Prologue

Jenna paced the floor in front of the door. Kodi and Tovah had gone to run around the sled trails outside of Nome, and she was beginning to worry about them. A blizzard was brewing on the horizion, and they had been out for most of the day.

Balto sat by the fire as he watched her with equal unease. “I’m sure they’ll be fine, Jen. Kodi knows those trails as well as I do, maybe even better. Tovah and Kodi will come home just fine.”

They heard clawing on the door, and Balto hurried over and opened the door. A blast of icy wind slammed into him, and he bent his head and braced himself. “Kodi! Hurry up, it’s beginning to storm.”

Kodi stumbled in and shook the snow out of his rust red and white fur. “Dad, Tovah and I were on the trail racing when all of a sudden the storm blew in. I lost sight of her because she was ahead of me, and I hoped she had come back here.”

He looked hopefully at them, but knew that Tovah was still out there when Jenna cried out. “Oh, I knew this would happen one of these days! We have to go and find her! She’s only a year old, how will she survive a blizzard?”

Balto looked out at the raging blizzard through the window. Though his mind said the same thing as Jenna, there would be no way anyone could go through such a storm, this late in the day. His heart told him they would have to wait. With a deep sigh he went and laid down in the living room. “Kodi, you’re going to stay the night here. When morning comes, we both are going out to find her.”

Chapter1

Sitka fought through the blinding snow as he sank chest deep in a snow drift. Why now of all times had he left the pack and struck out on his own? Stupid, stupid, stupid! I should have waited until tomorrow when the weather would have been clear. Now I don’t even know where any shelter is around here. I’ll probably freeze to death before I begin to form my own pack. 

He tilted his nose away from the wind to see if it was possible to smell his way around. He had just gone only a little way when he caught a scent that didn’t belong. A wolf? I thought this was unoccupied territory. He sifted through the shallow snow drift, and unearthed a young comatose female. Her chest rose and fell faintly, but other then that it seemed she was dead. What am I to do? I can’t find any shelter! Sitka began to panic, though he didn’t show it. He raised his head and peered through the swirling storm as well as he could. The wind died for a fraction of a second, and he could see a medium sized cave right in front of him, only five meters away. He grabbed the female by her scruff and dragged her through the snow until he reached the cave.

Now that the wind was outside the cave and not in his ears, Sitka’s ears felt hollow. He dragged the wolf towards the back of the cave, where it was warmest, and laid himself on top of her to warm her up. (Not that he himself was very warm anyway, but he couldn’t bear the thought of rescuing someone only to have them die.)

The first thing he thought of as he laid on her was just how very small she was. She couldn’t be a wolf, or she would be taller and not so willowy. Coyote perhaps? No, she’s taller then they are, and much nicer looking (and smelling) then they. What on earth was she? He looked curiously at her, and then thought of a new possibility. Maybe she’s a hybrid. That would explain her size, shape, and leg markings as being dog like, and it would explain why everything else looks rather wolf like. 

He felt her move slightly beneath him, and he got off her and curled himself around her instead. It wouldn’t be nice to have her wake up and get the wrong idea about him.

Chapter 2

Tovah felt terrible as she slowly woke up. Everything seemed to spin dizzily all around her, and she couldn’t make sense of what was going on. All she wanted right now was Balto or Jenna to be beside her and explain what happened. She uttered a low moan as the painfulness of the cold set in. “Ugh... What happened?"

Tovah opened her eyes again and saw her vision had cleared up. She looked up at the form that was curled up beside her and gasped in terror. Despite the fact she wasn’t completely thawed she streaked away to the farthest wall from the stranger. “Who are you?”

Sitka slowly padded up to her. “Don’t fear me, I won’t hurt you.”

“How should I know that?” She asked suspiciously. It wasn't too often she awoke to a complete stranger curled up around her after all. 

Sitka tried to speak in a calming tone at the bristling female. “You will have to trust me. I’m the one who found you in the snow, and I had to warm you some way.” He looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry if you took it the wrong way.”

Tovah still huddled in a ball, shivering as the pain of the cold set in, though now she relaxed a little. “When did you find me?”

“About an hour ago. You were like an icicle you were that cold.”

“I’m still freezing." She looked out at the storm. "I hope Kodi got out ok.”

Sitka caught the worried look she had after she said that. “Who’s Kodi?”

“Oh, my brother. He and I were on a sled trail, racing, when the blizzard suddenly blew in out of nowhere. I got lost, and I suppose I must have fallen asleep in the storm.”

Her body began to tremble from the cold, and though she shrank away and gave Sitka a dirty look when he came near her, she didn't try to stop Sitka when he curled around her. She began to feel better physically once she warmed up, though she still kept a wary eye on the male. “So, how come we’re all alone in here? Where’s your pack?”

Sitka sighed. “I had to leave my pack. My Father said that our clan was growing too numerous, and since I’m the oldest brother I had to leave and form my own pack. I just left yesterday evening.” He grinned a little, and it put Tovah in mind of her Father’s grin. “It was by sheer luck that I stumbled upon you, and the Creator was kind enough to make the wind die down a bit so I could see this cave. So I guess this is where I’ll be staying for now.” He looked curiously at her. “This is unoccupied, isn’t it?”

Tovah yawned. The warmth of Sitka’s body made her feel tired, though she tried to shake it away. “It used to be my Uncle Kemo’s cave when he lived alone, but four years ago he became leader of Great clan. I suppose that no one lives here. At least, when I was younger Papa would take me and my siblings here to play.”

Sitka nodded, relieved. At last he had found a place of refuge. He frowned as he looked at the weather. “Guess we’ll be here at least a day or two.” He said, looking at the worsening storm. The thought made his forehead crease in worry.

Tovah tried to fight off the tidal waves of fatigue. “I’m tired.” She said in a low voice, hoping now the wolf would go to the opposite side of the cave. “I’m warm enough now.”

Sitka didn’t budge. She was still freezing cold to the touch. “Liar.”

Tovah huffed a sigh. “Am not! I just want to go to sleep… alone.”

Sitka was offended. “I’m not going to hurt you, you know! I’m trying to help you.” He paused, and after feeling her tense and look away did he figure it. “You don’t think I’m the type to take advantage of you, do you?”

She looked away. Though she herself had never gone through a thing like that, she couldn’t stop thinking of her Mother when she was a teen, who had a narrow escape of her own. It seemed to run through the family line, because her sister Saba had escaped from a similar incident as well. Tovah was always afraid deep down that she could be next. “Maybe.” She relented.

“I would never do such a thing.” Sitka said in a serious, yet soft voice. “Do you really know so little of our own kind? ‘Honor’ is the first word we learn! I am not one to steal another’s dignity.”

Tovah laid her head down with a moan. It was obvious she was losing the argument, and the battle to stay awake as well. “Please…”

Sitka sighed. It was obvious she was going to stay awake until he moved, yet he knew she was too weak to be left alone. She could very easily become ill. “I’ll make you a deal. Tonight you sleep whether or not I’m next to you. If the storm continues till the next night, I will stay far away from you. Deal?”

“Deal.” Tovah said through the fog of sleepiness that overcame her. Soon her body relaxed and her breathing slowed down to an even pace, and though Sitka had much to think of, he laid his head on her shoulder and fell asleep as well.

Chapter 3

Sitka woke up and yawned. He looked beside him and saw that Tovah was still asleep, with her muzzle buried in the soft shagginess of his chest. He almost smiled. She reminded him of his little sister, Rain, when she was a tiny thing of three weeks. Now Rain was almost a year old, and he knew that he would see very little of her now he was moved out. He nudged Tovah awake. “You feeling any better?”

She groggily raised her head. “Yeah.” She said after a few moments of confusion. She yawned and got up. Her heart sank a little when she saw the storm howling outside, as strong as ever. “Well, so much for getting breakfast and finding my way back home.”

“Don’t worry.” Sitka came over and sat next to her. “It smells as if it’ll die down soon, maybe by noon or so.”

She sighed and nodded. It looked as if she had nothing to do but wait. She suddenly found herself blurting “So, what’s your name? You never mentioned it yet.”

Sitka sheepishly grinned. Why had he forgotten that simple thing? “Forgive me. I’m Sitka, son of Palu and Tala. They are the leaders of Rose Root clan. I’m sure you never heard of us, we live far away from this area.” He sighed a little. “So, what do you go by?”

“I’m Tovah, daughter of Balto and Jenna. My father is a half breed, and my mother is a husky.” She studied her paws, wondering if she was stupid for telling him this. “I’m only 1/4 wolf. My grandmother’s clan was Clear River, before hunters got most of the clan.”

Sitka nodded. He was beginning to feel sorry for her. Half breeds were never accepted by wolves or dogs. No wonder she acted as she did. He decided to change the subject. “So, when the weather clears up, what would you like to do first?”

“Eat.” Tovah grinned. “I’m hungrier than a polar bear!”

Sitka laughed, and Tovah smiled. Somehow Sitka’s laugh was as warming as a fire on a cold day. “I’m so hungry I could eat a whale!” He said, feeling his belly rumble like thunder. He hadn’t eaten since he left home.

The two talked for a while, trading stories about home and family, and it wasn’t until Tovah looked outside that they noticed the snow storm stopped. “Well, I guess it’s safe to go out and get something to eat, right?”

“I guess so.” Sitka said, poking his head out of the cave. They wandered through the deep snow, and found a moose flailing around in the next bank away. “You ever hunted before?”

Tovah gulped. “Uh… To tell you the truth, I’ve never hunted anything before in my life.”

Sitka grunted as he made his way through the snow. “Well, now is as good as any time to learn.” He plowed as quietly as he could through the snow, and Tovah trudged after him almost as quietly. The Moose bellowed unhappily as it became more stuck. “Alright,” Sitka whispered, “You go around and distract him, while I sneak in behind him and grab him by the neck. Good thing it’s a real young one, or we’d need a pack of five to bring it down.”

Tovah didn’t know whether to be scared of being sent out on a dangerous mission like this when she had no experience, or to feel a thrill at getting to do a thing that she had never done before. She quietly circled around the beast, then threw her head up in a howl as Sitka circled around and jumped on its back. He latched onto its neck, and there was a struggle to bring it down.

At last the beast bellowed and fell, and Tovah ran over to help Sitka finish it off. He sat up and looked at her. “Thanks. I didn’t think it would ever give up!” He paused and looked quizzically at her. “I didn’t know that you could howl.”

Tovah laughed. “Of course I can. Besides, how else was I supposed to distract it?”

Sitka opened his mouth, and then closed it. He hadn’t thought about that. He grinned. “Well, let’s eat!”

Tovah paused and cringed at the messy gore that Sitka was eating. She never had eaten raw meat like this before, only things from the butcher shop. She never eaten anything from a carcass, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to try it. Sitka noticed her staring at the meat, and stopped eating. “What’s wrong?”

“Um… Nothing.” She paused and looked out by the clearing. She saw two figures at a distance, and wondered who they were. Sitka looked and saw them too. “I thought you said this was unoccupied territory.”

“It is. I’m not sure who it could be.” She said uneasily. She heard one of them howl, and suddenly she was sure of who it was. “It’s Kodi and Papa! They’ve found me!” She began to run to them.

They heard her familiar bark, and turned in disbelief. “Tovah?” Balto grinned in relief as she ran into him and knocked him over. “OOF! Well, I wasn’t quite expecting a welcome like that. We thought you’d be frozen in a snow bank!” He nuzzled her happily, and then sat up again. “How did you survive?”

“We’ve already ran into creatures that froze to death while we were looking.” Kodi chimed in. He turned to see a wolf had slipped in right next to him without his knowing, and gasped in shock as he backed off. Tovah and the wolf laughed. “Sorry Kodi. This is the one who found me. If it weren’t for him, I really would have been frozen in a snow bank.”

Sitka bowed before Balto. “I am Sitka, son of Palu and Tala. I’m a new comer to these parts, and was wondering if we- I mean I could stay here in the cave that’s nearby.” He felt his face grow hot as Tovah’s father looked amused. Stupid! Why did I say that?

“You can stay as long as you want to, Sitka. There aren’t any packs around here within a nine mile radius. My brother doesn’t own this territory anymore.”

Sitka smiled gratefully. “Thank you, sir.” He cleared his throat “I suppose I ought to say good bye, Tovah. I’m glad I found you. …Maybe… you and I can visit sometime?”

“Count on it.” Tovah smiled. Balto was looking even more amused then before, and Kodi just scowled a little. “Well, are we going to just stand here in the cold or what?”

Balto nodded. “You’re right. Jenna will be worried about us.” He turned to Sitka. “Thank you for saving her. I couldn’t go after her myself in the storm.” Sitka nodded, and watched them as they headed through the forest back home.

Chapter 4

 Later that night Tovah told her story as far as she knew it, and Kodi and her parents were amazed. “I don’t get it.” Kodi said after the story was done, “What kind of a wolf is a loner by choice? It sounds suspicious to me.”

Tovah rolled her eyes. Kodi was always suspicious of other males that were near his sisters. It was always that way since a dog had tried to hurt their sister Saba. Saba had gotten out ok, but Kodi was always cautious about his sisters after that, to the point of obsession.  She sighed in frustration. “I told you, he said his Dad kicked him out of his pack because the pack was growing too big. I guess he had no choice but to move on.”

Balto agreed. “Kemo told me that’s what happened to him once he was old enough to form his own pack.” He looked thoughtful.

“So you killed a moose, huh?” Jenna said with a laugh, “I never thought you were strong enough.”

Kodi cringed. “Did it taste good?”

“I don’t know Kodi; I never got a bite to see, though it looked a bit messy.” Tovah looked outside the window again. She stared off into space, and Balto suddenly knew what was wrong and grinned. “You like Sitka, don’t you?”

“What?” Tovah looked startled. “What do you mean?”

“Well at any rate, he sure likes you.” Balto bit back a chuckle at the memory of Sitka’s face when he said ‘we’. For a moment a memory of himself as an awkward teen popped into his mind when he had tried to ask Jenna to go out with him. “I think you do too, even if you don’t know it yet.”

Tovah’s face felt fiery hot. She hadn’t thought about it, but she did miss Sitka. She stammered something, and then left the room. She didn’t know what to think or feel; she just wanted that weird feeling of not knowing what exactly she was feeling to go away.

Chapter 5

One month later

Kodi growled a little as he watched Sitka and Tovah talk together on top of a hill that was nearby Nome. It had been a whole month since Sitka and Tovah had begun to go out with each other, and Kodi was irritated that with each visit they seemed to be more then mere friends. It was more then he could bear, watching her come home each afternoon and chatter away about how much fun she had and how much she liked him.

He had complained to Balto that Sitka would probably be wanting to be Tovah’s mate, but Balto had said that if she wanted it that way then to let her do that. ‘You have it all wrong Kodi. The father is supposed to be the one who worries about his daughter, not the brother over the sister. I know just by watching him that Sitka is not the type to ever hurt Tovah, so I wouldn’t worry so much. If they do want to be mates, it would be the best thing for them both.’ Balto had looked at Kodi with a serious expression. ‘Tovah will never find a life here as a dog. She looks too much like me. If she’s at Kemo’s old cave with Sitka, we can still see her nearly everyday if we wanted to.’

Kodi grew angrier as he replayed his father’s words in his mind. Balto had been so protective over Aleu when she was still home, but now with Tovah it seemed that Balto didn’t have that same overly protectfulness he had with Aleu before she left. Kodi didn’t get it. Was he the only one who exercised caution in this family?

He shook his head to clear his thoughts once he heard Sitka speak. “Um, can I ask you something?”

Tovah looked over at him. “Sure, go ahead.”

Kodi watched as Sitka studied the ground, and spoke slowly. “I want to know if…if you want to be my mate.” He looked up with an anxious expression.

Kodi’s eyes grew wide as Tovah smiled. “I hoped you would ask me that.” She spoke softly. “I want to be your mate.”

Kodi tried unsuccessfully to stifle a groan as he watched her kiss Sitka before he left. No! Not my little sister! I just knew that this would happen! Now I’m losing my best friend!

“Kodi?”

He gasped as Tovah turned and saw him in his hiding spot. Even the irritated look she gave Kodi didn’t drown out her look of happiness in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Uh…” He tried to think of a witty reply. “I was just wondering where you were.” He winced at the idiotic tone he used.

“Oh.” Tovah look of irritation disappeared and she grinned. “Guess what Sitka asked me?”

“I can only imagine.”

“He asked me to be his mate, and I said yes! Isn’t it wonderful? Now I can live close to home and yet be my own person!”

“Congratulations.” Kodi muttered, leaving behind a confused Tovah and turning back to his owners. The whole evening festered in his mind as he walked into his kennel and curled up. He wasn’t really worried about Sitka anymore; he just was so attached to his little sister that he didn’t want to let her go. He and Tovah were the ones who spent the most time, and now he wouldn’t get to do that. He was irritated with himself when he felt a little jealousy well up inside him as well. No one had ever wanted to ask him if he could be their mate. Dusty and Ralph were the ones who went out together on the mail team. It just wasn’t fair!

“Kodi?”

Kodi looked up to see Dusty. “Oh, hey.”

“You look like a deflated balloon. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh come on!” Dusty said as she studied him. “You have a problem that you won’t share with us.”

Kodi turned around in the kennel. “Leave me alone. I have problems I don’t want to discuss right now.”

“Oh come ON! It’s not like we’ll spread classified information across the whole territory!” Dusty crouched down in front of him, begging. Kodi finally sighed and gave in. “Fine. But this can’t get around to Silvie and Dixie. Then the whole town will be talking about something that’s blown way out of proportion.” He told her about Tovah and Sitka, and then complained about how he felt about the whole thing. “... And now Sitka asked her to be his mate, and she said yes! I knew she was going to do that. Now I’ll never get to see much of her I’m sure, and who knows whether or not Dad will even pay attention to all this.”

Dusty was quiet for a moment. “You know,” she finally said, “I think it’s you who has blown this all out of proportion. She isn’t a puppy anymore, and you can’t be her baby sitter anymore either. Besides, why do you think your Dad isn’t paying attention? He pays a whole lot of attention to all you guys! More then mine at anyrate...”

“Yeah, but it was like once Aleu came home and the others were born, it seemed like Dad and Mom were always trying to make sure that they weren’t trying to be too protective, so that they would never run off like Aleu did. I didn’t see the sense in that, and I still don’t see the sense in it now. Saba was almost hurt because of that thinking.”

“Saba was out at night, and she isn’t even living with your Dad. How was he supposed to stop something he didn’t know about?”

Kodi opened his mouth, and then shut it. Dusty was right in a way, but he really didn’t want to admit it. He had blamed his father inside for it, and now he wasn’t sure of what to think. He sighed irritably. “Well, I guess that I can’t stop Tovah from doing what she wants to anyway.” He turned and faced the back of the kennel again. “Thanks for listening.”

Dusty looked back at him in concern before she left. Kirby and Ralf walked up. “So what gives?” Kirby asksed.

“Kodi is acting weird about his sister. He’s worried that her wolf boyfriend is going to hurt her I think.” Dusty frowned as she tried to sort out what all Kodi had said. She began to get confused. “He doesn’t want us to talk about it, he just wants advice.”

Kirby got up. “Wolf boyfriend, huh? Well, I know a way to help them all out. Tell Kodi to leave everything to me.”

To be continued…