there somewhere, and we don’t even know why! Maybe she ran away; she could have been kidnapped! Worrying and complaining isn’t going to bring her back! If no one’s going to snap out of it and get out there and find her, then I will!” He turned on his heel and without a second thought bolted across the beach and out into the wilderness.

He inhaled the scents of the morning, and was relieved to find only Kaila’s scent mingling with the smells that lay over the ground. So she had left of her own free will. That was a comfort, if a small one.

The reason for her moonlit escape troubled him. His chest burned, and he stopped to catch his breath and consider something. Had it been something he had done to make her want to leave? It seemed silly, but his concern ran too deep to let any ponderings rest. He ran through the past few months in his mind, but no events jumped out at him that could have been the cause for his sister to become a runaway again. Even despite his grown tendencies, he had managed not to be so overprotective; for that Kaila had thanked him. There was the slight possibility that Kaila had gone because she wanted to be with “her pack” again, but Copper could hardly believe that. How could she love the Anvil Creek pack more than her real family?

He straightened up and looked out towards the tundra where Kaila’s scent led. He squinted hard, then shook his head and stared again.

An orange dot was growing larger and larger in the distance. It seemed like a second sun, rising up until its bright form could be seen clearly.

Copper’s heart almost stopped. Air was no longer a need for him. All he needed was his nose to smell the scent that rolled through him like sunshine, his ears to hear the hard, steady drumming of paws getting closer from across the tundra, his eyes to see the orange dog zooming past him without a glance, and his speech to say the word that was pounding through his blood. He opened his mouth and let the word drop out: “Taya!”

The dog wrenched to a stop and froze there, her back to him. She cautiously turned around, but the minute she saw him her face lit up like the Northern Lights. Copper wished he could freeze this moment in his mind and store it away where he could never forget.

“Copper…” Taya’s face changed from wonder to alarm. “NO!”

Copper followed her gaze to see her father, Steele, standing over him with a confused expression on his face, but a paw raised to kill anyway.

Blasting cold whistled through Copper’s blood. He ducked the blow and pushed Steele into a melting snow mound, and ran away as fast as he could. He sprinted to Taya, but she ran back to her father. This stunned Copper so much he stopped. “Taya?” he said, alarmed.

But then she was behind him, hissing, “Go, go!”

He galloped, and he could feel her breath ruffle his tail as she followed. He forced himself to think about losing Steele, and looked around to find something to cover their scent and pawprints.

Water. The beach.

He charged across the gray sand, the icy water nipping at his feet and making him jolt and stumble as the tide rushed in and out. The saltwater masked any clue that they had been there, and as their pawprints were washed away by the waves Copper fled behind a sandy hill and stopped, inhaling as much air as he could in one breath.

Taya stood next to him, but even as she panted her blue eyes flashed with a fierce energy. Copper regarded her in amazement, and she finally looked up at him. They stared at each other for a minute, and then Taya broke the silence.

“I met Steele in White Mountain. I tried to avoid him, but he started chasing me, and…and all I could do was run.”

“Why did you run here?” Copper asked hoarsely. ‘Chase’s alleyway friends must have chased Steele to White Mountain,’ he thought, ‘Thanks, guys. Thanks alot.’

Taya shrugged and looked down. “I just ran. Nome was the closest place, so I just ended up here. It was at random.”

Copper hadn’t expected her to say she had wanted to see him, but it still hurt. He tried to dull the blade and looked straight at Taya. “I’m glad you’re back. I mean, I’m not glad Steele’s after you, but…I missed you.”

“Yeah,” she replied softly, “Me, too. I never wanted to see my father’s ugly face again. But I did. And everything’s a mess again. Weird, huh?”

Copper wasn’t sure what to say. Taya’s words were going in circles. It was like she wantedto confuse him.

She stared at him. “Why were you waiting there?”

It was the first time that morning he had really felt like smiling. “It isn’t what it looked like. I had no idea you were going to show up here! I was out looking for my sister, Kaila. She ran away…again.”

Taya snorted. “It seems like everyone’s running away these days, doesn’t it? Your sister ran away, I was running from Steele, you were running to find your sister–”

Copper was smiling wryly. “You haven’t changed at all, have you?”

“Would you want me to?” she asked suddenly, rounding on him.

Copper considered it for a moment. “It would be much easier if your family relations were different, but as for you yourself…Not for the world.”

Taya smiled, and for a few seconds that smile just lit up the world. Copper was hit by a wave that urged him to embrace Taya, to make sure she was really there and smiling, but then her face flooded with her trademark determined expression. The wave hit and was gone with barely a whisper.

“So,” Taya said, “While my father is searching for me to rip me limb from limb, do you need any help finding your sister?”

Copper blinked. “Um, sure,” he said, and shook himself. He led the way around the other edge of town and managed to find Kaila’s scent again, being careful to get Taya as far away from Steele as possible.

Chase listened as, after Copper’s abrupt exit, the decision was made.

“Copper’s right,” Dusty said into the uneasy stillness, “We need to go find Kaila. And we all need to go. If Kaila’s been kidnapped, it’ll take all of us to get her out of there. If she left because she wanted to, it’ll take all of us to convince her to come back. And if she won’t come back, well…at least we’ll all be there to say goodbye.”

“I’m coming,” Jenna said quickly.

“Jen, I don’t know…” Balto sighed.

“I need to go tell Kira,” Dusty announced quietly, and left.

“Same with Ketch,” Chase said when she knew her parents weren’t listening. No one knew about Ketch – or they had somehow forgotten about him – and no one needed to know. They would all get the wrong idea about him.

She left her parents to argue, and she found herself trotting down an alley, wondering how she was going to break this to Ketch. She found him helping a dog who was paralyzed on one side walk to a puddle for a drink. The old dog bent her head and lapped at the swill, and Ketch stood quietly while she drank. He caught sight of Chase, and called, “Hey!”

“Hi again,” Chase replied, padding up to him, “Long time, no see.”

“Is this your girlfriend, Ketch?” the old dog asked. Dirty water dripped from her muzzle.

“Well, uh…um, you see, she’s–” Ketch stammered.

The old dog stared at Chase. “You’ve got yourself a fine young dog right there. A fine one.”

Heat swirled up Chase’s body and into her face. She could feel her cheeks coloring pink to red. A few months ago she would have erupted in rage, but now she used all the self-control she had ever accumulated to bite her tongue and hold back the angry and embarrassed words threatening to burst out. She waited until the old dog had been led away by a friend, and she and Ketch were alone.

Ketch stared at her scarlet face. “Chase, breathe!”

She obediently opened her mouth, and as air rushed in sputters of words leaked out. “Look what she–! I never–! You saw–!...I’ll bust–”

“You would have busted if I hadn’t told you to breathe,” Ketch said, “You scared me for a minute, Chase! I really thought you were going to hurt her!”

“Be glad I didn’t,” Chase growled, “If that had happened a couple months ago, she wouldn’t have known what hit her.”

“Don’t think I wasn’t embarrassed, too,” Ketch said, “But forget about her, Chase. Please? I want to be sure you won’t murder her in her sleep tonight or anything.”

“She’s so old, I doubt it would matter if I did,” Chase muttered. She grinned at Ketch’s surprised laugh, but his eyes were stern.

“Chase.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled. She ducked her head to hide her grin, and she knew Ketch was smiling and rolling his eyes. His paw tousled her head, and he laughed softly.

“What am I going to do with you, Chase?”

She stepped back from his paw. “Well, you could say goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” Ketch’s face was fully alarmed. “Why?”

Chase looked into his hazel eyes. “My sister Kaila ran away. Again. And this time everyone’s sick and tired of her acting like the idiot she can be, so we’re all heading out to drag her back.” She shrugged. “What’s family for?”

Ketch’s amused smile was small. “All of you? Do you mean your dad and the rest of your litter? What about your mom?”

“I’d bet anything Mom’s going to end up staying here,” Chase told him, “She wants to come, but Dad wants her to be safe. Don’t tell anyone this, but I think it has something to do with Mom being kind of weak. We can’t be taking care of her out there when it’s hard even with out her. I think Dad knows that, but he’ll put it in the nicest way possible.”

Ketch’s eyebrows had been steadily rising. “The whole mission sounds a little too impossible.”

“My dad’s already done it once,” Chase said, “He rescued Kaila the first time.”

“Your dad’s done a lot of impossible things,” Ketch retorted. His face was creased with worry. “You’re going? You’re going to hate me for this, but…are you sure you’ll be okay?”

Chase felt her eyes spark and her temper flame. “Never ask that question unless you have a death wish,” she murmured lowly, “No, I’m going to go off and get myself killed! C’mon, Ketch! You know I’ll be fine! I made it through Steele’s army, didn’t I? You know I can take care of myself!”

Ketch’s jaw was set. “I’m going.”

Chase gawked at him. “Have you heard a single word I’ve said?” she shrieked.

The alley went quiet. Chase could feel the alleyway dogs staring, so she bent her head and lowered her voice. “Why do you need to come?”

“This’ll be my chance to really see what goes on inside your family,” Ketch murmured, “Plus, whether you admit it or not, you still need help sometimes with your legs. I want to be there for you, Chase.”

Chase’s eyes narrowed. Had it been any other dog but Ketch, they would have been out cold at her feet by now. Her brown eyes ringed with pale gold blazed with cold fury. “Okay. Fine. Even if I said you could go, who would look after them?” She swept her paw out to indicate the street dogs, who were watching them with rapt attention.

Ketch’s brow furrowed. “Ah…”

“Excuse me,” said a soft voice from behind them, “But did you say you needed someone to watch ‘the troops’ while you’re away?”

Chase turned around and was immediately blasted with unpleasant memories. The dog that stood before her looked almost exactly like Steele: the black and white fur, the thin face. The only difference was the dog was a female, and her tongue was black-purple like a Chow’s. And, instead of Steele’s angry blue eyes, the dog had warm brown eyes that shone with a kind light. Still, Chase couldn’t help bristling in alarm. She bared her teeth. “If we did need someone, you’re the next to last dog I would choose.”

The dog looked down, pain in her eyes. “I can only guess who the last would be.”

“You don’t need to guess,” Chase growled, “You know. It’s your father, Steele.”

The dog raised her head, but her gaze was edged now with the slightest bit of fire. “My father is Steele, but I think you of all dogs would know not to judge by appearances.” She stared pointedly at Chase’s missing back leg.

Chase glared so hard she felt like her eyes were on fire. Ketch recognized the look and stepped between them. “Whoa, whoa. Give her a chance, Chase. What’s your name?” he asked the dog.

“Ava,” she said quietly. “I just wanted to know if I could help.”

“Well, we can always take it to a vote,” Ketch said. He lifted his head high, and all the street dogs looked up. “All in favor of Ava being the leader here while Chase and I are gone on some of Chase’s family business, raise a paw.”

The dogs whispered and murmured among themselves, and slowly paws began creeping into the air.

Ketch counted them swiftly, and then said, “All in favor of me staying behind while Chase goes by herself, raise a paw.”

More than a few paws shot into the air, but then they were abruptly brought back down. Dismayed, Chase stole a glance at Ketch, and she scowled when she saw he was shaking his head emphatically and mouthing ‘no’. Her temper was beginning to roar inside her. “Ketch–!”

“It’s decided, then,” he interrupted, “Ava is the official leader until we get back. You’ll respect and obey her as if she were me or Chase. We’ll probably be gone a few days.” He faced Ava, who was smiling timidly. “Good luck, Ava. We won’t be gone long. You’ll be able to keep them in line.”

“Thank you, Ketch,” she replied, and gazed at Chase. “Perhaps by the time you get back, Chase will have given me a second chance under her judgment.”

“I’m just glad I won’t see your face for a few days,” Chase spat. She turned on her heel ad began hobbling out of the alleyways.

Ketch caught up to her, and he tilted his head with a disapproving look on his face. “Chase, it’s not her fault she’s Steele’s daughter. And obviously she’s nothing like him.”

“I know, I know,” Chase sighed bitterly, “But when I see her…it’s like I’m seeing the dog who tried to kill my father and my mother and me, okay?”

Ketch was silent for a minute. “…She’s not Steele.”

Chase whirled on him. “Yes! I know that! I know, I know, I know! But just the fact that she’s Steele’s daughter makes me want to…” Chase bit her lip and held back the violent words burning the inside of her mouth.

Ketch looked at her, and stopped. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll have someone watch Ava.” He turned and called softly, “Matt?”

A skinny mutt popped his head out from the shadows. “Ketch?”

“Matt, could you keep an eye on Ava for me?” Ketch said, “If anything goes wrong, come find me. Chase and I will be heading…” He looked at Chase quizzically.

“…Northeast,” Chase muttered grudgingly.

Matt saluted her. “Yes, ma’am!” He scurried away and ducked into the alley where Ava and the rest of the dogs were.

Ketch turned to Chase. “Better?”

“Was Matt following us?” Chase asked suspiciously.

Ketch chuckled. “Yeah. He just wanted to make sure we got out safe. We’re pretty well-respected in the alleys, but you can never be too sure.” He shook his head. “Me and Matt, we’ve been through a lot together. In fact, this will be only my second time out of Nome since the escape we made together!”

Chase was too distracted to ask Ketch to elaborate. “Try not to sound so happy about it,” she grumbled. Her thoughts flicked from Ava to Copper to Kaila. Great. Now she had three dogs to worry about. Four, including Ketch.

Though she would have never admitted it, deep down she was glad he had come. Being alone got rough after awhile. It was nice to have someone besides herself she could depend on.

Dusty rushed into the house and slowed to a stop at Kira’s paws. Kira jumped up, and once again the pups stirred, and Silver growled in his sleep. Dusty prayed silently for the pups to sleep on, and miraculously they did. He wasn’t sure how he could stop the pups from coming with him if they heard him break the news to their mother.

“Dusty, what is it?” Kira asked, “What happened?”

Dusty took a deep breath. “Kira…I have to go. Out of town. Kaila ran away again, and we don’t want to lose her again. We’re all going after her to bring her back. Well, my litter and my father are. My mother’s staying behind.” He knew Balto would find some way to convince Jenna to stay. It would make the journey even more dangerous and difficult if she came with them.

Kira’s eyes glittered fiercely as she straightened up. “So you’re leaving me behind, too?”

“I never said that, but…” Dusty mumbled.

“It’s always the girl that gets left behind, have you ever noticed that?” Kira fumed through gritted teeth, “I don’t want to be the pathetic girl who is useless for everything except sitting around and worrying!...No offense to your mother, Dusty. But I’ve been there! I survived out there, and I was even with pup then! We were separated for two months! Do you think I want to go through that again?”

“Listen. I don’t want to leave here,” Dusty whispered, “It seems barely yesterday that we got back from all that. But Kaila’s my sister. I know I lost you for two months. If I don’t go, and the rest of my family doesn’t go, I may lose her…forever.”

“Well, then, one more dog will make getting her back all the easier,” Kira declared.

Dusty shook his head. “No. Kira, think of the pups. You’re a mother now. You can’t just leave them whenever you want. They’re still little. They need someone to take care of them until they get homes of their own, and even that event could only be days away.”

Kira bent her head, hiding her expression. “I hate being useless.”

“You’re not useless,” Dusty murmured, standing beside her and brushing his head against hers, “You’re kind, you’re faithful, you’re beautiful…”

“But useless,” Kira finished abruptly. She lay down beside the pups and looked up at Dusty. “If you’re not back in a few days…”

“I will be. I promise,” Dusty said. He nuzzled her softly, and touched each of the pups with his nose. “…I love you guys.”

Kira nudged him away. “Your sister could be halfway to Barrow by now,” she said, “Go.”

Dusty went, letting the doggy door slap shut behind him.

All three pups immediately popped up.

“I’m going with Dusty!” Silver announced, scrambling up and away from Kira’s grasp. Gail squealed and followed her brother to the door.

Kira snarled, and the two pups froze. “Don’t you dare,” Kira growled.

Silver and Gail slowly pivoted around, ears down, eyes huge with fear.

“Sorry, Mom,” Silver managed to stammer, “But Dusty’s going to save Kaila! He…he could need help!”

“If Dusty needed help, I would be going, too,” Kira told her son. She leaned forward and picked him up, dropping him at her feet.

“Well, at least Dusty gets to go out of Nome!” Gail yipped, “I want to go somewhere, do something! It would be so great to get out of here!”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Kira murmured. She picked up Gail and deposited her beside Silver. Kira looked at her youngest pup, Robin, who had yet to say a word. “What about you, Robin? Any questions, comments, or complaints to add to your brother’s and sister’s?”

Robin blinked up at her. “I…I don’t know,” she mumbled softly, “I just hope Dusty gets back soon.”

“He will,” Kira said, licking Robin’s little ears reassuringly, “He will.”

“I don’t care what Mom says. We’re going after Dusty,” Silver muttered to Gail.

“No monkey business from either of you,” Kira said firmly, “I’ll act like your jailor if you give me any reason to.”

Silver grinned innocently, but behind his blue-green eyes the wheels were beginning to turn to form an escape plan. Nothing was going to stop him from seeing the part of the world that wasn’t Nome.

Dusty flew across the beach and clambered up the ramp to the deck. Balto, Jenna, Chase, and a stranger stood waiting.

Dusty’s eyebrows went up at the sight of Chase’s companion. “Uh…who are you?”

“Ketchikan,” the mangy brown mutt said, “But by all means, call me Ketch. Please.”

“Ketch is just my friend,” Chase said emphatically, “He wants to help find Kaila. If he had any brain at all, he would be staying behind.” She nudged him with her foot, and he looked down at her imperiously.

“With Kaila’s stubbornness, we need all the help we can get persuasion-wise,” Balto said warmly, “I went on the beach and caught her scent. She went alone. She ran away, but at least she wasn’t kidnapped. Dusty, how is Kira?”

“Fine,” Dusty told him, “Annoyed she has to stay behind, but fine.”

Jenna sighed quietly. Balto shook his head and turned to her. “Jen, I told you. I can’t risk you getting hurt–”

“I know,” Jenna said coldly. Dusty stiffened. He had never heard his mother use such an angry tone before. It was unsettling.

Balto slowly turned away, his eyes downcast. “And Silver and Gail? And Robin?” Balto had visited the pups many times before. He was related to them more like a half-uncle, and they called him Balto, but he was more like a grandfather to them than anything else.

Dusty smiled. “Kira’ll be able to keep them in line.”

“Alright,” Balto announced, “We have to catch up with Copper, and then find Kaila. Let’s hope it’s a short quest…I’m getting too old for this.”

Jenna embraced each of her children. “Goodbye, my girl,” she whispered to Chase. She stepped away and gazed hard at Ketch.

“Mom,” Chase hissed, “Don’t.”

“Alright,” Jenna said. As she walked past Ketch she muttered, “Take care of her, Ketch.”

“I will, ma’am,” Ketch murmured.

Chase smacked her forehead. “Mom, I told you…!”

Jenna hugged Dusty. “Don’t get lost out there again.”

“I won’t, Mom,” Dusty reassured her, “We’ll all be fine. Don’t worry.”

Jenna kissed Balto goodbye, but she couldn’t hide her anger over being left behind. Balto gazed at her sorrowfully. “I’m sorry, Jen.”

“I know, I know,” Jenna said with a voice as hard as bone, “Just go. Find Kaila and bring her back!”

One by one the rescuing foursome scrambled down the ramp and across the beach, Balto leading the way as they followed Kaila’s scent. Jenna watched them go, and with a stung heart she plodded down the ramp and back to town.

No one saw the black and white dog lurking in the shadows of Balto’s boat. It chuckled, and then turned this way and that as if deciding which way to go. Finally it slunk after Balto, carefully keeping to the shadows, which were shrinking faster and faster as the sun rose.

Kaila crouched behind the snow-flecked tree, sizing up the lone moose plodding through the clearing before her. She caught glimpses of the other pack members behind the rest of the trees, and she saw Lakota’s green eyes glint as he gave a swift nod. She tightened her leg muscles and waited for exactly the right moment to attack.

The moose stopped as it caught the scent of the predators circling it. It moaned, and as a last attempt to escape it began to gallop away.

Kaila shot forward and sprang into the air, feeling the lift as the adrenaline rush kicked in. Out of the corner of her eye she spied Cheyenne rushing forward, and her eyes narrowed. This kill was hers.

She flew to the moose’s side and prepared herself to taste blood. She leaped towards her prey, her claws inches from its sweaty hide…and then something came down hard across her back. Kaila hit the dirt, her eyes snapping shut and her skull jittering against the ground. Her attacker slashed her across the back, ripping open her skin. She gasped with pain, and without thinking flipped herself to her feet and slammed her attacker to the ground.

“What…?” The Northern Hills wolf looked up in confusion. “A wolf-dog? You’re a wolf-dog?”

“Very observant, smart one,” Kaila growled. From around her she could hear the separate battles raging between the Anvil Creek wolves and Northern Hills wolves, but she didn’t dare take her eyes off the wolf at her feet in case he got any ideas. “Here’s my thanks to Silver Arrow for his ‘loyalty’ to the Anvil Creek pack,” Kaila snarled. She swiped the wolf across the face, raking red claw marks over his muzzle. A sudden wave of disbelief stunned her. Had she really just hurt someone? Willingly?

The wolf scowled and kicked her away. She stumbled back, and he whirled to his feet and struck her across the face. She wheeled back, and collapsed in a pile of watery snow. Her face stung, and everywhere burned.

“I guess that means ‘you’re welcome’,” the wolf snickered, and loped away.

Kaila took a moment to get control of herself. Aside from anything that had just occurred, Silver Arrow would know shortly that there was a wolf-dog fighting in the Anvil Creek pack. She didn’t know whether he would take her as a threat or simply an annoyance, but she knew she would have to get past her fear and shock if she was going to be part of this war. She couldn’t freeze up like she just had. She had to fight.

A short, sharp howl pricked at Kaila’s ears, and she looked out to see the Northern Hills pack filtering out, looking quite pleased with themselves. The quiet they left behind was so eerie, Kaila filled it by getting up and checking on her pack.

Lakota emerged from the woods with a bloody left front leg and scratches twining themselves over his back. Sage dragged herself over and fell to the snow, licking her bitten paws and flicking blood out of her eyes from her ripped ear. Sarai rolled in the snow to wash away the moist earth and blood stuck in her fur. Nilak’s pale fur was flecked with red, but the scarlet drops blended right in on Cheyenne, and most of the blood seemed not to be hers. Aniu seemed mysteriously unhurt, but Kiowa lay in an unmoving heap in the middle of the clearing. They all gathered around her, their heads down and their hearts heavy.

“Mom!” Cheyenne shrieked, flinging herself down beside Kiowa. She looked over her mother’s wounds, and Kaila could hear her mumbling over and over, “Not you, too…Not you, too…”

Nilak stood in stony silence. Only his eyes betrayed the sadness and rage roaring through him.

“We need to get Kiowa back to the cave,” Sage said firmly. She ducked under the still body and hoisted Kiowa onto her back. Cheyenne did the same so Kiowa lay over both their backs. They began to walk carefully towards the cave, and the rest of the pack followed quietly.

“An ambush,” Lakota muttered, “That’s all it took for them to bring us down. We need better defense, and a plan to attack them.”

“Already working on it,” Nilak murmured.

“Will they attack us again, Lakota?” Sarai whispered. She stayed close to Aniu, and her face showed everyone that all she wanted to do was bury her head in the old wolf’s fur and whimper like a pup. Thankfully, she kept walking.

“Yes,” Lakota told her, “But we’ll be ready for them. We should have been ready today, but…” He shook his head.

“We just weren’t careful,” Kaila finished quietly.

“Courage,” Aniu said, “We can be thankful only one of us was seriously injured.” Cheyenne shot her a sharp look.

They arrived at the cave. Sage and Cheyenne sloped their backs so Kiowa slid gently to the ground. The black and white wolf groaned quietly, and her pups were immediately at her side.

“Mom?” Cheyenne murmured, “Mom. Say something. Say anything!” Nilak stood silently.

Kiowa moaned again and rolled over until she was facing her daughter. Her blue eyes were cold and blank, and her mouth barely moved as she mumbled one word: “Sirius…”

“Dad isn’t here, Mom,” Cheyenne whispered, “Dad isn’t here. I know it’s hard without him, but…don’t die. Please. Without Dad, we can’t lose you.”

“If you can’t live for us, live for the pack,” Nilak said, breaking his silence, “We need you now. To fight with us. If you die, you increase the chances of the whole pack getting killed. We need you, Mom. More than ever.”

At the sound of Nilak’s voice, Kiowa looked up quickly at both her children. Warmth flooded her eyes, and she seemed to emerge from a place far away. “I will fight. For the pack. For you two. It’s not time for me to join Sirius yet. Soon, but not yet. First I need to protect my family.”

Looking at them, Kaila marveled at how fragile family really was. A pack was a family, and in this pack alone a father and mate had died, leaving four children fatherless and three mothers without mates. She remembered how she had taken her own family for granted most of the time, and how easily it had broken apart. But she pushed that out of her mind. All that mattered was her second family, her pack. If she had to fight a war to protect it, she would.

The wolf that had attacked Kaila flew across the tundra ahead of all the other Northern Hills wolves. Panting, he ran into the pack cave and dipped his head to the beta wolf and the alpha male discussing something.

“We might have a new obstacle in this war,” he said.

The gray beta wolf stared at him. “How so? We outnumber them two to one.”

“Let him finish, Silver Arrow,” the dark brown alpha male said sternly.

“They have acquired a new member,” the wolf continued, “It is a female, and a wolf-dog.”

The alpha male threw back his head and let out a long, loud cackle. “A female? A part-dog female? Hardly a threat, soldier!”

“Still, we should observe her, just to be safe,” Silver Arrow reasoned, “I don’t mean to be forward, but I think that would be the ideal plan, Dark Moon.”

The wolf who had brought the news shivered. Only Silver Arrow was able to call the alpha male by his name without being struck. This showed a rise of power the Northern Hills pack hadn’t seen in a long time.

Dark Moon considered it, and slowly nodded. “Alright. Take a unit of wolves to the enemy’s cave and…observe this wolf-dog. Silver Arrow, you will be my eyes and ears.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t trust some of these soldiers to notice things I want to know.”

Silver Arrow nodded, and left the cave wondering what this wolf-dog would be like. The wolf who had brought the news walked behind him, showing respect that was usually reserved only for alphas.

Copper stopped in his tracks when Nome was nearly out of sight. “How could I be so stupid?”

“I wonder that about you, too,” Taya commented, “What’s the problem?”

Copper felt like beating himself over the head. “Steele’s going to go after my dad, my mom, my siblings! We have to go back!” With the surprise of encountering Steele and seeing Taya again, he had almost forgotten the danger.

Taya’s face tightened into a mask of deathly calm. “Don’t worry about your family. The only one he’s after now is me.” She scuffed her paw around in the snow. “When I saw him in White Mountain, I just couldn’t keep it in. I basically told him what a lousy father he is, though with much…stronger words.” She slashed savagely at the ground. “I was the best fighter at the Northern Fights. I should have been able to fight my dad, kill him, even. Get him out of my life. But there’s something about him…All I could do was run.” She hung her head and kicked at the snow again.

Copper watched her with a growing ache inside him. To think he allowed himself to complain about minor things when her life was pure torture. He sickened himself.

Copper dared to step closer to Taya. She became very still, but at least she didn’t clock him one.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” he told her gently, “No one wants to come up against Steele in a fight. He’s cruel, cold, and heartless…You’ve got one heck of a dad, Taya.”

She nodded with a grim smile. “It’s funny. I went to White Mountain to forget about my father, and then I meet up with him so he can chase me all the way back to Nome. I’m back where I started.” She shook her head. “At least I don’t look like him. Then I would have been in trouble a long time ago.”

Copper looked at her. “Well, you did inherit some things.”

Her teeth came out. “Be careful what you say about this, Copper.”

He backed up quickly. “Okay, okay!” He studied her again, a small smile hovering on his lips. Gosh, she was beautiful. “You have his blue eyes. But his are cruel, like ice. Yours are more like the blue in the Northern Lights.”

Taya’s teeth came in. She watched him warily, but he knew he had her full attention.

“You have his temper, and his fighting skills,” he continued, “But you don’t use them like your dad does.” ‘I identified Hawk as Steele’s son by his blue eyes,’ he thought all of a sudden. The thought shattered like glass through his brain. The thought throbbed in his mind. He had killed Hawk, Taya’s brother, in the Northern Fights. He hoped he would never have to admit that to her. She might kill him.

He pushed the thought away and smiled weakly. “Actually, you’re not as much like Steele as I thought.”

“Good,” Taya said, “If I ever thought I was becoming like him, I would kill myself.”

Copper stared at her. For all her insolence and dark past, Taya was like the sun to him: angry and spitting insults like flames that burned him and beat him down, but necessary for light and heat…and life.

“Trust me, you will never be like your dad, Taya,” Copper said fiercely, “Never.”

“There he is!” a voice called in the distance, “I see him! Copper!”

Copper swung around to see Chase bounding toward him, with Dusty, a brown mutt, and Balto right behind her.

“Thanks for waiting for us,” Chase said sarcastically. Her eyes moved to look behind Copper, and she froze. Her mouth tightened into a hard line, and she scrutinized Taya. “Who…is…that?”

“A friend,” Copper said quickly, his heart thumping inside him. He watched as the mutt came up behind Chase and stood over her protectively. He managed to grin, cocking an eyebrow. “Who…is…that?” he asked, imitating his sister.

Chase glared at him. “A friend,” she growled.

“Copper! I was beginning to wonder if we would ever find you again,” Balto remarked. His golden eyes fell on Taya. Copper squirmed as he watched his father start in surprise, and then collect himself. “Well, who is this?”

“This is Taya,” Copper said, barely breathing, “She’s a friend from the Northern Fights.”

Chase snorted. “ ‘Friend’? Since when are dogs friends when they’re busy ripping each other limb from limb?”

Copper smiled weakly. “Trust me, the friendship took awhile. But she came with me back to Nome after Johnson left me at the Fights, and well…things change.”

“But what’s she doing outhere?” Chase demanded. Copper wished his sister would stop talking like Taya wasn’t there. He could almost feel the heat as Taya’s temper rose from being ignored.

Taya stepped forward. “I’m being chased by my father. He wants me dead.”

There was a stunned silence.

“Well, that gives a whole new meaning to the word ‘family’,” Chase muttered, “Can’t you just feel the love?”

The mutt looked at her disapprovingly. “Chase…”

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Taya cried fiercely, “I’m not like my father, who lies and cheats and left me and my siblings to die…My father is Steele.”

“WHAT?” Chase’s legs shook uncontrollably, and she toppled into the melting snow.

“Chase!” The mutt dove down and tried to help her up. She pushed him away and angrily shoved herself to her feet, panting. “I’m fine, Ketch!”

She glared at Taya, who stood her ground and stared right back. “You?” Chase gasped, “You are the daughter of that, that…that thing?”

“Believe me, I hate him as much as you do,” Taya said with a dark calm, “I would do almost anything not to be his daughter. I would have killed myself if it hadn’t been for Copper.”

Copper felt a strange surge of pride zip through him, but with the pride came overwhelming worry. He hadn’t thought Taya would tell them about her past! Now Chase would probably never forgive him.

“Do you know what your father did to me?” Chase spat, “He made my mother sick. He almost killed my father. He made me betray my family. Because of him, I have this.” She threw her head back to indicate her missing leg. Her dark eyes burned like acid, and she glowered at Taya fiercely. “So you can just–”

“Chase, that’s enough!” Dusty suddenly barked, ending his silence. Chase threw him a reproachful look, but she bit her lip and stopped talking. “Just listen to yourself!” Dusty cried, “You’re no better than Steele! He hated Dad because of his wolf blood. You hate Taya because she has Steele’s blood running through her. Can’t you see? Just because Taya is Steele’s daughter doesn’t mean she’s out to kill us.” He stared pointedly at Chase. “And just because you’re one of Balto’s kids doesn’t mean you’re understanding like he is.”

Ketch coughed.

Chase’s eyes were tiny slits, but all of a sudden her anger seemed to release, and she stood quietly with a blank face. Copper could tell she was embarrassed, and that she was trying to keep her pride.

Dusty smiled and padded up to Taya. “Taya is nothing like Steele.”

There was gratitude in Taya’s eyes. She smiled back at Dusty, and she whispered to Copper, “I like your brother.”

Dusty flushed slightly, and Copper grinned at him. “Thanks, Dusty.” He looked over to see Balto had gone pale beneath his dark fur.

Balto stared at Taya, and then shook himself. “You’re saying Steele is out here somewhere, looking for you?”

Taya nodded. “I put you all in danger. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Balto reassured her. He sighed heavily. “We’ve come up against Steele more than once before. Another encounter was inevitable.” He studied Taya. “By the way, I’m Balto. We’ll do everything to protect you, Taya. For Copper’s sake, I trust you.”

Chase spluttered something under her breath, but she went quiet.

“Well, let’s go,” Balto said suddenly, “We have Kaila to find, and Steele to avoid.”

“Next stop, wherever Kaila is,” Ketch said with a grin, looking at Taya, “Room for one more.”

Taya didn’t smile back, but Copper saw a flicker of amusement in her eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief.

The group set out on Kaila’s trail, Balto leading the way, Copper and Taya behind him, Chase and Ketch behind them, and Dusty bringing up the rear.

Copper worried about Taya and Chase. He knew there would be a problem between them, but he had been trying not to think about it ever since he had wondered about meeting Taya again. Now that time had come, and the issue was as bad as he had feared. He loved Taya, he realized. And he loved Chase, but not in the same way, of course. Their conflict set him in the middle. Unless Chase admitted she was wrong about Taya, he would have to choose sides. And how do you choose between your sister and your love?

Chase mumbled and grumbled under her breath about Taya as the group trailed behind Balto. Ketch heard her complaints, and nudged her gently with his paw. “Hey. Stop it. Dusty has a good point, you know. You have no right to judge Taya until you get to know her.”

“But look at her! It’s disgusting,” Chase cried. Taya had just muttered something that made Copper grin. “Did you ever wonder what they were doing out here alone?”

Ketch shook his head. “Taya doesn’t seem the type to flirt. You know, you and her are alike in a lot of ways.”

“Don’t flatter her,” Chase growled. On a sudden impulse, she trotted up to Taya and walked at her side. She watched as Taya tensed and curled her lip ever so slightly.

“I was the best fighter at the Northern Fights, and the only dog I’m afraid to take down is my father. So if you have anything else to say about me and Steele, I suggest you go complain to your boyfriend over there. I’m not taking it anymore.”

“The best fighter?” Chase said in disbelief. Then she suddenly found a weak spot. Her smile grew cruel. “You wish.”

Taya shook her head angrily. “No. I was. My owner started the Northern Fights. I was a way for him to get money. And if I didn’t win him enough money, sometimes he beat me.” She shuddered. “I’m glad Copper got me out of there.”

Taya’s story softened Chase’s heart a little. But then she saw the look Copper gave Taya. It was one of tenderness and utter loyalty, and it made Chase want to run away from them both as fast as she could. That look stirred something inside her. At that moment hatred bubbled up from her gut and spilled all over her insides. How dare he love Steele’s daughter! After her fight with Steele, how could he love Taya? Did he even care anymore? He was betraying Chase, he was betraying his family!

Chase looked to the trail ahead and remarked conversationally, “You were the best fighter, and yet you couldn’t face your father?”

Taya’s tone was icy. “I doubt you could face yours.”

Chase was daunted for a second, but she refused to let Copper get away with his betrayal. “No, I guess not,” she said, “But I have faced yours.”

Taya’s mouth tightened.

Chase could hardly believe her own ears as she listened to her voice dip low and nasty. “What are you so afraid of? Why are you scared, huh?”

Taya slammed her paws to a stop and swore. “What are you doing this for? Do you really enjoy a good beating, or what? Why am I even listening to a cripple like you?”

Enraged fire scorched Chase’s heart black. Anger licked through her like a match to paper, and she shook as her eyes nearly burned holes through Taya with their glare. She wasn’t weak. Just because she was a cripple didn’t mean she was weak. No one called her a cripple…

Like a lightning bolt she was clawing at Taya, hissing and spitting words she couldn’t even hear. She was glad when she heard Taya’s gasp of surprise. She wished Taya had never been alive, had never been at the Northern Fights, had never met Copper, had never lived to be here now. She wanted Taya’s body to spout blood, but suddenly she was rammed in the stomach with what felt like a battering ram.

She stumbled back, and looked up to see Copper standing protectively in front of Taya, glowering at Chase. Ice rose in her heart. Her smile was hard and cold. “So,” she said softly, “This is how it is.” Copper loved Taya more than he loved his own sister. Fine. She could take it. It was his stupidity.

Copper’s shout rang through the wilderness. “Chase! What the heck do you think you’re doing? If you try to hurt Taya again, I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Chase asked dryly. She could feel her soul growing colder by the second.

Copper shook his head, at a loss for the right words. “You don’t treat Taya like that,” he growled.

The sudden silence led Chase to look over at her father. Balto stood shame-faced as he watched his children fight. Chase felt shame of her own broiling in her stomach, but she would not let it rise over the hate she felt for her brother. Balto wouldn’t guilt her into apologizing.

Dusty stood with an angry look on his face, while Ketch simply looked stunned. The wind howled through the quiet between the group.

Balto sighed painfully. “Enough.” He looked back and forth between Copper and Chase as if deciding something. “Copper, take Taya back to Nome.”

“Back?” Copper repeated, “But, Steele’s out here. He’ll slaughter–”

“Then take Ketch with you,” Balto interrupted, “Whatever you decide, Taya needs to go back. It’s not her fault, but there’s too much conflict even without having to worry about Kaila.”

“Dad,” Dusty muttered, “If there’s anyone who needs to go back, it’s Chase.”

Before Chase could voice her opinion on that, an unfamiliar scent blew through the area. Balto sniffed, then coughed. “It’s not Kaila’s pack. I thought for sure we were in their territory…”

White and gray wolves began gliding out of the melting landscape. They circled Balto and the rest of the group menacingly, and a white wolf stepped forward slightly to address them. “Is it a sudden custom for all dogs to live among wolves?” he said in a raspy voice, shaking his head, “Only this morning I heard there was a wolf-dog in a pack we attacked.”

Balto tried not to show too much interest. “Really? Well, we’re just passing through. We won’t be staying. I’m sorry if we disturbed you, distracted you from your duty.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” the white wolf laughed dryly, “You’re helping us, actually. Our duty is to kill any trespassers that try to venture through our land.”

“But isn’t this the Anvil Creek pack’s territory?” Balto asked nervously.

“The Northern Hills pack has taken over nearly all of the territory,” the white wolf growled, “Now hold still. If you survive this, you might be recruited for our pack. That only goes for the wolf-dog, of course,” he sneered. “We don’t need any mangy dogs weakening our ranks.”

Chase’s teeth came out. “I’m a wolf-dog,” she muttered. She could see Copper was irked by the wolf’s mistake, too. She looked around for a way to escape, but they were surrounded. What could they do?

Kaila’s face swam through Chase’s mind. An idea came to her, and she threw back her head and howled. The Northern Hills wolves all took a step back at the magnificent wolf howl that erupted from her seemingly-dog self. She pushed herself until her howl was as loud and strong as it would ever be, and prayed that Kaila would hear the words roaring through the howl: “We’re coming, with Northern Hills wolves! Help!”

Balto took advantage of his daughter’s distraction and broke through the circle of wolves, shouting, “Run!” Chase, Dusty, Copper, Ketch, and Taya all sprang forward and pounded hard after Balto.

Chase knew the escape plan was weak, but if Kaila and her pack still had control of their cave and if they had heard the howl, all of them would hopefully get through this alive.

Hopefully.

Chase’s heaving breaths scorched like fire up and down her throat and through her lungs. She could see the others running ahead, and she knew she was slowing down. Her three legs were doing her in. She wouldn’t be able to run fast enough to get away from these goons. She was dead meat.

Taya looked over her shoulder to see Chase nearly overtaken by the Northern Hills wolves. Chase saw the pity in the Chow/malamute’s eyes, and immediately her hatred of weakness bubbled up and made her strong, if only for a moment. She pushed her legs to run faster. Ketch had slowed down to help her, and the look of surprise on his face when she caught up was priceless. She grinned despite everything, and then she felt a stab in her back leg.

Stumbling, she looked back to see a gray wolf had bitten her one back leg, and he eyed the stream of scarlet blood on her thigh greedily. He was going to bite again, and then she would collapse and be killed. Already she was stuttering in her steps, and her bleeding back leg was almost dragging on the ground. Chase looked back at Ketch with wide eyes. This would be the last time she would ever see his face. Suddenly she found herself wishing fervently that there was a heaven for dogs, so maybe she could see him again. She had lived a stone-cold existence with no room for feelings. Maybe in heaven it could be different…

“Ketch–”

Ketch slowed and slammed a foot into the gray wolf’s face, sending the wolf tumbling head-over-tail into the snow. The wolf’s whimpering could be heard only for a few seconds as Ketch caught up again and left him far behind.

Relief and confusion poured through Chase at a dizzying rate. “Thanks,” she managed to say.

Ketch focused intently on the trail. “You’re not going without a fight,” he said fiercely, “Not while I’m still here.”

Chase nearly toppled over her own front feet and made Ketch’s rescue pointless. He caught her and leaned her against him, and they ran as one, him giving her his strength. She breathed her thanks again and concentrated on keeping upright, trying not to think about how safe she felt here, even now.

“Kaila!” Balto cried joyously from the front. The Anvil Creek pack cave loomed ahead, and new hope surged through Chase as she saw Kaila had stationed her pack around the cave, making a barrier.

Balto and the rest crashed through the barrier, and Kaila hustled them into the cave just as the Northern Hills wolves met the Anvil Creek wolves with howls of pain. Kaila shielded them from the violence with her body as they pressed against the cave wall. The conflict went on with shouts and bloodshed until a voice could be heard yelling, “Retreat! Not defeat, mind you, but…retreat.”

Snarling could be heard, and then a dark brown wolf with green eyes entered the stone chamber. He was coated with blood, and his walk was slow and tired. Kaila turned to him. “Lakota! What happened? Are you all right?”

“Fine,” he said, “I killed their leader, so they all ran like the scared pups they are.” He looked up at the sight of four wolf-dogs and two dogs huddled against the wall. “So this is the party that needed rescuing?”

“Yes,” Chase heard herself say, “We were trapped by those wolves, and all I could think of was Kaila. I’m glad you got my message.”

“We’re sorry you had to risk so much for us,” Balto apologized, “I didn’t realize you were having a conflict with another pack.”

“Balto,” Lakota said with a tired smile, “Anything for you, sir. So this is your family?” he asked Kaila.

She raised her eyebrows. “Most of them. What are you all doing here?”

Balto grinned sheepishly. “Kaila…”

Kaila’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, no. No. Dad, I don’t need another rescue.” She tapped her paw on the cave floor. “This is where I want to be. Nothing you can say will change that. I said I would come back when I was ready, remember? Well, I’m ready. And I’m staying here.”

Other wolves had slipped into the cave during Kaila’s speech. Two wolves, one a red and black female and the other a white and gray male, sat by a white and black female lying still in a corner. Two brown females, one smaller than the other, and a white female stood quietly behind Kaila, observing their visitors.

Suddenly the white female came forward and embraced Balto. “My son. I’m glad you’re safe, though your journey may have been for nothing, I’m afraid.”

“I was hoping you might be able to help us out, Mother,” Balto muttered, nodding at Kaila. He had picked up Aniu’s scent on the hill, but he knew Kaila had started out the journey by herself. And once Kaila started something, there was no stopping her. Aniu had probably come to protect her, with the intuitive sense of knowing she had always seemed to have.

Kaila bristled with annoyance.

Chase jerked to attention. ‘Mother’? This was Balto’s mother?

The white female stepped away from Balto and padded over to Copper and Taya. “Copper.”

Copper grinned. “Aniu. Good to see you…again.”

Taya stared at her, open-mouthed. “You’re…you’re–”

“Yes,” Aniu said gently, “I guided you to Nome from the Northern Fights. What is your name?”

“Taya,” Taya whispered.

Aniu smiled. “You were lost in more ways than one, Taya. But perhaps now you have found the way.” She looked from Copper to Taya, and her smile grew wider. Copper blushed.

“Dusty,” Aniu said, turning to her other grandson, “It hasn’t been that long.”

“Thank you, Aniu,” Dusty said right away, standing straight and tall, “Without you, Kira and Kaila might not have made it…and I would have given up. Thank you.”

Aniu considered him wisely. “It wasn’t just me. You had the strength to save your sister and your friend. You underestimate yourself, Dusty.” It was Dusty’s turn to go a little red.

Suddenly Chase found herself face to face with her grandmother. The old wolf looked down at her with gentle love and understanding. “Chase. So we finally meet.”

Chase’s mind was swimming. She remembered a piece of a dream where a white wolf had called to her, had revealed her family’s feelings to her. Surely this couldn’t be the same wolf…

Chase began to tremble. She licked her lips nervously and gazed up into Aniu’s face. It was the same gentle smile, kind eyes, and wise expression that had come to Chase in sleep all those months ago.

Chase felt her legs shake, and she tried to steady herself. This was too strange. This was impossible.

Suddenly the gratitude welled up from within. A storm of emotions thundered through Chase, and it was all she could do to stop collapsing then and there. Words flowed upwards and pushed themselves onto her tongue. Somehow, some way, this wolf had shown her her family’s true feelings about her and her crippled leg. Aniu had shown her they cared. And that had been what Chase had needed to hear.

With unblinking and utmost sincerity, Chase stared into Aniu’s golden eyes and said, “Thank you.”

Dusty lay at the mouth of the cave, guarding the pack and brooding over his current predicament. He had been introduced to the whole pack now and had been told of Kaila’s first stay with the Anvil Creek pack. Balto had wondered why the pack was in their cave and not in the whelping den across the river, where Cheyenne and Nilak had been born. “We think the humans polluted the river,” Sage had replied angrily, “It’s not safe to drink the water, or even live there anymore, so we moved back here.” Now everyone but Dusty was inside the cave, trying to decide Kaila’s future.

Balto was trying to convince her to come back to Nome, with Chase, Ketch, Copper, and Taya as his support. Despite all his respect for Balto, Lakota was certain Kaila should stay with the pack, and Sage, Sarai, Cheyenne, and Nilak were his backup. Aniu was acting as the neutral force, trying to work everything out peacefully.

Dusty had listened and done his part to convince Kaila, but after awhile he had slipped out here. He knew someone should be on lookout for Northern Hills wolves, but above all he wanted to get away from the conflict inside the cave. Dusty hated arguments; he always had. They broke the peace he so loved among his family members. He had gotten better at ending them than simply ignoring them, but they still troubled him greatly.

He knew there was a very slim chance Kaila would give in and come with them back to Nome, so the reason he had come was simple: to say goodbye. Balto just didn’t want to lose another of his children to wolves. But, since Kaila’s and Balto’s stubbornness were evenly matched, it would take a few days before Balto admitted he was fighting a losing battle.

Sarai suddenly stomped out and lay down beside Dusty in a huff. Dusty sat up in surprise.

“No one ever listens to me,” she growled under her breath. She looked up at Dusty. “Sorry. I just got sick of everybody talking over me and telling me to be quiet. I mean, Kaila’s one of my best friends! Shouldn’t I have a say in whether she stays or not?” She shook her head bitterly. “But no. No one cares.”

Dusty looked at her sadly. “I know the feeling. It’s Sarai, isn’t it?”

Sarai nodded, and looked away with a melancholy air.

Dusty let her think for a few minutes, and then through the silence came a soft, lovely sound. Dusty looked around curiously, and he noticed Sarai’s lips were moving, but barely. Sarai was singing, and Dusty craned to hear the lilting sound:

“You waved your hand and it was done…Said let it be and there it was…A mountain so high it broke through the sky…A canyon so deep it’d bring a man to his knees…I’ve seen what you can do…I’ve seen you make miracles and hopeless dreams come true…You made the heavens and the stars…Everything, c’mon, how hard could it be–” Sarai cut herself off and ducked her head in embarrassment. “Sorry. Sometimes I just break out into song and I don’t even realize it. It’s embarrassing!”

Dusty gazed at her in awe. “Don’t be sorry. That was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.” He had never heard anything like it. Sarai’s voice was high, smooth, and sweet, and the sad, slow music of the song had made a bubble of emotions well up inside Dusty. Part of him wished she hadn’t stopped.

She blushed. “Thanks. Singing seems to be the only part of me anyone takes seriously.”

“If you’re serious enough about something, everyone will pay attention, no matter what it is,” Dusty said with ringing certainty, “You just need to show them you care too much about the subject to be ignored. A lot of dogs…and wolves…aren’t very good listeners, Sarai. Most of them are too caught up in their own opinion to consider others. You have to make them listen. And if they act like they don’t care, show them you don’t care if they don’t care. Just get your point across, and then they can decide what they think of it. At least they’ve heard your point.”

Sarai’s face was thoughtful. She got up, and when she turned to Dusty her expression was fierce. “You’re right. Oh, what the heck? I’ll do it!” She faced the cave and galloped towards it. “Charge!” Sarai disappeared into the thin shadows, and Dusty heard the conversation stop and Sarai plunge into her argument. He smiled. At least now he had gotten to talk to one of the pack members. He had begun wondering if he turned invisible around them. Not one had made an effort to acknowledge his presence. Oh, well. He had Sarai’s friendship now, at least.

A sudden change in the wind made Dusty cock his head as he sniffed deeply, then leap to his feet. The scent that rubbed at his nose was unfamiliar, but it was dark and dirty, like oil.

The arguing stopped as the thick smell swept through the cave, too, and Balto came running out. He stood at attention as his face twisted with disgust and he murmured one word: “Steele.”

The name sent shudders up and down Dusty’s spine.

Balto slunk across the white, weaving behind mounds of snow and little hills. Dusty followed him, and father and son crouched behind a pile of snow when they came across a dreaded sight: Steele surrounded by Northern Hills wolves.

“In the name of Dark Moon!” one of the wolves swore, “How many more dogs are going to camp out in the wilderness?”

“Oh, I don’t intend on staying,” Steele chuckled darkly, “At least, not for long. Did a wolf-dog and five others pass through here awhile ago?”

“Yes,” one of the wolves grunted, “Were you following them?”

“What are you, some kind of stalker?” another wolf called out.

Steele was all Dusty had imagined him to be. His black and white fur was dark and dramatic, and his blue eyes were like ice, cold of any emotion except hate.

“That wolf-dog’s name is Balto,” Steele growled, “And that wolf-dog you heard of in the Anvil Creek pack a few hours ago was his daughter, Kaila. He’s going after her to try to bring her back to the human town where she was living. I want to make sure neither of them make that journey back.”

“You seem to be an insider on useful information,” a brown wolf said with a thin smile, “Perhaps you can aid us in our battle against the Anvil Creek pack and this Balto. I suspect you have some unfinished business with him?”

Steele’s eyes glittered. “Soon to be finished.”

Dusty shuddered and turned to Balto. “Dad, why is Steele getting help from the other pack? I thought he hated wolves!” he hissed softly.

“Steele didn’t hate me specifically because I’m part wolf,” Balto explained quietly, “He hated me because I’m different, and then he hated me even more when I became the town hero and not him.”

Suddenly the wind changed, whipping Dusty’s and Balto’s scents to the nostrils of Steele and the Northern Hills wolves. The wolves and Steele spun around to stare at the snow mound Dusty and Balto had been behind, but now they were long gone, sprinting back to the cave.

Dusty skidded to a halt inside, panting. “Steele’s with the Northern Hills pack. He told them why we’re all here, who Dad is, who Kaila is. He must have been following us…” He trailed off, wiping at his eyes. The screaming wind and the speed of his sprint had made them water.

Chase swore so loudly it echoed around the cave.

Taya’s eyes were far away. Dusty had to look away so as not to wince at the similarity between her eyes and Steele’s.

“He knows I’m here, too,” Taya muttered. She looked up. “He’s after all of us.”

“Everybody, just calm down for a second,” Lakota barked.

The pack and the other dogs settled into an uneasy silence.

Lakota fixed his hard green eyes on all the canines he was forced to take care of. “You all knew the danger of coming out here. I don’t know who Steele is, but whoever he is, I’ll do my best to protect everyone. Okay? But it’s never a guarantee that anyone is completely safe. Alright? This is the wild. You’re either strong enough to live with it” –he glanced at Kaila– “or you die.”

Dusty stood, bewildered. All he had wanted was to say goodbye. This was a lot more than he had bargained for.

Meanwhile, unknown to Dusty, back in Nome the pups were still trying to escape their prison and their warden, Kira. Kira had planted herself firmly in front of the doggy door, barring the exit and watching her puppies warily. Silver and Gail sat whispering plans of escape, while Robin stood slightly apart, unsure of whether to join in or to obey her mother.

Suddenly Silver bounced to his feet. “Let’s play King of the Mountain,” he proclaimed loudly, and began trotting into the adjoining kitchen.

“With two girls and one boy, it should be called Queen of the Mountain,” Gail told him, and scampered after her brother.

“No, King is fine,” Silver cried, “Because I always win!”

Gail nipped his tail and jumped up onto the stepstool in front of the sink. Their young owner, Julie, was a petite little thing, and when she was younger she had needed a stool to reach the sink by herself. The stool had yet to be removed, and so it had become the pups’ ‘mountain’.

Silver leaped up onto the stool and shoved his sister to the floor, crowing, “I am King of the Mountain!”

Gail landed unhurt, and with a determined look on her face she hopped up again and tried to push Silver off. Kira watched like a hawk. Robin smiled and padded over, eager to join in the game.

A violent shoving match ensued on top of the stool. Gail’s gray paws slid slowly towards the edge. Silver grinned triumphantly. “You’re going down!”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Gail muttered quietly.

Silver stopped, confused. “Why?”

“Because of this!” Gail smashed her front legs into her brother’s chest. Silver tumbled off the stool and crashed onto the ground. “What’d I tell you?” Gail yelled, “Queen of the Mountain!”

Silver lay still on the tile, his face stunned.

Gail stopped shouting and looked worriedly down at him. “Silver? Are you okay?”

Silver started whimpering, the sound small and pitiful. “Mom?” he whispered, “Mom…”

Kira flew to her feet and rushed over to her son. “Silver? Silver, I’m here,” she cried, “What did you hurt?”

Silver waited until Kira was standing over him. He gave her one last pathetic look…and leaped to his feet. He dashed between Kira’s legs and scrambled for the doggy door, yelling to Gail, “Go! Go!” Gail sprinted after him, and they both disappeared through the doggy door.

Kira turned, stunned.

Robin gaped at the swinging door, but the curiosity of pups pulled at her. Suddenly she was tired of being the obedient one. She stared at her mother, and then ran and hopped through the doggy door herself.

Kira’s blood began to boil. The little tricksters! They had tricked her into getting away from the door so they could escape! The little rats!

Kira focused on the anger rather than the fear building up inside of her. “Oh, you’re all going to get it when I catch you,” she fumed, “All of you.” Enraged, and at the same time afraid for her children’s lives, she leaped through the doggy door and tore after the tiny pawprints that pattered down the street and out of town. “I am going to kill those pups,” Kira muttered as she ran, “And then Dusty is going to killme.”

Kaila paced the cave restlessly. Lakota had taken Sage, Sarai, and Nilak to spy on the Northern Hills pack. Nilak had gone to form a battle plan by observing the pack, but also to get away from his wounded mother. Cheyenne had decided to stay behind when Kiowa had managed to sit up, and now mother and daughter were talking in soft tones.

Lakota had told Kaila that there was a chance of an attack in his absence, but that he knew she would be able to handle herself until he heard of the ambush and came back, which wouldn’t be long. And besides, it wasn’t safe for Kaila or any of her family to be anywhere near Steele.

Kaila had explained to him a little more thoroughly about who Steele was and tried to get him to reconsider, but Lakota had been adamant. Kaila had watched him and the others go, and now she was busy ignoring her father’s pointed glances and pained eyes.

Footsteps beside her made Kaila turn. Copper stood with his head cocked and a small smile on his face. “Hey.”

“Hi,” she said absently, still trying to ignore Balto’s pleading stares.

Copper’s smile grew, and his eyes were sympathetic. “Don’t worry about Dad. He just doesn’t want to lose you like he lost Aleu.”

Red-hot anger ripped through Kaila’s throat. “How many times do I have to tell him I’m not Aleu?” she cried.

Copper backed up a few paces. “Whoa. Don’t tell it to me, Kaila. Tell it to Dad. I think you should be able to…stay here.”

Kaila faced him. “What?”

Copper shrugged uncomfortably. “I mean, I’d like for you to come back with us, but it’s your choice. And here isn’t so far from Nome…and you really seem happy here.” He gently pawed at her foot. “You’re a member of the Anvil Creek pack. Don’t abandon your pack.”

“Your brother speaks with wisdom,” Aniu said, coming up behind them. Copper blushed.

Kaila turned to her. “Aniu, thanks for the input, but I’m just talking to Copper right now, you know?”

Aniu smiled, dipped her head, and padded over to tend to Kiowa.

Kaila turned back, shaking her head.

Copper remained quiet for a moment, and then resumed his speech. “Dad will get over it if you stay. I thought I would be on my stomach begging you to come back, but now I see how this life is so much better for you than the one you had in Nome.”

“Correction: I had no life in Nome,” Kaila said.

Copper shook his head. “You said that, not me.”

Kaila laughed a little and stared gratefully at her brother. “Thanks, Copper.” She looked over at Taya, who stood rigid at the cave entrance, her face fiercely blank. “What’s wrong with Taya?”

Copper uneasily scuffed one paw around in the dirt. “Um…she’s been out of it since Dusty came with the news that Steele was joining forces with the other pack. Her past with Steele hasn’t been what you would call ‘friendly’.”

“How is she mixed up with Steele?” Kaila asked.

Copper started chewing on his paw. It was an old habit that occurred whenever he became nervous or uncomfortable, and Kaila stared disapprovingly. Copper set down his paw and looked away, obviously wishing he were somewhere else.

“Copper,” Kaila said impatiently, “You’ve told me her name is Taya and that she’s your friend. How is she mixed up with Steele?”

Copper appeared to be fighting with himself. His eyes darted this way and that, and his paw scraped at the ground. Finally he gave a great, frustrated sigh and looked Kaila right in the eye. “She’s…she’s Steele’s daughter, okay?”

Kaila felt her jaw drop. She looked back and forth between Copper and Taya with wide eyes.

Copper shrugged and smiled weakly.

Kaila shook her head, harder and harder until her teeth were clenched. “Well, that’s great. That’s just great!” She stormed out of the cave and broke into a pounding run.

“Kaila!” she heard Copper calling, “Kaila, I’m sorry!”

“Kaila, get back here!” Balto barked.

‘Try and stop me,’ Kaila thought angrily, and smashed her paws down hard, again and again. She ran until she came to the very edge of the territory the Anvil Creek pack still had, and plonked down in the snow. Gasps like hot knives scraped up and down her throat, and she tried to calm her frustration. She knew being out here wasn’t the smartest thing, but she just had to get away! It felt like her family was suffocating her. Why couldn’t her father see she was happy to have a life for once? And now her family had brought all their problems along with them, hoping somehow she could solve them. What were they thinking?

Kaila looked around at her surroundings. She was poised at the foot of a hill, and on that hill a few trees sprang up here and there until they thickened farther back, transforming into a dense forest. A clump of trees grew directly in front of Kaila, and she saw one of the branches rustle ever so slightly.

The fur shot up along her neck. She backed away, peering into the depths of the evergreen boughs.

One golden eye shone out from within all the green, and Kaila gasped softly.

The eye blinked and vanished, and then a gray wolf slid out from the needled covering. Kaila eyed this stranger fearfully. He made no more moves, but stood quietly observing her. He was definitely a Northern Hills wolf; she had no knowledge of any other pack living this far north. He stood there, silent and still, until Kaila couldn’t stand the suspense anymore.

“Well?” she cried, “Are you going to kidnap me, beat me, what? Why are you just staring at me?”

“Don’t be afraid,” the wolf said slowly, “I won’t hurt you. I’m just curious as to why a wolf-dog would want to join a wolf pack, particularly one caught up in a war.”

“Maybe because I wanted to,” she snapped. She couldn’t tell if her heart had stopped beating or if it was pumping so fast she couldn’t feel the beats. Fear squeezed insults and snappish talk out of her; she wondered if the wolf would follow if she ran from him. “Is that a good enough answer for you? Or do I have to tell you about all the crap wolf-dogs have to put up with, and how we don’t belong anywhere? I’m just trying to find a place for myself, okay?”

The wolf seemed to consider something. “How long have you been with the Anvil Creek pack?”

“A couple days, when I came once before,” she said shortly.

“What’s your name?” the wolf asked.

“What is this, an interrogation?” Kaila cried.

“I’m just trying to be friendly,” the wolf said evenly.

Kaila scowled. “Kaila. Yours?”

“Silver Arrow.”

A sense of betrayal flew out of Kaila’s heart like lave flies out of a volcano. This was the wolf who had betrayed her pack, who had started this whole war. This was the wolf who had betrayed Sirius before he had died. “Traitor!” Kaila yelled. Anger blinded her, and she struck Silver Arrow across the face.

With that blow, reality seared through again, and fear choked her until she couldn’t breathe. She looked up at him in pure terror, but then her paws were carrying her away. She raced from this deserter with the hope that when she saw him again, he would be lying dead on a battlefield.

Silver Arrow watched her go with a strange look in his eyes. He turned and brought his paw up to touch the cheek she had hit. His eyes were glazed, but then he shook himself, muttering, “No, no. Snap out of it. Just forget her.” With one last backwards glance he sighed and hurried to return to his duties as beta wolf.

Kaila charged across the snow that melted beneath her paws, and stopped just short of the cave entrance. A thick, oily smell swirled up her nostrils and made her stomach clench. She peered into the depths of the cave and saw the others backing up to the wall with Steele standing before them.

Her thoughts scattered for a second. All courage left her. But then she saw the expressions on the others’ faces, and she knew there was no real danger if they were there. She had backup.

Kaila stepped dangerously close to Steele and whirled to face him. “What are you doing here? What do you want?” she spat. She could feel herself trembling, but she ignored that and stood her ground.

Steele looked down at her with mournful eyes. “Kaila, I…I’ve come to say…that…I’m sorry.”

Kaila blinked, and stared into his ice-blue eyes. Did she really see a trickle of warmth or was that just her imagination? “You? Sorry?” She laughed harshly. “If you’re here to hurt my family or my pack, you’re going to have to deal with me first.”

“No.” He shook his head emphatically. “It’s the opposite. I really want to apologize.”

“Well, that ain’t good enough,” Chase burst out.

Steele hung his head. “I know. That’s why I was hoping I could do…something else.”

Kaila stared at him as hard as she could, hoping somehow this would reveal to her if he was telling the truth or not. He stared back unblinkingly.

The silence weighed down heavily on Kaila. “Get out of here. Get out of here, Steele.”

“Wait. I know how I can make it up to all of you,” he persisted.

“Make up for my sister’s missing leg? Make up for your daughter’s life? Make up for my dad’s pride?” Kaila cried, “I’d like to see you try.”

“Kaila, stay out of this,” Balto said, stepping forward and pushing her a little to the side, “This is my fight.”

“But you’ve already fought!” Kaila burst out, “And yet Steele keeps coming back!”

Balto studied Steele carefully. The two rivals stood face-to-face, Balto’s golden eyes war and fierce, Steele’s frozen blue eyes dull and pleading.

“Balto,” Steele said.

Balto flinched. He couldn’t remember Steele ever calling him anything but ‘wolf-dog’ and ‘lobo’.

“I’ve been…stupid,” Steele continued, “The past is the past. After all I put you through, you deserved to be the hero of Nome more than me.” He shook his head, and lowered his eyes. “And then I went after your children…”

“Don’t forget about your own children,” Taya whispered loudly.

Steele looked up at his daughter with so much pain and guilt in his eyes that Balto’s heart went out to him. “I’m sorry,” Steele said. Everyone knew he wasn’t speaking just to Balto. “Can you…?” He couldn’t finish the sentence. He ducked his head shamefully and stared at the ground.

Balto seemed to consider something. He peered up at Taya, who was shaking as she glared at her father, and Copper was struggling to hold her back. Balto gazed around at the others. Chase’s face was a livid identical to Taya’s. Dusty looked simply confused as he stared at his father’s enemy who was now asking for forgiveness. Kaila’s face could have been carved out of stone. She didn’t trust Steele, and probably never would.

Balto looked at Steele. “So no more calling me ‘wolf-dog’?”

Steele straightened and stared right into Balto’s eyes. “On my honor: never.”

“You will leave my family alone?” Balto asked.

“Yes.”

“You will look after your own children and give them the respect they deserve?”

“…Yes.”

Balto nodded. “Alright.”

“What is this thing you wanted to do to help us out?” Kaila asked.

Steele smiled weakly at her. “Oh, yeah. Well, I’m not officially a member of the Northern Hills pack, but they want me to stay because they think I have ‘valuable information’ about the ‘other side’. I was thinking that I could get you information about the other pack if you made me a part of your pack…”

Kaila’s face flushed red. “And have a traitor with us? Who knows what you would do to this pack once you were in it? You would betray your own pack, and then maybe betray us again! We don’t need another Silver Arrow!” Her eyes blazed. “Get out! Get out now!”

Steele backed away with his head down. He stole one last look at Balto and his seething daughter, and muttered, “I guess I’ll never be welcome.” He fled, and disappeared into the distance.

Balto spun around. “Kaila!”

“Dad!” Kaila shot back, “I don’t understand you! That guy has hurt us all in some way, and yet as soon as he says ‘sorry’, you forgive him! How does ‘sorry’ make up for everything he did to us? And he was going to betray us just like Silver Arrow! Steele tortured you all through your life! How can you forgive him?”

Balto looked at her, and heaved a long sigh. “Steele is a broken dog, Kaila. And if I’ve learned anything at all in my life, it’s that everybody deserves a second chance.” He looked her right in the eye. “Everybody.”

Kaila turned away, her heart a mess of confusion. “Well, what I’ve learned, Dad, is that you’re not always right,” she muttered.

Copper lay by Taya’s side that night. She wouldn’t talk, but he hoped he could console her simply by being there. Out of the corner of his eye, Copper saw Balto padding hesitantly up to him.

“Copper?”

“What, Dad?” Copper said, craning his neck around and up.

Balto’s face was serious. “Come over here. I need to talk to you.”

Copper knew what this was about. He got up and followed his father to the entrance of the cave, where the wind would carry their words away so they couldn’t be heard by anyone else in the cave.

Balto stared out into the night. Copper followed his gaze, and saw the Northern Lights dancing dimly on the horizon. The beautiful sight brought a small rush of homesickness to him. He thought of his mother, Jenna, and wondered how long she would be able to take being left behind.

Balto sighed and turned to Copper with distant eyes. “Your mother and I met because I was brave enough and loopy-in-love enough to find her and talk to her.” He jerked his head at the swirling colors in the sky. “That’s how this whole Northern Lights thing got started. But I was too crazy about Jenna to really think about how Steele liked her, too. That turned into a huge mess, but it all turned out okay in the end…for me and Jenna, anyway. But the happy ending was really just luck and Steele’s lies catching up with him. If the situation had played out any other way, I don’t know what would’ve happened, but it wouldn’t have been pretty.”

Copper stared at his father. “Dad, I know what you’re trying to say. But…why would it matter if I was friends with Taya if Steele hates her already?”

Balto raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t you see Steele? He’s losing his mind to hate. I know I forgave him, but I don’t trust him. I know he apologized and everything, but once you’ve been hating for too long, it’s very hard to do anything else…” He looked out at the Aurora, and then back at his son. “Do you love Taya?”

Copper had been trying to prepare himself for this question, but it hit hard anyway. He glanced down at his paws, embarrassed. “I don’t know…” He looked over at Taya, who was lying with such defeat and yet such fierce hope in her eyes. Soft warmth blew gently through him, and his heart felt warm and bright, like a waterfall of molten gold. He felt the need to protect his loved ones. He had felt this need his whole life, but never had it been so strong as in that moment, for Taya. He would spend his life with her, give his life for her if he had to. The word was like a perfect diamond from his mouth as he answered his father, “Yes.”

Balto looked back at him. There was both joy and worry in his eyes. “In that case…be careful. If Steele sees my son with his daughter…Be careful.”

“Yeah, Dad. I know.” Assuming the conversation was over, Copper started padding away.

“Copper?”

Copper turned around.

Balto smiled. “I’m happy for you. I think both you and Taya deserve each other.”

Copper smiled back, and then trotted over and lay at Taya’s side again. “Hey.”

Taya jerked out of her trance. “What? Oh. Hi.” She sprang up and started pacing angrily, storming from one side of the corner to the other. “I can’t stand it, Copper! It always seems like my life revolves around everything my dad does! Why can’t my parents’ past leave me in peace? I didn’t choose my father! I wish my mother hadn’t been stupid enough to have pups with him!”

Copper got up and watched Taya march back and forth. “Yeah. But without that, there wouldn’t have been you.”

Taya’s face reddened slightly either from anger or embarrassment. She swiped at the cave wall, and suddenly was still.

“Taya?” Copper crept over.

Taya’s blue eyes gleamed with curiosity. She swiped at the wall again, and this time her paw plunged in and left a hole. Copper watched cautiously as she gradually made the hole bigger and bigger, until she could just about squeeze through. She did, and her gasp of surprise was enough to draw Copper in after her.

Immediately his mouth dropped open and the same awed gasp escaped from him. “Wow.” It was an underground cave, with the ceiling just a few feet over their heads and the earth beneath their feet cool and damp. This hidden cave obviously hadn’t been used in awhile, as there was hardly any scent of wolf or other wild creature. A small hole in the ceiling showed where it had caved in slightly under some animal’s weight, and a slice of moon in an ink-blue sky shown radiantly through it.

Taya stepped slightly closer as if its beauty were contagious. “Wow is right.”

“It must’ve been an old hiding place for wolves during war or something,” Copper mused.

“Or something.”

Taya took in the silver moonlight that seemed to fill the place and saturate it with its unearthly glow. As Copper watched, Taya seemed to turn almost silvery, too, and her moonlit bath transformed her into the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life.

Her eyes fixed on every lit corner of the cave, and even those blue eyes seemed brighter, more alive. She looked back at Copper as if shining. “It’s so…” And then all of a sudden she was Taya again, shaking off the moonlight, dousing herself once more in the anger that kept her alive. “Listen to me going all mushy. Let’s go, before this place gets to me even more.”

Out of nowhere a pang hit Copper’s heart like a flaming arrow. The Taya he had known ever since the Northern Fights was not the real Taya; that was her anger, burned and boiled and poured inside a dog who didn’t deserve it. He wanted the real Taya back, the one she had been just a moment ago, the one who knew happiness and had a heart of radiant silver instead of cold stone.

Copper met her as Taya was padding back the way she came. She looked up at him with eyes like a dull mirror, reflecting nothing. “What are you doing? Let’s go!”

“Taya,” Copper started, stammering a little, “Look, Taya, it doesn’t matter if Steele’s your father–”

“What do you mean, it doesn’t matter?” Taya shrieked, “It’s mattered my whole life! It ismy life! If I wasn’t Steele’s daughter, don’t you think I would be somewhere else other than in a musty old wolf cave in the middle of a war, with my father lurking just outside, and standing here yelling at the son of my father’s enemy who’s suddenly starting to talk stupid? I don’t think so!”

“I meant it doesn’t matter to me,” Copper continued, starting to get a little impatient.

Taya stared at him. “Why would I care if you don’t think it matters? Everyone else thinks it does,” she spat. Her legs trembled with rage. “Just because of Steele, all my life I’m going to be a dirty, stupid, ugly, lying, angry–”

Copper swooped down and kissed her. It was sudden, short, but surprisingly sweet. He stepped back and readied himself for the blows. But Taya didn’t move. She was shocked.

“Most beautiful, gorgeous, independent, strong, smart, and again most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” Copper continued her rant, but in a much gentler tone. He watched as Taya tried to emerge from her astonishment.

Her stunned face gradually formed into wonder, and she stared at him. He stared back.

The words came pushing up his throat and onto his tongue. He didn’t know if this was the worst or best time to say them, but before he could debate they came tumbling out: “I love you.”

Taya blinked. “What?”

“I love you.” Copper doubted she had ever heard those words said to her before. He hoped she took them without offense.

Her face twisted into suspicion. “Do you really mean it, or are you just doing this to get me to shut up?”

Copper gaped in surprise, but then he started to laugh. He couldn’t help it. No matter what he did, Taya always took it the wrong way. There really was nothing he could do but laugh about it. “No,” Copper told her, “I really mean it, Taya. Why would I lie to you after everything?”

“You’d be surprised,” Taya muttered darkly. Suddenly she stepped sideways and tried to edge past him. “Get out of my way.”

“What?” Copper gaped at her. He cut her off and tried to look in her face. She ducked her head and mumbled something between clenched teeth. “I’m sorry, Taya, but–”

“But I can’t trust anyone,” Taya cried, “No one wants me. No one could ever want me. You might think that now, but you just wait. I’m too much for anyone. Why would you want a demon like me?” She glared at him.

And now Copper understood. She didn’t want any more pain in her life. She hated herself so much she thought everyone should. Copper could hardly imagine the depths of her tormented being. She made his heart whole and cracked it, too.

She sprang forward, and he cut her off. She tried again and again, but he still refused to let her pass.

“I don’t see any demon,” he said softly, “I don’t see an angel. All I see is Taya, perfectly imperfect.”

“And all I see is that hole that I want to get through,” she snapped, “So I can get away from you!”

The words were knives in his chest, twisting, deepening the wound. He took a deep breath. “All I want to say is that I love you. Why do you have to make it so darn hard?”

“Because it’s a lie!” Taya screamed.

Copper looked at her. It couldn’t have possibly come to this.

Slowly he stretched forward and leaned his head against her neck. She was as stiff as steel, and he nuzzled her softly before retreating back.

Her face looked lost, her eyes wide and clear, like the moon. Her legs trembled, and she groaned as pain rumbled up towards the surface and crashed through the anger that had been keeping it from her heart for so long. The pain lit her heart on fire, and it shone out through her eyes. She suddenly let out a tortured shriek and fell against Copper, sobbing as if her soul was being ripped apart. Copper understood. He let her cry, scream, shout, whatever it took. After feeling nothing but anger for such a long time, for her it was like being in a dark room for years and then stepping out into the fierce sunlight. It hurt, but Copper told himself it would be worth it for her. He told himself over and over.

Taya was gasping for air and shaking so hard Copper thought she would collapse. “I hate you, I hate you,” she whispered.

“Now you’re the liar,” he told her.

The hidden cave was still, filled to the brim with fighting emotions. Copper nuzzled Taya tenderly, and she tentatively nuzzled back. They stayed like that for a long time, when Taya finally stepped back. Her eyes strayed to the hole in the ceiling. A shadow flitted across her face. “Crap.”

Copper looked up quickly, and a hand of ice grabbed his stomach as he saw the moonlight become brighter as a head pulled away from the hole in the ceiling. The sudden brightness blinded him for a moment, but the silhouette and the flash of blue as the light caught the eyes was unmistakable: Steele was watching them.

Taya tore away and galloped back through the opening she had made in the cave wall. Copper spun around and followed her, but they were met outside the cave by a mix of angry and amazed wolves and dogs. Taya barreled past them all and ran to the cave entrance, where she froze, her eyes scanning the horizon for any more signs of danger.

Copper’s eyes strayed from her to Balto, and when he saw his father’s face he almost felt like a troublesome little pup again.

“What were you doing in there?” Balto said sternly.

“Nothing!” Copper answered indignantly, “Taya just found it, and…look, it was nothing, okay?”

“It’s like a wartime hideaway,” Chase said, examining the small cave.

“The pack that lived here before us must have made it,” Aniu offered.

Copper brushed past his father and caught sight of Ketch standing behind Chase at the edge of the crowd. “Ketch! I need to talk with you.”

Ketch’s ears went up. “What about?”

Chase whipped around, and her eyes narrowed. “Yes, what about?”

“Nothing you need to know about,” Copper retorted. He pulled a startled Ketch over to the side and turned away from Chase, who watched suspiciously. “I know this is really sudden,” he began quickly, “But I need your help. Steele saw me and Taya in there just now. And Chase once went over to his side. We need to protect both Taya and Chase from him.”

Ketch blinked. “…Okay. How?”

Suddenly it hit Copper. Ketch was one of the street dogs. Ketch had been on Steele’s side long before Chase. Was he trustworthy? Copper searched his face, and Ketch took a step back, wide-eyed.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Copper took a deep breath. “How far are you willing to go to protect my sister?”

“I would do anything for her. Anything.”

“Does that include switching her loyalties if you switch yours?” Copper asked accusingly.

Ketch glared so hard, Copper felt like a huge wave had slapped him in the face.

“I hate Steele,” Ketch said coldly, “How could I ever go back to his side after what he did to Chase?”

Copper was surprised at the ferocity in Ketch’s voice and eyes. He lowered his eyes and nodded. “Alright. I’m sorry.”

An interesting thought sparkled at the edge of Copper’s brain: Could Chase have found more than a friend in Ketch?

He forced down a small smile as he felt Ketch’s eyes rake his face.

“So what’s the big plan to protect them?” Ketch asked quietly.

Copper glanced back at Chase without turning his head. She was struggling to barge over and investigate, but Dusty was holding her back. Good old Dusty. Copper breathed a prayer of thanks for his brother’s trust and respect of privacy, and looked back at Ketch. “I want you to watch over Taya for me.”

Ketch’s eyebrows flew sky high. “What? Why?”

“I…” Copper blew out a flustered breath. “Listen, Steele saw me and Taya in there, but I don’t know how long he had been spying or if he could even see us very clearly; it’s pretty dark in there. If he sees you with Taya, he might think he just saw wrong and that you and Taya are a pair instead of me and Taya.”

Ketch frowned doubtfully. The look cut Copper to the quick.

“I know it sounds stupid,” he hissed, “But I have to protect Taya any way I can! Steele can’t know she’s with one of Balto’s kids! If he does, anything he was planning to do to her would be made ten times worse! He would kill her; I just know.”

Ketch nodded vigorously. “Alright, alright, okay!” His hazel eyes darted over to Chase. “But…I don’t want to leave Chase.”

“I’ll look out for her,” Copper promised, “I’m her brother. I don’t think she would kill me if I watched out for her. Maim me, break me, scar me for life…but not kill me. I think you’re the first dog outside of the family she’s ever let tell her what to do.”

Ketch laughed mirthlessly. “I’ll do it. To save a few lives…but mostly for Chase.”

“That’s the spirit,” Copper told him, and they both grinned at each other.

Copper felt relief squirt through his heart like hot, wet droplets. He was doing his best to protect his loved ones. That was all that mattered to him.

Chase spat and pushed at Dusty to let her past, but he remained steadfast and firm in his position. She stood chomping at the bit behind Dusty until finally Copper went back to Taya, followed by a stern-looking Balto, and Ketch padded towards her.

Dusty quietly stepped back, and Chase jumped forward. “What could Copper tell you that he couldn’t tell anyone else?” she growled.

“Chase, relax!” Ketch placed what was meant to be a comforting paw on her shoulder. “I couldn’t understand half of what he was saying, anyway. Something about Steele, and to make sure that you were careful around him.”

Chase angrily jerked away. “Sometimes I wish he would tell me something I didn’t already know. Does he think I’m too much of a pup to understand what’s going on? And he had to tell you something he could’ve said to my face!”

“I think he knew you wouldn’t be too happy with him if he told you himself,” Ketch interjected. He gazed fondly at Chase. She was small, but powerful. He admired her for her strength and her determination. He tilted his head to one side with a small smile. “You’ll always be his little sister. He wants to make sure you’re okay.”

Chase snorted. “Forgive me if gratitude escapes me.” She had never liked her brother fussing over her like she was a wayward pup in need of his guidance. His worry and care kept the family together, but sometimes she got so dang tired of it!

She looked around the cave. Aniu, Cheyenne, and Kiowa were examining the hidden cave Copper and Taya had found. Dusty had wandered over to watch, and comment if he deemed it necessary. At the mouth of the cave, Balto was talking in low tones with Copper and Taya. Taya’s eyes flashed, and Copper looked irritated. Balto was probably giving one of his infamous lectures.

Kaila paced the cave at Balto’s back. Every now and then she would look out to the tundra with a mix of fear and frustration on her face, and she would sigh and pace harder than ever, her steps ringing against the cave walls. Chase knew she must be worried about Lakota and the others, but frankly Chase didn’t care. It was obvious Kaila wasn’t coming back to Nome, but they couldn’t leave because of Steele and the stupid war! The wish stuck into Chase’s heart like a thorn: she just wanted to go home.

“Now, where were we?” Ketch said conversationally, sliding down onto his stomach.

“Before everybody started yelling at my brother and his girlfriend?” Chase sneered, taking a seat beside Ketch. “It was something about you and Matt…and White Mountain?”

“A miracle! You were listening!” he cried with a goofy smile.

Chase batted his leg. “Watch it, smart mouth.”

Ketch’s hazel eyes became distant with the past. “Yes. See, I wasn’t born in Nome. Actually, I’ve only been there a couple months. I was born in White Mountain, and my father, Shadow, was the leader of the street dogs. He was like Steele in more ways than one. He was big, almost as big as a full-grown wolf. Well, actually, he was part wolf. His parents were wolf-dogs in the alleys. So I guess I have some wolf blood in me, too.” He surfaced from his memories long enough to take in Chase’s surprised expression. “Not enough that you can tell, but some.”

Chase gawked at him. What were the odds? “Now that’s just too weird.”

“I know,” he agreed. His eyes once more took on that look like fog over murky water. Chase had the sudden thought that if she looked hard enough, she would see his past unfolding in his eyes. She brushed the thought away.

“I’ll never forget him,” Ketch said quietly, “He looked so…fearsome. You could tell he was part wolf by his size and the color of his eyes. He had golden eyes like your father and your sister, and they were so bright and hellish that whenever he looked at me when I was a pup I had this fear in the back of my mind that I would be burned by his gaze.” Ketch shook his head at the memory. “He was black all over except for gray on his legs and face, and those burning, fiery eyes…No one dared stand up to him. A lot of dogs said my father was respected, but he was only feared. I was afraid of him. No one challenged my dad’s authority…until I was almost a year old.” A grin spread across his face as if he were savoring a crime he had enjoyed committing. “A female wolf-dog came into town from the wilderness. She said she was looking for her family, and since my dad was a wolf-dog she asked him if he might be her brother.” Ketch’s grin hardened into a dark frown. “He laughed and laughed at her. Laughed as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. It hurt her pride; I could tell. Then all of a sudden she got red in the face and started screaming at my father, standing up to him like no one had ever done before. I saw my dad’s face, and all I remember thinking was, ‘Yes! That’s the way it’s supposed to be! Yes!’ Right then I believed this girl was an angel sent straight from heaven to help me find my courage…It was dead silent when she was done yelling, and my dad started going towards her. I knew he wanted to hurt her, because no one talked to him like that, and I knew I couldn’t let my courage die. Somehow I got between them and told my dad ‘no’. Well, that just about shocked him to the bone. He was so shocked that after only a couple threats he let the female go, and she left town safe.”

Ketch stopped for breath, looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling. Chase looked, too, and wondered why everyone looked upwards when they were thinking hard, or trying to remember something. Did they think the answers would be written on the ceiling or in the skies above?

“In a strange way, I think my father was proud of me for finally standing up for my beliefs,” Ketch continued, “On the other hand, he wasn’t happy that hehad been the one I stood up to.” Ketch was quiet for a second, obviously remembering Shadow.

Chase fidgeted. What would it be like to have a father so heartless and cruel? “Then what?” she said at last. Her heart began to pick up speed, as if she knew what was coming.

Ketch looked at her, and Chase got the feeling of being transparent. “That night, there was a rebellion; a mutiny, I guess you could call it. Most of the street dogs, encouraged by the assertive performances by me and the female wolf-dog, ganged up on my dad and tried to stop his cruelty over us by killing him in an unfair fight, him against the rebel dogs. You would think I was safe, but no. Others saw me only as Shadow’s son, and they set out to kill me, too. I remember running through the streets from a pack of dogs, when my friend Matt pulled me behind a corner and told me if I wanted to save my butt, I would have to follow him.” Ketch laughed a little, the moonlight dancing in his far-away eyes. “Kind words in a desperate situation.”

Chase grinned a little. “What are friends for?”

Ketch smiled, shaking his head. “He did save my butt. We slipped out of town and escaped across the tundra, running for all we were worth. A few dogs followed us from White Mountain, but they all gave up pretty quickly. The death of me wasn’t as important as the death of my father. While we ran, Matt told me he had heard of a town called Nome that was close by, where we could stay. The mail team from that town dropped in on White Mountain every once in awhile, and a few years back a wolf-dog from there became a hero by going after a lost sled team and bringing back the medicine for the kids who were dying.”

“My dad,” Chase said in a bored voice, “Balto, the hero of Nome. Woohoo, whoopee, next subject please.”

Ketch gave her a sharp look, but kept going with his story. “Yeah. Well, right then any place sounded good to me, and we were in luck because the mail team had stopped at White Mountain a couple days before and left a trail we could follow to Nome. We ran all through the night, and by the time we reached the alleys of Nome I was so exhausted I plopped down and didn’t wake up until late that afternoon.” Ketch’s eyes were refocusing, and he began to come back to the present. “Nothing really extraordinary happened until a few months later when Steele came, and then you.” He blinked, and he was back. Ketch smiled at her, the past fading from his mind. “And one dog was definitely better than the other.”

Chase goggled at him. And to think she was proud of her own story! “That was…incredible,” she breathed. Just listening to it had made her awed at his trials and bravery to overcome them.

Ketch shifted with embarrassment. “It’s no less miraculous than your own story,” he told her.

Chase just stared at him. To think when she first met him she took him for a filthy, homeless simpleton…

Ketch watched her cautiously. “What?” Something changed in his eyes. “Are you thinking about Ava and the troops?”

A scowl rushed over her face. “No, I wasn’t, but now I am!” she cried sourly.

“Sorry,” Ketch said sheepishly.

Chase turned from him and curled up in a ball, tucking her dark red and white tail against her side. “I’m going to sleep before you put any more images like that in my head.” She waited for a reply, but there was none.

She heard Ketch clear his throat and shift behind her. His fidgeting went on for a few minutes until she rolled her eyes in exasperation and cried, “What?”

He jumped, and squirmed uncomfortably. “Sorry again. Chase, there was another thing Copper told me about…”

“I knew it!” Chase flipped over to face Ketch. “What’s he worried about this time?”

Ketch stared at her with a coldness that made Chase freeze. “He deserves more credit than you give him. He’s afraid for Taya’s protection, and yours. He’s worried that if Steele sees Taya and him together – her being Steele’s daughter and him being Balto’s son – that it will cause trouble for both of them, but especially Taya. He’s also afraid that since Steele got you on his side last time, he’ll try to get you to play traitor again. So, killing two birds with one stone, Copper decided that I should watch out for Taya while he looks out for you…Respond carefully.”

Pressure squeezed Chase’s ribcage until she could barely breathe. Anger at her brother’s betrayal surged up and down her sides, and with every aching breath she silently curse, ‘Traitor…traitor…’

A distant howl split the quiet in two. Kaila rushed to the cave entrance with Aniu not far behind. “Northern Hills wolves!” Kaila cried, “…They’re surrounding us.”

Another howl made shivers crash up and down Chase’s spine. If they were attacked now, she would fight, but without her leg she was no real warrior.

“There’s not much danger of them attacking tonight,” Aniu said confidently, “Dark Moon, their leader, is not known for night attacks.”

“Fine,” Kaila said, her eyes not leaving the darkness beyond the cave, “But–”

“But we need more lookouts,” Cheyenne jumped in, “And if we hear them getting any closer we should all go in the cave Copper and Taya found.”

“I knew that cave would be good for something,” Copper said, nodding his approval.

Kiowa leaned against her daughter for support. “What happened to Nilak and the others?” She whispered. The cave was silent as everyone listened to her soft-spoken voice echo quietly against the stone. “Were they captured? What happened to them?”

“No one knows, Mom,” Cheyenne said in a low voice, nudging Kiowa’s face comfortingly. Her golden eyes burned, and suddenly her expression grew hard. She threw back her head and howled, the sound slicing through the air and out over the tundra, searing every animal’s ear for miles around. It contained pride for Nilak’s bravery and his sharp military planning, but also anger for leaving their mother in such a wretched state. The howl was not cold or completely enraged, yet it seemed to freeze time itself for a few seconds.

Cheyenne inclined her head and listened to the dying whisper of her voice as if calculating if she had passed on the message correctly. Everyone bent their heads to listen, for at the same moment they all realized that the missing group must have heard Cheyenne’s howl, so if they could they would howl back. They all waited with baited breath, even Chase, who had no familiar connection to the missing wolves at all. She just wanted to hear some signal, some sign that the group was alive enough to answer Cheyenne’s call…

Two minutes passed. Three.

Ketch’s ears drooped sadly. “Nothing.” For all they knew, Lakota and his fellow spies had been killed.

Kaila’s jaw clenched. “NO!” She ran to the entrance, lifting her head to catch a scent, and slammed her paw angrily against the ground. “They have to be out there. Lakota wouldn’t go down so easily.”

“Who said it was easy?” Cheyenne muttered.

Kaila whirled around and glared at her. “And I guess it isn’t easy for you to shut your trap!”

Cheyenne scowled, and helped Kiowa over to a corner to rest. “Anyone want to be on lookout?”

Without a word, Kaila snapped around and sat rigidly at her ‘post’.

“I’ll be lookout,” Chase heard herself say. She smacked her lips shut immediately. Where had those words come from?

Cheyenne’s eyebrows shot sky high. “You?” Her eyes automatically traveled to Chase’s missing limb.

Chase fired a glare she only wished would hurt Cheyenne physically as much as the red and black female had just hurt Chase’s pride.

Cheyenne stared at her. “Okay, okay, don’t kill me.”

Kiowa moaned, and suddenly stiffened. Cheyenne turned back to her mother, only to call in a fearful voice, “Aniu?”

Aniu gave Chase a look Chase didn’t fully understand, but as Aniu padded over to attend to Kiowa, Chase heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Ketch standing almost shyly before her.

“Sure you don’t need any company in your new position, scout?” He jerked his head toward the entrance where her ‘post’ was.

Chase shook her head with a bleak grin. “Thanks, Ketch, but I think I can handle my sister.”

Ketch’s hazel eyes sparkled with empathy. “Alright. Hey, um. I don’t know if it would be safe to talk to her right now, but since you’re her sister…” He shrugged. “Tell her Lakota’s okay. I know I only knew him for a few minutes, but I know when I see someone who will come back no matter what.”

Chase’s eyes laughed up into his. “And you’re never wrong, right? Never?”

“Ever.” Ketch grinned at her, but then he seemed to falter. “Yeah…thanks. Well…good night.” He bent down to embrace her, and Chase was hit by a warmth she loved and needed. Struggling to lasso her emotions into a respectable position, she was jolted by shock when Ketch’s mouth brushed her forehead softly as he straightened up. Through the flashing storm of her emotion she noticed his mouth left a warm spot where it had touched, like a star had struck her across the head. The pleasure only lasted a moment before a tornado of embarrassment twisted her insides. What had he been thinking? Why had he done that? Most important and most gut-wrenching of all, why had she enjoyed it?

With no other weapon but her anger, she turned her back on him and marched to the entrance, where she plopped down next to her sister. Kaila barely acknowledged her presence, flicking her gaze over once and then back to the distant landscape. Her determined trance made Chase uneasy.

“You know, no matter how hard you stare, they’re not going to pop out of the hills or anything,” Chase said, chuckling dryly.

Kaila’s eyes darted skyward in a heaven-help-me look before reassuming their fixed position.

Chase scratched out a pattern in the dirt beyond the mouth of the cave. It was a sketch of the moon and stars, which hung suspended above them in a perfect royal blue sky.

Kaila twitched at every extra-loud scratch of Chase’s claws against pebbles and wood in the dirt. Chase noticed, and dug her nails in deeper and deeper so the scratching became irritably loud and obnoxious. She could see Kaila was struggling for composure, and grinned gleefully at the thought.

Taking the role of annoying little sisters to a whole new level, Chase scooted back a few inches and brought her claws down on the hard, smooth stone of the floor, dragging them so they made a grating, irritating screeeeeeeee.

“WILL YOU QUIT IT?” Kaila lunged at her with fire in her eye, and Chase rolled to avoid the attack, laughing appreciatively at her own joke.

“Sorry. I guess I’m having too much fun.”

“You just don’t care, do you?” Kaila snarled, “You’ve never cared. About anyone. Nobody but yourself.”

“Hold the phone,” Chase cried, rolling back, “ I had enough problems of my own, okay?”

“You always tried to solve them by yourself,” Kaila spat, “Didn’t you ever think that if you helped other dogs and cared about other dogs, that they would help and care about you?”

Chase forgot all about laughing. She gave her sister a cold-as-steel glare. “I didn’t need anyone’s help. You’re the one who needs help…in more ways than one.”

Kaila threw back her head. “See? You don’t understand! You never have. Sometimes I think you were taken from some place where they keep cripples and weaklings and dropped on this family as a punishment. You’ve never been anything but trouble.”

Chase felt as if she had been knocked unconscious, yet she still felt herself floating, somehow alive, in a reality that had ceased to exist. Kaila’s words sliced her to the core, cutting through skin and muscle and bone to bury itself deep in the caverns of Chase’s heart. There it set, the meaning of Kaila’s remark seeping out to turn the heart to ashes, and the blood that still managed to pump from this was black. Chase felt the hate spread through her like a disease, and she watched with quiet pacifism. Her heart beat slowly, hesitantly, dead except for the hate that was its sole source of life.

Chase raised her eyes to Kaila’s. Calmly she watched as her paw came up and in slow motion flew towards Kaila’s face. Her claws were out and gleaming, and she wanted to kill Kaila, she knew Kaila deserved to die…

At the last second Chase’s paw curled in on itself, the claws barely grazing the skin. Chase bit her lip as she took the pain that was meant for her sister. She could rise above her hate. In this time of war, hate was the last thing anyone needed more of.

Kaila’s face was sickly white under her brown-gray fur. She stared in horror at Chase’s hovering paw. “Chase, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean that…”

“If you didn’t mean it, then why did you say it?” Chase hissed, “I know I’ve been trouble. But what do you call the situation you’re in now?”

Kaila stared at her, wide-eyed. “I’m sorry, Chase. I really am.”

Chase accepted the apology with a grudging nod, and after a minute she said stiffly, “Ketch wants you to know he thinks Lakota’s okay. He says Lakota’s the kind who will return no matter what, so he’s sure he’ll come back. And Ketch isn’t wrong very often.”

Kaila smiled softly. “Ketch seems like a good guy. You’re lucky to have him for a friend.”

Night wrapped protectively around Chase, and the darkness gave her a sense of security she never had during the day. “Sometimes…he seems like more than just a friend.” Her face flamed, but strangely the dark made sharing secrets easier.

Kaila shifted to a more comfortable position and perked up her ears. “Tell me about it.”

Words poured out of Chase like a waterfall as she described her growing affection for Ketch, and love and fear surged through her as she allowed herself to examine the details that seemed too difficult to think about during the day. She talked on and on, words gushing forth like never before. Feelings about Ketch overwhelmed her as she turned to her sister for guidance…

“Kaila, what do you think? Kaila?” She looked over to see her sister completely relaxed, her head between her paws, breathing deeply. That fact alone hurt Chase for a moment (here she was pouring out her heart, and her sister had fallen asleep listening to it) but she forced herself not to dwell on it. Kaila had had a rough day. Everyone had.

Chase looked around at the sleeping wolves and dogs and wondered when they would all be able to return to a normal life. She longed to be by Ketch’s side, strengthening the alleyway dogs, making new friends and becoming closer with her family…

The alleyways…

The dogs…

Steele…

Chase sat up. The pieces fit together so perfectly, she could feel her chest tighten and her breaths become faster. Why hadn’t she thought of it before?

She heaved herself up, and her eyes settled on one particular sleeping figure: Taya. Chase showed her teeth even though she knew Taya wouldn’t react. She could kill Taya right now if she wanted to…

Chase glanced at Kaila. Oh, there wasn’t much danger of them being attacked tonight. She darted out of the cave and across the landscape, her back prickling with apprehension. She would be spotted, she knew that. She just had to concentrate on escaping–

“Who goes there?” A gruff shout rang from a few feet behind Chase. Immediately her legs kicked up, breaking away as fast as she could. She could hear more shouts behind her, spreading quickly down the line. Approaching paws drummed on the thawing ground, and Chase tried in vain to speed up.

‘I need Ketch,’ she thought desperately.

Out of nowhere a canine zipped right past Chase, followed by three little canines. Before she could remember where she had smelled those scents before, she realized the canine would confuse her pursuers, and she gained some power in her stride at the thought.

Wolves were yelling and screaming at each other, and a couple even crashed into each other when one wolf tried to go for Chase and the other tried to go for the canine and the little ones. Chase knocked a few wolves out of the way as she sprinted across the tundra, and when she heard more pursuing her she started weaving and twisting and hiding behind anything she could find. Once she fell down hard, landing on the side with her good leg, her stump sticking up in the air. She struggled to get up, but she couldn’t seem to gain the right amount of leverage. Her eyes flashed angrily as she heard the Northern Hills wolves catching up.

“C’mon!” she hissed at her leg in frustration, but of course that didn’t make the situation any better. In a panic she saw a wolf coming to stand over her, and when he came near she grabbed onto one of his legs. Before he could react she pulled herself up, butted him in the head, and left him lying in the dirt. “Thanks, pal!”

Chase tore across the tundra with her heart beating like a hummingbird’s wings, and felt an ocean of relief wash over her at the sight of Nome. Her legs were flaming on the inside, and her chest hurt from running so hard for so long. She knew if she didn’t rest soon she would collapse.

Sharp teeth caught on her tail, and with a gasp of surprise she wagged it as hard as she could, throwing her attacker from side to side. He started pulling her back, and with all the power she had left she yanked out of his grip and flew towards town. A howl of pain jumped out of her mouth, but she bit it back. This was no time to act weak.

Her tail and paws throbbed as she jogged through the streets, catching her breath, and turned into the alleys. Chase walked quietly through, catching glimpses of dogs she knew sleeping behind dumpsters, on garbage cans, etc. The smell of old trash had hit her full-blast when she had padded in, but somehow she had to smell past it to find who she was looking for.

She searched the alleys for a couple minutes before sitting down with a quiet sigh and letting her tail heal in a patch of snow that luckily had not melted yet. Her eyes flicked over the alley. Where was that daughter of –?

“Chase?”

Chase spun around to see Ava standing on top of a garbage can, peering down at her. She scrambled up. “Ava! Where were you?”

“Following you,” Ava said calmly, jumping down from the trashcan but still keeping a fair distance from Chase. “When I said I would protect the troops, I meant it. Now what are you doing here?” Her brown eyes darted nervously. “Where’s Ketch?”

Chase blew out a long breath. “Look, Ava, I’m not here to hurt you. I…I need your help.” She stretched out her paw to indicate all the street dogs. “I needeveryone’s help…”

Jenna sat up suddenly as if singed by a red-hot coal. Her exhausted mind struggled to regain full consciousness. Had she just heard a wolf howl? Had it been Balto?

Collapsing back onto the deck, Jenna rubbed her cheek against the cold, hard wood. She had started the night out trying to sleep at her house, but she was so worried for Balto and her children that she had gone out to Balto’s boat to watch for any sign of her family returning.

She shivered violently, and wished her bandana was more like a full-length blanket. She knew below deck would be warmer, but she couldn’t bear to think of missing her family’s return. She knew she wouldn’t freeze; her thick coat and restless shifting protected her from the cold.

With a shaky sigh Jenna got up and stood limply at the railing. The tundra looked the same as ever: gray, and empty. As shivers racked her body, she felt a new anger swirl up inside her. Why was she always the one left to worry? When had she gotten so useless and weak? Balto had tried to explain to her as gently as possible why she couldn’t go get Kaila back, too, but the injustice burned her throat and made her eyes sting.

When she had been the most popular girl dog in Nome, so much attention had been lavished upon her that she always felt wanted and needed. When the news had spread that she had become Balto’s mate, every eye was trained upon her either in admiration or jealousy when she strolled down the street. The attention had swelled her pride and put confidence in her step, but now the novelty of either situation had worn away, and she was left with a hot lump in her throat that choked her.

Jenna remembered the pain in Balto’s eyes when he told her to stay behind while he went to search for Kaila. The fact that he was right to leave her behind only made her angrier. She was a town dog, and not very strong; she would be more trouble than help. Yet her pride cut her to the quick as her mind flipped back to the time she had saved Balto’s life by going after him into the wilderness and attacking a bear. Her heart beat wildly at the memory. She had been scared out of her wits, but her love for Balto had outshone everything else.

A dark shine quivered on her eye as she refused to let the furious tears fall. What had happened to that courageous teenager she had once been? When had she stopped listening when her heart said to go, and let her fears overshadow her love? When? And then she knew: Aleu.

Jenna suddenly swallowed her self-pity and stood straight and tall. Certainty lit a flame inside her; she would not take this lying down, literally or figuratively. Because of her cowardice, she had lost one daughter to wolves without even a goodbye. She wouldn’t let that happen again.

Before her courage could cool or her certainty waver, Jenna clambered down the ramp and took off across the snow. She ran to the other side of town and scrambled up the side of a certain hill. When she reached the top, she gazed down reverently at the broken colored bottles and lantern that awaited her. Ever since her son Dusty’s return, they had no longer been needed to light the skies at night to guide him home. She shuddered to remember Lucas’s blood staining the broken glass when Kira had killed him. Thankfully, the blood had been washed away by the snow, and now they were to serve an even greater purpose.

Jenna lowered her head and let her bandana slip over her head and onto the ground next to the broken bottles. Frowning thoughtfully, she gingerly brushed the pieces of glass onto the cloth, and winced when she felt a shard start to cut into her foot. She examined it once more, and then slowly folded the corners around the glass so they met in the middle. She pinched the corners together between two paws and then clamped her mouth around them so the shards were carried in a small orange sack hanging from her mouth. Jenna was proud of herself for coming up with the idea; her only concern was whether the cloth was thick enough to hold the glass.

Next, she swiftly clenched her teeth around the lantern handle before the sack had a chance to come apart in her mouth. Jenna laughed inwardly at her situation. She would just have to hope she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone!

A use for the ‘polar ice caps’ had been blooming in her head, and now she thought it might bring the family back together. Who knew? The bottles always had a special effect on dogs. And they contained so many memories for Jenna, Balto, and their pups. If worse came to worst, the soft lightshow would be her farewell to Kaila.

Jenna trotted out onto the tundra, sniffing for the trail. Finally she found it; the scent was there, if faint. Her shape blurred into a red smudge on the horizon, and slowly seemed to suck into the dark sky as she padded farther and farther away from Nome.

Dusty awoke to the sound of whimpers and the feel of little paws scrabbling at his face. He opened his eyes, and shot to his feet when he saw Kira, Silver, and Gail. “Kira!” He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her. He wanted to kiss her with pure joy, but his happiness drained away in a second. “What are you doing here?”

“Dusty!” Silver and Gail jumped at him, and he caught them and playfully wrestled them to the ground. Even as he tickled Gail, he felt blood drain from his paws and face to leave him paper-white with fear. “Where’s Robin?” He felt his heart choking him. Not Robin. Not his little bird.

Kira embraced him solemnly. He breathed in her warm scent, and when she stepped back he marveled at her glittering blue-green eyes.

“These little devilsdecided to follow you, and I had to go after them,” Kira explained pointedly, glaring at her children. “Little did they know they would get right in the middle of a war!”

Silver wriggled uncomfortably at Dusty’s feet. “How was I supposed to know?” he muttered.

“It was Silver’s idea,” Gail piped helpfully.

Silver shoved her over to Kira, and Gail swiped at him.

Kira nudged her daughter irritably and said heavily. “The other pack captured Robin when we were running through here last night. They would’ve gotten Silver and Gail, too, if a runaway hadn’t distracted them.” Kira threw Dusty a sharp look. “From the scent and how she ran, I think it was your sister, Chase.”

Dusty felt ice creep into his veins. He whipped around to see the cave entrance empty except for a snoring Kaila. Thunder rumbled in his ears. “No.” Not Robin and Chase. Why them? Why now? “Kaila!” He skidded over to her and poked at her sides, and face, and finally resolved to shaking her. “Where’s Chase?”

Kaila’s bleary eyes opened weakly. “Wha-what?”

“Chase! Where’s Chase?” Dusty practically shrieked. His paws shook. He was trying to calm down, but his body seemed to be on autopilot.

Kaila looked around sleepily, and then hauled herself to her feet. “I-I don’t know! Oh my gosh, I fell asleep! How could I have fallen asleep?” She suddenly froze, and her nose plowed through the snow at her feet. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed into slits. “Silver Arrow…It wasn’t a dream!”

Dusty felt himself spiraling out of control. “What dream? Who’s Silver Arrow?”

Kaila bit her lip as if she regretted what she had just said. “I remember Silver Arrow coming up to the cave and looking down at me. I thought it was a dream, but I must have been half-asleep or something. He was looking at me and then I heard someone call his name…” Her voice shook ever so slightly. “They…they didn’t kidnap Chase…did they?” Her eyes blazed, and she pounded the stone floor in frustration. “Oh, crap, crap, crap, and crap again!”

“Chase was kidnapped?” Ketch said in alarm as he slid in beside Dusty.

Kaila looked flustered. “Well, that’s what it looks like. The scents are all here. Chase’s leads away from the cave, and so does Silver Arrow’s…”

“I don’t care what happened. We need to get her back!” Ketch said fiercely.

“Chase was what?” Copper shouted as he pushed in next to Ketch.

The cave was in an uproar. Dogs, wolves, and mixes of the two milled about and tried to make sense of the yelling by yelling, adding all the more to the confusion.

Dusty stood very tense and still in the middle of the chaos, all his muscles clenched into a huge knot. What he saw in his mind’s eye was enough to make him scream in agony: Robin, small and trembling, crumpled on a cave floor as a huge shadow loomed above her. The figure that cast the shadow had claws like knives, and teeth like stones…

Robin’s image was replaced with Chase, but Chase was fighting back, hissing and spitting and sinking her teeth into anything that came near. Blood splattered her face and back, and she was lost in a barrage of wolves set to kill…

Robin’s and Chase’s screams mingled into one high-pitched, horrible note in Dusty’s head, and his muscles jerked as he kept his own cry from piercing the air. It was too much. The clamor pressed down on his ears, and he threw back his head and howled, “STOP!”

The shout echoed back in silence.

Dusty lowered his head and caught the eye of every canine around him. The pups were hiding, peeking out from behind Kira’s front legs. Dusty locked eyes with Kira and stepped slowly forward until he was by her side. He rubbed his chin against the top of her head, and she returned the gesture by touching her muzzle to his. He gave her a small smile, but then he stepped away and addressed the room with utmost seriousness. “Robin is like a daughter to me. And Chase is my sister. It looks as if they’ve both been kidnapped, and what do we do? We bicker and fight when we could be trying to save them! Today is the day of a battle. If we win nothing else, we need to win the presence of Robin and Chase here.” He glanced at Kaila. “And Lakota, Sage, Nilak, and Sarai.”

“I’ll be happy if my father is killed,” Taya said sharply.

Dusty watched her carefully. “He can be your target, Taya. The rest of us can fight to save the rest of the Anvil Creek pack and the others.”

“You know, I’ve only ever had to fight one-on-one,” Copper broke in, “But, Dusty, do you really think we can handle a battle?” He swept his paw to indicate the others. “There are only nine of us left.”

“We can fight, too!” Silver exclaimed, showing his teeth and growling, “We could get Robin while everybody else is getting Chase and whoever those other dogs are!”

“Easy, Silver,” Dusty said, placing a paw on Silver’s head and ruffling the pup’s fray fur, “You’ll be fighting only if we’re really desperate.”

Gail plodded up to her brother and pushed to have Dusty ruffle her head. “We’ll get Robin back, Dusty! We have to!”

Dusty nodded patiently, and turned to speak to Copper. “What else can we do? Sit around and wait for the rest of us to get captured? Who knows what they’re doing to Robin and Chase now? We need to act fast, and a battle is really our only option.”

Balto sighed resignedly. “Dusty’s right.” He mustered up a grin. “Well, this old dog will try to help as much as he can.”

“I’ll fight,” Copper said, “I guess it’s a good thing I went to those Northern Fights.”

“I’m a good fighter in the alleys,” Ketch said, “I’ll fight. For Chase.”

“Nilak taught me a little about strategy,” Cheyenne said quietly, “I could come up with a battle plan…”

Kiowa nodded, her pained eyes sparking. “I’ll do what I can…for Nilak.”

“It will be an honor to fight alongside my family, for my family,” Aniu declared in her husky voice.

Dusty turned to Kira. “Kira?”

“I’ll do my best to keep these two out of trouble,” she told him, nuzzling the backs of the pups’ heads with the very tip of her nose. Silver batted her muzzle away irritably, and Gail rolled her eyes. Kira raised her eyebrows. “At least the confusion will be less without them underfoot.”

Dusty knew she also meant she didn’t want the pups getting hurt or killed, but she knew the pups would complain about her worrying too much.

“I’ll fight,” Kaila muttered. She gazed out of the cave in a fierce trance. “It was my fault Chase was taken. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.”

Dusty decided to ask the question that had been bugging him ever since Kaila had mentioned Silver Arrow. “Kaila, did Silver Arrow…hurt you at all?”

Kaila seemed indignant for some reason. “I would know if he did, wouldn’t I?” she growled, cocking an eyebrow.

“You know, I’ve been wondering if Chase was kidnapped at all,” Balto said slowly, “Think about it: why would they kidnap Chase and not Kaila? With her missing leg, Chase wouldn’t be much help to them. And they could have taken both of them; instead, they took the weaker one. Does that make any sense to anyone?”

There was silence like a stone wall inside the cave. Dusty felt the fur prickle on his neck as he realized the only two things that could have happened…

“Chase…wouldn’t go back to Steele’s side,” Copper said hesitantly. His voice was threaded with fear. “Would she?”

“No!” Ketch shot back. His cry ran defiantly through the cave. “Chase hates Steele! She would never join him again! Never!”

“Maybe she went for help?” Kaila suggested, but her tone was filled with doubt.

“Who could she ask for help?” Kira interjected.

“The street dogs,” Ketch muttered, but his voice was doubtful, too. “But she hates Ava…”

“Ava? Who’s Ava?” Dusty asked. A corner of his mind was screaming about how much time he had let pass without action. But he had to get to the bottom of this.

Ketch’s hazel eyes stared dully. “Ava is the dog who is looking after the street dogs while Chase and I are here. She’s Steele’s daughter…Everyone, including me, trusts her completely, but Chase hates her for who her father is.”

Taya’s head jerked up, and a puzzled expression filled her face. “I have a sister?”

Ketch nodded.

Taya frowned. “I don’t remember having a sister…” she mumbled.

Copper stood beside her and placed his paw on hers. “You were separated a lot from your siblings. Maybe you just need to see her to remember.”

Ketch’s brown, thinning fur bristled. “I don’t care what happened, or what the story is, or why!” he cried impatiently, “I need to have Chase back! I have to save her now! I’m leaving now, and if any of you think I’m being stupid, you can just shut your trap until I have her back!”

In the shouting and clamor that followed, Dusty saw Ketch turn towards the entrance, and only Dusty heard Ketch say, with the passion and sorrow that comes of a loved one lost, “I love her…”

A savage howl and the tramp of a hundred footsteps outside the cave cut everyone off in mid-sentence. Everyone listened breathlessly, and Dusty felt his heart and brain start to pound.

“Everyone get out of the cave,” he hissed, “If we get caught in here, we’re in a trap. C’mon, everyone out!” He dashed onto the tundra, and the sight took his breath away.

The snow had melted away almost completely, so the land was covered with green grass and patches of white and yellow flowers. The sky was a dark, swirling gray, but the white-gold sun shone brilliantly with two ashen clouds as its guards, shooting bright beams to earth to alight upon the unveiled trees and grasses. The scene was so picturesque, Dusty could hardly believe a battle would take place in it. But here they came, the Northern Hills pack, spreading like a stain across the beautiful spring tundra.

Dusty felt the others gather around him, and he looked over his shoulder to see Kira and the pups ducking into a clump of three pine trees near the cave mouth. They hid in the center, the three trees encircling them like sentinels. Dusty hoped Kira could see his small nod of approval through the branches; she had chosen a good hiding place. The hidden cave Copper and Taya had found was an option, but now Dusty doubted if it was such a good hiding place. If the Northern Hills wolves ransacked the cave, they would find the hidden one soon enough. And what about that hole in the ceiling? If the fighting got around behind the cave, the ceiling would probably collapse, and the wolves would fall right in.

Dusty faced front again and narrowed his eyes as the Northern Hills pack spread out before him. The brown alpha male stood at the front of the pack, the gray beta wolf at his right, and Steele at his left. The alpha’s name was Dark Moon, Dusty remembered Aniu saying.

Dusty stole a look at Kaila. Her face was leery, staring suspiciously at the gray beta male. Dusty took this gesture to mean that the beta was Silver Arrow.

Ten wolves stretched out in a line behind the leading threesome. Dusty suddenly felt very conspicuous as the one who was obviously leading the Anvil Creek pack. Out of the side of his mouth, he whispered to the wolf beside him, “So what’s the battle plan, Cheyenne?”

She kept looking straight ahead, her face expressionless. “Kill them,” she said shortly. “Kill them all.”

“So, Dusty,” Steele sneered, “Lose something?”

A path ruffled through the ranks to let a small gray pup with a red chest limp through. Robin weakly raised her head and looked from one face to the next in confusion. Her sky blue eyes locked on Dusty’s, and that stare nearly broke Dusty’s heart.

Robin, his little bird, was battered beyond flying. A paw-sized bruise mottled her cheek, and her gray fur was filthy with old blood and dirt. Her blue eyes were empty, but desperate hope shot through them when she saw him and cried his name, with a voice hoarse from screaming, “Dusty!”

“Robin!” It tore at Dusty’s heart to see her so weak and beaten.

Robin tried to run to Dusty, but Steele’s paw gripped her back and held her there.

Anger roared up from Dusty’s gut, and he whirled on Steele. “How? How did you know?”

Steele gave him a pitying look. “How did I know? Well, well. Let’s just say I overheardyou mention the pups’ names once or twice, and when your girl came running through here last night screaming out the same names, it was kind of hard not to make the connection, you know?”

Dusty glared at him. “Steele, hand over my daughter.”

“You lost her, remember?” Steele tightened his grip on Robin, making her gasp. “Come and get her.”

Dusty dug his paws into the snow until his bones ached. He was trapped, and he knew it.

“Steele,” Balto tried.

“Shut up, wolf-dog,” Steele snarled.

Balto tensed, and shook his head. “I can’t believe you, Steele. You said you would stop calling me wolf-dog. You said you would leave my family alone.”

“I swore on my honor, remember?” Steele said with a gleaming grin, “One problem: I have no honor.”

“Finally, something we agree on,” Kaila muttered.

“You have to stop, Steele,” Balto admonished, “Where is revenge going to get you? What happened in 1925 is what happened. Maybe you would be better off now if you had just let it go.”

“I can’t get any lower than I am now,” Steele said with a deranged smile, “Why not kill the wolf-dog who brought all this misery on me, and his family while I’m waiting to die?”

Balto gave him a look of pity and compassion. “You brought this upon yourself, not me. And I forgave you for hating me for something I didn’t do.”

“And you have a great way of showing that forgiveness,” Steele sneered.

“Just because I forgive you doesn’t mean I trust you with my children’s lives,” Balto replied in a low voice.

“Where’s Chase?” Copper cried impatiently.

Steele looked puzzled for a minute. “Chase?…Oh, yes. The little traitor.” He eyed Copper with amusement. “But please. Don’t distract me from the task at hand.” With a shrill cry from Robin he smashed her into the dirt.

“No!” Pain and fear lashed at Dusty like a whip. He flew forward, but stumbled back when a wolf jumped out of line and struck him across the face.

In a moment Kira was at his side. “Don’t you dare,” she spat, glaring death at Steele and steadying Dusty.

Steele paused for a second, and then lifted his paw a little. Robin raised her head and coughed for air. She was whimpering softly, and small tears rolled down her tiny muzzle and dropped onto the snow.

Each tear cut deeper and deeper into Dusty’s heart. With a furious roar he threw himself forward again, but this time he was met by three wolves, and though he sent two of them crumpling to the ground over their pains, they slashed and kicked and bit him enough to fling him to the ground again.

Dusty lay gasping and panting, wishing he could kill all of them, every last one. He felt warm fur against his own, and slowly looked up and saw Kira bending down next to him. There was a red gash on her cheek, and four long, red claw marks ran from her shoulder to her hip; she had been trying to help him fight the wolves. He leaned on her painfully, and she helped haul him to his feet. He sucked in his breath fast when she leaned on one of his wounds.

“Sorry!” she mumbled.

“It’s okay,” he lied, “Are you all right? You shouldn’t have tried to help me.”

“If I hadn’t, you would be dead,” she retorted.

“So, Dusty,” Steele said, eyes glittering. He held Robin up in the air, her legs dangling helplessly. “Do you still want her?”

Dusty tasted blood, and he spat it out on the dirt. He wished he could have spat on Steele. Steelewas dirt.

“She’s my daughter. I’ll always want her,” he said hoarsely, glowering up at Steele, “I’ll always love her. I’ll always take her back.” He thought of Taya, and his eyes narrowed even more. “Unlike you.”

Steele’s arrogant air did not deflate one bit. “You’ve brought up an interesting comparison.” He stared at Kira. “You.”

Kira flinched.

“You look enough like me to maybe even be one of my daughters,” Steele continued with a sly, amused grin.

“She’s not, but I am!”

Dusty whipped his head around and saw an army of about twenty dogs had snuck up behind the Northern Hills pack. Leading them was a black and white dog, who he took to be Steele’s daughter, Ava. She was the one who had shouted. Beside her stood Chase.

A mixture of relief and awe rushed through Dusty as he realized Chase had gotten help from the street dogs, even with her hate for Ava. Chase’s strength inside and out would never cease to amaze him.

He focused all he had on the limp pup in Steele’s paw as he heard Chase shriek, “Charge!”

Kaila watched in horror as everything happened in a split second: Dusty lunged for Robin; Chase led the charge and fought ferociously as the street dogs crashed into the Northern Hills wolves; Taya struggled through the throng of fighting canines to get to her father; Balto was fighting like a mad dog to get to Steele.

Kaila felt herself being hurled towards the battle as the Anvil Creek pack surged forward, and her claws met the side of a wolf, and then another and another as she tried to survive the bloodshed. She watched as if from outside her body as she wounded wolf after wolf, and they in turn wounded her. The smell of blood sickened her. She could barely block out the shrieks and roars that pounded her ears. She had never been in a more horrible place, and she knew if she stopped to think she wouldn’t be able to go on with the terror of it all.

A wolf smashed his paw onto her head. Another ripped and slashed her sides. She slipped in wet redness and fell, and when she got up again, head pounding, she was next to Copper.

He blocked a blow to her neck with his leg and sent the attacker to the ground. “Kaila! Where’s Taya? I lost her!”

Kaila looked around, and spotted a splash of orange moving in a jagged line towards Steele. “There!” she cried, pointing.

Copper ducked a bite and kicked the wolf in the gut. “Thanks!” He took a step and was swallowed up by the lashing wolves.

Kaila shuddered, and felt bodies closing in around her. She was going to be trapped if she didn’t get out of there fast. She lunged blindly, and locked claws with someone. She made the mistake of looking up into his face, and she growled. Her combatant was Silver Arrow.

“You again,” she spat, “Liar. Deserter. Traitor!”

“Actually, it’s Silver Arrow,” he said calmly, dodging a swipe she dealt him. “Listen, Kaila, I’m sorry for what I did. I was just trying to be loyal to my pack.”

“By spying on us?” Kaila cried, swiping again. Her claws barely nicked his side as he jumped away. She wondered, ‘Why isn’t he fighting back?’

“I thought I was protecting my pack,” he explained, “But now I see it was wrong. I started a war that’s been raging for years. I’m sorry, Kaila.”

“Well, that really helps the situation, doesn’t it?” she growled sarcastically. She attacked viciously, backing Silver Arrow into a fury of fighting dogs and wolves. She tried to push him into it, but at the last second he locked front claws with her.

Kaila huffed with astonishment and tried to pull away, but they were stuck. She glared at him as they both stood face to face, balancing on their hind legs with their front paws pressed together. “Why aren’t you fighting?” she finally snarled, breathing hard, “Why don’t you hate me as much as I hate you?”

“Well…” Silver Arrow seemed to be lost for words. “I…Um.” Kaila waited impatiently while the sounds of battle raged around them. Silver Arrow finally shook his head in frustration with himself, and exclaimed, “I love you!”

Kaila stared at him, openmouthed. At first she thought he was lying, but his face betrayed such a mix of relief and uneasiness that she knew it was true. Her muscles relaxed with the shock, and her claws slid away from Silver Arrow’s. Four paws on the ground, she looked him in the eye. He gave her a small, weak smile, but his eyes were dancing with hope.

The screams and crack of teeth on teeth pounded Kaila’s ears. She gazed unblinkingly at Silver Arrow, and said, “If you really love me, stop this war.”

Silver Arrow turned and howled, a long, chilling call to end the fighting.

Copper had lost Taya amidst the fighting, but now he had found her sneaking up behind Steele, barreling through wolves as if they weren’t even there. Only a few feet separated him and Taya, but filling that distance were growling, biting, tearing, swiping dogs and wolves hungry for blood.

Copper steeled himself and crashed into the chaos, and immediately choked on the rage of battle. Dust flew up and coated the inside of his mouth and nose. He coughed and wheezed for air, and was suddenly smashed to the ground by a Northern Hills attacker.

Copper’s face ground into the dirt, and scratches and gashes cutting into his body flashed like white lightning through his mind. He gasped softly with pain, and raised his head to find himself face to face with a corpse.

The street dog’s dark eyes bored into Copper’s, locked into place and lifeless. The emptiness of the dog’s face made Copper’s stomach spin with acid. His mind swam, and suddenly he saw Storm’s face as the old husky died a worthless death in the ring of the Northern Fights. The sickening image faded, and was replaced by Hawk’s body slumped over, cruelness still etched into his face even as death stole him away.

Hawk.

Taya.

Copper scrambled up and kicked his attacker in the face. The wolf was stunned momentarily, but it was enough time for Copper to wrap his mouth around the wolf’s leg and bite hard. The wolf howled in pain as Copper felt the bone shatter under his teeth. The wolf snarled and knocked him to the side. Copper narrowed his eyes and charged the wolf, mashing him to the ground.

‘That was for Storm,’ Copper thought with an almost manic grin as the wolf whimpered under his paws.

A twinge of guilt started to stalk him, but he pushed it away. He shouldn’t feel guilty about what needed to be done.

From somewhere a commanding howl arose, ordering everyone to stop. The order puzzled Copper, but it didn’t seem to affect anyone else; they just kept fighting as if fueled by a sudden, contagious insanity.

Copper rolled one wolf into the middle of a fierce fight between four wolves, dug in his claws as hard as he could and dragged them down the side of another wolf, and kicked another wolf unconscious, all the while thinking, ‘For Taya. For Taya. For Taya.’

He looked up to see Taya lunged towards Steele with an unearthly shriek. That otherworldly yell was so strange, so chilling, that it seemed to split the sky.

All fighting stopped as every eye fixed on the sight of Taya hurling herself towards her father, blood and fury in her eyes. Copper’s heart stopped as he saw Chase catapult herself towards Steele from the other side.

The two avengers flew towards Steele, claws outstretched, and Steele looked up in surprise. Then his face twisted, and he rose up on his hind legs and boxed a well-aimed blow to each girl’s head. Taya and Chase were thrown to opposite sides, but not before Taya had dug her claws into her father’s shoulder as she was hit. Steele gritted his teeth and sucked in air fast with the pain.

Taya lay dazed for a minute, but then she heaved herself to her feet. A ring of wolves circled her, and more wolves surrounded Chase. Chase was struggling to get to her feet because she had landed with her stump in the air, but eventually she made it, and stood her ground proudly.

Copper’s mind screamed; his heart was being ripped apart. There stood the two dogs he loved the most. Which one would he save first?

“Copper!” Steele barked into the silence.

Copper jolted in surprise and fear. What did Steele want from him? He felt his feet creep forward of their own accord, and they slowly dragged him until he stood only a few feet from Steele, with Taya and Chase in front of him, Taya to his left, Chase to his right. Every eye stabbed with curiosity as he faced his father’s enemy.

Copper glared coldly at Steele, and he longed so badly to throttle him that his mind swam with angry reds and blacks and his heart threw itself against his chest like a battering ram.

“So, Copper,” Steele began, “This is your sister?” He nodded at Chase. “And this is your…mate of choice?” He sneered at Taya.

All of Copper’s muscles tightened until he felt rooted to the spot. He could almost feel Ketch’s knowing gaze. Steele knew Copper loved Taya.

“Well?” Steele thundered, “Answer!”

Copper jumped, and then gave the smallest of nods.

Steele grinned. “That’s what I thought. Well, that one is nothing but a traitor to me.” Chase held herself proudly. “And that one is nothing but the runt of a dirty street dog who died and left me with a bunch of milk-sucking, naked little maggots.” Taya’s blue eyes sharpened until she was glaring daggers at Steele.

Steele leaned back, feigning relaxation. “You can only save one, Copper,” he smirked, his dead blue eyes creasing into slits.

Copper suddenly realized what he meant. The agony of the situation roared through him and split him with a white-hot knife. His legs shook ever so slightly, and sweat stained his fur. He knew one day he would have to choose between Taya and Chase, but never like this; not which would die and which would live! His eyes scanned the battlefield frantically. Where were Ketch, Balto, Kaila, or Dusty when you needed them? Were they wounded? Dead? Held back by Steele’s allies?

Steele tossed his paw in a flippant manner. “Kill them.”

The wolves set upon them like flies to a rotting carcass. Chase’s screams and Taya’s breathless cursing swarmed through Copper’s mind. He took a deep breath, readied himself, and made his choice.

Copper shot through the air, screaming, “No!”

Chase was blind with blood and blackness. She struck out at her attackers, but her vision swirled like black mist and her mind was fogged with hopelessness. She knew her brother would save Taya; he loved Taya more than anything in the world, more than her.

Teeth sliced into her side, and she moaned as she swiped blindly, but that pain was nothing compared to the agony of knowing she came second in Copper’s mind. The smell of blood whisked around her brain, and for the first time Chase felt herself truly, completely giving up. A claw ripped open her back, and suddenly she was jolted by the memory of lying at the stone wall, a commandant cutting open her back, and Ketch lying beside her…Ketch! There was still hope…

Chase shook, shuddered, and then fell limp. She was beyond hope. She felt her eyes close, and she slowly slid into a sea of red…

“No!”

Chase’s eyes snapped open to see Copper barrel through the wolves in a fury, throwing them left and right and snarling like a wild animal. Red dots spattered his white chest and legs, and a cut like a bloody crescent shone above his right eye. Chase thought she must be seeing things. “Copper?” she mumbled.

“Chase!” He hoisted her up and swung her onto his back, and galloped away as the blows began to rain down. Chase held on for dear life, and was hit by another memory: Ketch blasting through the streets, her on his back as they raced towards Main Street…

Chase kicked out at any wolves who tried to wound her or her brother, but for the most part she just lay like a deadweight on her brother’s back. She could hardly believe it! Copper had saved her over Taya? What was the catch? “Copper!” she cried into his ear, “But…Taya!”

“Taya can handle herself for a few more seconds,” Copper shouted back, “What I’m worried about is you!”

Chase was silent for a moment to take all this in, and then a grin slowly grew on her face. “…Some things never change, huh?”

“Don’t ever think I care more about Taya than my own sister,” Copper cried, “It doesn’t work that way. It shouldn’t.”

“Yeah,” Chase murmured, “I get it…Thanks, Copper.”

The Anvil Creek pack cave loomed ahead of them. Copper started scrambling up the hillside the cave was set in, and Chase heard the labored breathing and pounding footsteps of the Northern Hills wolves that were pursuing them. She remembered the hidden cave, and the hole she had seen in its ceiling. If a whole bunch of heavy animals were to run over such a thin covering, it would…

Chase stared at Copper. “Oh, no. You’re not going to–”

“Oh, yeah.” His face was set with grim anticipation.

“Oh, great,” Chase said, rolling her eyes but grinning all the same. She hugged her brother’s neck as hard as she could and made her body as rigid as iron.

Copper swung up onto the crest of the hill. From behind them, Chase heard one of the wolves growl menacingly, “Say your prayers.”

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I hope I live another week,” Chase muttered.

“Hold on!” Copper yelled, and sprinted over the hill like a bullet shot from a rifle.

Chase felt it giving way even as Copper barely touched the ground with his paws; the ground began to cave in with a dusty cough at every step, forming cracks. The earth began to crumble, and as a piece fell in under his paws, Copper launched himself into the air, high and strong and hard. He whooped a triumphant war cry, and Chase looked back to see the ground collapse under the wolves’ running paws. They fell with yells of maddened surprise into the dark depths of the hidden cave.

The sight made Chase’s heart pump hard with pride. She grinned with abandon, and crowed, “WHOOOOO!” as her brother pounded down the hillside and skidded to a halt. Chase was almost thrown off his back with the suddenness of the halting. She hung limply from Copper’s neck, and then quietly slipped to the ground.

“Chase, are you okay?” Copper was bent over her. “Chase, we need to get back to Taya!”

Chase didn’t want to move. The freeing exultation had faded as suddenly as it had come, and right now she didn’t feel like seeing one more dead body, one more old enemy, or one more drop of blood. But then Ketch’s face swam into her mind. Her teeth clenched as she tried not to imagine what could have happened to him. Her eyes squeezed closed even harder as she realized she had to find out.

Chase opened her eyes and sprang to her feet. Immediately the world tipped and spun like a top. Chase knew her open wounds were doing her in, but nothing was going to stop her now.

“Chase?” Copper murmured, “Chase, are you okay?”

Chase realized all of a sudden that she was screwing her face up in fierce concentration, and she forced herself to relax. “I’m fine,” she said, trying to trot briskly forward, “Let’s go, so you can save Taya’s butt just like you saved mine!”

Copper’s eyes flashed with worry, but he stopped and quietly let Chase onto his back. Normally she would have been insulted, but her strength was sapping too fast for her to complain.

They reached the battlefield shortly, and Chase was struck violently by the tense silence that seemed to hang as heavily over it as the thick, iron gray clouds overhead. Streaks of red swept the grass, and broken bodies lay defeated across the field. Steele stood at the center with four wolves in a half-moon formation behind him, glaring at the gray beta wolf who pushed Kaila behind him protectively as he stood before Steele. That raised Chase’s eyebrows, but all thoughts were immediately washed away when she saw what lay blood-soaked and shaking on the ground.

“Ketch?” Chase whispered, choking on her own words. The sky whirled in a disarray of colors, and a lump of hard ice sat in her stomach. She barely felt Copper galloping under her, and when he threw himself at Taya, who was standing watch over Ketch, Chase flung herself off his back and tumbled to the ground. She rolled to a stop, breathing hard and closing her eyes. But the smell that swirled up her nostrils was the cloying scent of fresh blood. It smothered her, drawing stripes of red through the blackness behind her eyelids. Chase wished she were anywhere but here, any time but right now.

Feeling as if scabs were scraping the sides of her throat, she heaved herself up, and recoiled when she saw half of her fur was covered with blood. The reeking scent bruised her mind with sickly yellows and purples, and the ice in her stomach lurched forward. She dragged herself to Ketch’s side, and when she saw his face it felt like an icicle had plunged through her chest.

“Ketch?” she whispered. He looked so horrible; she could barely see his face through all the blood and torn skin and ripped fur. The ice in her stomach lurched again, and threatened to come up all the way, but she stopped it just in time.

Ketch’s hazel eyes opened a crack. They forced themselves to focus on her, and Ketch mustered up a pained smile. “Chase! You’re all right.”

“Yes, but you’re not!” Chase cried, her voice scraping against unshed tears quivering just below the surface. “You’re…you’re…”

“Yeah, I know. Let’s just say all my dreams of being a show dog are long gone.”

Chase gagged on her own cheerless laughter, barely hanging on to a world she felt was being smashed into a thousand jagged pieces. Even now, Ketch was trying to make her forget about the dead and dying all around her…even right in front of her eyes.

The leaden clouds drew across the sky like a curtain. The white-gold medallion of a sun was veiled behind the clouds. The first cold, white flakes of snow blew down the wind’s back, and Chase was vaguely aware of herself shivering.

Ketch’s beaten body quaked, and his grin had creased into a grimace. As if in a dream, Chase lay down beside him, curving her body to his, and started licking his wounds. “What happened?”

Ketch closed his eyes and lay back quietly, his body calming at Chase’s touch. “When Copper went after you, I saved Taya. I had to keep up my half of his bargain, right? I had to save her.”

Ketch’s body suddenly constricted, and he hacked onto the ground, his sides jarring and his legs jerking back and forth. Chase watched the sickening sight in horror, and then pressed her eyes shut so hard the tears squeezed out and trailed down her cheeks. The salt in her tears washed and stung the scratches across her face. She blinked fiercely with the pricking pain of it, and looked over to see Ketch’s hacking fit was over.

A shadow seemed to have bled into his eyes, making them deep and dark on his tired face. He was fading, disappearing into another world entirely. “A life for a life,” he murmured faintly, and Chase saw the light dim inside him.

A wildfire roared up inside her in an instant. “No!” she shrieked wildly, thumping Ketch’s back and side with her paws in a desperate attempt to drag him back to the living. “Ketch! No! Oh, God, no! Ketch, you can beat this! Ketch! Come on! You’re…you’re my best friend. You’re my only friend. Dang it, Ketch…I love you…”

Her energy simmered down to nothing inside her. She was tired of fighting battles she knew she had already lost.

She softly licked his face, her heart screaming silently as she showed her true feelings to him at last…but he wasn’t there to see them.

She sobbed, sucking in air as if it she who taking her last breaths, not Ketch. Her tears slid freely now, and the twinge of salt on her cuts brought Chase back to a world of pain, a world she could understand. She licked his face fiercely, bringing her mouth over his forehead, his nose, his muzzle. All the love and fear and pain and love she had locked inside came pouring out as she nuzzled his neck, nudged his ears. She had longed to do this for so long, but he wasn’t there to feel it.

Chase whined, her heart splitting, as she tenderly licked his chin. He tasted so good, and kind, and strong. He didn’t deserve a death like this.

Chase let her head drop to the ground, her unvoiced sobs howling inside her. It was time to stop fighting…

“Don’t stop.”

Chase slowly raised her head, one tear spattering the ground. She rested her eyes on Ketch, and her eyes widened slightly when she thought she saw a hint of a smile cross his mouth. It was gone in a second, but then his mouth cracked open, and the quietest voice whispered, “…Don’t stop.”

Unbelieving, Chase softly licked the side of his face. She was encouraged by his faint smile, and she rubbed her cheek against his, her heart pounding wildly. She brought up a trembling paw and brushed it down Ketch’s neck, and then licked his neck gently, over and over, feeling his blood pump under wherever her lips touched.

Ketch shivered at the feeling, and turned his head and kissed her.

Chase lay there, heart thudding against her chest, Ketch’s mouth pressed on hers, and felt the brightest, most beautiful streak of happiness shoot through her like a sunray. Ketch was alive, and he loved her just like she loved him. The whole thing was like the Northern Lights: beyond words.

They drew apart, and Chase watched the green flecks in Ketch’s eyes shine like stars. He was so good to her. He was so good… “Ketch…” she breathed. He looked at her with so much love, and kissed her again.

The feel of his burning lips on hers made Chase dizzy with glee. She was flying through the sunset on golden wings, and when they parted again she gazed up at him, hardly daring to believe this was happening.

“Ketch,” she said again, “You’re…you’re alive!”

He ducked down and rubbed his tip of his nose against hers. “I wasn’t going to leave you behind. I love you, Chase.”

“I love you, too, Ketch,” Chase replied softly, almost giddy with happiness and disbelief. She burrowed her head under his chin, and whenever he spoke the words in his throat thrummed against her temple. She closed her eyes with pleasure and bliss.

“I told you you weren’t going without a fight, not while I was still here,” Ketch said, “You still have a battle to win, Chase.”

‘He’s right,’ she thought, ‘I have one more fight.’

She fixed her eyes on the black and white malamute in the middle of the field and murmured savagely, “Steele, I am going to kill you.”

Dusty had lunged for Robin as Chase’s war cry rang through his ears. He sprang with all his strength, all his heart, all his love as a father, and his chest smashed into Steele’s paw, tearing Robin from his deadly grip. Dusty hurtled through the air and crashed to the ground, rolling to a shuddering, painful stop. He clenched his teeth as his wounds seared like lightning through him, and he listened in a daze to the screams and yells and growls and snaps of war raging about him. He could feel the anger and hatred of the dogs and wolves burning him as if he were trapped inside a growing flame. His own breathing sounded harsh and choking against his ears, but through it all came a small, soft whimper.

Dusty forced his eyes open and saw Robin lying beside him. One glassy blue eye peeked out from her battered face, and Dusty could see she was fighting to stay conscious. He pulled himself to his feet and closed his teeth around the scruff of her neck, and hurled himself through the barrage of lashing wolves and dogs. Teeth and claws sank into Dusty as he dashed through the fray, but he sent their owners tumbling to the ground yelping in surprise and anger. He ran as if he were still running for the mail team, but now he was carrying much more precious cargo.

Dusty crashed through the bunch of pine trees and came almost nose-to-nose with Kira.

“Is she all right?” Kira blurted.

Dusty only stared at her. They both knew the answer to that question.

He laid Robin on bare ground that had never been touched by winter snows, thanks to the branches above and around them. Silver and Gail, huddled together in fear of the battle raging beyond the trees, crept over and pressed against Kira as they stared at their sister.

The sounds of fighting grew distant as the space inside the circle of trees seemed to become a solemn, sacred grove.

“Mom,” Silver whispered hoarsely. His blue-green eyes were as huge and round as the moon. “Is she…dead?”

Dusty felt the word as if a flaming sword had been thrust through his gut. He could see Kira’s shock and pain on her face, too, and the blue-green of her eyes faded to a dull blue as she whispered, “No. Not…yet.” She shuffled forward and began licking Robin’s blood-streaked face.

Robin’s eyes cracked open weakly, and the broken whimper that splintered from her dry throat drove daggers through Dusty’s heart. He padded to her side and leaned down so he could see her face, as Kira curled around her youngest pup and daughter and tried to keep from crying out.

“Robin?” Dusty breathed, “Robin, sweetheart. Say something. Say anything.”

Robin’s blank eyes were two blue slits in her gray face. She gazed up at him, squinting a little. “Dusty?”

Dusty swallowed. His mouth felt like dry ice. “Yeah. It’s me.”

Robin’s eyes suddenly dropped closed, and she sucked in several deep breaths, as if playing tug-o-war with death. The rope: her life.

Kira let out a breathless sob and nudged her daughter’s face. “Robin? Robin!”

Robin forced her glazing eyes open and moved her head a little on her mother’s side. “Mom?”

Kira whooshed out all her air and rubbed her nose against Robin’s ear. “Thank god. I’m here, Robin. I’m here.”

“Am I…” Robin coughed wetly, and her eyelids drooped. She struggled to keep them open, and tried in vain to focus on Dusty. “Am I dying?”

Dusty choked back the howl of grief that was clawing to be set free from his throat. He didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to feel it. But he knew. The breath had been beaten from her body. It was only a matter of time before… “No, Robin,” Dusty murmured, “No. You’re just…just…hurt.” He tenderly licked her cheek, wishing he could wash away the scratches and bruises and pain as well as the blood.

Robin closed her eyes, and Dusty froze, horrified. She slowly brought them open again, and looked at him with a flicker of a smile. “Don’t worry…Am I really like a daughter to you?”

Dusty gazed down into the pools of her eyes. “Robin, listen. I don’t care who your father is. You are my daughter, and I love you.”

Robin was quiet for a moment. Then she raised her eyes to his. “I’m your daughter,” she whispered, “…and you’re my dad.” She licked him on the cheek, and suddenly slumped to the ground, her bright eyes paling to a dull gray as they finally closed. Robin flew away to a place free of pain where no one could reach her.

Kira stiffened. Her nose drifted over Robin’s face, hovering at her daughter’s mouth. No faint breath blew against her cheek. No small heart beat through the downy fur against her side. Dusty watched with stabbing grief as Kira wrestled with death. “You’re going to be okay, Robin. You’re going to–” Her voice cut off with a torn high-pitched note that scraped away at Dusty’s heart. It left him raw and bleeding, open to the icy winds of grief.

He leaned his head against his daughter’s forehead, and for one moment he could pretend she was only sleeping the sleep of dreamers and not the Eternal Sleep. Words cut his throat as they came up, grating the air. “She isokay. Now.”

Broken sobs tore from Kira’s chest. Dusty looked up to see her dull eyes glistening with sharp tears as she tried to nudge her daughter awake.

“No. Robin. No. No!” Kira collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had been sucked away with her daughter’s spirit, and shook as silent screams rocked her soul.

Dusty watched her with an ache that went on for eternity. His ribs seemed to tighten until they almost burst apart with the strain of holding in the pain burning inside his heart. Barely breathing, he took a few steps toward Kira to try and somehow comfort her, but she brushed him away as if he were a stranger. The wild hurt in her gray eyes mirrored Robin’s, and told him that Kira wouldn’t let herself be helped until she had harnessed her pain and had control of her world again. For now, there was nothing he could do.

Dusty pivoted to stare at the wide-eyed expressions of his two remaining children. They both wore the same soul-torn expression: huge, haunted eyes with such dark, deep fear and sorrow it seared through Dusty with a killing bolt. He barely noticed he was moving before he had taken three short, slow steps back, swung around, and flung himself out into the battle with a tortured cry that freed some of the wild animal inside him yearning to smash and twist and wring every drop of blood out of Steele for taking his child.

The cry rang as it hit the quiet. The battle outside Robin’s tomb seemed to be over.

Dusty’s gaze darted around in a panic. Everywhere street dogs and wolves alike lay so still it made Dusty’s skin crawl. On every fallen canine Dusty saw Robin’s face, empty forever. The red blood that made the grass slick reminded him of the red fur that colored her chest and had been the inspiration for her name. He felt as if at any moment he would fly apart in a thousand pieces, as easily broken as glass. Desperate for relief, he spun around wildly. Where was everyone? Kaila? Chase? Copper?

A brown-gray lump shifted from amidst a cluster of corpses. Its eyes flashed gold as it rolled onto its side with a moan.

Dusty crashed to its side. “Dad?” He was sure it was Balto, but it was unreal seeing his father battered and beaten. It hurt a part of Dusty that had never been touched by raw emotion before. It seemed unbelievable: was it possible that his father –Balto, the hero of Nome – could lose?

Balto raised his head wearily and fixed his son with an unsteady gaze. “Dusty. Don’t look so worried. I’m fine. Are you all right?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Dusty muttered sarcastically, “A couple of flesh wounds, a dead daughter, dogs torn up before my eyes…”

“That doesn’t sound all right to me,” Balto said with a tired smile.

Dusty shrugged. “You lie, I lie.”

Balto suddenly stiffened. “A dead daughter? But…” His eyes glinted at the very edges with tears. “Robin…died? That sweet kid…Dusty–”

“Stop,” Dusty snapped. He couldn’t take sympathy. He couldn’t think about it or he would crack. “Just stop.”

Balto stared at him, and then nodded as if he understood. He winced as he tried to stand up. His legs shook. Dusty helped him, and as he rose to his feet Balto asked, “Where’s Kaila? And Chase and Copper? Are they all right?”

“I don’t know.”

“That Steele,” Balto muttered fiercely, “There’s only one way to stop him. I have to kill him. It’s the only way. The only way to keep you guys safe…”

A dark shape rose in the corner of Dusty’s vision. Dusty slowly pivoted around to see Steele heaving himself up from the bloody ground only a few feet away, eyeing the landscape for any sign of life.

Dusty hit the dirt, dragging Balto down with him, and waited breathlessly for deliverance.

Suddenly Steele bellowed, “Silver Arrow!” and Dusty lifted his head and watched Steele charge towards the gray beta wolf. At the beta’s side stood a wolf-dog. Dusty’s ears shot up with recognition. Kaila! She was alive! But what was she doing with the beta wolf of the enemy pack? Dusty nudged his father and mouthed, “Kaila.” Balto nodded wordlessly, staring ahead.

Dusty flattened himself down and began dragging himself forward on his stomach, sneaking towards his sister and the two enemies that now surrounded her. No, wait! Was Silver Arrow standing in front of her? Protecting her?

Dusty was close enough to hear every word the threesome uttered.

“You lying son of a–!” Steele cursed.

“Right back at you,” Silver Arrow said coolly.

Steele bristled with indignation. His voice rang out so loud the tundra seemed to quiver with it. “Darn you! You were supposed to kill her!”

“Those were Dark Moon’s orders,” Silver Arrow said coldly, “Not yours. And now Dark Moon is dead.”

“Those were the orders I gave Dark Moon to give to you!” Steele shot back. He bared his teeth. “Or are you so brainless that you can’t follow a simple order?”

“Are you so heartless that you would give such an order?” Silver Arrow retorted, “The pack is dead, Steele. I follow no one’s orders now. Besides…I love Kaila.”

Dusty almost choked with astonishment. He couldn’t have heard right. Silver Arrow…loved…KAILA?

Steele stared, as dumbfounded as Dusty felt. The tundra was silent, but eerie tension stretched the quiet until it was almost unbearable.

The laughter started low and deep, but gradually it rose louder and louder until it rumbled like thunder, and Steele was rocking with it. Kaila glared at him as she moved up to stand at Silver Arrow’s side, her golden eyes flashing. Dusty knew her well enough to realize she was fighting quite an internal battle to stop herself from slapping Steele, who was chuckling so hard his shoulders shook.

A soft crunch in the snow made Dusty jump. Cheyenne glanced up at him from her crouching position a few feet away, her body bright against the swirling gray sky. She put her paw to her mouth to signal his silence. He nodded, and flashed her a slight smile to show he was glad she was alive.

She jerked her head towards Steele. One by one, Copper, Taya, Ava, Chase, and Ketch quietly encircled Steele. Kaila and Silver Arrow both gaped in surprise, but they managed to regain their composure before Steele stopped laughing.

The four Northern Hills wolves standing behind him were thrown to the ground and knocked out. There was a scuffle, but Steele was enjoying himself too much to notice.

Dusty gave Cheyenne a sharp nod, and she scurried over to join the ever-growing ring around Steele. Dusty nudged Balto, and father and son crept quickly to catch up with Cheyenne. Slowly, silently, they surrounded him in a circle like a hangman’s noose.

“I always thought you were a few dogs short of a sled team,” Steele was laughing at Silver Arrow, “But I never thought it was this bad. You had your pick of the pack females, and yet you fall for this mangy lobo? I mean, evenBalto knew a good-looking girl when he saw one.” Steele’s eyes burned coldly. His paw reached out to snatch Kaila’s leg. “But just look at her–”

“Don’t you dare touch her!” Balto and Silver Arrow cried out at the same time.

Steele froze.

Eyes blazing, Kaila and Silver Arrow stepped back to join the deadly circle around Steele.

Steele turned slowly until his gaze met Balto’s. Something in his ice-blue eyes flickered. “Balto. We just can’t get enough of each other, can we, you old wolf? I would’ve thought you were long dead by now.”

Dusty felt a strong flare of pride as Balto only stared back, as firm and noble as ever.

In the dimming light, as the small flakes of a spring snow fell from the ashen sky, Dusty was struck by how old Steele looked. He and Balto were around the same age, yet Balto still had a youthful spirit and only a little gray around his muzzle. Steele’s eyes were cold and hollow, and his lined face was thinner than ever, while silver misted his black fur. Hatred and jealousy had aged him before his time.

Steele pivoted slowly on the spot as he faced the host of enemies he had collected over the years. Fiery glares shot at him from all sides, and the coy, twisted grin of one who has realized his fate grew on his face. He addressed those he had known before as if he were saying a final goodbye, or indeed a greeting as if he were seeing them for the first time. “Chase.” He let his eyes hover on her strong face for a moment, and then turned to his daughters. “Ah, Taya, I think. And Ava.”

Taya’s eyes were hot little coals burning with blue fire. Her muscles stretched as hard and taut as a bowstring under her skin, and as she looked her father full in the face she burst out, “I hate you! I swear on my life that I will never call you Father! As far as I’m concerned, you’re not my father, you son of a devil! No, you are a devil! You abandoned me to cold and death, and so that’s exactly what I’m going to do to you!” She started towards him, but Copper pulled her back and muttered something in her ear. She tried to wrench away, but he held her firm.

Steele stood speechless. Finally he wet his lips and shook his head in wonder. “Well, you’ve certainly grown into something better than that slimy little maggot I left in the gutter.”

“You abandoned me, my sister, and my brother,” Ava said fiercely, standing tall next to her sister.

Taya and Ava’s words kindled something inside every one of Steele’s victims. An accusation jabbed at Steele, and when he turned to see who had spoken the accusations poured forth until he was spinning from face to face, his deeds of the past few years coming back to rip him apart:

“You almost made Taya kill herself!”

“You made me betray my family and lose my leg!”

“You made my life misery, and you almost killed Jenna!”

“You killed my mom and probably my brother!”

“You killed my daughter,” Dusty blurted out, the wounds inside still fresh. The knifing pain cut him so deep he dropped his head to hide his grimace. His very blood screamed.

“You killed my daughter,” Kira spat, slipping in beside him. Silver and Gail clung to her front legs, their eyes wide and tear-slicked.

Dusty started in alarm. “Kira! But–what–how…What are you doing? Get the kids out of here! I can’t lose them too!”

“They have as much right to see this as you and I,” Kira whispered back, “They’ll see their mother defending her family from the monster who killed their sister!”

Kira’s eyes were not bright emerald green; they were dark green, almost black, and nothing filled the void except a deep, hurting anger. This was a side of Kira Dusty had never seen before. Needless to say, he was a little scared, but he didn’t want to bring Steele’s attention to Kira. He said nothing, but he pulled the pups over to him and held them tight.

Gail looked up at him with eyes like twin stars, and he knew she was as scared of Kira as he was. He ruffled the fur on top of her head, and she rubbed her head against his leg gratefully. Silver stared wide-eyed at Steele. Dusty barely stopped a sigh from escaping his lips. The pups shouldn’t be here, but what else could he do with them?

Steele stopped in the center of his accusers, his eyes drifting over every angry face he could see. That coy smile appeared again, and with mock dignity he said, “Well, seeing how much I’ve messed up your lives already, I guess it won’t matter if I–” He snapped forward and grabbed Kaila and held her against him while pushing his claws against her throat.

Dusty’s stomach flipped into his throat. “Kaila!”

Silver Arrow lunged forward. “No! Kaila!”

“Not so fast, lover boy,” Steele chuckled, dodging Silver Arrow’s attack. “For every step you take, Kaila here gets a little…farther away.” He emphatically drove his claws just a little harder into Kaila’s neck. Kaila choked, and struggled against him. Now that Steele had the upper hand, he wouldn’t let go until he was ready to make his getaway.

Dusty swallowed, his mouth suddenly as dry as cotton. How had the tables turned so quickly? He knew, he knew, that Steele wouldn’t care if he killed Kaila. And there was nothing Dusty could do, unless he wanted to be responsible for Kaila’s death himself. No one could save her. For every step they took towards her, Steele would pierce her neck a little harder with his nails. Dusty dug his nails deep into the dirt in frustration. He felt so powerless.

Silver Arrow stood trembling before Steele, his muscles jerking indecisively underneath his skin. His golden eyes sparked painfully as he weighed the possibility of Kaila’s death against his own need to protect her. Finally he bared his teeth in a determined scowl, and threw himself at Steele with a heart-torn cry. He ripped Steele’s paw from Kaila’s neck, and she sucked desperately for air and struggled to drag herself from Steele’s grasp.

Silver Arrow knocked Steele to the ground and tried to help Kaila get away. Dusty saw his chance and sprang in to help, but Steele ripped Kaila from both of them. Copper came up on Steele from behind with a growl and hauled him backwards to swipe at him, but Steele used Kaila’s body as a shield, and Kaila caught the swipe instead. She gasped, and began to go limp as Steele pressed his claws against her neck again. Red blood beaded her throat, and her eyes were vacant and glassy.

“Stop!” Balto roared.

Everyone froze.

Balto stared at Steele pleadingly. “Kill me if you want revenge. Just please don’t kill my daughter,” he said quickly, conscious of the thin thread of life Kaila barely held onto.

Steele grinned at Balto. “Why would I do that, when I’ve been trying to make your life and your children’s lives as much of a living hell as you did mine?” he said, speaking slowly as he felt the body against him drain of life drop by drop. “Which reminds me.” He turned and barked at the four wolves who had just barely regained consciousness. “Get the spies! Now!”

The wolves shakily scrambled up and loped across the snow-dusted landscape and into the trees.

Steele sighed impatiently. Kaila was fading fast, too fast. She would be dead before they got back. “While we’re waiting…” He loosened his hold on her. Kaila’s pupils were tiny specks as she heaved in air and fought to keep from blacking out.

Dusty didn’t realize he had been holding his breath until he had begun to feel dizzy. He opened his mouth again and felt the air swirl around his brain, and realized Kaila must be feeling ten times worse than he. He ached for her.

Into the silence, Balto tried once again to reach Steele. “Steele, you were bad before, but this is a new low. Whatever happened to you couldn’t be worth killing as many dogs and wolves as you did.”

“I was outcast!” Steele raged, “I was an outcast even more than you were before you saved those kids and everyone started calling you ‘hero’! My owner wouldn’t even race me anymore! And you stole Jenna! I had no job, no fans, not even Jenna…”

“You got what you deserved,” Chase muttered.

“And you rubbed it in my face when you had your pups!” Steele roared, “There was nothing left to do but ruin the life you had that was meant for me!…And that’s what I’m doing right now.”

From across the tundra the four wolves led four limping, sagging, beaten creatures. As they drew closer, Dusty recognized them as Lakota, Nilak, Sage, and Sarai. His mouth dropped open. Obviously they hadn’t been killed, but they had been beaten to within an inch of their lives.

Lakota still held himself proudly, but his dark fur was smeared with blood, and he walked with a stiff limp. The others were a little better off, but not much.

The Anvil Creek spies were lined up outside the circle, on the spot where the Northern Hills wolves had been knocked unconscious, and each Northern Hills wolf took an Anvil Creek wolf to guard. Lakota and the others were too weak to resist, though Lakota’s green eyes glittered angrily when he saw Kaila’s predicament, and Nilak’s eyes found his sister.

“Nilak!” Cheyenne cried.

“Now that you’re all here, I want you to know something,” Steele said softly, his voice suddenly, insanely calm. “I want you to know what it feels like to have something you love ripped away from you forever, to have something happen to you that you don’t even deserve. I want you to know what I felt when I was made outcast because of a low-life, mangywolf-dog who stole everything from me.” He backed out of the circle while dragging Kaila, and the dogs reluctantly parted to let him through. No one could stop him.

Steele halted a few steps back from the circle and looked around at them all, a twisted grin creasing his sickly face and his blue eyes spinning wildly. “And I want you to know…that this is for you, wolf-dog, and your whole wretched family!” Steele raised his paw and brought it down with a slash.

A beam of soft green light hit Steele right in the eye, blinding him, and he roared with surprise.

Kaila coughed.

Copper gasped.

Chase gaped.

Dusty stared.

Kaila threw herself out of Steele’s grip and fell to the ground. She weakly lifted her head as the world spun and tipped in front of her eyes, and watched as Silver Arrow, Copper, Ketch, Chase, Balto, Taya, Ava, Dusty, and Kira hurled themselves at Steele in a barrage of teeth and claws. Steele was flung off his feet and pinned to the ground. Through the lashing fray, Kaila saw an orange paw plunge into Steele’s side as Taya dealt the killing blow.

Steele’s scream seared through Kaila’s head like a knife.

Kaila turned her head away and followed the green shaft of light to a nearby hilltop where Jenna stood over the broken bottles bright with the Northern Lights. Jenna adjusted the green piece of glass aimed at Steele with her paw so that the soft green light shaft tipped back to join the lightshow on the hill.

Kaila smiled faintly, let her head drop to the frosty ground, and sank into a peaceful blackness.

Kaila opened her eyes to find herself inside the pack cave surrounded by most of the Anvil Creek pack. They all looked so concerned she wanted to laugh, until she sat up.

“Ohhh,” she groaned as her brain hammered the inside of her skull and hot pain shot through her neck. She looked down. A large, scabbed cut curved over the side of her neck. She remembered the gleam of Steele’s claws as they rushed towards her throat. They must have slipped and gashed her when Jenna blinded Steele for a moment. “That’s going to leave a mark,” she muttered. Kaila finally looked up and managed a smile. “Hey, guys.”

“Kaila!”

Kaila braced herself for a violent impact, but was shocked when Sarai simply padded forward and wrapped her in a hug she barely felt. She accepted the embrace and gave back one of her own, but when Sarai stepped back she regarded her curiously. “I was expecting more of the usual bombs-away catapult hug you usually give me. Are you okay, Sarai?”

Sarai shrugged, but Kaila could see her body was bruised and bloody. “I’ll be okay. I got a little beaten up, but at least I’ve still got my singing voice, and my mom.” She rested her head on Sage’s shoulder. “Are yousure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Fine. Sure,” Kaila babbled absentmindedly.

Sage smiled understandingly, but something behind her eyes made Kaila think the Northern Hills pack’s abuse had left her more hurt than she would show. But Sage was strong. She always had been. She would heal.

Kaila’s gaze slid to Lakota, and a genuine smile grew on her face. Lakota’s visage matched her own, and they rushed into a long, joyous embrace meant only for the best of friends.

“Lakota,” Kaila breathed, and a tear streamed down her cheek before she could stop it.

“Don’t scare me like that,” Lakota whispered in her ear. “I thought you were dead. I thought I was going to go insane when I saw you lying there on the ground. Steele really knew how to mess with our minds.”

Kaila pulled back. “Steele’s dead?” she asked even as the image of Taya’s paw slicing into her father’s side came back to her. She could hardly believe the monster that had hunted her and her family for so long was finally gone.

“Steele’s dead,” Lakota assured her, “Killed by his own daughter. I think he got a death worthy of how he lived.”

Kaila nodded without really listening. Such a golden sweep of relief had washed over her she felt as if her very soul was singing. Her family was free, free from Steele’s bitterness and jealous rage. The world seemed brighter, cleaner, newer, no longer shadowed by an envious malamute’s need for revenge. Her father was free from the darkness of his past. She was free.

She suddenly looked up at Lakota with a wry grin and narrowed eyes. “You thought I was dead?” she said, “What about you? How did you get discovered?”

Lakota refused to look her in the eye. He seemed a little ashamed. “It was my fault. I thought we could get close enough to hear the battle plans by standing at the back of the pack meeting and pretending to be Northern Hills wolves. The real Northern Hills wolves were so riveted on Steele’s words that I didn’t think anyone would notice. But I forgot every pack identifies itself by a certain scent. We aren’t around other packs much, so it’s easy to forget that. The wind changed, and then they all knew we were Anvil Creek wolves. And then…everything’s a blur. I think the entire pack attacked us. I brought Sage and Sarai along for protection, but I thought we’d need them only for a quick getaway. I never thought we’d have the whole pack after us. All four of us became conscious again in a cave, and Steele unleashed some of the wolves on us.” Lakota winced, shaking the hurt hind leg that made him limp. “Let’s just say they had anger issues. They wounded us so we couldn’t move. When they came to get us to see you die, I could barely walk.”

“Are you all right now?” Kaila asked. She was horrified at how much Lakota had gone through for the sake of the pack. His bravery and strength belittled her own. To think she had once dreamed of being beta wolf, never mind alpha!

“Everyone’s fine,” he reassured her, “We’ve had food, and rest. You were out cold for almost an hour. Sarai was going to get some snow to throw in your face to make sure you were still alive.”

Kaila looked over at Sarai and smiled. “How…sweet of her.” Sarai was rolling on the ground on her back, wriggling happily and smiling blissfully up at her mother, who smiled indulgently back. Sarai’s joyful spirit had survived Steele’s torture chamber. Kaila was very grateful for that.

Suddenly Kaila remembered something, and another tear sprang to her eye.

“Kaila, what’s wrong?” Lakota said with concern.

“Chase told me Ketch said something about you,” she began, “She said that he said that he could tell, just by looking at you, that you were someone who would come back no matter what.” She smiled through her tears. “And he was right.”

Lakota was speechless. He seemed a little embarrassed, but pleased. “Well, I couldn’t leave my ‘just friend’ behind, could I?” he finally said with a small grin, referring to a pact he and Kaila had made on her first stay with the Anvil Creek pack promising to stay just friends and not boyfriend and girlfriend, like some would expect. “Where is Ketch? Isn’t he Chase’s friend?”

“Yeah. They must be outside.”

Kaila and Lakota trotted to the cave mouth and looked out.

Chase and Ketch stood talking earnestly against the cave wall. Dusty and Kira stood silently with their two pups next to a group of three pine trees. Kaila recalled with a flash the image of a wounded Robin limp in Steele’s paw. Robin had died? She knew Dusty had loved that kid from the bottom of his soul. She knew the sad pang she felt must be nothing compared to what Dusty was feeling.

Copper and Taya stood nuzzling at the very edge of the battlefield. Balto and Jenna were further out, searching among the bodies for someone. Kaila thought about who had failed to be by her side when she awoke. It hit her like a bullet. Aniu.

Aniu was gone, too.

She had been old, and it was her time, but…it still hurt.

Cheyenne and Nilak sat close in front of a corpse. As Kaila watched, Cheyenne leaned into Nilak and buried her face in his fur. Kaila realized with a jolt that the corpse was Kiowa. And that Cheyenne and Nilak were parentless now.

The happiness Kaila had felt moments before was rippled by sadness and uncertainty. Aniu, Kiowa, and Robin were all dead? She knew the loss could have been greater, but it seemed as if the ones who were most needed had gone.

“KAILA!” Chase’s shout rolled over the tundra to any listening ear within five miles. Immediately all eyes turned on Kaila, and she was attacked with literally breathtaking hugs and concerned questions about her health and repeated shouts of her name. Kaila treasured all this affection, but it was her mother’s greeting she especially cherished.

“Kaila!” Jenna wrapped her daughter in a strong embrace. “I was so worried! Lakota said you would be fine, so I went off to help your father, but…oh, sweet, I’m so glad you’re alive! I was so scared I wasn’t at least going to get to say goodbye.”

“Oh, Mom, I’m fine,” Kaila said, pulling back. “But what are you doing here?”

Jenna gazed at her steadily. “I wasn’t going to see another daughter of mine leave without a goodbye.”

Kaila tried not to squirm. She had been feeling guilty about that ever since she had left Nome. She knew she had made the wrong choice. “I’m sorry, Mom,” Kaila mumbled, “I know I should’ve said goodbye. It was the middle of the night, and I guess I wasn’t thinking as clearly as I thought I was. I said goodbye to Dad, but I knew he wouldn’t be completely awake. I don’t know…I guess I was afraid that if I went to you, you would try to stop me. And I love these guys.” Kaila gestured towards what was left of the Anvil Creek pack. “They’re as much my family as you are. And I want to stay with them, as one of them.”

Jenna smiled to hide the tears trembling under her eyelids. “Sweetheart, if I’ve ever tried to stop you from following your dreams, it’s because I don’t want to let you go. But I know I can’t hang on. You’ve been under lock and key long enough.” She laughed shakily and embraced her daughter. “Go. I can see you’re happier here than any place else in the world. Just remember to visit from time to time, okay?”

“Thanks, Mom,” Kaila whispered, smiling so hard she could barely see. “I will.” Drawing back, she raised an eyebrow questioningly. “One thing: why did you bring the polar ice caps?”

Jenna shrugged, but a secretive smile danced on her face. “I don’t really know. But it turned out it was a good thing I brought them, didn’t it?”

“I’ll say,” Balto chimed in, “Your mother saved your life with those, Kaila. She carried them all the way from Nome inside her bandana in her mouth along with a lantern, and when she saw Steele choking you she set everything up and tilted one of the shards so the light hit Steele right in the eye.” He shook his head in both disbelief and admiration. “Of all the things those broken bottles have been used for, your mother’s idea was the darndest…and best.”

“Kaila?” Silver Arrow shuffled through the crowd to stand before her, keeping his eyes down and his tail tucked under him. “I need to talk to you.”

Kaila felt her insides freeze and then melt, sending icy shivers up her back. “Um…yeah. Sure.” As she walked away with him, she glanced over her shoulder to see everyone huddle around Lakota and Copper as they started to explain about Silver Arrow to Balto and Jenna.

Silver Arrow led her along the hill until her family was moving blurs of color in the distance. Kaila was a little uneasy about being this far away, but she wasn’t scared. She knew what he wanted to say.

Silver Arrow slowly swung around to see her face to face. His face was chalky white under his gray fur, and Kaila thought she could almost hear his pounding heart. “Kaila…I don’t really know how to say this. I…” Silver Arrow took a deep breath, and dove in. “I’ve loved you ever since I first saw you. I heard from one of the wolves that had conducted the ambush that there was a wolf-dog in the Anvil Creek pack. I was curious –you don’t see many wolf-dogs among wolves– so I snuck off by myself to see this for myself. And when I saw you…I thought you were the most amazing, most beautiful female I’d ever seen. And after you spoke to me, I thought you were the bravest canine I’d ever met. I wanted to know everything about you. That’s why I started asking all those questions. And I’ll never forget your response to them.” He turned to show her the dark slash across his cheek. She gasped softly, and had to restrain herself from reaching up and touching it. He grinned wryly. “Don’t worry about it. It will heal.”

“I’m…really sorry about that,” Kaila breathed, her pulse pumping fast and hard.

“There was one female in my pack I had thought about asking to be my mate,” he went on, “But she was nothing compared to you. At the battle I went up to you as quickly as I could so as you tried to fight me I could protect you. And when Steele was killing you, all I could think about was how you deserved life more than me. I had become a traitor to both sides.” Silver Arrow hung his head, but when he looked up again his golden eyes were shining with hope. “I would die for you, Kaila. I love you. All I need to know is if you…return my feelings.”

For a moment it was as if Kaila stepped outside her body and studied Silver Arrow with an artist’s eye. He was strong and firm in body, and his fur was lustrous and sleek, depicting him like the arrow of silver he was named for. His eyes were like two deep, yellow moons. He was honest. He was loyal to a fault. And he loved her.

Kaila came back into herself, and felt a canyon between the two halves of her heart. She knew she had thought he was handsome even in that split second before fear had kicked in when she had seen him for the first time. And that admiration had deepened.

‘Forgive me, Sirius,’ Kaila breathed silently, ‘But I love him back.’

“Silver Arrow.” Kaila gulped. “When you were living among the Anvil Creek pack, Sirius was the alpha male. You betrayed him when you revealed yourself as a spy for the Northern Hills pack. I stayed with the Anvil Creek pack for two days six months ago. Sirius was still the alpha male, and he became like a second father to me. He drowned on my second day with the pack.” Kaila swallowed again, trying to keep her mouth working. “If I tell you how I feel, I feel like I’m betraying Sirius, too. That’s why I hated you. You deceived him.”

Silver Arrow’s eyes sparkled even brighter. “So you love me?”

Kaila was silent.

“Kaila, I know what I did was wrong,” Silver Arrow told her, “Back then, I didn’t really think about what I was doing. I thought I was simply being loyal to my pack. I’m sorry I did it now, and if only I had stayed in the Anvil Creek pack I would have met you sooner. But I’ve changed, and if there is an afterlife Sirius should be able to see that. So do you love me?” His whole body was trembling. His eyes shone with wild anticipation.

Kaila looked at Silver Arrow, but she didn’t see him. She saw Sirius, smiling kindly, taking charge, frowning thoughtfully. Dying. His paw sliding beneath the ice. Forever.

Suddenly Silver Arrow’s face filled her vision, and Kaila knew he was right. Sirius had been a truly great wolf. He wouldn’t want her to throw away love because of him. Kaila stared up at Silver Arrow, her heart slowly filling up. “Yes,” she whispered, “I love you, Silver Arrow.”

A grin split Silver Arrow’s face from ear to ear, and he tipped his head back and howled with joyous abandon. The call resounded across the tundra.

Silver Arrow grabbed Kaila and clasped her to him and kissed her. Kaila jumped back, astonished.

Silver Arrow edged backwards, sweeping one paw over the wet grass in embarrassment. “S-sorry,” he stammered, “I guess I just got a little too…carried away.”

Kindling emotions rushed through Kaila’s blood. She vaguely knew that she was shaking. Her first kiss had been a little more frightening than she’d expected. And yet… “Th-that’s okay,” she stuttered back, “I kind of…kind of liked it.”

Silver Arrow looked at her. They exchanged small smiles.

Very slowly, almost reverently, Silver Arrow brought her to him and pressed his lips to hers. Kaila’s head whirled dizzily. She savored the taste he left on her mouth, and moved her head so their lips flowed into each other smoothly. They stayed so still they seemed to become a part of the landscape, afraid to break the moment, afraid to break away from each other.

Eventually Silver Arrow slid away, and brought his paw up to run it over the side of Kaila’s face. Kaila smiled at him, her eyes slits of pleasure. Without a word they turned and headed back towards the pack cave.

As they neared the cave, they saw the Anvil Creek pack and Kaila’s family had spread out from their small huddle, and Lakota stood to greet them as they padded over.

“Kaila, the Anvil Creek pack has decided something,” Lakota said, “Now that my mother, Aniu, is…dead, the pack needs a new alpha female. And we have chosen you.”

Kaila almost fell backwards with the shock. “Me? You chose me? Why me?” she babbled.

“Because you are strong enough to lead this pack,” Lakota explained, “You have recovered from being wounded by Steele, and you survived the battle with minor injuries. Sage received many injuries that have left her unable to be alpha. Sarai is too young. Cheyenne was our other candidate, but she adamantly said that she didn’t want to be alpha, and you are older and more experienced than her.”

Kaila’s mind spun. “But what about the alpha male, ‘just friend’?” she asked, subtly reminding him of their pact.

Lakota shook his head. “I won’t be alpha male anymore. I don’t know how long I’m going to have this limp…and anyway, it should be your choice as to who you want to be with as mates and parents.”

Mates and parents. The words ricocheted around Kaila’s brain. Judging by his expression, it had been hard for Lakota to get those words out. This was so unreal.

“But-but…but…” Kaila protested, but she couldn’t think of anything to say. Lakota was right on every case and point.

Kaila turned to face Silver Arrow. His eyes were wide with fear. Kaila could hardly believe it was her saying the words as she calmly said, “Then I choose Silver Arrow.”

Kaila heard a startled gasp from Cheyenne, and swung around to face her. “Will you be able to accept him as your leader?” She could only imagine Silver Arrow’s thoughts. They probably ran along the lines of: ‘They won’t accept me, they won’t accept me, Kaila, what have you done, they won’t accept me, they won’t accept me…’

“He’s a traitor to Sirius!” Cheyenne cried. Nilak nudged her. She looked at him. “What?” He gave her a cold, hard glare.

Cheyenne stared at him for a minute, and then looked away, muttering, “Fine. Fine! Have it your way…” She cleared her throat. “But it would be dishonoring our father to shun someone who obviously has changed so much.” She raised her eyebrows. “But I’m warning you, pal, this is your last chance!”

“From what I’ve heard, Silver Arrow sounds like a good mate for our daughter,” Balto said, and Jenna nodded.

“I’m…honored,” Silver Arrow said at last, nodding deeply to each pack member and then to Kaila’s parents. “I won’t take this chance for granted.”

Kaila breathed out a sigh of relief. Her future was bright, with Silver Arrow by her side.

Copper walked with Taya back to the edge of the battlefield.

“Well, your sister certainly has the good life,” Taya remarked, “Alpha female, a loyal pack, a mate who loves her…though I can’t believe she loves Silver Arrow!”

Copper shrugged. He understood his sister better than most, but even he had been caught off-guard when she had chosen the wolf she had only before referred to as the Traitor. “Well, it’s obvious he loves her. And I guess when she could stop hating him, she liked what she saw. That’s only a guess, but they seem like a good couple.”

Taya turned to face him. “So we’re a couple now, aren’t we?” she said a little shyly.

Copper looked at her. Ever since she had smashed her paw into Steele’s side, Taya had been different. The anger was gone from her. She held herself higher, prouder. It was as if a great burden she had been carrying for years had been lifted, and now she could feel proud of who she was. Copper saw the fire behind her blue eyes, but he knew it wasn’t anger; it was her sudden love for life and –could it be?– love for him.

“Yeah, I guess,” he said, grinning, “So does this mean I can tell you I love you without you knocking me flat?”

Taya laughed. “I’ll do better than that: I love you, Copper!” She leaned forward and kissed him quickly, and ducked her head as her face flushed a brilliant scarlet.

Copper stared at her open-mouthed. “Who are you, and what have you done with Taya?”

Taya smiled sheepishly. “I’m just happy.” She looked out at the spot where Steele’s body lay, his back to them. “I know I’ll always be Steele’s daughter, but now that I can say that I killed him myself, got him out of my life and yours…well, dogs will look on me differently. And I was getting tired of feeling angry, anyway. Anger drains you. And it makes you hate everyone for no reason, and it can twist you until you can’t stop hating. That’s the only thing I learned from my father.”

Copper gazed out at Steele’s body. He had felt the release, too, of being finally free of a dark being that had hunted his family for far too long. Now he and Taya could be together.

Copper smiled. At least his own romance had worked out.

He rested his head on top of Taya’s, and she leaned her head against his shoulder with a sigh of contentment that ruffled his fur and touched his heart.

It had stopped snowing. The sky was still gray, but it had been deepening to a dark blue, piece by piece. The sun had burst out from behind the clouds, but it had turned a tawny gold and was slipping towards the west. In this perfect, peaceful moment, Copper felt a shudder pass through him as he looked out on the battlefield.

It was an ugly sight.

Corpses lay everywhere, broken and battered, beaten and scarred. Street dogs lay among wolves in death, and one could see they were not much different from each other. Ironic how death can reveal so many things that could have saved lives if only others had opened their eyes. Copper wondered if the wolves knew they were heading into a battle that was less for their pack’s territory than for revenge on Steele’s part. He marveled that the alleyway dogs would give their lives to protect dogs they had never laid eyes on. All either group had hoped for was to survive as heroes, or if not, to die with honor and courage.

This battle had claimed many lives: the Northern Hills pack was officially wiped out. The four remaining males had fled to join other packs or spend their lives as lone wolves. Right now Kaila was helping the other pack members drag out the bodies of the Northern Hills wolves from the hidden cave. Most were dead from the steep fall and being buried under other bodies, and the ones that were alive quickly scrambled up and hobbled away as fast as they could. Copper grinned. He was proud of his idea to use the hidden cave as a trap, especially since he could barely think at the time he had come up with the idea.

Copper suddenly realized that since the Anvil Creek pack had won the battle and killed off the Northern Hills pack, Kaila and Silver Arrow now had power over both the Anvil Creek and Northern Hills territory! He knew next to nothing about the territory size of the Eagle Pass pack or other clans, but he knew his sister had power over many, many miles of land. Kaila was becoming more of a surprise every minute.

The few survivors of the street dogs were slowly rising from the ground, tending to their wounds, and hobbling over to talk to Chase and Ketch.

Out of the corner of his eye Copper thought he saw Steele move.

Steele’s hind leg stretched upward and his sides heaved up and down…

Copper whipped around, choking with disbelief, but Steele’s body lay as limp as ever, his fur only stirred by the soft wind. Copper forced himself to breathe regularly, and he was mortified to find a cold sweat beaded on the fur around his neck. He had imagined it; he was sure of it. But somehow Copper knew that, dead or not, Steele would always be somewhere in the back of his mind, taunting his family, stirring up fear for Taya and any pups she and Copper might have together. Indeed, that would be Steele’s greatest triumph.

“Copper, what’s wrong?” Taya asked, looking up at him with concern. But before he could say anything, a weak voice older than time called out to them, “Oh, my…Is that little Taya?”

Both Copper and Taya spun around and searched the field frantically with their eyes. A chestnut German shepherd/husky mix on their far left tried to haul herself up from the stained grass, but her wounds made her sink down with a grimace. Once more she called out, “Is that Taya? It is! Oh, I never thought I’d live to see you all grown!”

“Do you know her?” Copper muttered to Taya.

Taya’s brow furrowed as she searched her memory. “I don’t know…but she seems to know me.”

Copper swallowed nervously, and he and Taya crept cautiously towards the strange dog. Ava joined them, and they slowly padded up to the stranger.

“Um…who are you?” Taya asked bluntly.

The stranger looked surprised, and then she laughed. “You don’t remember me? Well, you were only a pup, so it’s only to be expected. After your…mother…died, and your father left, I looked after you and your sister and your brother, until that man took you away and Hawk got taken off the street. Who was that man, Taya?”

“That was Nicholas Carson,” Taya said flatly, “He wanted me to fight to get him money in the dog-fighting ring. Now he’s arrested, and I got out of there, thanks to Copper.”

“Oh, so it’s Copper, is it?” the chestnut female said. A rasp had slipped into her voice. She had pushed herself from lying on her side to her stomach. Her sides were shredded and bleeding, but she seemed to want to put all her strength into getting reacquainted with her adopted daughter. “I never thought you would be one to get a man, yet here you are, and Ava still a bachelorette! Will wonders never cease?”

Ava patted the dog’s leg a little sharper than was necessary. “Stop talking, Luka. You need to rest. Those wounds don’t look so good.” She smiled apologetically at Taya. “I’m sorry. This is Luka. She was a friend of our mother’s, though she doesn’t like to talk about our mother that much.”

Taya shook her head in bewilderment. “I-I don’t remember any of this.” She pointed at Luka. “I don’t remember her. I don’t even remember you that much. Everything’s so…dim.”

Ava nodded slowly. “I know. I can’t remember much either. We were just pups, though. We were only a few months old when that Carson guy took you away. And then another man came a few weeks after and took Hawk. Maybe he was a friend of Carson. All I know is that Luka was the only family I had after you two were taken. I still can’t really believe we’re sisters. But the evidence is there.”

“Where’s Hawk?” Luka blurted out, “My two girls are here, but that devious little critter isn’t.”

Taya shook her head again. “I haven’t seen him since we were pups. Do you know anything about Hawk, Copper?” Taya’s bright blue eyes met his.

Copper felt his blood quickening. In a flash he saw his paw slicing into Hawk’s neck, the four red slashes seeming to grow longer as blood dribbled down. Hawk skidding across the ring, his malicious face falling into an expressionless mask. Copper’s mind whirled back to the present, and he realized he was breathing hard. But he wasn’t the only one.

“Luka!” Ava cried.

Luka had slumped forward, and her back legs spasmed painfully. Her breathing came in labored gasps, and her eyes were squeezed tight against the world.

“Luka!” Taya bent down near the old dog, her eyes wide with fear. “Luka, what was my mother’s name? Why did she go with Steele?”

Luka squeezed her eyes tighter and shook her head. She either couldn’t or wouldn’t respond.

Ava had become very quiet, as if she had sunken into herself. “She doesn’t have much time,” she said hollowly, and leaned forward with Taya and urged Luka, “Please, tell us. Please, Luka. Tell us our mother’s name.”

Copper was grateful for the distraction, but he too felt the anguish as Taya and Ava saw their last chance of finding out who their mother was slipping away. It was painful to watch.

Luka suddenly seemed to relax. Her face drew into a peaceful expression, no smile or frown.

“Luka?” Ava whispered.

Luka opened her mouth and rasped, “Her name was Ta–” Her mouth dropped closed, and the breath hissed out of her body in a long, hideous death rattle.

Ava continued staring at Luka’s face as if she couldn’t believe the old female was really dead. “Luka…” Ava clenched and unclenched her paws and ducked her head. Copper saw one single teardrop fall.

Taya sat back with a lost expression on her face. Then she smacked the grass with her paw and swore under her breath. Copper hesitantly tried to embrace her to comfort her, but she brushed him away. “Are there any other dogs who could tell us?” she questioned Ava delicately.

Ava shook her head slowly. “No. From what Luka mentioned, our mother was an outcast even among street dogs. I’m pretty sure Luka was her only friend.” Another tear snaked down Ava’s muzzle. She wiped it away roughly with her tail, and gulped. “Uh…I wonder if Hawk remembers Luka,” she said softly, trying in vain to think of something else.

Taya froze.

Copper steeled himself for what was coming, inwardly groaning.

Taya pivoted around to face him, suspicion sparking in her eyes. “Do you know anything about Hawk, Copper?” she said quietly, making every word hard and crisp. This time Copper knew there was no escape.

He avoided her gaze and concentrated on tearing up the grass with his claws. Taya watched him, and Copper knew her eyes were narrowing and her scowl was deepening. Her paw reached out and pressed down on top of his, forcing him to stop his rampage on the greenery. She gently turned him towards her and said in a strong voice, “What’s happened to Hawk, Copper?”

Copper risked looking up, and when his eyes met hers he knew he was dead meat. ‘So this is what a mouse feels like before a cat pounces,’ he thought miserably, ‘I have to tell her.’

Taya was steadily growing impatient and furious. She waited a few seconds, and burst out, “Copper!”

“I KILLED HAWK!” Copper screamed.

Taya’s thunderstruck expression suggested she had been dealt a hard blow to the gut. She stumbled backwards, her mouth open, searching Copper’s eyes.

Copper swallowed and averted his eyes, fear churning like chunks of ice in his stomach. What would Taya do to him? He had to explain. “Listen, Taya. I had no idea Hawk was your brother,” he muttered quickly, “He lived in Nome and made fun of my sister Kaila for looking part wolf, and I got into a fight with him in Nome after he bulled her one time. We saw each other at the Northern Fights. He killed my friend Storm there. I just kept thinking about how he had teased Kaila his whole life, and now he had killed Storm, and before I knew it…” He risked looking up, and saw Taya was frozen in an unbelieving stance. A lump rose in his throat. He coughed, and looked down again and hastily continued. “And before I knew it, I had sunk my claws into his neck and sent him spinning across the ring.”

The astonished silence around him was the world’s weight on his shoulders.

“Right after that the police stormed in, Carson put you under the building in that cage, and then he was arrested, and I rescued you. I’m really sorry, Taya. I let my anger control me. But I hated Hawk. Revenge seemed like the only thing left to do. I’m sorry.” Copper braced himself for the torrent of anger he was sure Taya would unleash upon him. He waited for all hell to break loose as Taya lashed out with rage. He waited…but nothing happened.

He cautiously looked up, and was surprised to see Taya standing very still as if the slightest movement would be the death of her. Her blue eyes shone with a dim light, like two dying stars. Copper felt almost like a ghost of his former self as Taya finally saw him for who he truly was: her brother’s murderer. But also her rescuer. And her love.

Copper’s skin crawled as her eerie calm stretched longer and longer. “Taya?” he whispered uncertainly.

Taya closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. When she spoke, her voice was low and level with a slight tremor running through it, as if she knew flying out of control was still entirely possible. “From what you told me and from what I remember, Hawk was a lot like Steele. He was my brother, but he was cruel and enjoyed hurting others. The last thing this world needs is another Steele. Hawk deserved to die.” Taya opened her eyes and padded up to Copper quietly and leaned against him.

Copper stared down at her in disbelief, her words flashing through his brain over and over. Taya looked up at him with a steady gaze. Astonishment and love blasted through Copper like frigid waters. He was frozen, not really sure what to do.

Taya nuzzled him as she mumbled, “I forgive you.”

Copper dipped his head to look at her, not sure of what he was hearing. Taya stared up at him, and suddenly a smile barely touched the corners of her mouth as she rubbed her nose against his cheek.

Copper slowly worked himself up to the truth: he was forgiven.

Gently he nuzzled Taya back. Sweet surrender washed over him as the burden he had been carrying ever since that night at the Fights was swept away.

Chase and Ketch were greeted by the surviving street dogs of the battle.

“I trust your family made it through, Chase?” Smokey, a male Keeshond, inquired.

Chase nodded. “Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much. You risked so much for me.”

“Anything for you, Chase,” Bear, an American Eskimo dog, said sincerely, “Even our lives.”

“Is there anything we can do for you, Ketch?” Smokey said, “You look awful.”

“Thanks,” Ketch joked, “Guys, I’ll be fine. Trust me. But battles are bound to be hard on one’s complexion, you know?”

Chase pushed him playfully, but was careful to be gentle. “Listen, you. A lot more than your complexion got messed up…but at least now your outside matches your mind.”

The five street dogs chuckled a little as Ketch pushed Chase back.

“We’re going back to Nome now,” Smokey said, “The battle’s over, and if we don’t leave soon it’ll be night before we get back. Will you be coming with us?”

“We’ll catch up,” Ketch said, “We’ll need to get Chase’s family all rounded up to go, and Chase needs to say goodbye to her sister.”

“I think we’ll ask Ava to come back with us,” Bear said.

“I think she would appreciate that,” Ketch said with a soft smile. His expression changed when a sudden thought hit him as the dogs turned to go. “Wait! Do you know if Matt…made it through?”

The group paused halfway in turning around. There was an awkward silence while Ketch looked on anxiously, and Chase’s heart sank.

At long last, Belle, Bear’s sister, hesitantly faced Ketch and with her eyes downcast said, “No…Matt didn’t make it. The only ones left are us…I’m sorry, Ketch. Really.”

Chase watched as Ketch’s hopeful face grew from shock, to anger, to nothing, as slowly as a cloud cloaks the sun. Ketch set his mouth in a tight line, neither smile nor frown. “Right. Um, thanks. Yeah…see ya.” His usually shining hazel eyes were devoid of light. He stared down at the ground and traced a figure eight through bloodstained grass.

Belle’s brown eyes were sorrowful as she gazed at Ketch, then Chase. Chase subsequently noticed their grief-stricken faces and the scars that carved too deep to be seen from the outside. She realized Smokey had lost all of his family and all but seven of his friends – all the street dogs had been friends with Smokey. Bear had lost his mother and six of his seven littermates. She had lost nearly all the dogs who had become her second family. And Ketch had lost his best friend and many others.

The pain in the eyes of her friends probably mirrored the anguish in her own. She had almost forgotten the price of war: death.

Smokey, Bear, Belle, and the other two dogs turned and trotted away before it became too much for Chase. She watched them go with a heart as heavy as lead. They had sacrificed too much for her. She knew it had been their choice, but she still felt guilty. She had sacrificed her own feelings to protect her family. Had it been worth it?

Chase watched as Smokey padded up to Ava and said something. Ava seemed uncertain, and glanced back at Copper and Taya. Taya said something and Copper nodded. Ava got to her feet, but she still lingered. At length, she bent down and whispered something into the ear of the dead chestnut dog at her feet. Then she stood up straight and followed Smokey as he led her back to the rest of the remaining alley dogs. She hugged them all, and began to lope away with them back to Nome.

Chase had a thought so sudden it tore through her like an electric shock. Before she knew it she was galloping towards Ava at breakneck speed, shouting, “Ava! Wait! Ava!”

Ava pivoted around and stopped in surprise, her shoulders up and tense.

Chase skidded to a halt with a shower of red and faced Steele’s daughter resolutely. “Ava, I’m sorry I acted so hateful towards you earlier. Steele…was your father, but I was too caught up in my hate to think that you could be different. I grew up hearing the story about my dad saving Nome, so in a way I grew up hating Steele. I guess I didn’t really know how to act towards you if I didn’t hate you. But you managed to put up with me, and you came to my rescue when I needed help. You sacrificed so much for me. I don’t deserve a friend like you.”

Ava listened carefully, her head tilted and her eyes squinted as if to aid her concentration. Chase studied her. She still saw Steele in that black and white fur, that thin face. But she also saw Ava’s mother in that purple Chow tongue and those brown eyes. And in the kindness behind her eyes, Chase saw Ava. Ava was not Steele. She was herself and only herself. And Chase had no reason to hate Ava.

“You are my friend,” Chase finished, “And I hope I can be the same to you.”

A smile grew quickly on Ava’s face, and she beamed at Chase. “Chase, I’ve always admired you for your strength and strong opinions, but I honestly thought your opinion of me would never change. I’m glad it has. And yes, we are friends.” Ava’s smile slipped, and she laughed sadly. “As for the sacrificing part, dying to save your family in this battle is not as bad as it could be. Street dogs don’t have a future. We’ll be born as street dogs, we’ll have pups that will always be street dogs, and we’ll die as street dogs. The only things that matter in our lives are friends and family. Our lives are the only thing we have to give, and since they’re worth so little we give them gladly for the ones we care about.”

Inwardly Chase was reeling. Whathad Ava just said?

Ava looked at Chase with a steady gaze. “Many dogs gave their lives for you because they knew you and your family had more of a future than they. They showed you they cared about you in one of the few ways they could. Do you understand, Chase?”

“I-I think so,” Chase stammered. The truth was so startling her brain was having trouble grasping it. “Thanks, Ava.”

Ava broke into a happy grin. She glanced behind Chase. “Oh, Ketch! Is there anything I can do to help?”

Ketch came up to Chase’s side. “Actually, I think that little speech of yours helped more than anything.” To Chase he muttered, “And to think I thought I was going to have to drag you over kicking and screaming to talk to Ava! I’ll never get you figured out, Chase.”

She poked him. “Confusing you, that’s how I have fun now,” she whispered back.

“I’m glad to see you and Chase finally made peace,” he told Ava.

“Yeah. Me, too.” Ava grinned wider. “Well, see you at the alleys.” She turned with her little gang and ran across the white. The street dogs vanished into the distance.

Ketch whistled long and low. “Now that’s what I call a miracle.”

“Hey, Ketch,” Chase pondered, “How were you able to trust Ava so completely? I mean, when I was so suspicious of her.”

“I think I could relate to her from both of us having tyrannical fathers,” Ketch explained, “I had Shadow, and she had Steele. I think I turned out okay, so I was willing to trust her because I knew what she had gone through.”

Chase shook her head in wonder. Ketch’s way of thinking would never cease to amaze her.

Footsteps brushed through the grass behind her. She spun around to see Taya padding up to her, with Copper just behind.

Taya stopped and stared with determination into Chase’s eyes. Chase held her gaze, and was astonished to find herself plunging into the bright blue pools of Taya’s eyes. In them was love for Copper, triumph over killing Steele, and an almost-desperate pleading for Chase to forgive and accept her.

The staring showdown between Chase and Taya continued at length. With measured tones, Taya said, “Chase, I heard what you said to Ava. And I was wondering…could you and I be friends, too?”

Chase could feel Copper praying for her compliance. Breaking the stare, she looked down at Taya’s right paw. It was faintly red and its fur was spiked with Steele’s dried blood.

Suddenly Chase realized she didn’t hate Taya anymore. She felt the last shadow dissolve inside her heart, and for the first time she smiled at Taya. “We’re going to be more than friends. We’re going to be family. Taya, my brother loves you. And after how far you went to show you aren’t like Steele, how could I hate you?”

Taya smiled back, her eyes shining like the Aurora. “Thank you, Chase. Thank you!”

Chase was shocked to see a tear like a diamond chip slide down Taya’s cheek, and even more shocked when Taya seemed to consider something, and then leaped forward and engulfed her in a grateful embrace.

“Thank you, Chase,” Taya whispered, “You have no idea how much this means to me and Copper.”

“Uh, actually, I think I have a pretty good picture of it,” Chase joked nervously. Slowly, carefully, she hugged Taya back. This was so strange: she was hugging Steele’s daughter? No, she shouldn’t think of Taya that way. Taya was her brother’s love, a member of the family. Someone she would learn to love like a sister.

Ketch laughed. “Group hug!” He padded up and put a paw on Chase’s shoulder. Copper laughed, too, and joined the group.

Held by her brother, her sister-in-law, and her future mate, Chase realized she had won more than one battle that day.

Dusty silently trudged back to Robin’s grave with Kira at his side and his two pups lagging behind. They came upon it as if it were sacred ground, hushed and treading lightly. From the outside it looked simply like a clump of three pine trees standing just beyond the entrance of the cave of the Anvil Creek pack. But there was a small gap between two of the three trees, and through it you could see the body of a gray pup with a red chest, curled up as if she were sleeping.

Dusty swallowed, and a sick feeling rose in his stomach. He looked away, but immediately found that that was much worse than looking. He glanced back, and pain like a dull nail hacked away at his heart. Robin looked so much like she was sleeping that he wanted to run in there and yell and shake her awake; at the same time he couldn’t bear the thought of touching her. Kira had arranged her in that sleeping position, perhaps with wishful thinking.

They had thought about burying her, but the thought of trapping Robin under clods of dirt and snow and worms made Dusty shudder so hard he shook. The branches around and overhead would protect her from snow and sun. Dusty thought he liked the idea of her lasting.

The heavy silence was agony. Kira leaned against Dusty. Her tears had stopped, but her dull eyes stared so hard at her dead daughter, with so much lost hope, that Dusty wanted to snap her out of it. He held himself back, and brushed his chin across the top of her head. Kira gulped and choked out a sob. “Robin.”

“I know,” Dusty said, determined to keep his voice from catching. It did, anyway, and he could feel his barriers breaking down one after the other.

Kira buried her face in his fur, and the words were muffled as she burst out, “What will we do without her?”

The wind seemed to stop blowing. The very tundra held its breath.

Dusty barely kissed the delicate skin of Kira’s ear. “I don’t know,” he muttered, and all his fear and anger and uncertainty and tortured agony spilled out into his blood and roared through his veins. It screamed through his whole body and shot into his brain, exploding into pain that was the worst and best thing Dusty had ever felt. He was snapped back to the outside world, though, when suddenly Silver charged into his sister’s tomb.

Kira gasped, “Silver!”

Silver raced up to Robin and stopped short, glaring at her. “You were always Mom and Dusty’s favorite! Even now, when you’re dead, you’re still their favorite! Why did you have to die? Why couldn’t you run fast enough? It’s not fair! We were going to have an adventure, and then go home, happy. But you ruined it! You never fought back, and you had to die! Now everything’s ruined, and it’s all your fault! I hate you!” He kicked her, throwing her onto her back.

Dusty could only stand, shocked. But Kira was shaking with indignation. She sprang in and slapped her son. “Don’t touch her!” she shrieked, “Don’t you dare touch her!” Silver crumbled into quiet sobs.

Gail wound her paws around Dusty’s leg, clinging desperately. She looked like she was lost. She yelled, “Stop it!” at her mother once, and then hid her face in Dusty’s fur, mumbling through gritted teeth.

Dusty watched this scene as if he were an outsider, but the pain rumbling up from his heart reminded him that this was his family. He couldn’t take it.

He howled, the bittersweet note hanging over everything. It stilled his heart, it stilled his soul, it stilled the feud among his family. The howl let out some of the heartache and made some of his emotions fade so he could think clearly again.

Dusty lowered his head and looked at his family. Kira averted her eyes and carefully nudged Robin back into the sleeping position. Then she kissed where her slaps had hit on Silver’s face and drew her to him, cradling him wordlessly. Silver mumbled apologies.

Gail unwound herself from Dusty’s leg and padded into the tomb. She quietly trotted up to her sister and looked down at her, trying to comprehend seeing death face to face. Gail recoiled a step, but her voice was steady when she whispered, “I love you, Robin…I’ll miss you.” She ducked her head and pedaled quickly backwards, collapsing against her mother as the tears began to trickle down.

Kira hugged her tight, and then looked from her dead daughter to her two remaining children and seemed to come to a decision. She sat up straight, gave one loud sniff, wiped her eyes fiercely with her tail, and stood up. Mother and children stepped out of the tomb, and Dusty joined them as he hugged each one of the pups and gently kissed Kira. He knew what decision Kira had made and he had decided, too: they would remember the past, but live for the future. They would remember Robin, but they wouldn’t let the death of one child ruin their time with the children remaining. They were broken, but they would mend. They were still a family.

Dusty, Kira, Silver, and Gail faced the battlefield, and all four gasped.

As if summoned by Dusty’s earlier howl, a gigantic cloud as white as starlight appeared across the gold sky over the battlefield. It swirled and curled as if stirred by foaming ocean tides, and from amid the surging whorls and eddies came a face: a white, serene, wolf face.

“Aniu?” Dusty mumbled, and he wondered what Balto was thinking of this.

Aniu’s face emerged from the cloud, and she smiled down at them, her eyes the same hue as the sunset sky. Dusty could only gape in awe, his heart pounding wildly. He wasn’t the only one seeing this, was he?

The cloud around Aniu whipped into shapes, and Dusty’s throat tightened as he realized there were faces in the clouds. Faces of all those dead in the battle.

A rush of hope struck him hard. He peered desperately into the cloud, and was rewarded by a pup’s small face and shy gaze. “Robin,” he whispered reverently just as Kira screamed, “Robin!”

All around the field shouts rang out as others saw loved ones now gone.

“Mom!” Cheyenne cried when she saw Kiowa’s face hovering in the heavens.

“Matt,” Ketch called out softly.

“Mother?” Balto cried in amazement.

Aniu smiled at her son, and raised her head in a silent howl, but Dusty heard it in his heart as clearly as if she had voiced the call.

The cloud began to fade, breaking off into smaller and smaller pieces until the last puff drifted off and dissolved against the sky. There was an awed stillness as everyone turned to others to be sure they were not the only witnesses of this momentous event. Dusty, however continued to look up at the sky. Aside from his awe and puzzlement, he had noticed Steele had not been among the dead. Perhaps Steele had gone to a place where he could not return for a moment on the clouds, a dark, wicked place where Dusty was sure he would feel right at home.

Dusty narrowed his eyes and pressed his mouth tight thoughtfully as he stared at the corpse of his father’s enemy out on the field. Steele’s body lay as still and limp as the other corpses…

Suddenly his heart stopped beating when he saw Steele twitch, and then rise. His head lifted, and he turned until his cold gaze met Dusty’s. Dusty couldn’t breathe. His eyes were locked on Steele, and inside he was screaming…

Dusty blinked. Steele lay on the muddy ground, his back to Dusty, his body unmoving. Dusty closed his eyes, and then opened them wide. Steele lay as dead as ever. Dusty took several deep breaths. He must have imagined it; he might never fully accept that Steele was dead. His family had been hunted for so long.

To take his mind off Steele, Dusty wondered if Aniu had been the one to summon the other dead for a final farewell. She had always had a commanding, almost ethereal air about her. He cracked a smile and felt such a stab of heartache for his grandmother he almost groaned aloud.

“That was some strange happenings.”

A familiar voice rang in Dusty’s ears. He whipped around to see a brown wolf standing only a few paces behind him. The wolf regarded him coolly for a second, and then jumped back in surprise. “Dusty?”

Dusty stared, blinking hard to, once again, make sure he was seeing right. “Brenner? Brenner, what are you doing here?”

“Kira! I never thought I’d see you again,” Brenner said, not listening to Dusty, “And your pups! Where’s the third one?”

“She’s dead,” Kira said flatly.

“I’m sorry,” Brenner said with as much concern as he could muster up.

Gail stretched upwards to whisper in Kira’s ear, all the while keeping her eyes trained on Brenner. Kira sighed. “This is Brenner. He helped me get better so I could go back to Nome with you and your brother and sister…and your father after we got lost out in the wilderness.”

Gail dropped down to all fours and scrutinized the wolf curiously.

“I’m not dangerous, kid,” Brenner told her, and lowered his voice to address Kira. “Thanks for not mentioning the part where I got you and Dusty lost and separated in the first place.”

Kira gave him a cold stare.

Gail cocked her head, having caught about half of Brenner’s whispered words to Kira, and Silver gazed in admiration at the tough-looking wolf.

“What are you doing here?” Dusty demanded.

“I’m a Healer, remember? I come after battles to help the injured.” He jerked his head towards the sky. “I follow the ravens.” Several black birds were circling overhead, descending slowly, and Dusty knew many more would be flocking to the free food. “They’ll be having a feast tonight,” Brenner said with a dry chuckle. Then, suddenly, he was all business.

“How’s your leg, Kira?” he asked, inspecting the front left limb that had been broken and battered the last time he had seen it. He gazed fixedly at it, especially since it seemed to be all right.

“Fine,” Kira said curtly, but then she opened up a little more. “My owners took me to the vet and he gave me a cast for it awhile ago. It still hurts a little sometimes, but it’s fine.”

“Hmm,” was all Brenner could say. Seeing Dusty and the pups were mostly unhurt, he threw back his head and bellowed, “Who needs help?”

“Kaila does!” Sarai called out, which earned her a playful slap from Kaila.

Brenner rolled his eyes. “I meant with your wounds.”

“I do,” Sage called, “But who are you?”

“I’m a Healer,” Brenner cried, trotting over to Sage. “And a friend of Dusty and Kira.”

Sage smiled. “Well, in that case…” and immediately Brenner was surrounded by an eager crowd including an urging Cheyenne, a sulking Nilak, an imploring Lakota, and others.

Dusty shook his head. “Imagine meeting him here!”

“Our past just can’t leave us alone, can it?” Kira muttered.

Dusty thought a moment before answering her. “No…” he said slowly, sitting beside her and entwining his tail with hers. “But we’ve got a good future, don’t you think?”

Gail snuggled between her mother and father. “I love you, Mom,” she said all of a sudden, “I’m sorry we ran away. We just wanted a little adventure. Maybe because we were born out here.”

“Well…I think you’ve learned your lesson,” Kira said reflectively, and nudged her daughter affectionately.

“I’m sorry I said all those things about Robin,” Silver admitted, nestling into Kira’s side. “I don’t really hate her. I was just mad at her…for dying…I’ll try to make up for her not being here.”

Kira kissed the top of his head. “You don’t have to make up for anyone. It’s enough for you to be my Silver.”

“Hey, getting a little lonely over here,” Dusty joked, “What about me?”

Gail giggled and flung herself at him in a hug. “Oh, Dusty, we love you, too!” Silver grinned sheepishly as he, too, joined his sister in giving the hug, and Kira leaned her head against his neck and tossed her tail playfully in his. Dusty broke out in a smile of his own as he felt his loved ones around him. This was his family, broken but beautiful.

Dusty caught Kaila’s eye from across the way, and just by that look he knew it was time to say goodbye. Kira understood, and she lay down in the grass and gently pried her pups off Dusty. They shrieked as she play-growled, and they scrambled out of her grasp and ran around and over her as she tried to catch them again.

Dusty shot Kira a grateful look, and took a deep breath. He trotted out to the center of all that had happened thus far this day, with the Anvil Creek pack and Taya and Ketch and Balto and Jenna to the north, Kira and the pups to the south, the battlefield and the setting sun to the west, and the Anvil Creek pack cave to the east. Copper, Kaila, and Chase were gathered at this spot, waiting for him so they could say their farewells to Kaila. Dusty hurried and took his place with them, already feeling the loneliness of Kaila’s absence and the pride of who she would be.

It was time.

The four siblings looked at each other, a little uncertain how to start. Finally Copper stepped forward and caught Kaila in a warm hug, saying, “Well, I guess this is it. I’m actually hugging an official alpha female of a wolf pack!”

Kaila laughed. “If you think it’s weird hugging one, just think about what it’s like beingone! I still can’t believe it!”

Copper grinned and released her. “You’ll be great. I’ll miss you. See you, Kaila…hopefully.”

Kaila laughed again. “Oh, don’t worry. You haven’t seen the last of me!” Her smile wobbled just a little as she became serious. “Goodbye, Copper.”

Chase brushed her paw uncomfortably across the grass. “Normally I’m not big on hugs, but…oh, what the heck!” She embraced her sister as hard as she could.

Kaila choked for a few seconds, but she managed to pull away a little to allow for breath and words. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I’m feeling the love a little too much,” she joked breathlessly.

Chase stepped away. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“It’s okay.” Kaila regained her breath and grinned at her sister. “I’ll miss you, Chase. Oh! Lakota did come back, just like Ketch said…Tell Ketch I said…thanks.”

“I will.”

Dusty looked away as Kaila stood expectantly before him. He saw Brenner had finished his duties and slipped off onto the tundra again. His brother and sisters watched as he struggled with these questions: What could he say that hadn’t already been said? How could he make this meaningful for him and Kaila?

“Dusty?” Kaila said, concerned.

Dusty ducked his head and muttered, “I love you, Kaila, and I’ll miss you, and…you’ve taught me so many things–”

“What kind of things?” she asked curiously, with a hint of teasing, “Never follow white wolves out into the wilderness to join a wolf pack? Fall in love with former spies and traitors?”

Now Dusty looked at her and flashed her a smile. “That, and a lot more.”

Kaila hugged him close. “Oh, you. I love you, too, Dusty. I’ll probably miss you even more thanI think. Oh…and I’m sorry about Robin.”

“Yeah, me, too. I mean, thanks.” Dusty pulled back, feeling awkward but relieved.

The four siblings stood in a heavy silence, each trying to think of a way to break it without making everything worse. Somehow they all knew they wanted something special, something final, to make it clear they were parting ways to start new lives a little more distant from each other.

A streak of soft blue flashed across the darkening sky. Kaila gasped, and instinctively looked Jenna’s way. But the broken shards were wrapped in her mother’s bandana, and the lantern had been snuffed out long ago. This was the real thing. The Northern Lights were making their own farewell lightshow.

Kaila turned to her brothers and sister. “Do you remember…”

“…that song?” Copper finished for her.

“How could I forget?” Chase said.

“ ‘Reach for the Light’,” Dusty whispered.

Kaila took a deep breath, and released her song, her alto voice blending with the reds and blues and greens shimmering against the sky:

“Deep in the night, the winds blow cold,

And in a heartbeat the fear takes hold,

Deep in the storm there’s a place that’s soft and still,

Where the road waits to be taken if you only will,

The voices inside you will lead you so astray,

Believe in what you dream,

Don’t turn away, don’t you turn away…”

Kaila’s voice grew stronger as the Aurora deepened into blood red, and then faded into a pale, icy green:

“Reach for the light,

You might touch the sky,

Stand on the mountaintop and see yourself flying…”

Copper took up the song, starting low, but his voice grew louder as his grin at Kaila broadened:

“Reach for the light,

To capture a star,

Come out of the darkness and find out who you are…”

The Northern Lights shone with all three colors, and in them Copper saw the past few years of their lives: blue for the blue of Hawk’s eyes, of Taya’s eyes, of Steele’s eyes; red for the blood shed in the final battle; and green for hope. For the future:

“Somewhere in time, the truth shines through,

And the spirit knows what it has to do…”

“Somewhere in you, there’s a power with no name,

It can rise to meet the moment, and burn like a flame,

And you can be stronger than anything you know,

Hold on to what you see,

Don’t let it go, don’t you let it go…”

Chase sang this part of the song fiercely, a proud grin on her face. She knew she was crippled, but she had overcome the odds, and she was strong:

“Reach for the light,

You might touch the sky,

Stand on the mountaintop and see yourself flying…”

“Reach for the light,

To capture a star,

Come out of the darkness and find out who you are…”

Dusty sang shyly, but he was suddenly hit by the memory of singing this lullaby to the pups. Grief prepared to squeeze his heart into ice, but he forced it away. Robin was in heaven, and Kira and his two remaining children were fine. He had seen it himself. He could not let himself go bitter on them:

“There’s no turning back,

Your destiny is calling,

Listen to the thunder roll,

And let your heart break free…”

They all looked at each other, and each one knew what the other was thinking, just like when they had been close, when they had been pups. All four finished the song together:

“Reach for the light,

You might touch the sky,

Stand on the mountaintop and see yourself flying,

Reach for the light,

To capture a star,

Come out of the darkness and find out who you are…”

Kaila ended the song with her sweet alto. “Yes, reach for the light.”

There was a hush as the Aurora Borealis shimmered and swirled against the darkening heavens. The four siblings looked at each other, and in their eyes was the same message: Goodbye.

Kaila, Copper, Chase, and Dusty parted ways.

Kaila padded up to her mother and father and hugged first Jenna, then Balto. Jenna kissed her ear and murmured a loving goodbye. Balto hugged her as hard as he could and gazed straight into her eyes when he said he was proud of her. Kaila joined Silver Arrow with a nuzzle, and together they led their pack into the cave.

Copper trotted over to Taya and kissed her. She smiled and ran her head along his neck contentedly.

Chase went back to Ketch and leaned against him. He licked her nose, and she laughed, and kissed him briefly.

Dusty returned to Kira and playfully slung the pups onto his back. He waited for the rest of the group to catch up, and then Dusty led the way to Nome for his family.

Balto and Jenna hung back from the others for a moment.

“Jenna, I just realized something,” Balto said slowly.

“And what’s that?” Jenna said, “That you’re the father of two alpha females of wolf packs? That you’re the father-in-law of Steele’s daughter? That all our children have found good mates and are happy with their lives?”

“Give me some credit, I already had all that figured out,” Balto said with a grin, “But I think this was our one last chance to show them what family’s all about. And they got it, Jen. They really got it.”

“Oh?” Jenna said, not unkindly, “And what’s family all about?”

Balto looked at her. “Love.”

Jenna tipped her head sideways, her eyes sparkling. Then she laughed and kissed Balto. “You’re right, Balto. You’re right.”

The golden sun slipped under the horizon, throwing the tundra into a glowing orange. Balto glanced down at the lantern and Jenna’s bandana full of glass shards. “Could I carry your luggage for you, ma’am?”

Jenna smiled. “As long as you don’t mind talking with your mouth full the whole way!”

Balto grinned and took the lantern and bandana in his teeth. “It would be my pleasure,” he said, some of the words getting muffled against the bandana, which made Jenna smile again. Together they set out for Nome, following their children’s pawprints.

And in the distance, the Northern Lights danced.

Balto, Jenna, Steele, Aniu, and Aleu © Universal Studios

Kaila, Copper, Chase, Dusty, Silver Arrow, Dark Moon, Lakota, Sirius, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Nilak, Sage, Sarai, Taya, Ava, Hawk, Luka, Ketch, Smokey, Bear, Belle, Matt, Kira, Lucas, Silver, Gail, Robin, Johnson, the Tolbecks, Nicholas Carson, Storm, Torpedo, Shadow, and Brenner © redwolf03

‘Reach for the Light’ © Universal Studios

‘To Make Her Love Me’ © Rascal Flatts