Meanwhile, about a mile and a half outside of Nome, four dogs were marching along: Steele, Taya, and two street dogs Steele had recruited. Taya looked like she'd been hit by a tank, which was pretty close to what the other three had done. "You know, Taya, it was quite an unpleasant shock when I learned you'd taken Copper for a mate," Steele was saying. "And you didn't even invite me to the wedding."

Taya's ears were plastered against her skull. "That's because I'm not stupid," she replied. "You've been nothing but trouble for me or anyone else since day one."

"And you really thought I would be okay with you getting mixed up with Balto's pack of half-breeds?" Steele asked. "You thought I'd just go on my merry way and let you live happily ever after with a wolfdog, is that it?"

"Why do you think I didn't tell you, besides the fact that I thought I'd already wiped you out?" she growled. "I've found friends in them you can't begin to understand. And for your information, those half-breeds, as you so affectionately call them, have been much better to me than you have, or ever would be. And Copper didn't leave me to die like you did. Like you're planning to do right now."

"I had better things to do than waste my time with kids. That was your mom's job."

Taya bristled and a snarl rose in her throat. "You weren't even there for her!" she cried angrily. "You just did your business and left! You wouldn't have stayed if your life depended on it!"

"You know, you're absolutely right, Taya," Steele said nastily. "Kids never were my strong point."

"Of course not!" Taya shouted. "You never gave it a chance. You were always too full of yourself to consider anyone else."

"I considered your mother, didn't I?"

Taya's eyes flashed in rage. "Only because you couldn't have Jenna!"

Steele whirled on her. "Now you listen here, you ungrateful little prig," he snarled. "Jenna and I would've been perfect together. Had she been hooked up with me instead of Balto―"

"You would have left her just the same," Taya finished, knowing what he wouldn't say. "It doesn't matter to you. Nothing ever has. It's either about you or nothing at all. You were only paid attention to because you were famous."

"At least I had a life!" Steele snapped. "Something you won't get much of with a half-breed."

"I've gotten much more than a life with them," Taya said. "I've gotten love, compassion, kindness, acceptance, friendship, a family. Something you've never given yourself the chance to enjoy." Steele whipped around and looked her in the eye, and she could tell that she'd struck a particularly sensitive nerve. "And you know something else?" she asked. "You may be my father, but you've never been and never will be my dad."

Steele's eyes glinted with anger. "Keep walking," he ordered, "and don't look back. And if I ever see you again…" He drew a paw across his throat. Taya bared her teeth, but she knew she couldn't fight three at once. So she walked on. Steele waited until she was out of hearing range, then turned to his accomplices. "Make sure she doesn't come back," he said. He watched, laughing to himself as they took off after Taya.

Copper headed off in the direction Dixie had pointed in, wondered what nasty scheme Steele had cooked up this time. He came across Toby and Luna in a storage lot by the shipyard, their favorite place to play. "Hey, dad!" called Luna. "What's up?"

"Nothing," said Copper, not wanting to worry Luna. "I'm just trying to find your mother, that's all."

Luna jumped off the beam she and Toby had been using as a seesaw just as her end touched the ground, leaving Toby's end to hit the earth with a tooth-rattling bump. "I'll help," she offered.

Toby came over. "Me too," he volunteered, shaking off the effect of the impact.

Copper's eyes twitched back and forth. "It's a little bit more complicated than that," he said.

"In what way?" asked Toby.

"Well…" said Copper slowly. "She's missing. She was seen this morning heading out of town with another dog."

"Who was it?" asked Luna.

Copper lowered his head. "Steele."

"Steele?" asked Toby and Luna in unison.

"But what's he doing back in town?" Toby asked.

"I don't know," answered Copper. "Even if I did, it can't be good. Listen, I'm going to go find her. You two better stay here."

"Uh-uh," said Toby. "You're not leaving me out of the action."

"And you're not leaving me behind," said Luna quickly. "I still owe Steele for putting me in that trash can last time."

"You're not coming," answered Copper. "Either of you. I'm sure I can find her on my own. Besides, we're dealing with Steele here. The last thing I want is to put you kids in danger."

"But we'll miss all the fun!" protested Toby.

"This isn't about fun," said Copper. "It's about finding Taya before something happens."

"Well in that case, what about my nose?" asked Toby. "Part-bloodhound, remember?"

Copper saw the reason in Toby's logic, but shook his head. "Your mother would never allow it."

"And if she does?" asked Toby hopefully.

"All right, go ask. If she says yes, then I guess you can come."

"What about me?" asked Luna. "I should get to go if he does!"

"Toby's a boy, and we may need his nose," replied Copper, not adding that he was quite sure Toby's mother would say no anyway.

"Yeah, to find my mom," answered Luna. "And what does being a boy have to do with it? If I could survive an avalanche, I can handle anything Steele can throw at me."

"Listen," said Copper. "Toby, you go see if your mother will let you come. And Luna, I guess if he can come, so can you."

As soon as Toby took off for his house, Copper took off in pursuit of Taya. Maybe if I can get a lead on them, they'll just give up, he thought to himself.

Toby went to his house. "Mom, Taya's missing. Can I help Copper look for her?"

Terry lifted her ears inquisitively. She knew from long experience that a brief explanation from Toby was usually a sign that there was something he didn't want her to know. "What do you mean by 'missing'?"

"I mean they don't know where she is," answered Toby. "Copper said my nose might come in handy, and told me that if you said it was okay I could help."

Terry considered. It sounded harmless, just a little search. "Well, all right," she agreed.

"Yeah!" Toby cheered. "Thanks, mom!" And he ran out the door before she could change her mind.

It's probably another one of his Balto games, thought Terry.

"Mom said yes!" Toby told Luna.

"Great," said Luna. "But somebody left without us."

Toby looked around. "Agh. Leave it to your dad to pull a stunt like that."

"So how do we catch up to him?" asked Luna.

Toby looked around, his gaze falling on the sign for the street where Pete lived. "I think I've got an idea," he said, dashing off.

"What do you want?" asked Pete when Toby came running up to him.

"Pete," panted Toby, "I know you can't stand me, but I could really use your help. Luna and I need a lift."

"Forget it," snorted Pete.

"I've got five bones stashed away that I'd be willing to part with," offered Toby temptingly.

"And I've got a dozen, straight from the butcher," answered Pete. "Now scram."

Biting back a nasty quip about Pete's likely method of obtaining the bones, Toby decided to pull out the big guns. "You know," he said, "I've heard it really impresses girls when they see you helping out pups."

Pete glanced at them with a skeptical look on his face. His ears and tail were perked, however, so Toby knew he was intrigued. "Is that a fact?" asked Pete, sounding bored.

"Oh, yes," agreed Luna with a smile. "I know quite a few girls who are always looking for a guy who's good with pups."

Pete shrugged. "Well," he said slowly, "since I've got nothing else to do, I guess I could consider it."

"I'm sure two little pups like us won't be too much of a load for a big tough guy like you," added Luna, earning a grin from Toby.

That clinched it. What Pete lacked in altruism he more than made up for in ego. And the female husky sticking her head out a door across the street probably helped too. "Sure, I'll help you kids out. Where do you want to go?" he asked, sounding eager and energetic.

"Just to the west edge of town," said Toby. "And a little bit past that maybe."

Pete picked them up and tossed them onto his back. "Hold on then," he said, running off.

"Um, Pete," said Toby, "the other west."

"Right," muttered Pete, skidding to a stop and whipping back in the other direction. "I knew that."

It took Taya a minute to figure out what was going on, but when she heard the sound of running paws behind her and turned to look, there were Steele's minions hot on her tail. Panicking, she darted off at top speed. Racing across the tundra in snow up to her chest, she soon began to pant as her muscles throbbed and her lungs began to ache. Got to get out of here, she thought. But there was no place to go. Then an old building appeared in the distance and she raced toward it. It looked familiar, but Taya didn't have the time or energy to remember where she had seen it before. The front door was open. She dashed in and kicked it with her back legs, and it slammed shut. She heard Steele's goons barking outside for a moment, trying to decide what to do, then leave.

Taya looked around. She was in a room that took up most of the building. At one end, several crates covered by a faded red-checked tablecloth formed a makeshift stage. Everywhere throughout the room there were chairs and crates set up to serve as seats. And in the middle was a sawdust pit surrounded by a tall iron fence. The sawdust had once been stained red, but now it was faded to a dull brown.

Taya's mind flashed back to a time a couple years ago, when the seats had been filled with as many as fifty or sixty people, all yelling like madmen. Dogs of every creed and color were fighting in the ring: Strong dogs, weak dogs, big dogs and small dogs, all raising such a din that could wake the dead. Taya shivered as she broke out of her trance. No wonder the building was so familiar. It had once been her home! This…was the place of the Northern Fights.

A sound made her turn her head to an opening door at the back of the room. Out stepped a man in old clothes, mostly mismatched. She had last seen him in a reasonably good suit, but the face was still the same. Carson! She bristled. Nicholas "Cold Blood" Carson was Taya's former owner, and if there was anyone she hated more than Steele, it was him.

"Taya?" he asked in recognition. "Well, waddaya know! Here I am, getting supplies to go back into business, and as fortune would have it, along comes my old champion!"

Taya lunged at Carson, rage burning in her eyes. She had no intention of letting him start this place up again, especially with her as the star attraction. Seeing her fury, Carson slammed the door in her face, momentarily dazing her. She heard him running to another door at the other end of the room and was there waiting when he opened it. But as she lunged, she found herself trapped in a bed sheet. She tried desperately to claw her way free, but before she could get loose, he had snatched her up, shoved her into a cage and slammed the door shut. The lock clicked just as Taya threw herself at the door.

"Don't know how you got so cocky, but you'll remember soon enough who's boss around here." He grabbed a rope attached to the cage and started to pull. "Better put you in the kennel with the others."

The kennel, as it turned out, was a storage room full of cages; about half of them had a dog inside, none of which looked happy to be there. "Meet your new friends, Taya," he laughed over the barking. "Once I've got a few more, you're all gonna fight each other so I can see who's strongest. Then I'll smuggle the five winners down to New York City to be my new champions when I open up for business there. Five champions, five times the money!" He kicked Taya's cage into a corner and walked out, laughing as he slammed the door behind him.