It was two days later when Balto arrived on the outskirts of the town of Candle. Unlike Nome, people were out and about, with everything seemingly to be normal. So at least, he knew, the diphtheria had not spread outside of Nome just yet. That did, though, mean he couldn't just walk right into town.

Hunching low, he made his way along the snowbanks on the edge of town until he reached the first set of buildings. Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, he scooted across the road and into the nearest alley. He then leaped up on a fence for a better view. It groaned, but held his weight. "Doctor's office, doctor's office..." Balto mumbled under his breath, gazing out at the main street. Several small businesses and a saloon could be seen, but no doctor's office just yet. Seeing a long plank leaning against the end of the fence, and the house at the end within range of it, he leaped onto the former and catapulted himself onto the house's roof. He had a much better view of Candle from here, and sure enough, the weathered sign of a building across the street at the end of the block listed it as a doctor's office. "Bingo," Balto muttered in triumph to himself. He raced across the roof and leaped off into a large snow pile he'd seen had built up against it below. He then squeezed between the next two houses towards Candle's main street, pausing upon seeing numerous people walking by in each direction. He waited about two minutes for the street to become deserted again, then bolted across and squeezed between two more houses into another alley behind the doctor's office. His mind started racing. He had been so adamant about getting here that he hadn't thought about exactly how he'd get any medicine...

Reaching the doctor's office, he reared up on his hind legs and glanced in the rear window. No one seemed to be inside. He could go in for a look to see what was available. And conveniently enough, there was a dog door on the back door. Balto started for it...

...but then stopped and froze. No, he thought to himself, shaking his head, that wouldn't be right. Just breaking in and taking what he was looking for would be little better than stealing, little better than Steele helping himself to the butcher's wares the other night. And randomly taking any medicine would technically be cheating human patients who would need it more. There would have to be some other way...

He was so lost in thought that he did not hear the dog door pound open. "You waiting for a delivery or something, buddy?" barked a large bulldog, having stuck half his body out the door.

"Oh, uh, are you...do you live here?" Balto asked him.

"Yeah, my master's the town doctor. And who are you? I've never seen you in this town before," the bulldog frowned him down.

"My name's Balto, I came from Nome..."

"Nome, huh? My condolences," the bulldog shook his head sadly, "I've heard how bad it is there now..."

"Yeah, I know people who've caught the diphtheria. Which is why I'm here," Balto told him, "If you have anything that could help, any diphtheria antitoxin..."

"Can't help you there, pal," the bulldog shook his head, "We've only got a little bit left, and it's under lock and key. My master wants to keep it safe in case the diphtheria spread here. there's no way I can open the case."

"Oh. Well, I'd be open to anything else you might have. Swabs, aspirin, any other vaccines..."

"This is a doctor's office, Cobalt, not a warehouse. I don't just give stuff away to any dog off the street..."

"It's Balto. Please, I'm begging you," Balto fell to his knees in front of the bulldog, "There are children dying in Nome. Antitoxin might be coming soon, but until it does, they'll need all the help they can get. Now as a doctor's dog, I'm sure you try to help anyone who needs it. Please, for the children, help them."

He gave the bulldog a pleading look. The bulldog sighed. "OK, I'll take a look through the spare surplus and see what my master might have. But, you'll have to repay me at some point," he cautioned Balto, "This is a business we run here, not a charity case."

"I'll pay whatever you want, whenever you want it, I promise," Balto offered.

"OK. First chance you get, I want the biggest piece of steak you can find in Nome. Deal?"

"Deal," Balto agreed, grimacing knowing he'd have to face off with the butcher again now, and that the man would likely react even more harshly this time if he found any of his meats gone. Still, it was for Rosy and the other children.

"Wait right here, then," the bulldog disappeared inside through the dog door. Balto sat down and waited, hoping the town doctor would remain out until his pet was done. Finally, after about seven minutes, the bulldog remerged, dragging a box with him. "OK, here's everything I could find that isn't critical for my master to use," he told Balto, "It's probably going to cost him a lot to resupply himself for all this, but for sick kids with diphtheria, I guess I can make an exception."

"Thank you, more than words can say," Balto thanked him, seizing hold of the rope attached to the box.

"Just don't forget the payment," the bulldog warned him, "And when you take it back, watch out for the wolves. They've been on the prowl a lot lately."

"Wolves?" Balto's head shot up again.

"There's one pretty nasty pack that's taken claim of this region lately; they've been attacking every dog sled and traveler they come across," the bulldog cautioned him, "And anything related to humans is fair game to them too, I've heard."

"Well, I'll be careful," Balto promised, "But I know a thing or two about wolves, so maybe I could reason with them if we crossed paths."

"Not these wolves," the bulldog shook his head, "They hate anything to do with humans, and anyone who stands up for humans. So be really careful out there going back."


Night fell quickly at this time of year, and the landscape had quickly darkened not long after Balto had left Candle. He could still see well enough in the dark, though, as he dragged the box of medicine through the snowdrifts. And he knew the way back to Nome well enough. It would be a day or two, but he would have the medicine at the hospital soon enough. It might be enough to hold everyone over until the antitoxin arrived, assuming Steele made it on time. And then he'd know he had accomplished something in regards to the pandemic...

And then he heard it: the howl of wolves not too far away. He gulped and glanced around. Nothing was visible yet, but he knew the pack would come soon enough. His eyes darted around for shelter. A large snowbank to his right seemed to offer some safety. Balto tried to drag the box there...

...but he could already hear the roar of paws coming his way. And now, shadowy figures could be seen through the dark woods, coming right at him. "Stop where you are!" came a demanding growl, "You're trespassing on our territory!"

"I'm sorry; I'm just passing through..." Balto tried to explain as numerous large wolves now appeared before him, all of them looking ominously unsympathetic.

"What's that you've got there?" one of the wolves lunged towards the box, "Running errands for the humans, are we?"

"In fact, yes," Balto declared, more bravely than he felt deep down, "In case you've heard, there's a diphtheria outbreak in Nome; I'm trying to find whatever medicine I..."

"Nome, is it?" came a deep, growling voice from the darkness. The wolves parted to let a particularly large pack member, entirely black-furred, approached. "Medicine?" he inquired, staring at the box.

"Yes. I'm just going through, I don't want to intrude on your territory..." Balto told him.

"Nome IS my territory," the wolf said coldly, glaring him down, "All of the North is our territory. The humans stole it from us all those years ago."

"Now come on, be reasonable," Balto protested, moving protectively in front of the box, "There's room enough for all species up here in Alaska..."

"They are strangers up here," the big black wolf snarled hatefully, "My father was leader of the pack before me. He was there when they first came ashore at Nome twenty-five years ago. They dared to seize our territory for themselves, for their precious gold. They dared to chase us off, threaten to shoot us all. My father was not a coward, though. He had us fight for what was rightfully ours..."

"Wait a minute," Balto glanced nervously around at the wolves, none of whom was giving him anything resembling a friendly look, "You mean...you're the pack who...attacked all those people in Nome all those years...?"

"And they deserved everything we did to them," growled a graying elderly wolf who stepped forward, "I'm the last one who participated directly in those raids. The humans were thieves, like Amarok here said," he gestured at the big black wolf, "His father was the leader then and he told us all we should make a stand, that even if we couldn't get our land back, that we could send a message to them that we will always fight for what's ours. I personally tore two men's throats out..."

"Please," Balto held up a paw, feeling sick, "There's nothing noble about that. That was murder pure and simple..."

"Sounds to me like you've sold out, wolf," Amarok leaned in his face furiously, "How can you live with yourself...?"

"The name is Balto," he snapped.

"Balto, huh?" the elderly gray wolf laughed, "I'm not surprised. I knew your mother well. She sold us all out, going with a common dog. No surprise to me you'd do the same..."

"Don't you talk about my mother like that!" Balto lunged at him, only to be pinned down by half the other wolves. "You dare to help the humans, traitor?" Amarok sneered at him, eyeing the box, "Perhaps we should teach you a lesson about treason. Tear it up," he ordered the other wolves.

"No, please, there's dying children who need that!" Balto pleaded, but to no avail, as the other wolves lunged at the medicine box and started tearing it apart. And the wolves holding him down held him firmly in place, leaving him no options but to thrash helplessly. Within minutes, to his horror and sadness, the pack had ripped apart every piece of medical equipment in the box, rendering it all useless. "So there's a pandemic?" Amarok laughed coldly when they had finished, contemptuously kicking several shattered aspirin bottles aside, "I say, let the humans die off. Then the North will be ours again, as it should be."

"You're sick," Balto growled at him in disgust, "You're no true leader..."

"And you're nothing," the pack's leader spat back at him, "Unless you're willing to do the right thing. Join us," he gestured at the rest of the pack, "Do the right thing and reclaim your true heritage. Make yourself really worth something."

Balto glanced around at the wolves, some of him giving him hopeful glances. "No," he shook his head firmly, "Not with the likes of you."

"Then get off my territory, you domesticated freak!" Amarok snarled, lunging at him. The other wolves did the same, forcing Balto to break into another run. "And don't ever come back!" the pack's leader shouted after him as he fled, "And let the other domesticated dogs know that when the humans all die off, we're coming for them too!"

They continued chasing Balto for a good mile or so until he finally managed to outrun them, or they broke off the pursuit-he could not tell which. He finally came to a stop, breathing heavily, and glanced backwards. He was all alone now. And now that the threat was gone, intense sadness swept over him. His mission was now a failure, and he had nothing to give Rosy and the other children now. Their lives were now all in Steele's hands now.