𝑮𝑯𝑶𝑺𝑻 |✔️

Can't you see? I'm better than that half-breed!

☁︎

BALTO AND GHOST ARE braving through the blizzard, their noses upturned and taking the icy air. As Ghost's a full blood wolf, she finds Steele's scent easily, as well as his musher. "Steele..." she whispered before looking over her shoulder at Balto, who's walking through the snow that's at least chest-deep. But for Ghost, it's knee-deep. "Balto," she calls. Nature has sent its healing forces and healed the young white wolf. The wolf-dog looks up, meeting two fiery eyes in the whiteness. "Ghost?" He replied, and suddenly the warmth of hers came up to him, and he sighed, making clouds of frozen breath come out.

"Get up on my back. I can carry you there," Ghost says, crouching down. Balto chuckles, confused but does as she says and crawls on her back, laying his head between her shoulder blades. "Hold on," she warns gently and takes off into a trot. She then sees the lateen of Steele's team and smiles. "I see them," she says and starts to go down the slope but slips, but she steadies herself, and Balto has to bite down on her fur to hold himself on her.

Star is the first to see them and notifies his team, "Balto, Ghost!" He calls, and Kaltag lifts his head as does Nikki, and they enrage from the snow. "They're back?" Kaltag says. "Ghost and Balto, how did you find us?" Nikki asks as the wolf and wolf-dog reach them. Balto jumps off his friend and looks over them, worried. "Is anyone hurt?" Steele, who has his back turned to the two newcomers, rasps out just as cold as the weather aorund them, "...Everyone...is...fine." Star then walks over to Ghost, nudging her gently, making the taller canie look down at him.

" Yeah, but our musher hit his head...and he didn't get up," he says, and Ghost takes a sharp breath walking over to the man and nudges him, but he doesn't move. "Oh blistering god above...." She cursed and turned back to the dogs. "He's badly hurt and won't wake up in this weather. We gotta take him home or him, and you will die."

✩

"We don't need...your help..." Steele snarls at Balto. Star looks at Ghost, who has an emotionless look on her face. The smaller dog whimpered and said, "M-Maybe we should listen to him..." but Steele snarls at him, receiving a deep growl from the wolf. The Alaskan backs aback but soon snaps his head to Balto as he answers Nikki's question. "Well...I marked the trail...like this..." he says and walks over to a tree scratching it. Star smiles and cheers, "Ho-ho-ho, yeah!" Steele suddenly leaps onto the tree, making it fall to the ground, and growls at Balto, pushing him back up.

Ghost is still doing nothing as she waits for the right moment to charge. "I'll get us back! I'm the lead dog; I'm in charge!" Steele snarled. Balto frowned and sighed. "What...Then let me take back the medicine. They're getting sicker." He said and started to make for the antitoxic, but Steele jumped in his way, growling, "Touch that box...and I'll tear you apart!" Ghost snarled lowly as she heard Nikki and Kaltag bet on whoever won between Steele and Balto; the two of them whimpered in submission and fear as the wolf suddenly stood and stalked aorund Balto and Steele quietly.

"Steele, I'm not leaving without that medicine." Balto hissed, and once more, as he tried to walk towards the medicine, the Alaskan pushed him away. "Who do you think you are?!" Steele growls, unaware of the wolf that circles them. Balto is too ignorant of her. "Since when do you need a pedigree to help someone?" Balto scoffed as he once more tried to get to the box, but this time Steele pushed him away harder. That was the last straw for Ghost, and she growled loudly, making her presence known.

Steele whipped his head towards her to see her towering above him from behind "he is Balto, the wolf-dog. And he is my friend. You do well to remember that I'm a wolf, and I can tear you apart easily." She hissed, her white shape teeth glinting. Steele shivers and scoffs, totally heartbroken. "Can't you see.... I'm better than that half-breed!" He snarled, and Ghost scoffed, trotting over to Balto and helping him stand.

"No, you're not. You're just making this trip for yourself while Balto and I are doing this for the kids. They will die, Steele! But you don't care. Of course." Ghost said and stalked against Steele, her head low to the ground. Her fiery blue eyes seemed as if on fire. Balto was surprised that she protected him and against Steele. She had done that before the day in the ally where he first met her. He didn't know why she did, though. All the other wild wolves he had met never walked into the village, never was seen other than if you searched for them.

And they never fought with the dogs of the town. Never. So why did Ghost do this? And for who? Him or the kids? Or for herself? The half-breed shook his head and walked towards the antitoxin but got stung back by a fluffy whitetail. He yelped as he hit the stone and fell cold—ghost, who didn't mean flinging the wolf-dog like that and looked in his direction, worried. Steele sees this as an opportunity to strike, pouncing on the enormous wolf and making her yelp.

He bit into her fur to hold himself on her as she shook. But in the end, she got him off, and he flew over the ledge, falling into the abyss. Ghost stood still, panting and eyes wide. I hurt two dogs. And it was their fight, not mine.... She shuddered and turned to face Balto, who was still lying. She growled at herself and walked over, nudging him. "Balto... wake up. I didn't mean it..." she whispered, and this was the first time the other dogs saw the big beautiful wolf cry.

For she did that rarely. But this time, Ghost sat down by baltos side, her head bowed in grief. She then lifts her head, howling a sad tune. The other dogs stare in awe at the beautiful song. Steele, hearing this, growls as he makes his way up. Suddenly Balto woke to listen to the wolf song. He groans, and the sled dogs gasp, "Look!" Ghost stops as she looks down, her fur patted by two rivers or tears. She smiles and immediately falls to her stomach, nudging Balto gently and lovingly.

Balto smiles and chuckles as she helps him up. "I'm okay. I'm okay," he says and stands up, Ghost standing up with him. Her fluffy tail wags, and she lifts her head but not before licking Balto on the head. The young wolf-dog gets surprised and stares up at his friend and savior. "Balto," she says, smiling as happy tears fall. "Let's go," she says, standing and intertwining her and his tails, making him smile at her again. She leads him over to the team, where Star stands with Steele's saddle.

The wolf-dog hesitates a little, looking back at Ghost as she sits down behind him "go on," she says, lowering her head and nudging him toward the saddle. Balto takes a deep breath and looks at the sled team, who smiles at him. He then goes through fitting perfectly. They then run off as Ghost stays. I will wait for you, Steele. She thinks, and the winter weather continues hard, pelting down on her fur, and with a wind gust, she disappears into the wind like a dream, a forgotten presence.

But she will return. She always will.

☁︎