Snow flew everywhere as Steele and his team thundered through the finish line. He stopped abruptly after he was assured they'd won the race. The dogs behind him crashed into him, sending the malamute sprawled out on his stomach.

Bounty's abnormal eyes locked onto his. He lowered his ears while his face showed no emotion.

"Way to go Steele." She huffed.

A dog from the other team, who just happened to be Steele's younger sister Aska, shoved the malamute. "Leave him alone."

Bounty growled at the dog. "Back off you stupid whelp."

Aska uncovered her teeth. "You need to learn how to hold your tongue."

Their mushers had just walked over and she closed her mouth. He released Bounty and walked to the front to unhook Steele and the rest of his team. Bounty smirked before flicking her tail in Aska's face and walking away.

"That arrogant little-!" She leaped towards her, nearly strangling herself in the process.

Steele chuckled. He knew it was horrible, but his sister didn't always use her head. When she did, however, she was quite intelligent. She shook her fur violently before she was freed and trotted over to her brother.

"So Steele, what are we gonna do today?" She asked.

The bigger malamute smiled. "I was thinking maybe raiding the butcher's meat locker?"

"Sounds like a plan!" Aska laughed. "Which maneuver shall we be using this time?"

"The usual."

"Oh, ok. Who's gonna be the distraction?"

"Why, you of course!"

Aska stopped. "Why am I always the distraction?"

"Because," Steele explained, "you can act better than I can."

"Oh, yeah right." Aska rolled her eyes.

Steele chuckled. "Yeah, right. You used to fake your way out of everything when we were with Mom and Pop."

"True." Aska smirked and lowered herself to the ground, raising her paw slightly. "Not everyone can be blessed with the blood of a thespian."

His chest rumbled with laughter, before a fleck of red caught his eye.  Aska cocked her head, glancing in the direction where her brother was heading and grinned. He'd caught sight of Jenna and Balto.

She knew he wouldn't be too thrilled with Balto, and he'd probably just taunt him, but he'd be able to stand the hybrid's company providing that Jenna was there. She hated the way he treated mixed breeds, especially Balto. And she especially hated when he'd scold her for being friendly with Balto.

"Hey Jenna." The malamute said with a tone as smooth as ice before gazing at the brown hybrid. "Wolf-dog."

Aska pushed her brother. "Knock it off, Steele. Hi Balto. Jenna." 

Both canines smiled and issued a simultanious "Hello."

Steele snickered, and Aska slammed her paw on top of his. His eyes widened and he gritted his teeth together. Had Jenna not been in his presence, he would've yowled and screamed like a newborn human pup. Aska would probably have gotten a whomp on the head, too.

Aska sat herself up and smiled at Balto. She liked him as a friend. Nothing more, and nohting less. She didn't always have a chance to talk with him since she was always with her brother, but she enjoyed talking when she could.

"So, Aska, how's life on a leash treating you?"

The malamute grunted. "Terrible. I hate it."

A shocked expression crossed Balto's face. "Really? How so?"

"Where should I begin?" She stated. "You're forced to pull a heavy sled, the food you get is disgusting, you have to sleep with a bunch of other dogs you don't know..."

She paused. "Should I continue?"

Balto chuckled. "Sounds like paradise compared to how I live."

"What? Freely?" She asked. "I'd love being a stray."

"Hey," Balto said, "at least you eat every day. I eat maybe twice or thrice a week."

Steele growled softly. No matter how much he wanted to be around Jenna, hearing his younger sister and this mutt converse about such nonsense sickened him. He wanted to leave. Now.

"Come on Aska." He huffed. "We have other plans, remember?"

Aska furrowed her brow. "I'm in the middle of a conversation, Steele. Leaving would be rude."

Steele shook his head and grabbed her collar in his teeth. She gasped and started struggling as he dragged her away from the hybrid and Jenna.

Once the two were a good distance away, he finally released her. Aska tackled him into the snow and grabbed him by the throat. Surprised, he rolled onto his side and knocked her loose of him. She didn't bite hard enough to draw blood, but it was enough to scare him.

"What's wrong with you!" She barked.

"What's wrong with me?" He retorted. "What about you, talking with that mutt like he was a pure-"

"Oh, would you just shut up with the pure blooded, stuff?" She snarled. "He's just as good as we are!"  

"Ha! You're joking right?" He laughed.

Aska stared at him. "No, I'm not. It's sick how you talk about other dogs, especially Balto! There's nothing wrong with him!"

Steele shook his head. "Why do you even care? Its not like he's your boyfriend!"

The last word left his mouth like it had a foul taste to it. Aska's fur bristled and she lunged at him. Steele side-stepped her and avoided the female's attack.

"I don't like seeing my friends get hurt!"

She wheeled around and Steele prepared for another assault. Aska thundered over the ground before leaping over the bigger malamute, leaving him dumbfounded.

"Where are you going?!"

She never looked back and finally disappeared in the thick trees. Steele stood there for a few minutes before he finally decided to give her some space. She'd be back by the next morning. He was still angry with her, but there wasn't anything he could do about it but storm back to his kennel.

The next morning, the sunlight bled through Steele's eyelids. He opened them sleepily and stretched before shaking himself. Kaltag stirred in the cage next to him. Steele scoffed and laid back down until his master came to let him out.

Fortunately for him, it wasn't too long. News from Aska's owner that she was missing spread through the town like a virus, and her team was set loose to look for her. They would be exercised, and their prized lead dog would be back in the safety of the town. That is, until they were called back because of the epidemic....

**********

Aska was still extremely upset the next morning. By now, she was many miles from her home, but she was glad to be away from her brother. She couldn't stand hearing Steele make fun of her friends. It wasn't until she slammed into something when she finally snapped out of her thoughts. And that something was a downtrodden white wolf.

Overcome with terror, she tried to get away from him as quickly as possible. She didn't want any trouble and she was scared out of her wits.

"I'm-I'm sorry!" She stammered. "I didn't mean to-"

"Calm yourself." He said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're not?"

The wolf chuckled. "Of course not."

She was still a bit wary; she couldn't tell if he had said that just to trick her into letting her guard down, but she still didn't want to seem rude to him. "So...What's your name?"

"Um..Mifune." He said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "And yours?"

The malamute smiled weakly. "Aska."

Mifune smiled and pulled himself to his feet. "Such a beautiful name. Of course, the name pales in comparison to your beauty Miss Aska."

Aska's ears perked up. No one had ever told her that. Well, any other male excluding Kaltag who was just a slobbering slap happy dog hell-bent on becoming her mate. "You...you really think so?"

"Oh, of course!" He said. "Anyone with eyes can see that and whoever doesn't must be an ignorant brute."

Aska giggled. There was something about this Mifune that was so noble, almost...regal. He was quite the charmer, for certain.

"well, you're easy on the eyes too y'know." Aska could feel her face burning immediately after the words flew from her mouth.

A hearty rolling laugh rumbled from the wolf's chest. "Well, I can't say I've ever recieved a compliment like that, Miss Aska."

It sent a chill up her spine. Miss Aska. She hated that. "If you wouldn't mind, could you drop the 'Miss' and just call me Aska? It's kind of akward hearing it."

Mifune raised his eyebrows. "Of course."

The wolf turned his head, surveying the area. He figured she must have travelled for quite some time because there was no sign of humans anywhere.

"Long way from home, aren't ya?"

Aska looked into his eyes. "Yeah."

"What made you come out here? It's dangerous and a bear or some ill-mannered beast wouldn't hesitate to hurt a gorgeous creature like you."

The malamute sighed. "My brother was...he wasn't being very nice to a friend of mine, so I ran away."

"Oh?"

"Mhmm."

"Well," he said as he turned his back, "if you'd like, you can come back to my home and think it over. Tell me your decision tomorrow."

"Wait...what decision?" She was extremely confused.

"Whether you'll be going back home or staying out here. I'll escort you in the morning."

 He began to walk in the opposite direction. Aska noticed he had a slight limp. Come to think of it, he was covered with scratches and bite wounds too. For the time being, however, she had no choice but to follow him, and followed him she did.

Once she caught up to him, he spoke. "I had brothers too."

Aska slowed to a halt. "Really?"

"About two weeks ago, there were three of us. It seems so much longer now, though."

"What happened?"

Mifune sat down on the cold ground cover. "It started after we'd just finished hunting..."

**********

"You weren't there! Just..C'mon..."

As Balto pulled the lost team into town with the antitoxin that was so desperately needed, Steele was left alone with only a pack of lies as his company. If Aska had been there, she'd at least have stayed with him.

It had been a month since she took off, and nobody saw hide nor hair of the elusive female. It appeared as though she wasn't coming back, and everyone had moved on with their lives. It puzzled Steele why Aska's musher hadn't bought abother dog to replace his sister.

Overcome with anger and fury, he stormed out of the boiler room and into town. A crowd of humans, as well as dogs was gathered around the hospital. And that Balto had stolen Jenna from him!

"They should make a statue of him!"

That was it. Steele ran to the desserted part of town. He couldn't take hearing about the so called "hero". If Aska knew, she'd never let him live it down.

Sighing, he stared up at the Aurora overhead. "Where are you?"

A familiar scent caught his attention and he swung his head to the top of a ridge. A pack of wolves was staring down at him and right at the front with whom he could only assume was the alpha, was Aska.

************

Aska stared down from the ridge at her brother for a while before turning her attention to Mifune. "You sure you'll be okay living so close to town?"

Mifune nuzzled her. "Only if you promise to visit as often as you can."

Aska licked the side of his face. "Promise. Now you be careful."

Mifune chuckled. "You need to be careful. I'm not the one with pups."

"You know I will."

"Okay...Just remember that I love you and I don't know what I'd do without you, so don't get hurt. For me?"

"I already told you, it's nothing to worry about. I love you."

The white wolf gave a nod. "You'd better get going. I'm sure your master will be looking for you and you probably want to go see your brother."

"Mhmm."

"Take care Aska." He said lovingly. "You'll know where to find me."

***********

Steele was compltely outraged. All this time spent looking for her, she'd been with wolves.  Now that she was descending the steep drop, he'd give her a piece of his mind. But there was something different about her. She wasn't bounding down the slope like she normally would. She was actually being...careful.

Fifteen minutes and two slides later, she was at the bottom, plodding towards her brother. He held his head up defiantly and stared coldly at her.

"What did you think you were doing?" He growled.

Aska looked quite taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean!" The male roared. "We're sitting here worried sick while you're off gallavanting int he woods with a bunch of mangy wolves!"

Aska's fur bristled and her lip curled over her teeth. "My pups are not mangy!"

"W...What!?"

The smaller dog began back-tracking. She opened her mouth too quickly and just said somethign that could have jeopardized not only her life, but that of her unborn litter. Suddenly, her maternal instincts kicked in.

"Don't you dare come any closer to me!"

Steele stepped forward. Aska began to circle him until she had a clear escape route. Even while she was carrying pups, she could still easily leap over her brother. She had her parents to thank for her strong legs.

As Aska disappeared into Nome, Steele was left alone again. Only this time, even his sister didn't want to be near him. He thought maybe there was just smething about him that made him unlovable but quickly shook the feeling off.

"They're crazy not to like me."

*********

Within the weeks to come, Aska was sidelined from racing while she took care of her pups. A boy and two girls whom their owner named Shakespeare, Marie and Mozart. Both Mozart and her brother had black fur like Aska, but Marie was pure white with black socks.

Marie was going to be kept and raised to race on her team early on, but as she got older, her spirit and strength only made the decision more finalized. The other two pups would be sold as pets to people in Nome since Balto had raised awareness of how good tempered a hybrid could be. The potential buyers seemed nice and so the malamute was content. Now all Aska could only hope now that her brother wouldn't hurt them.