The next few seconds were a blur for Steele. One moment, he was less than an inch away from sinking his teeth into the neck of the intrusive hybrid pinned underneath him, high off the sweet adrenaline. The next, he was flying off of his opponent, a large force suddenly plowing powerfully into his side.

And that force was ...

"Jenna?" Balto asked softly.

Looking up, the wolfdog's heart leapt with joy as he did indeed see his cherished husky, freed of her binds and gag. She had saved his life by knocking Steele several feet away from him, the Malamute hitting the wall with a painful thud.

Jenna, meanwhile, looked almost like a completely different dog to Balto. Gone was the sweet and kind demeanor that usually captivated him so, instead replaced by her eyes flaring in savage hatred. Her legs spread in an aggressive crouch with her fur bristling throughout her whole body. Her fangs were prominently bared, and a menacing growl continuously emerged from the husky.

Before Steele could even get back up or Balto could join Jenna in the fight, the enraged female charged into Steele once more. She took his bulky neck into her jaws, slammed it into the wall, and then used all of her strength to toss him onto the ground, letting out a fierce grunt at the exertion. As he got back up, she brought her claws out and started scratching and biting at his face, his chest, anything she could reach, causing him to whimper in pain at the stinging.. It was unlike anything Balto had ever seen, and it made him both proud and sad. Proud of how willing she was to get into the thick of things, and how well she could hold her own in the process. But sad that she was doing it out of pain and anger, something he had hoped to protect her from.

Steele was ready to fight back, though. His eyes narrowed to slits, he lashed out at Jenna with his mighty teeth in between her blows. Jenna backed up to avoid the hit. She tried to get another opening, but Steele's size and might gave is attacks no room for her. Before he could strike again, however, another form leapt on top of him, bit into his neck, and knocked him away from her.

As Steele maintained his footing, he looked up at the reunited couple, who stood proud and firm, ready to face him together.

"H-how?" Steele stammered at Jenna. "How did you get out?!"

A sudden forced cough answered Steele's question. He swiftly turned his head around to see an angry-looking goose, with two small polar bears behind him. It took him a second, but he recognized this trio.

Balto's little friends, Steele thought bitterly. He quickly pieced it together; while the pesky wolfdog fought him off (pathetically), his gang of losers must have gone in and freed his prize. His blood boiled at being tricked, the humiliation of this mongrel getting the best of him once again. It brought a violent twitch to his eye. But of course, Steele tried to rationalize, Balto was part wolf. His kind was cunning, deceptive, always played dirty and did whatever it took to steal someone else's goods.

Well, two can play at that game, he thought. In a fit, he turned around and charged at the goose and bears. Muk and Luk got on all fours and prepared to charge back, while Boris looked away and shielded his face with his wings.

But Jenna acted quickly. She grabbed Steele's tail with her teeth and yanked it back hard, shooting intense pain through it and redirecting his attention onto her. He prepared to strike her, but Balto's jaws grabbed his paw and pulled it away. Jenna took advantage of Steele's distraction and jumped on his back. After digging her jaws into his neck, she launched over to his other side and gave a sharp pull, knocking him onto his side.

With Steele on the floor and Jenna above him, the two dogs then fiercely bit at each other, each trying to land a potential battle-ending blow. Steele tried using his paws to shove her away, but Jenna was fiercely persistent and just kept slashing at him before he could get back up.

But the Malamute changed tactics and, rather than going for her face or chest, used a paw to sweep the husky's legs out and cause her to fall down. But when he then got up and attempted to finish the fight, Balto rammed into his side with his head and pushed him away. He tried to gnash his teeth into Steele, but had to avoid his own bites. Jenna joined him, however, and Steele found himself overwhelmed by the two companions' assault.

Steele decided it was worth a few painful slashes from Jenna in order to tackle Balto. The wolfdog landed with a cry of pain. It was then that Boris and the bears jumped into the fray. Luk hopped on the front of Steele's neck and put his arms tightly around it, while Boris jumped onto the large dog's back and wrapped his wings around his muzzle to keep him from biting.

"NOW, YOU TWO!! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!!" Boris cried out, barely keeping the evil dog's jaws shut. "ATTACK WHILE HE-argh! Bad dog! Bad, bad dog!"

The canine lovers composed themselves and looked at the display. They looked at each other in grim determination and nodded, seeming to both realize what they had to do.

They simultaneously charged at Steele and took one of his shoulders in their jaws. He tried to fight it, but the distraction of the two creatures at his throat combined with the disuse of his teeth kept him from shaking his canine attackers. In near-perfect synchronization, the two used their combined strength to push Steele back up to the nearest wall. He kept thrashing and struggling, but none of the four let up.

After making eye contact once more to confirm the right moment, Balto and Jenna both slammed Steele's head into the wall as hard as they could. The force of the impact wasn't enough to knock Steele out, but the direct blow to the head was enough to put him in a daze. He was immediately too disoriented to keep fighting, and so gave out, collapsing onto his stomach with a groan and a splitting pain in his head.

When Steele looked up, his worst nightmare was fully realized. Not only was Jenna free of her bonds, but she and Balto were now standing over him, a variety of negative emotions plastered on their faces. The unkept outcast and the purebred beauty, standing side-by-side against him and showing no signs of wavering from each other even slightly. It was the last outcome Steele wanted to get from all this.

"Steele," Balto said lowly. "Stay down. This is over." Jenna gave the wolfdog a brief side-glance of surprise, but kept her focus on Steele.

The Malamute laughed bitterly at this demand, but not a hint of humor was found in it. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, wolfie? To just get the girl and ride off with her. Like you did with everything else that's mine."

"I'm NOT your thing!!" Jenna screamed, followed by another scratch to Steele's face. "And you didn't deserve any of the glory you had!!" Balto's ears folded back from the shrill pain in her voice. Jenna reached up for another strike, but Balto stepped in.

"Jenna, Jenna, hey!" He blocked her attempted blow with a large paw and looked her gently yet firmly in the eyes.

The husky looked at her love with great surprise. "Wha ... Balto, what are you doing?"

"We won't make anything better by beating him senselessly. Trust me," he looked down at the pathetic would-be assailant, "I learned that the hard way."

Before Jenna could ask what he meant, Balto turned his head to Boris and gave a curt nod. Boris rushed off to the room Jenna had been captive in, and returned moments later with Steele's old collar. He dropped the thing at Balto's feet, and Steele looked up at his enemy with a mix of fury and confusion

"You know, Steele, Jenna's right. You didn't deserve any of the good that came your way. What you did to me, what you did to her, and what you almost did to all those kids, is unforgivable. And if you think that a girl is property, especially one as amazing as Jenna," the husky beamed at that, "Then you're even blinder than I thought.

"But this collar means nothing to me. Especially not with you being its former owner. So here's what's going to happen. You'll take it, walk away, and never come into our lives again. And if you think you can try to pull something like this again, you're mistaken. We'll tell every dog in town what you did, and they'll be on constant lookout for you. We'll never travel alone at dark, and we'll keep checking in on each other. You'll have nothing on us anymore, and you'll have no chance at a life here. So do what I told you to earlier: find one somewhere else."

Jenna's jaw was hanging open at Balto's speech. He was just letting Steele go? But ... but he couldn't! They couldn't just let Steele walk away, not without him facing the consequences of his actions!

"Balto, you can't be serious!"

"What are we supposed to do, Jen? We can't keep him prisoner forever."

"B-but we can't just let him leave either! Not after everything he's done! Are you really saying you're okay with just letting him off scot-free?!"

"Of course I'm not," Balto replied. "But what would it say about us if we stooped to his level?" Jenna said nothing at that, only looked away. Balto lay a paw on her back gently. "Jenna, I know he's a monster. I know he deserves worse. But try to understand what I-"

"Understand?!" Jenna sharply turned around and barked at him. "How could I possibly understand?!" Unshed tears were starting to form in her blazing eyes. "Ever since I've known him, he's harassed me, belittled me, and stepped over everyone like they were trash! And he bullied you, you couldn't even go into town without risk of him finding you! He kept me away from you for so long! Then he tries to kill Rosy, tries to kill you, as if it wasn't already bad enough having half of the males in town drool over me and making me feel like I can never be safe walking down the-"

Balto cut off her rant when he simply wrapped a foreleg around the distressed husky's neck and pulled her close to him. This finally opened the floodgates, and Jenna's head collapsed beneath the thick fur of the hybrid's chest. She allowed the tears to fall down and dampen Balto's fur, the weight of all the times she was treated as smaller and a means to an end crashing down on her in that moment. And she had to take comfort in the arms of the dog who never made her feel like that. She hated feeling this way, she hated the desire to see someone suffer as much as possible. She thought she was better than that.

The tearful female rubbed her face deeper into her wolfdog, not ever wanting to know a day without this sensation. Boris, Muk, and Luk joined in on the embrace as well, wanting to show her that she was just as much a part of their little family as Balto was. And Jenna believed that, more now than ever.

The moment was rudely interrupted, however, when their enemy slowly got back on his feet. The three canines just stared each other down, unsure of what anyone would do. It took the majority of Jenna's willpower to not lash out at Steele again.

Steele, however, just padded over to his collar and used his paws to get it into a position where he could get it on his neck. The disgraced dog allowed the feeling to sink in, the feeling of the material weaving through his neck fur. It felt like seeing an old friend after being away for so long. The way it hugged his neck, the way it somehow glimmered even in the darkness, the way it made him look just that much more like the champion he had always believed himself to be. He wouldn't dare have an emotional moment in front of his hated enemies, but it was certainly tempting.

He turned back to said enemies. Balto was nodding for his friends to head out, with the intention of following right behind them. Jenna was reluctant, but nodded as well. But just as Balto was about to give a final warning to Steele, Jenna padded up to him. Standing proud and showing no fear, she raised her hackles and looked the larger dog coldly in the eyes.

"If you ever ... EVER come into my life again, or go near anyone I care about again, I swear on my owners that I'll make you beg for the kind of treatment you gave me. You hear me? Stay out and never come back. Because as far as I'm concerned, you can drop. Dead."

With that final stinging word, the husky turned to go, slapping Steele in the face with her tail for good measure. Balto looked at her with as much loving support as he could muster, in spite of the shock of hearing her in such a cold, bitter state. Not that he blamed her in the slightest. He just made a mental note to never get on her bad side.

Steele watched the group leave. He couldn't remember feeling such shame or humiliation in his life, even when he was exposed after the serum run. His plan was supposed to be his chance at some portion of the life he wanted. But Balto couldn't even allow him that; he had to take everything, only letting him have some collar that meant nothing to this town now.

Seeing red, Steele started growling again. No ... no, you're not getting away that easily. He started slowly creeping towards them as they were about to leave his line of sight, his pace getting quicker as he got closer.

Both Balto and Jenna's ears twitched at the sound behind them, and turned to see Steele looking ready to charge. Balto just whispered one word to his friends and love.

"Run."

The animals dashed away, frantically searching for the crawl space that would take them back outside. Steele was hot on their tail, but Balto's finesse and Jenna's smaller frame allowed them to weave through the corners at a faster rate than Steele. Boris and Muk were having more trouble keeping up, soon resorting to riding on one of the dogs' backs.

As a hook in the ceiling came into sight, Balto and Jenna ducked to avoid it, with Jenna being extra careful to not get her bandana caught on it. As Steele passed it, however, he was far less careless, and the hook snagged on his championship collar. He felt himself being pulled back with a choking jerk. But Steele, in his blind anger, slipping sanity, and recent blow to the head, didn't bother trying to unhook it with his paws, instead continuing to dash in hopes that it would come loose. As his mighty paws slammed on the old, dilapidated floorboards in his struggle, they started to creak and bend.

At a point, even the deranged Malamute knew that he couldn't catch his quarries. He gave up and stopped running, allowing slack in his hooked collar. In a bout of rage, he slammed a paw down hard onto the weakening floor.

This weakened it too far.

Steele suddenly found the floor he stood on no longer present. His slam was enough to break through the old surface, the planks of wood falling to the ground of the level multiple feet beneath him. Unfortunately, he wasn't joining them; he was caught by his collar still latched onto the hook. The collar started digging deeply into the front of his neck, slowly beginning to strangle the canine.

Dangling with his back paws unable to reach any solid ground, Steele flailed and kicked in an increasingly desperate attempt to dislodge himself from the hook. He started hacking and wheezing as the collar dug further and further into his throat. His front paws flailed about, trying and failing to reach the hook. He started panting and hacking, the choking sensation getting stronger and stronger with each second. He could feel himself weakening, feel himself slipping further away from consciousness.

In spite of his relentless struggling, Steele felt his world fading. Right on the heels of his biggest disgrace, he couldn't imagine a more humiliating way to go, to end his once-glorious life. In his despair and horror, Steele let out a piercing, angry, yet distressed wail. It sounded not too far off from a wolf's howl.

The question for him, as his movements slowed and he continued dangling, was if anyone was close enough to hear. Where was his goose? Was he around? Could he hear the cries of his master? Would he answer them even if he could?

Would anyone?After running for around half a mile, Balto, Jenna, Boris, Muk, and Luk decided that they could rest. They looked back frequently in their journey back to town, but never saw Steele once they were away from that building. Which was especially good considering they had spent a lot of energy just getting away from him. Another fight would be draining.

The five of them panted from their frantic run. Boris was the worst off, his chest looking like it was about to burst as he breathed in and out. He ultimately collapsed on the snowy ground with his wings drooping. Muk fell on top of Luk, and Jenna allowed herself to fall smoothly into the snow. Of course, Balto was quick to lay beside her.

"Are you *huff* okay, Jenna?" Balto asked. Jenna merely nodded, very much out of breath. It had been slightly more challenging for her to run because of the ache that still lingered on her paws from the ropes. She sadly rubbed one paw against the other wrist to try and soothe it somewhat. Balto noticed her pain and leaned over to gently lick one of her paws, followed by a soft rub of them with his nose. Overwhelmed by the tenderness of the gesture, Jenna buried her face in his neck. She was finally free from Steele, and back with the wolfdog who was as different from Steele as any creature could get. She was no longer crying, but allowed a few dry sobs to escape. Balto was just amazed that she was as composed as she was considering what she had been put through. It seemed that she was always showing him new sides to her, able to take on anything she set her mind to and come out of it shaken, but in one piece. And he doubted that she'd hesitate to do it again if it meant holding on to what she believed in.

"It's okay, Jenna. It's alright, it's over," Balto whispered. He closed his eyes and wrapped a foreleg across her soft back. Now it was his chance to let the relief of her freedom settle in. He took in every inch of her beautiful frame, opened his eyes to gaze into her own entrancing ones. He made sure to burn every shift she made through his fur to memory, every word she said in that angelic voice. He almost lost the most important part of his life, and he held her as if afraid that she'd still be gone if he let go.

Eventually, Jenna finally spoke. "Th-thank you. Thank you all so much," she spoke aloud to everyone.

"Eh, was better than playing tag with the bears all day," Boris mused, quietly so that Muk and Luk didn't hear them. Jenna let out a chuckle at the antics of these misfits.

"Are you okay?" Balto asked. "Any bruises, does your head hurt? What did Steele-"

"I'm fine, Balto," Jenna said lightly. "Really. It hurts in places, but it'll heal."

"That's good," the wolfdog replied, before getting a mischievous grin. "But maybe a kiss'll help." He proceeded to lick Jenna's cheek, getting a girlish giggle out of her. She dug her nose into Balto's neck fur and breathed in his scent. Never did she feel safer than when she could be pressed up against him like this.

Almost subconsciously, she murmured to him, "Oh, I love you."

Balto's ears perked up and his golden eyes widened. He looked at Jenna in surprise, as if what he was hearing couldn't possibly be real. But all he said was, "You love me?" Jenna only responded with a shy smile and a vigorous nod. And Balto's face slowly lit up brighter than it ever had around her.

"I love you, too."

That's all that there was left to say. Nothing else was needed. At this point, they had already essentially said they loved each other in every way except verbally. The two canines proceeded to rub noses, before their necks became lovingly intertwined. Jenna sidled into his chest, and Balto used both forelegs to hold her tightly. The two exchanged licks, nuzzles, and just took in the other's presence.

All the while, Boris looked on at the two's display with great satisfaction. "Good job, kiddo."Balto, the original images, and all the characters (except the unnamed goose) all belong to Universal.

Originally uploaded on August 8, 2019.For this part, I actually want to thank a good friend of mine on DeviantArt, DracoTyrannus. When I told him I was planning a Jenna story, he brought up the idea of Steele dying by getting himself caught on his own championship collar. Apparently this was based on some unused concepts from the original film, and I thought it was a good, symbolically meaningful idea that I wanted to put in. So credit to him for that. I also wanted to make it ambiguous as to whether he survives. Does he die there alone, does he slip out at the last second, does someone like his goose rescue him? You decide!

We end things with another nice bit with Balto and Jenna, and their long-awaited declaration of love. I didn't want it drawn out too much, as I felt it didn't need too much more than what we've gotten so far in the story. But they were made for each other, and no one can tell me different!

Anyways, thanks to everyone who's gotten this far!