Blizzard Blackout
by Cyberwulfe

It was a cold, frosty night in Nome, Alaska. The kind of night where everyone stayed inside, even the dogs. All except two playful pups, too full of curiosity to care about the cold. They were Jenner and Kala, only 4 months old and kin to Balto and Jenna. During a scuffle in the boiler room behind Nome's hospital, Jenner had accidentally bumped his paw against the side of the red hot boiler and burned himself.

"Ow ow ow!" he whined, licking the burned paw with his little pink tongue.

"Awww, I knew we shouldn't have come out here," exclaimed Kala, his sister," If we get in trouble I'm going to kill you!"

"Why? It was your fault! You're the one who wanted to come here in the first place," replied Jenner, placing his sore paw on the floor and then wincing in pain.

The argument was cut short when their father, a browish-gray wolf-dog named Balto, walked into the room.

"There you two are! Your mother and I have been worried sick about you!" he scolded.

"Dad! I burned my paw!" whined Jenner.

"Let me take a look," Balto closely examined the paw as Jenner whimpered and sniffed back tears of pain.

"You're not hurt too badly. Come on out here and put it in the snow, okay?"

Balto led the two pups outside and into a deep bank of snow. Jenner stepped right into the snow, letting it bury his paw, and then retreated," It hurts, dad!"

"I know it hurts, but it has to be done. It'll help it get better."

Kala watched from a distance as her brother stepped into the snow once more and pranced around a little, staying in the bank but also keeping his feet moving. After a few minutes, Balto said it was enough, and took them both home to see their worried mother. Jenna met them at the back door and nuzzled the pups. Then she noticed Jenner's limp.

"Jenner! What happened?" she gasped.

"I..." stammered Jenner.

"I found them in the boiler room. Jenner burned his paw on the side of the boiler, but he should be fine," explained Balto.
"We told you not to stray far from home, and especially to stay away from the boiler, didn't we?" Jenna asked Jenner and Kala.

"Yes, mum," replied Jenner, hanging his head low in shame.

"Now go to bed. No treats for you," Jenna cuffed each pup's hindquarters as they passed her, prompting them to quickly run to their room. Jenner limped into the small room set aside for the dogs to live inside Jenna's master's house. He flopped down on the big cushion and started to cry. Kala laid down next to him and started licking his wounded paw.

"This sucks! I get hurt and all they care about are their stupid rules!" cried Jenner.

Kala whined in agreement and continued licking her brother's wound," They are quite strict at times, but I believe that they are only looking out for our safety," Kala was always the pup with the big mouth and wide vocabulary. She had spent a lot of time listening to Kaltag's witty vocabulary, and thus had learned a lot in her short life.

"I wish dad would take us out in the woods to meet Kemo more often. It gets boring in town! I want to run through the woods and howl at the moon!" exclaimed Jenner.

"I would too. But we need permission," replied Kala.

"For goodness sakes, Kala. We need permission for everything! Can't we for once do what we want to do?"

Kala thought for a moment, and imagined what it would be like to be free for just one day. No rules, no nagging parents; just total freedom and an entire day to run around and have fun.

"I agree. I think it would be nice to get away for a while. But just for one day," agreed Kala.

"Tomorrow then! We'll leave early and come back at night," said Jenner. And with that he fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Balto and Jenna were sitting in the living room, discussing the matter. Balto had managed to calm Jenna down to the point that she was easy to talk to.

"I think we were a little hard on them," said Balto.

"Well they broke the rules! At least we didn't nip them!" replied Jenna.

"That wouldn't solve anything. We should talk to them tomorrow. They've probably cried themselves to sleep by now."

Jenna got a sudden sad look in her eyes, realizing that she was rather hard on her pups. The two pups were still young and playful, but if they didn't obey the rules something very bad might happen to them.

"I'll go and talk to them tomorrow," said Jenna.

"Sounds like a good idea. Coming from you it might make them feel better," agreed Balto.

Jenna nodded and laid her head down on her pillow in the living room, where she and Balto often slept, to keep from disturbing the pups. Balto looked once more towards the dark room where the pups slept and snuggled down close to his mate.

Later that evening, a message came to Nome's telegraph office. After quickly decoding the message, the telegraph operator left his dog, Morse, behind and ran to the local newspaper office. He carried a piece of paper that had the urgent message written on it. He burst into the newspaper office and tossed the paper onto a desk in front of the head writer for the paper.

"I need to have this printed up immediately," he gasped, huffing and puffing from his quick run across town.

"What is it?" asked the writer.

"A blizzard warning. Looks pretty serious too. I need it printed up for the early edition tomorrow morning."

"You got it!"

Early the next morning, Jenner and Kala carefully checked to make sure their parents were still asleep, and then snuck out the doggie door in the back of the house. The backyard was fenced in with a plain and simple wooden fence, but Jenner had no trouble loosening a board with his paws and making an opening big enough for he and his sister to crawl through.

Once they were out they laughed and giggled with glee. The two pups raced towards the woods, free at last.

Later that morning, Balto awoke and went to the kitchen for his breakfast. Noticing that the pup's bowls were still full of food he began looking around the kitchen for them. The house was silent, except for the occasional noise from Rosy or her parents, and Jenna's gentle snoring. Balto smiled.

He went to the pup's room to see if they were napping again, but saw nothing. Their blankets were cold, meaning they had been gone for a while. Fearing that they may have run out again he exited the house and began to sniff around the backyard. it didn't take him long to find the hole in the fence, as well as the footprints leading away to the woods.

Balto raced back into the house to tell Jenna," Jenna! Wake up! Jenner and Kala have run away!"

"What?!" gasped Jenna.

"Jenner and Kala have left! Their tracks lead towards the woods. I think they've run away!"

Jenna almost fainted. Balto rushed outside and sniffed the pair of tracks that led towards the forest of trees, only a bare hundred meters away from Nome.

"I'm going out for them," said Balto after he re-entered the house.

"Be careful, and come back soon. I don't like the smell of the wind tonight."

"I know the woods better than anyone in Nome. I'll be alright."

Balto and Jenna nuzzled before Balto ran out the doggie door and out into the woods.

Jenner and Kala leapt and jumped through the snow as the ran. They had never felt so free. They were full of the giddiness that follows breaking a rule; knowing you have done something wrong, but it's so cool that you don't care how much trouble you get in. Jenner jumped to the left and intentionally rammed into Kala, sending her barreling into a tree.

"Hey!" she growled," Why did you strike me so?"

"Gotcha!" laughed Jenner, ignoring Kala's comment.

"Not for long!" she called after him. She soon caught up with him and tackled him from behind. The two scuffled in the snow for a few minutes until each was tired out.

"Hey!" cried Jenner," Let's go see who can catch a squirrel first!"

"You're on!" cried Kala.

The two of them split up and ran deeper into the woods. As Jenner ran, he could hear the faint humming sound of a stream. Remembering his father's tales of a stream that flowed close to Nome, Jenner became instantly curious and barreled towards the sound. Kala noticed his change in direction and followed closely. When they two of them reached the stream their eyes widened. Along each side of the stream was a bank of ice several feet wide, with water flowing narrowly in the middle. The pups had never seen such a thing and carefully approached.

Jenner, being the bolder of the two, crept slowly onto the ice and sniffed the water as it flowed past his nose.

"Be careful, Jenner!" cried Kala, impatiently shifting her feet as her brother sat out on the ice.

"I'll be okay. It's solid, see," and to prove his point he tapped on the ice with his hind foot.

"Please come back!" Kala cried.

"Oh, alright. You're no fun," grumbled Jenner.

Just as Jenner approached the solid bank, the ice beneath his feet cracked, and a small hole opened up. Jenner yelped as the hole swallowed him. Kala shrieked and rushed out onto the ice to pull her brother out of the hole. Jenner was completely soaked, and shivering.

"I'm c-c-cold!" he gasped, laying down on the snowy bank of the stream.

"I think we should go home now," said Kala, covering her brother with her own warm body.

What are we going to do now? she thought to herself. They were far from home by now, and what if their parents didn't know they had run away. They were lost out in the cold, with the snow beginning to fall and Jenner soaked to the bone. She did the only thing she could think to do. She howled for help.

The woods were dark that night as Balto made his way through the trees. Snow had begun falling lightly on the ground, almost covering the pup's tracks. But Balto was part wolf, and his senses were greater than those of normal domestic dogs. He could follow Jenner and Kala in three feet of deep snow.

He came across a patch of piled snow that looked as if two animals had fought in it. There was loose fur everywhere. Balto followed a pair of tracks a few meters from the pile of snow and came to a fork. The tracks separated. Balto sniffed one set and then the other. Jenner had gone to the left, and Kala to the right. Balto sighed. They were proving more troublesome every day.

Doc, the oldest dog in Nome, cocked an ear to the familiar sound of Morse relaying a message from the doggie door of the telegraph office," Quite, everyone!" he shouted, silencing the other dogs in the Old Mill.

Doc listened intently and then turned to the others. They all leaned close to hear the message, since none of them understood morse code.

"The humans have reported a very bad storm approaching. We should all stay indoors until the storm clears. I suggest that you all either stay here or get home," relayed Doc.

"When is it supposed to hit?" asked a brown husky named Chester.

A sudden gust of wind howled through the street and made the dogs shiver inside the Mill.

"Soon. Very soon," replied Doc.

"It's getting very cold and snowy, Jenner!" Kala said to Jenner, who was still shivering uncontrollably beneath her.

Jenner had icicles hanging off of his black chin. Kala's feet were also cold, and she wrapped her tail around herself and Jenner, trying to lock in some extra warmth.

"We need to find some place to hide until the wind stops blowing," said Jenner.

"You can find it, Jenner. It was your idea to journey out this far. Now we're lost, and I cannot see any way for us to get home!" replied Kala, sticking her head up in the air and making Jenner know that she was serious.

"So what are you going to do? Just leave me here?"

Kala just nodded her head. But despite her obnoxious attitude, she knew Jenner needed her, and stayed close to her big brother and huddled against him, trying to keep warm.

Kala looked up and saw a dim shape moving through the woods. It was a gray wolf. They could barely see it through the blowing snow. Jenner sniffed the wind and then smiled," Hey! Dad is here!"

Kala smiled and ran towards the gray shape. As she approached, her father's face became visible. Balto wore a very nasty look on his face, and was clearly angry.

"Why did you two run off like that? I've been looking all over for you guys!" he scolded," Your mother is worried sick!"

"But we were trying--" began Jenner.

"No excuses. Now mush your furry butts back home!" said Balto. He barked loudly to emphasize his point.

"But we can't move. Jenner fell through the ice and is too cold and wet to move!" exclaimed Kala," We're too far from home, and I'm sure he'll die before we get there!

Balto sat down for a minute to think about what to do. Kemo's den was close to town, but without knowing where he was Balto had no way of getting there. There was also the cave where his children had been born, but it was deeper in the woods, and would be impossible to find in the blizzard. Balto sighed and shivered. The cold was starting to get to him too.

Kala screamed in panic as she saw another dark shape approaching them. But this time the scent was strange to her. This was no one she knew. Jenner looked and saw the figure approaching. He crouched low and bared his teeth, growling and stuttering as he shivered. Balto stood in front of him to protect him, then he picked up the intruder's scent and smiled.

"Nice try, Kemo. But my kids are very observant," chuckled Balto.

The large white wolf came into view and soon sat next to his brother," Yes, but not observant enough to recognize the scent of their Uncle Kemo!" Kemo smiled.

"Hello uncle!" exclaimed Kala excitedly. She pounced on his big furry chest and licked his face.

"Hello, Kala. How are you this... fine evening?" Kemo asked, a bit sarcastically.

"Fine... just a little cold. Do you know anywhere we could go where it will be warmer than this?" and she shivered, chattering her teeth loudly.

"I sure do. I think there is enough room in my den for everyone," said Kemo.

"Yay!" cried both Jenner and Kala, Jenner weakly.

Balto just smiled as Kemo smiled back at him and turned in the direction of his den. Balto picked Jenner up in his mouth and carried the soaked pup with them. As they walked, Balto took in their previous location and the direction from where he had approached the pups," Geepers, I really was off course!"

"Not really. I followed you most of the time and I know you knew where you were going," Kemo smiled again, patting Balto on the head. Kemo knew more about the woods than Balto did. Kemo was a true wolf, and had better senses than his brother. They had saved himself and even Balto many times before.

After another quarter hour of walking they arrived at a large tree. In the trunk was a hole that was partially covered with branches. Kemo tucked his head under the branches and lifted them high enough so that Balto and his kids could slide easily into the den. Then after a quick look around Kemo followed.

It was very warm inside, even though Kemo had been out for hours. Jenner and Kala shook the ice and snow off their fur and began licking themselves dry. Balto helped as Kemo watched. Kemo's' family had been killed by humans many months earlier, and he was still grieving their losses. But seeing Balto and his family together made his cold heart melt for just a moment, and he remembered his love for his own mate and pups.

Jenna shuddered as the wind once again howled outside. She thought of Balto and the kids out in it too. The snow had started falling shortly after Balto left, and now it was pounding on the side of the house with the force of a thousand winds. Jenna was frightened and worried about her family. Not only her canine family, but her human family as well. Rosy and her parents had left a few hours ago to visit with another family in Nome. Now that the storm was raging outside, Jenna was sure that they would not be home for a long time. She was alone.

Jenna almost jumped out of her little red bandanna as a loud knock pounded on her door. She walked to the back of the house and stuck her head outside the small doggie-door. It was her good friends Sylvie and Dixie.

"Got any room in there for two more?" asked Sylvie.

"Sure. No one else is home right now," replied Jenna.

She backed away and let the two dogs enter the house. They immediately shook the snow off their fur and sat next to the warm stove.

"So, what are you guys doing out in this storm?" she asked.

"We're crazy!" cried Dixie," Sylvie thought that you and Balto might like some company, so Miss Bright Ideas here suggested that we leave the Mill and come here."

"It wasn't just my idea. You agreed to it. And as I recall you were the first to run out the door," added Sylvie.

Dixie just blew Sylvie a raspberry and then trotted into the living room.

"Jenner and Kala ran away after we had an argument, and now Balto is out in the woods searching for them. I'm very worried," Jenna said to her friends as they curled up on the rug.

"My goodness!" gasped Sylvie," I hope they'll be alright.

Dixie's mouth hung open. She was speechless.

"I do too. But I know that Balto can find them. He knows these woods better than any of us do," the other dogs nodded. Balto had lived there for many years," And he could also call on Kemo to help him out."

"Who is Kemo?" asked Dixie," A friend of Balto's?"

"Yes. He's Balto's... brother. From a wolf pack. It's a long story."

"Can you tell us?" asked Sylvie, always eager to hear any gossip. She looked out the window," As you can see, we have plenty of time!"

Balto licked the wet from Jenner's fur as Kala laid against his warm belly, snuggling in for as much warmth as she could get. Jenner had a sad look on his face, knowing he was really in trouble now, and whimpered a little as Balto licked his fur.

"Now you know why we make so many rules for you guys. What would have happened if I hadn't come along when I did? You two could have died alone out there," said Balto in a gentle tone.

The two pups nodded in agreement, then went silent for a few moments.

Kala looked up at her father's face and yawned," Tell us a story, dad?"

"Yeah! Please!" begged Jenner.

The two pups started to whimper and cry.

"Alright. What kind of story do you want to hear?" asked Balto, submitting to his persuasive kids.

"Tell us where you came from! When you lived with the wolves!" said Kala.

"Yeah! Another wolf story!" exclaimed Jenner excitedly. He was always eager to hear about wolves, and wanted to be a wild wolf when he was big enough to leave home on his own.

"Alright. Maybe Uncle Kemo could help out with this one?" asked Balto.

"Sure. I'll fill in the blanks," Kemo nodded.

"Well," began Balto as the pups leaned in closer," I was born in a wolf pack many years ago. My mother was a husky dog, and my father was a wolf. I was very small and weak, as were my two brothers and a single sister."

"See. That's why dad grew up sane," joked Jenner to Kala," He only had one sister!"

Kala growled and smacked her brother.

Balto chuckled," Anyway, I didn't really get to know them as well as I had wanted to, but that part will come later. After we were big enough, my father showed us to his brother, who was the leader of the wolf pack. Of course, since my mother wasn't supposed to be in the wolf pack, my uncle was very angry."

"Did they fight?" asked Jenner.

"Who won?" asked Kala.

The two wagged their tails excitedly.

"Yes they fought, and my father lost. My uncle then made him leave the pack since he had disobeyed him," Balto lowered his voice on the last two words, and watched as his pup's ears drooped. They got the message.

"Is that how you got here?" asked Jenner," How did you meet Uncle Kemo?"

Kemo smiled, finally entering the story.

"Well, since my siblings and I were growing so big, our uncle realized that we would be strong wolves, and good hunters. He decided to keep us in the pack as long as we became members. My mother was accepted as well, and soon we had many new friends. One day, as I was playing with my brothers, a white wolf puppy jumped on me. I was happy to have another playmate, so I tackled him and made him whimper. Ha ha ha!" laughed Balto.

Kemo was not laughing. He had heard this part of the story enough times.

"Was that you, Uncle?" asked Kala.

"Yes," grunted Kemo, his pride once again hurt," But if it happened these days it would be your father who would whimper!" and Kemo grinned at Balto.

"Maybe. But I still beat you sometimes. Now, back to the story..."

"So he was doing fine. What went wrong?" asked Dixie.

"Well, you know how young males are when they get together. They just have to go out on adventures!" exclaimed Jenna.

The two other females agreed and nodded their heads.

"So, Balto and Kemo went out chasing squirrels one day. They were having such a good time that they didn't realize how late it was getting, and that their parents were very worried about them. But just as they were heading home, they ran into a group of humans."

"Humans? Did they capture them?" asked Dixie.

"Is that how Balto came here?" asked Sylvie.

"No. Balto and Kemo escaped, and were rescued by a group of wolves. But as they were escaping, Balto's father was shot and killed."

Sylvie and Dixie gasped," Oh no!"

"Yes," continued Jenna," And Balto was very sad. His family was once again in trouble. So his mother left his brothers and sister with another female who had lost her pups to the cold weather, and then took Balto with her. She loved him the most since he resembled his father so much."

"How could she love one of her pups more than another?" asked Dixie.

"I don't know. She just did..."

"So that's how you got here?" asked Jenner.

"And you met mom! And you got married!" sighed Kala.

"Not quite that quickly, Kala," laughed Balto," A lot of things happened before I arrived."

"Like what?" asked Jenner. He was now curled up with Kemo, who was laying down and quite enjoying the story.

"Well, the first thing that happened was that mom got lost. She wasn't sure how to get home. At least, she called it home. We walked for days with no food. We were very hungry. Then my mother found a young moose calf that had been stuck in a hollow log. She attacked and killed it."

Jenner and Kala grinned, imagining the hunt.

"We ate very well, for the first time in days. But that would be our last meal for a long time. But the next day, something horrible happened."

"What was it, dad?" asked Kala.

"We came across a crazy squirrel, who had a lot of foam around its mouth. I was still young and curious, and had a habit of chasing squirrels, but only my mother realized the danger. Just as I was about to jump on the squirrel, my mother pushed me out of the way, but she was bitten by the squirrel. It hung onto her neck for a long time before she finally shook it off and killed it."

Kemo nodded solemnly. He knew all about Balto's mother's death, infected with rabies from the "crazy" squirrel. One day she was feeling sick, and then another she was gone. But telling how it happened now will ruin Balto's tale.

"Did it hurt?" asked Jenner.

"Yes. A lot, because squirrels have nasty long teeth. But she was alright after a while. Then a few days later we finally arrived here, in Nome. I was frightened at first. I had never seen a town before, and humans had killed my father. But my mother assured me that everything was safe, and that we were going to be fine," Balto looked at Kemo, who grinned a little to show he was listening. He knew that the next part would difficult for Balto to tell. Although he didn't know the details of how and why she died, it was still painful to talk about it.

Jenna stepped down from the window and rejoined her friends on the living room rug. The wind was still blowing fiercely outside, and snow was piled up high all over town. She could barely see across the street.

"What happened next?" asked Sylvie.

"Well, Balto and his mother lived in a cozy home for a few days, until his mother started having headaches. She soon became hot-tempered and shouted at Balto for no reason, or only small things. Balto was very sad. He didn't know why his mother was acting that way."

"So what did he do?" asked Dixie.

"Nothing. He couldn't do anything to his own mother. Then one day she disappeared. The next day, Balto was sniffing around the edge of town and he heard a loud noise, exactly like the sound that had killed his father. Balto was so scared that he ran home and hid under the couch," said Jenna.

"What was it?" asked Dixie.

"Well, now Balto knows it was a gunshot, but then he thought it was something coming for him. It had killed his father, and now it was going to kill him too. He stayed under the couch for three hours until he thought it was safe enough to come out."

"What happened after that?" asked Sylvie," When did he start living on his own out side of town?"

"After that, the man who had been taking care of him realized that Balto was part wolf. Somehow he knew. So he tossed Balto into the alley and abandoned him. He spent the next few days wandering the street looking for food... and friends. He was barely able to stay fed, and all of the dogs he met rejected him when they found out he was part wolf."

"Steele," said Balto.

"I thought you two were friends?" asked Kala.

"Well, back then we were enemies. He spent all of his time bullying me and keeping me from making any friends. I was very miserable. But I kept going because I had to."

"I guess it must have been kind of rough, huh? Not having any friends or family," Jenner said," Not even mom was your friend?"

"No. Mom wasn't in town then. She didn't come to town until I was three years old," replied Balto," But when I met her, I found someone who didn't care that I was part wolf. Only that I was a good person who cared about other people. You see, first I saved her life from three dogs, then I saved her from Steele. After that we bumped into each other once in a while, but nothing really serious ever developed."

"Yeah. But now you have five kids, so something must have developed, dad," giggled Kala.

"You guys didn't happen until much later!" laughed Balto.

Kemo chuckled, and then grunted as Jenner shuffled his feet and changed position on his front paws. Jenner laid down and turned his attention back to Balto's story.

Dixie yawned. It was getting late, and Jenna's story was only half finished.

"So after Balto saved me from those nasty dogs, we became acquaintances. You know, just meeting once in a while in the street, saying hello. Nothing special. We lived that way for a few years. Then the diphtheria epidemic came, and Rosie got sick."

The wind howled louder than before, and Jenna screamed as the windows rattled. One shattered and snow poured into the living room. Jenna and her two friends jumped up and ran to see the damage. They were soon covered in snow, and Jenna ran to Rosie's bedroom and brought back a sheet. She tossed it up into the wind and it blew over the hole, catching on the sharp edges and covering the hole.

Another gust shook the whole house. Jenna was about to suggest that they move to the second floor when the power went out. The lights flickered out, and as Jenna looked outside she could see the entire town black out into darkness.

"Well this is fine," groaned Jenna," Now we'll have to sit by the light of the coal furnace."

The three dogs walked into the back room and sat around the fire. Jenna shivered, still cold from the gust of snow, but was soon warmed by the fire. The other two dogs looked around the house. They had never seen a blackout before, and it was very interesting living without electricity. They were scared.

"What if the lights never come back on?" asked Dixie.

"I'm sure they will soon. The humans have built it, I'm sure they know how to fix it. Don't worry," said Jenna," It's safe here. Besides, what's wrong with the dark?"

Sylvie and Dixie looked around again, feeling a little more relaxed.

"Now where was I?" asked Jenna.

"The epidemic," said Sylvie.

"Oh, right. Well, you know the rest from there. Balto saved everyone and has been a hero since."

"You're lucky, Jenna. None of us have any husbands, and all the dogs around here have thick heads," said Sylvie," I'm looking for a civilized dog."

"I don't really care," said Dixie," As long as he is nice to me."

Jenna smiled. If only Dixie knew that a nice dog loved her. She looked through the back window at the falling snow, thinking about Balto and her children. She trusted Balto to get them through it safely.

"Was your mom dead?" asked Kala.

"Yes. I was alone, and without anyone to care for me. Life was very lonely. Everyone I met hated me, and the dogs would chase me all over town. If they ever caught me they'd bite me and fight. It was torture," Balto recalled sadly.

"Where did you live after your owner kicked you out?" asked Jenner.

"Well, I decided that since no one wanted me in town I'd go and live outside. So on my way to the woods I found the boat. It was perfect. Lots of room, shielded from the wind and snow, and close enough to town that I could quickly run in and get food when I needed it."

"How long did you live like that, Balto?" asked Kemo, who hadn't heard the story in such detail before.

"For several years. Soon afterwards I had a horrible experience, and decided that life wasn't worth living anymore. I lay down on my boat and stayed there for days, waiting for my body to die. But I was saved when your Uncle Boris fell from the sky, and I had finally found a friend after many long years of sadness."

"You met Uncle Boris?" asked Kala," I'll bet life was a lot better for you after that!"

"It was. Boris helped me to work up the confidence to talk to Jenna. And I even saved her live twice. I had found another friend, and I was very happy. After a few years the children in town got very sick, and they had to get medicine," Balto began a familiar tale.

"Yeah. We've heard you tell this one several times," chuckled Kala, twitching her tail.

"Alright. Let's move on then," replied Balto, watching his kids yawn. It was getting late, and the pups hadn't eaten anything since the previous day.

"Tell us abut your courtship with Jenna," suggested Kemo.

"No mushy stuff!" said Jenner, sticking out his tongue at the thought.

"Alright then. After the sled run and everyone was saved, Jenna and I went for a long walk and talked about life and where we were going in our future. We made a great pair, she and I, and I'm happy to have her. When finally she asked me to be her mate, and I was floating on air. It's an incredible feeling!"

"Oh brother," gagged Jenner.

"Shut up!" scolded Kala," Tell us more, dad."

"Well, a few months later you guys were born. And it was another great day in our lives! But sadly, your other brother and sisters were sold to a musher, and they don't come around very often. But it's nice to see them every once in a while."

"Dad, where do puppies come from anyway?" asked Jenner, always eager to learn something new."

"Um..." began Balto," Well... It's quite an interesting thing actually. When a mom and dad want to have puppies... they, uh... they... Kemo. You're more of an expert on this. Where do puppies come from."

Kemo looked at Balto and grinned," Sorry, chum. You're on your own there."

Balto's lip twitched," Well then... So after you were born I guess you know the whole story from there, huh?"

"Nice try, dad. Come on! Answer our question," begged Kala.

"Snow Wolf! The Snow Wolf comes and brings puppies. You never know how many it will bring. You can only hope."

"Snow Wolf?" chuckled Kemo.

"Cool!" exclaimed Jenner.

"So all you do is wait for it to come?" asked Kala.

"Well, you have to ask for them. And there is a special way of asking, which you will find out when you are old enough. It's a grown-up secret, you know?" said Balto, cleverly avoiding any further discussion.

"You two actually agreed on the old Snow Wolf tale?" chuckled Dixie," Give me strength."

"If it works then they'll keep their minds off it until they find someone special. Besides, they don't need to know about those things anyway," said Jenna.

"You're the parent," agreed Sylvie.

Just then there was a loud banging sound at the door. Jenna stood up and raced into the living room. Rosy's father emerged into the front hall, covered with snow and shivering. He shook the snow off his coat and took off his boots, then looked around the room until his eyes fell on Jenna.

"There you are, girl. Just checking on you to see if you were okay," he said.

Jenna barked happily and approached her master. Sylvie and Dixie came out from the back and stood at a distance.

"Oh, you have friends over, huh? Heh!" chuckled Rosy's father.

He went into the kitchen and lit a fire in the stove and began to make coffee. He sat at the table, whistling as the kettle slowly boiled.

"Looks like we'd better get going. Thanks for the story, Jenna," said Sylvie, walking to the back door.

"Okay. Come back anytime. Be careful on your way out," Jenna waved goodbye to her friends as they disappeared through the doggie door.

Jenna went and laid down beside the warm boiler, still thinking of Balto and her children.

"How are they doing?" Balto asked Kemo.

"Out like a light," Kemo smiled and snuggled close to the two little balls of fur that slept beside him. Jenner and Kala had enjoyed Balto's story and were now enjoying a long sleep.

Balto stood near the entrance to Kemo's den and watched the snow whipping past the hole that led outside. He hoped the blizzard would end soon and it would be safe to return home. Until then, he laid down next to his wolf brother and fell asleep.

The morning sun shot through the entrance the Kemo's den, waking Balto. He stretched and emerged into the glaring white outside. The snow was deeper now, and Balto found himself walking up to his stomach in snow. He leapt around, seeing how deep it was at different points in the surrounding area, and then fell through as he found an especially deep part. Sniffing and snuffing, Balto jumped up out of the snow and trotted back into Kemo's den.

"Lots of snow out there," Balto said, smiling through a white face.

"I can tell," chuckle Kemo. Balto's body was almost completely covered in snow.

"Are they still sleeping?" asked Balto.

"Yeah. Like two furry rocks," replied Kemo.

"I'd better get them home as soon as possible before Jenna starts to worry. And they'll need to have something to eat too."

"I could go and catch something for them before you go?" suggested Kemo.

"No, it's okay. It won't take long to get them home. They'll have plenty of food when we get there."

"Sounds fine."

Balto and the pups had a good walk back. The snow was so deep that Balto lost them several times, but they finally arrived in their backyard. As soon as they came in, Jenna ran to the back door and snuggled each pup.

"Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" Jenna exclaimed.

"Sorry, mom. You were so mad with us that we ran away. We'll never do it again," said Jenner.

"I know. I shouldn't have overreacted like that," said Jenna. She snuggled the pups again and then led them into the kitchen for some food.

Evening came, and Balto was surprised when Rosy's parents lit lanterns and candles rather than turn the lights on. Jenna explained that the blizzard had knocked out the power the previous night. Balto sighed and walked around in the dark, then finally laid down in the living room.

Jenner and Kala came and laid down next to him. They looked around nervously in the dark.

"Dad, what was life like living on your boat without any electricity?" asked Kala.

"Well, it was always dark like this, but the stars and the moon would bright up the sky on most night, and if I was lucky the Northern Lights would come out and it would be as bright a day," replied Balto, recalling the fond memories.

"I'll bet Uncle Boris is enjoying them right now," said Jenner.

"Yeah," agreed Balto, glancing out a nearby window towards the sky. The Lights were shining brightly that night. Balto smiled.

"So you didn't mind sleeping without any light?" asked Kala.

"No. Not too much. But now I kind of take it for granted, and when it's gone I miss it a little. But I know that the only light that will never wear out or burn out is the stars, the sun, and the moon."

Jenner and Kala nodded. They had never seen the Northern Lights, and would leap at the chance to see them.

"Will you take us to see them someday?" asked Kala.

"Yeah! Please dad?!" Jenner pleaded, wagging his tail.

Balto smiled warmly," Of course I will. Your mother and I love watching the Northern Lights."

Jenner yelped in joy. Kala wagged her tail as well and smiled. The two pups began to play, wrestling and throwing each other against the floor. Balto and Jenna watched as the two pups played. Then Jenna's eyes widened as the pups approached a table that sat next to the couch. The table had only a single leg in the middle which came down to a base on the floor. Jenner tackled Kala and they crashed into the table. A blue crystal vase on top of the table wobbled and crashed to the floor, sending bits of glass everywhere.

"Jenner! Kala!" cried Jenna, leaping at them to make sure they were okay.

"Oh no..." gasped Kala, looking at the broken vase," I'm sorry mom."

Jenna just sighed and shook her head, sweeping the glass into a small pile with her tail," You two.. are the most troublesome pups I have ever seen."

But the pups were not looking at her. They were staring at the wall. A beautiful reflecting arc of blue was shimmering against the wall. Light from a nearby lantern was shining through the pile of broken glass and glistening against the wall.

"Look dad. The Northern Lights!" Jenner smiled and slowly approached the light.

Jenna regarded the light as well and almost forgot the mess. The family of dogs sat next to each other and admired the shining swirl of colours in the dark room.

"Is it really this beautiful, dad?" Kala asked, looking up at her father.

"Yes, and more so. It contains many colours, not just one. You will see one day," Balto smiled down at his daughter as she admired the colours once more.

Balto and Jenna's eyes met. It was when Balto had first shown Jenna a similar light show many months earlier that the two dogs had shared their true feelings for each other. And every time they saw it it was special to them. The symbol of their love.

With the pups once again in bed, Jenna and Balto laid down in the living room, still admiring the blue light show.

"You know, someone is going to get in trouble tomorrow when Rosy's father finds this mess," said Jenna.

"I know. But don't worry about that now. Let's just enjoy it while it lasts," Balto said, looking into Jenna's eyes.

Jenna smiled and looked away for a second, the looked back," Kala asked me about the Snow Wolf today. You told her that?"

"Yeah. I didn't want them to know the truth. We agreed, didn't we?" Balto replied.

"Yes. And the Snow Wolf certainly was good to us. They really are the best pups we could ever have."

Balto smiled in the near darkness as the colours shimmered off his fur, giving his face a devilish appearance. Jenna was a little surprised, but grinned back, giving herself a similra facial expression in the darkness. Balto slowly closed his eyes and leaned close to Jenna for a canine kiss. Jenna's eyes closed as she kissed Balto, enjoying the feeling of him being close to her. Then they parted and laid next to each other. They soon fell asleep, their warm furry bodies close to each other, as the blue shades danced against the wall.

The End

Special thanks to my friend Goldberg for the idea for this story. If you liked it, pelase send comments here.

The picture of Balto in the dark is copyrighted to [email protected].

Balto and characters. ©1995 Universal City Studios

Jenner, Kala, and "Kemo". ©1997 Cyberwulfe

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