Author's Notes:
Esk, in case anyone is wondering, is my version of the "Red Aleu Twin". She is 100% copyright to ME. My version of the adult Dingo is copyright to me.
Balto, Steele, Jenna and that are Universal's, though. Heheh.
There isn't any swearing in this fic. There is no detailed sex/violence either, though there is some violence and hinted sex, so the rating will be PGR.
Enjoy!

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Much as I hated to admit it, I was bored. I’d already ratted out Dingo for taking meat from the butcher, picked on Huntley and Saba, and spent a bit of time with Dixie and Sylvie, my mother’s friends who regarded me as an equal even though I was younger than both of them.
But what to do now? I wandered idly around town, my mind blank. I could talk to mother, but there was nothing to talk about. I didn’t want to talk to father at all.
Perhaps I could try and make some friends? I was, indeed, very popular in Nome. However, I felt no affection for any of my admirers - that is to say, I was friendless. I was lonely.
That settled it. I wanted to find someone I could call a friend. A best friend. Immediately, I picked up the scent of a dog. Further inspection told me it was a Husky, purebred. Even better!
I followed my nose to a large wooden fence, where I poked my head through a hole and looked around. A big black and white Husky with icy blue eyes was tied to a pole with a thick brown-yellow rope. He didn’t seem to have noticed me.
“Hi!” I barked in greeting. The dog jumped, and looked up with a surprised expression. Then he growled.
“What do you want?” He snapped.
“You’re being a bit impolite,” I said in a smarty-pants tone of voice. He mumbled something indistinct and looked away.
“… sorry,” I said in a softer tone. No reply.
“I’m just… lonely. I don’t have any close friends, and I just…”
My voice trailed off. Sadly, I turned to leave.
“That makes two of us.”
The Husky’s voice reached my ears. He sounded more cheerful, and the rough growl was almost completely gone. I turned back to him.
“You’re lonely too?”
“I used to be popular. I used to be loved. But then that wolfdog came along… took everything…” He was growling again, but I could tell he wasn’t growling at me. Although, I was part wolf… not that I was proud of it.
I forced a smile. “I’m Esk. What’s your name?”
He looked into my face and I saw what looked like a smile on him too. “Steele.”
Steele? The name clicked, but I couldn’t remember where I’d heard it…
That was it! Steele was the most popular dog in Nome before my father triumphed over him! That was the wolfdog he had been referring to, Balto. My dad.
My mother had also told me that Steele had liked her and tried to win over her. I must say, I’d have taken him. He was pretty good-looking, and I just wanted to be purebred… why couldn’t he be my dad instead of that wolf-mutt?
I grinned at Steele. He was definitely grinning back as he said, “You’re a nice girl… care to help me out here?”
I would do anything for this dog. “Sure!”
“Well, I need you to untie this rope from my collar… it’s pretty loose, but I can’t reach it.” He stretched out his neck as he said it, and I saw a handsome gold-studded collar. My mouth dropped open - it was five times better than my old blue sled dog collar.
He noticed me staring and grinned. “Well?”
“Oh!” I snapped back to earth and approached him, blushing violently. It didn’t take me long to chew the knot apart, and the heavy rope fell from my jaws with a soft thud.
Steele said nothing as he stretched his muscular body out. He remained silent as he looked me up and down.
“You remind me of someone… someone I knew…”
I noticed, with a stab of fear, that his eyes were narrowed as he said it. Had he realized that I was part wolf? Had he realized that Balto was my father?
“What was your name again?”
“E-E-Esk…” I stuttered. He was a very intimidating dog, and I didn’t want to cross him.
“Hmm…” Steele looked me over once more, before deciding that I wouldn’t be a threat. Then he smiled again.
“You look like a fast dog, Esk,” he said in a seductive voice. Why was he acting like this? It made me feel the slightest bit uncomfortable, but I stayed silent.
“How would you like to be on my sled team?”
I stared. Me? On a team? But why?
As if he had read my thoughts, he said quietly “We’re one dog short. We need a fast dog to be behind the lead, and you look like just the one.”
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “I’m not a sledder. I’m much too… weak.”
To my surprise, Steele looked amused. “Well, I saw your collar and I just thought…”
“But I could try! I’d love to be on your team!”
Steele smirked. “Right then. Follow me.”

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We soon arrived on the edge of a forest. I was beginning to feel a little nervous. Why would the team be in here?
Steele saw my expression change and said quickly, “We practice in here.”
I nodded, still sceptical, and followed him into the woods.
We stopped before a small cave, certainly not large enough to hold seven dogs - or so I thought.
Steele silently told me to follow him in. I obeyed. The cave sloped steeply downward before opening to a small chamber. Seven dogs could have easily lined up along the passage leading to the chamber. However, I still wondered why we were in here. I turned to ask Steele, but I was struck dumb at the look on his face.
He was snarling, and I saw fire blazing in his eyes, yet there was a hungry, longing look on his face as he faced me.
“You,” he barked. “You’re Jenna’s daughter, aren’t you?”
I was silent.
“AREN’T YOU?”
“Yes!” I gasped. “I…”
He laughed.
“Well, I couldn’t have your mother… but maybe I can have the next best thing…”
I whined slightly as I realized his intentions. How could I be so stupid? After all mother told me about him…
“Stay nice and still…”
He advanced towards me, and I knew I was helpless. I was cursed with my mother’s frail build. I was no match against him.
But then, it struck me. I had wolf blood. I still wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight, but I knew someone who could.
I stretched my head up, opened my mouth and let out a long, low howl. Steele stopped dead in his tracks, growling.
“What are you doing?!”
I howled again. And again. Over and over, until I head a reply. Another dog - or wolf - was howling at me, replying to my call. Gradually, the replier’s howls grew louder, until…
“STEELE!”
A brown wolfdog was right behind Steele, his eyes blazing with fury, his huge wolf-jaws bared.
“Dad!” I moaned. I knew right then I was saved.
“What were you going to do to her?” Balto snarled, though he knew the answer, of course.
“Outta my way, mutt!” Steele growled. “She’s mine now, and you can’t save her!”
Balto said nothing. Instead, he leapt up and sunk his teeth into Steele’s neck. Steele howled, though it was a pathetic dog-howl. Not the real thing like Balto’s… or mine.
The two scrapped for some time, while I watched, shaking. How was Balto going to get out of this one? Steele was much, much larger and stronger. But Balto, I remembered, had wolf blood. The same blood that had just saved me. It would save him, too.
I staggered to my feet, and leapt over the fighting dogs towards the entrance to the cave.
“Dad!” I barked. “We need to get out!”
Balto chanced a look at me, winked, and flew under Steele’s belly to join me. He smiled weakly, flicked his ear to rid it of a trickle of blood creeping down it, and motioned for me to run.
I did just that. I’ll admit, I am a fast runner, but now Balto was lagging behind me further than usual. I was initially afraid that Steele would be after us, in hot pursuit, but he wasn’t. He was most likely still in the cave.
Just when we had reached the border of the forest, Balto collapsed. He was panting as he said, “Go on, Esk… get to Jenna, tell her exactly what happened… I’ll get back in my own time.”
“No!” I growled forcefully. “We’re coming back together, even if I have to carry you!”
However, it looked like I would have to do just that. I wriggled my shoulders under Balto’s belly, and attempted to stand up. Useless.
“Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll… I’ll get help!”
I dashed back towards town, wondering who I could get to help us. Nobody came to mind, and so I was nearly in tears when I bumped - literally - into my brother, Dingo.
He looked down at me in mild surprise for a moment, then helped me to my feet. I hoped he’d forgiven me for alerting the butcher to the fact that Dingo was stealing meat, for I needed him now more than ever.
“Dingo!” I panted. “Dad’s hurt, I need you to carry him back here!”
“What?”
“DAD!” I snapped impatiently. “He was attacked, he can’t walk and I can’t carry him, so I need you to do it or else he might die!”
Tears were falling from my eyes even before I stated the last word. Dingo stared at me. Then he said, suddenly serious, “Show me where he is.”

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I still scorn myself for doing what I did - listen to Steele. My parents don’t blame me, for they know of Steele’s ways. Dingo still laughs at me for it. My other siblings don’t know about it. They never will, for they don’t need to.
Steele’s back in his yard - not on a rope, but a chain. Extra-heavy.  There’s no way a dog could get out of it.
And as for me and Balto? Well… he’s not bad. For a wolf-mutt, anyway.