Chapter 6: The Hunter and his Prey.

"Kodi, what are you doing?", Dusty asked confusedly, as her husband suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her view of Steele.

"Stay back, and don't ask questions", Kodi whispered urgently, though Dusty noticed that he didn't turn around to look at her.

Steele laughed, and moved even closer, earning himself a growl from Kodi. "I see you finally joined us. I was wondering when you'd remember to protect your mate, Balto would have gotten here half an hour ago. But honestly, you don't have to try and keep her from me. I'm not at all interested in her. It's you I warned to get out of town…or else", Steele reminded him, circling the husky and his mate.

It only took seconds for Dusty to realize what was happening, and why Kodi and all her friends had suddenly got so protective of her. All traces of friendliness she had with Steele disappeared, and she stepped out from behind Kodi, ignoring her husband's protests. "Kodi, who is he? Who is he really?", Dusty asked, growling. She wasn't about to let herself be intimidated by whoever this strange dog was.

"Steele. The dog who sabotaged the serum run. The man who tried to kill my father", Kodi said through clenched teeth, though he still didn't take his eyes off Steele. The malamute never made a move towards them, nor did he ever back away. He just kept walking circles around them, over and over again, while completely ignoring Kirby and Ralph. Like a shark singling out his prey, and scaring it into submission.

Finally, Steele stopped walking, and stared Kodi right in the face, towering over the younger dog by almost six inches. "Ah, so you finally remember me now, do you? Your brain must be smaller than I thought", Steele asked, chuckling.

Tired of watching the malamute harass their friends, Kirby and Ralph growled and ran towards Steele, when the malamute held up his paw towards them. "I wouldn't do that if I were you fellas. John and Roger are still in this room, and if they see you two trying to start a fight in a hotel, they just might throw you out. And with the storm coming tonight, I don't think you wanna be sleeping outside", Steele reminded them, grinning smugly.

Kirby and Ralph growled again, but didn't make any other moves towards Steele. The malamute was right of course. He was just baiting them. Daring one of them to lose their cool so he could set them up the same way he always used to trap Balto.

"What's your game Steele?", Kodi asked impatiently.

"My game? I thought I already told you. I want you to leave", Steele growled.

"You know I can't. No one's going anywhere until tomorrow morning", Kodi reminded him, even though he already knew the malamute didn't care.

"Then I guess you already know what option number two is. You won't know where it'll happen, or when it'll happen, but sooner or later I will get you alone, without your precious humans to protect you", Steele said, the malamute's sinister grin returning.

However, Kodi seemed unfazed by Steele's threats (either that, or he had a really good poker face). Instead, the husky looked at his rival almost sympathetically, like he actually pitied his father's old enemy. "Steele you don't have to do this. You don't have to make the same mistakes you made all those years ago. You're only gonna make things worst for yourself", Kodi reasoned.

Steele snorted then and started laughing, like everything Kodi had said, some of the wisest advice the boy had ever given, was a big joke to him. Ralph and Kirby's scowls grew even deeper, as they stared at the malamute in disgust.

"Mistake? The only mistake I ever made was letting your father live all those years ago. If I had known I'd lose Jenna anyway, I'd have iced that wolf-dog before I left Nome", Steele retorted cruelly.

While everyone else's expressions remained angry and filled with hatred towards Steele, Kodi's face changed considerably. The boy's fears disappeared completely, replaced by understanding and comprehension. Steele had no idea how significant his taunting was. How he revealed so much of himself in his idle threats. How he made it so easy for someone to look inside his soul, and see him for the fragile, broken person he was, if you looked close enough. As clichéd as it sounded, by putting up walls around his heart, Steele had actually left himself more vulnerable than before.

Kodi barely noticed when Roger said his good-byes to Mr. Simpson and started to leave the room. Nor did he pay Steele any attention when the malamute left with his owner, staring daggers at the boy and his team on the way out. Kodiak was too busy thinking about what he had just learned, and how he could use it to do the impossible. Since he was trapped in the hotel with Steele for 24 hours, he was gonna make the best of a horrible and situation. Besides, Steele's mocking words proved that he had chance to do what his father and mother had never been able to succeed in. He could save Steele.

((()-()))

"You do know where you're going, don't you?", Star asked, feeling nervous again already.

"Sure. I've been to White Mountain plenty of times, we all have", Balto reminded the samoyed.

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago. We retired years ago Balto", Kaltag added.

"Some things you never forget", Balto replied, as the wolf-dog sniffed the ground. The hybrid, his wife, and his friends had just left Nome over an hour ago, and were currently walking tracing Kodi's scent through the Alaskan forest. Though Balto insisted he knew where they were going, his friends still weren't so sure.

Balto and Jenna had never let them down before, but this was a race against both time and nature. Storm clouds were beginning to darken the sky, meaning the snow fall would start soon. And once they happened, the team's tracks would be buried, and their scent erased. They would have to rely on Balto's memories and his instincts alone to get them to White Mountain. Still, if you were a sled dog and you had to be the lost in the woods with anyone in the world, a wolf-dog was probably your best bet of surviving.

"If we keep up this pace, we should be half-way there by the time the snow starts", Balto said reassuringly, before dashing ahead, with his friends and his wife right behind him. But they were so busy focused on the sky, and the path ahead, that they weren't all that interested in their surroundings. Not even Balto, who was usually the most alert of the group. Which is why he didn't notice they were being watched.

((()-()))

"Have you found Steele yet?", Kodi asked hopefully.

"No. We searched the entire hotel, but no one's seen him since this afternoon, not even Roger. He's still freaking out cause one of his dogs have gone missing right before a blizzard", Blake replied.

"Well he couldn't have just disappeared", Dusty reasoned.

"Actually he can. There are dozens of buildings and homes in White Mountain. And he can be hiding in any one of them", Kodi reminded her.

"The nerve of that guy, threatening my buddy. Just wait til' I get my paws on him", Kirby growled.

"Hey, remember what I told you guys, don't do anything stupid", Griff reminded them, the older husky in a sour mood as usual.

"Well we can't just let him get away with this. You didn't hear what he told Kodi and Dusty", Ralph said, deciding to put his two cents in.

Steele's second encounter with Kodi had long since passed, and the sun was just beginning to set over White Mountain. Kodi had already filled in Dusty about who Steele was, and how he had attacked the boy's father two years prior. After searching the town, Steele's team had returned to the hotel, and everyone had regrouped in the crowed lobby. They figured that with all the humans and animals taking shelter there, the lobby was the safest place for Dusty and her unborn child to be until they finally caught up with Steele and ended his madness. However, Kodi still refused to let his wife out of his sight, and had kept her close by for the past six hours.

As weird as it sounded, and crazy, Kodi didn't actually want his friends to find Steele. He wanted the chance to face Steele alone, and settle their problem dog-to-dog. Steele had said Kodi was a lot like his father, and the husky wanted to end this the way his dad would.

For now, he resolved to stay in the lobby with his friends, and wait out the storm. Unfortunately for them, the storm hadn't even started yet. Which meant that they'd be cooped up inside all night.

Still, maybe it wasn't that bad. Despite all the creaky floorboards, and the occasional leaks, the hotel was actually well insulated, the lobby felt nice and toasty inside. Kind of like the Old Mill back in Nome. And just like the Old Mill, the humans all sat in couches or chairs, eating and sharing stories with one another. The only thing Kodi regretted was that he wasn't able to relax and enjoy the night like them.

So when the last rays of sun began to disappear, forcing the humans to light lanterns inside the lobby, Kodi knew he only had a few minutes left to do what he needed to do. As much as he really didn't want to leave his wife's side, he knew it had to be done.

He whispered his intent into Kirby's ear, telling him about how he needed to go to the bathroom one last time before it got dark, much to his friend's concern. "Are you sure about this? That Griff guy said we shouldn't go off alone", Kirby reminded him.

"I'll just be right on the other side of the door. I'll be fine", Kodi said reassuringly.

"Well…maybe I should come with you?", Kirby suggested.

Kodi raised his eyebrow, and Kirby instantly regretted saying anything. "No, you stay here with Dusty and keep her safe 'til I get back", Kodi decided, however, his friend still looked unsure. "If I'm gone longer than ten minutes, then you can start looking for me", Kodi decided.

After remaining silent for almost minute (with Kodi well aware of the precious daylight that was slipping away with each second), Kirby finally nodded his head, and Kodi ran out through the lobby's dog door.

Once he was on the other side, Kodi breathed a sigh of relief. He never knew Kirby was so stubborn. Of course, he didn't really need to relieve his bladder. That was just a lie he made up because he knew it was the only one his friends would actually believe. It was the only shot he had of being alone for a few minutes. And right now, privacy was what the boy needed more than anything.

Kodi walked a few feet away from the hotel (well out of the earshot of his friends), closed his eyes, and sat down in the snow. Steele had been playing a game of cat and mouse with him all day, like he usually did with his adversaries. But Kodi had just changed the rules. It was a waiting game now. And he didn't have to wait long.

Only about a minute later, he heard the sounds of paws hitting the snow behind him, and Kodi's eyes snapped open. "Didn't take you long, did it? I thought about what you said this afternoon, so I knew you'd be waiting for me. After all, from what your teammates told me, you never could resist the chance to jump someone after dark", Kodi said, turning to face the malamute behind him.

Steele smirked. "You've got balls kid, I didn't think you'd actually face me. You dad always ran away from a fight like a coward", Steele said, obviously trying to rile the boy up. But Kodi paid him no mind, he knew all of the man's tricks.

"I came out here because we have to end this. This stupid feud between you and my family has been going on for eight years now, and I won't let it continue any longer", Kodi declared.

This time, Steele actually laughed out loud. "Don't tell me you're actually threatening me?", he chortled.

"If you want to look at that way", Kodi replied.

Steele didn't reply, only growling at the husky. Since his grin had finally disappeared, it was obvious the boy's response had made him angry, and Steele wasn't toying with him anymore. Which was good. Kodi was ready for the games to be over, so he could get this next part out of the way. Which is why he was unsurprised when Steele charged at him, and tackled the husky into the snow.

Of course, the pain of Steele hitting in the ribs hurt worst than anything Kodi had ever felt in life (and being a sled dog, he had went through quite a bit of punishment). But that was okay, he had had six hours to brace himself for this.

Kodi growled, and lashed out at Steele. However, the malamute dodged him, and aimed his own teeth for Kodi's leg. The boy screamed out in pain, and collapsed on the ground. Of course, he knew nothing about fighting, so he knew from the minute his mad plan to face Steele had appeared in his head that it would be a suicide mission. Still, he couldn't give up now.

He just laid there on the snow, screaming in agony, as Steele continued to bite down on his different parts of his body. Finally, when Steele got closer to his chest, Kodi snapped his head, and bit Steele on the shoulder as hard as he could.

The malamute's next reaction was instantaneous. He howled out so loud the whole street could hear him (though Kodi doubted the people in the inn could, since the furnace was burning). He then slapped Kodi across the face with one of his giant paws, knocking the boy backwards across the snow.

But before Kodi could have enough time to prepare himself for Steele's next attack, the malamute had already ran straight into him, and shoved the boy up against the wall, choking him with his two of his paws. When he saw how Kodi squirmed and wiggled, desperately trying to free himself from Steele's death grip, the sled dog grinned evilly. In his mind, he wasn't even fighting Kodi anymore. It was Balto he had pinned under his paws. "I'm gonna enjoy this", he said.

As Steele's paws grew tighter around his throat, Kodiak stopped fighting the pain, and allowed his arms and legs to go limp. He finally had Steele right where he wanted him. "Well, I hope you're happy", Kodi said, the words struggling to come out of his constricted windpipe.

"Oh, I am", Steele replied, before adding some pressure to the boy's neck, and grinning as he watched the wolf-dog's face turned even bluer.

"Griff was right, you are selfish", Kodi scowled.

"Why do you think I care about what that idiot thinks of me?", Steele scoffed.

"You don't. But I finally understand why you left before. Why you let my dad live", Kodi replied, changing the subject for some reason.

Steele rolled his eyes. "Which would be?", he asked, as he added one more ounce of pressure to Kodi's throat. Only a little bit more, and it'd all be over.

"Jenna. You did it for my mom", Kodi choked, as the passageway between his lungs and mouth closed all the way.

Steele's cold blue eyes widened, and the malamute's heart rate sped up a bit. It had been a long time since anyone had said the name Jenna to her, and he was so shocked that he couldn't help but relax his grip on Kodi's next a bit. Not a lot, just enough to allow a miniscule flow of oxygen to lungs. After being frozen in place for what seemed like forever (though for Kodi, it was only a few seconds), Steele composed his face, and his arrogant sneer returned. "What about her?", he asked indifferently.

"Blake said that you loved her. That's why you left. She asked you to let her go, didn't she? Before you left town the first time, she asked you to let her and Balto live in peace. And you agreed to it, because you thought there was still a chance she'd change her mind. That's why you attacked dad, and that's why she was so angry with you on the night you returned. Because you broke your promise to her", Kodi explained, before the wolf-dog screamed, as Steele's grip on his throat returned to full strength.

"Shut your mouth lobo! You don't know a thing about her or me!", Steele snarled, going from mad to furious in the blink of an eye.

"I know you cared about her, a lot. But not enough to keep you from being the same, selfish jerk you've always been. You broke her promise to her then, and you're still breaking it now", Kodi continued. He watched as Steele's expression grew angrier and angrier, but he was no longer afraid of the malamute. He knew where the man's heart lied now, and he knew this was his one chance to save him. He couldn't give up now. He had to keep talking, despite the pain in his throat and chest. For both his and Steele's sake.

"I know why you're doing this Steele. You want to hurt my dad. You want to spite him by taking away something close to him. Cause that's what bullies like you do. But when you thought of this plan to try and make him suffer, did you forget about mom? About the promise you made to her, to let her and her family live in peace? Because when she finds out I'm dead, it will destroy her", Kodi said tearfully.

He could still remember how things were after their family lost Aleu, just like it was yesterday. His poor mother had been absolutely devastated, and had been crying for months. The only thing that had kept her going was her hope that she would someday see her daughter again. But in this case, there was no hope for her son. No hope at all.

He looked down at Steele. Sure, the malamute still looked angry, and he still looked sort of like the devil incarnate. But Kodi could tell that Steele knew he was speaking the truth. He knew he had finally found the one thing they had in common, their love for Jenna, and that his words were getting through to him.

"If you want to kill me, fine. Go ahead and do it, I won't try to stop you. But if you're really gonna make my mom suffer like that, if you're really that selfish, then what everyone told me about you was true, and you never loved her at all", Kodi decided, his voice unexpectedly calm. The husky closed his eyes, as he felt Steele's grip on throat grow stronger.

After suffocating for almost a minute, his lungs were completely empty, and the boy's body had long stopped trying to pump air through the non-existent pathway. And after a few more seconds, his throat burned like the fires of hell. The only consolation Kodi had, the only good thing that managed to take his mind off the pain, was the knowing that it would all be over soon.

And then as quickly as it appeared, the pain was over. It disappeared, like it had never been there in the first place.

As he quickly sucked air back into his tortured throat, Kodi was dimly aware that Steele's paws were no longer on his neck, and that he was falling down towards the snow. But as he hit the ground, his main focus was on Steele. The malamute had let him go. He had a chance finish him, to finally get what he had obsessed about for so long, but he had set him free. Which meant there was still hope for him after all.

As Kodi staggered to his feet, he glanced at Steele's face again. The malamute's expression was flat and empty. His eyes no longer showed any sign of emotion, whether it was happiness, or sadness, or fury. For the first time in a long time, Steele actually felt calm. "You-", Kodi began, before he suddenly and harshly cut off.

"I'm only doing this because I don't want to hurt your mother. If you were any other wolf-dog, you'd be dead right now. Now go before I change my mind", Steele snarled.

Kodi didn't need to be told a second time. With his light-headed feeling now gone, the husky had full control over his body again. He stumbled across the street, and stretched his legs a bit (wanting to seem as normal as possible before he faced his friends again), and walked towards the inn's front door.

He glanced behind him, to see Steele still hadn't moved an inch from where he was standing on the sidewalk. It took him a moment to work up the guts (he had already pushed his luck enough, and he was worried he might stretch it to it's limits if he pushed the malamute any more), but Kodi decided to say something. "Steele…thank you. For keeping your promise to mom", Kodi said gratefully.

As expected, Steele didn't say anything, only glaring at the boy until he walked back inside the inn. He then looked up at the sky. Judging by all the dark clouds in the night sky, you didn't have to be a weatherman to guess the blizzard was only an hour away now.

((()-()))

But between the forests of Nome and White Mountain, the blizzard was already raging at full force, the wind mercilessly whipping Balto and his friends with snow and ice.

"Balto, it's getting pretty rough!", Nikki shouted, just barely able to see the wolf-dog walking next to him.

"We can't stop now. Besides, we've been through storms rougher than this", Balto reminded him.

"But are you even sure we're still going the right way?", Star shouted, walking close to Jenna to make sure the husky didn't accidentally get left behind.

"You have to trust me. Besides, it's too late to turn back now!", Balto said, trudging through the ever-increasing snowfall the best he could.

"Actually, your friend is right. If you're looking for the humans' next town, you are heading in the right direction. But you'll never make it there by yourselves", someone said from out of the darkness.

Suddenly, the blizzard no longer existed to Balto. Well, it was still going, and still as strong as ever, but it no longer had his attention, or the attention of his friends. They had all turned around to see a sixth canine had joined them. And that that canine was just one of many.

A gray wolf had appeared out of the snow storm. He and his pack had been following them for hours, curious about why domesticated sled dogs would so foolishly risk going into the forest on the night of a snowstorm. Now he knew why. The presence of their fearless leader was the only explanation he needed. "Balto, it's good to see you again", the wolf smiled.

Author's Notes:

What a crazy night for Kodi. And the craziness has only just begun. When I wrote "Salvation, Part 1", a year ago now, one of the main characteristics I imbued in Balto was his kindness. Instead of trying to hurt his enemies or simply kill them like Steele would, Balto actually tried to help them change, by extending his compassion towards him (you know, the deciding moment where he saved Wilson from certain death, while "I Am The Doctor" soared in the background?). Well, since Kodi is so much like his father and mother, it only makes sense that he would not only have their stubbornness, but also their sense of compassion, which would help him finally understand Steele (and hopefully save him from himself). As usual, more to come next week.