𝑮𝑯𝑶𝑺𝑻 |✔️

Wolf in the mist

☁︎

Steele climbs up as he sees that his team and Balto, along with Ghost, are long gone. he growls and yells out, waking a force so strong that he will never get away. "Go ahead, Wolfdog! You'll never get home! I'll make sure that!" just as he runs about scratching up trees wildly, a breath hits his fur, and he freezes. he turns slowly, staring into two fiery blue eyes. They are familiar to him, and he whimpers in fear as he sees two glinting fangs right over his head. He looks up and backs away, seeing that out of the billowing wind comes Ghost, the white wolf. And she doesn't seem happy. But again, she doesn't seem as angry either.

"what are you doing, Steele?" she says calmly. Steele searches for a lie or a thing he can say to cover up what he's doing. he then sees it's futile to lie to the white wolf and sighs looking down in shame. Ghost is the only one who makes him feel bad for hating the Wolfdog. After all, she's his friend, and the Alaskan wants to impress Ghost. For many reasons, actually. First, to win her heart, and two, to get her away from Balto by making him seem like the bad one in this triangle. But it doesn't work as well as he hoped.

"well... i- I just want to see if I can find the way home... you see, I'm lost," he says and smiles nervously. Ghost raises a brow and walks towards him, then turns her side towards him, bringing her tail under his snout. "oh?" she asks calmy with no emotions at all. "well, we can't have that now, can we?" she ends, and suddenly her eyes are at the other side of his head. He gulps, feeling her side against his back. "you're bad at lying, little hero ain't you?" she purs, stroking herself against Steele making him buckle a little.

"i-i have no idea what you mean..." he tries but yelps as he's suddenly facing to face with Ghost. Their noses are almost touching. "don't try to lie, Steele. I can see through you like no other. There's no need. But you'll have it for actually trying. There's not many who dares and at least not for winning my... heart." she then walks away from him, and he relaxes. "let's get you home," she says and walks away, disappearing into the wind's calling. Steele grows worried and starts to look for her but quickly moves his snout to the ground, finding her sweet scent. He follows it and finds her standing not far away, looking back at him.

"come on," she says, but now, instead of going away, she waits, and Steele runs up to her, and together they go back home.

✩

Balto suddenly spots a deep ledge dropping before him. He grinds to a halt. The dogs lose control and narrowly stop just before the ledge's end. The sled halts close to the future and starts to tip over. "Look out!"Nikki calls. The ropes holding the medicine down snap, and the anti-toxin begins to lean towards the edge. Balto leaps in the air and grabs the rope in his mouth. "Alright! ...Good catch, Balto!" Star says, smiling. A large portion of snow containing Balto and the medicine breaks off. Nikki, Kaltag, and star watch in horror as Balto and the treatment come tumbling down the mountain... At the dogs' meetinghouse in Nome, Jenna explains the situation to the others. ": I don't get it! How could Balto and Ghost hope to find Steele and his team? They were off the trail!" one dog says, and Jenna sighs. " Well, he's tracking them" Jenna defends the Wolfdog at the best she can, but the dogs laugh, not buying it. "that mutt! Tracking a championship team in a blizzard!" All the dogs burst out laughing. Doc and Jenna are not amused. Their laughter is cut short as a dark, frozen-stiff figure appears in the doorway. Behind it burns two blue eyes and all dogs bow down in front of the white wolf as she walks in with Steele. A dog rolls a bone to Steele, and Steele falls upon it.

" Steele! Wh-Where are the others?" Doc asks, and they look up as a sigh prices the air "promise me, little Alaskan, do not lie to save your reputation. you will not have a chance with me then," its Ghost. She then fades away with a gust of wind. Steele is silent for a while, panting hard before he talks, and against her warning, he does lie " I pulled four onto the sled. Three more on my back!" He checks his claws. "And I-I walked...and I walked...but...It was – It was just too late! They were –" He falls to the floor. Not mentioning how it happened. " But what about the medicine?" Doc says worriedly. Steele sighs deliberately as he gets up. "Well..I-I-I went on...dr-dragging the medicine alone...allalone...and then suddenly, that Wolfdog appeared. Balto! ...He demanded I let him take medicine!" the Alaskan breathed. Once more, Ghost was not mentioned, not wanting to put his.. crush in the wrong spot. he then glanced at Jenna, fake pity in his eyes. 

"You know, he just wanted so much to be ahero in your eyes...And..he, he grabbed the crate...but he couldn't handle it! He-hecouldn't see the patch of ice, the snow, the wind, the log....and thecliff...He didn't have chan..." He breaks off, panting some more. " I'm sorry--" He sobs lightly. " ...and then.." He pulls out part of Jenna's bandana that she had given Balto in secret before he and Ghost walked off. he shows it to the young husky. " ...My bandana..." she gasps. Steele drops it to her feet. "He...made me promise to take...care of you, Jenna." Jenna looks sadly at the bandana, then at Steele. "You're lying." All the dogs'gasp and chatter. Steele is shocked. "Steele's lying! Balto's alive! He's coming home. you haven't even mentioned Ghost. She was with him. I saw her. You're just trying to put yourself in a good spot. no wonder the white wolf doesn't like you," she hisses, takes the bandana in her mouth, and runs off. "Ah...well...you know, she just...needs a little time," he says, bowing his head. Her words hurt more than he knew. not cause it was his past love saying it but because she had right. Ghost is not going to like him for this. 

But she doesn't need to know, he thought and curled up, gnawing at the bone and smirking. 

☁︎