(A/N: Wow, it's been more than a month since I've even thought about anything that might remind me of anything to do with Balto. Here's an update for y'all who are still faithful, thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoy it.)

Chapter 3

She walked at a slow pace, strolling absent mindedly down the street but still with her home as her overall goal. Since Balto had left there was no real reason to stay gathered, so soon after that everyone had dispersed. Besides, many had kids or family they wanted to check on anyway. Jena had hated to leave Rosy, and would not have left her if this meeting had not been about Balto.

The wolf dog that enraptured her mind when she saw him and held her mind hostage when she couldn't. The only other she cared about that strongly, with the exception of Rosy, but it was still different.

"Jenna." A quiet, reserved voice made its way into her ear.

"Yes?" she answered, speaking offhandedly and glancing to her left. Who she saw was about the only one that could free her mind of Balto, but even then, he was still connected to the wolf dog. It was the husky who, on that night more than two years ago, had revealed himself to be Balto's father.

"Storm?" she spoke with reverie.

"That's me," he replied with a hint of humor in his voice.

Jenna's brown eyes took him in. He had aged quite a bit, lighter grey hair now interspersed and placed sporadically in his darker grey fur. It started on the underside of his muzzle, running all the way down his neck and chest, even to his legs. His face had changed a lot too, with more scars and an overall more grizzled, toughened look now etched permanently in his features.

Storm noticed her wandering eyes and a small, wry smile crossed his face.

"Been a long couple of years," he said sadly, gazing downward. He shook that emotion off and looked back up at Jenna.

"But never mind me. How are you?"

Jenna decided to keep it simple.

"I'm doing well."

He accepted that with a nod of his head.

"If ya don't mind me saying, you sure do look a lot… prettier than when I last saw you."

It was Jenna's turn to smile, and all of the sudden both of them just laughed. There wasn't any real reason behind it, and it earned Jenna more than a few quizzical stares, but they were disregarded.

Storm's face turned serious again, and he kept his voice low.

"Tell me, Jenna, how is my son?"

She took a moment before answering, letting the tension build in Storm.

"He's the town hero."

The happiness and pride radiating off of Storm was so thick it was almost palpable.

"What did he do?" Storm asked, with a louder but still restrained voice.

Jenna took some time to tell him the story, starting from when Rosy had first gotten sick, speaking everything until she arrived at the present moment. Jenna knew he was angry when she spoke of Steele, and that was the first question she was asked when she finished.

"Where is Steele?"

"Balto and I saw him last night, but the three I talked about, Kaltag, Nikki, and Star, scared him away. I don't think we'll be seeing him again."

Storm looked skeptical, but it seemed to take some of the tension away.

"Just be careful. If someone hates you enough, they'll stop at nothing to try to kill you. I learned that the hard way."

Jenna wondered what he meant by that, but then thought of a question to ask.

"Can you… can you tell me about… what happened?"

Storm looked down again. "Not right now. The time isn't right."

Again Jenna wondered what he meant.

"Where is Balto now?"

"Ah, back at his boat I expect." Jenna answered a little bit unsurely, "Why? Do you want to see him?"

Storm shook his head hastily. "Naw, it'd just hurt him again."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because," Storm began forcefully, his blue eyes locking onto hers, "because he's spent all this time living on his own, wondering where his parents are and why they abandoned him. If his… father-" Storm spoke that word like it disgusted him to call himself that "-suddenly appeared after he's made it through everything he has, after he's made his life and been accepted, he would probably be at least a little bit angry-" the sarcasm was almost dripping off of Storm's words "-I know I would be…" finally, he trailed off, yanking his eyes away from Jenna's and planting them firmly on the ground.

"Where will you go, then?"

"I'll just keep searching. It's all I have left. I have to find her."

Jenna knew he meant Balto's mother. She bowed her head.

"Good luck," she whispered quietly.

"Thanks," he replied grimly, "I'm gonna need it."

…

Balto had spent most of the day wandering through the fields outside of Nome, simply musing over what had happened that so swiftly changed his life. He still wondered whether or not he'd said the right thing back at the meeting, but, as he reminded himself for probably the hundredth time, 'I did say the right thing.'

He had meant what he had said. When he'd been going through it, in the moment, all that had mattered was Rosy and getting the medicine back to her and the other kids. Sure, the thought of Jenna had helped, but all other things had been secondary to one word.

Chance.

The kids deserved a chance at life, and that was why he had helped. The thought of fame and fortune hadn't even crossed his mind. And it was during that fateful night that he had finally come to terms with who he was, and now he realized, that paved the way for everyone else. Why should they accept him if he couldn't accept himself?

He still wondered what had become of that white she wolf, and if he would ever see her again. His day was spent thinking over things like this, and before he knew it the day was almost gone.

It was late evening by the time he'd reached his boat again, the sun setting peacefully out over the ocean. It was pretty symbolic actually, as if the sun was setting on his old life and would tomorrow rise on his new.

What he found on the boat surprised him. Boris, Muk, and Luk were all sleeping peacefully inside the small cabin of a room, a sight Balto had never before seen.

He managed a small laugh, but as he approached he realized that something was dreadfully wrong. The scent of blood drew his attention, and he hurried over, finding three bloodied claw marks down the middle of Luk's forhead. Similar marks were also on Boris and Muk. Balto realized they weren't sleeping, but they had been knocked unconscious. This he could discern from the fact that they were still breathing and they had not heard him approach.

They had been knocked unconscious and then laid out as bait for a trap. A trap he had walked right in to.

With a quiet thud, something heavy, large, and predictably black and white landed behind Balto, and trapping him. The wolf dog turned slowly and found his assumption to be correct. Balto's eyes narrowed at the sight. His body tensed, ready to spring or dodge at a moments notice.

Steele saw this and smirked. "You catch on quick, Balto, but even then you were always a little slow."

The wolf dog said nothing. He didn't let himself show a reaction to Steele's comments. He was not a fighter or a hater, but Steele had been pushing his way past the 'extreme dislike' for a while now, and the events of the past few days had finally pushed him over the edge. He was now in the darkest part of Balto's heart. The first one to be there, and hopefully the last.

Steele continued, his own voice growing darker and more ominous as he went. Balto quickly realized that Steele held him in the same light as he held Steele.

"You ruined my life; you took everything away from me. Once word spreads, I won't be safe anywhere. If they found me now I'd be dead. But… I can still take you down with me. If I cannot have it, you can't either."

(I was gonna stop it here, but since I've been gone for so long I thought I'd give y'all the fight as well.)

These words would have frightened anyone else, but all it did was make Balto angrier. Deep inside of himself, something snapped. He felt the hatred for this dog flow forward, and a primal instinct screamed at him.

'Destroy! Hurt! Kill!' it screamed at him, but with a deep breath and a blink of his eyes, Balto pushed it back down. He had to keep himself restrained.

Then Steele lunged, and it all released.

Balto dodged his blow with stunning speed and agility, angering the larger dog and amusing Balto's primal instinct. Steele went for him again, and again he slipped out of the way. Balto weaved around and dodged every one of Steele's attacks, maneuvering like a cat, stealthy, fast, and light on his paws.

Finally Steele settled for simply leaping, Balto's reply to which was to throw himself on his back. Steele flew over and Balto kicked him in the gut, Steele's momentum making the kick three times more painful than it would have been. He flopped on the floor, momentarily winded, but amazingly pushed himself to his paws. Balto rolled away and was also back up, fire in his eyes as he got what he wanted.

Steele was now trapped inside the cabin, and the malamute knew it. For the first time since he'd known Steele, fear flickered across his face, but it was gone as soon as Balto saw it. The wolf dog lunged again, giving into his desire. He feigned left and went right, catching the winded Steele off guard and sinking his fangs into Steele's neck.

Steele cried out in pure terror as Balto whipped him around and slammed him into the wall of the cabin, his head crashing into and cracking the thin glass of one of the windows. He put one cut into Balto's right shoulder, but all that did was make the wolf dog stronger. Balto jerked him again and this time the glass broke, showering both of them with tiny and big shards alike. Steele managed to bring a paw up and push Balto away, partly because the wolf dog let go willingly.

Steele's paw landed on one of the largest pieces, slicing it to the bone and embedding the shard so it went almost totally through his paw. He yelped out again and almost fell, but managed to keep his footing and receiving more glass cuts in the process.

Balto stepped away from the shards, his front right paw pressing down on a loose board. With a smile he slammed the paw onto it, flipping the board into the air. He snatched it in his jaws and whirled it around, cracking it into the left side of Steele's head. The malamute fell onto his right side, not even caring as even more glass embedded itself into his side. His focus was on Balto, and the board that would probably kill him. But nothing ever happened, and he heard only a small thump as Balto slid the board back into its place.

The feeling of anger in Balto finally subsided as he stared at the mess before him. Steele lay in a pool of his own blood and in the pile of glass, breathing heavily. And even then, he found the ability to taunt.

"Kill me! Or don't you have the guts?"

Balto leaned in close to him, the tone of his voice chilling the malamute to the bone. "I very much want to kill you, but then I'd have to clean up the mess. And besides, if I did that I'd only be proving you right. You've got a few minutes head start Steele, because once I get into town I'm letting everyone know."

And with that, Balto whipped around and started off.

"Oh," he added, almost as an afterthought, "If I find any harm to them-" he gestured to Boris, Muk, and Luk "-I will hunt you down and kill you."

(A/N - Again, thanks for reading, hoping to be back in full soon. The following is something you don't have to read if you don't want to, it just goes along with a commitment I've made, just to post things like these at the end of every story chapter.)

R.I.P. to that girl you called a slut today in class. She committed suicide, and she was a virgin. The pregnant girl walking down the hall, she was raped. The boy you called lame. He has to work every night to support his family. That person you pushed down the other day, is already being abused at home. The one you called fat. She's starving herself. The old man you made fun of because of his ugly scars. He fought for our country. The boy you made fun of for crying. His mother is dying. You think you know them. Guess what, you don't. RE-POST if you are against bullying. I bet 99% of you won't.