"Dad, where are we going?" Max asked with his young voice-box. "We're gonna get some dinner. And, I've got a story to tell you." he explained. Max's smile beamed. His father's stories always obsessed him. "It's about a half dog, half wolf named Balto, just like you. He used to be my friend, but, there was something wrong." Max listened on in memorization.

"He was an outcast. No-one liked him, he didn't have any friends, and everyone bullied him. But then one day, a lot of little kids got very ill. The only medicine was in a town hundreds and hundreds of miles away. So, a team of dogs led by a very horrible and glory-mad one, who's name I won't mention, went to get the medicine." Maxwell proceeded to listen on in awe. "On the way back home, the team got lost in a storm and were stuck for days. But Balto, that outcast that no-one liked before, went out into the wild, and saved the medicine, and brought the team home. When he got home, the children got better, and Balto became a hero. Even after a fight with a bear, thrown into a rock, and falling off a cliff, he still never gave up. In the end, he finally got the medicine to the stricken town, and saved a lot of lives." "Really?" Max gasped. Kenai hummed in truth. "I knew him aswell, I used to be friends with him when I lived with my humans." he explained with a smile. Maxwell turned. "What's a human?" Kenai sulked in regret of his words. "We should head off back home now.", completely ignoring his son's question.

Kenai caught a rabbit a while later, and the two walked into a complete circle after a few hours, and came back to the cave to eat. "Tori, we're back. Tori? Love?" he called without a reply. "Hugh. She might've gone for a walk or summat." Kenai hummed. The two of them sat down for a rest, and ate.

Many hours passed, and the sun was now preparing to fall behind the enormous mountains. The two woke up to find the golden light of sunset beaming into the cave. Kenai sighed worriedly. "Tori's been gone an awful long time." Thinking for a moment, he took a long sniff of the air, and detected his mate's scent still blowing in the wind. He stood up suddenly and started jogging slowly. Max followed him closely as they walked back into the wilderness.

After about half an hour of solid walking, they stopped. "The trail ends right here, but I can't see her anywhere." he said, sniffing. Maxwell copied his father. "Tori? Tori?" Max looked around, not seeing anything familiar. "Dad, I think we're lost." he said worriedly. His father shook his head. "Once we find your mother, we'll start looking for the way back." he said anxiously.

"Dad! Behind you!" he yelled. A stranger leapt onto his back and went for his neck. Kenai reared up and threw him off in time, just to see two more wolves approach from the side. They chewed at his legs. One went up for Kenai's neck again. He put up a decent but inadequate struggle. One of the wolves saw the pup and tried to corner him, but Kenai threw his chest into the wolf, knocking both of them over. "Max! Run!" Kenai called. The pup hesitated. "NOW!" he called again as a final and fatal blow hit his throat. He finally obeyed his father's order and ran as far as he could. He didn't dare look back. The roaring and screaming had long stopped. He felt a slight nausea and a need to vomit. He tripped on a small branch and tumbled forward down a shallow hill like a football. He struggled up and carried on running.

Three wolves came to the top of the slope. They all looked at the pup, crying and scared, running as fast as he could. A wolf named Akiak turned to the middle one. "Shall we subdue him, commander?" he asked obediently. Valdez, the overgrown and muscular one, looked at the sky. He saw snow clouds approaching from the north. He grinned. "No. Nature can do that by herself." he spat, not taking his eyes off the pup.

I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear,

Escape from this Afterlife,

'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on,

Far away from here.

Chapter 2

"Haha! I got it!" Dusty shouted. Ralph had just tossed a small football into the woods. It just skimmed her reach and flew into a small clearing. "No she hasn't." Kodi joked as she nearly fell over trying to catch it. She laughed at him and stumbled up. "I'll get it." she said happily. 

She marched merrily into the trees. The glowing red ball was sitting comfortably in the snow, waiting for her. Prancing up to it joyfully, she suddenly stopped.

She looked to her side to find a few hairs poking out of the snow. An eyebrow heightened and she leaned forward. Everything went eerily quiet. She automatically walked towards. "C'mon, Dusty, hurry up!" an enthusiastic voice called. She gulped and brushed away some of the snow. More brushing like a detective looking for fingerprints revealed a large patch of white and black fur. She pushed away a lump of ice, and she froze in an awkward combination of fear and curiosity. A pale and lifeless face lay comfortably in front of her. "Kodi! Kirby! Come, quick! There's a boy in the snow!" she wailed. They looked up and followed her voice. They dived through the snow like a herd of elk. Dusty didn't feel any fear, but the shock of such a find made her shiver. Kodi and Kirby gasped and trotted closer cautiously.

The three of them looked over the body. It was no younger, no older than them, and had been frozen at least the whole night. "What do you think his name is?" Kodi asked. "Where did he come from?" Kirby continued. Dusty shrugged her shoulders at them. 

Kodi turned and ran in a rush, and Kirby and Ralph followed. "I'll get my parents. Dusty, you wait here see if he moves or anything!" he called back. Dusty was too mesmerized in the body to hear him. She would've stayed anyway. As motionless as the corpse itself, she sat next to it, gazing at the black and white fur. She felt herself gulp as she reached out a paw and ran her claws over his chest lightly. She tried to clench his paw. 

Suddenly the boy sprang into life, grabbing her wrist and gasping. Dusty flinched. She looked into his eyes. "It's okay, help's on the way. I'm Dusty." she assured the stranger. "M-Maxwell..." he stammered under a lack of air. "Help's coming, don't worry." she repeated. It was immediately after this that this Maxwell he claimed his name was passed out again, drifting back into the snow like a leaf and his eyes fading as a snowflake would on warm ground. Dusty took another moment to absorb the adrenaline. She heard a slight crunch behind her. It was the snow collapsing under Balto and Jenna's paws. They rushed up to them. "He told me his name is Maxwell and he went to sleep again." she uttered naively. Jenna reacted similarly to as Dusty did. She brushed away yet more snow and felt his wrist. "He's frozen solid. We have to get him some warmth." she startled out.

Balto gently wrapped his teeth around the pup's shoulders and picked him up. The body dangled lifelessly from his jaws. They ran to the city as fast as they could. The boy's pulse was slowing.

"Dad, when will he wake up?" Kodi asked anxiously. "When he needs to, son. The poor boy's been frozen like that at least a day." he answered calmly. They were in the kennel, sitting next to the fire. A plump and soft basket beheld the still body, and a fresh slice of meat lay next to him. The only sound that could be heard was heavy breathing and the crackling of wood over the fire. The mystery pup tossed and turned, but still showed no sign of waking up after half an hour. Dusty was showing a particular interest in the boy. She sat patiently next to the basket, glaring at him. Balto and Jenna talked quietly to each other. "Looks like Dusty's found that special someone." they chuckled. Dusty didn't pay any attention to them. She gently brushed the melted snow off his face. 

A chat suddenly broke between Jenna, Balto and the pups. "Do you think he likes sledding, dad?" Kodi asked. "Probably. But since he's come from the wild, he might not know what a sled is." "Maybe he'll Anna play when he wakes up." Ralph said excitedly. "But if we do keep him, where's he gonna live? My girl's got enough on her plate at the moment. " Jenna said. I'll look after him. He can live here, or he can stay with me on the boat if he doesn't like here. We'll just let him decide when he gets up." Balto offered. Kirby suddenly gasped and pointed over to the basket.

The boy's eyes drifted open. He startled up and looked around quickly in a panic. "Wha- where am I? What's going on??" he rushed out. "Woah, calm down kiddo." Balto uttered jokingly as he stopped him with a limb. Looking up at the towering stranger, he cowered on the floor. Backing up, his hind leg came into contact with Kodi's front one. He shot round and cowered on the floor. Max looked around confused and scared. Whatever kind of cave he was in, he had never seen it before.

The questions were a little overwhelming. "What's your name?" "Where did you come from?" "Who are your parents?" "What breed are you?" But the huge dog lifted a paw and pointed a silencing finger at their lips. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name's Balto." he introduced. Maxwell gasped. "You're Balto? The Balto?" he exclaimed excitedly. "Yep. And this is my son, Kodi." he cuddled up to him. "And that's Kirby, Dusty, Ralph, Jasper and Dakota." he pointed. "G'day, mate. Hopes up you'll have a crackin' time here." Jasper almost sang. Balto stuttered. "He's- not from around here." Maxwell sighed in understanding.

His stomach grumbled loudly. He clutched it and sighed. Dusty carried him a slice of meat over. "Here, tuck in." she said happily and smiled at him. "Thanks." he appreciated. Maxwell chomped and wolfed down the meal surprisingly fast, almost giving himself hiccups. "I'm really sorry, but I haven't eaten for days." he apologized. Balto shook his head. "No, no, I insist, I know what it's like." he joked.

"Just wait until you meet our human, Mr Simpson." she expressed happily. "What's a human?" he asked politely as he devoured the piece of steak in front of him. "You've never seen a human before?" Kirby puzzled. The pups started laughing. "What's wrong? Is it like a toy or something?" he asked again. Dusty couldn't help but let out a giggle, just as the door creaked open. Cautiously, Maxwell ran into a dark corner. To his surprise, all six of the other pups rushed forward to greet the mailman, Mr Simpson. "How-do, pups?" it questioned friendly. Maxwell gazed protectively past a wooden post. A huge towering animal stepped forward. It was terrifying, at least 10 times his size. It had very weird fur, dark grey with white around the edges and buttons in the middle, and weird skin behind it. He had never seen anything so strange. And it carried a huge bowl of water. Strangely, all six of his friends playfully followed it's feet.

Dusty looked back at him. She ran up to him. "C'mon, Max, he's fun!" she called. "He looks... really scary..." he stammered. "Come on out, trust me!" she urged. He took a moment to look into her deep blue eyes to see if they were trustworthy.

"Dusty, what are you looking at?" the human quizzed. Dusty's face lit up and she happily barked. The human marched forward and gently bent over. Mr Simpson saw something move in the shadows. He reached into the blackness, where a harmless swipe caught his glove. He chuckled and picked it up by the scruff of it's neck. Dusty smiled at him persuasively, and rolled her head forward. To his confusion, he lifted a strange little pup, with no collar or identification. Judging by the way it swiped it's claws around, it was half or whole wolf. "How'd you get in?" he asked as he lifted it to eye level. Maxwell was so glad he wasn't scared of heights.

Mr Simpson looked at the somewhat enthusiastic Dusty. "Ahh, found a boyfriend already, ey girl?" he joked. Both of them blushed. He put the pup down, but surprisingly, it didn't run. "He seems alright. Maybe he'll adopt me." Max thought. The human turned for the door. 

"You'll make a mighty fine sled dog. You can stay with me." he said friendly. Max looked at the human with a faint smile.

I don't belong here, I gotta move on dear,

Escape from this Afterlife,

'Cause this time I'm right to move on and on,

Far away from here

"That went well." Max said cheerfully. Everyone smiled at him. "Better than my first time. I nearly got swept away by a mop." Balto chuckled. "You'll be meeting a lot more humans in time. First you should get to know the town and who's safe to be friends with." Jenna advised. "I won't mention any names, but there is one dog who were are particularly hateful of." Looking at Balto, he understood, but refused to nod.

"Mr Simpson's a great human. He gives us treats, lets us sleep in comfy beds, but he's got a bit of a habit of peeing into our big white drinking bowl." Dusty chatted with a smile. Max nodded, trusting her words. Kirby butted in. "He'll train you how to be a good dog aswell, like how to play dead, fetch and all that. He did that with us, and we love it!" he exclaimed. "Sounds like a nice person." Max agreed.

It was Dakota's turn to speak. "But he's a bit sensitive about breed. If you're a husky, he'll train you in a certain way, if you're a malamute, he'll train you differently." he informed. Max was about to speak, but paused. He nodded, but in his mind, he was crawling over and dying. If they found out he was part wolf...

Dusty looked at him and smiled again. "So, what breed are you?" she asked politely. Max looked up at the eyes waiting for answers. He groaned suspiciously. "I, uhhh..." he mumbled. "Well?" Dusty asked. Max pointed at the door nervously. "Can I..." he stammered, then ran out before awaiting a reply. Dusty attempted to follow him, but Balto's leg held her back gently but not forcefully. "I'm sure he's got reason to run." 

Max ran around the side of the building, away from the light of the sun. He sat down on a dry spot next to a pile of grass. He swished his paw through the green blades. They tickled him, but he wasn't in the mood to laugh. "What should I say?" he thought to himself. "I could lie and say I was a husky... no, I don't really look like one. I look more like a wolf-dog instead of a dog. What if I told them I was a wolf? Dogs hate wolves, so that wouldn't work." he suggested. He turned at the sound of crunching snow. It was Balto. He could tell by the silhouette behind the sunlight.

"Hey Max." he said. Maxwell forced a smile, which quickly retreated back into his mouth. Balto sat down next to him. "You know if there's anything troubling you, you can talk to me." he chatted. Max shook his head slowly. "No. There's nothing anyone can do." Max whispered. Balto bent down as came close to the pup's face. "I don't know if you took that question the wrong way, or if it offended you in some way, but Dusty's a lovely little girl, and she would never mean to hurt anyone, physically or mentally." he explained. Max sighed. Balto put a paw on his shoulder. "It's okay, you can talk to me. Now, tell Balto what's troubling you." he assured with a supportive tone. "Well, the thing is, I'm half dog, half wolf. I don't tell many people 'cos I might get bullied because of it." he confessed. "Really? I never knew that." Balto said with growing interest. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" he asked, losing confidence. "Listen, I'm half wolf as well." he whispered. "I get bullied a lot, and it's not very nice. But, believe me, you should be proud of your heritage and don't be negative about it." he assured. "You think so?" he replied quietly. "I know so." he convinced. He tickled his chin and he giggled for the first time in a while. "C'mon, we should tell them about it. Don't worry." he urged. Max nodded and they both turned back to the kennel.

"Why'd he shy away for?" Dusty asked. "Yeah, I mean, breed isn't that much of a sensitive thing, isn't it?" Kirby puzzled. Suddenly, the door creaked open. Max had a troubled look on his face. "What's up with you?" Kodi asked. "Max has something so say." Balto urged, lightly holding Max's shoulder. "I guess I should tell you guys that I'm part wolf." he sighed. His ears folded in humiliation. Dusty raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with that?" she asked friendly. Maxwell looked up, surprised. "Wha-?" he stuttered. "You got half a dog and half a wolf in you, so what?" Kodi said. "I got dog and wolf in me." he continued. "My big brother's going out with a girl who's part wolf." Dakota added. "I don't know any wolves, but I like howling, it makes me feel big." Jasper cued. Balto smiled at Max. "See? Everyone's got wolf in them."

Max smiled at them, and at himself. It was good to know there were people he could trust. Balto looked down on him proudly. He turned to his little red and white son. "Kodiak, would you mind showing him around town?" Balto asked politely.

"Yeah, that over there's the vet, the animal doctor, you'll go there when you get hurt or poorly." Kodi chatted as they walked slowly down East Third Avenue. He pointed to an even larger building with a towering point that made him dizzy to look at it. "And that's the church." he informed. "What is that?" Max walked up to a strange wooden object. "You ain't seen a sled before?" Balto asked. "No. What's it do?" he said, eyeing it all over. "Humans use it to carry mail and supplies around the state. Dogs pull it when they're tied to ropes in it." Max raised an eyebrow. "That sounds painful." he chatted naively. Balto laughed. "It doesn't hurt you. You just pull it along when you run." Max sighed in understanding. "Wanna try it out?" he requested.

After waiting long enough for a reply, Balto helped to strap him in. "Ugh, are you sure about this?" he asked. "You'll be fine. Just run around for a while but don't turn too sharply." he informed. Max started jogging. Suddenly, something inside him snapped. He enjoyed it. "I could get used to this." he thought, smiling to himself. Eventually, after running around a few minutes, he came back to his friends, tingling with adrenaline. "How'd that feel?" Balto asked curiously but expecting a specific answer. "Really good!" Maxwell said, surprised. "Better than me when I started first." he laughed. "You keep practicing that and within about a year you'll be a champion racer." he advised. Max smiled. Now he had something that he could live his life around, a hobby.

Balto unfastened him. "Nome is a really nice place! My dad told me about it the day that he... you know." he explained slowly. 

There came a whistle. A human, on the other side of the street, was calling Balto over. Balto barked happily. He looked at the pups. "Kids, can I trust you to look after Max for a few hours while I go the vets?" he asked clearly. All of them nodded. Balto brushed the top of Max's head. "If anything bad happens, come and get me or Jenna. See you later!" he said, before running off with the human.

The gang of puppies started walking again through the streets, chatting their usual small talk. But their cheerful talking was interrupted, when a trio of huskies jumped in front of them out of nowhere, and blocked their way forward.

"Hey dere widdle puppies." one of them laughed in an immature, sarcastic tone. Jasper sighed. "Go away." he threatened. The larger of the three came up to the brave one, and huffed. "Go ahead, then. Make me go away." Maxwell now knew it was evident that the three didn't get on well with them. A small but aggressive looking husky leaned forward, and sniffed Maxwell. "Who's that?" he asked rudely. "Umm, Max...?" he answered unsurely. The small husky coughed in his face. "You don't smell right. What breed are you?" the leader demanded. "I'm a wolf-dog..." Max stuttered fearfully. After a second of silence, the gang burst into laughter. "Science experiment gone wrong!" one of them joked between his giggles. 

"Leave him alone! What's he done to you?" Dusty argued. One of the bullies leaned up to her and towered over her, but she didn't back down. "I know you're a tiny and stupid pup, but by now you should know that we don't like half casts on our turf." the small husky answered. He pinched her nose gently, as if to get an understand. Still, there wasn't even as much as a flinch. The big husky eyed the small black and white pup.

"Now, listen kid. We're dogs, you're a half-dog. You're not welcome here, no-one wants you here, and if you stay, things are gonna get rough." Kirby leapt in between the two. "Back off! He's just lost his parents!" he defended. The lead dog smiled aggressively. "Who cares?" he replied. "We don't want him, so who would??" he growled. 

Maxwell opened his mouth to attempt a comeback, but sadness overcame him, and he ran away, his face soaking in tears. He didn't even know where he was running. Instinct was conquering him, but couldn't erase the emotions. The three huskies looked at each other, laughing and celebrating and then walking off. The puppies themselves looked at each other. 

"Balto!!!" they all yelled simultaneously.

Max weaved through the streets. Some time passed before he eventually found the kennel, and, throwing the dog flap open, he dived into his basket, threw the covers over himself and ignored the world. It was now only him and his memories. His tears soaked into the blanket like a sponge. 

After a while, he heard a creak. A tidal wave of moonlight flooded in. Max had been inside the kennel for longer than he thought. He couldn't help but turn to see who was there. It was Balto, and the pups. Max payed little attention, and resumed his weeping. 

Comfortingly, Balto came up to him and rubbed his back. "It's okay, Max. Let it out." he hummed. "Sorry Balto... I can't stop crying..." he whined. Balto lifted up his chin so he could look up easier. "Max, crying is the strongest thing to do at a time like this. Max, when my mum died and when my dad left me, I cried, actually I cried harder than you did." Balto confessed. Max looked up into his eyes. Balto nodded. "It's perfectly fine to cry. Just letting out the steam, that's all it is." he mumbled. "I miss my mum and dad so much..." he bawled. Balto stroked the top of his head, and quietly shushed him. "Max, those bullies have been taught a lesson. They won't bother you again for a long time if they know what's good for them." Balto whispered comfortingly. Max attempted a smile, but failed again. Kodi walked up to him, and placed a paw on his shoulder. "Don't be upset about it. They're only bullies." he whispered. Maxwell coughed. "Sorry Kodi but... I can't stop... not like this..." he sobbed. Narrowing his eyes, somehow Kodi grunted in irritation.

"I know you're sad about your mum and dad but just quit over-reacting!" he suddenly yelled. Max was struck hard by his words. "You're just as bad as those bullies, you know that?!" Max argued. "Just quit thinking that we're gonna go easy on you only 'cos you haven't got your crossbreed parents!" Kodi yelled. Balto, gobsmacked in the background, shook his head at him slowly. Maxwell looked away. "Max, I, uh..." Kodi stammered, realizing what he had just said. Maxwell covered his view with a paw. "Max..." Kodi asked again. "YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT ME TO FREEZE!!!" Max suddenly yelled. All of them backed up. His eyes damped again and he charged out weeping. He heard Kodi call for him, but he was too grief-stricken to take notice. Even when he called him a second time he still didn't stop. "Leave me alone!" he cried, heading for the Centre of the town. Kodi sat in silence. Dusty and the others were also shocked. His father walked up to him like a tyrantic giant. He looked down on him as a strict teacher would to a student. "Kodiak. I want you to think about what you said. And what you'll say to him when he comes back."

Chapter 4

Any living being with senses can tell that a quiet and dark alleyway beholds a surprise. Maxwell lay between two barrels crying, his paws over his eyes. "How could he say that to me?" he whimpered to himself. "Hey, kiddo, what's up?" a black and white husky asked. He looked friendly enough to talk to. "I thought I had friends, but they proved me wrong." he mumbled. "Same happened to me. I'm Steele." the stranger held out a paw. Max shook him. "Maxwell." he replied. "You must be new here, I've never met you before." Steele remarked. He sat down next to the pup. "Yeah, I got adopted." he said sheepishly. "Oh really? Where's your parents?" he asked politely. Maxwell's heart sank deep and he turned away. "Oh, sorry. And what's up with your so-called friends?" he asked again. His deep and dry and repetitive voice was starting to annoy him. He sighed. "They were making fun of me because I'm part wolf." he confessed. "What, you're part wolf aswell?" Steele jumped up. "Yeah." he sighed again. "Not another half-cast." Steele mumbled to himself. "What, is there something wrong?" Max asked, naively. "Yeah, there is. Half breeds ruined my life." "How come?" he asked naively and curiously. "That lowlife wolf-dog Balto. He took away my glory, my pride, my title, everything!" he slammed his fist into the floor. Max flinched. "What's wrong with Balto? He's my best friend." 

Steele huffed. "I thought you had no friends." he uttered cheekily.

Max stood up in defense. "Leave him alone! Just 'cos he saved the town don't mean you have to be jealous!". In a split second, Steele grabbed his ear with a sword-sharp claw. "Don't speak to me like that. No-one talks to Steele in that language." he ordered sharply. "What's your problem? Let me go!" Max demanded. Steele pointed a claw hardly millimetres from his face. "I don't think you should talk to me like that. I could pop your little eye out, you know-" he uttered. "Didn't your mother teach you not to pick on kids for lunch money?" Balto yelled, standing at the end of the alleyway in the dark.

"And along comes Superdog to save the day." Steele muttered. "What are you doing bullying a pup? What's wrong with you?" Balto demanded. "Oh, I just figured that you were too worthless to bother nowadays." Steele spoke back. "Max didn't do anything wrong. Leave him alone." Balto defended. Steele laughed. "You're just as dumb as the kid!" he laughed to himself. As Steele was too occupied by the mouth war, Max darted away from him and hid behind Balto's leg. He growled. "I won't tell you again. He's done nothing wrong, and if you think you're laying even a paw on him, you've got another thing coming." he defended. 

"Well, the kid shouldn't have spoken to me like filth." Steele hummed. "So, give the pup to me, or get the both of you busted up." he growled as his claws emerged from under his paws. Balto thought for a second and looked at his son. He looked back with a tone of fear in his eyes. "You're not going anywhere near him." Balto replied sternly. Before he could think otherwise, Steele lashed out at him, diving into his chest and almost knocking him over.

"You've honestly no clue how long I've been wanting to do this, half-breed." he savored to himself. Balto drew his claws in increasing anger. "Once Jenna sees she's got a cowardly sack of blood and fur as a mate, she's sure to come crawling back to me." Balto frowned and dived for the huge muscular husky. Steele almost chuckled, and rose to the challenge. But the half-cast threw a punch at the laughing dog's jaws. Steele yipped quietly and backed up, embarrassingly grasping his muzzle. The streets fell silent once more. Maxwell still watched on from the safety of behind a small crate. Steele rubbed one of his teeth, which fell from his gums and tumbled out of his dripping, blood thirsty mouth, settling in the snow. He panted in rage, and drew his remaining teeth to bear. 

A ferocious battle ensued, the two of them lashing out at each other like lions. Maxwell thought to himself. "Now would be a good time to run. But what if he sees me? And what if Balto gets hurt or worse?" It was a tormenting dilemma. 

Just while he was pondering it, Balto saw the fight was getting closer to the pup. He looked at Max in his eye, and gave him a look that said 'Max, I can't hold him off! Go and get help!' In his moment of inattention, Steele wrapped his teeth around the back of Balto's neck, and threw him into the wall effortlessly. Balto groaned, he had hurt his head. A sadistic and evil smirk overcame him as he scampered towards the helpless puppy, who was crouching in fear. Steele towered over the pup, which was now cowering and whimpering beneath his shadow. He held out a paw and reached for Max's neck. "Time for the little puppy to get some sleep." he mumbled.

In the entrance to the alley, a deep shadow suddenly cleared it's throat. They all turned to see the silhouette of Doc, the police dog-chief, gazing at them, unimpressed. Steele's fury suddenly melted. "Oh, Doc, hey, I was just, um..." he was rudely interrupted. "No need to explain, I saw it all." he confidently declared. "But, you don't understand! That wolf-dog- well, the bigger wolf-dog just started on me when I was having a chat with the kid, and then-" he babbled. "I think I do understand. I understand anything and everything." Doc warned as Balto struggled onto his legs. "Steele, for assaulting a helpless pup and the town's hero, not to mention what happened with the epidemic, I hereby sentence you to banishment. You, and all traces of you, are to be out of the town by noon tomorrow or face further charges, notably death." Doc coughed out with an ageing and rotting voice-box. "You can't banish me! Not me, the greatest sled dog in this god-damn state!"  he angered. "Actually, I can. I'm the chief of police." Doc replied sharply. 

It had now been a few months since the situation with Steele. He had long been banished from the town. Max and Dusty had grown noticeably closer. They were constantly getting to know one another and spent a lot of time together. One could swear they got on just like siblings.

They sat on the beach enjoying the final waft of heat from the sunset. Maxwell was the first to speak, as always. "Nice view, isn't it?" he asked. Dusty hummed in agreement. "I always enjoy a nice sunset." she replied. Maxwell edged closer to her. He scraped at the grass and snow. "Listen, Dusty, I've got something to confess..." he uttered nervously. "Y-y-yes..." she replied impatiently. "Dusty, I um..." he stammered. "Oooo, Max, you're blushing..." she teased. "Dusty I... sort of like you more than a friend..." 

The end :)  Hope you enjoyed

I know that some bits were really suckish and I kinda fail at fight scenes. Again thank you so much for being patient and I'm really sorry for the delays, I've been going through excessive problems at school and home. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed :)