Author Notes: I want to update this as quickly as possible, but always restraining myself to make a good story. I've been working on the chapters to come already (I won't let aside my other fic neither). As I said earlier... I've been really busy with school.
Anyways, enjoy... let me know what you think.

"Keep running!", shouted Aniu.

The three of them were running. Kaji by his side... and her mother following them, going slower every second.

Then, a loud bang was heard...

"Mom!"


Balto & Kaji

The sky was grey, the sun was beginning to make his appearance above the world.

Two wolf-dogs were sleeping in a cave.

Kaji opened his eyes and slowly stretched his body, starting from his forelegs and then his back ones. He took a look at the back of the cave... It wasn't really a cave, but it helped them to cover from the snow. There he was, his brother.

Balto was still sleeping, but having bad dreams. He was running. Every time something bad happened, they had to run.

Kaji slowly walked towards his sleeping little brother, and nudged him slightly with his nose. He didn't want to wake him up, after all he was tired... but Kaji knew this helped Balto with the bad dreams.

Balto slowly stopped running-in-dreams and a smile appeared on his muzzle (or face, whatever).

The bigger wolf-dog went outside to take a look. Everything around the "cave" was white... and the sun was rising!

"Will you remember how to locate the north, son?", asked Aniu.
"Yes, mother. I will", replied Kaji.

The sad conversation he had with his mother made him drop a tear... but now she was gone, and he and his brother needed to head north.

Kaji put the sunrise-side at his right, and then looked ahead. He lowered his muzzle to the snowy ground and drew a line heading to the north with his nose.
Then, smiled. Once that was done, he went inside the cave and laid his body right next to Balto. He closed his eyes and allowed his body to sleep for an hour more at least.


Sam & Dareon

"I think I got them...", said someone with a husky voice.

"You said the same an hour ago, and if we don't find them, Danik will surely kill us", said another dog.

"You know, Dareon... maybe if you weren't so pessimistic, we could have found them already.", said the first voice.

"Shut up, Sam", Dareon said, "Keep sniffing around".

"I'm really telling you... I think I found them.", Sam said. Sam was a husky with a copper coat, and his main work inside the community, was to find people, dogs... or other things. "Right this way."

"I hope you're right in this one.", Dareon said, "But... I really want to know one thing..."

"What is it?", Sam asked while keeping his nose to the ground level.

"What are we going to do when we find them?", Dareon asked.

"That's simple. We take them to Danik, and he'll decide what to do... after all, he is the one who Judges all, right?", Sam said. Then, the copper husky lifted his sight only to see a nod in response.

Both dogs kept walking for a few minutes, with Sam in the head. It was beginning to sun rise. The sky was changing colors and you could easily confuse those big bank of clouds mountains. Snow had already stopped falling a few hours ago, but instead of that... the whole Alaskan ground was white. The trees covered from top to bottom, leaving slightly green spots between all the snow.

Suddenly, one of the dogs spoke.

"Hey, look! That seems to be a cave!", Dareon said.

"I can smell them... they are around, be careful", Sam said.

"Careful of what? They are just pups...", Dareon replied, with a smirk on his muzzle. Then went straight to the cave.


Balto & Kaji

"Balto... Balto! Wake up!", Kaji said.

Balto slowly opened his eyelids, letting sight of his yellow eyes to his brother. Everything was blurry and a few seconds had to happen for him to have a clear sight.

"Balto, how many time did we sleep?", Kaji said.

"Huh? I... I don't really know... We were so tired... And mom...", Balto said and then, he found his mind flooded by memories... memories of his mother. A tear wet his cheek.

"Balto, please... I feel the same as you, but still... they must be following us.", Kaji said, "I marked the line heading north... but we need to move."

Balto was the first to take the head outside their cave. He looked to the left... nothing. Then he looked to right... noth-

"Kaji! Get inside the cave!", Balto said... a little loud but still no more than a whisper. After all, their ears were better than normal dogs.

Once both were inside Kaji asked.

"What did you see? What is it? Why you told me to get inside the cave?", Kaji asked, still whispering.

"I saw dogs. They were two, and I think they are looking for us. Maybe one is coming inside... I don't really know.", Balto replied.

Meanwhile...

"Sam! I'll go take a look inside the cave, they might be there!", Dareon said.

"I'll be with you in a moment, just need to empty my bladder!", Sam replied.

Dareon began to walk towards the cave. He could smell both wolf-dogs... and the scent got stronger by every step he took.

"I know you're there!", Dareon said, "Inside the cave! Come on... come outside and no body needs to be hurt."

Inside the cave

"They know we are here", Balto said. He was starting to worry, and his body was shaking slightly. Kaji reassured him.

"It's just one dog, we can take him down...", Kaji said, "But I don't think that they'll send just one dog to search for us... how many where there when... you know...". Kaji was talking about when their mother died. But neither of them wanted to talk about it. Not right now, at least.

"I don't know, there were lots of them", Balto said, "Maybe we should give up..."

"I'll never give up... How can you say that?! They are the responsible for our mother's death!", Kaji said... a hint of angry in his voice. "But maybe... just maybe... we should give up."... Balto nodded at this, and both of them went outside.

"Okay! We are here!", Kaji said. He could see Dareon. The dog was at least a head and a half taller than him, but that wasn't too much, and Kaji was just a two month old pup... but he had teeth.

"Good, now we'll take you to Danik... He'll decide what to do with you two.", Dareon said... and in the moment he went to grab Balto by the scruff of his neck, Kaji jumped on him.

"Go for the neck"... that's all that Kaji had in mind. And that's what he did. He grabbed Dareon by the neck with his sharp puppy teeth, and soon... the red liquid of life was forming a puddle under Dareon's paws.

"Run!", Kaji shouted. And both of them began to run... headed north.

"You... you attacked him!", Balto said to his brother while running.

"He was going to take us with the other dogs... we would be killed there, Balto!", Kaji said, "We are wolves... we can't be ourselves among dogs."

At this, Balto nodded his head in comprehension.


Back at the cave

"Dareon, please... don't die!", Sam said with teary eyes. By the time he reached Dareon, the malamute, just a year old, had a puddle of blood under him.

"Tell... tell my sister... that I'll always be with her... Please, promise me... you'll tell her", Dareon said. Kaji's teeth were small, just because he was small. And so was the wound, but it was deep... And Dareon was suffering.

"No, you're not going to die!", Sam said once again.

"Promise me!", Dareon shouted with all his strenght.

"I... I... I promise you Darry... I'll tell her.", Sam said. Dareon let a smile appear on his muzzle.

"Long time since you don't call me that way...", Dareon said, then coughed some blood, "Please... Sam, do it fast... I don't want to die this way."

"What?", Sam asked... a little shocked by the sudden petition.

"Kill me. Do it. I don't want this anymore... the wound it's too small, but too deep... and there's no more blood in my legs... I can't walk." Dareon said.

"No...! No... No... No... No...", Sam started babbling, "You... I... You can't ask me to do that...".

"I can... and I'm doing it... Please Sam... Please...", Dareon said, "Let it be fast"

Sam was crying at this point. They could be a community of dogs that doesn't wanted to have any dangerous living forms of any kind near them... But they still were dogs... dogs with emotions, dogs with lives...

He grabbed Dareon's neck and said three simple words... "I promise you". Then a loud snap was heard.