The sun hung in the clear blue sky over the Alaska wild. Just then, a couple sled dog teams raced across the landscape. It was the usual dog racing, but now it was soon going to be the home stretch and each lead dog wanted to win. One team's leader wore a fancy leather collar among gold plates around his neck which symbolized the best dog around (or at least in his mind). His icy blue eyes fixed on the path as the sun's light glistened his black and white fur. He was determined to win and not let anything get in his way. Behind him ran his team with the first three: Nikki, Kaltag, and Star among a few others and the teams were neck and neck, but this dog wasn't settling for second place as he pushed himself hard to breath. Of all the dogs in this event, he had run it quite a few times and came out on top, yet in the distance a narrow passage between two large rock formations posed an issue. Both teams neared it and the path grew narrower every minute. Some of his team had started to worry.

"Steele, we're not going to make it."

Steele (the lead dog we're talking about in case there was any confusion) shot back a cold glare as he saw that Star had started to fear. With a sharp kick from one of his back legs, he got his message across: nobody argues or questions him. Still, Steele had to stomach that Star had a point as much as he hated to admit it (which he wouldn't) and they might lose if something wasn't done. Steele thought fast and even though he knew it wasn't allowed or appreciated, he had won his collar and wasn't about to lose it. It was a symbol of honor and if he wasn't top dog, how could he live with himself seeing the collar he had worked so hard to get hanging on the neck of another? No, he was winning this race and holding on to his place. Besides, what transpired would only serve as a lesson to the other team. Any musher could understand that. Quick as he could, he snapped his jaws at the legs of the other lead dog. The sight of the dog cowering and losing his footing and making the whole team fall behind made his cold heart brighten as his team made the way through easily.

"Steele!", he heard over his shoulder.

Sympathy was for losers and in this event only the best can come out as winners. That's all that went through Steele's mind as he urged his own team along. As a nearby man saw them pass, he fired a flare after raising the pistol into the air. This was the three-mile mark. Still, Steele heard the sound and he knew he had this race in the bag. It would take too long for that other team to catch up and once he won, he'd go see the prettiest husky in all of Nome: Jeanna. Surely his victory would be enough to at least get her to give him a shot. Who else could say they were dating the most famous dog in all of Nome?

/

As the three-mile flare was seen in the distance, a brown half-wolf, half-husky looked up in the sky seeing it while he carried a Russian snow goose in his mouth by the head. The goose wasn't his prey though.

"It's the three-mile mark!", he said excitedly.

He then lifted his head back behind the rail which only seemed to make the goose grumpier as it struggled to free itself.

"Balto, get your slobbering mouth off me!", the goose loudly muffled with a Russian accent as he kept trying to pull free from the canine's maw.

He managed to get himself free, but almost slipped off the slippery snow on the ledge.

"Come on Boris.", Balto responded clearly still eager, "We can cut around back and catch the end of the race."

Boris's eyes widened after hearing that statement and was against it instantly.

"Oh, no, no, no, no.", Boris winced as he gripped Bato's tail, "I am delicate country bird."

His words fell on deaf ears as Balto kept walking forward so he gripped the tail hard in retaliation.

"I hate going into town.", he whined.

"Aw, come on.", Balto answered looking over his shoulder and giving a huge grin, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Boris could think of a lot of things that could go wrong over the times he and Balto came into Nome and as he raised his finger like a parent discipling a child, Balto sprinted off abruptly yanking him along making him scream as he held on to that tail for dear life. Balto hopped over some more railings before he came to a clothesline between two buildings where Boris lost his grip and was flung over Balto who managed to catch him by the tail feathers, throw him into a pair of hanging trousers on the line and swing over to the next roof on it after jumping onto it and held on with his teeth. Even after being removed from the trousers, Boris hadn't calmed down as he was carried to the roof's top and was freed again by his companion.

"Why do I let you talk me into these things?", Boris asked while rubbing his backside.

He took a step and instantly slipped down the roof and over its edge. Fortunately, a hanging moose antler caught one of his webbed feet which broke his fall which he was grateful for, but as he looked to his left, he was filled with dread as he noticed a couple plucked geese hanging there. Before he could escape, the butcher reached out and grabbed his feet before he pulled him inside.

/

Balto had to act fast. Boris would be dead if he didn't get to him in time. Quick as a wink, he made his way over to the other side of the house where he fortunately found the open window where the butcher was seen having Boris on the chopping block with the cleaver held high while the goose screamed in horror. Balto arrived just in time to yank Boris away in time as the cleaver hit the block and he retreated to another roof.

"Bring that back you thief!", the man yelled after him.

Balto paid him no heed as he heard the crowd waiting for the arriving team and looked out to see a team heading in from way far off.

"You are putting me down now Mr. Golden Retriever?", Boris requested in a nasal-sounding voice after some muffled honks and rants.

"Whatever you say Boris.", Balto said with a chuckle of amusement as he released the grumpy goose.

"Every time there's a race, you run around like you're in it.", Boris commented still concerned.

"Maybe someday I will be.", Balto spoke with confidence as he climbed down the building.

"Heel, boy!", Boris called down as he began descending, "Boris Goosinov is no spring chicken . . ."

He was cut off as he slid down the roof, fell through a skylight only to exit out another window and have snow fall on him.

"I'm no spring penguin either.", he said before he shook off the snow and attempted to fly but paused mid-flight shivering, "Oy, it's cold!"

He fell from the air and landed on Balto's back just as the wolfdog leaped through yet another open window just as a second flare went off in the distance. Balto then came out an open door nearby before noticing it. That marked the two-mile mark.

"Come on! We don't want to miss the finish."

"Oh, that would be a tragedy.", Boris sighed.

Balto then sprinted making him spin into the snow and vanish.

"I was being sarcastic."

Balto hadn't gone too far when a sudden gust caught his face making him pause. His head turned just in time to see a large mound of snow nearby in an alley like something was buried underneath it.

"Balto!"

Balto didn't notice Boris waddle up to him with a stern look as he moved toward the mound. Boris noticed and grew irritated.

"Balto, we go now!"

Still, Balto ignored him as he sniffed mound. Something smelled familiar, but different. Just when he was about to wonder further, the mound moved making him back off a bit. The snow fell away revealing . . . a dog. Balto was confused.

/

Cole stood up as his vision started coming into focus as two blurry shapes stood before him. One was brown while the other white.

"Are you okay there?", one shape asked.

"Oy, he must be some dog we not noticed."

Cole shook his face with his eyes closed trying to clear his head. Then he felt like he was on his hands and his feet yet he was warm like he was dressed for winter. Still a bit blinded by the bright lights, he had tried to raise his head again.

"Yeah, I'm just fine.", he answered.

Then suddenly, he started to shake himself sending snow everywhere. His focus then came to be and noticed a dog and a goose standing before him though the dog looked more confused.

"Sorry we disturb you Mister.", the goose said, "We should be-"

"Wait!", Cole said cutting the goose off, "Why can I understand you?"

"I don't know.", the dog answered, "But I don't recall seeing a dog like you around."

Cole paused. What was the dog talking about? Luckily a reflective patch of ice was nearby and he caught his reflection. Staring back at him was a dog that looked wolflike with dark gray and white fur though he recognized his eyes. Around his neck was a collar of brown leather with some gold diamond shapes across its surface with a tag hanging from it.

"Is . . . is that me?", he asked hoping it wasn't.

"That's how you look to me.", the dog answered casually.

Cole then freaked out as he then looked down to his own furry feet and then recalled seeing some wolf teeth in his mouth while he saw his reflection.

"Hey, easy there.", the dog said placing himself in front of Cole trying to calm him, "We won't hurt you."

Cole paused to take a few breaths, and then he saw the dog's brown eyes. They seemed to hold compassion which helped Cole calm down further.

"So, who might you be?", Cole asked.

"My name is Balto.", the dog answered.

Cole looked a bit surprised.

"Wait, is this Nome, Alaska?", he asked.

"Yeah.", Balto answered.

Cole looked a bit at a loss. This wasn't the Nome he came to and it wasn't winter either. Why was he here? Then he remembered the mirror and when he wore the Inuit necklace, hoping for something he lost, and then a wolf howl before that blizzard sucked him into the mirror. He then noticed Balto looking thoughtful.

"Would you like to stay with me at my place?"

Before Cole could answer, the goose piped up.

"No, no, no! We're not taking him!", he said firmly, "I have too much to babysit!"

Cole frowned.

"Hey, I have no idea how I got here, how I'm supposed to get back, and I could really use a place to stay."

/

Before the goose could say anything, Balto got his attention.

"Boris, look at him. He's lost and has nowhere to go. His scent tells me he's not from around here and I can't bear to see him like this."

Boris took another look at Cole who had calmed down a lot and after seeing the loss and misery in Cole's eyes, he recalled a memory when Balto was found as a pup. It looked so helpless and lost, so he made the decision to adopt him and over time had built a strong connection to him. He then reconsidered his decision.

"Alright, the new guy can stay."

Cole looked firm, but before he could talk another thought came to mind.

"Wait, how can you have a place if you don't have an owner?", he asked.

Balto chuckled nervously, realizing the confusion.

"I do have a home.", he clarified, "It's an old abandoned boat outside of town. I live there."

Cole seemed to understand that and then looked curious.

"So, what kind of dog are you?", he asked recalling his reflection earlier, "Maybe I'm the same kind."

Balto paused cause he didn't exactly like bringing up his heritage. He hung his head in shame, but much to his chagrin, he answered.

"I'm a half-breed."

Cole expression didn't change. Balto was a bit surprised.

"You know, like part-husky, part-wolf?", he explained hesitantly.

Cole looked awestruck.

"Now way! No wonder you look so beautiful."

"Thanks.", Balto said smiling softly, pleasantly surprised, "You're pretty beautiful yourself.

"Ahem!", said Boris crossing his wings.

They both turned to the goose and realized they forgot about him in all the communication.

"Oh, this is my father, Boris.", Balto said to Cole sheepishly.

Cole looked Boris's way and then back to Balto.

"Seriously?", he asked perplexed.

"It's kind of a long story.", Balto said, "I'll explain later."

Just then, a loud bang followed by a loud whistle caught Cole's ears and almost made him freak out again.

"What was that?", he asked before he noticed a bright flare in the clear blue sky.

"Oh, I forgot about that!", Balto said with realization, "There's the one-mile mark for the dog sled race."

Cole looked interested.

"A race is going on?", he asked.

"Yeah, and I'm running late to catch the end of the race.", Balto answered.

Cole then felt his ears prick up as he faintly heard the sound of what sound like dogs and something sliding on the snow. It was getting louder and Cole saw Balto must be hearing the same thing the way his ears were perked.

/

"I'll take you to my place after the race.", Balto assured Cole, "Just follow my lead, and make sure you keep up. And maybe you can tell me your name."

Cole suddenly felt like running again. It would be nice to test his new body out to see if he still had his running skill.

"Sounds great.", he said, "I would like to see who's winning just for the heck."

Balto crouched into a running position and Cole did the same.

"Ready?", Balto asked.

After a nod from Cole, they both sprinted off with Boris picking up the rear at a much slower rate. As Cole followed Balto, a newspaper blew past him and halted on a nearby trash can with a poem written in an ad.

"A town in need will soon pay a great toll. Fuse the two halves and create the whole.", Cole read before the paper blew away again.

Cole regained his nerve and saw Balto had gotten ahead a bit, but he put more effort and soon was on his heels.

"Wow, you're good.", Balto said as Cole was now neck and neck with him.

"I always was a good sprinter.", Cole admitted recalling his track and field days, "Was the fastest runner on the team."

Balto looked impressed.

"Well, with that kind of running, you would make a great sled dog."

Cole blushed as he felt like he was running track and field again.

"Well, my musher did have good taste.", he said, "He knew a good sled dog when he saw one."

As they ran, Cole recalled the rhyme he had seen.

"A town in need will soon pay a great toll", he recalled, "That's a bit scary, but what did it mean when it said to fuse the halves and make the whole?"

Cole decided to think about it a little later. Right now Balto and him had a race to catch and Balto clearly didn't want to miss it. However he got here, he felt like Balto was someone he should be with for a bit. Something about that wolfdog felt familiar to him and it was itching in the back of his mind, but what was it? Would it help him get back home if he found out what it was? Whatever it was, Cole just kept up with Balto as the tag on his collar sparkled in the sun illuminating a name engraved there: Togo.