Jasper Park Canada Saturday March 22, 2011 9:30am.

Two days before the initial canyon battle would commence, Winston had promised Balto that he would help him search for his lost mate, Jenna. He believed she was dragged here to Canada along with him and everyone else that followed. The description the wolf-dog gave Winston would make finding the lost husky much easier.

Meanwhile in the eastern territory, Kodi was hanging out with his three husky friends; Ralph, Kirby and Dusty. He had to ask Kaltag if he could go since his father would not let him go anywhere unless he notified him or his three sled dog pals. He hated how his father was being a lot like his mother now, but at least he got away from the adults.

Right now Kodi was having a random conversation with his three furry friends, walking through the thick forest.

"And that's pretty much what happened. The guy killed himself and nobody ever found the body", Kirby said, finishing a horror story he made up.

"Well thank god that isn't based on a true story. I still wanna sleep ya know", Dusty joked.

Kodi just stayed silent during the whole ordeal. He was feeling really guilty about what he had done back in Nome, and he feared he may put one of his friends at risk later on. The last time he did something this stupid was when he let his father go rescue a pilot who crashed his plane all by himself.

"You all right Kodi?", Dusty asked, getting the dogs attention.

"Yea, I was just thinking about.. the war these wolves are getting into", Kodi admitted.

"What about it?", asked Ralph.

"I have a feeling it's my fault. I think I should have just left that handle thing alone", Kodi explained.

"It is your fault", Dusty put in simply.

"Shut up", Kodi insulted.

"Bitch! Say that to my face!", Dusty shouted.

"Oh god, don't start you two", Kirby said.

Kodi hopped over a log, while everyone else stayed silent. Minutes past until a thought popped into Kodi's head. He had the strangest feeling that he should go check on his father. His conscience was telling him it was urgent. The red husky turned to his friends.

"I'm gonna go check on my dad. You guys wanna come?", the husky offered.

"Nah, I haven't had any breakfast yet", Ralph said, causing Dusty and Kirby to laugh out loud.

"Ralph you have enough food in there to last you a month", Kirby teased.

Ralph frowned at the smaller dogs comment. "Hey, it's just bone", the grey husky shot back.

Now it was Dusty's turn to make a comment. "Right, you keep telling yourself that", she said, before giggling.

"Alright, let's go. He's probably worried about me by now", Kodi said. The four huskies went their separate ways, with Kirby and Dusty following Kodi to his father.

((((()))))

Over by Balto's den, Winston had decided to stop by to discuss the plan for finding Jenna. Kaltag, Nikki, and Star happened to be present at the time, so they heard every detail of what Winston and Balto were going to do for the day.

"It's not rocket science. We stick together since we don't know if any of Blaze's scouts are lurking about", Winston said. There were two handguns right next to the alpha, one of them his. He then handed Balto the M9 pistol that was next to Winston's .44 revolver.

"Keep that just in case we run into trouble. In times of war you can never be too careful", Winston explained.

Balto took the pistol and studied it very carefully. He had seen guns before back in Nome, but they were muskets; long and rusty. He'd never had to kill anyone in his life, and he doubted he was going to change that now.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm a pacifist", Balto said, before pushing the pistol away.

Winston sighed, slightly annoyed. "Look Balto. If you don't kill someone who wants to kill you, then its game over for you. It's kill or be killed, and we can't find your mate if you're not willing to accept that", Winston explained, before pushing the M9 pistol back at Balto.

Balto hesitated at first. He didn't know if he would have to kill anyone for his journey. But if it meant to find Jenna, then he's willing to do anything for her. He grabbed the pistol and nodded his head at the alpha in front of him.

"Good", Winston said. "Now I'll have to do the hunting for you, but it will be your job to find any source of water we can come back to", Winston noted. "And one more thing, always identify someone before you mark it as a threat, or our target. If we ever get separated, let out a howl to beacon your position", Winston finished.

"Sounds good. So.. is that it?", the hybrid asked.

The elderly alpha nodded his head. Balto looked back at his three friends who were sitting at the far end of the den.

"Well, I'll see you in a little bit", Balto said.

"Don't worry about us man. We'll take care of Kodi for ya while you're gone", Kaltag replied.

"Kodi", Balto muttered. "Where is he anyway?"

"I dunno man, but we'll tell him where you run off to. You just make sure you find Jenna", Star encouraged.

Balto smiled at the small husky. He slowly dismissed the three sled dogs before joining Winston outside. They began to walk away from the den, until they were interrupted. Balto perked his ears up and saw Kodi, along with his two friends, Kirby and Dusty, run up to the two canines.

"Kodi. Is everything okay, son?", Balto asked, fearing there may be another incident with one of Blaze's wolves again.

"We're all good. I just came to check up on you", Kodi replied.

"Well I'm glad you're here…", Balto said. "… Because I gotta tell you something".

Kodi cocked his head to the side. "What is it?", he asked, confused.

"We're going to go find your mother", the wolf-dog answered. "I think she's somewhere around here, and I may not be back for a couple of days. Kaltag and the rest of the group will watch over you while I'm gone" he explained.

It took a moment to figure out what was happening, but Kodi then begun to realize this was not what he was expecting. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that his father had a pistol in his paw.

"Why do you have that with you?", Kodi asked.

"Just in case some wolves out there aren't too friendly with us", Balto replied.

Kodi shook his head. "No dad, I think it's too dangerous. Why don't you let him send out some wolves to go find mom", the red furred husky suggested, pointing at Winston.

"That won't work, Kodi. If they send out some scouts and they find mom, she won't trust them. That's why I have to go myself", Balto explained.

"Then let me come with you. The more the better, right?", Kodi offered.

"Not when there's a war out there, son. I'll be alright, I promise", Balto said.

Kodi still wasn't convinced. He tried to think of a better alternative, any solution that would be safer for his father, but he had none. He looked back at his friends for any options, but they too had none what-so-ever. He finally gave up and spoke.

"Well.. You do what you have to do, dad", Kodi said softly.

In response, Balto walked up to his son and nuzzled him gently in hopes of comforting him. Kodi accepted his father's nuzzle, wishing it could last forever. When they finally stopped, Balto turned around and patted Winston on the back, signaling him that he was ready to go. Kodi saw the two grey canines move until they made a right turn and disappeared.

Kodi laid down on the ground and just sat there, his mind blank. He felt several tears trying to escape his brown eyes, but he squinted them away. He felt Kirby put a paw on his shoulder. Kodi just shook him away and walked in the opposite direction with his head hung low. Kodi heard Kaltag call his name, but he ignored the Chinook. At this point, since no one was looking, he let his tears run freely down his cheeks.

((((()))))

Jasper Park Canada Saturday March 22, 2011 10:02am

It has been a while since Balto and Winston had left the Western territory in search for Balto's mate. The two wolves had gone through the Eastern territory after crossing the river that separated the two packs. There wasn't much here really. It looked very similar to the Western territory, just with red and white wolves roaming around the land.

The Eastern territory was much bigger than the Western territory, ten times to be precise. However, the Western Pack had the advantage of better hunting grounds, which was the reason why the West and East almost went into war with each other. The Northern and Southern territories were even bigger than the Eastern territory.

Balto had been walking next to Winston in silence since they began their journey. The scenery wasn't helping in killing his boredom, considering it only consisted of trees, rocks, and occasionally, some wildlife. Balto decided that this was a perfect time to get to know the alpha a little bit better.

"So how long have you ruled your territory?", the hybrid asked.

Winston delayed his response, as if he was trying to come up with the right words to say. "Seven years, if you want a precise answer", he said finally. "It wasn't easy at first. Especially since I had Kate to take care of"

"Yea- I remember my first newborns", Balto mused.

The two climbed up a small hill and kept walking in silence. Balto wasn't sure if the alpha was in the mood for talking right now, or if he was waiting on Balto to say something else. Either way, he would have to break that silence again, since the boredom would drive him crazy otherwise.

"You know I had to run 100 miles non-stop once", Balto half bragged.

"Look, I know you just want to have a friendly conversation with me, but we need to focus on the task at hand", Winston said, slightly annoyed.

"Oh, okay", Balto said, disappointed. He figured that the alpha wolf did have a point. Talking could get them distracted, and that could delay their search. Balto then tried to look for any source of water they could come back to. He remembered Winston saying that a river or lake could serve as a drinking spot.

While looking for a source of water, Balto also tried to find ways to kill his boredom as well. He counted the trees that he passed by, tried to find any images the clouds in the sky could make, anything. This helped him a little bit, but he still had the urge to talk, something he knew wouldn't happen.

After about half an hour of walking, Balto began to hear something that sounded like the movement of water. He stopped walking and tried to concentrate on where the sound was coming from. Winston noticed the wolf-dog stop walking.

"What is it?", the alpha asked.

"I think we're getting close to a stream", Balto replied.

The hybrid began to walk again, closely followed by Winston. As he kept walking, Balto noticed the sound of water become louder and louder. At this point, it sounded more like a waterfall than a rushing stream of water.

"It's this way", Balto informed.

After a couple more meters, the two canines indeed found a waterfall, pouring a massive amount of water down to a large crystal clear lake. Balto walked towards the lake and touched the water with his paw.

"The temperature is pretty stable", Balto remarked. The wolf-dog then drank some of the water. To his surprise, it was clean and fresh. That was something most natural lakes and rivers did not have, unless it was a spring.

"Good work, Balto. Now all we need to do is find out how we can come back to this spot without having to go through all the trouble of finding it again", Winston said.

Balto knew just what he the alpha was getting at. He wanted something that could tell both of them that they were near the lake, in case they ever needed to come back to it. The wolf-dog walked up to a tree and got on his hind legs. He then began to scrape some of the bark off the tree.

"What are you doing?", Winston asked.

"It's a trick I picked up back in Nome", Balto replied. He was using the same technique he used during the serum run. It was one of the things that led Balto and his team back to Nome without getting lost. Even though Balto's markings were sabotaged by Steele, he could still distinguish his markings with Steele's because of the scent he left behind on the trees.

Once Balto finished, he stepped back to see his work. Winston walked next to Balto and observed the scrape on the tree.

"How exactly does this help us get to this spot easily?", the alpha asked.

"We can use it as a sign. Whenever we see it, it'll mean that were close to the lake", the wolf-dog replied.

Winston nodded his head, understanding. The two canines drank from the lake until their thirst was gone. Without having to worry about dehydrating, Balto and Winston continued forward. Yet little did they know that there was a third figure watching them both from a very tall tree.

((((()))))

Jasper Park Canada Saturday March 22, 2011 12:40am

Balto and Winston had been searching the Eastern territory for a couple of hours now, but they haven't covered the entire pack yet. Balto's muzzle was filled with dirt from all the sniffing he had done in hopes of catching Jenna's scent. Winston's feet were already getting sore, due to his old age.

Suddenly, the two canines heard a growling coming from an unknown location. Judging from the sound, it was deathly close. Winston pulled out the revolver he had and cocked the hammer.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!", the grey alpha shouted.

"Uh actually sir…that was me", Balto said, blushing madly.

Angry, Winston put his gun away and glared at the wolf-dog.

"What the hell you growling for?! You scared the living-"

"No, no, no it's not like that sir. I mean it was my stomach", Balto quickly replied, hoping to calm the wolf down.

"Oh…well, I guess I'm a little hungry too", Winston said. There was a moment of silence. He sighed and began to sniff the ground for any animal they can hunt.

Balto just followed the alpha's lead since he had no experience in hunting. He did try to help by trying to spot any squirrels or rabbits that might pop up. If his mother hadn't abandoned him when he was a pup, he probably would have been more useful in this situation. He quickly shook the painful thought of his mother, and focused back on finding lunch.

After a couple more minutes, Winston finally caught sight of a lone rabbit wandering around, minding its own business.

"I got one", Winston whispered, getting Balto's attention. The wolf-dog slowly crept up to where the elderly wolf was and saw the rabbit. The hybrid felt his instincts urging him to lunge at the rabbit, but he knew better and kept his cool.

"Stay here and wait till I kill it", Winston ordered. Balto observed the alpha slowly sneak up on the unsuspecting rabbit. The animal had its back turned, making for an easy kill. The grey wolf took its time, knowing that any sound could mean the end of this hunt. Once he was close enough, Winston jumped toward the rabbit, and bit his neck. The rabbit never seen it coming, and was dead in just a few seconds. Winston then grabbed the dead animal with his jaws and brought it towards Balto.

"Here. You can have this one. I'll see if I can find another one for myself", Winston offered, putting the rabbit on the ground.

"Are you sure? I mean, it was your kill after all", Balto said. He didn't want to be rude and just take the rabbit, even though every fiber in his body was telling him otherwise.

"It's okay. I can get hundreds of these without a sweat", the alpha bragged.

With that being said, Balto shrugged his shoulders and took the dead animal with him. As soon as he laid down and prepared to eat the rabbit, Winston took off to find himself his own piece of food.

Normally any purebred dog would be disgusted at the thought of eating raw meat, but since Balto was half wolf, his taste buds were more complex. As a result, he can eat and enjoy more things than a regular dog would, since he is not as limited to taste. The hybrid kept eating and eating, practically "wolfing" down what was left of the rabbit. Once he finished, all that was left were the bare bones of the rabbit. Balto's muzzle was also covered in the animal's blood. He just licked it off and laid down on the ground, deciding to take a small break until Winston arrived.

The wolf-dog enjoyed the cool ground, washing away all his worries for the first time in a long time. As he kept laying down in relaxation, something caught the hybrid's eye. Balto looked up to see a shadowy figure standing on top of a thick tree branch. The figure was staring at the wolf-dog, sending a chill running down Balto's spine. It looked a lot like a wolf, or a canine. When Balto wiped his eyes to make sure he was not seeing things, the shadowy figure was gone. Balto stood up and kept staring at the branch where the figure was. Before he knew it, he heard pawsteps coming from behind him.

The hybrid turned around to see Winston come out from the bushes with his muzzle also covered with blood. The elderly wolf looked down at the bones lying on the ground.

"Well, you weren't kidding when you said you were hungry", the grey wolf mused.

Balto looked back at the bones, and then back at Winston. "Uh, yea. I never saw myself eating another animal. Now that I think about it I feel kinda bad", Balto confessed.

Winston sighed at the pacifist wolf-dog. "You really need to learn that this is about survival. A wolf's world is all about using what you find. Not wanting to kill anything could end up killing you", the wolf explained.

Balto just stayed silent. He knew a wolf wouldn't understand things that had to do with being a pacifist.

"We should keep moving. We're wasting time just standing here", Winston said, beginning to walk away from the wolf-dog. Balto was not far behind the wolf. He remembered what he saw a little while ago, and decided that he should tell the alpha right now.

"Winston, there's something I have to tell you", Balto started.

"What?", Winston asked, not taking his eyes off the path they were walking.

"Well, while you were out hunting your share of food, I saw this wolf on top of a tree branch. He was staring right at me, almost like if he's been following us. I couldn't see him very clearly, but he could be a threat to us", Balto explained, trying to remember every last detail. However, Balto was taken aback when he noticed Winston just chuckle in response.

"You do know that wolves can't climb trees right. You were probably just hallucinating", Winston replied.

Hearing this, Balto ran up in front of the old wolf and got in front of him, causing him to stop walking. "I'm serious, Winston. I wasn't seeing things. I had his scent and everything", Balto said truthfully.

"Calm down, Balto. We'll be okay. Remember we brought these for a reason", Winston reminded, showing Balto his revolver again. The grey alpha put the firearm back in its holster and continued walking.

The two canines stayed silent again for some time. Balto kept sniffing the ground and was beginning to get frustrated that he hasn't picked up Jenna's scent yet. Maybe she really did stay back in Nome where it was safe, but Balto had to be sure.

"You know, you could have just used your gun to kill that first rabbit", Balto said, breaking the silence. "So why didn't you do it?"

"We don't have that much ammo. We need to save it as much as we can. Remember that Blaze's wolves could still be lurking around our borders", Winston explained.

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense"

Two canines continued there until they came across an obstacle that would halt their movement. In front of the two canines was a large cliff that was blocking their way. There was no way to go around it, since it acted like a barricade.

"Damn. How the hell we're gonna get through this?", Winston questioned, looking up at the cliff.

Balto, knowing that Winston was a lot older than he was, knew that he would have to get to the top first, before helping out the alpha wolf.

"Maybe I can get on top and then give you a leg up", Balto planned.

"Good luck", was all Winston said.

Balto got in front of the cliff before jumping up as high as he could and latched on a root with his teeth. Now it was like a game of rock climbing. Balto grabbed the ledge with his two front paws and pulled himself up. Once he got to the top, he laid there, panting.

"Take your time!", Winston shouted sarcastically.

Oh right Balto muttered.

The hybrid looked down to see Winston waiting for him to help him up. Balto reached down with his paw as far as it would go.

"Jump up and grab my paw. I'll pull you up"

Winston took a couple of steps back, before running at a full sprint and jumping as far as his legs would allow him to. He barely latched on the wolf-dogs paw, but felt Balto squeeze his own paw and pull him up.

Balto grunted while pulling the alpha up with all his strength. His weight wasn't making things easier, and Balto would have never thought he would weigh this much. After 20 more seconds of pulling, Winston finally got to the top. The two laid down exhausted, yet satisfied that they have got that ordeal over with. Balto was the first to get back up.

"C'mon. Let's keep moving", the wolf-dog urged. Winston groaned before getting back on his paws. It really sucked to be 8 years old.

The two canines once again continued to search for any trace of Jenna. They had found some paw prints, but Balto insisted that they were too big to be Jenna's paws. At this point the usual scenery was boring the hell out of the hybrid. He just wanted to find Jenna and get back to the Western territory.

"I'm sorry about earlier today. I know you just wanted to talk", Winston apologized.

"Ah, don't worry about it. You had a good point saying that we can be easily distracted", Balto replied, brushing off the apology.

"So tell me. What exactly is a sled dog, and what is their role?", Winston asked curiously. The alpha wolf remembered that Balto said he was a sled dog when he first met him and his group. He always wondered what the term meant.

"Well, basically sled dogs are tasked to pulling a sled, which is a type of transportation object the humans use", Balto started.

"Humans", Winston seethed silently. Balto didn't seem to hear the wolf next to him.

"Where I live, it's cold almost throughout the whole year. Sleds can only work when there is a lot of snow on the ground. It's what makes them run smoothly. The human, or musher, as we call them, rides on the sled, which is usually made out of wood, and holds on to some reigns that are attached to us dogs. To get the sled moving, we have to pull the sled and the musher. We can travel at great speeds when we work together", Balto explained.

"The human in the back controls which direction we go by pulling the reigns in a certain direction. Now there are four types of ranks in a sledding team. The lead dog is at the very front and follows all of the human's commands. I'm a lead dog. Swing dogs are right behind the lead dog, and their job is to help the sled turn at corners. Behind swing dogs are the team dogs, which give us the horsepower we need. The dog's right behind the musher are the wheel dogs. They are usually the strongest of the team. We use the sled to transport supplies over long distances, or we sometimes just have sled races", Balto finished, taking a breather.

It took a moment for Winston to get the massive amount of information, but he was very interested in the ways of sledding. It sounded like a very tiresome task to do, so Winston respected Balto for what he did in his homeland.

"That's amazing, Balto. Although I've never seen any wolves or dogs sled in my lifetime, it sure sounds like one hell of a job", Winston mused.

"It is, but the thrills never fail to satisfy", the hybrid replied back, smiling. "So, what about you? Anything on your mind?", Balto asked.

Winston stayed silent for a moment, before speaking. "Well, I think my daughter, Kate, hates me right now, and I don't blame her", Winston said sadly.

"Why would you say that?"

"I made her mate join the military and help fight the war. See, Kate is going to be the new alpha of this pack, and her mate is an omega. Unless she wants to rule my territory alone, her mate had to become an alpha. Now pack law says that one must prove he is ready to become an alpha, meaning I can't give the rank for free. That's why he's going to fight for our pack", Winston explained.

"Oh, I get it. She's going to need a second helping paw in case she has trouble ruling your pack", Balto said.

"Exactly, but Humphrey must first be able to prove himself worthy of becoming an alpha. Kate doesn't agree to such morals, which is why we're not on good terms as of now", Winston finished.

The two continued to walk in silence until both Winston and Balto heard some bushes rustling. They halted their motion and surveyed the area, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The two canines continued to walk, but at a slower pace this time. It was then that Balto looked up and saw the same shadowy wolf looked right at him.

"Winston! It's him, up there", Balto pointed out.

Winston looked up at the trees but saw nothing. Balto too noticed that the wolf had disappeared. Winston sniffed the air, and caught an unfamiliar scent.

"Someone for sure either was here or is here", the alpha wolf noted. Balto also caught the scent, but it wasn't Jenna's. Winston slowly pulled out his .44 revolver and continued to scan the area. It was quiet, almost too quiet. The only sound that could be heard was both Balto's and Winston's breathing.

Before they could even begin to react, hundreds of bullets swept in all directions, while the sound of gunfire boomed across the forest. Balto yelped in fear and quickly hid behind a tree, with Winston doing the same. The hybrid didn't dare to peek his head out. He had never seen so many bullets go in all directions.

"Stay down, Balto! Get that pistol of yours ready!", Winston shouted, although his voice was barely audible though all the gunfire.

Balto pulled his m9 out, but he didn't want to kill anybody. He just wanted to make a run for it and hopefully lose whoever was shooting at them. Winston popped his head out and aimed his revolver downrange. He noticed the wolves shooting at them were Blaze's men, judging from their weapons and their fur color.

Winston fired his pistol at one wolf, putting a large hole in his head. He fired two more shots at another wolf, also killing him in the process.

Meanwhile Balto just had his back against the tree which was still protecting him. Most of the bark was gone due to all the bullets that have hit it. Winston noticed Balto resisting to fight back. He couldn't let that happen, since it could cost him his life.

"Balto! Shoot them!", Winston ordered.

"I can't!", Balto yelled back.

"We'll both die out here if you don't get that pacifist shit off your back! Now kill those bastards!", Winston shouted, before gunning down another hostile wolf. The alpha stepped back into cover and began to reload his revolver.

Balto still didn't want to use his gun against the hostile wolves, but he figured that if he didn't do anything, he would die. The wolf-dog forced himself out of cover and aimed his m9 pistol at any wolf that was out of cover. However, there were too many bullets going though the air, forcing Balto to take cover again. The hybrid waited a while, and then peeked his head out again. He saw a wolf exposed, aiming his AK47 at the wolf-dog. Balto fired three shots, but his inexperience with guns and the recoil made him miss.

Winston had to abandon the tree he was using as cover, and did a front flip towards another tree. He aimed his gun at a wolf and practically blew his head off, blood spilling all over the ground. He fired his remaining five bullets at other wolves, but missed.

Balto peeked his head out again and aimed at the wolf he missed earlier. The wolf fired at him, but the suppression wasn't going to force Balto into cover this time. He fired his first shot at the wolves paw, forcing him to the ground. He had the kill, but the hybrid hesitated. After a couple of seconds, the wolf-dog closed his eyes and fired his pistol again, this time killing the wolf. He felt like crying, but there was no time for that. Another wolf stepped out of cover, but Balto killed him on the spot, even though it wrenched his heart.

"Balto! I'm getting low on ammo over here! We may have to retreat!", Winston yelled.

The wolf-dog tried to kill another wolf with half his body not in cover, but when he pulled the trigger, he heard a clicking sound. He realized that his m9 was out of bullets. He unloaded the empty clip and pulled out a fresh one. Once it was inside the pistol, he cocked the top of the gun and prepared himself for round two.

There were only six wolves left, all armed with either AK47s or AKS-74us'. Both Balto and Winston managed to kill four of them in a bloody mess. However, Winston had no more bullets so it was up to Balto to finish the last two wolves.

The hybrid put his final clip into his pistol and got ready for the last wave. But to his shock, he saw an incoming armored military car driving towards Balto's and Winston's location. The car stopped and unloaded a squad of more soldiers. One of the wolves got on the car's turret and started to fire it at both canines. The turret chopped off the tree Balto was hiding behind, forcing him to find another one to take cover at. Winston saw that they were in no shape to be in the offensive. It was now the time to make an exit.

"Balto! Let's fall back to the lake!", Winston shouted, before bolting out of cover and running in the path of where they came from. Balto took no time in following him. The hybrid was still surprised that not a single bullet has hit him, but he didn't want to jinx it. Blaze's troops chased after the two canines.

Both Winston and Balto followed the markings the hybrid put earlier. The two saw the cliff they had climbed and jumped off it, both of them tumbling all over the ground as soon as they hit the floor. They both quickly got up and continued their run towards the river. Winston managed to pick up an AK lying on the ground while continuing his run.

It took a long fifteen minutes to finally reach the lake, but neither canine dared to take a one second break, for they knew something as foolish as that could cost them their lives. They finally made it back to the large lake they drank from earlier. There were several large grey rocks that served as perfect cover. The two wolves hid behind the rocks and prepared to make a standoff.

"We'll hold them off as long as we can!", Winston shouted.

Balto nodded his head, aiming his pistol at the lake's entrance from where they came. Winston pulled out the clip from his rifle and noticed it only had 17 bullets. Balto only had a single clip left in his pistol.

"Make every shot count!", Winston informed.

As soon as Winston finished speaking, Blaze's troops began to pour from the entrance and the bushes. Balto killed the first wolf he saw with a headshot. Winston shot two wolves behind some bushes. He made sure to put his rifle on single shot. Another wolf managed to roll towards cover, but one of his arms was sticking out. Carefully aiming, Balto shot the wolf in the arm, causing him to fall on the ground, crying in pain. It seemed like a never ending wave of soldiers. After five more kills, both Balto and Winston finally ran out of ammo for both of their weapons. Winston prepared himself for a close quarter fight while Balto freaked out like crazy.

I don't wanna die. Oh god I don't wanna die Balto thought fearfully. He peeked his head out to see a mass of soldiers running towards him and Winston. He didn't see a way out of this one, and prepared to accept his fate.

Suddenly, a wolf dropped dead on the spot. Several bullets started to fly in another direction, killing off the waves of hostile wolves. Before Balto and Winston knew it, the last soldiers were dead. It was like a miracle from God.

Balto stepped out of cover and witnessed the outcome of the firefight. There were several corpses lying lifelessly on the ground. The smell of blood filled the air. Balto felt terrible after realizing what he had just done. Winston walked towards the wolf that still had a wounded arm. Without any second thought, the alpha wolf sliced his throat, getting blood on his paw. Balto was horrified at the sight of Winston killing a wolf like that in cold blood. He wanted to protest, but decided against it.

"What the hell killed these guys? Did you find a second gun by any chance?", Winston asked.

"No. the bullets came from behind us though", Balto noted.

The two canines glanced at the bushes that were behind the rocks Balto and Winston were taking cover in. Winston stepped forward for a closer look. As he approached the bushes, a third canine popped out of the bushes and slammed the stock of her rifle into Winston face, knocking him down. The wolf had red and white fur, similar to the Eastern pack wolves.

Balto quickly dashed towards the wolf, ready to attack. However, the red and white wolf jumped in the air and managed to pin Balto to the ground. He couldn't break the grip. He looked up to see an AK pointed directly between his eyes.

"You're gonna get it now you- wait, do I know you?", the red and white wolf asked.

This caught the hybrid by surprise. On closer inspection, Balto got the shock of his life. The creature that was pinning him down was not a wolf, but rather a dog. She had a feminine voice, and had a red bandana around her neck.

Balto shook his head, "Jenna?"

Authors Note:

Hell yea! I'm so proud of my cliffhanger, although I'm pretty sure you readers aren't as cheery. Sorry, but I just had to do it. Anyways this chapter is a little shorter than my previous chapters, so I hope that doesn't bother you. I would love to know what you think of this fanfic so far, so don't be afraid to post a review. I accept both positive and negative review, but flames are not allowed. Stay tuned for more chapters coming soon.