Boris was about to object to Cole's statement, but Balto pushed him with his muzzle so that the goose would be seeing Jenna settling on the branch Balto brought over with Muk and Luk standing near her.

"Boris, they need you more than I do.", he said, "And like Togo said, he'll be with me."

Boris paused as he contemplated what Balto and Cole had said. Then he gave in seeing as Balto wouldn't change his mind. He started over to the group, but paused.

"Let me tell you something Balto.", Boris said turning to Balto again, "A dog can not make this journey alone, but maybe a wolf can."

Balto flinched as the mention of a dog not making the journey, but when he saw Cole not moved, he recovered from it as Boris turned Cole's way.

"And as for you Togo, you better mean when you say you'll be back.", Boris said firmly, "Because I'm not covering for you if you don't."

Cole smiled nervously.

"Sure thing Boris."

Boris then marched over to Muk, Luk and Jenna.

"Right, you two balls of fluff!", he said in a way of a general addressing his troops as Muk and Luk gave a salute, "Let's move!"

Balto and Cole looked back out and headed out into the wilderness again when something crossed Cole's mind and thought it would pass the time.

"Balto, can I tell you something?"

Balto looked his way.

"Sure."

Cole took a breath before continuing.

"That night you brought me to your home, I had a dream where I think I saw you as a pup being carried to Nome by a husky. Was that your dad?"

Balto looked a bit haunted, but he answered.

"I don't know.", he answered, "I hardly remember anything back from when I was a pup. But somehow Boris found me and he looked after me ever since."

He paused a minute to recall his early days even though it hurt him.

"Nobody wanted to get to know me in Nome and the wild wolf packs that would pass by wouldn't either. I thought my life couldn't get worse, but then Steele moved to Nome and when he found out about my heritage, he and his posse made it their goal to make my life as miserable as they could. Every moment, they tormented, teased, and mocked me until I left. I thought I'd never get out of the void I was trapped in, but then Jenna moved to Nome with Rosy. Even though Rosy's parents didn't like me, whenever we met, Rosy was nice and showed kindness when she could. Jenna even grew to accept me as well making her and Rosy a bright light in my life."

He paused before looking Cole's way.

"And then you came along and became part of that light."

Cole accepted that and carried on with Balto unaware that as night fell, the telegrapher back in Nome was getting a message.

"Nome. Stop. Cannot send more antitoxin. Stop. Weather too severe. Stop. Lost sled team—only hope. Stop. Our prayers are with them. Anchorage. Stop."

/

By nightfall, Balto and Cole were met with strong winds as they pushed on. Every now and then they would pause and mark the trail again and after a couple of pitfalls, they lifted their noses to the air and sniffed just to catch a familiar scent.

"Steele.", Balto said turning to a direction.

Cole followed Balto and once they were on top of a hill, they saw at the bottom . . . was the team! Cole and Balto headed down, but slipped as Steele had done, but luckily, they were able to hold themselves steady as they slid down. Star was the first to notice them coming and looked in awe.

"Balto?! Togo?!"

Nikki and Kaltag also shook some snow off themselves and noticed also.

"Is that Balto and Togo?", Nikki asked.

"Balto, Togo, how did you find us?", Kaltag asked.

Balto and Cole had by far reached the bottom and the team though Balto looked concerned.

"Is anyone hurt?"

Steele, who was sitting nearby with his back turned to everyone, looked over his shoulder and gave Balto a cold look.

"Everyone is fine.", he said trying to sound interrogating, but found it hard to do so.

Star looked at Steele as if afraid to talk, but then he did so.

"Yeah, but our hit his head… and he didn't get up."

"And he's not movin'.", Nikki added.

Cole recalled the time his own musher got hit on the head and dread resurfaced in his heart. He wasn't about to let another musher down and headed over to Balto who was coming up behind Star.

"All right, follow me.", Balto said taking a set of reins in his mouth, "I can lead you home."

Steele whirled around fast and Cole barely had time to react before he stepped on the reins hard to stop Balto.

"We don't need your help.", he sneered.

Star chuckled a bit before talking.

"M-Maybe we should listen to him.", he suggested.

Steele shot Star a menacing sneer. Cole frowned.

"How would yous get us home then?", Nikki asked.

"Balto and I marked the trail.", Cole answered going near Balto.

"Like this.", Balto answered as he started marking another tree.

Steele jumped on the branch they were marking looking fiercer.

"I'll get us home!", he snarled, "I'm lead dog. I'm in charge."

"How?", Cole asked firmly as he felt his blood boil, "Don't you think if you could get your team home, you would've done it by now?"

That only made Steele tense as he turned Cole's way.

"You keep your mouth shut Togo!", he sneered.

Cole narrowed his eyes. Steele was blinded by anger and pride, but he wasn't about to back down.

"Or what?"

Nikki, Kaltag, and Star tensed.

"Uh-oh, Togo's pushing it.", Nikki said.

/

Steele then noticed Balto heading toward the sled.

"Then let Togo and me take the medicine. They're getting sicker."

Steele tried to jump to cut Balto off, but then Cole leaped after him and cut him off before he could.

"Move!", Steele ordered with his teeth bared.

Cole smiled as an idea came to mind.

"You always knew Balto was the better sled dog than you'll ever be.", Cole said plainly, "That was probably why you picked on him so often."

Steele then jumped forward in an attempt to chomp on Cole's neck, but Cole leaped aside avoiding him and making Steele slide into the snow.

"You cursed wolfdog!", Steele said harshly as he got up and looked Cole's way, "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"A dog who can't admit he's wrong. I'll give you that much.", Cole answered as he avoided Steele's jaws again, "You're saying that you would rather let all of Nome including Jenna die just so you'll stay lead dog?"

Steele flinched, but his expression darkened further.

"You dare mention her?!", he snarled before attempting again.

Balto saw all this and grew worried that Cole was getting Steele too worked up. Cole however noticed a steep cliff as Steele came towards him. Still, he kept his smile on.

"Nome trusted you to deliver hope in their hour of need and you failed Steele.", Cole continued, "You don't deserve to wear that collar."

Balto saw Steele was ready to kill Cole so he leaped forward just as Steele did and Steele's jaws clamped on Jenna's scarf as Cole held his ground hoping to get past Steele who tried viciously to drag Balto aside, but then Jenna's scarf came undone and Steele began to fall backwards. Still, as he fell, he managed to snare Cole's collar with one of his front paws and Cole bent his head allowing the collar to slip off his neck and Steele to fall down hitting a couple times before he hit the ground at the bottom. As Steele tried to get himself up, Balto looked more at ease knowing Cole was alright, but a bit sorrowful.

"Sorry about your collar Togo."

Cole looked his way understandingly.

"It's fine.", he said, "I still have my musher's spirit with me no matter what."

Balto and Cole both noticed that the other dogs were helping the musher onto the sled as they came over. Cole then flinched as he then fell down on one of his front paws.

"Dang, must have sprained from all that avoiding.", he admitted looking a bit embarrassed, but then another idea came to mind, "Mind if I ride along? It'll help keep the medicine in place if the road gets rough."

Balto seemed on board as Cole helped the musher's arm into place before laying on top of him.

"Good boy.", Cole heard the musher say faintly.

As Cole lay on the sled, Balto went to the head where Star held up the reins Steele had worn. He nervously glanced over to the others, but they said nothing so Star held up the reins as Balto slipped into them.

/

Steele groaned as he hoisted himself up the cliff. Cole's words rang in his ears and now that wolf dog had made it personal! Just when he had started formulating a plan to get his team home, Balto and Cole had to show up and have the nerve to try and steal his glory. He had just reached the top with Jenna's scarf in his mouth and Cole's collar on his leg to see something that made his heart more hardened: Balto leading his team away and Cole in the sled with the musher.

"Go ahead wolf dogs!", he called after them, "You'll never make it home! I'll make sure of that."

If he couldn't get the glory, he wasn't about to let Balto get it either and headed off as his twisted evil mind began plotting. As Steele was off, Cole was laying on the musher before drifting off into a memory of when Seppala had gotten to the hospital in another town in Alaska.

"How is he doctor?"

"I don't know. He's hurt really bad."

Cole recalled other dogs near the hospital looking worried as they waited outside.

"Togo, I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to avoid that hole.", a dog said apologetically.

Cole remembered shaking his head sadly.

"No, I'm lead dog so if anyone is to blame, it's me."

Cole remembered the fear rising in his heart and while the other dogs tried to keep calm, as the doctor came to the door, Cole had turned in shame and ran off as fast as he could.

"Togo? Togo!"

Cole stirred as the sled slowed to a stop.

"Oh no."

Cole looked up to see trees marked everywhere. Which ones where Balto's?

"Steele.", Cole muttered darkly.

"Which way Balto?", Star asked, "Which way? Which way?"

Balto looked nervous.

"Uh… this way.", he said making a guess.

He pulled the sled along and the other dogs followed. Cole held on to the medicine with his back paw as the sled team moved along. Soon, they came to what looked like a familiar scene and Balto put on the brakes making the dogs bump into each other as they stopped.

"Balto, why are you taking us in circles?", Kaltag asked.

"He's not!", Cole called out, "It's Steele's doing!"

"Maybe we was better off with him there.", Nikki griped.

"No!", Balto said looking firm, "Come on. Mush!"

Balto then pulled the dogs again and they followed as Cole suddenly felt the wind whipping him harder.

"Balto, slow down!", Star objected.

Then he caught a branch in his mouth, but Balto kept speeding up.

"Hey, hey! You're goin' too fast!", Nikki piped up.

Cole wanted to stand up, but kept himself down as the area came more open.

"Balto, I think we should slow down very bad!", Cole called out.

Then the area opened up to a steep slide that led to a very long drop! Balto suddenly put on the brakes as did the rest of the dogs as Cole held on to the sled for dear life. As Balto got to a halt, the other dogs soon slid to stops with the final dog dangling over the edge looking frightened and the sled almost flipped over a rock. Cole dared not to look down, but unfortunately, he did and he suddenly shifted his weight so the sled would fall back onto solid ground. As it did, Cole heard the sound of ropes snapping. He turned around fast to see the medicine crate was coming undone! The sled was now on the ground and Balto must have seen it too as he had slipped out of his reins and made a leap at the sled. Cole and him managed to catch two of the ropes in their mouths and stop the crate from falling further.

"All right!", Star said enthusiastically, "Nice catch Balto. You too Togo."

The moment was short lived as a series of crack caught Balto and Cole's ears. The ice then broke out from under them! As the other dogs looked on in horror, Balto and Cole fell down the side of the mountain screaming before snow enveloped them and everything went black.

/

Steele trudged to the outskirts of Nome forcing himself forward. As he noticed Cole's collar, the memory of him making all those fake marks made him chuckled to himself. There was no way those wolf dogs could make it back to Nome with the medicine. As he made his way to the popular boiler house, he heard voices.

"I don't get it. How could Balto hope to find Steele and his team?

"They were off the trail."

"Well, he's tracking them."

Steele recognized Jenna's voice and after a couple more comments sounded, he pushed the door open standing with icicles hanging off his body.

"Balto?"

Steele raised his face to see Jenna's face that was smiling, but then looked unamused as he staggered in. As some praised him, a dog hurled a bone his way and Steele didn't bother to hold back as he chomped on it hungrily.

"Steele, where are the others?"

"Yeah, where are the others?", another dog asked.

Steele staggered over to the boiler in an attempt to warm himself as he thought up a way to explain. He did, and he thought it up quick.

"Well, one by one they fell. Frozen, barely alive.", he said before shaking himself of the ice and impaling the shards in the wood before continuing, "I-I pulled four onto the sled. Three more on my back. And I, I walked… and I walked… but it was just—it was too late."

He was trying to put on the most sympathetic tone he could hoping for sympathy, but the elder dog spoke again.

"What about the medicine?"

Steele tensed as the thought of Balto and Cole taking the medicine, but slapped on his sympathetic look again as he thought of an excuse for that too.

"Uh… I-I went on… dragging the medicine alone. All alone.", he said before his wrath started flaring, And then suddenly… those wolf dogs appeared. Balto and Togo. They demanded I let them take the medicine."

He paused to put his sympathetic look back on before approaching Jenna.

"You know, they, they just wanted so much… to be heroes in your eyes. And they grabbed the crate… but they couldn't handle it. They-they couldn't see the patch of ice, the snow, the wind, and then the log. And the cliff! Well, they just didn't have a chance."

Jenna looked suspicious as Steele force sobbed hoping it would get her to at least talk to him.

"It's—I'm sorry."