The Golden Collar

By Shadow-d-husky

Steele sat alone in an alley, sulking and feeling sorry for himself. Ever since the dogs found out about his deeds during the serum run, he had been branded an outcast. He had no friends, save Shadow. Shadow was a purebred black and white husky, like Steele, who had moved up in the ranks to become lead dog of one of the sled teams in Nome.

Shadow had found Steele sad and alone in the gold dredger (boiler room), where the other dogs left him. He tried to help Steele. "It takes a real dog to have the backbone to admit their mistakes,” Steele remembered Shadow saying. “Is this the legacy you wish to leave of yourself; ‘Steele, the dog who almost sabotaged the serum run and caused the death of half the population of Nome?’ Why don’t you quit feeling sorry for yourself and apologize. Who knows, maybe someday you will even be looked up to again.” Steele appreciated Shadow’s friendship, and even the notion that he was trying to improve his situation. But what did he know? Steele thought his situation was unique; it wasn’t his fault, it was all Balto’s fault. Or was it? All Steele could be sure of at this point was that everyone hated him while at the same time they considered Balto a hero.

“That wolfdog gets all the glory and all I get is scorn.” Steele muttered to himself. “If that wolfdog were not around, maybe everyone would take me back.”

But Steele would have to do something incredible to win back the respect of the town. Unfortunately the mushers were right; he was losing his edge. He had to cheat to win the race against the opposing team to keep his golden collar. He got lost in the snowstorm and panicked. He even lost in the fight with Balto due to his blind rage. In addition to that, his musher no longer trusted him on the sled team because he panicked and caused the sled crash. They thought that not only had he lost his edge, but that he had also lost his mind. What could he do to win back the respect and admiration of the town?

Steele was a dog who had almost always got his way. He always acted on impulse, without thinking of the ramifications, because he never had to take responsibility for his actions. He had been so used to being praised and being the center of attention, that he only saw the world from the perspective of what he wanted. But ever since he had become an outcast he had plenty of time to think about his actions. He no longer constantly had his ego stroked; he was despised by all the dogs in Nome. For the first several days he had plotted his revenge against Balto. But he had also heard about how bad the Diphtheria epidemic was and how it nearly devastated the population of the town. For once in his life, Steele felt a small sense of remorse over his actions. He understood why Balto did what he did, but he still hated him for it. With these thoughts on his mind, he set out to find Balto.

Steele spotted Balto, alone, and quickly moved towards him.

“Hey, wolfdog!” Steele called out. “We need to have a chat.”

“Steele?” Balto said, turning around and expecting the worse. Surely whatever Steele wanted could not be good.

Steele closed the distance between him and Balto.

“There was a full moon out last night, lobo. Did you howl at it?” Steele teased, not being able to resist antagonizing Balto. “I am sure you mother would approve.”

Balto let out a low growl and stared daggers at Steele. Steele had a smug look on his face, satisfied from being able to torment Balto once again. It felt just like old times to

Steele, who wanted more than anything for things to be just like old times.

“Ooh, I struck a nerve.” Steele smirked. “What’s the matter, wolfie? Can’t take a joke?”

Balto, trying to control his temper, wondered what Steele really wanted. Surely he did not come here just to torment him again?

“Steele,” Balto replied, trying to keep a cool head. “What do you really want?”

Steele was having such a good time aggravating Balto that he had forgot why he went out to seek Balto in the first place. Steele knew what he had to do.

“Actually, I am glad you asked, wolfdog.” Steele replied. “I have something for you.”

Steele closed more distance between him and Balto, which made Balto back away a few steps. Suddenly, Steele pulled his Golden Collar off and threw it at Balto’s feet.

“I think you deserve this more I do. It’s yours.” Steele said.

Balto looked at the collar in disbelief. Was this the same Golden Collar that was given to the winner of the sled race, a symbol of achievement and pride? Why would

Steele give this to him?

“Steele…I don’t know what to say…” Balto replied, still in a state of disbelief. “But I can’t take your collar.”

“You’re always so modest, wolfdog.” Steele retorted as he sat down. “But actually, there was something else I wanted to tell you.”

Balto was completely off guard and alone. If Steele wanted to get rid of him once and for all, now was the time to do it. It would be so easy, he could rip out his throat and be done with it. But then what? Steele would still be an outcast, and the rest of the dogs of Nome would probably hunt him down. Even more than revenge against Balto, Steele wanted to be accepted among the dogs of Nome once again. He abhorred being an outcast more than anything else. If he apologized to Balto, maybe the other dogs would forgive him. But if he apologized, he would also look weak. And besides, what did the half-breed ever do to deserve an apology? Steele knew what he had to do.

“Balto, I…” Steele struggled to swallow his pride, while at the same time trying not to appear weak. However, deep down Steele did feel some remorse, and his face betrayed his feelings. “Balto, I’m sorry.”

Balto could not believe what he just heard. Did Steele, the most prideful and vain dog in Nome, apologize to him? Was this just a ploy, some part of a greater scheme to get back at Balto? Steele looked sincere, but Balto also knew Steele was an accomplished liar. But then again, maybe Steele had finally hit rock bottom and was desperate to redeem himself and gain acceptance again. Balto decided to give him the benefit of a doubt.

“All is forgiven, Steele.” Balto said with a warm smile.

“Thank you.” Steele replied. “Oh, and Balto, don’t rub it in. I still have a reputation to uphold.”

Balto chuckled. “Sure thing.”

Steele was still a bit confused, as to why Balto did not hate him. After all, he did try to kill Balto and steal Jenna away from him. If Balto had done the same to him, he would be furious.

Steele picked up the golden collar and put it back on. “If you do not want it then I will be taking it back.”

“By the way, why did you leave me at the bottom of that ravine?” Steele asked.

Steele was unhappy, to say the least, when the other dogs left him at the bottom of the ravine after the fight between him and Balto. Though Steele was eventually able to climb up the ravine, the fall had bruised him fairly bad. Steele, being a tough dog, was nonetheless able to make it back to town in order to lie to the other dogs. Steele was still slightly sore from the fall, but he tried to hide that fact.

“The medicine had to get back; people were going to die.” Balto replied. “Besides, if I had gone down there you might have finished me off.”

Steele looked away and growled, because he knew it was true.

“Hey Steele.” Balto replied. “Have you considered apologizing to the rest of the dogs? I think they would take you back and accept you again. Is that not what you want?”

“What!? Apologize to them!?” Steele snapped, as he bared his teeth and narrowed his eyes. “They are the ones who abandoned me! They should apologize to me! And I do not need advice from a half breed!”

“Steele…” Balto calmly replied. “They abandoned you because they found out you lied to them. They also were angry with you when they found out what had really happened.

You owe them an apology.”

Steele let out a low growl. He was not going to take that from any dog, much less a wolfdog. But quickly, Steele realized that Balto was right. He did owe them an apology.

“You’re right, Balto.” Steele replied with a sigh, hanging his head in shame.” I’m sorry, I still have a difficult time controlling my temper. I will apologize, but I need you to vouch for me. You’re one of only two….dogs….that will do that for me.” Steele struggled to refer to Balto as a dog, because deep down he still harbored hate against him and thought of him as a half-breed.

“Walk with me.” Balto said, motioning to Steele with his head.

The two dogs started walking towards the dredger, which was on the other side of town. Balto could not help but wonder how Steele had originally won the Golden Collar.

Balto knew that the races were held once every year, and that Steele was a 3 time winner, so it must have been 3 years ago. “Steele,” Balto asked, “How did you win the Golden Collar the first time?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Replied Steele, who always delighted in being able to brag about his past achievements at any opportunity he could. “It was three years ago, and the reigning champion at the time was a husky named Rainier. I had heard that Rainier was a really tough opponent, but had no idea what kind of a race I was in for. Rainier had a pretty fearsome reputation, and I believe he had won the Collar multiple times. I was only two at the time, and this was my first championship race. We had raced all the way to the narrow pass, being neck and neck at the time. Rainier and I were staring each other down, when suddenly he tried to bite one of my legs. No one does that to me and gets away with it, so I returned the favor. I may have..uh..drawn a little blood.” Steele finished with a chuckle.

“Steele…” Balto replied, clearly not impressed. Balto remembered when Steele used that move on him, and now knew where he had learned it. Still, it seemed very unsporting, even in that situation. “Winning isn’t everything.”

“What?” Steele replied, trying to appear innocent. “He started it! Besides, it served him right for trying to bite me. I think he retired after that race; I have never seen him again.”

“And the second time I won the Golden Collar,” Steele proudly continued, at this point being completely unable to refrain from showing his pride. “There was a so called champion team from White Mountain. They did not stand a chance against a true champion team. We beat them by four minutes, and it was all due to my stamina and leadership. After all, I am not only the best sleddog in Nome, but also the best sleddog in all Alaska.”

Balto tried not to chuckle as Steele bragged about his past victories. Despite being an outcast, Steele was still full of himself, and the fact that his huge ego remained in light of all this was almost humorous. Yet it was also sad at the same time, as it was his ego that had landed him in hot water during the serum run. If he was unable to tone it down, it would surely cause trouble in the future. Balto wondered if Steele had always been like this. Did his parents act this way? Is that where he learned to act like that? There was only one way to find out.

“Steele,” Balto inquired. “What were your parents like?”

“My puppyhood is off limits, half-breed!” Steele roared back at Balto, coming to a complete stop and clearly insulted by the query. “I am descended from the original line of

Siberian Huskies imported from Russia during the gold rush. I am a purebred, pedigree, champion Siberian Husky. That is all you need to know!”

Balto was taken aback by the response, and even more confused. He had no doubt that Steele was a purebred husky, or about his lineage; that was well known. But now he wondered if something had happened to Steele when he was a puppy, something that could explain why he was so mean. It was obvious that he would never be able to convince Steele to tell him, so he decided to leave it alone. The dogs continued walking towards the dredger.

“Since you are so interested in talking about family, why don’t we talk about yours?”

Steele smirked. “How’s Jenna?”

“She is fine.” Balto replied. “I don’t like where this is going.”

“You know I am the best dog for her.” Steele said, emphasizing the word dog.

“Steele!” Balto angrily replied, coming to a complete stop to confront the husky. “You had your chance. Jenna loves me now.”

“But she a purebred husky, like me. Why should she not love me?” Steele retorted.

“Steele, do you really want to know why she doesn’t love you? It is because you are full of yourself. The only thing you cared about was yourself. You didn’t care about Jenna, you just saw her as a prize that you could win. Did you think that other dogs would find that kind of attitude attractive? Love goes both ways, when will you finally learn that?”

Steele growled and stared Balto down, but eventually looked away. He hated to admit it, but Balto was correct. Steele had treated the other dogs like prizes in the past, being only concerned about himself. Maybe he should heed Balto’s advice this time? “You’re right, Balto. I’m sorry.” Steele hesitantly apologized, staring at his paws. “I guess it would be better for everyone if I did change.”

“Come on, Steele, let’s get to the dredger.” Balto replied.

The dogs continued walking towards the dredger, about three quarters of the way there. Balto sniffed the air.

“That’s funny; I smell smoke.” Balto said. “Maybe the butcher is cooking something?”

The gold dredger was where all the dogs gathered for warmth and to socialize. It was frequented by both sled dogs and regular dogs alike. Balto and Steele began walking towards it when they noticed something was amiss; smoke was coming out of the windows.

“There’s a fire.” Balto said. “Quickly, we have to check if anyone is trapped in side.”

Both Balto and Steele ran up to the closed door. Balto tried to remove the hinge bolts on the door but it was too hot. He yanked back his paw in pain, barely escaping getting burned. Balto threw himself against the door but was not large enough to knock it down.

He backed away and turned towards Steele, trying to catch his breath.

“You want to be a hero again?” Balto asked Steele. “Well here is your chance.”

Steele immediately leapt at the door with all his might and knocked it down. Steele coughed as a rush of hot air and smoke flew in his face as more oxygen fed the fire. The entire building was filled with smoke and there were flames around the furnace. Embers from the furnace must have set some of the timbers on fire. The fire was beginning to spread, but the smoke was of more immediate concern. Steele hesitated for a second, knowing that he could suffocate from the lack of oxygen. But the prospects of remaining an outcast if he did not do something compelled him to proceed.

Back outside, Balto started to follow Steele in to help, but he stopped. He knew Steele could handle it, and this was his chance to redeem himself. If Balto went in to help everyone would all think Balto was being a hero not Steele, and the last thing that Balto needed was to be on Steele’s bad side again.

Inside the entrance to the dredger, the heat and smoke were really getting to Steele. His eyes began to water and swell up; he better make this quick.

“Is anyone in here?” Steele called out, coughing because of the smoke.

“Yeah, over here!” A voice called out. “We can’t find the door!”

Steele ran towards the voice to find Kaltag and about ten other dogs trapped on the far side of the building. Steele was struggling to keep his eyes open at this point, as the smoke nearly made them swell shut.

“Steele! What are you doing here?” Kaltag said. Nikki, Doc, and about seven other dogs were with him.

“There’s no time for that!” Steele hastily replied. “Come with me if you want to get out of here.”

The dogs all followed Steele to the door. No one could see anything at this point, yet

Steele remembered the way he came. It was a fairly linear path to the doorway, but with the prospect of smoke filling the room it became a monumental journey. There was also the possibility of a roof collapse as the fire started to reach the rafters. As they reached the exit and came out of the dredger, everyone gasped for air as they cleared the smoke.

“Is anyone else in there?” He asked, coughing furiously and gasping for fresh air.

“I don’t see Star anywhere!” Kaltag replied, also coughing and trying to catch his breath.

“He must still be in the building!”

At this point the fire was becoming worse and more noticeable. Steele hesitated, but started heading towards the door again. He wanted so much to be a hero once again, that he didn’t care if it killed him. Anything was better than being an outcast and being ostracized by everyone. Balto ran up and stood in front of Steele’s path.

“Don’t do it, Steele.” Balto warned. “The fire is too hot; you’ll burn to death!”

“Out of the way, Balto.” Steele said, shoving Balto aside.

Steele ran into the burning building. At that point, many more dogs had begun showing up. Among them were Jenna and Shadow.

“Balto,” Jenna said. “What’s going on?”

“Steele went back in there to try and save Star.” Balto explained. “I tried to stop him. The fire is too hot.”

Just then there was a loud explosion as the rest of the building began to burst into flames.

The fire must have spread to some of the kerosene used to heat the lanterns.

“Steele….” Balto moaned, looking down at his paws. “I should have helped him…this is my fault…”

Balto’s stomach turned. Steele was probably burning to death inside that building, and all because he encouraged him to run into that smoldering inferno. Balto felt he should had done more to stop him from running back in, but Steele was too strong and there was he could have prevented it. Jenna walked up next to Balto.

“Balto,” Jenna said. “Its not your fault. You did everything you could.”

“I know. Its just that I feel like I should have done more…”

The rest of the dogs became silent. Just then, a large figure emerged from the doorway. It was Steele, and he had Star on his back! Steele staggered 100 feet away from the building, and collapsed. Star rolled off his back and walked in an almost drunken fashion to Kaltag and Nikki, who did not look to happy.

“Star, you idiot!” Kaltag scolded Star. “Why didn’t you come out with the rest of us?”

“I, um, couldn’t find the door…?” Star replied with a sheepish grin, swiftly receiving a smack on the head.

Balto and Shadow walked up to Steele, who remained motionless. His fur was singed and covered in soot, and he was not breathing.

“Steele…” Balto lamented. Balto nudged Steele, but he did not move.

Shadow moved up next to Steele and landed his front paws hard on Steele’s side.

Suddenly, Steele’s eyes flew open and he began to cough violently.

“Steele!” Balto exclaimed. “You’re alive!”

“Yeah…” Steele said weakly. “But I don’t think I will be doing that again…”

“That was the bravest thing I have ever seen you do.” Shadow said to the husky. “I’m proud of you.”

At this point most of the dogs had gathered around Steele. Steele looked around at the other dogs, noticing he was the center of attention. Balto nudged Steele.

“Steele,” Balto said. “Now is as good a time as any.”

“Look, everyone.” Steele sighed, trying once more to swallow his pride. “I’m…I’m sorry for what I did earlier. I was so blinded by jealousy and hate that I did things that were reprehensible. Can you forgive me?”

There was a murmur among the crowd. Steele had betrayed the town once, and had the audacity to lie to the rest of the dogs after doing the deed.

“He lied about the serum run, and almost let all the children die.” One dog said.

“But he just saved many of us from being burned alive.” Countered another.

“But can he be trusted? He may lie to us again.” Argued another.

“Anyone who would risk their life going into a burning building like that deserves a second chance.” Yet another dog argued.

There was a continued discussion among the dogs for several minutes, until finally a consensus was reached. Doc walked came out from among the crowd of dogs and went up to Steele.

“Welcome back, Steele.” Doc congratulated the husky.

“Thank you, guys.” Steele said, weakly. “I’ll never forget this.”

Still weak from smoke inhalation and nearly being burned alive, Steele struggled to get up. At about this time the people of the town spotted the blaze and were working frantically to put it out. Most of Nome was built out of timber and only one fire could easily burn down the whole town. As people continued to battle the blaze, Steele’s owner arrived. He saw Steele, whose fur was singed and covered with soot, and the busted down door to the dredger. He also saw that many of the other dogs were covered in soot. He walked up to Steele.

“Steele,” He said. “Did you bust down that door and save those dogs?”

Steele looked up at him, wagged his tail, and barked.

“How would you like to be back on the sled team?” His owner asked him. Seeing what had happened, he was now convinced Steele could still be a lead dog.

Steele’s owner began petting the husky. Steele wagged his tail and barked again, his tongue lolling out. Not only had he won back the respect of the town, he was once again lead dog.

“Congratulations, Steele!” Shadow said, walking up to Steele and patting him on the back. “You once again have your old job back. Don’t blow it this time.”

“Shadow, I would like to thank you for the advice. You have been a great friend to me.”

Steele replied. “How would you like to be on my sled team? I am sure my musher would be glad to have another top notch dog on the team.”

“Sure; if I can be lead dog.”

“WHAT!? Why you!..”

Shadow laughed while Steele looked very confused.

“I was only joking.” Shadow explained. “You should have seen the look on your face.”

“Oh, ha ha ha.” Steele replied sarcastically. “I was being serious about the offer.”

“I’ll think about it. I might not mind being a swing dog, but I would have to give up the position of lead dog on my current team.”

“Isn’t it worth it to be on the winning team?” Steele said with a smirk.

“Maybe. And it would let me keep an eye on you.”

“What!? I’m not a puppy; I don’t need to be kept an eye on!”

“Relax Steele. You really should develop a sense of humor someday. Let me think about it.”

“Well, the offer stands.”

Balto and Jenna both walked up to Steele, who at this point was getting a lot of attention.

“Is this not everything you wanted, Steele?” Balto asked.

“Almost everything.” Steele replied, staring at Jenna with a sly smile.

“Wait you don’t mean…”

“HA! I was just pulling your tail, Balto. I will find someone, eventually…”

Balto sighed in relief. “Someday, I’m sure you will. Just remember not to let it all go to your head this time.”

“I’ll try, but some habits die hard. Besides, I need to keep some amount of dignity.”

By this point the people of the town managed to put out the fire. Though the outside of the dredger remained mostly intact, the inside of it was more or less ruined.

Not wanting to congregate in smoldering ruins, all of the dogs dispersed and went home.

Only Balto, Shadow, and Steele remained, staring at what was left of the dredger.

“What shame.” Shadow lamented. “Guess we will have to find another gathering place now?”

“It sure seems that way.” Balto replied. “Well, I am going home.”

Balto left, leaving just Shadow and Steele outside the dredger. Shadow stared at Steele and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Steele inquired.

“Look at you!” Shadow replied. “You are covered in soot; you look like you have rolled in a fireplace. You need a bath.”

“I am not getting a bath!”

Steele began rolling in the snow, desperately trying to clean the soot off of himself. He managed to get most of it off, but some of the singe marks remained persistent. It appeared that sooner or later, Steele would indeed receive a bath. Shadow watched, continuing to laugh.

“Come on, Steele.” Shadow said. “I’ll walk you home.”

The two dogs began walking towards Steele’s musher’s house. As they rounded a corner, Shadow looked at Steele.

“Ask me in the morning about the position on your team.” Shadow said. “I will have made a decision by then.”

“You will not regret joining my team.” Steele replied. “We are the winning team. I’m going to keep the Golden Collar for a fourth time.”

“You should not be so overconfident. You need to learn to take your opponents seriously.

Otherwise, you will be shocked when you finally lose.”

“What? I take them seriously.”

Shadow laughed, as they arrived at Steele’s musher’s house. It was dusk and most people were going home.

“See you tomorrow, Steele.” Shadow said, walking back to the house where he lived.

Steele went inside his house and was surprised to see a cut of meat in his food bowl instead of the customary table scraps and leftovers he had been fed since the serum run.

“Good boy, Steele!” Steele’s musher said, petting the excited husky. “I thought you deserved some better food after rescuing those other dogs.”

Steele wolfed down the cut of meat, and laid down next to the furnace where he typically laid. This was the first day in over a week where Steele was not angry at Balto or the other dogs. He could finally get good night’s sleep.

Steele awoke the next morning and went out to find Shadow. Shadow had just walked out of his owner’s house when Steele quickly walked up to him.

“Have you made your decision yet?” Steele asked Shadow.

“If I did know better, I would think that you were eager to have me on your team.”

Shadow replied. “Well, I have thought it over. My current team would really miss me.

Nonetheless, I would be honored to be your new swing dog.”

“I knew you would agree.” Steele smirked.

“But what will you do with Star, your old swing dog?” Shadow inquired.

“He will be a team dog and run behind you.” Steele replied. “Besides, I got tired of him constantly saying stupid things behind me.”

“Was this the real reason you wanted me on your team?” Shadow jested.

“What? No, I was being generous. It had nothing to do with that.” Steele replied.

“Someday you are going to have to learn to take a joke, Steele. I was pulling your tail.”

Shadow remarked.

“Very funny, Shadow, very funny.” Steele replied, obviously not amused.

The townspeople of Nome were so impressed by the serum run, they decided to run a second Championship race that year. At the beginning of March, the whole town got ready for a second race. Steele was lined up at the starting line, along with Shadow and the rest of the team. The opposing team consisted of Shadow’s old team, along with a new lead dog.

Steele, who was glad to once again be the lead dog, turned to Shadow.

“Are you sure you do not mind running against your old team?” He asked Shadow.

“It’s just a race, Steele.” Shadow replied. “Besides, we are going to win this.”

Moments later, the flare gun sounded and the dogs were off. Steele took off hard as he led the rest of his team towards the first checkpoint. He looked to his side and saw the opposing team keeping up. Steele growled and begin running even harder. The opposing team was keeping up, but just barely.

As they passed the next to last checkpoint, Steele picked up the pace even harder, trying to pass the opposing team and slowly starting to do so. Seeing they were coming upon a narrow pass, Steele snarled and acted like he was going to snap at them.

“What are you doing Steele?” Shadow asked. “We’re going to beat them through the pass and they will not be able to catch up with use after that. There is no need to resort to bad sportsmanship.”

Steele growled, but realized Shadow was right; they were winning. Steele growled at the opposing team as he picked up the pace even further, and his team began passing them. Before too long, Steele’s team had pulled into Nome. Steele held his head up proudly as they passed through the streets and the final stretch of the race, eventually crossing the finish line and being greeted by a cheering crowd. They had beaten the opposing team by one-hundred and five seconds. Steele had won the right to wear the golden collar again.

Almost everything was back to normal. Steele was lead dog again and respected across the town, but had learned by this point to think his actions through. Steele had also learned to reconcile his difference with Balto, and no longer picked on him. Steele still had a big ego, but had learned to control it and not to let it control him. It seemed that everyone in Nome was once again happy.

THE END