Foreword

For many people my age, summer is two months where you can do almost nothing. You don't have to worry about homework, tests or anything like that. It's a refreshing break from your usual obligations. While I have enjoyed my time off from school, I did make sure to continue with my writing, spending the summer crafting this story for the enjoyment of all Balto fans. However, I was not alone in this, as I did have a beta reader to look this over. That person is (depending on the site he's on) Omnitrix12/Dragon Tamer, and he provided a wealth of tips and tricks for polishing the story. Thanks DT and yes, I will hold off on the commas. (Curse you commas, always causing me trouble. Why can't you be more like the periods? They're a lot more cooperative.)

My latest story deals more with the relationship between dogs and wolves, and how it can sometimes turn for the worse. In this case, a conflict has arisen between a sled team and a pack of wolves over who can hunt in a certain stretch of land. Always the hero, Balto volunteers to step in to help sort things out, but he has more than one obstacle to face. The wolves distrust Balto because of his dog side, while the leader of the dog team distrusts Balto because of his wolf side. Our hero faces resistance on two fronts, but he pushes on, determined to bring peace.

Before you get too into this one, I strongly recommend you read (or re-read) my previous story "Finding Your Place". This story follows not long after it and features characters I introduced in that story. That way, you'll know what you need to fully enjoy this story and I promise you, this one will definitely be worth your time. That's all I wanted to say for now, so get comfy and enjoy my latest creation - "Protecting Their Own".

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Prologue: First Strike

At first glance, the northern woodland of Alaska is a very still and quiet place. A thick blanket of snow covered the ground and the trees, a never-ending sea of white. While the snow and cold winter hindered some life, some still existed, and even flourished in this harsh landscape. The silence of the woods was soon broken by the cries of one of the creatures who had adapted to survive the winter. It was the barking of canines - sled dogs to be exact - and they were creatures that thrived during the winter. They ran along, pulling a wooden sled specifically designed for traveling over snow. Its flat runners skimmed along the surface with little resistance while the dogs pulled it along, their wide paws traveling easily across the snow while their bulky coats kept out the cold air that surrounded them. Directing them was a different creature, standing on the back of the sled. It was a human, and while humans' physical bodies were not adapted as well for the cold, their minds had developed to the point where they could work around that problem. They could make heavy coats that were worn over them to keep out the cold, and crafted the sleds that allowed them to travel quickly and safely over the snow. But their greatest achievement was that they had forged a bond with the dogs that went back farther than either side could remember. In return for the labour or companionship that the dogs could provide for them, the humans cared for them and made them a part of their own families.

That was what made the relationship so effective. The team saw each other as family even though they may not have any actual blood relationship. They ran as one, stronger together than each of them apart. It was the bond of the pack; an ancient instinct that predated the first meeting of dogs and humans. It was a carryover from their days in the wild, when they hunted their own prey, and today that pack instinct was playing out as the team was on a hunt. Catching the scent of potential prey, the dogs changed their course slightly. The human trusted the senses of his dogs and knew they were getting close. "Woah there, woah," he called out and the team knew that he wanted them to stop. They obliged, and the human rummaged for something in the cargo bed of the sled before producing a long rifle. This was another one of the tools the humans used to make up for their own shortcomings, as with a weapon like a rifle, they could kill their targets at a distance without having to overpower them. This time the human was looking for caribou, which would provide meat for his own family and his dogs. Giving the dogs some of the meat was a reward for their part in this hunt. They used their sharp senses of smell to track down the prey, they pulled the sled that brought the human to his prey, and would pull the body home for butchering. Some could see it as an example of symbiosis - two creatures working together to benefit each other.

After they stopped, the sled was anchored to the ground and two of the dogs resumed a conversation that they had started before they had left. "Look, I just feel that you should be a little more pleasant around Balto. Last week you were downright rude Spitz," a female said to the smoke-grey husky in front of her.

"Oh really Kari?" he replied, "I think I should be allowed to act how I want around that wolfy mutt."

"See, there you go again. You're always so hostile towards him. Balto really isn't that bad of a guy when you get to know him," Kari replied. Balto was a half-wolf, half-husky hybrid who had had carried out a great deed for the residents of the town a few weeks prior. He managed to help a team carrying medicine to the town return home during a fierce blizzard. The medicine was needed to treat an outbreak of diphtheria that had affected many of the town's children. Without it, countless lives would have been lost. It was wonderful feat, considering that Balto was a humble stray who had been heavily looked down on in the past because of his breeding.

While the dogs had formed a strong bond with the humans, despite them being very different creatures, they didn't get along as well with their closest animal relatives; wolves. It wasn't known why there was so much animosity towards them, but it may have been related to a fear of the unknown wild. Wolves and dogs led very different lives, and often the gaps would be filled with horror stories of the 'big bad wolf' and other villainy. This ensured that dogs had a fear of their wild relatives imbued into their minds from a very young age. This fear caused them to distrust not just wolves, but also any wolf hybrids for fear that they may have inherited their wild urges as well.

"Why can't you stop nagging me about it?" Spitz groaned.

"Because I'll never stop being your big sister," Kari replied. While the rest of the team saw each other as family only through the bond they shared as sled dogs, it was a reality for Spitz and Kari. Kari may have been born only a few minutes prior to her brother, but that didn't stop her from thinking of herself as the more level-headed sibling. She was one willing to give others another chance, and Balto's great deed had won him her favor, along with many of the dogs and some of the humans in town. However, there was still a ways to go before Balto would be accepted by all in town, and Spitz was one of those who was stubborn about half-wolves.

"I don't think Balto's such a bad guy either," another dog put in. "After all, he brought the medicine home."

"And he kicked Steele out of town," a third continued.

"He also treats Jenna very well, so that must say something about him," Kari said.

"How do you know he really does treat her well?" Spitz asked.

"Because I do talk with her," she replied. "She told me how Balto is so sweet around her, how he makes her feel safe, and how he doesn't let being a hero go to his head."

"It may not be going to his head, but it sure is going to mine. I'm tired of hearing about him all the time. It's Balto this and Balto that - can't we give it a rest?" Spitz grumbled.

"Fine, but-" Kari's next sentence was cut off by a sudden howl that cut through the air to the left of where they had parked. Turning their heads, they saw about half a dozen wolves coming towards them over a hill. They were almost on top of them, so Spitz knew what had to be done.

"Oh no, not these guys. Alright, everyone out!" he shouted before starting to wriggle out his harness. Attached to the sled they would be sitting ducks. Fortunately sled harnesses were designed so that dogs could remove themselves in an emergency. Spitz managed to get himself free, but only a second before he was tackled from the side and knocked to the ground.

"This isn't your territory dog, so get out!" the wolf growled above him but Spitz didn't respond. Instead, he snapped his jaw at the wolf's muzzle, the bite stunning it for a moment. This gave Spitz enough time to get up and take a quick look around. Each dog was facing down a wolf, with some only snapping at each other while others were rolling on the ground, jaws locked on shoulders, trying to gain the upper hand. Being free from the harnesses gave most of the dogs room to move around… but one of them had gotten stuck. It was Kari, and while she had managed to get out of the harness, the line had tangled around her one leg, limiting her movements so she tried to bite through the rope to get free. Spitz was about to go help her, but the wolf he had stunned had recovered and knocked Spitz back down to the ground. The two tussled, with Spitz sinking his fangs into the wolf's shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see another wolf starting to advance on the still trapped Kari.

"Aw, is the little doggy all tied up?" he taunted, but she only growled in reply. "That's too bad for you, but it makes my job a whole lot easier." The wolf snapped at her, and she jumped back. She avoided his bite, but doing so while still caught to the lines caused her to fall over, letting the wolf jump on an easy target.

"NO!" Spitz bellowed, forgetting his current foe and focusing on helping his sister. Spitz jumped away and charged full steam at the wolf on top of Kari, slamming his full weight into him and knocking him off his sibling. "Now you're in for it pal!" he growled and continued his attack. The wolf he had fought with earlier had chased after him, and it was soon two wolves on Spitz. Seeing her brother in trouble, Kari continued biting at the line, finally cutting herself loose and allowing her to even the odds. There were two wolves and two dogs in that fray, but the rest of the dogs charged in to defend their team-mates, followed by the other wolves. Soon there was only a large mob of biting and scratching canines, each trying so hard to fight the other, with neither side able to get a clear advantage. There was so much confusion that at some points, Spitz didn't know whether he was biting friend or foe. All he knew was that he had to keep going to stay alive.

Finally, the chaos ended when they all heard a thundering boom ring through the woods. Both sides recognized it as the human's rifle, and the wolves knew they would have to escape quickly or face death at the human's hand. "This isn't over you dogs!" one of the wolves cried out before darting away. The human cocked another round into the chamber and fired a second time. He managed to nick one of the wolves in the thigh, but it kept running, and soon there was no trace of them. The team was dazed and scared out of their wits, but none of them were seriously hurt.

"Is everyone okay?" Spitz asked, and they all nodded. Their owner checked each of them over, finding no serious harm. He harnessed the team and prepared to leave; he had found a caribou and would need to bring the team over to transport it home.

"As I was about to say before we were… rudely interrupted," Kari said. "I think you're over-generalizing things when it comes to Balto and the fact that he's half wolf."

"Over-generalizing?" Spitz replied incredulously. "Didn't you see those wolves attack us a few minutes ago? You're lucky I was able to tackle that wolf off of you!"

"I did see them, but Balto isn't as bad as them," Kari replied. "He may have had some troubles with Steele, but he'd never hurt any of us. In fact, I'd say that he's trying to give wolves a good name."

"Heh, some good name," Spitz thought. "I don't see that half breed out here helping us deal with those crazy wolves."

---

Chapter 1: Unexpected Visitors

In the town of Nome, a female husky sat patiently while her human girl got her coat and boots on so that they could go for their walk. "Alright Jenna, ready to go out girl?" the young girl asked, and her husky barked happily in reply.

"Hold on Rosy, you still need to wear a hat out there," her father put in before placing a furred musher's hat on top of her head. The hat was one or two sizes too big for her, so it fell over her eyes before she pushed it up to where it would fit better. It may have been the middle of a bright sunny day, but it was still late February. The temperature was still well below freezing and it would be a couple more months before spring would bring warmer temperatures. "Now you're ready to go out. Is the last member of your little party ready too?" her father asked.

"Let me check," she replied, before opening the door a crack. "Yep, he is."

"Okay then. Let's go," he said before he opened the door, revealing a large, slightly scruffy brown canine on the front porch. He wagged his tail happily at them while watching them expectantly with his amber eyes.

"C'mon Balto, let's go for a walk," Rosy said, giving him a quick hug and a few rubs behind his ears. He returned this by giving her a few licks on the cheek before nuzzling Jenna, giving her ear a few licks as well.

"Balto, that really tickles," Jenna giggled.

"I know; why else do you think I do it?" he chuckled in reply. While the dogs could understand the humans, it didn't work the other way around. To the two people standing with them, it seemed as though the dogs were simply happy to see each other. While the older man didn't greet Balto as enthusiastically as Rosy and Jenna did, he still gave him a couple pats on the head before they set off on their walk.

"Oh, dad... thanks again for this," Rosy said.

"You're welcome," he replied. The reason that Rosy was thanking him was because it had taken quite a bit of convincing to get her father to allow Balto to join them on their daily walks.

Rosy had been one of the children who had fallen ill during the diphtheria epidemic, and Balto's efforts to return the medicine only strengthened the love she already had for him. While some who had previously shunned Balto had been won over, some, including Rosie's parents, were still wary of him due to his wolf half. Despite Balto's great deed, they were reluctant to follow the wishes of their daughter, who wanted to take Balto into their home right away. Rosy was very upset that her parents wouldn't take in her four-legged hero, but she eventually managed to work out a compromise with them. While Balto still couldn't be let into their home, she could still go with him on walks or play with him outside as long as at least one of her parents was with them to supervise the stray half-breed. For all involved it was enough. Rosy would get to play with her hero, Jenna would regularly get to see the one that she loved, and Balto would get to have at least part of his day as an accepted dog.

"See, I told you they just needed some time to get used to you," Jenna said as they walked down the street. "Though I still think that they should take you in and make you part of the family."

"Yeah, but I don't mind having some time to roam around on my own. There's still a part of me that wants to run free in the wild. After spending so much time suppressing it, it actually feels good to let it out," he said. The part of him that he was talking about was his wolf side, and it was the events of the serum run that made him accept that part of him. He had reconciled his wolf side and his dog side, allowing them to coexist and work with each other. This brought him a greater sense of peace within himself, and it was all thanks to an encounter with a mysterious white wolf...

Their walk continued, with them occasionally stopping to chat with other residents. They passed by the butcher shop, where the son of the owner slipped a few stray pieces of ham away to give to Balto and Jenna as a treat. Next was the hardware store, where the owner was taking apart several wooden items. Balto recognized them as small coffins, which had been prepared in the event that the team didn't return with the medicine. Thanks to him, those coffins weren't needed. Judging by the cheerful tune he whistled, the shop owner was taking great pleasure in yanking the nails out and pulling the lumber apart before putting it in a pile to be reused for something else. Soon after, they passed by a bearded man accompanied by a tan Chinook. The dog in question was named Kaltag, and he greeted Balto and Jenna warmly while the humans did the same with each other. Kaltag had served as a great friend for Balto over the past couple of weeks, helping him adjust to living as an accepted dog.

They didn't stay long, but the other man did reach out and gave Balto a quick pat on the head before quickly going back to his business. It was a quick action, but it was a pleasant surprise to Balto, as previously that man had suspected that Balto had done something to Steele when he didn't return. That was mostly due to Steele being banished from town for sabotaging Balto's efforts, with him ending up in White Mountain a few days later. In a twist of fate, Steele's owner decided to sell Steele the previous week after his recent disappointments, handing him off to an old friend in that town. Despite what he had done to him, Balto hoped that Steele was doing well in White Mountain, wondering what kind of story would surround his days as an average sled dog.

Turning down another street, they saw two small pups playing in the snow while their mother watched over them from the porch of her home. Balto and Jenna paused for a moment to watch them, remembering the fun times they'd had together when they were that small. That was before Rosy's father found out about his wolf half and kicked him out, starting his life as an outcast. "Oh, to be that age again," Balto lamented after they left.

"I know… but I've always thought that I'd have as much fun watching my own pups play like that as well," Jenna replied, gazing at him with a smile.

"Hm… that would be something," Balto said, catching onto her not-so-subtle subtle hint. Jenna chuckled, and soon they heard the sound of multiple dogs barking in the distance. This caught Balto's attention as he instantly recognized the sound as that of a sled team returning to town. The team was coming up their street, before stopping a few yards ahead of them. While Balto still lived as a stray, he had always held some fascination towards sled teams. This was probably due to his husky side, along with the memories of his mother describing his father as a great sled dog. Curious, he trotted ahead with Jenna following closely behind. The sled carried a rifle along with a caribou carcass; the team must have been out hunting. Most of the dogs he didn't know personally, but there was one that he did. It was Spitz, a smoke-grey husky who was in the lead position, and not a dog he was on the best terms with. As he got closer, he noticed that the team appeared a little roughed up. Their fur was mussed up, and a few dogs had scratches on them. "Hey there, is everyone okay?" he asked.

On hearing him, Spitz looked up with a scowl. "We're fine, it's none of your concern mutt," he snapped. However his remark caused the dog behind him to nip his rear.

"I told you to be less hostile," the female hissed at him before turning to Balto. "I'm sorry, what he meant to say was that yes we are fine, and we do appreciate your concern," she said, while Spitz rolled his eyes.

"Hello there!" Rosy's father called out to the team's musher. "Do you need any help with that?"

"Actually, some help would be fine," the other man replied. The two picked up the body before carrying it into the nearby home while Rosy stayed behind with the dogs.

"So what exactly happened; did that caribou beat you guys up?" Balto asked.

"No, we just had a run-in with a few wolves. Hey Balto, you're a wolf, why don't you tell me why your flea-bitten relatives are causing us so much grief," Spitz replied snarkily.

Balto grumbled at Spitz's remark, but decided to take the high road and simply answer him. "I may be only half wolf, but I know that a wolf or any animal would only attack if it was provoked. Did you say or do anything to these wolves before they attacked?"

"No, they just rushed us, claiming that we were in their territory," Spitz said.

"Did you check to make sure that you weren't?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah, if you were they would see you as intruders," Balto agreed. "Maybe it'd be best if you went somewhere else?"

"I don't tell you how to do things, so don't tell me how to do my own job! I know how to look after my own team!" Spitz snapped.

"Hey, no need to turn nasty on us," Jenna replied, "We only wanted to see if you were okay and if there was any way to help."

"I don't need your help; I've dealt with enough wolves today," Spitz sneered before his human came back and started removing the dogs from the harnesses. Once he was free, he stormed away, but the female behind him remained.

"I'm sorry for how my brother's acting," she said. "We didn't exactly have the greatest day out there. He's probably just venting."

"You're his sister?" Balto asked.

"Yep; Kari's the name," she replied. "I've heard quite a bit about you from Jenna and I'm glad to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, and I'm glad Jenna's already put a good word in with you," he said, smiling at Jenna before turning back to Kari. "Does your brother always act like this, or it just because of me?" Balto asked.

"It's not just you; he always gets antsy when he's wanting to protect those he cares about," she replied. "He means the best, but his methods are sometimes off. He may not be thrilled about your help, but I appreciate you looking out for us."

"Are you sure that there isn't anything we can do for you?" Jenna asked.

"… I don't know… but thanks anyway for the offer," Kari replied, albeit a little hesitantly. Balto and Jenna didn't have time to dwell on it as Rosy's father soon returned, taking them away to finish their walk.

"I hope that this thing with the wolves isn't too serious," Balto thought. "I'd hate to have this undo all of the trust I've earned here."

---

Balto got to finish his day with Rosy and Jenna by chasing a ball around their yard, and soon the afternoon gave way to evening. Balto accepted some treats from them before bidding Jenna goodbye to make his way back to his own home. Balto lived in a beached fishing trawler on the coast outside of town, but he wasn't alone. Rooming with him was an old Russian goose named Boris, who had acted as a mentor for him since he was small. Also with him were two polar bear cubs named Muk and Luk, who could be quite rambunctious if they weren't adequately entertained. As he walked down the dark streets, he took a moment to sniff the air. The townsfolk had mostly turned in for the night, but Balto could still smell traces of them. There were multiple signals, but Balto had managed to hold onto his wolf side's keener sense of smell, allowing him to sort them out. As he reached the edge of town, a new scent caught his attention. It stuck out because it was so different from the usual scents of the town and it was much fresher than the other scents on the ground. Taking a few more whiffs, he found that the scent was a slightly wilder musk… not one of a dog… but more like a… wolf.

This immediately struck Balto as very odd. Wolves were normally wary of humans and weren't known to wander into towns, preferring to stay in their own familiar territory. "Why would they be around here?" he thought. Taking another sniff he found that the scent wasn't anyone he knew, so it wasn't some friends coming to say hello. This was a group of strangers, and it put Balto on alert. He started to follow the scent, noting that there were maybe four or five different signatures traveling as a group. The trail led back into town and through the alleys, using them for cover in much the same way that he had in the past. Winding through the alleys, he eventually found himself near the backyard of a house where several sled dogs were fast asleep in the snow. That was where the trail ended; it didn't double back, nor did it turn another direction. "What? They can't have vanished into thin air," he said out loud, but a snicker soon answered his question above him. Before he could react, he was tackled from above and slammed into the ground.

"Heh, you dogs sure are stupid," a voice said above him and he looked up to see that he was staring at a wolf. Behind him was a stack a crates; he must have climbed up them to avoid detection. Soon he was flanked by two others. "It's a little late to be out doggy; shouldn't you be cozy at home with your masters?" the wolf holding him down taunted.

"I'm not exactly a housedog," Balto replied. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to repay a favour. You see, we've got a bone to pick with some of your friends. They've been causing some trouble for our pack," one of the flanking wolves explained, this one a female. She indicated to the dogs, and only now did Balto recognize them; it was Spitz and his team. "We're going to ensure that they think twice about invading our territory again."

These wolves were obviously here for Spitz and his team, and it made Balto wonder if these were the same wolves that Spitz had mentioned earlier in the day. Before he could shout out a warning to them, the wolf holding him down pressed his jaw shut with a paw as the other two started to advance on the dogs, teeth bared. Balto tried to squirm free, but the wolf holding him held firm. Knowing he couldn't force his way out, he quickly devised a new plan.

"Oo no, youref nof a mart af oo fink," Balto mumbled, catching the wolf's attention.

"What? What did you say?" the wolf asked, easing up on his paw.

"I said... you're not as smart as you think," Balto replied, grinning. Before the wolf had realized his mistake, Balto let out a piercing howl, instantly waking up all the dogs in the area. Spitz bolted awake and found one of the wolves only inches away. He screamed out and while the wolves knew their cover had been blown, they were still going to cause as much trouble as possible. The female wolf instantly jumped on Spitz, biting his leg before two other dogs jumped in to pull her off him. The wolf that had been holding Balto down rushed in to aid his comrades, but his departure allowed Balto to get up and chase him down. He bit into his hindquarters and pulled him to the ground, holding him there. The wolf thrashed around before kicking Balto square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and allowing him to escape. The third wolf joined the other two, but they soon realized that Balto's alarm, combined with Spitz's yell had alerted the rest of the dogs. A short distance away, they could hear the barking of more.

"So much for our surprise attack," the female wolf mused.

"Just what did you hope to accomplish?" Spitz barked, "You know that we outnumber you, so you'd never beat all of us."

"You're right, that's why we were hoping to surprise you," the female replied. "Besides, there are more ways to fight than a direct confrontation. A small group can do more damage than you think."

"Unfortunately, it seems our surprise has worn off early," one of the other wolves said. "I can hear more of them coming. What do we do now Kisa?"

"We'll have to get out of here," the wolf named Kisa replied, and all three instantly turned tail and ran. "We'll meet up with the others; maybe they had more luck."

"Oh no you don't!" Spitz bellowed as he and the team gave chase. Balto joined them, taking up position at the front of the pack with Spitz. "What are you doing here wolfy? Come to see some of your friends?"

"I'm here to help you, and they definitely aren't my friends," Balto replied. Spitz scoffed, but without any other reason to push Balto away, he let him lead the group with him. The dogs were fast, but the wolves could keep the same pace, remaining ahead of them. Suddenly, two more wolves burst out from a side alley, colliding with them and causing them to trip over one another. The wolves quickly got up and darted away, while Balto heard another voice yelling after them.

"That's right, run away! That's what you get for trespassing!" a tan Chinook yelled as he ran out onto the street, followed by a red chow and a smaller grey husky. It was Kaltag, Nikki and Star. "Balto! There you are," Kaltag panted as everyone resumed the chase. "Just who were those clowns?"

"I think I know about as much as you do Kal," Balto replied as the group continued running after them. "I was walking home when I picked up the scent of three of them. They looked like they were going to surprise Spitz and his crew."

The wolves turned down another street with the dogs still in hot pursuit. By now, the collective barking from the dogs was starting to rouse the humans, and lights were coming on in houses as they passed.

"The three of us found two more of them in one of the supply sheds. They had already shredded some of the harnesses and it looked like they were trying to make off with one of the caribou carcasses," Kaltag explained. "I don't think I've ever seen them do anything like that."

"Neither have I," Balto panted. "If a wolf does come, it's either for food or shelter. Why would they be targeting things that they would normally have no interest in?" The wolves turned down into one of the alleys and the group followed, but in the cramped space they were forced to slow down. They reached an intersection and Balto stopped, looking down each of the paths. They couldn't see their targets, and after taking a quick sniff of the ground, Balto found that the wolves had split up, each taking one of the three available paths. "They've split up, so we'll have to do the same," he said. "Kaltag, Nikki and I will go on the path to the left. Spitz, you lead another group straight ahead, while Kari and Star can lead a group to the right."

"There are several dead ends in these alleys; there's a good chance that we might catch them," Kaltag put in.

"Yes, but if anyone traps a wolf, proceed with caution. There is nothing more dangerous than a wolf that is cornered," Balto urged.

"But there's more of us than there are of them," Spitz said indignantly. "Why can't we-"

"Trust me on this one," Balto cut in. "Any animal that feels trapped can become ten times more dangerous than usual - I would know. Besides, the aim here isn't to trap or hurt them; it's simply to get them out of town. Can I hold you to that Spitz?" The husky paused for a moment, before nodding. "Alright, let's go," Balto finished and the dogs split up. Balto led his group down their alley, keeping their senses tuned to detect any possible sneak attack. The alleys were completely silent, with the only sound being their own breathing.

"Look down there!" Kaltag exclaimed as they passed another side alley, seeing a wolf before it darted away. They gave chase, following it as it twisted and turned through the alleys until, as Kaltag predicted, it hit a dead end. In the way was a fence, and the wolf, whom Balto recognized as the female from the group, was frantically digging under the fence to try to get through. She had just started to squeeze her head under it before Kaltag and Nikki each grabbed one of her shoulders in their jaws and pulled her back out.

"Don't worry, we don't want to hurt you," Balto assured her as she struggled against the dogs' grip. "I just want to finish the little talk we started earlier."

"There is nothing to discuss!" the she-wolf barked. "You were the ones that provoked this! You may have me, but I'll never do what you wish!"

"That's too bad, because I just wish that you'd leave us alone," Balto replied. "I don't know what you think you know, but I'm not your enemy."

"I don't believe you! All you dogs are the same; you can't be trusted!" she barked as she continued to thrash around. Balto knew that if this continued, someone could get hurt.

"Guys, let her go," he said, and they released her. "See, I'm not such a bad guy. I'm going to let you go, but I don't want to see you in this town again, you hear me?" he urged. She gave no reply, only snorting at him before slipping under the fence and off into the night.

"Wow, she's a piece of work," Kaltag muttered while Balto tried to make sense of this.

"Why would wolves come after Spitz's team out of all the dogs in town?" he thought. "Either these wolves are more intolerant than I thought, or Spitz isn't telling me the whole story. There's more behind this and I want to find out what it is."

---

Chapter 2: Taking Stock

The commotion raised was enough to wake most of the town, and while the townspeople surveyed the damage, several dogs gathered in the old mill to find out what they could. It was a commotion of questions and answers, with everyone trying to make sense of what had happened. Soon Jenna entered and rushed to Balto, quickly nuzzling his chest. "Balto, what's going on? Everyone's saying that wolves attacked some dogs in town and... and that you had been attacked too," she said, her voice wavering slightly.

"It's true; I caught a few of them trying to sneak up on Spitz's team while Kaltag found some others vandalizing supplies," he replied. "Don't worry, I'm fine and we were able to chase them off."

"But why? Wolves have never come after us like this," she said.

"I don't know, but we'll find out more soon," he answered before an older St. Bernard came in. This dog's name was Doc and if anyone needed to know what was going on, he was the dog to go to.

"Alright my friends, I know you're a little shaken up tonight, but the threat has passed thanks to the actions of a few of our own dogs," he said. "I just listened in on the human's conversation; they say that the wolves did more damage to their supplies than to the dogs they went after."

"What did they go after?" a smaller dog named Dixie asked.

"They chewed through and destroyed a few sled harnesses, some snares used for trapping, and had tried to drag a fresh caribou carcass away. They didn't get far with their last item, as Kaltag caught them and chased them away," he listed.

"But why go after those things?" a malamute inquired. "I thought wolves would rather go after dogs than their supplies."

"A second group did go after Spitz's team," Balto put in. "I tried to ask them why, but I couldn't get a straight answer from them."

"Do you know who they were?" Jenna asked.

"No, but I have a feeling that someone in here does," he replied, and looked over at Spitz. "Spitz, is there something you want to tell us?"

At this, Spitz immediately scowled at him. "Why are you pinning this on me? I didn't have anything to do with what the wolves did!"

"Are you sure?" Balto asked. He had started to form a theory about why the wolves had come, but he needed proof, so he turned to Doc. "Doc, you wouldn't happen to know whose supplies were damaged would you? Was it anyone in particular?"

Doc seemed a little surprised at the question, but he did have the answer. "Yes; it was Mr. Davison's supplies that were damaged, along with his caribou that the wolves tried to take."

"Davison… he's your owner isn't he Spitz?" Kaltag asked, and soon all eyes were on the grey husky. Spitz nodded, causing the room to murmur.

"The wolves attacked Davison's supplies and dogs," Balto started. "I wouldn't have thought to ask if it wasn't for an interesting bit of information you gave me earlier this morning. Didn't you say that you had a run-in with a pack of wolves?"

Spitz hesitated. "… Yes," he replied. "What are you getting at lobo?"

Balto ignored the insult and continued laying out his theory. "I don't think that this attack is random; I think it's connected to the wolf pack you encountered this morning," he explained. "The wolves got pretty close to you tonight; close enough for you to take a sniff. I didn't recognize them, but did you?"

Spitz thought for a moment, until his eyes opened in realization. "My goodness you're right. They smelled just like the wolves we met this morning."

"So the wolves attacked in retaliation for your intrusion," Kaltag finished.

"Possibly, but I don't think that wolves would come after us after only one scuffle," Balto continued. "Spitz, I want you to tell me the truth. Has there been any other time that you've encountered the wolves. Were there any other skirmishes between you?"

Spitz seemed to avoid Balto's gaze after that question, but Kari came over and nudged him. "You should tell him; it might be important," she whispered.

"But it's… alright, this morning wasn't the first time we've seen these wolves," Spitz started. "A few weeks ago, we were looking for a new range for our human to hunt caribou. After a few days, we finally found a valley to the northeast where they were plentiful, but soon after we started hunting, they started to appear. It started small, with them just stalking us, but then they became bolder, charging at us and snapping at us while our human was away. Today was the worst when they full out attacked us, warning that it wasn't over when they fled."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Balto asked. "If we had known, then we would've had some warning of what they would do tonight."

"You didn't ask," Spitz snidely replied, earning a cross look from Balto. "Besides, this is something that concerns only my team, not you. If you're so smart, then tell me why they've been doing this to us and why they decided to attack our supplies as well?"

"Hm, that's a good one," Balto mused. "They went after your harnesses and traps, both of which you use when hunting and… oh that's brilliant," he said, his face lighting up as a new idea entered his head.

"What? What's so brilliant?" Spitz asked.

"The wolves plan; they came in response to your hunting and tried to stop it," Balto explained. "After all, it'd be pretty hard to go out hunting if you didn't have any traps or if you couldn't tie yourselves to your own sled. You gotta hand it to them, they sure are crafty, but we wouldn't have this problem if you hadn't gone on their property."

"That's not my fault!" Spitz exclaimed. "How was I supposed to know? It's not like they have big, lit-up signs saying 'no trespassing'."

"I know, and it's okay Spitz," Kaltag reassured him. "Look, it's been a hectic night. Maybe we should all go home and get some shut-eye." All the dogs agreed. They started to mill out, but as Balto and Jenna started to leave he held them back. "Guys, there's something I want to ask you," he said. They stayed back waiting until they were the only ones left. "Wolves… it seems like since the serum run we've been running into them more and more," he started.

"True... the first was Maska's pack," Balto continued, referring to a wolf pack he had sought out a couple of weeks ago. He had been having trouble adjusting to the town and had started to wonder if his place was actually in the wild. He went out and encountered a friendly pack, led by a wolf named Maska. They were willing to accept Balto, but when Kaltag and Jenna realised he was missing, they followed him and met the pack as well. Jenna and Kaltag convinced Balto to come home, but he still promised to keep in contact with the wolves that had made him one of their own. "Now we have this group that's coming after us."

"You don't think that these wolves are with Maska do you?" Kaltag asked.

"No. When I last saw Maska, I got a good look at all of them - none of them were here tonight," Balto said. "Besides, going after dogs like this doesn't seem like Maska's style. He seemed okay with you two when you came to find me, so I don't think that he'd want to hurt any dogs. These wolves are a different pack, one that we don't know."

"They may not be from Maska's pack, but maybe he does know them," Jenna suggested. "If anyone would know who the wolves in the area are, it would be him."

Balto nodded. "I agree; first thing in the morning I'm going over to ask him."

"Alright, in the meantime you two take care," Kaltag said before they left the mill and went their separate ways, with Balto accompanying Jenna home. Their walk passed in silence, as both were still on edge from earlier. A rustling in one of the alleys caught their attention, causing Jenna to jump back, but it was nothing more than some paper blowing in the wind. As she watched it flutter away, she realized that she had jumped back into Balto, leaning into his side. He reassured her with a nuzzle and they continued on.

For Jenna, having Balto around was very comforting, especially considering the events of that night. He had been there for her before, and she knew that he would continue to be there for her, acting as her protector and her friend. Soon they reached her home, stopping at the entrance to the shed that she stayed in. "Good night Jenna," he said as he nuzzled her again. "Don't worry; I'm going to find out what's going on soon."

"Balto, wait," she said. She paused a moment, as if uncertain what to say. "I was hoping that you'd… stay with me tonight. With everything that's going on right now, I'd appreciate having someone there in case...," she trailed off, pressing into his neck. She broke the nuzzle and he nodded, following her into the shed. He settled himself down first and she leaned into him, feeling his side rise and fall with each breath. He leaned over and rubbed her neck with his chin. The effect was soothing enough that both canines were soon fast asleep with each other, snuggling just as they had the night after he returned with the medicine.

---

The rest of the night passed quickly, and as morning broke, Balto woke up with his head resting on the still sleeping Jenna. "She always looks so peaceful when she sleeps. It's as though she thinks the world can't hurt her... although part of that might be having me around," he thought as he got up and stretched the kinks out of his body. Spying a nearby water dish, he went over and found the cold from the night had caused a thin film of ice to form on it. It gave way when he pressed his paw down on it, revealing some water that he lapped up to quench his thirst. As if by magic, Jenna woke up moments after Balto had left her side and looked over to see Balto taking a morning drink. "Oh, I hope you don't mind, I was just thirsty," he said when he saw her awake.

"It's fine, just make sure you leave some for me," she replied as she got up. "I take it you're leaving soon?"

"I should; the quicker I can get answers, the quicker I can resolve this for everyone," Balto replied. He noticed the slightly disappointed look on her face, and thought that she probably didn't like him leaving her so quickly. "However, if you're available… you could… come with me," he suggested.

"Well, today is a weekday, so Rosy would be in school and her parents would be working or in town," she replied with a hint of a smile. "I think I could slip away and get back before they got home."

Balto grinned. "Then it's settled. Besides, it's probably best that I don't travel alone, considering what happened last night. I'm sure Maska would be glad to see you again too," he added and she broke into a grin. They waited to make sure that everyone in the house had cleared out for the day before slipping away and out of town. Jenna had met Maska and his pack once before, and while they were a little on edge about having a dog come into their territory, once they found out that she was a friend of Balto's they graciously let her in. Maska seemed like a very kind wolf, and his pack definitely had a gentler disposition than the group that had raided Nome last night. As they walked, Jenna wondered if most wolf packs were like Maska's, or the ones that came in the night.

After a couple hours of walking, Balto found himself in the same place that he had first encountered the wolves in the area. That time, he howled out to catch their attention and ended up getting caught. Knowing that it would be best to announce himself, he arched his head back and howled; a canine way of ringing the doorbell. He wouldn't have to wait long, as he soon heard a reply only feet away. It turned out that someone had been waiting for him to come, and he recognized the red-brown wolf that answered his call. It was Anya, one of the wolves who had first found him. After howling back, she rushed towards him, tail wagging and with a giant smile on her muzzle. "Balto!" she cried as she crashed into him, knocking him over. "It's about time you came back! I missed you! You too Jenna," she exclaimed, acting like a puppy who was happy to have her parents home.

"It's nice to see you too Anya… but could you please get off my chest?" he groaned and she let him up before giving him a quick tap on the muzzle with her nose. Balto knew she was being friendly, but it caused Jenna to raise her brow at the young female.

"So, what brings you to our neck of the woods?" Anya eagerly asked. "Did you want another hunting lesson from your favourite teacher?"

"Her-hem," Jenna coughed. "Actually, we're here because we need Maska's help with something," she said, slightly annoyed with the attention she was giving Balto.

"Alright, just follow me," she said, and Jenna and Balto followed her deeper into the woods. There were a few things that Jenna wanted to make clear to her, so he went ahead to talk with her one on one.

"Well, you sure are happy to see Balto," Jenna said to her.

"Of course I am; I haven't seen him in a while and he's such a nice guy to have around," Anya said.

"I could tell; you seem to enjoy giving him attention," Jenna replied dryly.

"Oh that? I was just being nice and saying hello to him," Anya said. "It's how wolves greet each other, nothing more… wait, did you actually think I was trying to woo him?"

"… Maybe a little," Jenna admitted, looking away.

"Oh… don't worry it wasn't meant to be like that, honest," Anya said. "I already know that you two are together and I would never try to ruin that. Maybe you should come here more often; you'd learn a few more things about how wolves act. As I said, you're lucky to have such a… dashing hero like him to sweep you off your feet."

This caused Jenna to giggle a little. "Hm, you may know we're together, but it still sounds like you have a bit of a crush on my Balto," she said in mock suspicion.

"No… okay maybe a little," Anya said, a little embarrassed. "You have to admit, the story of his journey to find the medicine is very exciting. It has everything someone would want in a great story: Adventure, danger, friendship-"

"Not to mention a little romance," Balto cut in, catching them by surprise.

"When did you start listening in on us?" Anya asked.

"I never stopped listening; my nose isn't the only thing that's sharper than average," he replied, before trotting up to catch up with them. "Yes, a budding romance with a certain red husky that I'd never leave, so she doesn't need to chase away every female that gives me a little attention," he continued, grinning. Jenna knew he was right, and felt a little foolish for jumping to conclusions.

"And it ends with the hero saving the day and winning his lady love," Anya finished.

"Hehe, look I think you have a fan," Jenna chuckled.

"Great, that's just what I need," he groaned.

"Oh, there's no need to take it like it's some burden," Jenna teased. "Besides, there was a point when even you needed to be saved. I recall jumping in to help you just before a bear took your head off."

"That you did, but that just shows how well we go together," Balto replied.

"Yeah, unlike our last town 'hero'," Jenna muttered.

"Steele?" Anya asked, and the two dogs nodded. Anya had heard all about Steele from Balto and knew how that pompous dog had managed to foul things up during the serum run, making it worse in his attempt to keep his glory. Eventually, the group reached the clearing that Balto remembered as the pack's rendezvous site. In the clearing they spotted Maska, who was a large, brown wolf, along with another female and two cubs. The adults were sniffing the ground and urging the cubs to do the same, teaching them how to hone their senses. When he heard them approach, he looked up, smiling.

"Ah, Balto, Jenna, it's good to see you," he greeted. He turned briefly to the others. "Excuse me while I go talk with my friends, okay?" he said to them. They nodded, and the female continued to instruct the cubs. Maska grinned broadly as he approached. "I was starting to think that you might've forgotten about me."

"Forget about you? I wouldn't be a very good wolf if I did something like that," Balto replied with a chuckle. "It's good to see you too."

Maska nodded to Balto and also gave a quick tap to Jenna's muzzle, just as Anya had done to Balto. Jenna was a little surprised at the greeting and she heard Anya whisper. "See, I told you; just a way of saying hello," before stepping away to let them talk with Maska.

"So, what brings you around to our parts?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, it's some trouble the town has gotten into," Balto said. "We were hoping that you could help us out with it."

"Oh? For a problem that affects dogs I'm not sure how I can help," Maska replied.

"Trust me, this one is right up your alley," Balto said, and he told Maska about the group of wolves that had attacked the town last night. He told him how they had harassed Spitz's team in the past, and how they tried to sabotage their future trips. "We managed to chase them off, but I have a feeling that they aren't going to let this go. After all, Spitz and his team will have to continue going out to provide food for themselves."

"Hm, that is a bit of problem," Maska mused. "I'm sorry that it had to be your town that got caught up in something like this."

"Thanks, but I want to know what we should do," Balto asked.

"First, I need to know what pack we're dealing with," Maska replied. "Where exactly did these earlier skirmishes occur?"

"Well, when Spitz told us about it last night, he said that they had started going to this valley to the north-east because game was plentiful," Jenna replied.

Maska frowned, thinking it over. "Hm, northeast of the town would place them roughly east of us, which would make it…" He stopped, and his troubled expression told them that he did not like the answer he had come up with. "It would make it... oh no, not them," he groaned.

"What is it? Do you know who attacked the town last night?" Balto asked.

"Yes, I do know them as they're one of the more difficult packs I've had to deal with," Maska replied, provoking a confused expression from Balto and Jenna. "Over the course of my life I've had to deal with a few neighbouring packs. With most of them it was easy as we promised to keep out of the way of each other, and to not poach their prey. However, there is one that currently sits to the east that is…"

"Violent?" Jenna asked.

"Not exactly; they tend to overreact when they feel threatened. That's probably why they turned hostile so quickly when your neighbours strayed into their territory," Maska replied. "Their alpha is a wolf named Tikani. He has a bit of a short temper, but he is not unreasonable. You just need to get his attention at the right moment."

"The only chance we have of stopping this is if we go and talk to them. Maybe if we explain ourselves, we can prevent anything more from happening," Balto said. "Can you take us to them?"

"I can take you… but I'm not so sure about bringing Jenna," Maska said, turning to her. "I'm sorry, but with Tikani's short temper I don't know how he'll react to having a dog like you come along."

"What? But I think I should come. I can help you two," Jenna replied and looked to Balto for support.

"I'd like you to come too… but so much could go wrong," Balto said.

"It could, but I'm willing to take that risk. As a citizen of Nome, I could provide the dog's perspective on this. I could help explain our actions to them," she said. "Besides, it's not like I'd be unprotected if you were there too.

"Well... you have a point there," Balto said, turning to Maska.

Maska thought this over for a moment before relenting, "Alright, but stick close to me. I don't know exactly what kind of mood Tikani will be in today." With that, he called another wolf over and told him where he was going before they departed to find, and hopefully reason with their quarry.

---

Chapter 3: The Face of the Enemy

As they walked through the woods, none of them knew what to expect when they would meet this other pack. Not even Maska knew what their disposition would be when faced with a dog and a dog hybrid. The alpha wolf was wary about bringing them, but he trusted them enough to follow their wishes. "I hope you two don't begrudge me for not wanting Jenna to come," he said. "I only wanted to look out for your safety."

"It's not a problem," Jenna replied. "I know you meant the best and I'm glad you cared enough to make it known, even though we're not a part of your pack."

"Just because you don't live and hunt with us doesn't mean I don't think of you as one of my own. You two will always be welcome with me, and while you are with me as guests, I consider your safety to be my responsibility," Maska said. "If anything were to happen to either of you on my watch, I'd never forgive myself."

"Oh, you don't have to have to go that far," Balto replied.

"I don't have to, but I want to. You're my friends, and my land is open for you anytime you want to visit, or if you need help," Maska said. "Speaking of helping, I'm wondering how well things are going in town for you. The last time we saw each other, you came to us because you were having some trouble in town."

"I was, but things have slowly improved," Balto replied. "I still get the odd look but… I guess with the support from Kaltag, Rosy, Jenna and others it doesn't seem so bad anymore. It's mostly Spitz that I get the attitude from, but after a while it's looking more like he's just full of hot air."

"He may be full of air, but he's also the one who's causing this trouble for you," Maska continued.

"Partly, but those wolves have their part in this too," Balto replied. "After all, they decided to come into town and make trouble."

"True, but that husky must still be quite a headache for you," Maska commented thoughtfully. "Who knows what else he might be up to while you're out today."

Balto thought for a moment, but waved it off. "Nah, he's not the type to do that. Besides, I'm not the only one who looks after the town. Kaltag, Doc; there are many dogs who keep an eye on things."

"That's good… though I suppose we wolves do something similar with our packs," Maska mused. "Out here, you need to look after your fellow wolves in order to ensure the survival of everyone."

"Or in this case, wolves, dogs and everything in between," Balto replied, earning a chuckle from Maska.

"Yes, that's true," he said. "There are many wolves that only see their immediate families, or only think of other wolves as brothers, but I'm a little more open than that. I see you as an extension of my family, and the same goes for anyone who is close to you."

"That's good… especially if we decide to… add a few more to the family," Jenna said, looking right at Balto. Balto simply smiled back; he knew what she was getting onto again. He wasn't the only one, as Maska also caught on to her hint and chuckled a little, but decided not to comment. The rest of the trip passed in silence and it wasn't long before they reached a frozen riverbed where Maska stopped and sat down.

"Are we here?" Balto asked.

"Sort of; this riverbed acts as a buffer between our two territories," Maska explained. "It is a neutral ground where we can meet and talk. However, the last time we talked with them was over a year and a half ago. They aren't the most social of packs, so we've made it our business to keep our distance from them."

"Do we wait for them to come?" Jenna asked.

"No, we have to call them," Maska replied before leaning his head back and giving out a piercing howl. After a moment, they heard the crunching of paws through the snow as a grey-furred wolf came over the hill, descending towards them. As she approached, Balto recognized that it was same female from the night before. When she saw him, her expression turned very sour.

"You…" she growled at Balto, her eyes narrowing. "Maska, what is the meaning of this? What are you doing with these… dogs," she said, putting extra venom on the last word.

"Yes, it's nice to see you too Kisa," Maska replied flatly. "Getting to the point, where is Tikani? There's something that we need to discuss."

"I'm not going to trouble him with the whining of these pets," Kisa snapped.

"Oh you are, because if you don't I'm just going to march in there and find him," Maska shot back. "Either way, we're talking to him."

"… Fine, I'll get him," she mumbled, before trotting away.

"Now you see why we don't talk to them very much," Maska said to them and Balto and Jenna agreed. If they had neighbours who were that sour, they would be reluctant to talk with them as well.

Soon they saw Kisa return with a larger, dark grey wolf, whom Balto assumed was the alpha male. "Alright, what's all the fuss about?" he grumbled.

"Maska is here, but he's with two dogs from that nearby human town," Kisa explained. "I recognize one of them from the raid last night - the brown one."

"Dogs? Well Maska, I'm surprised. I never thought of you as the type to associate with those who would rather kill us all and take our land," the alpha wolf said.

"These dogs have done nothing to harm your pack; I brought them here because they only wanted to talk with you," Maska replied. "Besides, you should know that it's rude to not introduce yourself to those you meet."

Tikani grumbled at being addressed in such a way, but he maintained his composure. "Very well; I am Tikani and you've already met my mate Kisa."

"My name's Balto, and this Jenna," Balto replied. "Oh and for the record, I'm not all dog. I'm actually half wolf. That's how I gained Maska's trust. In fact, I'm not a pet either. I suppose you could call me a stray that decided to call Nome home."

"A mutt eh?" Tikani said before turning to Jenna. "Are you a mutt too redhead? Let me guess… part fox?"

"Honestly Tikani, there's no need for that," Maska cut in as Jenna scowled at him. "These two only wish to talk so the least you could do is hear them out."

Tikani frowned, but nodded, allowing Balto to speak up. "Instead of beating around the bush I'm just going to lay it out for you. We know that it was your pack that attacked the town last night and I have a pretty good idea why you did it too," he started. "I'm here because I want to resolve this before anyone else gets hurt."

"I think it would also be fair if we heard your side of the story," Jenna put in. "Can you tell us about the first time you encountered the sled dogs?"

"Fair enough. Many days ago, our scouts spotted a sled team entering our territory. They didn't seem to be heading towards the core so we weren't concerned, but I still wanted to investigate," Tikani started. "We may be protective of our territory, but we are willing to let others pass through… as long as that is the only thing they do."

"It soon became clear that the dogs had other plans in mind," Kisa continued. "We watched as the team approached a caribou, and the human used his weapon to kill it before taking it away."

"Having them poach from our territory is unacceptable!" Tikani exclaimed. "We need caribou to feed our own, and if the humans take too much, then we may not have enough game to hunt for ourselves! What gives you dogs the right to take from others?"

"They didn't mean to steal from you," Balto protested. "That man was simply hunting to provide meat for his own family and his dogs."

Despite saying that, Balto's explanation didn't sway the wolf. "That may be, but why are they taking it from our territory?" he demanded. "Wolf packs don't steal from others' ranges, so why are they taking from ours?"

"That's it; you're treating this like it's another wolf pack, but you're dealing with different creatures," Jenna said. "The rules of land for humans and dogs are different from yours. They don't know about your borders; they only see open wilderness."

"So you're saying that we should let them go above our laws simply because they use different rules from us? You're saying that we should roll over for them?" Tikani asked.

"I'm just explaining why they would stray into your territory, so don't put words in my mouth," Jenna snapped.

"Look, we can argue semantics all day, but I want to hear the rest of this," Maska cut in. "Shortly after you first saw them you started to confront them."

"Yes, but we weren't trying to kill anybody," Tikani said. "We were simply trying to deter them from returning and taking more caribou. You know… scare them off."

"I guess they didn't take the hint," Balto said, acknowledging that this fit exactly with Spitz's story.

"They continued to come into our territory, with their human even wounding one of our own with his weapon yesterday. We decided that greater action would be needed," Kisa replied. "If they weren't going to stop, then we would take the fight to them."

"So you thought an eye for an eye would solve everything?" Maska said.

"When you say it that way, you make it sound like petty revenge," Tikani countered. "This was compensation for what they had done to us."

"The plan was to give them a message to never come back again," Kisa explained. "We would knock some of the huskies around to show that even in their home, they wouldn't be safe. It was supposed to make them think twice about coming back."

"And then you tried to sabotage their supplies to keep them from hunting," Balto continued and Tikani nodded, confirming more of Balto's theory. "There's one last thing you did that still puzzles me a little. Why did you try to steal the caribou carcass they had hunted?"

"We weren't stealing it! It came from our territory, so we were simply taking back what was ours," Kisa barked. "Our plan would've gone on without a hitch had you not decided to interfere."

"I don't know about you, but most don't take too kindly to having others cause trouble in their town," Balto said. It was becoming clear that the wolves saw themselves as victims as much as Spitz and his team did. This was not going to be easy to explain back in Nome, especially to Spitz.

"Just as we don't take kindly to having unwanted visitors in our territory," Tikani said with fire in his eyes. "We may have lost our surprise and our kill may not have been reclaimed, but we still managed to damage your tools. That should give us at least a little peace."

"I hate to break it to you, but it might not," Jenna put in. "The human can simply buy new harnesses and traps from the stores in town. It may come at a bit of a cost, but he'll soon be back out here, hunting as usual… though he may be a bit more upset with you due to the cost that you incurred on him."

"If our efforts carry a cost, then we'll continue until they can't support it," Tikani answered with resolve. "We'll wear them down until they are unable or unwilling to come here again."

"That might not be the best idea," Balto countered. "If you cause enough damage the humans will see you as a threat. Once they do, they'll only send more hunters… except instead of hunting game, they'll be hunting you, and they will likely destroy you."

"Are you threatening me mongrel?" Tikani growled.

"No, I'm simply trying to stop anything that would cause unnecessary bloodshed," Balto replied. "So far there have only been a few skirmishes, and I'd like to stop this before it escalates into something worse."

"We will only stop when you stop infringing on our territory!" Tikani shouted. "That is the only thing we ask."

"Very well; since Spitz and his team come here for hunting, is there somewhere outside of your territory where game is still present?" Balto asked.

"There is a small herd of caribou just outside of our borders, maybe consisting of eight or nine animals," Kisa agreed. "Other than that, no; most of the caribou in the area lie within our borders. In fact, that is why we chose this place for our pack; it has ample game to support us."

"If you have ample game here, then could there be a way to share with the dogs?" Jenna asked. "If we could-"

"Absolutely not! We have put up with the poaching of our prey for long enough - no more!" he growled, before turning to Balto. "Okay wolfdog, we've listened to each other and now you know our position. You go and tell your friends that if they don't want to get hurt, they will stay out of our territory from now on."

"This wasn't much of a talk," Balto protested. "We know your position, but we've barely tried to reach an agreement. Can't we take some more time to-"

"NO! No deals, no compromises, no concessions. We don't negotiate with dogs," he said, before turning tail with Kisa and disappearing back into the woods.

"Yeah it was nice seeing you again too," Maska muttered, making no attempt to hide the sarcasm in his voice. Jenna's face fell and her ears drooped after being shot down by Tikani like that.

"Hey, it's okay Jenna, you tried your best," Balto said, leaning in to nuzzle her. "At least you tried. We all did."

"If there's nothing else we can do today, then we should head back," Maska suggested, and they followed the brown wolf back into his territory.

"So what now?" Jenna asked. "We didn't get them to stop attacking Spitz and his team."

"No, but now we know why they're doing it," Balto answered. "It's because they want to protect their food supply. The simplest option is for them to go somewhere else."

"It may be a simple option, but Spitz might not go along with it," Jenna countered. "You know that he doesn't like being told what to do, especially from you."

Balto nodded reluctantly, ears flat and face firm. Jenna had said the very thing that was eating away at him. "That's what I'm worried about," he agreed. "But it's the best shot we've got so far, so we have to at least try."

"And if he doesn't take your idea?" Maska asked.

"I… I don't know," Balto said. "They'll keep going into Tikani's territory and that will only lead to more trouble. They'll be on their own unless…" he stopped and looked at his friend hopefully. "Unless you could help us Maska."

"Me? What do you have in mind?" Maska asked, surprised.

"Is any way that you could help protect the teams when they're out here?" Balto asked, "Would you be willing to run interference for them?"

Maska shook his head. "I'd like to, but if I did, I would only attract more ire from Tikani. I think he's sour enough as it is what with me helping you. If you were the one in trouble, then yes I would come and help, but I owe nothing to Spitz and I can't risk provoking a fight with Tikani for him. I have my own pack to think of here, especially considering we have a few pups to look after."

"I see; then again it wouldn't be fair to push this onto you as well," Balto said, disappointed that another idea had been turned down.

Maska nodded. "When it comes to diplomacy, I'd be more than willing to help out, but I don't want to get caught up in a fight if I don't have to. However, I will allow our territory to be a safe haven for those who need it. If Spitz still refuses to leave Tikani's pack alone, just tell him to head west until they cross the riverbed. They'll find shelter here, as Tikani wouldn't dare cross into my territory."

"While they're there, would you allow any hunting in your territory?" Jenna asked.

The wolf lowered his gaze and sighed. "Once again, I'm sorry that I have to decline the request," he said solemnly. "As it is, our game is stretched thin, partly because most of the caribou lie in Tikani's territory. We've been having to turn to smaller things such as rabbits to let everyone get by."

"In other words, your paws are tied," Balto said, and Maska nodded. "I still appreciate your offer for sanctuary here Maska. Besides, it may not even come to that, as long as Spitz likes our plan."

---

"That plan is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Spitz snapped after Balto told him what he had heard from Tikani. "Why should we take a detour like that from such prime hunting ground?"

"Because someone's already living there, and they don't want visitors," Kaltag replied. Balto had called on the Chinook to help explain things to Spitz. He hoped that having the current lead dog of Nome's champion sled team with him would help convince Spitz. Unfortunately, even that wasn't working out.

"It really isn't as bad as you think," Balto continued, trying to reason with him. "The wolf we met said that there was another small herd just outside of his territory."

"That's the other thing I don't like; how you go off and try to make deals with wild wolves while the rest of us hear little about it," Spitz continued, ignoring Balto's suggestion. "I don't like how the three of you seem to have some sort of little club where you can do as you please."

"Well if you want to talk to them, I'll gladly take you to them," Balto suggested.

"I don't want to talk to any wild wolf," Spitz muttered. "I'm not dealing with any of those savages. Besides, we might be able to sneak in and out of their territory without them knowing."

"I don't think so; it's nearly impossible to sneak past a wolf intent on protecting their territory - believe me, I know," Balto said, remembering how he was caught by Maska's pack shortly after entering their territory. "And they aren't as savage as you think. If you took the time to talk to them and hear their side, you'd find out that they're simply trying to look after themselves."

Spitz paused to think, but he was still unconvinced. "The answer is still no Balto. It's my team, and I have to look after their needs too. Wolves aren't the only ones who need to eat," he finished before trotting away.

Balto took a deep breath and let it out in defeat. Had he been foolish to think that it would be that easy? "Well so much for that," he uttered in a low tone.

"But we can't let them just waltz in and get hurt again," Kaltag said. "We have to do something. Are you sure these wolves won't make any deals?"

"I don't know; they wouldn't make a deal earlier today and they aren't as open-minded as Maska," Balto answered. "We have nothing to offer them in return, so it'll take something big to even get them to talk to us again."

---

Chapter 4: The Next Level

Four Days Later

Balto tried to enjoy the next few days in peace, but the thought of Spitz's reaction to his idea still nagged at the back of his mind. His worries remained, despite Jenna's attempts to cheer him up, along with Boris's words of wisdom. "Balto, there are some times when it's best to simply swallow your pride and accept that some might not want your help," the old goose said to him as he was perched on the bow of his boat - his favorite spot to go when he had a lot on his mind.

"If their actions were only hurting themselves then I'd agree with you, but these wolves might try going after other dogs as well," Balto replied. "Those other dogs wouldn't deserve that because they've done nothing wrong. They look up to Kaltag and I as leaders, and leaders are supposed to look after the safety of those with them. I wouldn't be a very good leader if I sat by and did nothing."

"Oy, all this talk about responsibility and such… I think I liked you more when you were an outcast," Boris grumbled, and that managed to make Balto crack into his first smile in days. "Since when did you get so good at debating with your uncle Boris?"

"I've been learning from the best when it comes to arguing," Balto replied, looking over at the old bird. Boris chuckled, seeing that a bit of him had rubbed off onto the younger wolfdog.

"If Spitz won't take your advice, then what is his plan then?" Boris asked.

"He thinks he might be able to get away with sneaking in and out of their territory, but I'm not sure he can pull it off," Balto said. "After all, wolves are very protective of their territory and Tikani knows they'll be coming, so he'll be looking for them. Once they find each other, there will be nothing to stop them… unless someone gets between them…" Balto trailed off as a smile came over his face.

"Balto?" Boris asked.

"Hang on, I have to go. I just got an idea," Balto said, before he eagerly jumped off his boat and raced towards the town.

"Typical, always wanting to rush to the rescue," Boris mumbled.

---

Balto waited until Spitz and his team left for their hunting that day before following them out of town. Balto's plan was simple, but a little risky. He'd tried earlier to act as a go-between for the dogs and the wolves, and he wasn't willing to give up on that. He wanted to stop both sides from charging at each other, physically getting between them if necessary. His hope was to get them to sit still long enough to talk to each other directly. If not... he could at least run interference and buy them some time to escape. He had purposely left a delay of a few minutes between them to avoid being seen - Spitz would probably not be entirely happy about him following them.

Eventually, he heard the sound of dogs barking, but it was not the simple barks of a sled team out for a run; they were barks of panic. Balto's stomach twisted as he knew that the team was already in trouble. He raced ahead, kicking snow into the air, before coming over a small hill to see the situation. Their musher had already left to follow game and the wolves arrived only seconds later. They formed a circle around the dogs, boxing them in and tightening around them, moving closer and closer. The dogs looked around frantically for an escape, but there was none. Spitz and Tikani directly faced each other, growling and bristling, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Once that move was made, everything would blow up at once. Knowing what he had to do, he sprinted down the hill towards them. "Tikani! Incoming!" a wolf cried out, catching everyone's attention.

"You!" Tikani and Spitz barked in unison; neither was happy to see him.

"Heh, at least there's one thing they share in common," Balto thought as he approached.

"What are you doing here?" Tikani growled. "I told you to stay out!"

"I'm here to stop you two before anyone else gets hurt," Balto said. "It doesn't have to be like this. I know you're angry, but I can help you, both of you. I'm not your enemy."

"You say that and yet you protect and align yourself with our enemy! In my eyes, that makes you no better than them!" Tikani barked. "This will be your last warning; leave our territory forever, or suffer the consequences."

"We're only here because there's no other place to go," Spitz shot back. "We tried searching for caribou elsewhere, but we found no sign of them."

"Then search again. We won't let you invade our land," Tikani said.

"If you see our unexpected visits as invasions, then what if we asked your permission?" Kari asked, her voice calm, yet assertive. "May we please enter your territory?"

"We'd allow it if your business was benign, but you come and take prey that we need to feed ourselves," Tikani replied.

"Are you sure there isn't enough to go around?" Balto asked. "We could take a look around your territory to see how many caribou there are."

"You think that after this, we'll let you wander around our territory like it's your own?" Tikani smirked. "Never! Who knows what kind of trouble you could cause around here?"

"But we won't cause trouble!" Kari protested. "If you're so concerned about us, then maybe we could let you escort us."

"Maybe you'd let them, but I won't be led around by any wolf," one of the other dogs said, and a few others cheered in agreement, including Spitz.

"We're not leaving here and we're going to keep coming," Spitz growled. "That's final."

"Well then, you leave me no choice. I guess we're going to have to make sure that you can't run back here," Tikani growled, and the pack jumped at them as one. Being completely surrounded, there was no escape for the dogs as the wolves came at them.

"NO!" Balto cried out as he rushed towards the mob. He tried to push his way in to separate them, but the wolves' bodies wouldn't give. There was growling, barking, whining and yelping as the dogs tried to escape, while the wolves fought to keep them in. Knowing that the time for talk had come and gone, Balto went on the offensive. Jumping at them, he grabbed the nearest wolf and pushed his entire weight into its side, knocking it over and revealing the dog beneath. "Hang on!" he called as he tried to grab the dog and pull him out to safety. As he did, the wolf that Balto had knocked over recovered and his friends were noticing Balto's interference. Suddenly, three of the wolves broke off from the group and turned on Balto. The hybrid's amber eyes flicked from side to side to keep track of each of his assailants, knowing that he couldn't take on all three at once. Suddenly, he heard a crack, followed by the howls of a dog in pain. Balto looked past the wolves and saw that a wolf had bit down on one of the dog's legs hard enough to break the bone, while the dog in question writhed in agony. Seeing his brief distraction, the three took advantage of it and decided to strike. Balto regained his focus in time to dodge the first wolf, but in doing so, it brought him close enough to the second that he could grab Balto's shoulder in his jaws and knock him down, while the third jumped and slammed into him with his full weight.

Balto saw stars after the impact and the wind had been knocked out of him, rendering him temporarily immobile. The wolves were content to simply leave him incapacitated, and left to rejoin the pack. Both sides were putting up a brave fight, and it seemed like it would be another stalemate before a familiar deafening boom shook the area. At the drop of a hat, the wolves stopped their attack and ran off, leaving the team a mess. As Balto gasped for air, he saw that the team was in worse shape than after their last encounter. Many of them had deep cuts from the wolves teeth, in addition to the one who had a broken leg, still whimpering and curled into a ball out of terror. Spitz however, was filled with rage over this attack and turned on Balto, who was shakily getting up. "Well so much for your plan!" he spat.

"I… I only wanted to help," Balto protested. "I thought if I-"

"A fat lot of good your help did," Spitz cut him off. "You'd better get out of here mutt, before our owner mistakes you for a wolf too." Balto wanted to protest, but it was obvious Spitz wasn't in the mood to listen. As he heard the human's feet come over the ridge, he stole away. It took only seconds for the two sides to go right back to fighting each other, and Balto saw that it was mostly because of their own pride. They both wanted to be the one on top and thought of any concession as a sign of weakness. Unfortunately, that meant that neither was willing to sit long enough and talk it out, even though they may not be able to go much longer like this. It had become a conflict of attrition, which meant that they would spend so much energy fighting, but accomplish next to nothing.

Balto heard paws dashing towards him, and turned to see Tikani rushing at him. Balto tried to run, but the wolf was able to catch him and tackle him to the ground. Balto squirmed and tried to get away, so the wolf held his neck with a paw to prevent him from getting away. "Don't worry half-dog, I'm not going to kill you," Tikani said. "I just want to tell you something. After that little stunt it's obvious which side you're really on, so I think I'm going to have to take things to the next level with you," he gloated. Leaning down, he whispered in his ear, "Ready or not, here we come."

---

The afternoon came and went, and as people in town started to turn in, about half a dozen dogs crept through the alleys, waiting for what the night would bring. Leading them was Balto, with Kaltag by his side. After Tikani had given his warning, he had let Balto go so that he could run home. He knew that Tikani was one who liked to strike quickly, meaning that they would probably come that night. Soon after he arrived, Spitz's team came in as well. The dog with the broken leg had to be carried in the sled, and once the town saw the rough shape they were in the questions started flying. Balto gathered the dogs in the old mill and told them everything. He told them about the earlier skirmishes with the wolves, about meeting with them after their first attack, and lastly about Tikani's latest warning. "If their last visit is any indication, then they'll be coming tonight," he said. This caused many to worry, and Balto knew he would have to maintain calm. "However, unlike last time, we know they're coming, so we'll be ready for them. Kaltag and I can take care of it, while the rest of you should stay at home. You're safest with your human owners."

This seemed to placate the dogs, and after Kaltag got his team together, they waited for the evening to come. With them were Nikki and Star, along with the three other dogs on Kaltag's main team. Surprisingly, it wasn't until now that Balto had been fully introduced to them. There was Dale, Trip and Harry, and they were more than eager to have another mission with the half-wolf who had saved their lives a month ago. As the sun started to dip below the horizon, Balto and crew took up position at the west end of town, using the snowdrifts for cover. None of them said anything as the sun left the sky and darkness covered the town. It was an eerie calm, but they took some comfort from the moonlit night; they wouldn't be completely blind when the time came. Time passed, and it soon became a waiting game. Most dogs would be fast asleep at this time, but their anxiety kept them awake. They knew that at any moment the wolves would come, and they would be sitting ducks if they were caught sleeping on the job. However, the waiting started to get to them, with some tapping their paws on the snow to break the monotony. "Ugh, it's the waiting that always gets to me," Kaltag said. "It makes me feel the shakiest, the most apprehensive, the most foreboding-"

"It's worse than the real thing," Star cut in, and Kaltag nodded.

"What if they don't come?" Dale asked.

"They will," Balto replied. "They were prompt the last time they came, so they'll probably be prompt tonight. But this time they won't catch us by surprise."

"Other than that, did the wolves say anything else about they would do?" Trip asked.

"No, but their alpha told me that they were taking things to the next level. If today's attack on the team is any indication…" he trailed off, remembering how the wolves had viciously attacked the team. Several dogs had been injured, including Spitz, so Balto expected that they would probably do the same again… or worse. "They want to put teams that go hunting out of commission, so my guess is that they're going to be a lot rougher this time around."

"Yous cripple the dogs, yous cripple sled travel completely," Nikki put in. "They must be desperate."

"Well you have to admit that you'd be pretty upset if someone was going into your property and taking something you thought of as yours," Balto put in, and the dogs were quiet as they thought his words over.

"Balto, while we're here, I want to know how you're holding up," Kaltag said.

"I'm fine," Balto replied curtly.

"Are you sure; we're going up against wolves here and I know that for the longest time, you were trying to prove that wolves weren't like this," he said. "I can't help but wonder how this sits with you, being a half wolf and all."

"It doesn't sit well with me, but that's because dogs in the town that I care about are at risk," Balto replied flatly. "As for me being part wolf... that may be true, but I've lived in this town my entire life and I've always considered myself more of a dog."

"Oh… I was just wondering, because you spent a lot of your life being told that you were a violent wolf because of the stories, and here you are, having to go through this with other wolves," Kaltag said.

"I know, and I appreciate your concern Kaltag," Balto said. "Even though those stories were used to taunt me, I guess that every story has to have some element of truth."

"Yeah, I guess it does," Katag finished. A few more minutes passed, and Balto could feel his eyes start to droop after staying up so late. The unchanging night had a dulling effect on his mind and he let it wander, wishing that he could instead be cozily snuggled up to Jenna tonight. He wanted her to stay safe with her family tonight, so he wasn't able to be at her side. He laid his head down on the snow, imagining that it was Jenna's warm back as it rose and fell with her soft breathing. He imagined that they had crept into her home and curled up in front of the fireplace as it died down in the night. Lying with her was so soothing… it always put Balto out like a light… so warm and peaceful… alone, they could be as… cozy as they wanted… she did say she wanted pups… he could never say no to her… she was so beautiful…

"Hang on, what was that?" Harry called out, snapping Balto out of his dozing fantasy. "I think I saw something out there."

"What was it?' Balto asked.

"I don't know, but it looked like a shadow moving near the coast… there it is again!" he cried out in an excited whisper and that was when everyone saw them. A group of four canine-shaped bodies were trotting across the open tundra, sticking close to the shoreline. The moon had bathed the area in it's pale light, allowing the dogs to spot them approaching. Without hesitation, they sprang into action, dashing in to intercept the new arrivals.

"Only four of them - this will be a cakewalk," Trip said.

"Remember, the aim is to simply chase them off. Only attack if they do so first," Balto reminded them. "We don't want to make this worse than it already is." While the moonlight had allowed the dogs to spot the wolves, it also worked the other way. The wolves knew they were about to be intercepted. The lead one barked out and they broke into a run, with the dogs racing to catch up. The wolves made a beeline for the harbor and the dogs arced back towards the town to stay with them. The harbor in Nome had been closed down for the winter, so most of the boats had been pushed onshore to prevent them from being crushed by the sea ice. By the time they reached the harbor, the wolves had disappeared, with the boats acting as great hiding spots. "Split up, they have to be around here somewhere," Balto said.

The dogs did so, with them splitting up to flank either side of the row of boats while Balto crept towards the boats, wanting to find a better vantage point. Finding a boat that had a ladder leading up to the deck, he placed his paws on the rungs and gingerly climbed up. Higher up, he could look down onto the nearby street and see if anyone was trying to slink past, but no one was there except the dogs that were searching. Balto could easily jump from boat to boat, traveling along the line of parked crafts. He did this as quietly as possible until he reached the end of the line, but there was no sign of them. "Where did they go… it's just like last time. They disappeared when they really-" Balto quickly turned around to find a wolf charging at him from the wheelhouse, knocking both of them off the boat and to the ground.

Balto groaned from the impact and shakily got up. "One would think you'd be smart enough to learn from your mistakes," the wolf taunted. Balto recognized him as the one who had jumped on him during the last raid. Just like last time, he'd allowed them to sneak up and surprise him from behind.

"Hey you!" Kaltag called out, starting to rush towards the wolf.

"Kaltag, look out!" Balto cried, but it was not enough to stop another wolf from jumping off the boats and landing right on the Chinook. The last two wolves did the same, surprising more of the team as they searched the harbor. Once on the ground, the wolves didn't bother to fight them further, instead fleeing under the boats. "C'mon, we've got to stop them!" Balto cried and the team obliged, going around the boats to surround them. Balto rushed ahead and skidded right in front of the wolves as they were about to run under the last boat in the line. Kaltag, Nikki, Star and Trip quickly flanked them, while Dale and Harry rushed in behind them to cut off their escape. In a turn from earlier that day, it was now the wolves who were boxed in. "Alright you four, we've got you outnumbered this time, but I'll still give you a chance to leave and go home. You can tell Tikani that we are far from defenseless," Balto said.

However, the wolf started to chuckle, which caught Balto by surprise. "You still don't get it. You only focus on what's in front of you; you never think to protect your rear," he said, and Balto's stomach dropped a little. The last time, the wolves split into two groups... and there was nothing to stop them from doing the same again. His fears would soon be realized when he heard barks and howls come from across town. "As for that message... I think you can give it to him yourself."

"What in blazes?" Dale asked.

"Oh no… come on, we have to go!" Balto cried out.

"But what about these guys?" Kaltag asked.

"Forget them, they're just decoys," Balto replied before dashing away with the other dogs following him. He mentally kicked himself for being so naive. The wolves had wanted them to follow them so that they would be drawn away when the main group arrived - and it didn't take two guesses to figure out where they would be going. He stepped into a higher gear as he raced towards Spitz's home, only to realize that the barks and howls were also approaching them. Balto rounded the corner and without warning, collided with another dog, knocking both to the ground. Balto didn't know this dog, but he looked like he had seen a ghost. "What happened; how many?" Balto asked the panicking dog.

"I - I don't know," he replied, gasping. "They came from every direction, many of them, lots of them. I tried to get away, but they were everywhere. There were so many of them."

"Balto! Incoming!" Kaltag cried out, and when Balto looked up he gasped when he saw just how true the dog's words were. In the street was what must have been Tikani's entire pack - at least a dozen wolves who were soon joined by the four decoys they had followed earlier. Tikani was up front, and when he saw just how off guard Balto was, he broke into a sly grin.

"You see Balto, I told you I'd be taking things to the next level," he gloated.

---

Chapter 5: A Dog For a Wolf

The last time Balto felt fear like this, he was being attacked by an angry grizzly bear during his search for the lost sled team. That time, he had been facing a much stronger opponent and the possibility of losing his life was very real. Now, he was feeling the same fear as he faced down an entire wolf pack. The scales were tipped in Tikani's favour, so Balto knew he would need all his wits to escape. "Alright, you've proven your point," Balto said, trying to sound braver than he felt. "So what are you going to do now?"

Tikani smirked and gazed over Balto's head as if thinking over the question."Well, you're currently in between me and my objective," he observed. "So we can either stand here, or we can run over you."

"It doesn't have to be like this; we can find another way," Balto urged.

"Ugh, I'm starting to get tired of you saying that. It's just the same thing over and over again. Don't you have anything else?" the alpha complained. "I grow bored of your idealism. When will you understand that our answer is still no?"

"When will you understand that going about like this will only bring more harm to your pack?" Balto replied. "One of your own was already injured by the humans, and if they catch you here, the result will be much, much worse."

"I won't run from dogs," he growled. "I don't know about you, but I have some dignity."

"It's not about dignity; it's about doing what's best for both of us!" Balto cried.

"I agree, and I think it'd be best if we simply ran you over. CHARGE!" he howled, and the pack charged as one, a wall of teeth, fur and claws baring down on them. Balto and crew had no time to turn and run; they could only brace themselves for the impact. He was knocked over by the mob and slammed to the ground, feeling the paws press down on him as the wolves ignored him. The mob was gone as quickly as they had hit, but his body was left aching from being trampled. Scattered around him were the other dogs, who were starting to pick themselves up after being run down. Most had simply braced themselves like Balto had, but Dale and Harry tried to stand and fight back. The wolves responded by tearing into them with their fangs, leaving them whimpering in the street. Balto eased himself up, his back sore, but still able to stand.

Wasting no time, he went after the wolves, ducking into an alley as a shortcut. Those that were able followed him, and despite the pain in his back, Balto was able to keep a good pace. He knew the wolves had a head start, and with the reduced pace he was making, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop the wolves in time. The best that he could do was to turn the tide in any confrontation that would ensue. He was already down two dogs, and those on Spitz's team that weren't injured wouldn't add enough to even out the numbers. This was a bad situation that he would have to make the best of. Rounding a corner get back onto the street, he heard the yelping and barking of dogs in distress and made his sore body give it everything it had left to reach his destination. Their house was only yards away, and Balto could see that the fight had already spilled out onto the streets. "There's too many of them! Kari, get out of here!" they heard Spitz call out as he grappled for his life with Tikani. Kari hesitated, but ended up dashing away anyways, only to be chased by two other wolves. Other dogs tried to make a break for it as well, running into alleys or down the streets, but wolves chased them as well. Balto could hear crashing in the alleys and could only guess what was going on in there. First, he had to help those who were standing their ground, as they were vastly outnumbered.

"Forward!" he called, and his battered group charged at the wolves, hitting them from the side. Their sudden attack caused some disruption and confusion, but the wolves were able to regain their composure quickly. Overwhelmed, the dogs tried to back off, but the wolves stayed with them, using their greater numbers to push them back. Tikani and Balto faced each other, snarling and bristling in an attempt to out-do each other's threatening displays. The dogs felt as their tails brushed up against a wall, stopping their ability to retreat. The wolves chuckled at this and moved in from the sides to cut off all escape.

The dogs were cornered and outnumbered, leaving their fate in the paws of an angry pack of wolves. "Well well; not so tough now without your humans to protect you," Tikani taunted. "I guess when the playing field is level, it shows who the greater hunters are."

"Alright, I guess you've got us, but no one else has to get hurt," Balto said. "You've already won, so you don't have to do anything more."

"Does that mean that you surrender to us?" Tikani asked.

"Absolutely not!" Spitz bristled, and he looked ready to pounce. Balto knew that any attack would result in failure, but before he could call for him to stop, they heard a howl ring out from across town. The howl caught Tikani's attention, and it made the wolf grin.

"I guess you're right Balto. We have won and we don't need to do anything further," he said, surprising all of them. "We've gotten what he came for, so we'll bid you goodbye." With that, the wolf pack broke away from them, leaving the dogs both relieved and mystified.

"Okay, what just happened?" Nikki asked. "They had us cornered, but then they left. What's the deal dere?"

Balto shook his head in bewilderment. "I don't know, but let's figure that out later. Right now we need to find out what happened to everyone else." The dogs wandered around town, trying to find and get together everyone that had scattered during the last raid. They found a few injured dogs, while others had managed to escape unscathed. This time, the injuries weren't just to dogs on Spitz's team, as any dog unlucky enough to cross paths with the wolves had been hurt. Balto and Kaltag tried to do a headcount, but there were so many scattered dogs that they couldn't be sure who was where. Spitz ran off to find Kari, while Nikki and Star checked the alleys again.

"Balto, you're gonna want to see this!" he heard Star call out after a few minutes, and he and Kaltag trotted over. However, the scene was not the happiest one.

"Oh no," Balto said when he saw the dog lying on the ground, unmoving. Scattered around it were crates; they must have fallen and knocked them out. "Yet another victim of Tiknai's blind pride," he thought. However, when he rolled the body over to see who it was, they all got the shock of their life. The dog wasn't a dog; it was a wolf, and it was none other than Kisa.

"It's one of the wolves!" Star exclaimed, stepping back.

"Hang on, wasn't she the one that we cornered last time?" Kaltag asked Balto.

"Yes, and she was also one of the ones that I talked to after that," Balto replied. "Her name is Kisa, and she's the alpha female of their pack."

Nikki's face lit up with understanding. "An alpha yous say? That means that she's pretty important, right?" he asked.

Balto nodded. "It won't be long before Tikani realizes that she's missing and he won't be too happy about it." He took a deep breath to collect his thoughts and added, "But for now, we can't let her get caught out here; the humans would kill her on sight. Let's get her to the old mill; it's out of the way and should be a good place to hide her." So, Balto and Kaltag carefully grabbed a hold of her with their jaws and dragged her through the back alleys of the town towards the old mill. The place was empty, and they found a good side room with some old blankets to keep her comfortable.

"What do we do when she wakes up?" Kaltag asked.

"I - I don't know," Balto replied. "I suppose we'd have to let her go..."

"But that won't stop the wolves from coming after us!" Star cried out.

"Actually, it might," Kaltag put in. "We could do as a kind of goodwill thing, to show the wolves that we aren't all bad."

"It could also get them to talk with us," Balto continued. "We give her back, and maybe they'll agree to give us another shot."

"Balto!" A voice called out from outside, before charging inside. It was Spitz, and he looked completely beside himself. He was covered in scratches and his whole body sagged from exertion. "I can't find her! She's gone! They took her!" he cried out, panting and pacing around the room in panic.

"Whoa, slow down," Balto urged. "Who took who? What happened?"

"The wolves took her; they took Kari!" Spitz replied, drawing a gasp from his listeners. "I looked all over for her, and when I did find her scent, it led out of town along with the wolves, being dragged away. They took her; they took my sister!"

At this, Balto's stomach dropped out from under him. So that was what Tikani had really meant by going to the next level; he was going to take a prisoner just to show how serious he could get. But would the wolves simply hold her… or would he make an example out of her?

"Why would they do that?" Kaltag asked.

"I don't know, but we have to go after them!" Spitz barked. "We have to get her back before-" Spitz stopped mid-sentence when he heard the groaning coming from one of the side rooms. Balto and the other three froze as well when they realized that their 'guest' was starting to wake up. "What was that?" Spitz asked, before pushing past them in order to get a look at where the noise came from. When he saw the wolf lying there, starting to stir, his expression turned from panic to rage. "It's one of them! It's one of the wolves that took her!" he barked out and Balto had to hold onto his collar to prevent him from rushing at her. His shouts fully woke Kisa, and she when she saw them, she bolted up, taking a defensive stance.

"What is the meaning of this?" she growled.

"Where did you take her? Where is my sister?" Spitz barked out, still struggling against Balto's hold on him.

"Shut up for a moment will ya!" Kaltag barked, before raising his paw and striking Spitz upside the head with it. The blow silenced the incensed husky, and Balto felt that he could let him go without much more trouble.

"We found you unconscious in an alley and brought you here to keep you away from the humans," Balto explained. "However, I am curious about how you were knocked out in the first place."

Kisa looked at the floor and scrunched her face as if she didn't like the answer she had to give. "I was chasing one of the dogs that had ran away from the main group and he climbed a stack of crates. His weight must have destabilized the pile, because after he jumped off, they came crashing down on me," she replied.

"Why did you take one of our dogs?" Kaltag asked. "What did you hope to accomplish?"

"Our previous attempts to deter you didn't work, so we decided that something far more drastic was needed to get your attention," she replied with a shrug.

"Where did you take her? What will you do to my sister?" Spitz asked desperately.

She simply gave him a coy look. "I think I've answered enough of your questions," she replied. "Your dog is okay, for the moment at least. However, if you still refuse to leave us alone… she may not be fine for much longer," she warned. "I guess I'll be off then."

"What? You can't just let her go after what they've done," Spitz said.

"He kinda has a point Balto," Kaltag continued. "It wouldn't be fair to Kari or the others if we let her off scot free."

Balto thought for a moment; he was a little uneasy about holding her here, but he knew Kaltag was right. As much as he valued forgiveness over punishment, this time the wolves had crossed the line. "I agree. I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay here for now," Balto said to her, before turning to Nikki, Kaltag and Star. "Watch over her."

"So I'm your prisoner then?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting; you claimed to be a neutral party in this Balto, but it's obvious which side you truly favor."

Balto gave no reply as he walked out of the mill.

Despite being up for the entire night, Balto felt alert as the dogs gathered in a nearby alley to hear the news. Some had already heard about Kari's abduction, along with the wolf being held in the mill. "If they've taken one of our own then we have to get her back!" one dog cried out.

"I know and I'm working on it," Balto replied.

"We should go out and find them," another dog put in. "You said that you knew where their territory was, so we should run out and teach them a lesson!"

"I know you want to get them back, but running into their territory blindly is a bad idea," Balto insisted. "Their lands are vast, and chances are that Kari would be well hidden. We would have to search for her, and knowing these wolves track records, they'd find us within minutes."

"Plus, we'd be going onto their home turf, so they would have an advantage over us," another voice put in. It was Jenna, as she had just joined the meeting. "Balto's right, rushing into their land without much of a plan would be a disaster for us."

"What about the wolf in the mill?" a younger border collie asked. "She's from their pack, so maybe she'll know something."

"She ain't talking to us; believe me, I tried," Spitz cut in. With a grim smile, he added, "However, we might be able to get something out of her if we were a little more… forceful."

"You aren't going to harm her, and neither are any of you," Balto said firmly, causing some raised brows. "She told us that Kari would be okay as long as we didn't do anything to aggravate them further."

"Why are you being so protective of her?" a stocky malamute put in. "After all, she's one of the wolves that has been attacking us! Maybe it's our turn to fight back!"

"But if you did that, what would it say about us?" Jenna cut in. "The wolves see us as violent invaders and taking revenge would only prove them right."

"And it's not like I don't have a plan here," Balto continued, trying to make himself heard. "While the wolves do have something of ours, we also have something of theirs."

"You're saying that we should trade her in to get our dogs back?" the collie said.

"Exactly. These wolves operate on the idea that if someone does something to them, they must reciprocate. While they have so far used this to justify their strikes against us, we can use it to our advantage," Balto said. "We can use it to start some actions of good faith between us, and hopefully resolve this dispute."

"What if they don't buy it?" another voice asked.

"If that happens, then we'll have to think of something else," Balto conceded. "For now we have to hope that they'll be willing to listen. In the meantime, I don't want any harm to come to Kisa. If this is going to have any hope of working, then we have to return her to her pack unharmed. Agreed?" Many of the dogs looked uncomfortable with having to babysit a wild wolf, but most of them nodded anyways. They had started to trust Balto's judgment, and each of them wanted this conflict to end. They were all getting tired of being woken in the night by wolf howls.

Spitz trumped up to Balto as best he could with his injuries and growled right in his face. "You'd better be right about this, wolfdog," he spat. "Otherwise, I'm holding you personally responsible for what happens to my sister."

"Fine, but I'm just asking you to trust me on this one," Balto said.

"Trust you, a half-wolf? I don't think so," Spitz sneered. "All this time you've been talking about talking, but nothing has been done."

"Maybe, but this time we have something they want," Balto replied.

"You're betting my sister's life on one wolf?" Spitz said. "That's why I don't trust this, and why I might have to take matters into my own paws-"

"Don't even try it," Balto growled at him, taking a more aggressive stance. Confrontation wasn't his style, but it seemed to be the only thing Spitz understood. "You won't hurt her, intimidate her, or even touch one hair on her body, understand?"

Spitz stepped back a bit on seeing Balto's posture, but did not reply before dashing off. "Great, now I have one more thing to worry about," Balto thought as he realized that Spitz or someone else may want to take their frustrations out on Kisa. Soon, he heard the rustling of snow in the alley. He looked and found a red-brown head peeking around the corner, indicating for him to come over. It was Anya, and Balto looked around to ensure he was alone before going over to her. "Anya, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Maska wanted me to check up on you to make sure everything was okay," she replied. "Though, it looks like you had some excitement last night."

"You could say that… just hold on a second," he said, before poking into the mill and calling Jenna and Kaltag. "Hey guys, I need you for a moment."

Curious, they came out. "Balto, what is it… oh hello there Anya," Kaltag greeted. "It's nice to see you, especially after tonight."

"Glad I could brighten your day Kal," she answered with a brief smile before returning to the matter at hand. "Now, what exactly happened? Is everyone alright?" she asked, and they told her everything.

"So now they have one of our own and we have one of their own," Balto finished. "I'm hoping I can use that to get Tikani to talk to me. In fact, I should probably leave now."

"If you're going, maybe I should come with you," Anya suggested. "If you're planning to make a deal with a wolf pack, then it would be best if you had someone who knew how they worked and lived to help you out."

"Are you sure you want to do that? Tikani might not enjoy having someone from another pack with me," Balto said.

"I'm sure. Besides, I wouldn't be going there for my pack. I'd be with you as your... advisor," she replied.

Balto thought about it, and knew that Anya could help him with this. "Alright, you can come," he said, before turning to Kaltag and Jenna. "In the meantime, you two should watch over Kisa. Spitz and some others didn't seem too happy about having her here, and I need the both of you to make sure that nothing happens to her while I'm gone."

They both nodded, and Jenna nuzzled him goodbye, letting the touch linger. "Be careful… and good luck," she said before he and Anya trotted away.

"And don't worry, we'll try not to have any wild parties while you're out," Kaltag cracked, causing Balto and Anya to laugh as they departed.

---

Balto and Anya made a direct beeline for the riverbed where he first met Tikani, and on the way, Anya started to grow anxious. "What kind of mood do you think Tikani will be in when he realizes his mate is missing?" she asked.

"He'll probably be blowing a gasket, but I'm sure Spitz feels the same about his sister," Balto replied. "I just hope he'll still be able to listen to reason."

"At least your town has someone like you who can keep their clam under pressure," Anya said. "Otherwise they'd be in even more trouble."

"Heh, yeah. I know Steele wouldn't have been willing to do what I want to do here," Balto agreed, remembering the ego that Nome's former champion carried. The husky hadn't been willing to deal with a half-wolf like him, so things would've been much worse if he was faced with an angry pack of full-blooded wolves.

Balto knew that their meeting with Tikani would come soon, but it came sooner than he expected when the alpha wolf jumped down from the top of the riverbank, landing right on top of him and knocking him to the ground. Anya skidded to a stop when she heard the impact and turned to see the Balto on his back with the larger wolf pinning him down with his paws. "You miserable half breed; where's my mate?" he bellowed.

"Where's Kari?" Balto replied, showing no fear. A group of wolves surrounded them, waiting for their next order. "Well, here we go," Balto thought.

---

Chapter 6: Progress is Made

"I won't ask you again; tell me where Kisa is!" Tikani shouted.

"I will once I know that the dog you took is okay," Balto replied.

"You aren't exactly in a position to be making demands here," Tikani threatened. "I could kill you and your friend over there with little effort. Besides, I asked first."

"… Fair enough. Kisa is in town, being watched over in an old gold mill. She was knocked out in an accident and left behind during your escape. I assure you, she's safe and will remain that way," Balto reassured him. "Now, about Kari-"

"How do I know that she will be safe?" Tikani demanded, his teeth bared in anger. "How do you know that the dogs there won't hurt her while your back is turned?"

"Because I left her with dogs I would trust my own life with," Balto replied. "We aren't bad dogs, and I know that you don't mean to be a bad wolf either. Your mate is safe and I just want to know that Kari is too."

"… She's fine," he replied after a brief pause and his expression calmed a little. "You're right, I don't mean to be a bad wolf. I'm just trying to make the best of a bad situation," he finished before releasing Balto and letting him up. "I assume you didn't just come here for some small talk."

"No, we didn't. Tikani, I want to make a deal with you; one that I hope will benefit both of us," Balto said.

"For starters, you have one of theirs and they have one of yours," Anya started.

"So you basically want me to trade the dog for my mate?" Tikani asked.

"Yes and no," Balto replied. "That 's only part of it. If we just did that, we'd be right back to square one. There's still the issue of the team coming in and bothering you."

"What are you getting at?" Tikani asked impatiently. "I just want my love back."

"And you will, but let me finish. I want us to come to an agreement that will ensure that the team is still able to hunt and support itself, without taking too much from what you need," Balto said. "The humans have a saying about killing two birds with one stone – solving two problems at once. I want us to solve both of our problems today, right now."

"Making deals with dogs… " he muttered, while he looked down with a furrowed brow.

Anya could tell that he was uneasy about this, and wanted him to see that this wasn't meant to be a threat, or coercion. "Look, I know you're hesitant to make a deal with them because you'd see it as a loss, but it isn't. You said yourself that you simply want to be left alone, and chances are that can be worked out," she said.

Balto nodded. "That's why we're here. I want to talk with you and prevent anyone else from getting hurt," he continued. "I know you have to look after you own pack, but we can find a way that will ensure they'll be fine as well."

"I don't know…" Tikani said hesitantly. "Nothing like this has ever been done before."

"Then how do you know it won't work?" Balto countered. "The only thing keeping us from it as far as I can see is that we're not looking eye to eye. You think we're hostile, and I'll admit that I think you're a little too proud for your own good," he continued, earning a scowl from Tikani. "But if we drop the preconceptions and simply talk, then we should be able to work something out. You do want this conflict to end right?"

"Yes, I do," the wolf affirmed. "Everyone in my pack just wants to get back to their lives without having to deal with any dogs."

"The feeling's mutual," Balto replied, earning a small grin from Tikani.

Tikani's expression softened as he thought Balto's proposal over. While he did have some misgivings about it, his desire to have his mate back was far stronger than his distrust. "Alright, we'll try it your way, but I want you to promise me that your dogs hold up their end of whatever agreement we reach okay?" he said, his voice conveying a sense of cautious optimism.

"I promise that we will," Balto said, allowing himself a smile now that they were getting somewhere. "And I promise that before then, no harm will come to Kisa."

"Good. Now that we have that cleared up, let's see where we can go with this," Tikani pondered. "Where should we start?"

"First, I want to make sure that Kari is okay," Balto replied. "Can you take us to her?"

" … Very well," Tikani said. "I suppose I can afford it, but don't try anything funny. She only gets released after we make our deal, okay?"

"I know," Balto replied. He could tell that Tikani didn't completely trust him yet, but he hoped that his efforts would build that trust. Balto and Anya followed Tikani into their territory, while being escorted by four other wolves.

"So far so good," Anya started. "We at least got them to start talking to us."

Balto nodded. "I know, but we have to watch our step if we want to continue to gain their trust."

"Well, you know better than anyone that it can be hard to get someone to drop their distrust," she said, alluding to Balto's relationship with Steele.

"I do, but I know that it isn't impossible as long as both involved are willing to listen as much as they want to talk," he finished as they reached a cave with four wolves standing guard at the entrance. Tikani approached and they let him in, but kept Balto and Anya back. It wasn't long before Tikani emerged with Kari at his side. She seemed quite shaken up, but her fear receded when she saw Balto there.

"Balto!" Kari cried out on seeing them. She burst past Tikani and ran to him, tail wagging at the sight of a friendly face and started rattling off questions. "What's going on? Are they letting me go? Who's your friend here?"

"Kari, this is Anya and she's come to help me get you home. We still have to work out a deal before you can go home, but Tikani has agreed to talk," he replied. "What about you? How are you holding up? Are the wolves treating you well?"

Kari nodded. "Yes; they may have dragged me out of town by the scruff of my neck, but other than that they haven't hurt me much," she admitted. "How are things back home?"

"They're okay; no one else was hurt last night, but there are a few who are worried about you," Balto replied.

"Not to mention that they also have my mate with them," Tikani cut in.

"What does he mean by that?" she asked.

"Last night, Kisa, his mate, was knocked out in the chaos and left behind. We found her and decided to hold her in town," Balto replied. "My hope is to work out a deal with the wolves and seal it by returning her to them in exchange for you. I've gotten Tikani to start talking, so I've made at least one step in the right direction."

Kari broke into a grin. "Wow, I didn't know you had a flair for diplomacy. Another dog might've scoffed at the idea of dealing with wolves, but here you are, making it happen."

"Well, being part wolf kinda helps here," Balto said. He couldn't help marveling at how well she was holding up through this ordeal. "It's great to see that you're okay."

"I'm sorry to cut this reunion short, but Balto and I should get to work," Tikani interrupted. "You've seen that your dog is okay, and she will stay that way until our deal is finished." The wolves started to urge Kari back into the cave, but Anya got an idea.

"Wait, if we're making a deal for the sled team, then wouldn't it be fair to also have a dog from the team take part in it. Shouldn't Kari have a say in this as well?" she asked, causing all to stop.

Tikani became suspicious. "I said that I'd let her go after we finish our deal."

"Except you wouldn't have to let her go," Balto replied. "She could stay with us, being watched over like you're watching over us now."

"Please, I would be able to help. I know the routes that our team takes and I can help plan alternates," Kari continued. "I promise I won't be any trouble, and if a deal is reached, I can help ensure that we stick to it. After all, I have a bit of influence over our lead dog," she said, knowing that she was sometimes the only one her brother listened to.

Tikani thought for a moment before relenting. "Very well, but you stay in my sight at all times, understood?"

Kari nodded and Balto let out a sigh of relief as she was permitted to join them. The first move had been made, but it would be many more before their goal would be reached.

---

It had been a couple of hours since Balto had left, but Kaltag knew it would be some time before they would get any word. He didn't want to show it, but he felt that this plan was very risky. "I know I should be supporting Balto one hundred percent, but I can't shake the feeling that this will get much worse. Wolves and dogs have always been fighting, and there's no guarantee that he will be able to do anything about it," the Chinook thought. "Plus, he doesn't seem to have a plan B, or at least one that he shared. What happens if this goes wrong? Maybe he's in over his head… or maybe he's actually using that hope to ensure that plan A works. After all, he didn't back down for us on the serum run and he isn't showing any signs of giving up on this." He considered that last thought, and decided that while there was still some doubt as to whether it would work, all he could do for now was wait and hope for it to succeed.

Meanwhile, there was the task that he had been entrusted to, and that was looking after Kisa. Jenna started the day with them, but she was eventually called away by her owners and had to leave. The she-wolf had been very quiet, refusing to even look at the dogs, while lying down in the room they had put her up in. The silence started to get under the skin of the normally chatty Chinook, who tried to start some small talk with her, but she didn't share the sentiment. He told her about the plan to trade her in for Kari after Balto made a deal with Tikani, but she simply scoffed at it, saying that her mate was too proud to concede to any dogs. After a while, he stepped out to get something that might break the ice, while Nikki and Star kept watch.

Soon enough, he was trotting back with a moderately sized steak in his jaw for her, hoping to win her over with a show of hospitality. He was only feet away when he heard raised voices coming from the mill. Picking up his pace, he jogged inside and found Spitz, barely held back by Nikki and Star, yelling at Kisa. "I don't care how you justify it, you had no right to take my sister!" he barked.

"We had every right to defend our lands from you," Kisa shot back. "We tried many times to push you away, but you never took the hint!"

"Both of you, cool it!" Kaltag barked, dropping the meat on the floor. "Spitz, we told you to not bother Kisa."

"You should listen to him doggie. After all, if something happens to me, then you might never see your sister again," she taunted.

"And you," Kaltag added, turning to Kisa. "You don't have to provoke him. He's under enough stress as it is."

"That's putting it lightly," Spitz mumbled.

"Look, I know you're worried, but Balto's out there right now, doing everything he can to get her back," Kaltag reassured him. "Now could you take off and leave her be?"

Spitz glared at him for a moment before turning to leave. As he did, he could hear him mutter, "Would you be acting the same way if it was your family on the line?"

Kaltag turned to Kisa apologetically. "I'm sorry about that. Spitz can be a little impulsive, and the fact that he doesn't exactly see Balto as the lead dog doesn't help much."

Kisa took this in. "So not everyone loves the half-breed… interesting," she thought to herself, before looking at the meat. "What's that?" she asked.

"Lunch; it's starting to get on in the day, so I thought that you'd like a little food," he replied. "I know it's not exactly what you're used to, but it's the best I could come up with on short notice. Besides, it's what sled dogs eat so it should be okay for you."

Despite his kind offer, she turned away. "Thanks, but it's unnecessary. Wolves can go days without food so I don't need your offering."

"That may be, but you'd have to admit that you'd be pretty uncomfortable after a while without any food," he urged. "C'mon, it's my treat."

Kisa moved closer and gave the meat a sniff, but was still hesitant to take it. "It does seem good… but how do I know you haven't done anything to it?"

"What? Why do you say that?" he asked.

"Because I'm not stupid; I know of the ways your kind has killed countless wolves. You shoot us and trap us, but sometimes you make us suffer by putting poisoned food as bait. It seems like a free gift, but it's really another way to kill us without leaving any marks or wounds," she said. "For all I know, this is going to kill me as well."

"No, it won't. Balto doesn't want you harmed and neither do I. That's why I was put in charge of looking after you," he explained. "I want Kari back safe and sound, and that's not going to happen if we hurt you."

Kisa contemplated it for a moment. As reluctant as she was to take the meat, she hadn't eaten in a few days and was starting to feel the effects of hunger… not to mention that the steak looked very good in front of her. "I don't know… " she said.

"Fine then, I'll prove it's okay," he said and leaned down to take a bite out of the steak. Kisa watched him chew and swallow, and he showed no signs of harm after a few minutes. Finally, she gave in and came over to eat the meat, which helped fill her empty stomach. Kaltag watched, hoping it would get her to be a little more open with him. "How was it?" he asked as she licked her paws clean.

"It was fine. I may not have had the joy of hunting it, but it'll do," she replied, "However, I must ask if you truly gave it to me out of good faith, or if there's something else you wanted from me," she said.

"What, you mean like a bribe?" Kaltag asked, "No, it's nothing like that."

"Then why give it to me?' she asked.

"Because it's the nice thing to do," he replied. "You'd share food with your guests, right?"

"Yes, but none of my guests have been dogs," Kisa said. "And whenever dogs did come, they sure didn't come for a lunchtime visit."

Kaltag wanted to say something to rebuff her, but nothing came to him. He too knew that whenever dogs and wolves crossed paths, the results were rarely pleasant. "You've got me there," he admitted. "I guess we haven't been the nicest to each other."

"That's right, you haven't," she answered triumphantly. "If you don't want anything, then you can leave me alone. That's all my pack wants; to be left to live our own lives without having some dogs nose around."

Seeing that Kisa didn't want anything more to do with him, Kaltag left, feeling disappointed that he didn't make any progress with her. "She's a piece of work," he thought. "I hope that Balto does something about this soon, because I don't think either side will be able to handle this much longer."

---

Balto was doing his best to handle things, but the discussion was coming along painfully slowly.

"Tell me Kari; out of all the places you could have gone, why did your team choose to come here?" Tikani asked as they walked. "Surely, there must be somewhere else."

"We did try looking around, but where we looked was either empty of caribou, or they didn't stay long enough to make it a reliable place to hunt," Kari replied. "This was the only place for miles where caribou were plentiful. I'm sorry we had to go into your territory, but we had no where else to go."

"That may be, but perhaps there is a way you can hunt, but not in our territory," Tikani suggested. "There is another wolf pack to the northwest of us-"

"Hang on, I think I know where you're going with this," Balto cut in. "You're wanting to push them off to Maska's territory."

"Maska? Who's that?" Kari asked.

"Maska is a wolf that Balto met a couple of weeks ago," Anya replied. "He's the alpha of my pack, and he's very kind. He even offered to let Balto live with us, but he decided that his place was truly in town."

"While Maska is more tolerant of dogs, going to his territory raises a few issues," Balto continued. "First, his territory is farther away from Nome than Tikani's. At best, it'll add at least an hour to your trip both ways. Besides, I already ran the idea past him and his territory doesn't have nearly as many caribou."

"There's also the fact that pushing this problem somewhere else would be very un-neighbourly," Anya said to Tikani. "Maska may be nice, but I don't think he'd appreciate you pushing this problem onto his doorstep."

"Yeah, but it would get you away from us," Tikani grumbled.

"It would, but it may annoy this other pack that Balto knows," Kari said. "I'm sorry, but I can't take that offer. The distance would be far too great to be worthwhile. Part of the reason we come here is because we can complete the trip in less than a day. We try to avoid overnight trips if we can."

"I guess your days of easy convenience are over," Tikani said.

"Hey, don't count us out yet," Balto protested. "Okay, so our first idea won't work, but that doesn't mean we can't try to find another way. Kari, you said you try to make your trips as quick as possible; does that mean that you go into the area closest to town?"

"Yes," she replied. "We found a valley that seems to have a good sized herd in it."

"That valley is in the southernmost stretch of our territory," Tikani pointed out. "Every time we found the dogs, they were there."

"Did they ever go any farther north?" Anya asked.

"No," Kari and Tikani answered in unison, causing Balto to grin.

"I think we have the first part of our solution," he said hopefully. "If the dogs stay in that valley, leaving the majority of your territory alone, then maybe you two can co-exist."

"I like that plan; there are enough caribou there to meet our needs," Kari said.

"It may meet your needs, but what about my pack?" Tikani shot back. "We need more food than your team does, as the caribou are our primary prey. Not only do we have more wolves than your team has dogs, that number may grow if Kisa and I have pups this spring. All will need to be fed, and I have to ensure that they are taken care of."

"I realize that, but I think it wouldn't hurt to take a look around your territory," Balto said. "We'll do a head count of all the caribou, and you can tell us if there are enough to meet your needs as well."

"Alright, but what if there aren't?" Tikani asked.

"One step at a time," Balto urged. "If that happens, we'll put our heads to together and solve it." This seemed to appease Tikani temporarily, but as the dogs started to walk north, he jumped in their path.

"Hold it, this way leads to the core of our territory, along with our den. I'd prefer if we stayed away from that area." Turning to Kari, he added, "That goes for your team too."

"That's okay, we can go around it," Kari replied, causing Tikani some relief. So far, he had spent most of the day having terms dictated to him by dogs, something a proud wolf like him hated. Seeing that Kari was willing to listen as well, he started to soften up a little. He was still wary of them, but he felt like he could trust them enough to not cause trouble. Each side had made a few more moves, and while there was still some way to go before the finish, reaching it was much more visible than it was earlier.

---

Chapter 7: One Wrong Move

For the past couple of hours, the group had gone around Tikani's territory, finding and taking note of the size of each caribou herd. Tikani's knowledge proved vital, as he was the one who would know if there would be enough for everyone. They were now in the northern reaches of his territory, with one more herd left to survey. The mood was that of guarded optimism, as all involved wanted this to work, but there were still a few hurdles to jump through. "Tikani, I don't think I got to thank you for taking the chance to do this," Balto started, hoping to improve the trust that was beginning to form. "I'm glad that we're finally talking."

"You're welcome, and I do look forward to putting this behind us. I just hope that you don't begrudge us for taking one of your dogs." Turning to Kari, he added, "I know we put you and your team through quite an ordeal, but I promise you it wasn't personal. I just wanted to protect my own pack."

Kari nodded. "I understand. In a few ways you're like my own brother. Sometimes he acts before he thinks, but his heart's in the right place."

"Fortunately, if we keep going at the rate we are, we'll have you back with your brother very soon," Anya replied.

"With all the caribou we've counted so far, how close are we to filling your pack's needs?" Balto asked.

"Well, taking into account the hit from the dog team, I'd say we'd have enough to fill maybe… four out of every five," Tikani replied.

"Only that?" Kari asked. "We've already counted three herds, and each of them were very large. I didn't know wolves needed that much food."

"That's because we don't eat all of the caribou. We make sure to leave enough so that they can bear young to replace those that we take," Anya explained. "Out of a large herd, we only take a fraction of them to keep them in balance, without wiping them out."

"Of course; you'd need to ensure you'd have food for future years," Balto said.

"Yes, and food availability is also part of what decides the size of our territory," Tikani continued. "We staked out this area so that it would include enough caribou for us. If our numbers increase, we increase our range and vice-versa."

"In other words, you grow and adapt to suit your needs," Kari clarified.

"Precisely," Tikani replied. "Huh, I guess you dogs aren't as thick as I thought."

"Gee, thanks," Kari mumbled. She was a little annoyed by his comment, but didn't have time to dwell on it because they could see the last herd ahead. Wasting no time, Tikani got to work, circling around and making a quick headcount, picking those that would make for the best prey. The other three followed him, making sure to stay hidden to avoid spooking the caribou. If they bolted, they would have to catch up and start their count again. They circled once and Tikani sat down and mumbled to himself as he crunched the numbers in his head. Unfortunately, there was no hiding the worried look on his face, as he never seemed to get the result he wanted.

"Is everything okay?" Balto asked.

"Not exactly." Tikani's face was grim, his tail sat flat and lifeless like a discarded sock on the snow. "With the number of caribou currently available, we have barely enough to meet the needs of your team and my pack, and ensure that there will be enough to carry on in the future. It could only be done if my pack wasn't growing, but there's a good chance that there will be pups this year. If we tried to fill everyone, it would cause the caribou to decline. After a few years, they may be gone."

"I've been going through the numbers myself Balto," Anya put in. "I'm afraid he's right. They need the herd in the southern valley in order to sustain themselves."

"And if we tried to hunt as well, it would go badly in the long run… for both of us," Kari ceded. "Are you sure there aren't any more caribou here? Where are we?"

"We're at the very northern edge of my territory. The border is no more than a few paces from where we're sitting," he replied.

"What's beyond it?" Kari asked, looking out into the endless forest.

"I don't know; I haven't seen any other packs, only open wilderness," Tikani replied.

"I don't know either; Maska has never bothered to send scouts out there," Anya continued.

"That doesn't mean we should stop here," Balto said, "C'mon, let's try to think of some other way around this."

"I don't know of any other way. I'm sorry, but this may not work out," Tikani said, causing Balto to worry. He wanted to find a peaceful resolution that would benefit both sides, and the idea of failure did not sit well with him. "My priority is to my own pack and… Hey, where are you going?" Tikani barked. Balto and Anya turned to see Kari wandering out of Tikani's territory.

"Kari, what are you doing?" Balto asked.

"I have a hunch," she replied. "You said yourself that your pack expands its territory to meet demand, right? If you're facing more demand, then I think that you might want to look into some more property."

"Of course; if there are caribou out there, you could expand your territory and have enough to meet the needs of your pack," Anya put in.

"But I don't know if there are caribou out there in the first place," Tikani said.

"Then we'll have to take a look; how else will you know what's out there," Balto suggested, and he and Anya followed Kari through the woods, with Tikani close behind. This was it, Balto could almost feel his victory here. "This must be what it feels like during the last few yards of a race," he thought. "To be so close, able to see the finish right ahead of you. It's a real rush; I wonder if this is how my father felt when he ran races… when he became a champion like my mother said. I may not be running a race here, but I guess there are other ways to a be a hero."

---

Kisa stretched before lying back down on the blankets. Other than the quick chat with Kaltag, she had resolved to avoid talking to her captors. She didn't care how nice they claimed they could be; they were still dogs, and in her eyes that made them her enemy. While she didn't like the Chinook that seemed to be in charge, he had done one good thing for her; he sent that belligerent husky away. Spitz's constant cries of 'where's my sister' made him seem like a whiny pup, but she couldn't ignore his devotion. "His desire to help his sister sure is strong. I couldn't help but feel like he doesn't exactly enjoy the authority placed on him," she thought. "Then again, I wouldn't enjoy having a half-breed in charge either… hm, maybe I could use that to my advantage." No sooner had she finished that thought than she heard footsteps crunching through the snow outside. The room she was in was on the outside wall of the old mill, and some small holes in the wall allowed her to see an alley outside. The footsteps were approaching slowly, and she could hear whomever it was sniffing; they were obviously looking for something.

Finally, the footsteps stopped on the opposite side of the wall and she heard a voice call out, "Hey, you still in there wolf?"

She groaned; it was Spitz again. "You again; I guess you're here for round two?" she asked. "Remember, you can use him. You just have to work him up properly."

"You guessed right," he replied. He'd lost little if any of his ill temper. "I suppose we can forego the usual pleasantries because you already know what I want."

"Ah yes, your darling sister," she taunted. "You care a lot for her don't you? It makes you want to rush to the rescue, doesn't it?"

"I do… but the powers that be have decided to keep me out of this," he grumbled.

"Just as I thought; he doesn't like the half-breed," she thought. "Oh? That doesn't sound fair, considering how it's your sister on the line," she said.

"I know. Her fate is in the hands of a half-breed I wouldn't even trust a bone to and his friends who seem to follow his every word without question," he growled.

"That's right Spitz… you're playing right into my paws," Kisa thought. She knew she was starting to hit a soft spot with him... she just need to apply more pressure. "It's crazy, isn't it? Besides, why would you want to trust dogs that let her be taken away in the first place? If they couldn't protect her once, then who knows how they'll bungle her rescue?" she suggested. "It'd be a shame if you never got to see her again, all because of the failure of some half-breed."

This caught Spitz's attention. "What if she's right, what if Balto can't get my sister back? What would the wolves do with her? Would they force her to become one of their own... or would they see her as baggage to be disposed of?" he wondered. "That half-breed is so sure of his plan, but he never bothered to talk about any alternatives. I don't like how he's suddenly taken the show here… besides this is my sister who's on the line." He started to pace around. "You're right, I don't know if Balto can get it done… but I don't know what I can do either. I don't know where Kari is in the first place."

"I might be able to help you there," she volunteered. "In fact, I may just know exactly where she's being held."

"How would you know that?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm one of the alphas of my pack remember? I know everything about our plans… including where we take prisoners," she replied.

"Then tell me! Tell me where I'd have to go to find her!" he demanded.

"I suppose I could tell you… but you'd be only one dog against my entire pack," she pointed out. "You wouldn't get far before they found you and I don't think that they'd be happy to see you again. No, you're better off here than out there."

"But I can't leave her like that!" he exclaimed.

"You really care about her, don't you? Your sister I mean," Kisa asked, knowing that she was almost there. "You're willing to risk facing down an entire pack of wolves, just to save her?"

There was a long pause, until Spitz softly said, "Yes," causing her to smile. "But I can't do it alone."

"Fortunately, I can help you with that too," she replied. It was time to deliver the coup de grace, and she had to play it out just right if she hoped to succeed. "I can take you in and get you past the guards. You'd get your sister back, and I'd be back with my pack... but it would require you to help me get out of here first. Can you do that?"

This caught Spitz a little off guard. It would mean trusting this wolf enough to let her go and lead him to her pack, but it would be a chance to get Kari back. "I don't know… you're not exactly trustworthy," he said.

"Fine then. I'll stay here and so will you," she replied apathetically. "Meanwhile, your sister will be waiting in fear, wondering why her brother isn't doing anything to save her." This pulled at Spitz the most; the idea of simply leaving his sister there was unbearable. It would mean having to put his trust in a wolf, but right now, his desire to see his sister safe and sound far outweighed his distrust for wolves. Examining the wall, he found that some of the panels had come loose due to age and weathering. He could get her out, but it would be risky.

"… Alright, I'll help you, but no funny business or else," Spitz warned.

"Fair enough," she replied and Spitz set to work. Finding that some of the nails could slide right out, he grabbed them with his teeth and pulled them out, loosening the board further. Repeating this a few more times, he managed to loosen two boards enough that they could be tilted out the way, providing an opening for her to squeeze through. The two were careful to not make too much noise lest they alert the dogs in the mill, but soon Kisa was free. Without another word, Spitz started to walk through the alleys with Kisa close behind, both of them taking care to avoid being seen.

"This is risky, but it's my best shot," he thought, "I have to protect my own team. That wolfdog had his chance, now it's my turn."

---

While exploring the unclaimed land to the north, the group of four would come across some good fortune when the forest opened up into a wide field. In the distance was the unmistakable form of what they were looking for: caribou. The herd appeared large, as their numbers had not been depressed by the predation of hungry wolves. A quick headcount by Tikani confirmed that there were enough to support his pack, with a few extra just in case. It had taken most of the day, but Balto was relieved that he had finally done it. He had made peace with Tikani's pack, and in doing so not only protected the lives of the dogs in town, but the lives of the wolves as well. It wasn't long before Tikani gathered his pack together in the riverbed where he and Balto had first met to share the deal he had made with them.

At the urging of a few of his scouts, some other conditions were added to the deal. No other dogs except for Spitz's team would be allowed to hunt in their territory to prevent over-hunting. They would limit themselves to the southern valley, going no farther north to prevent them from entering the core of their territory. Also, they would always have to enter from the southwest corner so that their entry and exit could be watched. In return, the wolves would allow them safe passage and stay out of their way to avoid any more skirmishes. To accommodate them, Tikani's pack would expand northward towards the herd of caribou that they had just found to the north. Everyone present agreed to these terms, and to Balto, it felt as though he had performed another great victory. "See, I told you that we could work something out if we talked," he said.

"Alright, you got me there," Tikani replied. "And now to seal the deal, it's time to get everyone home."

"Does that mean I'm free to go?" Kari asked.

"Soon, but Balto, can I ask one more thing of you? Could you bring my mate here first? I simply want to see that she's okay, and I'm sure that by now your dogs are sick of playing host with her," Tikani requested.

"Of course," Balto agreed, and turned to Anya. "Could you go find Kaltag in town? He should still be in the old mill on the west end of town, and he'll have Kisa with him. I can keep Kari company here while we wait, but remember to be careful when approaching. You're still a wolf walking into a human town."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I managed to get there this morning without much fuss," she said, before turning to leave. "I'll say hi to Jenna for you too if I find her!" she shouted.

"You do that," Balto said, chuckling a little, "This is it; only a few more minutes and this deal will finally be done with. Nothing could possibly go wrong now."

---

By now the sun had almost set in Nome, and Spitz and Kisa were closer to their escape. The journey had taken a little while as the mill was on the west end of town, while Kisa's territory was to the east. They were forced to cross the entire town, using alleys and abandoned buildings for cover. Even though they would soon have to dash out into the open tundra, the low light would make it easier for them to slip away. They crept along in silence, with Spitz trying to keep a close eye on Kisa; he didn't want her to slip away and ruin everything. She may have earned some confidence by sharing his feelings about Balto, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was up to something.

"Is it much farther?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts. "It feels like we've been sneaking around for ages."

"It takes a little while to cross town, especially if we're trying not to be seen. We're almost there and once we're out, you can take me to your territory," Spitz replied as he turned the corner into an alley that led out to the open tundra. "See, I told you. The edge of town is right there."

"Good… to bad you dogs are too thick for you own good," she said venomously.

"What are you talking abo - ack!" Spitz cried, his question cut off as Kisa jumped on him, sinking her teeth into his leg and knocking him to the ground. Once he was down, she tried to make a break for it, but Spitz quickly recovered. That wolf had double-crossed him and he wasn't about to let her get away with it. He chased after her and snapped his jaw on her tail, drawing a painful shriek from her. She whipped around to strike back, but he dodged, maintaining his hold on her tail. For any canine, chasing their tail is very difficult, especially when you have another husky clamped down on it. Finally, Kisa kicked out with her rear legs, catching him in the chest and pushing him off her. In their struggle, they had turned around so that Spitz was now blocking her exit. Kisa was forced to turn back with Spitz hot on her trail, heading back into town. "You won't get away this time wolf!" Spitz yelled. "I'm getting Kari back if I have to drag you by your ears!"

Spitz caught up with her again, and this time he bit into her shoulder while slamming his full weight into her. Both were on the ground, rolling around until they fell into the open street. A scream was heard as a few of the townspeople who hadn't gone home for the evening saw a full-fledged wolf in the town, grappling with one of the dogs. "There's a wolf in the town! Someone get a gun!" someone shouted, and there was a scramble to get away from the scene. Kisa and Spitz kept biting at each other until they broke off, standing to face each other directly.

"You lied to me! You were never going to take me to her!" Spitz barked.

"Of course not; you're not worth the trouble," she spat. "Still, I do appreciate you getting me out. See ya later," she finished. She turned away from Spitz, but instead of seeing freedom ahead of her, she froze as she came face to face with the metal barrel of a rifle. Spitz froze up as well as he heard the unmistakable click of a round being cocked into the chamber.

---

By now, Kaltag could barely stay awake; the exhaustion from the past couple of days was taking its toll. He had barely slept last night due to having to stay up and watch over the town, and his current assignment hadn't allowed him time to nap. Earlier, he had managed to run thanks to the adrenaline surge brought on by grappling with the wolves, but that boost had long worn off, leaving him on the verge of falling over. Nikki and Star had been with him to help look after Kisa, but they too were starting to wear down. Nikki's eyes were half-open, and every now and then he would start to lean to one side as it became harder for him to stay upright. Star was already dozing off, but Kaltag didn't have the energy or the heart to wake him up. He felt like dozing off himself, but the task at hand forced him to stay awake. Still, his exhausted state wasn't much of a concern for him; Kisa had been quiet for the past few hours. "I should still check up on her, just in case," he thought. He stood up and was about to walk over when he heard the door to the mill creak open.

"Okay, he's just in here; hurry up or you'll be caught," he heard Jenna's voice say. He turned around and saw her, along with a familiar red-brown wolf.

"Jenna, Anya; what are you two doing here?" he asked. "Where's Balto?"

"He's still with Tikani and Kari," Anya replied, grinning. "They're both fine and he managed to reach an agreement with Tikani! All he needs now is to bring Kisa back."

"It… worked?" he said. "It actually worked? He got the wolves to leave us alone?" Anya nodded, and he shouted out in joy. "YES! This is the happiest, the most joyous, the most jubilant-" he cried out and quickly nuzzled Anya. However, she didn't mind as she herself felt like jumping around. "Oh Kisa, guess what? You're going home soon!" he called out, but there was no reply. "Ugh, always the antisocial one," he mumbled. "Kisa?" he asked, poking his head into the side room. However, his new joy vanished and his eyes went wide when he saw the empty room. "NO! She's gone!" he cried.

"What? Where did she go?" Jenna asked as she and Anya looked in as well.

"I don't know, but I can see how she got out," Kaltag said, looking at the opening that had been made in the wall. He started to sniff the floor for any clues. "Hang on, I don't think she did this alone. It smells like she had some help from…" his eyes narrowed and his brows knitted as he growled out the last word, "...Spitz. This can't be good. We have to find her, before someone sees her and-" he was cut off by a sudden, thundering bang that echoed across the town. The bang shocked Nikki and Star awake, made Anya jump in shock, while sending a wave of panic through Kaltag. The only reason for someone to shoot within the town was if they... "No, please no," he muttered, as he ran out towards the source of the sound. When he arrived, his stomach twisted. Kisa was there, lying on the ground with a bleeding wound in her neck while Spitz stood over her, frozen in shock. "Spitz!" he roared before launching himself at the husky. He slammed into him, pushing him onto his back and holding him down with his paws. Spitz growled at him, but Kaltag didn't falter. Alerted by the noise, several other dogs came towards the scene.

"You idiot! You insufferable, incurable, unforgivable idiot! Do you have any idea what you have just done!" Kaltag bellowed at him.

"I just wanted to get my sister back!" Spitz shouted back. "She said she would help me, but she double-crossed me!"

"You let her out? You were supposed to wait for Balto to come back!" Kaltag yelled.

Spitz averted his eyes. "I was tried of waiting. I wanted to get my sister back my way."

"Don't you get it? With what you've done, the chances of getting her back have just gone down the toilet," Kaltag shot back. When Spitz realized he was right, it made the husky sick. Without Kisa, the wolves wouldn't give his sister back, nor would they agree to any type of peace. "If this deal fails, it won't be the wolves fault, nor will it be Balto's. It will be yours, and yours alone."

---

Chapter 8: Consequences

Kaltag quickly had Kisa's body moved into an alley so that she wouldn't be lying on the street, all the while trying to keep his head. Not only had Spitz's actions caused a needless death, it had been Kisa, who was their only bargaining chip in this crisis. "You've really done it now Spitz!" he yelled. "Ever since Balto returned from the serum run, you've been finding ways to muck everything up for him, and now you've really blown it." For once, Spitz was not his usual brash self. The realization that their plan was out the window hit him harder than it hit Kaltag. His will to fight had long left him, so he simply sat against the wall of the mill with his paws and tail tucked underneath him in submission. "You're lucky I don't tear you apart for this!" Kaltag continued. "She was the only way we would've gotten through this, but now she's gone thanks to you!"

"Hold it Kaltag," another of the dogs put in. "I think you're being a little hard on him. He may have messed up, but you can't blame him for wanting to help his sister."

On hearing this, Kaltag's first instinct was to spin around and sink his teeth into whoever said that, but he held onto his restraint long enough. "That may be, but we had a plan to get her out and it almost worked. Tell them Anya," he said, and all eyes turned to her. Many were unsettled at having another full-blooded wolf in their midst, but they allowed her to enter on Kaltag's urging.

"It's true; Balto, Kari and I had just made a deal that would allow the sled team to hunt in the wolves territory," she explained.

"Kari? She's okay?" Spitz asked.

"Yes, she's fine and she even helped us make the deal with Tikani," she replied.

"A deal that might not fly anymore thanks to what you've done," Kaltag growled at Spitz. "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it now. Kisa's dead and we can't bring her back. We'd need a miracle to get out of this in one piece."

"We were so close, too," Star said sadly.

"What do we do now boss?" another dog asked, but Kaltag had no answer.

"Maybe we should hide her and ask for Kari first?" one dog suggested.

"Or maybe we could say that she wanted to stay here?" another put in.

"No, none of those would work," Jenna replied. "At best, it'd only stall them, but they would get suspicious. They'd find out what happened eventually."

"Besides, lying would only make them angrier," Anya continued. "It might make them seek revenge by taking a dog's life to avenge their own."

"NO!" Spitz cried out fearfully. "They'll kill Kari! You can't let them know about this!"

"Yeah, well maybe that'll teach you a lesson!" Kaltag barked venomously. "In fact, maybe I should feed you to the wolves too for-" however his rant was cut off with a blow across his muzzle from Jenna's paw.

"How dare you say that!" she demanded. "No dog should ever wish that on another, and if Balto was here, he'd be ashamed of what you just said."

"Balto… he trusted us and we blew it," Nikki said sadly. "What now?"

"We honour our agreement," Kaltag replied. "Balto promised them we would return her once a deal had been struck, and we're still going to do that. I guess the only thing we can do now is hope that this guy won't slaughter us all for this."

The mood was tense as the dogs found a sled that already had its harnesses connected and dragged it over to the alley. It took some effort to pull Kisa into the cargo bed, and it reminded Kaltag of the time they had to pull their own musher onto the sled during the serum run in order to get him home safely. However, that time he had Balto leading them towards the safety of home, instead of them heading towards danger. As they prepared, the highly anxious Jenna and Anya watched. "I guess I have to hand it to you dogs," Anya admitted. "I always thought you would try to lie your way out of something like this, but instead you're taking it head on, even though it won't end well."

"Dogs aren't as bad as you may think," Jenna said. "Despite what has happened, there is still the will of the sled dog to finish the run they've started. It's what drove Balto and the others during the serum run, and it's what's driving them now."

"But Tikani won't let this slide. He's a strong believer in justice... and he can be a harsh judge," Anya countered.

"Then we'll face him with our heads held high," Jenna said, trying to hide the fear in her voice. "I appreciate you coming to give us the news, but you don't need to do anything more. Maska made it clear he didn't want any of his own to get involved if things got worse." Anya bit her lip, but obliged, heading out of town and towards her pack. While Maska had initially wished to stay out of this, she remembered how Maska considered Balto a part of his own pack... and wolves never let one of their own fight alone. She broke into a run, hoping that she wouldn't be too late.

The sled was set up for five dogs to pull. Kaltag knew he would lead it, while Nikki and Star knew that they should be there with him. The Chinook approached Spitz, coldly staring him in the eye. "This is on you Spitz, and if you had a shred of decency left in you, you'd come and own up to what you did," he said flatly. Spitz only nodded, and got himself into the wheel dog harness in the back. As he did, Kaltag noticed Jenna starting to step into the second spot from the front. "Jenna? What are you doing?" he asked.

"I may not be an official sled dog like you, but I do know how to pull my girl around on her sled," Jenna said. "If there's going to be trouble, I'd rather face it with Balto than stay and wait for if you come back." Kaltag didn't argue any further, and once all five were strapped up, they started on their way, moving briskly in the cold night. For the first time, Kaltag didn't feel the rush that accompanied sledding as this was not a fun race. A life had been lost needlessly, and they would have to answer for it.

---

While Kaltag and the others prepared for the catastrophe to come, Balto and Kari waited for their arrival, unaware of what had happened. "You're sure that you can convince your team to abide by this deal. From what I've heard, your brother is a very stubborn dog," Tikani said.

"He may be stubborn, but I still have my influence over him. Hopefully this scare will finally make him a little more willing to listen to me," she replied. "Though, I am wondering what's taking them so long."

"Well, Anya has to walk there, tell everyone what's going on, and then they have to come back with Kisa," Balto replied. "It'll take a little while do to all that, and there could be other delays, especially if Kisa decides to make a fuss."

"Yeah, she does have her spunky side," Tikani mused. "It's part of why I love her so much... and why I'd do anything for her."

"Including making a deal with a bunch of dogs?" Balto asked.

"Yes, including that," Tikani replied. "However, I must admit that our agreement is a lot better than what I thought would happen if I compromised with you."

"Just because it's a compromise doesn't mean it would have been a loss for you," Balto said. "I was telling the truth when I said I wanted to find a way to help both sides out."

"I can see that now, but I must ask this. You've stuck your neck out quite a bit to help everyone, yet you're asking for nothing in return from either side. Is there anything in it for you?" Tikani asked.

"What's in it for me is that I don't have to stay up all night watching out for attacking wolves," Balto said, grinning, causing Tikani to chuckle a bit as well. "Truth is, asking for a reward isn't really my style. I simply wanted to help those whom I cared about."

"Yes, it has nothing to do with wanting to rescue a damsel in distress. After all, word around town is that you really went on the serum run to woo a certain red husky you had eyes for," Kari teased.

"It's not that simple; there were many kids who were sick and there was no way the dogs in town could help them. I was the only one who could get the job done," Balto replied. "I will admit that Jenna did play a part, but she wasn't the only reason."

"Just like you probably had many reasons for coming out to help Kari," Tikani put in. "Before you go, I just want to say that I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I'm not a bad wolf. I simply wanted to protect my own pack from harm."

"I know that, and now we have a way to protect you, me and everyone else from harm," Balto replied.

"There are dogs coming!" a wolf sharply called out, catching their attention.

"They must be the ones bringing Kisa," Tikani said. "I guess this is where we part ways. We may not see eye to eye on everything, but you're not bad for a half-dog."

"Same to you," Balto replied. "I hope that things will continue to go well between us in the future." Balto was exhilarated at this moment. He had managed to avert another crisis for the town of Nome. While it would go mostly unnoticed by the humans, he knew it would make a world of difference for the dogs, as they wouldn't have to fear the raids from the wolf pack. He had come through for them once again... maybe Spitz would start to have a little more respect for him now. "But I shouldn't rub it in his face. I'm trying to be the good guy, not the smug jerk." Soon, he saw them approach over the nearby rise, with Kaltag and Jenna leading the way. Right away, their appearance seemed odd. "Why are they hooked up to a sled? Why is Kisa in the sled, instead of walking with them? Did something happen… oh please let her simply be asleep," he thought as the team came in. Their pace was slow and morose, a stark contrast from the excitement dogs usually had when pulling a sled.

"What's going on? Why isn't Kisa walking with them?" Tikani asked, but Balto had no answer. He was fighting hard to hide the anxiety that was starting to well up in him as the team stopped, their heads down and not saying a word. The two walked up to them, with Tikani moving to the side to see his mate in the cargo bed.

"Kaltag, is everything alright?" Balto asked, but the Chinook gave no reply. However, his expression told him that it was nothing good. "Jenna, what happened?" Balto asked, turning to her. "C'mon, somebody answer me!"

"I'm sorry Balto," a small voice said at the back of the team. It was Spitz, but not the Spitz he was used to. Gone was the cocky, puffed up husky that loved getting on his nerves. Instead there was someone who looked like his heart had been broken. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"Kisa? Kisa, wake up love, you're home," Tikani said.

"Didn't mean for what to happen?" Balto asked. "Spitz, what did you do?" Balto looked over at the still wolf just as Tikani rolled her over, revealing the bullet wound in her neck.

Tikani stood with his jaw open, before looking at Balto in shock. Balto's heart skipped at least ten beats when he saw Kisa's dead body. He didn't know if he had been staring at Tikani for only a few seconds or if it was hours; it all felt the same after this defeat. Their only stake in this had been killed. He had promised Tikani he would bring her home safely, but even he couldn't have prevented this. Tikani started to make a pained groan, which grew into a low wail before climaxing as a cry of anguish. "She's dead! My Kisa is dead!" he bellowed.

"What in the world happened?" Balto demanded.

"She tricked me," Spitz replied in defense. "She said she could lead me to Kari, so I let her out. The humans spotted her and… shot her."

"You killed her! You killed my mate!" Tikani yelled. "YOU LIED TO ME!"

"No, it wasn't me! The humans spotted her and shot her. It was an accident; it wasn't my fault," Balto replied, starting to panic, but Tikani charged and head-butted him.

"Why did the humans spot her? I thought you said she was safe and hidden!" Tikani asked. "I trusted you, but you had your dogs set her up for slaughter!"

"No, it wasn't like that. She said that she would help me, but she was only trying to escape," Spitz explained. "I was the one who let her out and I'm sorry. I just wanted my sister back so badly."

"I told you to wait until I got back!" Balto growled. "I told you that I would get Kari back in time; why didn't you trust me to do that?"

"Because… because I've never trusted wolves," Spitz replied.

"I guess the feeling's mutual; I should've known that I couldn't trust any dogs," Tikani seethed. "We should've stormed the town and killed anyone our way to get her back... and I never should've wasted my time with this sham deal."

"No, that would've only made things worse," Balto protested. He could feel as his plan fell apart at the seams before him. It had taken hours to reach this agreement, and in only seconds, the actions of one dog had thrown a wrench into it. He knew he would have to act quickly if he was going to salvage the situation. "Tikani, I swear I didn't want this to happen to you. I feel terrible about what happened, but we can't throw away all the hard work we put in. Please, is there any way I can make up for thisl?"

"You think you can simply push this away? My mate is gone, and nothing, absolutely nothing can make up for that," he said angrily, fixing Balto with a burning gaze. "My Kisa's dead… and so is our deal."

"No, don't do this," Balto pleaded. "You can't quit now!"

"Yes I can! Remember Balto, you came into my territory and I only agreed on the condition that Kisa wouldn't be harmed. You promised that you would ensure her safety, but you didn't make good on that promise. This is on you... and you will pay for this."

"No… it's not my fault," Balto said.

"For your treachery… you will all DIE!" Tikani yelled out to his pack. "They killed Kisa, and justice must be served!" On his order, the wolves started to advance on them and the dogs on the sled jumped out of the harnesses to put some distance between them. Balto looked from side to side, but his group was outnumbered three to one. The wolves came in from all sides; there was nowhere to run.

"I'm so sorry Kari," Spitz said as the pack moved in closer.

"Spitz… why did you do this?" she asked.

"I never thought we'd go out this way guys," Kaltag said to Nikki and Star. "To know you has been the greatest, the most fun, the most exceptional-"

"We know," Star cut in.

"You didn't have to come Jenna; you didn't have to put yourself in danger," Balto said.

"You know I'd never leave you alone at a time like this. I'm with you all the way to the end," she replied. Tikani howled out, and the entire pack jumped at them at once, leaving the dogs no escape. Tikani slammed into Balto, knocking him over. While Balto tried to bite Tikani's leg to get him off, the wolf grabbed his neck, unable to finish him in one stroke, but still able to slowly suffocate him. Balto tried desperately to throw him off, but he was getting weaker from the lack of air. He had lost track of Jenna and everyone else in the fray, only hearing barking, growling and yelping.

"No, it can't end like this," Balto thought. Just as his vision started to darken at the edges, he felt another wolf violently impact him and Tikani, knocking the wolf off him and throwing him off to the side. He sprang up, ready to face this new attacker, but when the wolf turned to him, he saw that it was not a foe. It was… "Maska?" Balto cried out.

"I was afraid I'd be too late; a little birdie told me that you were in trouble," Maska replied.

"We?" Balto asked, and as he looked around, he saw that there were many more wolves than earlier. Some wolves were fighting each other, leaving the dogs alone. Finally, they broke away from each other and Balto realized that it was Maska's entire pack. They pushed Tikani's pack back, and formed up to act as a barrier in front of the dogs. "A birdie… oh thank you Anya."

"Masksa, what in the spirits name are you doing?" Tikani asked.

"I'm helping out a good friend here. I know what happened to Kisa, but that's not a good justification to murder all of these dogs, most of whom had nothing to do with her death," Maska replied. "You may not know this, but I've actually accepted Balto as an honorary member of my pack. At first, I thought this conflict between you and the dogs didn't have to involve me, but now that Balto is involved, I'd be a poor friend if I didn't look out for him. He's with me, and if you want to harm him or any of his friends, you'll have to answer to all of us." Tikani looked around, and saw that while Maska's pack was smaller than his, the dogs with them made up for that. The dogs had been encouraged by Maska's aid and now stood boldly against them, side by side with Maska's pack. "You don't have to do this Tikani; you can do what you could have done when the dogs first arrived. You can walk away with your pride and keep your pack safe from harm. Enough good creatures have been hurt in this and it's time to stop and walk away," Maska suggested. Tikani didn't want to let the dogs go, but he couldn't risk open war now: the casualties on both sides would be too great.

"Fine… you win this time wolfdog," he growled at Balto. "We'll let you go, but our deal is still off… and I won't forget what you've done to me," he finished before signaling to his pack to retreat. They left quietly, and it was then that Balto realized he'd been holding his breath the entire time. They had come so close to disaster, and it was only through Maska's actions that they were saved.

"Come, we should go too. I think everyone here has had a long day," Maska said. All present agreed and started to follow him out of Tikani's territory.

"Maska, thank you for coming, and thank you Anya for getting help," Balto said to them. "But I thought you wanted to stay out of this conflict to protect your own pack."

"I only wanted to stay out of things that didn't concern me, but you almost getting killed does concern me," Maska replied. "Remember, I did say that I would come and help if you were the one in trouble."

"Ya hear that Spitz; we were saved because Balto did have some wolf friends out here," Kaltag said. "I believe there's something you should say to them."

"… Thank you," Spitz said quietly; as someone who distrusted wolves, thanking them was something that seemed a little strange to him. The rest of their walk continued in silence, and it wasn't long before they had reached the edge of the woods. With a nod, Maska bid goodbye and his pack turned back into the woods, while the dogs trotted back towards their homes. Balto looked back and saw that Spitz was taking up the rear, with his head held down. As the initial shock of their peril and rescue wore off, Balto thought more about what Kaltag had told him. Spitz had a hand in this, and he wanted an explanation.

"Wait guys, there's something I want to know first," he said and they stopped just outside of the limits of town. He walked over to Spitz, staring at him coldly. "Is it true; did you let Kisa out and lead her to her death?" he asked.

"Yes… but I didn't want her to die. I never wanted her to die," Spitz replied.

"Then what did you want?" Balto said, trying his best to maintain his calm, as part of him demanded that he strike Spitz in retribution.

"I just wanted my sister safe. I wanted everyone to be safe," he replied. He turned to Kari for support, but none came from her.

"Spitz, we were so close. Balto was so close to bringing me home, but then you… you," she said, unable to bring herself to say the rest. She shook her head and ran home, leaving Spitz with no other ally.

"I already had everything under control. I was going to bring her home, but you had to stick your nose in and ruin it all," Balto growled. His hackles were raised, and his fur bristled in anger. Kaltag, Nikki, Star and even Jenna took a few steps back as they could tell that Balto was moments away from blowing his top. All his anger and frustration with Spitz had started to boil over, released by his latest and greatest failure. It was just like with Steele; someone had gotten in his way because they couldn't handle the idea of a wolfdog saving the day. It wasn't about what he was doing, it was about what he was, and it enraged him. "Why? Why would you do this?" he bellowed, resolved that if his answer wasn't good enough, he would sink his fangs into Spitz and unleash all his fury on the husky. "Why would you put our lives at risk like that? Why-"

"I was scared!" Spitz cried out, catching Balto off guard as that was not the answer he expected. "I was scared that the wolves wouldn't agree to your idea. You said yourself that they didn't seem to like you much, and I was afraid that they'd refuse your offer. I was afraid they'd do something to you, or something to Kari. I was scared, and I'm sure you've had your moments when you've been scared too," he finished.

Balto stopped when he heard this, as he knew he was right. He did have his moments were his fear had taken hold... and the result wasn't pretty. One year earlier, Steele had threatened to ensure that not even Jenna would care about him, and the idea of losing one of the few friends he had at the time scared him so much that he lashed out and attacked Steele, almost killing him. That time, he was saved when Jenna appeared and snapped him out of it. More recently, he had been scared that Rosy would die after he fell over the cliff with the medicine, and that fear led him to give up. It wasn't until the white wolf appeared and made him accept his wolf side did he pick himself up and save the day. In both cases, he had given in to his fear, but in both cases he had someone that had saved him from himself… but Spitz didn't have anyone to stop him. He'd let his fear control him, and that led to him taking the actions he did. He was still upset at Spitz, but most of his anger faded when he saw his side of it. "You're right, I have had times where I was scared… but this time a life was lost… you're lucky that Maska came to our aid in time," Balto said.

"I know… and I thank you for everything you did," Spitz replied. "I thank you and your friends. You may not have gotten us the deal we wanted, but you tried your best and you still got us home alive. Kari's safe, and that's all I wanted."

To see a usually proud husky like him be so humbled moved Balto. He may not have entirely saved the day, but here was someone who was still thanking him for his efforts. "He's right Balto," Kaltag put in. "You may not have entirely won the day, but you still tried your best, and I'm thankful for it too."

"Same here," Jenna said as she nuzzled him. "You did more than we could have asked for. It wasn't your fault that it went wrong."

"You're welcome," he replied. "C'mon, it's getting late, we should get to bed; all of us," he added, looking right at Spitz. The husky nodded, relieved that he was not about to be banished from town. He went to follow the others, but Balto briefly stopped him. "Don't take this as me forgiving you," he said sharply. "You're still on thin ice, and if you cross me again… let's just say you'll get to know my wolf side a lot better." Spitz understood him and nodded, so Balto let him go on his way.

He started to walk towards his boat, and he remembered Tikani's last words to him. "I won't forget what you've done to me." What did he mean by that? Would he simply carry a grudge… or would he do something worse? Would he try to exact revenge against him and the town? If it came to that, there would be massive casualties on both sides. Balto didn't want that blood on his paws, be it from the wolves, Kaltag, Spitz, or even… Jenna's. "I can't let that happen. I can't let anyone else get hurt because of this."

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Epilogue

One Week Later

It had been a week since Balto had tried and failed to reason with Tikani's pack, and since then, life had simply resumed as usual - for most of them at least. There was still some residual anger towards the wolves for their actions, so there was less regret towards Kisa's death in the general public than that felt by Balto. That, along with Spitz's repentant feelings towards it meant that he wouldn't have a severe punishment. He would still be watched over in a sort of probation, but Kari was more than happy to volunteer for that.

Today found Balto and Jenna accompanying Rosy and her mother on another one of their walks, which had helped improve his mood over the past few days, but there were still a few things eating at his mind. First there was the issue of the sled team; if they couldn't hunt in Tikani's territory, then what would they do for their family? The second was Tikani's vow to never forget what had happened. They day after their escape, Balto expected him to storm the town, but he did not come that day, or the day after, or the days after them. "He doesn't strike me as the type to let this go; I know I wouldn't if anything like that happened to Jenna. Should I be afraid of him? Should I-"

"Balto, you've been very quiet for the past few walks. What's on your mind?" Jenna asked, cutting off his train of thought.

"Heh, and I thought Boris was the only one who could read my moods well," he thought. "I'm just wondering if Tikani would be angry enough to try to take revenge on me. You heard what he said; he's holding me responsible for what happened."

"I know, but if he was going to do anything, I would think that he would have done it by now," Jenna replied. "After all, he was always very prompt in his response when Spitz's team entered his territory. I think he's simply going to be more protective of his land from now on."

"You have a point," Balto admitted. "Speaking of Spitz, I'm also wondering what his team will do for their hunting now that Tikani has essentially closed his borders."

"Actually, you can ask them yourself; I think that's Spitz and Kari over there," Jenna replied, and sure enough, there they were, walking down the street. Balto and Jenna trotted over. "Hello you two, how are things holding up?" Jenna greeted.

"They're going just fine, thanks for asking," Kari replied with a smile. Spitz put on a smile as well, albeit a slightly forced one, and said a quiet hello to them.

"Are you sure? Without the deal, you two will have to find somewhere else to hunt meat for your family," Balto replied. "If you want, I could ask Maska if there is anywhere else you could-"

"We don't need that, we can manage on our own," Spitz cut in sharply, but when Kari gave him a stern look, he toned it down a little. "What I mean is… we can find caribou ourselves. We've done it before, and we're quite good at it… thanks for the offer though," he said.

"It's okay. If you change your mind, don't hesitate to tell me," Balto said.

"We will. It was nice seeing you again Balto, and if you see your wolf friend again, tell him we said hello," Kari finished, before leaving with her brother.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Jenna asked him.

"Yeah… they've managed to go along this long without my help, and I'm sure they'll do fine," he replied. He and Jenna continued their walk, with Balto breaking into a grin. That had been the first exchange with Spitz in which the husky had not been outright hostile with him. Some battles had been lost, but others had been won. He may not have been able to make peace with Tikani's pack, but the dogs felt more trust towards their ally in Maska and his pack. He may have made a new enemy in Tikani, but he had managed to mend fences with Spitz. It wasn't a perfect situation, but Balto was content with it, and if trouble ever came to the town of Nome again, he would be there to face it down.

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Spitz, Kari, Kisa, Tikani, Anya, Maska, Trip, Dale and Harry all belong to iWolf231, and may not be used in any way without my direct permission.

Balto, Jenna, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, Doc, Dixie, Rosy and Boris belong to Universal Studios and Amblimation.