They went to Toby's home, a quaint little place near the edge of town. There was a stack of chopped logs against the back wall and a small sled sat beside the front porch. Chief Scotty chuckled and smiled, seeming to remember a similar toy from his own childhood. He walked up to the door with Toby on his heels and knocked. There was a call from inside, and the door opened to reveal Janet Winters.

"Chief," she said. Though she was surprised to see him and confused that he'd come here, she smiled nonetheless. "What brings you here?"

Chief Scotty smiled back. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Winters," he replied, doffing his hat. "May I come in? I need to ask your son something."

Janet nodded and stepped aside. "Of course, come in." She turned around and called down the hall. "Charlie, the chief is here to see you."

Charlie came out and they all sat down in the living room, where Chief Scotty told Charlie what he needed and why he needed it. Naturally, Charlie didn't like what he heard. "Wait a second," he said when the matter was explained to him. "You want to send my dog to track down a guy who already shot your dog?"

"Listen, I understand that I'm asking a lot," said the chief, trying to calm Charlie down. "But this man has to be stopped. And you have my word that Toby will be closely guarded."

"You must be crazy. The last time Toby went out in the woods with a sled team, he almost got killed!"

The chief was surprised at this and turned to Charlie's father for an explanation. "it's true," said Nolan. "Toby's an indoor dog; he's not strong enough to pull a sled. He was put on a sled team once before we got him and the effort nearly killed him."

"It wasn't just that," Charlie pointed out. "He also got sick, was attacked by a bear and almost froze to death!"

Toby was outraged. "Hey, I've gotten a lot stronger since then!" he protested. "I can handle a little cold." But of course, nobody heard anything from him except a few indignant barks.

The chief nodded. "I see," he said. "Well, let me assure you that Toby won't get attacked by any bears. And I'll see to it that he's kept warm. He can ride on the sled if he's not strong enough to pull it."

Charlie wrapped his arms around Toby's neck. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you drag my dog out there!"

"Son," Nolan interjected. "Perhaps you should listen."

"Don't tell me you actually think I should send Toby into the woods after a guy with a gun!" cried Charlie in disbelief.

The chief threw up his hands. "All right," he conceded. "I realize that this dog means a lot to you."

"More than you know," said Nolan. "If it wasn't for Toby, Charlie would still be on crutches."

The chief scratched his head as he looked first at Nolan, then at Charlie, and finally at Toby. "I'll ask some other time," he muttered. "Listen, I know what it's like to have a dog that means a lot to you. My dog Rex means the world to me. He's my best friend, the father I never knew and the son I never had all in one package. But we're dealing with a man who must be stopped. Besides, I think Toby wants to go."

"Are you cracked?" asked Charlie. "He doesn't even understand what's going on!"

Toby had never bitten a human in his life. There was the time when he'd attacked Nicholas Carson as a puppy, but he figured the guy was closer to a barbaric ape and barely qualified as a human to start with. And the constant insults to his intelligence were leaving him sorely tempted. Of course he knew what was going on! What did Charlie think he was, dumb or something?

"Listen," pleaded the chief. "I realize that dogs don't know what a gun is."

Oh, come on, thought Toby. I took on a guy with a gun when I was a puppy!

"But your dog has spent the entire day trying to get my attention. He barged right into my house just this morning."

"What makes you think he knows a thing about what's going on?" demanded Charlie.

"I honestly don't know, but I think if any dog would, it's him."

Charlie looked like he had been ready to shout something else, but this last remark took him completely by surprise. "What makes you say that?" he asked.

"I say it because Rex is Toby's father," answered the chief.

Charlie scoffed. "You said your dog is a bloodhound. Toby doesn't look anything like that!"

"Maybe not, but he is half bloodhound. His mother is a husky, you see."

"Oh, is that…" Charlie stopped, remembering the time he had met Toby's mother. "Oh, wait, that's right." He glared hard at the chief. "You're not trying to psych me out, are you?"

The chief shook his head, half to say no and half in disbelief that he was all but begging for help from an eight-year-old. "I promise I'm not."

Charlie sighed. "This is too much for me. Toby, what do you think?"

As much as he respected any good dog, the chief was a little surprised that Charlie was asking Toby's opinion. Nolan found it a little strange too, but at least he was somewhat used to it. Charlie had a better understanding of his dog than anyone else alive, and he knew deep down that Toby understood the question perfectly, even if he doubted that Toby understood the situation.

Toby walked over to the chief and placed a paw on the man's knee.

Two days later, Toby stood with a full sled team, ready to go track down Bryan Lawrence. Charlie still wasn't happy about him going, which was perfectly understandable, and if Toby had taken the time to be honest with himself, he would have considered that underlying question: What would Charlie do if something happened to him? For that matter, what would Luna do? Just as the Chief had promised, he would not be part of the team pulling the sled. Instead, he would go with them to the place where their quarry had last been seen, and then travel ahead of the group and show them the way to go.

"Hey, Toby!" called Luna. Toby turned to see her walking up to the sled.

"Hi, Luna," he greeted with somewhat less cheer than usual. Right now, he was thinking about finding the man they were after. "Did you come to see us off?"

"No," answered Luna. "I'm coming with you."

Toby's mouth dropped open. "Say what?"

"I'm coming with you," she repeated. "I'm going to help."

"No!" said Toby. "You're staying here. The criminal we're after is very dangerous."

Luna stared into his eyes defiantly. "If you can handle it, so can I."

"He shot my father. I have to get him."

Luna opened her mouth to speak, then looked at the other dogs. "Toby, would you come with me for a moment?" she asked.

Toby's ears laid back and he shook his head in frustration. "I don't have time for this," he said.

"it's your only chance to convince me not to come."

With no other option, Toby followed Luna. Once they were a good distance away from the group, he asked, "Okay, what's this all about?"

Luna looked him in the face, her eyes full of determination. "I've been doing a bit of digging about this guy," she said. "Do you know why he was in jail?"

"Because he shot someone," answered Toby. "Which is exactly why―"

"Do you know why he shot someone?" interrupted Luna. "I'll tell you why. A friend of his was killed on a wolf hunt, and since that day, he swore he'd never give up until every wolf in Alaska was dead."

Toby's eyes widened. He knew that Luna was part-wolf, and saw no reason why she shouldn't be upset over the whole thing. "Dad didn't tell me that," he said.

"He probably didn't know about it, but I had a hunch it might be important," said Luna before continuing with her story. "Anyway, the guy he shot was an Eskimo who tried to tell him he shouldn't be going after the wolves, since they were there first."

Toby nodded, taking it in.

"Toby, don't you get it?" asked Luna. 'You know I'm part-wolf. He'll be going after my relatives."

"You're only one-eighth wolf."

"It doesn't matter. I'm still part-wolf. Besides, he's heading west."

"So?"

"So, that's where the Northern Lights pack lives. My aunt Aleu is the alpha female of that pack, and most of its members are my cousins. My family is in danger." She stared him right in the eye. "Which is why you can't stop me from coming with you. Grandpa Balto would go, but he's sick right now. That and he's getting old, though he won't admit it. So, I'm going in his place."

"You're not going anywhere. You're staying here."

"Not on your life! I'm going and that's final!"

"Luna, it's bad enough they're in danger. And if I see them, I'll be sure to warn them."

"They're not at their usual den. That's an easy walk from here. The herds move farther away from Nome this time of year, so Aunt Aleu's pack has a secondary cave closer to the grazing grounds. You don't know where it is."

"I'll take my chances. I can't let you put your life on the line, too."

"You and the others will be in more danger without me!" answered Luna.

Toby tilted his head. "And how's that?"

If the situation hadn't been so serious, Luna probably would have been smug. "Like I said, I've got wolf blood in me. And I've spent a fair amount of time visiting my aunt and her pack. They've taught me the Code of the Wolf."

"The what?"

"The Code of the Wolf. It's a universal set of laws that all wolves have to follow. Take me with you, and I can help you with any packs you come across."

Toby shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "But the answer is still no." And he walked back to the sled.

"You are so thick!" screamed Luna, following him back. "I've already told you I'm coming, and that's that!"

Toby was nearing the end of his patience. "Luna, I can't take you along. How would it look?"

That caught Luna off guard. "What?"

"You're a civilian. A bystander. I can't put you in that kind of danger. Not to mention that you're my girlfriend. The moment you left with me, every gossip in town would start blabbing it all over the place."

"Toby, there are bigger things at stake here than our reputations! I know some of the area you'll be heading into. You need me on this trip!"

"Luna, you're not coming and that's that."

"I'll fight you if I have to, but I'm coming."

Toby gritted his teeth. "How did you get to be so darn stubborn?"

"I guess I learned it from hanging around with you!" Several of the sled dogs chuckled

At that moment the chief came out of the station. "All right, boys, let's get going."

"Yes, let's," Luna agreed.

Toby shook his head and looked at the police dogs who would be staying behind. "Make sure she doesn't come with us," he ordered. "I don't care if you have to put her under house arrest, but make sure she doesn't come after us. And that goes for anyone else who gets any crazy ideas."

"Toby!" yelled Luna angrily. She tried to jump onto the sled, but the police dogs seized her by the collar and held her back.

"Luna, this is not a discussion. You're staying here, out of harm's way." He turned and jumped onto the sled. "And don't worry about us. We'll be just fine."

"Only until I catch up to you!" Luna shot back.

The chief cracked his whip. "Mush!" he cried. And the sled pulled away.