Two Worlds

This is a story I've been working on on Fanfiction, please enjoy.

Descriptions of Characters in Frost’s pack.

Frost: Alpha male with a large build, brown fur over his entire body, and light green eyes.

Owaga: Alpha female with a slender build; is grey with a white underbelly and grey socks on her forelegs. Has icy blue eyes and is currently three weeks pregnant with five pups. Frost’s mate.

Kamazi: A heavily built brown wolf with highlights of darker brown woven naturally throughout his fur, the same green eyes as his father, and a white patch on his chest. Eldest son of Frost and Owaga.

Lundy: A black wolf with the same build as her mother, has a tan/gold underbelly, insides of her legs are the same color as her underside while the outsides are black, has fiery golden eyes and tan goggles. Kamazi’s sister and the second oldest of Frost and Owaga.

Kana: A rusty colored wolf with tan socks on her forelegs that end on her shins, emerald green eyes, and tan inner ears. Third born of the litter.

Cail: A dark brown wolf with a build similar to his brother Kamazi, has a white mark that covers the front of his chest and half of his underbelly and green eyes with a gold ring around the edges.

Ice Wind: A white wolf with black on the tips of his ears and black goggles around his yellow eyes; the two of his middle toes on his right forefoot are black. Youngest of the litter bu is by far the largest and smartest of them.

Juneau: A slim cut tan wolf with hazel eyes and a bold personality. She was adopted into the pack after banishment from her own at a young age, and by the wolf’s code, is the omega. Even though she is the omega, she is seen as an equal to all members of the pack.

Timber: A white female wolf-dog with black inner ears and baby blue eyes. Member of Frost’s pack for a long time when she was adopted in along with Denali and holds the same status as her.

Description of the pack’s home.

A small clearing in the middle of their territory with a den dug out under a large boulder. The den is spacious enough for the whole family to share during the winter months, but is only used by the alphas during spring and summer. The clearing is only about thirty feet from one side to the other, flat, and has other smaller rocks scattered naturally about the whole area. There are a number of nests dug out near the den for daytime leisure.

A/N Now that that’s taken care of; without further delay, I give you the first chapter of Two worlds. Enjoy.

Prologue

The day was struggling to take life as the meager light from the sun battled against the dull grey of morning on its routine ascent into the infinite Alaskan skies. Not much life stirred in the frigid temperatures of the late winters of the North, and yet, two pairs of fresh paw prints plodded side by side through the snow, now becoming hard-packed from the cold. The tracks continued on for another three hundred yards revealing at the end, a pair of wolves padding about with no real intent on getting anywhere; as was the nature of every morning walk that Owaga and her eldest son Kamazi made on quiet mornings such as this, especially when there was good news to be told. Mother and son walked shoulder to shoulder and spoke casually to each other.

“So, Kamazi, how is everything going with Denali,” Owaga asked with a smile.

“I think she is the one mom. Tonight when I go with her on patrol, I’m going to ask her courtship.”

“What news!” Owaga chided happily.

“Yes, but just keep this between you and me; I want it to be a surprise,” Kamazi replied with a broad smile.

“Say no more my son. You have my word; not a breath to anyone about this.” She paused briefly.

“So, have you told your father,” She asked

“Not yet, I was actually planning on telling him before I left,” Kamazi stated.

The pair fell silent for a few moments soaking up the joyful atmosphere they were in.

“So, have you decided on names for my brothers and sisters,” Kamazi asked excitedly.

“Well, we are not entirely sure. We cannot say how many there will be, so to keep it simple, we have thought of names for three boys and three girls.” Owaga paused while she gathered her thoughts. “Let’s see; for the boys we have Faylin, Sam, and Kodiak. And for the girls we have Alaina, Fole, and Fay.”

“Well I like them. I think they will fit perfectly,” Kamazi replied.

The two continued on through their territory, small talking and laughing at things the other said, and finally came near the river that marked the boarder of their home. The two closed the distance in no time and took a refreshing drink of the slushy water, and then turned to make their way back to the den. The conversation along the way was light and sparse as was the norm for the end of these seldom made walks.

Faint barks and the clanking of harnesses echoed softly over the barren land and steadily grew louder. The pair of wolves froze on the spot and put their noses immediately to the wind.

“About seven dogs and two humans,” Kamazi whispered. He took in another long waft and looked over to his mother, “maybe two thousand yards and closing.”

The pair glanced nervously around them.

“It could be a hunting party,” Kamazi continued, “We should go north and give them a wide birth.”

“Ya, how much are we running now,” Owaga joked.

“I think they are giving hunters 60 of those green leaves for just one pelt,” Kamazi commented with a laugh.

The two turned to the north and moved quickly through the forest, making sure they were not followed. The trip took them an extra twenty minutes do to their detour, but in doing this they probably saved their pelts from becoming wall trophies. As the two approached the little clearing they called home, they were approached by four other wolves of different size and color.

“There you all are,” called the brown Cail from his position in the middle.

“Ya we looked everywhere for you,” retorted the rusty colored Kana and the white Ice Wind simultaneously. The pair of speakers shot each other a glare and then laughed softly.

Cail, Kana, Ice Wind, and the unspoken black furred Lundy closed the short distance between them and each took turns nuzzling their mother’s face in greeting. Owaga returned the nuzzles and then separated.

“So dad says we will be going on a hunt in a few minutes, which is why we came looking for you,” Cail stated.

“We can’t,” Kamazi replied, “there was another hunting party in our territory.”

“Another one,” Cail moaned.

“That is the third one in two days,” Kana stated obviously annoyed.

“Ya and they have been causing us quite a problem now that the deer are migrating back through here,” Lundy pointed out with a hint of disgust.

“I know, and it is just too dangerous for us to hunt with them around,” Owaga said drily.

“Well, there is no point in standing out here moaning about it,” Ice Wind said with a sigh of disappointment, “We had better go tell dad to postpone.”

The group fell into a horizontal line and silently walked toward the den. Two wolves of tan and white stood around the lip of the hole and looked up from the ground at the approaching party. The two females padded toward the progressers and met them half way. Kamazi stepped out of the group and moved deliberately over to the tan Juneau and pushed her playfully with his paw. She giggled and punched him less than gently in the ribs. Kamazi made and ‘oofing’ sound and wrapped his paw around his body to comfort it. He looked up and he and Juneau both shared a laugh. He dropped his paw back to the ground and the two stood for a few moments just staring awkwardly in silence. The white Timber came to the rescue and stepped between them.

“Alright you two,” she teased.

Kamazi and Juneau cleared their throats and turned away from each other.

“So where is my dad,” Kamazi asked to both Timber and Juneau.

“Down in there,” Juneau quickly replied with a gesture to the den.

As if on cue, out of the ground appeared frost with a broad smile. He padded carelessly into the middle of his family and sat down next to his mate.

“So what’s news,” he teased.

“Hunters,” Kamazi said coldly.

Frost’s smile faded and he shook his head in anger.

“This is ridiculous, why can’t they go one day without trekking through our land and poaching our game.”

He lifted his head again.

“I guess we will just have to try again tomorrow.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Lundy and Ice Wind sat in front of the eagerly awaiting family.

“We have spotted a herd of about seven deer moving east about one half clicks away from here,”

Ice Wind stated with a small smile.

“Even better, we are not sharing the hunting grounds today,” Lundy finished.

Frost rose hastily to his feet.

“Then let’s go before that changes,” he called and started moving quickly in an easterly direction.

The family followed suit and began east as well.

As was procedure, the group split up into two teams, one to distract the quarry while the other sneaked in during all of the confusion to deliver the final blow. If all went well, they would have dinner in no time. Owaga, Kamazi, Timber, and Kana were in charge of the distraction today. They split from the rest and headed quickly to the south for a short distance then began east again. Frost, Juneau, Ice Wind, Cail, and Lundy went northwest and would circle around to cut off the herd when they began to flee.

Not too long into their venture, the scent of deer rose into the nostrils of Owaga and her group. The herd had shifted their direction slightly to the north so they corrected and picked up their pace slightly. The scent grew stronger and stronger until they were sure that they were right on top of them. They crested a small hill and gazed down upon the empty land. Where were the…

There was a sharp crack and Kamazi yelped and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely from his shoulder. Barks and yells exploded from the trees not far to their left. Kamazi rose to his feet slowly and gazed around him. Nine dogs exploded from the trees and charged in full speed at the group of wolves with their men steadily behind them. The group of wolves turned to flee with Kamazi dragging only slightly behind the rest. Kana dropped back and threw him up onto her shoulders.

“Are you al…” She dropped and she and Kamazi rolled to a stop. Kamazi rose to his feet and shot his eyes down to his sister. A large hole was punched into the side of her neck with blood flowing freely from it.

Another shot rang and Kamazi heard the bullet whizz just inches above his head. He turned and was almost immediately tackled by a large husky. Kamazi kicked him off and took flight with the husky not far behind. There was a yelp behind him and Kamazi turned to see a large white flash and a dead dog lying in the snow. Three other wolves appeared behind him and quickly caught up to him. Kamazi looked to his left and saw that his brother Ice Wind had been hit on the back leg. He looked to his right and saw that his father and his other brother Cail were unhit. Kamazi and the others came to ten feet behind the rest of the remaining family. They must have been on the other side of this when it happened. There was no way to tell exactly how many humans were in on this massacre.There were two reports and Ice Wind dropped from Kamazi’s side and Lundy fell out in front. Cail felt one of the eight huskies land on his back, but didn’t feel a thing when his neck was snapped. They were being slaughtered. Kamazi and Frost sped along and made it to the rest. Two more reports but none dropped.

Quite suddenly Kamazi felt a bullet tear into his right hind leg. He dropped and prepared for his fate. He saw the paws of a dog and closed his eyes.

“Until the end my son,” came Owaga’s stern voice.

Kamazi opened his eyes and saw his mother standing protectively over him. He came to his feet and prepared to fight to the death alongside his mother. Two huskies moved in and made an attempt at Kamazi’s throat. Kamazi jumped back and winced as pain shot out from his shoulder and leg. The husky was rolled to the ground by Owaga. Owaga felt fangs rip into her side and she spun to parry them. Frost jumped in from out of nowhere and ripped said husky to pieces. The other husky wanted nothing to do with three wolves and turned tail.

The three fled away from the pursuing humans and dogs and Kamazi felt yet a third bullet tear into his flesh and Frost would no longer have his left ear. Kamazi dropped and failed to rise. Owaga and Frost whirled around to help him up.

“Get out of here!” Owaga yelled to Frost.

“I’m not leaving you!”

“I didn’t ask! Go now!”

Frost turned to flee with a heavy heart.

“Can you stand,” Owaga asked Kamazi sternly.

Kamazi just managed to rise to his feet. He faced the onslaught of hunters that closed in at one hundred yards.

“No my son, you must run.”

“What!? No I won’t leave you here to die for me,” His voice was strained and tired.

“I’ll catch up with you and your father later. Now you must go.”

Kamazi bobbed his head and turned to go with tears flowing down his cheeks.

Owaga was overwhelmed. She didn’t stand a chance against the hunters. Snarls and shots rose from behind Kamazi and then all was silent except for his loud sobs.

The den had never felt so empty as Kamazi, Frost, Timber, and Juneau lay in the den as the sole survivors of the slaughter that just occurred. It was all over for Frost, Kamazi, and Timer. Their wounds were only minor and would heal after a few days’ rest, but Juneau was fading fast. She had been mortally shot in the side and the bullet had torn into her liver. There was nothing else they could do for her. She would be dead before dark. Kamazi sat by her side with tears dripping from his muzzle. Juneau weakly lifted her head to Kamazi and her voice escaped her in a soft whisper.

“It is okay, Kamazi,” she began, “Do not cry for me. If I die, then at least it will be at your side.”

Kamazi sniffled. He knew that she would not hold much longer.

“Juneau, will you accept my courtship?”

Juneau sniffled and answered in a teary voice.

“I have waited so long for you to ask,” She began, “I would be honored to be in courtship with you.”

The pair nuzzled each other to seal the bond with sobs escaping both of them. Juneau laid her head back to the ground. Kamazi licked her cheek.

“I love you.”

“I love you t…” Juneau’s final breath escaped her and she lay limp.

Kamazi sat where he was for a few moments and cried uncontrollably over his court’s dead body and for his mother. He cried for the brothers and sisters he lost and the ones he would never know. He wiped his eyes with his paws and threw back his head. His sad song echoed off of the walls of the den in the most heartbroken howl that any had ever heard.

Chapter 2

One month later

Jenna lay peacefully on her stomach in the comfort of the living room lost in a daydream about the return of her beloved mate Balto. She could never have guessed that when they met two years ago that he would be as successful as he was now. The hero of Nome and the leader of one of the best sled teams in the Yukon Territory, how could she have gotten so lucky as to have him in her life? She felt a small kick in her bulging belly and craned her head to her side with a small smile. In a little less than four weeks the good Lord would bless them with a most precious gift, a litter of healthy pups. She and Balto had agreed the day he left that they would decide names when he returned from his supply run to Juneau, hopefully now in less than five days.

Rosy thudded loudly down the stairs and Jenna turned her dream washed face over her shoulder to her beloved master with her soft brown eyes that matched her thick hair, rosy red cheeks, and upturned nose. Jenna shifted her position and rose clumsily to her feet. It was a new experience for her to have at least five other lives inside of her, kicking or squirming about; but what a feeling for her to be able to say she experienced. With the soft clicks of claws on the old wooded floor, Jenna bounded toward the stairs and met Rosy in the middle of her track with a happy sway and swishing of her hair. Rosy giggled and gently scratched the top of Jenna’s head and then the roots of her pointed ears. Rosy then ran her hand down Jenna’s enlarged side and giggled when she felt a small kick strike her palm.

“Can you believe it girl? You’re going to be a mamma!”

Jenna barked happily in response. Rosy motioned toward the kitchen and Jenna began moving for the doorway that led to the small room. Rosy opened the door to the pantry and dipped her hand into a tall brown bag. Jenna pricked her ears to the sound of the crinkling paper and the crunching of the bag’s contents. Rosie’s hand appeared from the bag with a cup overflowing with Jenna’s breakfast. She carried it over to the back door and dumped the contents into a silver bowl that lay about two feet from it. Jenna followed and dipped her head into the bowl and began to politely crunch on the dried kibbles inside. Rosy laughed at Jenna’s feminine behavior then fell silent for a few moments.

“I’m so happy that daddy is coming home today,” Rosy began enthusiastically, “Mommy showed me where he went on a map yesterday. Some group of islands somewhere, Aleutian Islands I think it was.”

Jenna raised her head out of her bowl and thought.

Aleutian… Aleutia… Alue! She would have to remember that. Alue would make a rather nice name for one of their daughters.

There was little spoken now as Jenna neared half of her meal. She decided then that she was full and went to cleaning her muzzle with licks and slow strokes with the side of her paw. Rosy again laughed and secretly wondered how Jenna could possibly live in a place as cold and unforgiving as the Alaskan Frontier, what with her delicate ways and that she always needed to be clean.

There was a small scratch on the back door and Jenna pricked her ears in a small hope that her dear mate had come home early. Rosy moved over to the door and opened it with a smile. She stepped away from the opening, revealing a squat little female dog with a fur color of a luscious white icing. Jenna smiled brightly at the dog in the door.

“Well come on in Dixie and get out of that cold,” Jenna stated in a friendly greeting tone.

Dixie didn’t need to be told twice. She fluffed up her fur and all but strutted into the house like a runway model with her head thrown up in a self-given dignity and her shoulders back, showing her form as best she could. Jenna rolled her eyes and laughed to herself. She had always found the little show dog to be quite amusing to watch. Dixie kept her dignity until she reached Jenna’s feet.

“So how was your trip to White Mountain,” Jenna asked, catching up with the friend she hadn’t seen in over two months.

“Oh, you know how cousin Sooner is,” Dixie replied with a slight wink.

The two both rolled their eyes and laughed at the inside joke that had been around ever since they knew each other as pups. Dixie shifted uncomfortably. She had noticed Jenna had gotten quite a bit larger than she had been when they last spoke, but didn’t know exactly how to ask her about it. Dixie decided in her straight and to the point mind that it was best to just go out and say it.

“So Jenna, I see that you’ve changed a lot since we last saw each other. Has the stress of being the most beautiful girl in town gotten to you?”

Jenna was confused. What in the world was she talking about?

“What do you mean,” Jenna pressed.

“Well, it’s just… you’ve gotten well… bigger since last saw you. Oh, but don’t worry, we can get you fixed up really quick.”

“Dixie.”

“I know this one dog, and let me tell you, she was far beyond fat. She did something that released her stress and-“

“Dixie, I’m pregnant,” Jenna said cutting off her friend’s continuous rambling.

Dixie fell silent and her jaw dropped until it hung slack.

“What! Oh my gosh Jenna! When did it happen,” she exclaimed in a shrill voice.

“While you were gone,” Jenna replied with a smile, “Balto and I decided that we wanted to have pups, so we did.”

“Oh Jenna, I’m so happy for you two! Where is that little Casanova by the way; I would assume that he would be here with you taking care of you.”

“Oh, you know how Mr. Hilok is,” Jenna began, referring to Balto’s musher. “Poor Balto will sometime be gone for a whole week. If it isn’t a training exercise, it’s a mechanics run. That Mr. Hilok is so picky about that idea of an invention of his. He will go all the way to the capitol for his machinery.”

“Ya, but that’s the price you pay for loving the fastest dog in the Yukon,” Dixie said in a dreamy tone.

“I guess you’re right, but enough about me, tell me about your trip.”

“Well first of all we had to get…”

- Earlier that day somewhere between Juneau and Nome

The sun poked its rosy tipped fingers up over the horizon and its radiant light quickly chased away the shadows of the night.

The bare trees spread their branches in greeting to the coming day and the pesky widgets began to buzz together in their ornate little balls. Everywhere life began to stir from the now passing winter and get about its daily niche. That included the little camp that lay spread out in a patch of forest where the bitter wind that still held on from the recently passed winter wouldn’t cut into the skin of the man or the fur of his dogs.

The light hit Balto’s closed eyes and he blinked them open with a sleepy yawn. He stretched his tight joints and muscles and winced at the pain in his hip. He was by far the oldest dog on the team at the age of four and it was likely that this would be his last year on the team. He knew that as soon as an old dog started to falter, he would be replaced at the end of the season. Though disappointing as it was, he knew it was probably for the best. He was about to be a father and would have to put forth all of his efforts into making sure they knew right from wrong and grew into the fine men and women they were bound to be.

From his left, he heard the groans and pops that signified his team was stirring. The black and white malamute that lay beside him rolled over from his tight ball and stretched his back to full extension. The new day was young and the clear weather promised for easy travel which almost drowned the soreness out of the team.

The flap on the little orange tent unzipped and Mr. Hilok stepped out into the open day fully dressed to go. He moved over to the sled and produced a bucket that contained the dogs’ breakfast. Balto and the six others stretched their chains to their limits and wagged their tails in approval. Balto winced and caught the attention of the black and white that stood next to him.

“That hip again,” he asked with a sympathetic understanding.

“Ya,” Balto replied grudgingly, “Just a bit stiff this morning is all.”

“You need to let it rest,” a grey husky called from further down the line, “Those bone spurs are no joke. If you keep pushing it like that it could do some serious damage to the muscle, and the only way to fix that is with a nice trip into the operation room.”

Mr. Hilok started at the far end of the line and pitched the dogs a softball sized ball of mixed scraps from the butcher’s shop and the dogs immediately went to gulping it down. When it was Balto’s turn to receive his meal he dipped his hand into his pocket and produced a large white pill. He positioned it so the thinner round end was facing the meat and jammed it inside with his thumb. Once he was sure it was in enough to where he was sure it would go undetected he pitched it to Balto’s feet. Balto took his share and ate it down quickly. Mr. Hilok kneeled at Balto’s side.

“How you feeling this morning, Balto,” he asked sympathetically.

Balto lolled his tongue and wagged his tail. Mr. Hilok then placed his hand on Balto’s back left hip and applied a small amount of pressure. Balto winced and resisted the urge to cry out for he knew that if he did he would be taken off and would have to ride the sled with the cold heap of metal that lay covered up with a tarp. Mr. Hilok smiled and moved down the line checking his remaining dogs for injuries. Finding none, he went over to his fire that was now nothing but a pile of hot coals. He dug into his pocket and produced a clump of kindling and threw it onto the coals. After a quick mix with a stick and a few blows onto the coals, the fire came back to life. Mr. Hilok smiled and placed three cut pieces of wood onto the new flame, filled his paint tin with snow and waited.

 Breakfast eaten and camp organized in a fashion that fit onto the sled in a balanced manner, Mr. Hilok seized his dogs one by one and clipped them into place. This accomplished, he placed his feet onto the back runners of the sled and gripped the handle.

“Gee!” he called.

The dogs wrenched right.

“Haw!”

The dogs wrenched left.

“HIKE!”

The dogs took up the slack in their traces and began to gain forward momentum. The sled jerked and refused to go another inch. The dogs cried out simultaneously as the traces pinched their skin and cut into their fur.

“God damn it,” Mr. Hilok mumbled loudly and jumped off of the sled.

He kicked the snow hook and the talons released their grip on the snow. Mr. Hilok bent down and picked it up and cursed it aloud as he carried it back to the sled. He pitched it onto the sled in any place it would fit and re gripped the hand rail.

“HIKE!”

The sled took off in a spray of snow and a torrent of barks from the dogs, each of them willing and happy to pull their master home.

- The town of Nenena bustled with its new life, reborn by the coming spring. Families walked together down the street in their Sunday cloths on their way home from church or to a picnic somewhere outside of town. Amongst those families were Rosy and her mother Lucile; but unlike everyone else, they were dressed casually and seemed to be going the direct opposite direction of flow, and in quite a hurry. They were flustered for they knew that they were running late. The train came in at 10:50 and it was now !!:05. The two hand in hand pushed through the crowd and would occasionally bump into others, thus receiving unpleased curses, but these were ignored. They didn’t even know where they were going they just hoped this was the right way. On a street corner near the town’s only butcher shop, stood a woman and her children in wait to cross the street. Lucile sped up to catch her, nearly dragging Rosy long.

“Excuse me ma’am,” Lucile called.

The lady and her children turned to see Lucile running steadily toward them. The lady smiled for she had seen this before. Many a time she had helped out on the rare occasion that there was a newcomer.

“Sorry to bother you on a Sunday,” Lucile began with heavy heaves.

“Oh it’s no trouble at all,” the lady said with a smile.

“Can you direct me to the train station,” Lucile asked in a tired tone.

The lady nodded.

“If you go down to the end of this street and hang a left, you should see the church. Make a right at the church and you should see it at the end of the road.”

“Thank you so much,” Lucile said happily.

“Oh no problem at all; after all, you’re not the first.”

She and Lucile shared a laugh and then the lady, with children in tow, crossed the street and disappeared into the general store across the way. Lucile and Rosy began in a quickened pace down the remaining stretch of the street.

 The morning so far had passed like any other for the sled team, save Mr. Hilok forgetting about the snow hook, with the almost mechanical precision between man and his dogs. From the time they were old enough to toil, excluding Balto who was added two years ago, the team had not gone a winter month and not used this trail. And by now the trail between Juneau and Nome had been run so many times by Balto and his six team mates that it seemed almost lie second nature to them. They knew every turn, every hazardous area, right down to the rocks beneath the snow under their pads. This was their trail, the very heart of their lives.

Balto was positioned in lead, followed by a slender grey female named Schio that ran the left swing; the large black and white malamute named Cleft ran the right. Two twins with tan backs and grey bellies ran the lines in the middle, and finally came a crème colored red male named Kay’yak ran the left wheel, accompanied by a timid grey husky with a brown spot on his back named Harv that ran the right. They went perfectly with their positions, not a one dissatisfied or mutinous.

They had by now put at least fifteen miles between them and their previous camp and by the way they were traveling, they were looking into putting in another forty-five by the time this day was done; thus putting them at the half way point. Half way home meant half way to a nice warm boiler room where the seven could rest their sore muscles and spend the day catching up on much needed slumber. But for Balto, half way home also meant yet another 550 miles between him and his mate. It was all he could do to try not to think about her and the pups she carried, and keep his focus on the trail ahead.

There was a patch where the snow had melted away, revealing the loose rock that lined the whole trail. Wouldn’t it fit perfectly with Mr. Hilok’s snow hook that Balto hit said patch of rock and lost his footing. He rolled and cried out as he hit the ground and was immediately buried by his team. Balto cursed under his breath and the team carefully scrambled to let him up. Mr. Hilok had jumped from the sled and was now helping in the process, unclipping harnesses and dragging dogs by the line then tying them to a tree. The last dog rose from the fallen leader and gazed apologetically down upon him. Balto wined and put his paws under him. As he made an attempt to rise, he cried out and fell back to his side.

Mr. Hilok had just tied one of the twins to a tree when he heard his dog cry out and immediately ran to his side. There Balto laid breathing heavily with his face twisted in pain. Mr. Hilok placed a hand on his leader’s hip and immediately received a sharp yelp that was in reality, a very foul curse. Mr. Hilok mumbled a curse under his breath and shook his head. The team sat where they were tied or where they stood freely in a heavy silence. Mr. Hilok placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself up onto his feet where he stood for a few moments and gazed sadly down at Balto.

Not a word was spoken now. Not Mr. Hilok, nor the team dared utter a sound. Mr. Hilok moved to the sled and began arranging it so that Balto could lay down in it with some form of comfort. The box containing the metal was pushed all the way to the front and the tent along with all of the other camping equipment was stacked neatly on top. The bucket containing the food was placed at the foot of the box so that it was where Mr. Hilok could keep an eye on it. Mr. Hilok then produced his own blanket and spread it out in the space that was now cleared of any obstruction.

Mr. Hilok quickly finished his work then moved over to where Balto still lay. As gently as this large man was capable of, Mr. Hilok slid his hands underneath Balto’s body. Slowly Mr. Hilok began to lift Balto from the ground and received an onslaught of pained yelps. Once the hybrid was settled into his arms, Mr. Hilok carried Balto to the sled and gingerly placed him down on the blanket. This broke Balto’s heart. He would rather die than be taken out of his traces. Mustering up all of his strength, he again tried to rise. A sudden pop and shooting pain sent him down onto the sled once again. He knew now, and no matter how much it hurt, he was finished.

Chapter 3

WARNING: INTENSE SEQUENCE OF VIOLENCE

35 MILES OUTSIDE OF NOME

The sled bounced along in a quickened pace. It was unknown to Mr. Hilok as to exactly how his dogs knew that they were nearing home, for the trail here looked no different than it did twenty miles ago; but every time they reached a certain spot on the trail the dogs would become excited and fly along as if they were wolves running freely. Balto on the other hand was too upset and in too much pain to be excited about anything. He merely lay on the blanket in the sled curled up into the most comfortable position that his hip would allow. He felt so guilty; for three days now his team had been working hard in their traces, Cleft pulling the lead, while he sat there on the sled with nothing to do but sleep. But sleep was the last thing Balto wanted to do. His team was up at the crack of dawn, but he was up earlier, they kept awake on the trail and so did he; though sleep was a very tempting siren when the sled just eased along the snow.

It was now the fourth day on the return trail and the warmest out of any of the seven they had put in going to Juneau and now coming home, and the warmth had taken its toll on the snow. The dogs kept atop, but eventually the sled punched through and ground upon the rocks under the snow, thus making them have to slow down. Eventually, with just twenty miles left to go, Mr. Hilok stopped the team all together. He had to get the sled back on top of the snow or the sled would be torn apart. He stomped the snow hook solidly into place and moved deliberately over to the side of the trail. He found what he sought and knelt down to pick it up. The dogs all looked on curiously as he carried with him two stout tree limbs and wedged one under each runner. Satisfied with his work, he moved to the back of the sled and slid out his hatchet. He shifted it from his left hand to his right and walked over to the side of the trail once again where he fell a small spruce. He then chopped the little branches off and carried them to the sled, dropping them in a pile.

It took him an hour to do, but he knew that more time would have been wasted had he not done what he did. The sled runners now sported a pair of makeshift snowshoes made from the branches sacrificed by the spruce. Mr. Hilok removed the anchor and retook his position on the sled. With the loud call of hike ringing in their ears, the dogs started back up with the sled gliding easily atop the snow.

The plane circled in low to land, slowing down its speed with each pass it made over the town. After a few more minutes of this redundant action, the sled-like runners of the plane finally contacted the thin layer of snow, sending it spraying out in a brilliant cascade of white. The plane coaxed until it came to a stop near the edge of town. The pilot shut off the engines and turned back to the three passengers, giving them a three fingered o.k. sign with his gloved hand. The pilot stood up and stepped over the cockpit and down onto the wing. His boots thudded down the width of the wing until he came to the seats in which his three passengers sat. The three stood up and he picked up the little girl first, setting her next to him on the wing. Next he offered his gloved hand out to the middle aged woman on board. She took his hand into her own and he politely helped her down onto the wing. The final passenger was a middle aged man, husband of the woman and father of the little girl. He used his unusually long legs to step effortlessly out onto the wing. The pilot jumped down to the ground and the husband handed him the little girl. The pilot gently lifted her from the wing and placed her on the ground. The pilot then reached up and placed his hands around the woman’s hips and lifted her down to earth. The husband simply jumped down. The pilot then opened up the cargo hold on the side of the plane and took out the husband’s bags, placing them neatly down on the ground. He then turned and faced the family of three and the husband offered out his hand. The pilot shook it firmly and the husband spoke.

“Thank you for everything, Mr. Greenfield,” he said appreciatively.

The pilot smiled and the two released their grip on each other’s hand. The husband dipped his had into his pocket and pulled out his moose skin wallet.

“So how much do we owe you Mr. Greenfield,” the husband asked.

“Well, John, the normal cost of a flight from Nenena to Nome is two hundred dollars.”

The husband named John opened up his wallet and started counting up the bills. Mr. Greenfield smiled.

“But today, I think I’ll give you a fifty percent discount.”

John frowned.

“You sure,” he asked with the money held in his hand, “It’s no trouble.”

John handed Mr. Greenfield the amount it would cost him. Mr. Greenfield smiled and counted out one hundred dollars and handed the rest back to John.

“Keep this and treat your family to some dinner and fun,” Mr. Greenfield said with his hand outstretched. John took back his money and placed it into his left hand. He quickly reached out with his right shook Mr. Greenfield’s hand.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Mr. Greenfield replied with a wave of his hand. Mr. Greenfield turned back to his plane and climbed up into the cockpit. Soon after, the machine roared to life, giving off a concussive growl. John and his family waved to Mr. Greenfield and received a thumbs up in response. He checked the rudder and wing flaps, then coaxed off down the way and lifted up off the snow, slowly climbing higher into the sky, the roar of the engine fading as the plane grew smaller and smaller against the horizon.

“Well, Lucile, you sure did choose a fine young man,” John said to his wife.

Lucile leaned her shoulder into his and John wrapped his arm around her back, gripping her far shoulder and gently pressing her in closer. Lucile leaned her head against the side of John’s face and whispered soft words of love into his ear.

 The team had only fifteen miles left to go until they would see the hazy outline of Nome rise up out of the landscape. The dogs all barked their exuberance to the skies above and to all the land around them. Cleft picked up his pace in this moment of excitement, rocketing the sled ever faster toward home. About a mile further down the trail came the scent of freshly killed meat and half a mile later, they found a moose in the middle of the trail to fit in with the stench. Cleft slowed his pace becoming ever aware that whatever had killed this animal might still be around to finish it later. The barks behind him sent a shiver down his spine and he quickly turned around and shushed them. The team fell silent and tension filled the still air.

Balto could feel it in his stomach, making it twist and ball up into tight knots. Something didn’t sit right with him. Maybe it was just the paranoia of the rotten luck they experienced throughout this journey home, or perhaps it was just his mind playing games with him. His question was answered only seconds after his mid asked it. There was a crack of a twig and a snarl so terrible it could have curdled blood. The dogs all froze with fear, their manes bristling involuntarily to this sound. There were enraged puffs and the heavy impact of footfalls from somewhere in the maze of trees, further building the suspense on this imminent attack. Mr. Hilok slid his rifle from its sleeve on the side of the sled and held it firmly in his hands.

Balto tried to stand but was driven down by his hip. The puffs and footfalls grew louder and louder. This animal was circling them from the sanctuary of the trees. Man and dogs shot their eyes rapidly in every direction trying to locate this illusive danger. There was a large brown mass that moved between a gap in the trees. The dogs spotted this and growled, more out of a driving fear than bravery. This enraged the animal further and it answered back with a chilling roar. Every dog, including the timid Harv answered back with barks. Mr. Hilok used his dogs to spot the threat and his heart jumped up into his throat. There standing a mere twenty yards away, was a ten foot grizzly bear, mouth agape showing its menacing set of teeth to all that could see. Mr. Hilok used his trembling arms to raise his rifle and fired a shot in the bear’s general direction in hopes to scare it away.

The bear wasn’t phased in the least. With a final roar, it got down on all fours and charged toward them, snorting its malice intent as it drew ever closer. Balto again tried to rise, but found himself falling back to the sled in pain. Mr. Hilok quickly reloaded his weapon and fired, this time aiming to hit the bear. The bullet slammed into a tree only half a foot from the still charging bear’s head. Closer and closer ran the bear. It disappeared behind the last line of trees between it and the team. Silence, eerie and total filled the atmosphere. The dogs all huddled close together and Mr. Hilok made sure to reload his weapon. Balto summed up all of his strength and again tried to push himself up, failing to rise and falling, this time rolling off of the sled and onto the snow. He cried out with the impact and that’s when all hell broke loose.

The bear exploded out of the trees with a heart stopping roar, sending Mr. Hilok and his team back a few steps. Mr. Hilok raised his weapon and the bear stopped, pushing itself up onto its hind legs. Mr. Hilok fired and the bullet tore a chunk of fur out of the bear’s shoulder. The bear cried out and lashed at Mr. Hilok with its paw, sending the gun hurling to the ground a score of feet away. The dogs came to life, barking and snarling as ferociously as they could. The bear took a step toward them and Kay’yak darted in, sinking his teeth into the bear’s large foot. The bear kicked and sent Kay’yak to the snow. Schio moved in with a snarl and the bear got down on all fours to greet her. She jumped in mid charge aiming to sink her fangs into the bear’s muzzle, but was batted away like a fly. Mr. Hilok used this time to scramble for his gun. He picked it up and fired a shot that aimed too high. The bear took its attention from the dogs and back to Mr. Hilok. It rumbled toward him and he frantically fumbled for the lever. The bear was on him so fast he didn’t even have time to rack it forward. The bear slapped him on the side with its paw, sending Mr. Hilok careening across the snow.

Balto was becoming desperate. He had to help them. Again he tried to rise and again he failed. He cursed himself and yelled words of encouragement in his mind.

“Come on now you wuss get up! Don’t quit! Ignore the pain, Balto, stand up damn it!”

This self-punishment seemed to help, as he suddenly felt new strength flow into his body. He placed his paws under him and slowly began pushing his body off the ground.

The bear took lumbering steps toward the motionless Mr. Hilok. Cleft jumped in between the bear and his master, mane bristling, lip raised, and teeth clipping together like a raging demon. The bear was getting rather sick of these pesky dogs. With one movement, he brought his paw heavily down on Cleft’s back, sending a sickening snap into the air. Cleft didn’t even cry out; he was dead before he hit the snow. The other dogs gasped in shock. One of the twins felt a flush of anger take over his mind. Letting himself be controlled by this, he made a mad dash for the bear with his mouth wide open. Big mistake. He made a lunge and the bear simply shoved his claws into the back of the twin’s throat. There was a cough, a dribble of blood out of the corners of his mouth, and that was it. The bear disposed of the dead dog and turned back to the rest. He took several steps toward them and a long hard object contacted its head. The bear jerked with the blow and turned to see Mr. Hilok half sitting up in the snow with another object in his hand waiting to be flung. The object flew from the hand and slammed into its face. The bear was completely consumed with rage. He lumbered over toward Mr. Hilok.

“That’s right you bastard! Come on and get me!”

Mr. Hilok reached behind him and grabbed the handle of his hatchet. The dogs jumped in front of the bear but it simply blew through them and ran toward Mr. Hilok. The bear stopped dead over Mr. Hilok and roared full into his face. Mr. Hilok smiled smugly and brought the hatchet swinging around, burying it deep into the bear’s shoulder. The bear cried out and lashed his paw sideways across Mr. Hilok’s face at the same time snapping the handle of the hatchet, but leaving the actual ax head lodged deep into its shoulder. There was the distinct crack of a broken neck and Mr. Hilok lay still.

Schio jumped up onto the bear’s shoulders and sunk her teeth into the thick fur. The bear stood up on its hind legs trying to buck her off, but she held fast. The bear spun and yet still she remained.

Balto stood weakly on his feet, wincing from the pain from the spasms that ran up and down his entire back. He took a step and his back leg locked making him have to stop until it calmed. He moved his teary eyes to the battle and saw the bear struggling to break Schio’s hold. The bear was beyond rage. If it couldn’t break this dog’s hold, it would just break the dog. The bear stopped and planted its hind feet into the ground. Schio dangled from the fur on the bear’s back with no idea on what was about to happen. The bear threw itself backward. Schio released her grip and hit the snow back down, the bear coming down only a second later, completely burying her. There was a cry, multiple crunches of bones being broken, and then silence. The remaining dogs used this to their advantage and all three of them flew in at once, landing all across the bear’s front. The bear swiped his paw and knocked Harv away then the other twin. Kay’yak ducked under the paw swing and drove for the bear’s throat.

Dodging one final swing, he latched onto the jugular and bit down with all he had. The thick fur on the bear’s neck protected it from being ripped open by Kay’yak’s teeth, but it still choked under the immense bite pressure. The others took advantage of this and rushed in, landing a couple of good slashes on the bear’s face. Gasping and growling, the bear brought his paw around and finally landed a good hit, tearing Kay’yak and the others off. Kay’yak’s bottom jaw was broken and dislocated from the hit; he hit the snow and stood up with it hanging limp and useless. Harv and the other twin hit and slid to a stop each receiving long claw gashes on their faces and sides.

Balto was gimp, but he finally was able to get a little spring in his step. He ran really slowly and awkwardly, keeping his back left leg completely stiff. He also had to hop every few steps to comfort the pain in his hip. He hobbled for a few feet and was tripped up by an inequality hidden under the snow. He hit the snow with a yelp and the bear turned its attention to him. It started to lumber ominously over to him like an impending storm cloud, all the while growling softly.

Kay’yak knew that there was no way he could fight and that there was no way he could live. He was as good as dead. He jumped in between the bear and the fallen Balto. Kay’yak charged in and was caught by the bear’s large paws and was pushed down into the snow having the life steadily crushed out of him. There were the quick snaps of ribs and vertebra and lastly, there was the sickening sound of skin ripping open. Balto had to turn away, there was no way he would be able to take seeing what he knew had just happened.

The bear moved in on Balto again. The twin clamped down onto the bear’s muzzle, buying enough time for Balto to struggle to his feet. With a flick of the bear’s neck, the twin was launched into the air, reaching an arc at five feet and coming down to meet the bear’s cruel teeth with the base of her stomach. She fell to the ground and would bleed to death a mere minute later. The bear got down on all fours and cried out from the pain of the axe head that still remained in its shoulder. There it stood regaining itself.

Only two remained now, Balto and Harv. Harv took his place by Balto’s side and they faced the bear. It was now but a dead standoff, both sides exhausted from battle. Balto looked down to Harv. He was battered and bloody, some of it from the claw wounds, but most of it not even being his own. He was too young for this, not even two years old yet. Balto looked back at the bear then at Harv one more time.

“Harv, I want you out of here, now,” Balto demanded.

Harv turned to his injured leader.

“No, I’m not leaving,” he replied firmly.

“Listen to me, too many have already died for me today,” Balto said drily, “I’m old and have had a good run, you on the other hand, your life has just begun.”

“Don’t say that, I’m a loner, I don’t have a real family. What about your mate and pups?”

Balto thought all the way back to Nome, back to his beautiful crème red mate, back to their pups yet unborn, to Rosy, to John and Lucile. Tears filled his eyes and he looked down directly into Harv’s innocent blue eyes.

“I know.”

The bear tensed up to charge again.

“Go on Harv, get out of here now!”

The bear charged in with a vengeance, aiming directly at Harv. Balto shoved Harv out of the way, wincing from the pain in his hip.

“Tell Jenna I love her.”

Harv bounced out of range and Balto was buried by the bear. Harv stood at a distance shocked at the sight of seeing Balto back down under the bear’s large forepaws. Balto struggled under the bear and turned to Harv.

“Get out of here!”

Harv stayed where he was.

“GO NOW!!!”

Tears dripped down from the tip of Harv’s muzzle and he turned making a quick dash for Nome.

The pressure on Balto’s chest was unbearable. He coughed and gasped desperately for air, but his lungs were nearly pressed shut. He took his teeth to the bear’s paw and the bear lifted it off of Balto, sending him with it. Balto released the paw in mid lift and landed painfully to the ground. The adrenaline rushing through his system kicked away any pain when he had to roll to his feet to avoid being stepped on. He began a dash for the bear, but was slowed by his hip. The bear lumbered swiftly forward and Balto met its paw with his side. There was a snap, a sharp yelp, and then Balto was sent sailing through the air. He danced and twisted in the air for a distance of fifteen feet and came down hard on the snow; he lay still. The bear turned to look out at the escaping dog, but decided to leave it. Besides it was too far away by now.

The bear lumbered triumphantly through the carnage to its kill and began to drag it off into the woods.

Chapter 4

Jenna lay asleep curled up into a comfy ball in front of the burning fire place, the heat radiating off of the dancing flames warming her coat pleasantly. She pitched over onto her stomach and began to come into waking, quite refreshed from her nap. She lifted her head and looked lazily about the room and found it empty except for her. Her humans must still be asleep; after all the trip to Nenena was a long one, especially with the cold wind sucking the life out of their bodies. She closed her eyes and laid her head back down on her paws, letting her ears fold flat onto her skull.

There was a small scratching sound and Jenna’s ears pricked up without any movement anywhere else. The scratch was made again and Jenna opened her eyes, lifting her head up once again.

“Balto?”

There was no answer, just a third scratch on the door. Jenna smiled slyly and rose to her feet in an awkward fashion. Doing her best to be as silent as possible, Jenna slinked her way to the back of the house. She squeezed through her ever tightening doggy door and began to sneak her way around to the front of the house. Balto was messing with her and he was going to pay for it. Jenna peeked her head around the corner of the house and gazed out to the dog on the front porch. Too small to be Balto, in fact, it almost looked like…

“Harv?” Jenna called coming around the corner of the house.

The dog jumped and turned hurriedly to face Jenna.

“Oh, hi Jenna,” Harv said halfheartedly, turning and moving down off of the porch.

He paused with a distance still between the two of them. What was he supposed to say? Jenna began to close the distance and Harv inconspicuously turned the beaten side of him away from her, closing his eyes at the same time.

“What’s going on here,” Jenna asked suspiciously.

“Harv sure is acting strange.”

There was a drip of red from Harv’s side and an alarm was sounded inside Jenna’s head.

“Harv, you’re bleeding! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Harv lied.

Truth be known the pain in his side was almost unbearable; and on top of that, his wounds had yet to properly seal. He was beginning to feel dizzy and it was hard for him to focus. He didn’t know just how much more blood he could lose. All he did know was that he had to keep a promise he made to a friend. There was another drip of blood and Jenna ran her eyes up to the porch. There was a blood trail the whole way up.

“Harv, what happened?” Jenna pressed more urgently.

Harv knew that he couldn’t keep this from her anymore. With a word he turned face and body so the wounds were clearly visible. Jenna gasped. There were similar wounds on Balto the day they fought that… oh no…

“Harv! Where’s Balto!” Jenna asked hysterically.

Harv took in a long breath and pinched his eyes tightly together trying to find the best way to break the terrible news. He opened his eyes and locked them with Jenna’s

“Balto… Is… no longer with us.”

"Harv… what… what are you saying? Is Balto…”

A thin film of tears began to form under Harv’s eyes.

“He… he valiantly gave his life to save mine.”

Jenna’s jaw dropped to the ground and she took a few steps backward until the weight of what she was just told made her collapse onto her haunches.

“Jenna I’m so sorry,” Harv began with tears streaming down his face.

“No, no Harv! You’re lying to me! You’re lying!”

She forcefully shoved her way past him and stormed off in the direction Harv came. Having fulfilled his duty, Harv collapsed in the thinning snow with a soggy crunch.

“Balto sends his love...”

-A large pack of wolves slid effortlessly along the forest in search for any game that could be found, but thus far there was none. This didn’t dwindle their good spirits however. No humans had been spotted in their territory since yesterday and each day on the meat trail always had promise of a fruitful outcome. The group moved along as one unit, the two leaders with their noses to the wind trying to pick up a fresh scent.

The gray leader running the left halted abruptly causing the wolves running behind her to nearly ram her in the back. The tan leader running the right halted his squad and padded over to the gray.

“You have something,” he asked hopefully.

“Oh it’s something alright,” she answered, “See what you can make of this. Point your nose due east and let the breeze bring it upon you.”

The tan leader wafted the wind and the strangest of scents mixed together in his nostrils: Black powder, humans, dogs, bears, rot, and a lot of blood.

“What say you, Ceuni,” the tan wolf asked the female leader.

Ceuni ran the options through her mind. The human, bear, and black powder sent off alarm bells, but at the same time the overwhelming scent of rot and blood suggested that there was much more to this than what they could smell. After a hard thought, she came to a decision.

“Let’s go.”

She started easily in the direction of the scents’ origin being mindful of the potential dangers that lay ahead. The tan leader and the rest of the group started as well and soon joined Ceuni at her side.

They hadn’t gone but maybe a quarter of a mile when the two leaders got low and slowed their pace to that of a cautious crawl. The other wolves followed suit and the group continued on for another hundred yards. Only one line of trees left to go. Ceuni and the tan leader halted the party and bellied their way through the trees, stopping just a few feet before they would be out in the open. From this position they peeked out at a site that they wouldn’t soon forget. Without taking the time to fully observe he scene they called for the all clear and disappeared from the sight of the pack.

The pack soon strolled through the trees with high ambitions that were quickly dashed. They gazed morbidly at the horrid scene before them. There were the mauled and bloody bodies of six dogs scattered around an unattended sled, while the human musher lay dead a short distance from it. Mixed in the churned and dirty snow was what appeared to be buckets of blood soaked in all around the entire area, discharged shells from the broken rifle that fired them, and tuft upon tuft of mixed fur flung about the place. The twelve wolves gazed silently around them with one word left unspoken in their minds. Grizzly.

After a few moments spent in a silent gawk the wolves went about the pointless task of checking for survivors. Ceuni, the tan leader, and four other wolves dispersed to check for any signs of life. The tan leader and the four others had no trouble in determining the status of the dogs they inspected. Ceuni on the other hand had it different. As she approached her chosen dog she was better able to take in his features. She tool in the thinning brown and tan fur and large paws, the darker goggles around his closed eyes, but most incredible was the long lean build that this particular canine possessed. It much resembled that of her own, but was slightly different in a way. She found him devilishly handsome, and slightly dangerous due to his husky features, but with a gentle face that told of an easy going personality. Such a shame he had to go like this.

Although… he didn’t have any major injuries that were visible to the naked eye. It was possible that he survived; but he lay perfectly still on his side, and who knows how long he’d been here. She moved around behind him and found the problem; she could clearly see that his back was broken just above his rear hips. She moved sadly around again to his front and took one last long…

Wait! What was that?

Ceuni watched more carefully this time and…

Yes, there it was again! Just the slightest rise in the hybrid’s chest.

“We have a survivor.”

Chapter 5

She had run so fast that by now she was running off the fumes of pure desperation. She didn't know how far she had gone or how much further she needed to go. All she knew was that she had to find Balto.

Harv's trampled and bloody trail led up a slippery hill where a thin layer of snow remained in places only because it had been left undisturbed and Jenna fought the crumbling slope until she finally crested the hill. Here she paused to catch her breath and ran here gaze over the land beneath her. She scanned the area and saw where Harv's trail of paw prints led off to the right and disappeared through a thick line of trees. That was where she was to go. Jenna took a moment more for a breather then took off down the hill, stumbling every so often until she was on level ground. She steered right and picked up the trial again, following it for about an eighth of a mile until she was almost at the treeline.

There she stopped, taking in for the first time in the life the horrible smell of death. Never before had she smelt something so foul and it damn near made her sick. There was a lot of indecision weighing on her mind now. Should she press forward and face whatever horror lay ahead in the unknown?, or turn back and accept what Harv had told her.

“Harv.”

Wow, she couldn't believe she had just left him there bleeding to death in front of her house like that. She hoped now that he was able to find help. (Unfortunately not. Harv passed away just a minute or two after Jenna left.)

The answer became quite clear to Jenna. Balto was somewhere on the other side of those trees and she had to help him.

Holding her breath Jenna started weaving her way through the tangle of trees. Five yards later she came upon the last couple of branches before the open trail on the other side. Here she stopped for a moment, closed her eyes tight, and pushed her way through. Slowly she pried her lids open and looked down right at a crushed and mangled body. She choked and covered her mouth with her paw, quickly turning away with tears in her eyes. She had only caught a quick glimpse of it, but she saw enough to make her vomit, sending her breakfast out onto the snow in three consecutive recalls. Jenna regained herself and turned back to the clearing, this time taking in fully the gruesome fates of the team.

The tears in her eyes brimmed and began to slowly roll down her cheeks and she felt her stomach lurching up into her throat once again. She took in a long breath through her mouth and held it (all these recalls probably weren't good for the pups anyhow) until she was certain she was okay, then mustered up enough courage to venture out onto the trail. She gazed desperately around at the scattered bodies, looking over each unrecognizable form carefully, but the one she sought just wasn't anywhere to be found. Where could he possibly be?

It made her shudder to to think about, but she knew that the only way she could ever locate him now was by scent. She put her nose to the wind and took in a quick sniff, nearly choking on the foul smell. She waited until her body calmed and tried again, this time with better results. Through all the rot and strange, unfamiliar scents she managed to pick out the one she was after. She followed the scent past the trampled snow, the crater that was left by an impact, another impact, and finally came to where Balto's freshish scent was the strongest. But again there were those strange scents recently made gathered around that spot, along with strange paw prints that had milled about for some time and then went off in the other direction.

How odd. What could have happened here? Whatever it was it happened only a short time ago, max of twenty minutes or less. She put her nose in the direction that the paw prints led and... yes, Balto's scent! He could be alive after all! But why would he go with total strangers instead of coming home? That question would just have to be answered later. All she thought about now was finding her mate.

There were a dozen wolves sliding quickly across the waking earth, the muscular brown wolf in the middle stepping carefully so as to not drop the wounded wolf dog he had sprawled across his back. They knew that time was against them and to make matters worse, they couldn't go the speed they wanted to through fear of worsening the unconscious wolf dog's condition. They weren't but about a quarter mile from where they called home, but they had no idea just how much longer the injured hybrid could hold on. As to why they were taking him in the first place? It could be that they saw him as a threat to their pack due to his half breed pedigree and wanted intel, it could be that they knew and respected him (not likely) but the most probable answer was justified through Ceuni. Ever since she found this strange hybrid she couldn't take her eyes off of him. She ran right along side the brown wolf and kept a careful eye for any signs of distress. To all who noticed it would seem quite clear that their hunt leader had some feelings for this strange half breed.

After a few more long minutes, the tan hunt leader let off a howl signaling their arrival, then let out one in a shorter and different note. The rest of the pack, a few pups, some omegas, and finally the alpha pair appeared over the horizon and began making their way hurriedly over to the hunting party, the alpha pair shoving their way to the front. Ceuni and the tan hunt leader instructed the carrier to follow them over to the approaching alphas.

“Who is hurt?” Questioned the gray backed alpha male.

“We found him in the wreckage of a grizzly attack,” Ceuni replied just as the carrier arrived behind her.

The alpha pair ran their eyes curiously over the unconscious half breed, trying to decide the best course of action. He was a real danger to their pack if he had an allegiance to humans, but then again, Ceuni was usually a really good judge in character. Their daughter had yet to falsely judge a single wolf, pack mate or stranger. The two alphas looked over at each other and silently debated what they were going to do. After a few precious moments the white alpha female spoke.

“What are his injuries?”

“His back is broken just above his rear hips, but his spinal chord seems to be intact. He has a few cuts on his body and is possibly hypothermic,” Ceuni responded quickly.

“Take him to the medical den and find Arnya,” the male alpha ordered

“I'm actually right here,” called a black wolf with gray highlights.

“Very good,” the alphess responded, “I want you to see what you can do for him. Do everything in your power to keep him alive. A dog like this could be very useful.”

Jenna was running a bit slower now, her body almost completely drained of energy. She was closing the gap, she could feel it in her empty gut; if she just kept moving she would find Balto. The scent trail came to a sort of imaginary crossroad, the scents and footprints of two different groups congealed in this one area, one going one way, the other going the opposite direction. It was baffling really, almost as if they were trying to keep her from tracking them. She put her nose to the wind and smelled again, finding that Balto's scent was very hard to pick out of all of these, them being so similar. Finally her nose locked onto it, and she turned down the path that led off to the left, heading through the trees.

She followed this trail for about six miles before she realized something was wrong. The scent she had been following wasn't Balto's scent at all. She took a guess and guessed wrong. She should have taken the trail that went off to the right. She turned around quickly and began to head back the way she came, but after a few steps she heard the snap of a twig from somewhere in the maze of trees. She froze, all senses going on high alert. A brown mass moved undetected behind her and stared at her from behind the trunk of a large tree. Jenna could feel panic starting to flow into her, but that was the last thing she wanted to do. Calmly she started to walk, double taking and shooting glances left and right every few feet. Little did she know, the eyes that watched her did so with a mix of hate and pain. Jenna came to a place where the path narrowed naturally from the trees compressing together, the branches reaching out to where they were a mere four inches from brushing Jenna's sides.

There was a quick rustling sound to her right. She whipped around to face the sound, but was too late. A pair of large jaws latched onto her bandana and dragged her into the trees with them. Jenna tried to scream but found her voice choked down into her throat from fear. She jerked against the bandana but he knot was tied fast and all she achieved was choking herself. She jumped and whirled trying to break free from the hold in which she found herself, but only managed to turn her head to see that her attacker was a large brown wolf. Seeing this sent her adrenaline through the roof. She jumped and lunged and thrashed, the wolf having a bit more difficulty trying to hold her. There was a loud tearing sound as the bandana finally ripped free from her neck, half it hanging from her shoulder the other half hanging from the wolf's teeth. In a flash, Jenna began to flee, her recent fatigue overrun by a fear that propelled her faster and faster from her assailant. The wolf quickly reacted, spitting the half of the bandana o the ground and then taking off after her.

Jenna’s fear carried her faster than she had ever run before, the unfamiliar landscape flying past her in a rush of blurred colors. The wolf was being outran considerably, Jenna being a good fifteen feet ahead of him; but she was slowing, the adrenaline pumping through her veins beginning to be replaced by a burning sensation as her legs cried in protest to the recent speed in which they were forced to move. The wolf saw this and knew that his endurance would eventually win out in the end. All he had to do now was be patient and wait for the opportune moment and the fleeing dog would be his.

Jenna continued on and on. She was more tired then she had ever been before, her legs beginning to lose all feeling. Her heart was racing so fast she felt it would explode out of her chest. Her body begged her to stop, but she knew that if she did it would mean certain death for her and her unborn pups. She chanced a look behind her and saw hat the wolf was still in hot pursuit and gaining. In a last ditch effort she made a sudden left turn, sending a flurry of soggy snow flying as she planted her feet to make the turn. She seriously underestimated her speed as she rounded the turn. Her feet going forward but her momentum taking her sideways. Her feet slid out from under her and she crashed down hard on the ground, bouncing and sliding until her shoulder made contact with a thick tree. The blow in itself and where she hit was not enough to knock her out, but soon after the fatigue and pain began to blacken her mind. The wolf saw his quarry fall and smiled, knowing well that it was over. He slowed his pace down to a trot and rounded the turn, seeing the crème red dog, laying motionless against a large spruce.

Jenna's vision began to blur and her eyes began to become increasingly heavy. She saw the fuzzy image of the brown wolf approaching before the black finally consumed her mind, passing her into unconsciousness.