(Cover is temporary; I intend on putting together an illustrated cover for this one sometime in the future.)

Author's Note: Here it is. The continuation to my Star-focused story, "No Time Like The Present". After receiving positive feedback from the reviews and the friends who read the story after I shared it with them once completing it, I felt really encouraged to write a follow-up. Many elements of the story are actually kinda inspired by the ideas thrown in about Star's further desires to break away from Steele and expand his friendship Balto (Before anyone asks, no it's not going to lead to any shipping as it's simply something I don't do. They're just friends.), while others stem from personal feelings or experiences, and even inspiration from other fanfics I've seen while browsing stories. There are also ideas that I wrote into the story that just felt right and did my best to keep things as true in nature to the original film (which is something I'll always try to do with all my fics lol). So uhh, yeah, that's about it story-wise before y'all get into the chapters. Hope you enjoy! :)

Now, before the story starts, I do have some words I want to give regarding a close friend of mine, Zach, who, among other friends of mine, has been extremely supportive when it came to me sharing my love for Balto and this recent venture into writing fanfics for the first time. Thanks largely to me, he's also grown a love for Star too, after the two of us had a Balto movie night together. So much so that, a little while after my first story was complete, he got two adorable puppies (boy and girl) and named one of them Christie, and the other after Star! Sadly, recently around the time I began going through the final edits of this story near the start of the month, both would have their lives cut short as they unfortunately passed away on the same day due to parvo, which broke Zach at the time. Thankfully he's doing much better now. Despite being nearly complete at the time it happened, I'm dedicating this story to both them and Zach, as not only a thank you for the support and encouragement while writing this, but my gift to honor the two puppies after such a devastating turn of events. This one's for you.

Fly high, Christie & Star~

Prologue

The news was spreading fast, and with it came a high level of urgency in the air.

An outbreak of diphtheria had taken the small Alaskan town of Nome by storm, landing a large number of children bedridden in the hospital, where a serious problem would make itself known.

The supply of antitoxin was no more.

It was ordered at once for a new shipment of antitoxin to be delivered as soon as possible. But now, there was even more trouble. A fierce storm swept across the land, smothering every acre of ground and water in its path with thick layers of ice and snow. With this, huge chunks of ice eliminated chances of the medicine being shipped over sea. Transport by aviation was soon ruled out as well, with the storm forcing all planes to be grounded until the weather died down.

Morale was getting lower and lower as the news was telegraphed back and forth. Finally, a last-ditch effort plan was formed. There was a railroad line that ran as far as the town of Nenna, as Nome was farther away, relatively isolated, and had no rail connection. In the event that the train beat the blizzard and made it there, the fastest team of sled dogs would be sent to pick it up and carry it back the rest of the way.

So it was arranged. The urgent cargo was loaded on board. Then, with a boiler burning fiercely, a stack putting out a good head of steam, and a large plow at the head end, the locomotive pulling the train forged on. It slipped wildly at first, trying desperately to get a grip on the icy rails but was soon away. This was their last option. If the train couldn't make it, the town's fate would've been as good as sealed.

As the old saying goes, third times a charm, and as luck would have it, the third attempt proved successful. The train had made it to the depot at Nenana. However, they were not out of the woods quite yet, as the antitoxin still had to reach Nome as fast as possible. A message was relayed to the small town about the successful midway delivery. Now, they needed a sled team to fetch the medicine. One with the fastest dogs they could find. A race was soon suggested and in no time, preparations for the race to determine who would be on the emergency dog sled team were put into action.

This is where our story begins.