Balto stopped in the middle of Main Street panting heavily, his tongue lolling out of the front of his mouth. He looked quickly around the now desolate village; the dark houses now ghosts of the waning day.

Now where was he to go?

He spun in a circle, looking at anything that would spark some memory and point him in the right direction, but in the dark it was nigh on impossible to tell the houses apart. He knew the village front to back and upside down but that did not mean that he knew where EVERYBODY lived.

"Damn it, why didn't I pay better attention when I came out here the first time," Balto mused aloud, glancing from house to house again.

And then it hit him.

"What am I doing," he said , mentally slapping himself on the forehead.

He put his nose to the air and sniffed, using his super-powered nose to pick around the scents of the many dogs in the village, finding his own and smiling. He pointed himself in the direction that it ran and put his nose to the ground, then began to make a quick track down Main Street and turned left at the end. He followed that small side street for a few yards then made a right and began to make his way onward. He only went a few paces before he found where his scent went up into someone's yard. There he collected himself and began to pad his way around the house to the backyard. He didn't stop his track until he was right at the door, hearing that the pups were still awake. He took a breath.

"Kodi," he called through the door.

The voices inside were all hushed by shushes and very soon afterward came a groan and the door began to slowly open up, light broadening from a hairline crack until it settled upon Balto. Out of the light poked a tiny head.

"Dad, what are you doing out here?" Kodiak asked curiously.

"Wait your dad's back already!" Ralph yelled behind Kodiak.

Kodiak turned and gave a nod and the door was pushed wider, revealing the whole group of pups standing in a line. Balto smiled at them, but then became serious once again, his jaw locking and his face turning to steel.

"Kodi, I need to talk to you alone," Balto stated flatly.

This drew in some groans of disappointment and Kodiak turned back to them to seek council. They gave him the go ahead and he stepped out of the shed, pushing the door closed behind him. Balto began to walk toward the forest and Kodiak followed close behind. He was excited because his dad was taking him out into the woods, but he was also a bit concerned as to why they would need to go all the way out there to talk. They continued to walk on in silence, reaching the edge of the forest and pushing into the untamed wilderness. The silence droned on and Kodiak kept giving Balto sidelong glances, seeing that he obviously had something very important to say. They continued to walk, around trees, under logs, through bushes and finally they came upon a clearing brightly illuminated by the full moon above. Here they stopped and Balto sat with his back to Kodiak. Kodiak sat as well, his expression of total wonder. Balto took in a deep breath and turned to Kodiak.

"Son I need you to something, and I need you to listen very closely," Balto began, his voice stern, but nonthreatening.

Kodiak looked up to him, the two locking eyes.

"Now Kodi, you know that I love you and your brothers and sisters very much right? And that I would do anything for you?"

Kodiak nodded.

"Of course dad," he answered.

Balto took in another breath of collection before continuing.

"Listen Kodi, I just want to tell you that what you are about to hear will not be very easy to undertand, and to be completely honest, unpleasant to hear.

Kodiak's face contorted to worry.

"What are you talking about dad?" he asked innocently.

"Kodi, what do you know about wolves?"

Back at the shed the group was huddled in a tight circle of discussion, the six of them sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder.

"What do you suppose that was all about?" Dusty wondered aloud to the group.

She received only a wave of shrugs from the others, showing that they were all as clueless as she was. Dusty shook her head and drooped her shoulders forward.

"Maybe there was just something that Balto forgot to tell him," Kirby offered, gaining the looks of everybody from the group.

"But isn't it a bit late for him to come all the way out here?" Homma reasoned, "I mean what could be so important that it couldn't wait until morning?"

The group returned to their original state, each one of them looking toward the other for an answer that they didn't have.

"Wolves?" Kodiak asked, taken back by the seemingly random question.

"Yes Kodi, wolves."

Kodiak thought for a moment. He had heard of wolves before, but he had no real knowledge on what they were.

"I- I guess I don't really know anything," Kodiak answered, secretly ashamed.

Balto nodded slowly then turned his head down slowly to Kodiak again, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Wolves are many things Kodi. They are in fact much lile you and I in a sense.

Kodiak smiled and nodded, wanting his father to continue.

"They are our great great ancestors," Balto continued, "each and every husky you see came from wolves at some point and with intervention from the humans, they were tamed and all lines of wolf blood had been bred out of them."

"So we all come from wolves at some point?" Kodiak reiterated, trying to understand what he was being told.

Balto nodded.

"Yes Kodi, but unfortunately through time the humans and dogs have forgotten our ancient ties with the wolves and things began to quickly get out of hand."

Kodiak's brows furrowed together.

"What happened?" he asked worriedly.

"War son," Balto answered flatly, "A war that humans started by engaging in the slow extermination of our lupus ancestors."

Kodiak hung his head.

"The humans stole their land and their game and this angered them further, building an immense friction between the two."

"So what happened next?" Kodiak asked intrigued.

Balto pinched his eyes tightly together.

"Dad what happened next?" Kodiak asked again.

"Then the worst happened. Wolves rebelled against human progress and attacked the little village up near Girdwood in an attempt to save their land. This was the first time that anything like this had ever happened, but it started a full blown war; humans and their dogs against the wolves. In effort to starve the humans into submission the wolves would sabotage traps that they had originally stolen from out of desperation and they would kill the livestock inside the village for sport rather than food. They would sneak inside and murder dogs and they would steal food from the meat shops, they would injure the village's children, and they would terrorize the homes with hunting calls. In retaliation to this, the humans started this thing called skinning where they would send dogs to track down wolves and the humans would shoot them and take their fur then sell it for money."

Kodiak was beginning to feel sick. He had no idea that humans could be so destructive.

"Their hatred for dogs is even more so than their distaste for humans and blood has been spilled between us several times as a result. Over time the war has shifted from wolves and men to wolves and dogs. We tell false stories of horror to our pups and they share similar stories with theirs resulting in ruthless killings based on prejudices bored into our minds at a young age. Both wolves and dogs have been told what to believe and act purely on belief rather than prior knowledge."

Kodiak didn't know what to say.

"So… w-what does this have to do with me?" he wondered nervously.

Balto sighed.

"Kodi, I want you to stand and come sit next to me," Balto said flatly.

Kodiak did as he was told, sitting down beside Balto and gazing expectantly up at him.

"Kodi, look at your paws and compare them to mine," Balto instructed holding up his paw so Kodiak could examine it.

Kodiak raised his paw as well and studied it, finding it to be very similar to his father's; massive, much too big to be the paw of a regular dog.

"Tell me Kodi, what do you see?" Balto asked inquisitively.

Kodiak gave his paw another look then moved his eyes over his father's.

"My paws are huge," Kodiak observed, "and so are yours."

Balto nodded.

"Do you know why?" Balto asked, already knowing the answer.

"So I can run better?" Kodiak guessed, not confident in the least with his answer.

"That is one reason," Balto affirmed, "But the real reason is this."

Balto paused briefly and Kodiak studied him intently.

"Yes?"

Balto took in a slow breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth.

"Kodi, having large paws is a trait common amongst wolves," Balto finally said.

Kodiak took a step back in surprise.

"What are you saying dad?" he asked in shock, "I can't possibly be a…"

"Unfortunately Kodi, yes you are part wolf." Balto said ashamed, "You get it from me Kodi. I am part wolf as well."

Kodiak was too shocked to move. He just stood there, his eyes wide and his mouth moving frantically to try and say words that stayed choked in his throat.

"So are…" he barely managed.

"Yes Kodi, your brothers and sisters are part wolf as well."

Kodiak collapsed back onto his haunches.

"W-why didn't y-you just tell m-me before?" Kodiak asked to himself more than to his father.

Balto had been regretting this moment the entire night, and now that it was here he found it very hard to continue; but he had to tell Kodiak. He deserved to know the truth.

"Kodi, do you remember what I said earlier about wolves and dogs?"

Kodiak could only nod.

"Kodi, I'm so sorry," Balto said miserably, "I never wanted any of this for you."

Kodiak placed his paw comfortingly upon Balto's.

"Never wanted what dad?" he asked slowly.

Balto had a single tear roll down his cheek.

"Dad, whatever it is, I can handle it," Kodiak reassured.

Balto nodded slowly.

"Kodi, you have two different souls locked deep inside of your subconscious, one dog and the other…"

"Wolf," Kodak finished.

Balto nodded and hung his head in distain.

"Well, thanks for being honest with me," Kodiak said flatly.

"That's not all," Balto interjected slowly, "That's not even the beginning."

Kodiak stiffened.

"There's more?"

Balto only raised his eyes and nodded. For a while a silence ensnared the two of them until Balto finally spoke again.

"You were wondering why it was that I told you about the war," Balto inquired.

"Yes," Kodiak answered.

"Kodi, that very war is going on inside of your mind as we speak. You were naturally born with the personality of a husky pup, but…"

"But what dad," Kodiak pressed, urging his father to continue.

"But the spirit of the wolf is indomitable, and it will do anything in its power to destroy the part of you that is dog."

Kodiak hung his head hopelessly.

"Now picture this," Balto said forming another wall looking mound of dirt between his paws.

Boris was worried about Balto. He didn't know what it was that he had planned to do, but whatever it was that the hybrid was up to, it would change the lives of a lot of people. He paced the floor of the boat with his wings folded behind his back and his head held low. Oh how he hoped that Balto whatever it was Balto was up to wouldn't be something that he would regret.

Kodiak was crying heavily and Balto had tears of his own sliding down his cheeks. Balto had Kodiak scooped protectively into his body with his paw and Kodiak had his face buried into his father's leg. The truth hit Kodiak harder than taking a brick to the face and it crushed him to know that his father had been lying to him for his entire life. One part of him was angry at Balto for not telling him the truth while the other found understanding as to why it was that his father had kept it from him for so long. These emotions were battling it out inside of his mind and he could only guess which of his halves was going to win and drive his next actions. But for now he was content with simply letting his tears fall, and letting his father comfort him. After a while he sniffed and pulled his face away from his father's leg. Balto looked down at Kodiak and gave him an awkward gaze.

"So… is there any hope that I can get better?" Kodiak asked questioningly.

Balto smiled meekly.

"I don't know son, but we will certainly try to figure something out."

Kodiak sighed and said, ""Well, I guess we had better be getting back home."

He started to walk quickly in the direction that they had come in and Balto watched him, finding that his gait had slightly returned to the way it was before. A wave of hope washed over him.

"Wow, maybe telling him was the right thing to do after all," he thought.

"You coming dad?" he heard Kodiak ask.

Balto shook himself from his thought and turned to see his son standing near the edge of the forest, looking back at him. Balto smiled and took a step toward his son.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Alright, so Kodi knows now and he was completely okay with that? Now doesn't that just sound a little too good to be true? Perhaps it is, but you'll just have to wait and find out what will happen next.

Now, I have joined in on an Rp set up by Troy Baines 1925 called Alue's Secret Admirer and thus far he and I are the only ones who have done anything on it. If you'd like to check it out swing on by his profile, PM him and ask to join in cause we could REALLY use some new Rpers. (But only do the Rp when he is signed in on it.)