Epilogue

One week later

The past week had been a tense one due to some news that came in a few days before. Steele had been found; he had wandered into White Mountain after a few days in the wilderness. It was a day that Balto and Kaltag knew might come eventually, but for once, fate was on their side. Despite having a great love for his lead dog, Gunnar had noticed how his lead dog had started to become a little… unreliable. He figured that it was time to retire Steele from racing, and sold him to a friend he knew in White Mountain. Kaltag told all of this to the dogs at the old mill, and while Steele's diehard fans were a little disappointed, several were happy that they wouldn't have to deal with him in town again, including a certain hybrid who was relaxing beside Kaltag.

"Of course, you know what it also means Kal," Balto started, "It means that your promotion is permanent." By now, it was the second time this week that Balto had come to the old mill, and while some dogs were sitting quite a distance from him due to them being uncomfortable with him, no one objected to having him there. Some had even greeted him warmly when he entered, "I guess they were right; I just needed give them a little more time to get used to me."

"I know that, but I'm ready to take on whatever life throws at me," Kaltag replied.

"I'm more worried about what will happen to the dogs over in White Mountain. I mean, they do know who they're dealing with right?" Jenna put in. She had settled herself right beside Balto, leaning onto his side.

"Don't worry, I told them about who they're dealing with, but I also told them to cut him a little slack," Kaltag replied, "He's already been kicked out of one town, and even though he isn't the best guy around, I still think that he should have somewhere to belong. I know all too well what can happen if someone is ostracized to the point of desperation and it's not pretty," he finished, and Balto nodded.

"Just as long as he isn't here, I'm fine," Balto said.

"I must ask, where would you get an idea like that?" Spitz asked. The husky had put himself at the opposite end of the room from Balto, but had stopped complaining about having him around, "You do remember what he did to you guys right?"

"Well, the idea came from my recent experiences," Kaltag replied, "Remember, I used to pick on Balto with Steele only a few weeks ago, but despite that, we gave each other another chance. We may have had some… missteps for the first few days," he said, and Balto knew he was hinting at the previous week's incident, "But now we're going along just fine. Who knows, maybe it'll make Steele a better dog this time around."

The dogs muttered with each other over this new development, but Balto simply smiled in contentment. The events of the last week had only been a small dent in their friendship, and they came out of it better dogs. Plus, he had managed to find some new friends in Maska and his pack. This way, he wouldn't be forced to choose one side over another. He could have friends for both his wolf side and his dog side. Soon, the discussion broke between the different groups, but one dog had decided to come up to talk to Kaltag. It was Cain, smiling at what he had just heard, "Ya did good today Kaltag," he said "After all you've done for Balto and the team this past week, I think I can safely say that the team will be all right with you in charge."

"Thanks Cain, though, it won't be just me in charge," he replied, earning a quizzical look from Cain, "Remember what we talked about earlier, about how Balto was a part of the team too? I think of him as a lead dog as well, and I have ever since he first took up the harness two weeks ago. He's as much a lead as I am; sometimes, he's even more…"

The rest of the team watched in awe as their great leader went from hero to crazed maniac before their eyes. They had been lost in the mountains, waiting for hours after crashing on a high ledge, though for what they weren't sure; no dog team would dare go out into this storm to look for them. However, that meant that it was up to a stray half-breed that they had spent most of their lives hating, to come to their aid. At first, Kaltag was skeptical about having Balto around, but what he was offering was their only way out of this mess. He had left a series of markers on his way out that could be followed back to Nome. All they had to do was follow him and they would be able to deliver the much-needed medicine to the town.

Unfortunately, Steele was unwilling to take any help from a wolfdog, and refused Balto's advice. He didn't back down, so Steele started to attack him. In his rush to keep Balto away, he had started to knock the medicine crate around. Kaltag may have been on Steele's team, but his lead was starting to become a danger to their mission. Finally, Steele made one more leap at Balto, grabbing onto the bandanna that he had around his neck. He pulled at it, but Balto resisted, and soon the knot came undone. The released force caused Steele to stumble back, right off a cliff. It was final; they would have to follow Balto home.

As they started to get themselves back in their harnesses, Nikki turned to Kaltag, "Hey Kal, are yous sure that we can trust this half-breed?"

"I don't know, but right now, he's our best shot," Kaltag said, "Remember what I said about how Steele may become a threat to us?"

"Yeah, but you didn't have an answer for us then," Nikki replied.

"Well I've got one for you now. We go with whoever is the best for us, and right now, that's Balto," Kaltag said. Encouraged by this, Star picked up the lead harness in front of him and offered it to Balto. He hesitated, but finally climbed in, becoming the new lead dog for the team.

"I hope my hunch about you is right," Kaltag thought, "I hope that I can finally start to set things right…"

Spitz, Carla, Zeke, Cain, Smauel, Eric, Maska, Anya and Cheyen all belong to iWolf231 and may not be used in any way without my direct permission.

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