Hello, everyone. It's me once again. And I'm here to give you the latest chapter. Not much to say accept, Balto and all its characters belong to Universal. I own absolutely nothing and I gain nothing from doing this. Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 4

It is a common misconception among humankind that only females are capable of engaging in idle gossip. But of course dear reader, you know that this is not true. No, the sad truth is that despite popular belief males are just as capable of partaking in this disgraceful pastime as females. As a matter of fact, in some cases males have proven to be far worse gossips than females.

Another popular misconception among humankind is the almost narcissistic belief that they are they only species on Earth capable of spreading ugly rumors about each other. But of course dear reader, you know otherwise.

Case in point, we cut to a secluded alley on the south side of Nome; where a familiar trio of sled dogs has gathered for a friendly little chat.

"Alright you big lug," said Kaltag, the tallest and arguably best looking of the three. "What's with the face?"

"What face?" replied Nikki, the largest, playfully. "I got no idea what you're talkin' about."

"Don't give me that," said the handsome husky, sounding slightly annoyed. "You've had that goofy grin on your muzzle all morning and we all know what that means."

"Yeah, we all know what means." repeated Star, the youngest and smallest of the group. "Um… Kaltag, mind giving me a hint?"

"It means, genius, that somebody got lucky last night." The tallest said with a hint of irritation before he turned his attention back to his larger companion. "Isn't that right Nikki?"

To this, the much larger husky replied impishly, "A gentleman never tells."

Kaltag just rolled his eyes and said, "Oh please, you're as much a gentleman as I am a cocker spaniel."

Young Star couldn't help but chuckle at this, but a quick sideways glance from Kaltag told him that now was not the time. So, in an effort to avoid getting smacked in the snout, the smaller husky promptly silenced his incessant chortling.

"As I was saying…" said the leader of the trio as he turned his attention back toward his larger friend. "Enough with the secrets already Nikki. Just tell us who you slept with before I lose my freaking mind!"

"Alright, alright, if you guys really wanna know," the larger sled dog said with more than hint of pride in his voice. "Last night, I had the pleasure of sharing a bed with the lovely Ms. Sylvie."

"Shut up!" said Kaltag in disbelief.

"No way!" said Star in admiration.

"Way boys, way."

"Oh my gosh, Nikki! That's amazing! I am so happy for you!" said young Star excitedly while jumping up and down like a hyperactive Chihuahua. "So how did you two end up together? C'mon, tell us, please!"

"Yeah, tell us Nikki." said Kaltag, sounding more than a little skeptical. "Tell us how you managed get in the sack with a lady like Sylvie."

"Alright, if you guys must know…" answered the larger husky; clearly in the mood to brag. "Yesterday, I helped Ms. Sylvie out with a little project she was working on and afterward she thanked me with a delicious rack of lamb from the butcher shop."

"That much I believe…" Kaltag muttered under his breath, only to be shushed by Star.

"Go on Nikki, finish the story."

"Thank you Star, now as I was saying. Later that night, while as was sleeping off all that lamb, Sylvie stopped by my place. She said her project worked out better than she ever dreamed and she wanted to thank me for all my help. Let's just say… she was very grateful."

While Nikki continued to brag about his conquest, Kaltag just rolled his eyes and snorted. It wasn't that he had anything against the larger husky; hell they were almost like brothers. It was just that dogs like Sylvie very rarely hooked up with dogs like him. It was a breeding thing. And besides, this wouldn't be the first time a friend lied to him.

"Nikki, you are like the luckiest dog in town. Way to go buddy!" Star said encouragingly; which brought Kaltag back to reality.

"Thanks Star. Oh, and get this! As if last night wasn't enough, I've already got another date with her lined up for this Saturday."

"Well congratulations big guy!" said the smallest of the trio supportively. "So is it a real date or are two just gonna… well, you know…"

"Oh it's a real date alright; in fact it's a double date. Balto and Dixie are joining us."

"Oh… did Jenna not wanna come?"

"I'd imagine not, considering Balto just dumped her."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense… wait! WHAT!"

"Okay, now I knowyou're making this up!"

"It's true, Sylvie told me the whole story after the third time we… well you know," Nikki said, sounding only slightly defensive. "The point is I heard it from a very reliable source. Balto and Jenna are finished, and if you ask me he's better off without her."

"Gee, I don't know Nikki. That sure doesn't sound like Balto to me."

"That's because it's not!" Kaltag interjected in a tone that said 'I've had enough of this crap'. "Balto would never do that to Jenna, not without a damned good reason! So quit lying and tell us what really happened last night before I smack you upside your fool head!"

By this point in the conversation, Star was shaking like a lamb in a butcher shop, but really who could blame him? His two closest friends were fighting, and by the looks on their faces they were just one insult away from tearing each other apart. The skittish husky racked his frazzled brain for something, anything he could say that could defuse this tense situation. Unfortunately the only thing his mind could conjure up was a great big blank.

"First of all Kaltag, I'm not lying!" said Nikki in a harsh tone. "Everything I've told you is one-hundred percent true! But I've you're too jealous and stubborn to accept that than that's your problem!"

"I believe you Nikki!' Star interjected, in a desperate attempt to stop all the yelling. "And I'm sure Kaltag will if you just…"

"Secondly, who said Balto didn't have a good reason for leaving Jenna?" barked the larger husky, completely ignoring his smaller friend. "Now I've got nothing against her personally, but the fact of the matter is that that dog doesn't know the first thing about pleasing her mate!"

"Well that much might be true, I'll give you that." replied Kaltag. "But Balto's not the kind of dog to just up and leave someone because she's lousy in the sack. He's got too much moral integrity."

To this Nikki just whispered something that sounded like, You used to say the same thing about Steele.

"What was that!?"

"I said that's only because before Balto had almost no opinions when it came to picking a mate." said Nikki in an attempt to steer away from that touchy subject. "I mean, now that he's the top dog around town he can have any lady he wants. And whether you wanna believe it or not he wants Dixie."

"I still say you're full of crap, Balto would never do that to Jenna."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with trading up. After one month with Jenna he was still a virgin, but after one day with Dixie he's gotten more action than a rabbit and a warm place to sleep. No matter how you look at it Balto was in the right and Jenna's a dud."

"I can't listen to this crap anymore." said Kaltag with a growl as he turned away from his larger friend. "I'm gonna go find Balto and Jenna to prove just how full of it you are!"

"Fine! Go right ahead! They'll only tell you the same thing I did!"

Then without another word, both dogs stormed off in opposite directions, leaving their small and very uneasy friend alone with his thoughts.

"Oh boy…" said Star with a nervous gulp. "This is so not good…"

End Notes: Well that's the end of this chapter folks. I hope you liked it. I just wanted to try and bring some new characters into the mix. Blah, Blah, Blah, see you next time and don't forget to review and subscribe if you think that I deserve it.