3. Chapter 3 (1/2)

geez. has it really been over a month since i updated? idiot. me! not you guys. you guys are awesome.so sorry this took so long to get out! having to work on three stories at the same time is not a good thing. note to self: don't ever get ahead of myself again.anyways, i hope you guys like it!

chapter three

steele groaned as he limped through the snow. in the distance, the glow of lights told him he was nearing the town. he smirked to himself. gathering his last bit of strength, he continued walking. he would have run, but he had things to think about.

balto had found him and his team after they had gotten off course. the blasted half-

eed had tried to 'help' by taking the team back to the town thanks to the path he had marked. as if that wasn't enough, he had had yuna's scarf around his neck. steele growled to himself.

"what's so special about that piece of riffraff anyways?!" the scarf around his neck fluttered in the

eeze. dipping his head, steele tried to find yuna's scent underneath balto's and now his. a primal growl rumbled in his chest when he did.

"just you wait, yuna. i'll show you what a real dog looks like. after all… not even your beloved wolf succeeded in

inging back the medicine." he looked at his side. his fur was mussed and ripped in places, with dried blood caking on his stomach. it looked like he had gotten into a battle with a bear. "at least i'll have the evidence to back up my story."

雪狼

yuna looked up as jenna entered the house. from her face, she immediately knew something was wrong. the white husky stood up, walking over to her older sister. she froze when a second husky walked in to stand next to jenna. yuna's hackles rose.

"what are you doing here, steele? did you do something to my sister?" steele shook his head.

"no. yuna, please. will you listen to me?" yuna's eyes widened. steele never said please. her eyes narrowed.

"alright… what do you want?"

"yuna…" she looked at jenna. "they didn't make it." yuna didn't move. she couldn't.

"who? who didn't make it?" her voice was filled with confusion… while her heart was filling with dread.

"balto came for us." steele took over. "he was helping us get the medicine back… when we were attacked by a bear." yuna's eyes widened. "it crushed the sled, and killed our musher." the white husky gasped in horror.

"what?!" she whispered.

"the bear chased us onto a frozen lake near a waterfall." steele took a deep

eath. "the ice… the ice

oke, and we went under." steele looked down, the perfect picture of despair. "when i came to, i had washed up on the bank of the river. i tried looking for everyone, but… all i found…" he grasped something in his teeth, placing it on the ground. "was this."

yuna stared in shock and horror at the cloth on the ground. it was her scarf… the one she had given to balto when they parted after fighting the bear in the woods.

"no…" she swayed on her feet. jenna leapt out, catching yuna before she hit the ground. "balto…" steele looked into yuna's eyes.

"i'm sorry." he backed out of the house. "i really am yuna." turning, he vanished from their sight. as he walked down the road, he heard yuna's howls of pain and grief. as soon as he was out of range, steele stopped walking.

a chuckle rumbled in his chest….

another followed…

before he knew it, steele was laughing darkly. he was laughing so hard tears came from his eyes. he collapsed into the snow, trying to regain his

eath. sighing, his eyes opened slightly.

"it's begun." he stood, shaking the snow from his coat. "i'll comfort her in this time. i'll support her… and i'll make her mine." another dark chuckle rumbled from his throat as he made his way home. "she won't have the strength to refuse me… and my legacy will continue with her… whether she wants it to or not."

雪狼

"what is that?" the watchman peered through his spyglass. his eyes widened at what he saw. stepping back, he rubbed his eyes, shook his head, and looked again. "well i'll be damned. they made it." he ran out of his station, screaming to the town.

"they're back! they made it back!" lights turned on, windows flew open, and men in nightshirts ran out to meet him.

"who made it?"

"the sled team! they're coming in!"

"who's leading them!?" jenna burst out of her home.

"balto!" the red husky gasped.

"balto?" she whispered.

"the half-

eed?" the watchman nodded.

"they're coming in, with balto in the lead!" the men looked at each other. the mayor came out.

"well don't just stand there. get a hot mug for the musher and towels for the dogs! and get the doctor out here!" everyone nodded, running about. jenna ran back into the house, tearing to yuna's side.

after steele visited, the younger husky had collapsed. jenna was able to get her to her bed… and she hadn't moved since. she wouldn't eat or drink. steele had come by a couple times, but jenna drove him away with bared fang and claw.

"yuna?" jenna called softly. she walked in, looking at the white ball of fur curled up on the bed. jenna softly padded over to her side, nudging her nose into her sister's neck fur. yuna didn't move. if not for the soft rise and fall of her flank, jenna would have feared the worst.

"yuna wake up. steele lied. balto's alive, and the medicine's here. rosie's going to get better." still nothing. realizing she wasn't going to be able to wake her up, jenna tore out of the house.

weaving her way through legs of men, women, and children, she eventually made her way to the center, where the sled team was being congratulated. even balto, who looked quite flustered, was getting patted and smothered with love. upon spotting jenna, his eyes lit up. separating himself from the humans, he made his way to jenna's side.

"hey jen." balto looked around. "um… where's yuna?" jenna sighed.

"come with me." they slipped away, unseen. balto immediately got the sense that something was wrong.

"jenna… what's wrong with yuna?"

"she's…. mh." jenna sighed. "steele came back about a week ago." balto's eyes widened. jenna wasn't looking as him as she continued to talk.

"he… he came back with all these wounds on him and yuna's scarf. after meeting up with him, i took him to see yuna. he said… he said you guys had drowned." balto snarled, his lips curling.