After watching Balto II: Wolf Quest, I felt honor bound to explain how the devil-may-care hero from the first movie could be the same character that was all for letting the wolves deal with their own problems in the second movie, and so this epic was born.

I've used some characters and events from Cyberwulfe's fanfiction in my tale, though I did change the names and descriptions given to Balto's pups, as well as a couple of events, to match those in Wolf Quest. Please be sure to check out Cyberwulfe's Reunion, Tricksy's New Life, Tricksy's Lessons, and Kindred Spirits to get the full picture. I'd like to give a special thanks to Silver Wolf for her great advice on plot and character development and to Sleazy E for an excellent title.

Balto, Jenna, Boris, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, Rosie, her parents, and any other characters from the two Balto films are owned by Amblin Entertainment (the reason I don't include Kodi in the credits to Amblin is because I had his name in my story long before rumors of a Balto III even began to circulate). Russell Lupus, Tricksy, and Kemo are owned by Cyberwulfe. I make no claim to any of these, but the storyline and all other characters are mine. Feel free to use my characters and events in your stories, but if you make any money with them, I want a cut. I'm just a poor college student. If you decide to ignore my request and take my characters without citing me, may you sit upon a vengeful crustacean! Other than that, please enjoy.

Note: I have just found out that someone used the name "Rush" for one of Balto's pups in another story written prior to this one, as well as the name Jedder as a wolf. So, these characters belong to Rush Husky. My apologies for this oversight.

Secret Meeting

Balto, wolf-dog of Nome, Alaska, entered his house quietly and shook the snow out of his fur. For springtime in Alaska, there was quite a bit of snow falling, more than usual at least. For most of the day, he had been at his former home, a derelict old fishing trawler, visiting his old friends, Boris, Muk, and Luk. He smiled to himself. To think that a Russian Snow Goose and two polar bear cubs had been his only friends until just recently never failed to bring a smile to his face. He almost missed the days of scrounging for his food and relying upon his speed, cunning, and friends to keep him alive. Those carefree days had vanished since he had led the sled team that carried the lifesaving diphtheria antitoxin to Nome. Now he was a hero with a real home, regular meals, a beautiful mate, six puppies, and literally a town full of friends. Not that life was much easier. Being a hero and a father gave a whole new meaning to the word responsibility. Having to change his lifestyle while trying to keep himself and his pups out of trouble at the same time was a different race altogether. On top of that, he'd been having some troubling dreams lately, and he'd only discussed that with Boris. Still, it was nice to get away for a day or two and be "just one of the guys" again.

He stood in a moment's hesitation in front of the fireplace, realizing that he would be overrun the instant he lay down. Though he was pleased to see a bit of himself in the pups' antics, he wasn't sure he was up to the task of dealing with them at the moment. No guts, no glory. Heaving an exhausted sigh, he stretched out in front of the hearth.

Balto swore his pups had a sixth sense as they entered the room. His four sons, Rush, Kodi, Jenner, and Dingo, and his daughter, Kala, had Jenna's reddish and cream-colored fur. Aleu, on the other paw, had begun displaying her wolf heritage early. His youngest daughter's brownish-gray fur, narrow muzzle, and bushy tail made her look as wolflike, if not more so, than Balto himself. As soon as the pups noticed that he was home, Balto was quickly overrun by all six rambunctious furballs. While his other puppies ran around him excitedly, showering him with questions and roughhousing with each other, Aleu elected to climb onto his back and gnaw on his ear.

Oh, well, it's not like I wanted to sleep anyway. He breathed a deep sigh and raised his head carefully to keep Aleu from falling. "Isn't your mother around?" he asked.

"No, she went out with Rosie," Rush replied, trying hard to act more responsible than his siblings. This ended when Jenner tumbled into him and the two pups started wrestling.

"She said that she would be back in a little while," Kala added helpfully.

Balto nodded before he felt something jump onto his belly. He looked down and saw that Aleu had apparently tired of chewing on his ear.

"Come on Papa! Let's race!" she exclaimed, excitedly hopping around him.

Balto yawned. "Have a heart, Aleu. I really need to get some sleep now. I'll race you later, okay?"

"Only if you catch me first!" Aleu countered, intending to play one way or another.

Balto shook his head in mock surrender. "Oh, all right. You want a head start, I suppose?"

Aleu shook her head in a decisive negative as she assumed a racing position that mirrored his own. Balto shrugged and stood up with a yawn. "Okay. On your mark, get set, go!" Aleu hadn't taken more than two steps before he caught her by the scruff of the neck. "I win. You all go do something quiet."

"Not fair, Papa!" Aleu argued. "That was cheating!"

Balto smiled. "Not cheating, parents' prerogative. Go on now and let me get some sleep."

"Awww," all the pups moaned as they walked off.

"He really did cheat," Balto heard Aleu mutter to her siblings.

"You know that, and we know that, but parents never play fair," Jenner remarked as they exited.

Balto shook his head and had just laid down again when he heard a scratching at the door. He groaned and tried to bury his head under his pillow. Won't these interruptions ever cease? He heard the scratching again. "What?" he called, trying not to voice his impatience.

He was surprised to see Kaltag poke his head inside. "Good evening, Balto," the husky said. "Mind if I come in? This night is the coldest, the snowiest..."

"Kaltag! Sure, come over here by the fire."

Kaltag squeezed in through the door and shook some of the snow out of his fur. "I can't stay but a minute," he said, walking over to the fireplace. "But by the Aurora Borealis, this is the most glacial, the most frigid, the most biting cold I've ever felt for this time of year."

As soon as the sled-dog was seated, Balto's pups barreled back into the room. Balto smirked as Kaltag was nearly bowled over by the excited puppies. Of all the dogs in Nome, Kaltag was by far their favorite, and they always enjoyed his visits.

"Hi Uncle Kaltag!" Jenner exclaimed. "You're all covered in snow!"

Kodi wagged his tail in anticipation. "You been out sledding?"

"Isn't Tricksy here?" Kala asked.

"Yeah, where're your kids?" Rush added.

"Ya stayin' long?" Dingo asked.

"Salutations, I know, no, no, at home, no. Does that answer all the...Hey!" he laughed as Aleu climbed onto him and began chewing on his ears. He looked beseechingly at Balto. "And I thought I'd gotten away from all this when I left my pack with Tricksy."

Balto looked reproachfully at his daughter. "Aleu." The pup slowly slid off Kaltag's back.

Kaltag winked at her. "Hey, I was only joking. I can't feel anything after being out in the cold anyway. Besides, I've had plenty of experience with pups. You might say I'm a professional of sorts. A real natural."

"Well, Mr. Professional," Balto said sarcastically, "You care to show me how it's done?"

"All right." Kaltag looked at the pups and winked. "Last one to the kitchen's a wheel dog!" The pups bounded off, yipping excitedly. He cocked his head jauntily. "Now that, my friend, is puppy-control."

Balto couldn't help but to chuckle. "And all this time I've been doing it the old-fashioned way of just telling them to take a hike. Whatever was I thinking?"

Kaltag laughed. "It's nice to see you again, ya old mongrel. It's been far too long."

"It's only been three days, Kaltag, but I'm glad to see you too. How's Tricksy?" Balto asked, referring to Kaltag's mate, another wolf hybrid.

"Oh, she's fine. We're still staying busy with the pups, but it's basically a piece of cake."

Balto snorted. "Well I'm up to my ears with my bunch. I'm tellin' ya, Kaltag, it's not as easy as I thought it would be. I mean, I was always into stuff when I was a pup, but this is six times as bad. Sometimes I almost rethink my decision to agree with three little words Jenna said a couple months ago."

Kaltag smiled, anticipating his friend's answer. "What's that?"

"'Let's start a family.' It's a full time job, but I guess their wild side is partly my fault."

"That's four words." Kaltag shook his head. "They seem like good kids, though, part wolf or not."

Balto nodded. "Yeah. At least if they ever get out of line I can threaten to talk to their Uncle Kemo. That calms them down in three seconds flat."

"That wolf certainly has a certain aura," Kaltag agreed.

"They don't know he's a wolf. They don't even know they're part wolf."

"Whatdya mean they don't know?" Kaltag blurted out. "Aleu looks…"

"Just like the others," Balto interrupted.

"Oh...of course. I...uh...that's just what I was just about to say," Kaltag stammered, for once at a loss for words. "It's just...well, Trix and I made sure to tell our bunch about being part wolf, and I'm surprised you haven't done the same by now. It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know."

"I know that." Balto sighed. "Sorry if I snapped at you, but it's hard being a half-and-half. Jenna and I decided that we were going to make sure that Aleu didn't think she was any different from the other pups. Looking like a wolf doesn't make her a wolf after all, but I'm afraid that's not what human eyes will see. You don't have that problem; yours look more like you than Tricksy. You've got it easy."

"Easy? Right." Kaltag smiled before looking startled. "Oh! Speaking of wolves, I ran into Kemo today and he gave me a message for you. That's why I came here tonight in the first place. He wants you to meet him ASAP. He would've told you himself, but you know how he is with towns and humans."

Balto frowned. "Does Tricksy know you're here?"

Kaltag nodded slightly. "Yes."

Crestfallen, Balto raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Please tell me you didn't tell her why you're here."

Kaltag winced. "I had to, Balto. You know it's impossible to keep a secret from her. She can smell even the tiniest little fib! Really. It's the most unnatural, uncanny, paranormal..."

"Don't overdo it, Kaltag. She's not that good," Balto said, shaking his head. "I still wish you could've kept your mouth shut about this. Anytime something dealing with wolves crops up, she has to be involved. Now she's going to want to tag along with me like some overgrown pup. So when is she coming?"

"Um...she's not." Seeing Balto's confusion, Kaltag gulped and added. "I told her no."

"You? You told her no? And you're still alive?" Balto whistled in surprise. "What happened?"

"The room temperature dropped twenty degrees, but I was able to convince her that she needed to stay with the pups. She finally backed down." He gulped. "I think she's still mad at me."

Balto laughed. "And they call me a hero! Well, thanks for the message, Kaltag. You'd better go and make sure she'll still let you in the house. I'll leave out as soon as Jenna gets back."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kaltag asked. "Kemo sounded worried, and he's usually cooler than an iceberg in January."

"I don't have much choice. Someone has to keep an eye on this bunch."

"I'll watch the little devils for a bit. I can stay until Jenna returns. Tricksy will understand."

"You hope," Balto said sympathetically. "Thanks, Kaltag. You're the best, the greatest, the most helpful, the most altruistic..."

"Yeah, yeah. Drop the vocab jokes and just get outa here. I'll handle everything."

Balto flashed his friend a broad grin. "Thanks Kaltag. You're a real pal." With that, he rushed out of the house.

Kemo was a snow-white wolf whom Balto had saved two years ago. His pack had been trapped and slaughtered by hunters, and Kemo, badly wounded, had narrowly escaped the same fate. Balto had found him half-frozen and barely alive and nursed him back to health during the following days. During this time, Balto had learned in the process that he was Kemo's cousin by birth and brother by adoption, and after recuperating, Kemo had taken up residence as a lone wolf in the coniferous forests surrounding Nome. This arrangement seemed to suit him; isolated to avoid much contact with humans yet close enough to stay in touch with Balto.

Now, as Balto ran through the forest, he wondered why Kemo would've sent for him. The wolf normally avoided all contact with everyone from the town, including dogs, yet something had him concerned enough to send a message with Kaltag. Whatever it was would not be good.

The snow had begun to fall more heavily and a strong wind drove it into Balto's face, partially blinding him and forcing him to rely on his nose instead of his eyes. As soon as he caught Kemo's scent, he sped up and finally sighted Kemo's cave. He ran inside, grateful to be out of the weather. Looking around, he saw, not only Kemo, but four other timber wolves. This was odd since Kemo liked his privacy.

Kemo and some of the other wolves stood up, startled at Balto's sudden appearance. "Balto! What are you doing here?" Kemo asked.

"Kaltag said you wanted to see me."

"Yes, but I expected you to know the insanity of traveling in a blizzard."

"You were always the sensible one, not me." The tension among those gathered eased and the wolves sat down again. "So what's the big emergency? Kaltag said you sounded worried."

Balto expected an outright denial of this statement, but Kemo simply shook his head sadly. "I am, Balto, I am. We have a bad situation. Yesterday I heard that a group of armed humans were in the buffer between the territories of Anvil Creek Clan, Eagle Pass Clan, and the Clan of the Hills. I thought they might be hunters, so I went to see what was going on. What I discovered proved far worse than I feared."

Balto shook his head. "For you to say that, it must be bad."

"I remained out of sight, but I overheard some of their conversation. They're surveyors, and they've come to find places to build. They've already begun clearing an area of trees."

Balto was puzzled. "They're there to build? That's not worse than hunters."

A large, grizzled male shook his head slowly. "No, this is worse. Much, much worse."

"Yes," a male with mottled gray and black fur added. "When a few move in, more will come."

Another wolf, a small, gray female, spoke up. "Soon there will be a town, and there are no places for wolves near a humans." She shook her head sadly. "My mate paid the ultimate price to learn this lesson."

Kemo nodded in solemn agreement. "Tutchone, Sekani, and Kiska all make good points. We will be killed or driven off if more humans move into the vicinity."

"Kemo, you know that isn't true. You don't live more than a couple of miles from Nome, and no one has even taken a shot at you."

"This is different, Balto. I'm simply a lone wolf. As long as I mind my own business, most have enough sense to leave me alone, and those that do not soon learn. But what of the packs that my friends lead? If more humans come, they're sure to be hunted down. To humans, we are little more than born killers. Stumbling blocks to their conquest."

"Not all humans see wolves that way. What about that researcher who was here last year? The one who saved your life?"

"He was one in thousands," Kemo said dismissively.

"Kemo speaks true!" Tutchone said emphatically. "Twelve of my clan have been slaughtered in two snows. For no reason other than being careless enough to be seen."

Kiska spoke up. "I, too, have seen these humans. They say that another human, someone important, is coming here. What his connection to this is, I do not know. Perhaps if we can convince them it is bad to build there we can avoid any unpleasant confrontation."

"Any confrontation will be unpleasant," Balto declared. "You're going to have to be diplomatic."

"I do not know how the other leaders feel, but I would rather fight!" a small black male snarled.

Kemo looked at the young leader. "Calm yourself, Eyak." He then looked to Balto for his response.

"Fighting is not the way. If you attack them, you're signing your own death warrant, as well as that of your pack," Balto declared evenly. "And every pack represented here."

Eyak stood up, looking at the gathered wolves. "This half-breed would have us rolling over in submission to these invaders! As leader of the Eagle Pass clan, I say that my pack would rather die."

"Are you sure enough to gamble with the lives of three packs?" Balto asked calmly.

All eyes focused on Eyak, who turned his fiery gaze upon Balto. "To what level would you have us sink? Have us crawl into the humans' camp, tails tucked between our legs?"

Balto stared into the wolf's eyes. "You know I did not say that, so don't put words in my mouth."

Eyak growled. "Do not presume to dictate orders to me. I am not one of your puppies."

Balto shrugged. "Right. My pups are well behaved."

This drew some snickers from the gathered wolves, and the fur on Eyak's neck rose slightly. "What do you mean by that, half-breed?"

Balto met his gaze without blinking. "I mean that you are acting like a youngster who didn't get his way. When you stop acting like a pup, I'll stop talking to you like one."

Eyak's fur bristled with unbridled fury. "Whether we fight or not, we'll be destroyed, and you will likely be responsible for our destruction!"

Now Balto stood and faced off against the young pack leader. He could take many insults, but he had to draw the line somewhere, and Eyak had just crossed it by questioning his integrity. As Eyak began to advance toward him, Kemo stepped in.

"Stop this! We will accomplish nothing by fighting among ourselves." He focused his piercing gaze on Eyak. "And you, Eyak, should be ashamed. Your last remark was uncalled for. I know, as do all the clans, that Balto can be trusted implicitly. Even your father knew this to be true."

"A pity he was slaughtered by that half-breed's friend before he could answer for himself." Eyak growled, glaring at Balto. Balto met his stare evenly. Eyak looked away, fur still bristling, and sat down.

Kemo's gaze turned molten. "I have spoken to Tricksy on that matter. Every wolf knows that any battle could be his last, and you have no doubt heard that your father started the fight."

Eyak snorted. "More of that half-breed's lies! His views are tainted by his association with humans!" He met Kemo's gaze. "My status is equal to your own, Kemo. I have a right to voice my concerns."

Kemo glared the young leader into silence. "Your concerns have been voiced and duly noted, and unless you wish to openly challenge my authority outside of this council, be silent. You are here by invitation, not by right, and as such, you will learn your place." He turned to Balto. "I am sorry for the words of our youngest member. He should know that open aggression in a clan gathering is forbidden."

"Apologies are unnecessary," Balto said, not taking his eyes off Eyak. He could feel the anger smouldering beneath Eyak's venomous stare. That wolf's hot temper could cause problems for all concerned. "Have you thought of what you want to do about this?"

"We do not know where to begin," Kemo admitted. "That is why we require your help. You possess an understanding of humans that we lack."

"Kemo, you know I would love to help you, but what can I do?"

"Your advice will be sufficient for now," Kemo answered.

"You want advice, I'll give you advice. Don't do anything hasty. Just watch and wait a bit." Balto could tell that the gathered wolves did not like his answer. What did they expect me to say, go into the camp and kill them all in their sleep? He shook his head and looked outside. Seeing that the snow was subsiding and dawn was rapidly approaching, he stood up with a yawn. "I'd better be getting home. Jenna will be worried. I'll try to find out something in town." As he walked away, he stopped and looked back. "Just remember, I won't help kill, injure, or otherwise forcibly drive away the humans."

As Balto walked away, he heard Eyak remark, "He is a fool."

"Not a fool. Simply an idealist," Kemo replied. "And an optimist."