Rosy's father showed up with a bunch of other people including the butcher who had claimed that his meat locker had been raided and even though Steele had avoided suspicion by throwing the sausages he had taken in the direction of the fleeing Balto and Cole, he hadn't counted on them jumping and avoiding getting tangled up in them which would lead to them being framed which only fueled his burning hatred barely held in check with the cold weather. Rosy's father shined his light on the tracks where Balto, Cole, and Jenna jumped, but no further as the tracks seemed to have vanished.

"Darn, tracks stop here.", he muttered

The butcher looked a bit disappointed.

"Well, whatever took my meat, it's gone now."

Those were responses Steele had not wanted to hear as the humans had decided to give up the chase which ment he needed to as well. The moment all eyes were off him, his innocent look dissolved into a look of vengeance and pure hate.

"I'll get those wolfdogs.", he swore to himself quietly.

While this was going on, Balto, Cole and Jenna had paused in an alley as they noticed the light was no longer following them. Still, they were pretty winded.

"Phew, that was a close one.", Cole huffed turning to Balto and Jenna, "Everyone okay?"

Balto nodded and Jenna did to which told Cole they were fine. Balto looked apologetic.

"Jenna, I'm sorry about what happened back there."

"No, it's okay.", Jenna told him, "I just wanted to know about Rosy's condition and you and Togo here helped me find out so I should be thankful for what you did."

Cole sighed.

"Too bad a certain someone, I won't say who, had the intention of crashing our talk."

Balto felt a bit disgusted that Steele had decided to crash his date, but the thought of avoiding that mob helped him forget about it. This was probably a rare time he wasn't blamed for something he didn't do and the feeling of Togo being with him at that moment really made it more memorable.

"Jenna!"

Jenna's ears perked as she heard her name being called and Balto could tell she had to go.

"Hey, thanks for the view of the Northern Lights.", she said over her shoulder before she left.

Balto smiled shyly as he took in the comment. Cole then came up to his side.

"Well, we better get back before Boris gripes about us being out too long."

Balto sighed as he knew Cole was right, but he then gave Cole a small smile.

"Togo, thanks for the save there. If it hadn't been for you, I might have gotten in trouble again."

/

Cole caught a whiff in the air that was faint, but he followed his nose to the same place where he had run alongside Balto and Jenna and started shifting through the snow. Balto watched as Cole finally found the sausages that Steele had flung at them and draped them around his own neck.

"Aren't you going to go to the meat locker?", Balto asked, "It was where you wanted to go right?"

"After what happened, I'll be okay with this.", Cole answered gesturing to the sausages, "We'll just say Steele bought us dinner."

Balto seemed to accept that and by the time they got back to the boat, Boris was up while Muk and Luk had now settled down and were sleeping soundly.

"Hey fellas.", Boris said cheerfully, "How did it go?"

Balto said nothing, but Cole spoke up.

"It was okay for a while, but then Steele had to show up and try to woo Jenna after she found out her owner was in the hospital."

Balto's confidence seemed to dim as Cole mentioned Steele, but he was grateful when Cole mentioned that Balto wasn't blamed for Steele's attempt to frame him. Boris however rolled his eyes before giving Cole a hard look.

"Anyone tell you that you are crazy mutt?", he asked.

Cole shrugged before unwrapping the sausages from his neck.

"At least Steele got us dinner though."

As much as Balto felt, he was getting a bit hungry and seeing that the butcher probably wouldn't want it back after what happened, started eating them with Cole.

"Nothing like a good meal before bed.", Cole said before yawning.

/

Balto looked a bit curious.

"Togo, how can you stand up to Steele so well?", he asked before yawning himself, "It's like you're immune to every mean thing he says."

Cole blushed as he recalled the times he was bullied and teased back in his old schools as he and Balto finished the sausages.

"I've . . . kind of been through it all.", he admitted, "The name calling, the mean pranks, the blame games, the whole thing. I may have heard what Steele said, but I chose not to listen."

Boris then started urging them towards the blanket Balto once wrapped himself in before.

"Okay boys time for bed.", he said.

Cole watched Balto huddle in the blanket while he walked around in a circle before getting into a sleeping position himself and feeling how course and yet soft fur as his own tail furled over his nose. He then felt a tap on his back which made him drowsily lift his head to see Balto had gotten up and showing that the blanket could cover both of them. Cole staggered to his feet and went to Balto's side before helping Balto get the blanket over them. Being beside Balto made Cole recall when he used to have sleepovers with his teammates and an idea came to mind.

"Balto, do you mind if I sing a song? It'll help me get some sleep."

Balto smiled.

"Sure.

Cole took a breath as the memory of a song he knew came to mind. Its melody began playing in his ears and he started as he observed the wind blow some snow over a hanging lamp.

"Deep in the night, the wind blows cold. And in a heartbeat, the fear takes hold. Deep in the storm, there's a place that's soft and still. Where the road waits to be taken if you only will. The voices inside you can lead your soul astray. Believe in what you dream. Don't turn away. Don't you turn away."

Cole paused to take a breath.

"Reach for the light. You might touch the sky. Stand on the mountain top and see yourself flying. Reach for the light to capture a star. Come out of the darkness and find out who you are."

Cole paused a moment to let the memory of the song set in before singing the next verse.

"Somewhere in time, the truth shines through. And the spirit knows what it has to do. Somewhere in you there's a power with no name. It can rise to meet the moment and burn like a flame. And you can be stronger than anything you know. Hold on to what you see. Don't let it go. Don't you let it go."

Cole sang the chorus again and saw Balto was looking inspired. It was like the song was encouraging him somehow and to hear Cole sing was something that was putting him at ease.

"Now, there's no turning back when your destiny is calling. Listen to the thunder roll and let your heart break free."

/

When Cole sang the final run of the chorus, Balto was looking like the song lulled him to sleep and Cole saw Boris nestled in a crate out of the wind before he felt his own eyelids get heavy. And before his head even hit the deck, he was out cold and sleeping soundly as the song played again in his ears as if to lull him to sleep as well.

"Good night Balto.", he whispered before sleep overcame him.

As Cole's mind drifted, his collar's tag sparkled in the light of the hanging lamp and Cole suddenly felt like the wind was blowing harder than it was. His eyes opened to find himself in the middle of a snowy tundra and Nome was nowhere to be seen.

"What's all this?", he asked himself as he got to his feet.

He had to be dreaming or something cause he then noticed something in the distance. As if drawn by a magnet, he started getting closer to it and it became clearer. What he found was a husky with dark red fur sitting up, but looking saddened as a white wolf lay at his feet. Cole felt his own heart crack cause the wolf wasn't moving which hinted it was dead. A small whimper caught his wolf ears and Cole looked down at the husky's feet to see a small light brown puppy huddling against the husky's paws as if to show it was scared and as sad which made the husky look down at it look apologetic before snapping his head up and look a distance away and give a warning look. Cole followed his gaze to see a couple of wolf shapes standing on the hills looking the husky's way.

"I don't think we should stay.", Cole said as he headed over to the husky.

The husky didn't even look his way as he picked up the puppy by the scruff of his neck and headed off with Cole following. Was that Balto's father? He had to be cause of the way he held the puppy and was heading off. But what happened to the white wolf was going through Cole's mind. Was there an accident? An attack? He didn't know, but he followed the husky interested before the husky walked over a hill and accidentally stumbled almost dropping his puppy, but kept himself steady. The puppy sneezed, but didn't squirm as the husky looked behind himself and Cole noticed that he had hurt his back leg. Cole then saw a light not far away which told him it was Nome and prayed the husky would see it too. Cole followed the husky as he hobbled toward the light and as Nome came into view, he put more effort into his stride. Cole then felt something dreadful behind him and turned just as the husky looked behind him also to see the same dark wolves running right towards them! As much as Cole cared for the husky, he didn't want to let the puppy get hurt. If he had to fight, he would, but something told him he was only observing this whole event. Before the wolves got close though, the Cole's sight went black and when his eyes opened again, the husky was nowhere to be seen and Cole felt worried. He hurried to Nome and after searching, he found the husky spread out on the ground as if he died trying to save his puppy. Cole saw the puppy under a light as it lifted its head, sniffed around and gave a small wolf howl.

/

Cole's eyes snapped open and he saw he was still beside Balto who was still asleep and on the boat under the blanket.

"What was that?", he thought to himself as he looked around.

Was all that he saw part of his psyche or something? He didn't remember seeing the husky or the white wolf before. Could it be from all the facts about Balto and Togo getting to him from his old life? Cole then remembered the rhyme he had seen yesterday and it repeated itself in him head.

"A town in need will pay a great toll. Fuse the two halves and make the whole.", he thought, "I'm guessing that the Nome Diphtheria illness going on is what the first part is, but what halves must I fuse to make a whole?"

Cole then saw the horizon was lightening as the wind died down and after yawning and slipping out from under the blanket, he stretched and shook himself awake as he headed to the bow of the boat to see the first slivers of the sun were starting to rise.

"Well, might as well get some breakfast.", he thought looking back as Balto still slumbering, "I'll come back and cheer Balto up."

Cole then exited the boat on the plank and dashed into town since it was early morning and he doubted that anybody would be up at this hour. He had to find that butcher's meat locker and fast if he was going to get away with it. As he passed the hospital, the memory of seeing Rosy getting examined made him shudder in fear of maybe she wouldn't make it if something wasn't done, but for now, he had to get some food if he was going to get it. As the sun began to rise, Cole finally found what looked like a busted door that looked like it was in the process of being fixed and chained shut with a padlock holding the chain in place.

"I hope this works.", Cole thought to himself.

Remembering how Balto did it, he reached up and used his own claw to remove a hinge from the top part of the door and then the lower one before pushing the door open enough to slip in. What greeted him made him almost lose his focus. There were sausage links hanging on hooks, plucked geese, some racks of ribs and steaks along with a table and some knives that Cole guessed were used for getting the meat ready. After a bit of thought, Cole snagged some steak and more sausage before his wolf ears heard something from outside. Quick as a wink, Cole got outside and picked up the pins from the hinges and tried to get the door back in place. He was just finishing when his ears heard footsteps which told him it was time to go. Cole ran over his own tracks hoping it would be enough before he headed off. He paused to look over his shoulder to see the butcher approach his meat locker door and look at the door before shrugging and smiling.

"Just as I left it.", he said before heading into his shop.

/

Cole hurried over to the boat with his load and had just gotten to the deck as Balto started stirring which told Cole he smelled the meat. Muk and Luk stirred too and Cole started laying out his feast. Balto woke up and yawned before noticing the meat.

"Togo?", he asked.

Cole snapped at attention, but smiled Balto's way.

"Hey, good morning. I thought I'd stop by the butchers and pick us up some breakfast."

Muk and Luk woke up instantly.

"It's breakfast?!", Muk asked excitedly.

Luk and him quickly went over to Boris and shook his crate making the goose wake up rather rudely before he hit the deck.

"Uncle Boris, breakfast time!", Muk said eagerly

Boris looked grumpy at the bears before he noticed the food Cole had brought and gave Cole a firm look.

"Tell me at least you weren't seen."

Cole smiled.

"I wasn't."

Balto wasn't used to someone bringing him food since he had always been having to scavenge or get it himself. As Cole handed him a freshly prepared steak and some links, Balto couldn't help but smile at the gesture.

"Togo, thanks."

Cole blushed.

"Well, you would've done the same for me.", he answered.

Just as Cole was about to dig into the steak he had, the loud sound of munching got his ears making him turn to see Muk and Luk messily scarf down their share while flipping and flopping over part of the deck which made Cole snicker while Boris looked annoyed.

"Hey you idiot balls of fluff!", he snapped, "Don't eat so loudly or-"

A piece of meat flew off Luk's mouth and smacked Boris in the face and knocked him down. Muk and Luk paused as Boris got up and pulled the meat off his face to reveal a very grumpy expression. Luk whimpered something and Muk translated.

"He says he's sorry Uncle Boris.", Muk said apologetically.

Balto and Cole couldn't help but smile as Boris flicked the meat away and just as he turned away, Muk looked ready to pelt him with another meat piece, but Boris turned around just in time to stop him.

"Throw that, and you are in big trouble."

Muk just ate the piece and Boris looked amused and headed off. By now Balto and Cole had finished up and Cole gave a belch.

"Excuse me."

As Boris came back with the mop and bucket to swab the deck, Cole remembered what he had dreamed of last night and had a realization: the puppy was Balto. He didn't know how Boris ended up raising him or how he managed it, but Balto was here fully grown and beautiful to behold. Then the memory of Rosy and the children returned along with the dread he almost forgot about.

"If help doesn't come soon, Nome is in a real dire situation.", Cole thought to himself.