Chapter 9

The wolf had Balto pinned to the floor. "You know how long I have looked for you? That bear…then I was attacked by hunters. Now I have you, you little prick!"

"You murdering, heartless bastard!" Balto snarled.

"Look junior, I didn't want to kill your mother. I wanted to kill all the pups and you, then take her as my own."

Balto glared at him angrily. "That is what this is about? You wanted my mom, but she fell for my dad so you went ballistic?"

Claude smirked. "Ballistic? No. It was revenge. Your father stole Aniu from me." He shook his head. "You know what? Wolves and dogs. They don't mix. You're father was a husky. She was a wolf. I was doing the right thing."

"BULLSHIT!!" Balto snarled. "You lost her because you were a freak!"

Claude punched him across the face. "Whose the freak junior?!"

Balto glared at him. "Who killed someone he loved, along with three pups?"

Claude smiled. "They were freaks. You're a freak. I was doing right."

Balto kicked at Claude's stomach. Claude's face contorted in pain. Balto kicked again, knocking him into the wall.

Balto pinned him to the ground."You should have left me alone. You shouldn't have come back to kill me. I'm not a helpless pup anymore."

Claude chuckled. "You know, if you had died, Aniu would still be alive. She died because of you."

"SHUT UP!!!" Balto lashed out, punching him in the face. Claude was still smiling. He noticed Balto was staring at the stitches. They covered his entire body.

"You like them? That bear nearly killed me. He tore off my fur, my skin. A scientist found me. He sowed me up with fur from a wolf he had shot a week earlier. You remember the bear don't you?"

Balto nodded. Claude suddenly exposed his throat. "You want your revenge? They're you go. Kill me."

Balto paused, startled by the action. He shook his head. "You're a nut. You need help. I don't kill."

"That's a shame. I do." Claude growled. "And I won't stop hunting you till you're dead."

Balto turned and ran out of the old mill. He considered where he could go.

Claude was insane. He had no limitations. He would keep hunting until Balto was dead.

Balto ran through the town. He noticed a medium sized house. There were no lights on inside. Balto breathed a sigh of relief. He could be sheltered here.

He cautiously nudged the door open. He didn't see anyone. The house was deserted. Balto made sure to close the door behind him. Claude was surely tracking him. He had to have a good defense.

"Who's there?" A voice demanded.

Before he could respond someone had pinned him to the ground."Who are you?" The voice snarled.

Suddenly the dog seemed to calm down. "Balto? What are you doing here?"

Balto could faintly make out the figure. It was Jenna.

"Oh uh…sorry…I didn't know this was your house. I'll be going then." Balto realized he was sweating. "Sorry again."

Jenna shook her head. "You don't have to leave. You just…startled me is all."

Balto nodded. He wondered how he could explain everything. "Listen. There is someone after me. Someone who wants to kill me."

Jenna looked unconcerned. "Isn't there always somebody trying to kill you?"

Balto rolled his eyes. "This is different. This guy…he's worse. Much worse."

There was a scratching at the door. Balto's ears flattened. "That would be him."

"Okay, don't worry." Jenna padded over to the door and opened it. Balto hid under a sofa.

Claude smiled when he saw the husky. "Hello miss. I was wondering if you saw a brown wolf dog pass through here? Small? Scrawny?"

Jenna frowned and shook her head. "No. Haven't seen him."

Balto froze. Jenna had made a mistake.

Claude smiled. "That's strange. I don't recall saying it was a 'him.'"

The large wolf pounced on her. "Tell me where he is!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Jenna cried.

"I think you do!" Claude snarled.

"Stop it!" Balto snarled, rising out of his hiding place. "She has nothing to do with this!"

Claude smirked, sighting his prey. He let out a cry of rage and hurled himself at Balto.

"DIE YOU LITTLE FREAK!!!!" He shouted.

Balto fought Claude off, then headed for the door. He smashed it open, then took off. Claude was hot on his tail. But Balto was fast. He was putting a lot of distance between himself and his pursuer.

Claude looked mad. He was practically foaming at the mouth. Balto saw the boiler room. He rushed past the old door. He had occasionally come to see the aurora when he had needed to get away. He crawled under the building. The bottles were where they had been before.

He hastily arranged them. Claude squeezed under the crawlway. He grinned, seeing his prey.

"Back away from the bottles." Claude snarled.

Balto backed away. The aurora sprang from the bottles. Claude screamed, blinded by the bright lights. He staggered away. Balto was gone.

The chase continued through the streets of the town. Balto ran between people's legs in his haste to escape. Townspeople shouted profanities at him as he bumped into them.

Balto spotted the familiar ladder to the roof of the building. He climbed up it. Once again he found himself cornered. He looked down. It was a long fall to the ground. He turned to find that Claude had caught up with him.

"End of the line junior." Claude said through gritted teeth.

Balto backed up. There was, as always, no space left between him and the edge of the roof.

"Claude, you're crazy. You need help."

"Don't give me that. You're a coward, Balto. You don't have it in you to kill. If you can't kill me, you can't kill anyone."

Balto nodded. "You're right. I don't kill. I will never kill. My mother always told me never to take a life. No matter what. I live by her ideals."

Claude smirked. "You're going to join her because of it. Goodbye junior."

Balto's widened in surprise. "What's that?" He pointed past Claude's head.

Claude turned, alarmed. There was nothing. He turned back. Balto was gone.

"Oh are we going to play this little game again? Spare me."

Suddenly something slammed into Claude's back. He was knocked off the building. He managed to grab onto the edge. He hung over the crowded street below.

Balto padded over. Claude grimaced when he saw him.

"Why can't you just die?"

Balto extended his paw. "Grab on."

Claude raised a stitched eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You'll fall. Grab on."

Claude smiled and grabbed onto Balto's paw. "Go to hell Balto." He pulled.

Balto gasped in horror. Claude was going to fall to his death, but he was bringing Balto down too. They both fell with Claude laughing defiantly.

Suddenly someone grabbed Balto by the scruff of the neck.

Claude's laughter turned to screams of terror as he fell alone. There was a loud crash as he hit the ground.

Balto looked to see who had saved him. He gasped. It was Steele.

"Steele?" He stared disbelievingly as Steele hoisted him back onto the panted for breath. "Wh…why did you do that?"

"You saved my life two years ago. I never returned the favor."

Balto nodded. "Thanks."

Steele grabbed him by the throat. "Listen to me wolf dog. This changes nothing. We are still enemies. No matter what happens. You understand?"

Balto nodded wordlessly. Steele grinned. "Good. Catch you later lobo."

Balto padded down the ladder and went home. He tried his best not to look at the broken body of his family's killer. He hadn't intended for Claude to die. He sighed. It was probably for the best.

A crowd of humans had gathered around the body of the wolf. Balto snuck past them and ran back to the boat.