Puppy Love
by Cyberwulfe

Nome, Alaska. 1925.

There is a small town in Alaska called Nome. The most excitement this small town has ever seen was during the Gold Rush, but since that ended Nome has been a rather quiet place. That is, until the epidemic. One of the worse diphtheria epidemics ever recorded struck fast among the citizens of Nome. Their only hope was to send a dog sled team to a town that was located six-hunderd miles away. On the return trip, the sled team was lost, and only the heroic efforts of a stray dog named Balto saved the day. The team arrived in Nome safely, and Balto was pronounced a hero.

It was what Balto had always wanted; to be accepted by the other dogs for who he was. Balto was born a wolf in the wild, but also had some Siberian husky blood running through his veins. This was the fuel that the dog-bullies of Nome fed upon. They wouldn't go a day without calling to Balto and making fun of him at all times. Balto, who was stronger in spirit than any of the other dogs, just ignored them. The worst one, Steele, was gone now, ridiculed by his fellow dogs for telling lies about the lost team. The truth was discovered when Balto returned with Steele's team, and Steele was seen for what he truly was; a lying, untrustworthy bully.

Balto's other dream had come true. The love of his life, a rust and cream-coloured husky named Jenna, had seemed to have fallen for him. During the trip to find the lost team, she had helped Balto by rescuing him from a grizzly bear, only to end up injured herself. She had given up her bandanna to keep Balto warm and also nuzzled his neck. Balto could remember the nuzzle perfectly. It was the first time he had ever been truly loved since his mother had disappeared, and Balto's love for Jenna grew. But did she love him back? Did she only show affection because he was the hero or because she was really worried for his safety? Balto wanted so much to find out, but did not know how to ask.

Jenna had also nuzzled him after he had gone inside the hospital to see the sick children who were being given the medicine that would save their lives. Jenna grinned widely, and Balto returned the grin, but still thought of his feelings for her. Now that the celebrating was calming down and people returning to their beds, Balto and Jenna were left almost totally alone. The other dogs on the team were still congratulating each other and then they left to celebrate in the Old Mill, the main meeting place of the dogs of Nome. Balto looked back at Jenna and smiled.

"We're the only ones left now," said Balto, a bit shy.

"Yeah," agreed Jenna," Maybe we should get back home?"

Balto looked towards the outskirts of Nome where his boat was. The old wreck had been his home for several years, and Balto held it dear among all other things in the world," At least you have a home to go back to," said Balto sadly.

Jenna frowned," Yeah. I'm really sorry about that. I'm sorry that you were teased before, but do you really think things will just be fine and we will go on living like we're best friends?"

"We?" asked Balto, hoping Jenna didn't mean him and her.

"You know... "Jenna hesitated," The other dogs."

Balto just nodded. Perhaps she really did love him.

"Oh no!" gasped Jenna. She took a few quick steps towards the edge of town.

"What is it?" asked Balto.

"I left the lantern out on the hill! You know, when I made the Northern Lights on the mountain?"

Balto nodded and hummed in acknowledgment. The first thing he had seen when Nome came into view was the beautiful colours of the Aurora Borealis shining on the side of the mountain. Balto had once showed Jenna the trick, and then she had used the trick to guide the team home.

"I'd better go get it!"

"Do you mind if I come along?" asked Balto, hoping.

"Uh, sure," Jenna smiled and the two dogs set out for the hill.

The lantern was almost buried in snow, but the light still shone against the pile of broken bottles, which, in turn, reflected their colours on the mountainside. Balto smiled as Jenna sat beside the lantern and stared at the colours. He cleared his throat and then sat down next to her, edging closer until their thighs touched. Jenna made no move to get away, and Balto quietly sighed happily.

"It's so beautiful. I love it. Where did you learn that trick?" Jenna asked. She looked up into Balto's deep brown eyes.

Balto looked down into her fiery eyes and smiled," It was something my mother used to do when I was a puppy. It's the only think I remember of her. Then one day she just disappeared."

Jenna looked at Balto, her eyes full of sympathy," I'm so sorry, Balto." She nuzzled his neck for the third time. Balto smiled and rubbed the top of her head with his chin. Then the words came to him and he knew exactly what to say.

"Jenna?"

"Yes?" she replied, looking back at him.

"I want to ask you something. Something that might be hard to answer, but I need to know before I go crazy!"

"Go ahead," Jenna shifted her weight and leaned more towards him.

"Well... I want to know if anything is growing between us. I mean, since that first night in the boiler room, and then on the trail, and outside the hospital, and just now..." Balto trailed off as he lost all the words in his head, and just stared stupidly at Jenna.

She wasn't surprised at all. She had thought that Balto loved her, but was unsure how he really felt about her. She smiled warmly and leaned closer," I think there is something."

"There is?" asked Balto, returning the warm smile.

The two canines just stood staring into each other's eyes. Jenna, Balto thought, had the most beautiful eyes of any other dog he had ever seen. They seemed to be on fire, and made his knees turn to water. He admired her stamina at being able to journey out into the woods, her bravery at attacking the bear to save him, and she was also very beautiful and intelligent.

Jenna looked at a new side of Balto; one without rumors and teasing. She saw the true Balto. He was kind-hearted, brave, intelligent, and his eyes seemed to capture her. She had never met another dog with yellow eyes before, and she loved them. Balto was a bit dirty, with brownish-gray fur and a thick tail, but she liked him more for the person he was on the inside.

Finally Jenna broke the silence," Nice night," she looked up at the stars.

"Yeah. Real nice," Balto replied, but he kept his eyes on Jenna. He couldn't get his gaze off of her. She was so beautiful. Not even the swirling colours of the Northern Lights could compare with her beauty. He sighed, and wished that she truly loved him.

Then Jenna looked at him unexpectedly, but Balto kept his stare. Jenna smiled and leaned against him," I was so worried about you. Steele had said you were dead! I knew he must have been lying, but there was still some doubt. Something he said made me know for sure, though."

"Hey. I promised to come back didn't I?" replied Balto. He nuzzled to top of her head to reassure her. Jenna just nodded.

"Now you're back. Balto, I want to spend my life with you. I have never felt this way about anyone before."

Balto's eyes widened and a great warmth rushed through him. She did love him. Balto was so happy that he just stared at Jenna longer. Then he finally spoke," I want to too."

Jenna looked at the mountain's colours," Do you remember when we first met, all that time ago?"

"Yeah," Balto chuckled. He remembered as if it were yesterday...

Nome, Alaska. 1922.

Balto was three years old. He had lost his mother just over a year ago, therefore removing his physical and emotional protection from the teasing puppies of Nome. He had lived the fine life here as a dog and forgotten where he had come from. It was all in the past now, lost in time. The other dogs now took advantage of his vulnerability and abused him. They laughed at him.

"Hey half-wolf!" they would shout and kick snow at him.

Balto was part wolf, and larger than most of them, but they were all grouped up against him. While he could have probably fought one or perhaps two of them, he could never have taken on a pack of six dogs. He just ignored them or ran away. He was the fastest dog out of them all, and once he left town they would stop running and laugh as they went back to their own lives.

Balto had made his home in an old boat that had been wrecked on the rocks and pulled onto the shore. It was old and full of large holes, but Balto loved it. It was his home; his sanctuary. Even when the dogs had once surrounded him and given him a beating, he managed to escape and run home. There he snuggled under his rug and shivered in the cold, icy tears running down his cheeks. Was there no one left in this world who loved him? He wished he'd never been born.

One day, a family moved to Nome. Balto always loved to watch the sled teams running into town, and even dreamed of leading his own team. He knew that the way the humans and dogs thought of him he'd never ever even get to be a wheel dog. It was hopeless, but he still watched the sleds arrive. This particular team was made up of three sleds. One was driven by a man, and carried food and other cargo, one was a sled with a man on it, and the third sled had a woman and her young daughter. Sitting in the sled with the girl was a young husky dog, just a year younger than Balto himself.

Balto followed the team from a distance and watched as they family met. The man got off of his sled and kissed his wife. Their five year old daughter, Rosy, giggled and hugged her father's legs. The young husky barked and ran about, sniffing her new surroundings. The other dogs from the three sled teams pulled at their leads to play with her, but she stayed close to her mistress and wouldn't leave her. The little girl laughed and hugged the rust and cream coloured dog.

Balto stared from a distance. She was beautiful. He was still young, but he had known love before. His treatment from the other dogs had made him angry and hardhearted, and he felt unable to love another thing. But here he was, falling head-over-heels for this dog. She danced around her family and barked happily. The family gathered up their belongings, and with the help of the dog mushers they walked to a small house with a large sign in front of it.

Balto strained his neck to see more of the dog, but they entered the house and the door closed. Balto sighed and barked happily. He ran back to the boat and jumped around. He was feeling very excited, but then reality hit him. He was a wolf-dog. No other dog could ever love him, and after she had talked with the other dogs she would know all about him. But not the real him, only what the other dogs thought of him.

Two days later, Balto had almost forgotten about the dog. He was too depressed to even eat, which would require a trip into town to scavenge for food. He could only lay under his rug in sadness, and drink water occasionally from his bowl. It seemed that nothing could help him, and he would have died on his boat, alone and depressed, if a miracle hadn't fallen from the sky.

Balto was about to doze off, perhaps for the last sleep of his life, when something large and warm landed on his head. It had been preceded by a loud screaming and then cursing. Balto looked at the thing as it seemed to unravel itself. It stood up and spoke obscenities in a language that Balto didn't understand.

"Hello?" began Balto, a bit unsure of the strange thing. It was an animal of some sort.

The animal stopped moving and stood there. It then slowly turned its head and glared at Balto as if falling from the sky had been his own fault," Hmph!" the creature scoffed. It rubbed its strange arms with its mouth and then waddled towards the side of the boat.

"Who... what are you?" asked Balto.

The creature turned and stared at Balto, but then spoke in perfect english," My name is Boris Goosinoff. Who are you?"

"My name's Balto. Where did you come from?"

"I was flying south, but I got too tired and stopped. Too bad for me I can't stay up in the sky. I have to flap my wings for all the good it does me!"

Balto understood what the strange arms were now. He smiled. Perhaps this animal could be his friend," Where are you flying from?"

"I am from the country of Russia. I arrived here a long time ago and flew south every year with the rest of the geese, but now I'm getting too old to make the trip. Now they call me "The Old Bird." I agree with them. I'm not good for anything anymore. Perhaps that was why I stopped. Maybe it's my time?"

"Time?" asked Balto, puzzled.

"You're too young to understand, kiddo."

Balto was still curious. This "geese", as he called it, was strange, and spoke english in a funny way, but he liked him. He didn't know why, but in a way he was just like Balto. Disliked and made fun of by his own kind because he was different. Only with Boris it was age, and not appearance. Balto's mood lightened and he found some joy in life again.

"We should go into town for some food. Want to come?" asked Balto.

"Food?!" Boris' eyes widened and his mouth watered.

Balto peeked around the corner of a building. He saw nobody. Nodding to Boris he crossed the street on his way to the usual place to get the best food: the butcher's shop. The butcher was always leaving meat lying around, and when he wasn't he would always dump his scraps of meat out for the local dogs to find. But Balto was crafty and often found the scraps first.

Balto was lucky today, and as he peered around the corner of the butcher's shop he saw a large pile of meat. He immediately pounced on the food and swallowed mouthful after mouthful of the delicious meat. Then he remembered his new friend, and grabbed a large chunk and carried it away. Boris met him in the alley and the two finished off the meat together.

"Not too bad," smiled Boris. He burped and patted his bulging stomach.

"Yeah. He sure left a lot of meat that time," replied Balto.

"Meat that could have been ours!" said an angry voice.

Balto and Boris looked and saw a group of dogs. There was a large black and white dog, a gray dog, a brown dog, and a tan one too. The last three were standing behind the black dog, as if waiting for him to do something.

"We don't want you here, understand? Get out! You eat our food, you take up our space! This is our town, wolf! Not yours!" shouted the black dog.

"Steele," began Balto. Boris looked at Balto and then back at the other dog. Balto had obviously dealt with this dog before," Why don't you just leave me alone? I've done nothing to you, why do you hate me so much?"

Steele chuckled," I don't hate you, Balto. I hate who you are! You think you can live here with the dogs when you should get out and live in the woods with the wolves? Hah! Your mother was lucky to have died and left you here! Now she's no longer ashamed!"

Balto growled," You shut up!" He bristled and bared his fangs.

"Um... I am thinking this might be a bad thing. Let's just go," said Boris, nervously.

But Balto wasn't listening. He would kill Steele for talking about his dead mother like that. He growled again. Now the other three dogs came around from behind Steele and started growling at Balto.

"Let's get him!" shouted Steele.

Boris could only watch as the dogs pounced on Balto. Balto put up a good fight, but he was no match for Steele, who was larger than him. Balto yelped and whined, and finally managed to get away. He ran down the street towards the edge of town.

"Get out of here wolf-dog! Awoooo!" laughed Steele.

Balto cried his way home, wishing he had never come and just let himself die on the boat. If Boris hadn't come along then he would be asleep by now, his final sleep, and nothing would have happened. He would be in heaven with his mother, as happy as anything. He was angry at Boris, and hoped he wouldn't return to the boat. If he did then Balto would kick him out.

Balto arrived at the boat and curled up under his rug as usual after being teased. It was done so often that it seemed like a daily ritual. Go into town, be made fun of, come home and hide under the rug. Balto's life was summed up in three actions. He sighed and then frowned as Boris flapped his way onto the boat's deck.

"Long flight! You've got to learn that I can't keep up with you," he gasped for breath and collapsed next to Balto. He grabbed part of Balto's rug and wrapped himself in it.

Balto, still mad at his friend, pulled the rug from Boris and looked away from him. Boris looked sadly at Balto for a few seconds and then understood what was wrong. He began to think of how many times Balto had gone through an experience like that, and how often he was teased. It was hard to be different from others, Boris knew, but it wasn't bad enough for him that he was beaten up by a gang of geese.

"I'm sorry, Balto," he said," I didn't know that would happen to you. Why do they hate you so much?"

"I'm part wolf. My mother was a dog, and I have no idea who my father is or where I come from. I am just here. I seem to be life's punching bag." Balto began to cry.

"I know how you feel... well, sort of. I was teased too, remember? It's just something you have to live with."

"I just wish they'd stop!" sobbed Balto.

Boris nodded. He approached his friend again and patted his head. Balto sighed and looked away. He was ashamed of himself. It wasn't Boris' fault. It wasn't his mother's fault, it wasn't his own fault even. Who's was it? Why was he treated this way? Why was everything that was different ridiculed for being that way?

The sun was setting, so Balto began to drowse. A cold wind blew past the boat, so Balto dragged his rug into the cabin on the boat and curled up in a corner. He shivered again and then fell asleep, dreaming of a day when he would be loved by all... even that new dog...

Balto and Boris stayed around the boat for the next two days. They had talked for hours on end about their past lives. Balto had trouble remembering his past, but he told Boris what he knew.

"I used to live a long ways away from here. But I could never go back. I'm just an old goose now and they have no use for me," Boris admitted sadly.

"So, you never think of going back?" asked Balto.

"Hmph! No even in my dreams I don't."

Balto smiled. If only in his dreams could he know where he had come from. He wanted to know. Perhaps if he remembered he would somehow make it back to his home... his real home. But it could never happen. It would take a miracle for that to happen. Balto had already had one miracle drop out of the sky for him, and he doubted he'd get that lucky again.

"One day though, you might decide to go home," said Balto.

"Perhaps. But I see that one thing you really need now is a good friend, which is what I'm going to do for you! I'm going to stay here until I know you can handle yourself, hmmm?" Boris gave Balto a serious look.

Balto just looked at Nome. He was starting to get to like the grumpy old goose, but he was always complaining about something, mainly being hungry and having to live on the awful hard floor of the boat. Balto never let him sleep with his rug, but he did make a nice way of heating up the small cabin to keep Boris comfortable on cold nights... which was every night!

Later that week it was time to wander into Nome to scavenge for food. Balto cautiously entered town as always, but the only dog he saw was the young husky from the week before. he had almost forgotten all about her. He watched as she left her small yard, which had a large broken fence surrounding it, and began to trot down the street. Balto watched her, once again thinking his happy thoughts of finally having a canine friend. But he was sure she had met some of the other dogs and they had told her all about him, or at least what they thought of him. If only he could tell her about himself.

Boris tapped his shoulder and he turned to look at his friend.

"Perhaps we go look for some food now, hmm? Unless you want to eat her?" he said, seeing Balto's attraction to the other dog.

"Boris! I'm surprised at you!" and with that Balto crossed the street and entered an alleyway that ran adjacent to the butcher's shop. There was another pile of meat there. Not as large as the last time, but big enough to fill Balto and Boris for another few days at least. Balto quickly ran up and grabbed as much meat as he could. Just as he was about to run back to Boris he heard a loud scream. It was a female voice, one he hadn't heard before. There was always something exciting going on in town, but this sounded serious. It was more of a cry for help.

Boris waddled up," What is it?" he asked, looking at Balto's erect ears.

"Someone's in trouble. Let's go see," Balto replied.

"Can't we eat first? I hate getting involved in canine fights!" groaned Boris.

But he couldn't stop the young wolf-dog. Before he could snatch a piece of meat for himself Balto had leapt away, running towards the sound.

Jenna's tongue hung out of her mouth as she ran. She was out of breath and tired, but she didn't know what the strange dogs would do to her if she stopped. If only she had gotten to know the town better she wouldn't be running lost in hopes of stumbling upon her own house. She could hear the heavy breathing of the three dogs behind her. Their large feet pounded the snow, making loud crunching sounds with each step.

Jenna began to cry as she felt them getting closer. A hot tear ran down her face and crashed against the snowy ground, freezing before it collided with the white powder. She hadn't done anything, but they wanted to hurt her. These wild sled dogs had taken one look at her and started chasing. She wished she had stayed home, warm and safe with her girl. But she had a wild spirit and wanted to get out and find adventure, but all she had found was trouble.

She quickly rounded a corner, hoping to pull into the street where her house was, but all she saw was a dead end. She was horrified. She ran to the fence that blocked the street and crashed against it in a futile attempt to break free. She dug at the snow, but it soon gave way to frozen earth. She was trapped. She turned to see the dogs a mere six feet away.

"No where to run," said the largest. A solid black malamute.

"Heh! Let's eat her now, can we?" said the smallest, a white husky, in a sinister voice.

"No. Let's have some fun with her first," chuckled the black dog.

"I want to take her first!" said a gray samoyed.

Jenna backed up until her bushy tail was pressed right against the fence. She turned her face away as the dogs approached her. What would they do? The black dog licked his lips as he approached. Jenna closed her eyes and ducked close to the ground, covering her head with her paws...

Balto saw the dog running down the street. It was the same redhead he had been watching before. Then he saw the three other dogs that were chasing her, and he was suddenly filled with a terrible rage. They would dare to hurt her, a newcomer? Someone who should be shown around rather than chased through the streets. Balto growled, which made Boris jump with fright.

"Settle down, kiddo. What can you do? I mean... there's three of them, and only..." began Boris, but Balto tore through the snow on an intercept route. No other dog knew the back streets and nooks and crannies of Nome better than Balto. He would be ahead of them before they could catch the dog.

He saw her turn into a dead end street and shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh no!" he gasped," They've got her now! I'd better get there fast!"

Balto jumped up a tall stack of packing crates and up onto the roof of a building. The snow was fluffy and loose, and Balto almost slid off, but he kept his footing and managed to make it to the top. There he ran to the end of the roof and looked down. He could see the red husky desperately digging at the snow, and then she turned to face the dogs. They laughed and taunted her with threats. Then they started to approach her.

Balto saw her duck and realized how terrified she was. He really liked her, and here she was about to be attacked by a bunch of rowdy sled dogs. Balto carefully crept down the side of the building and leapt in front of the red husky. He faced the three dogs and growled, showing all of his teeth.

"It's that wolf-dog!" shouted the black dog.

"Balto!" added the white husky.

"Get him!" cried the third dog, a large gray samoyed.

Jenna looked up as she sensed another dog with her. She only caught a glimpse of him before he was mixed up in a furry ball of black, white, and gray. The other three dogs were larger and stronger, but the new dog fought with amazing ferocity. The samoyed yelped and began to limp away, licking his bleeding forepaw. Then the white husky fell on his back and rolled against the wall, his white fur now stained red with his own blood. Now she looked at the two remaining dogs. They were circling each other, growling and bristling their back hairs.

"You're going to pay for interfering with our fun, wolf-dog!" growled the black malamute.

The gray dog only growled back, deeper and more vicious. Jenna blinked once, and then the dogs were at each other's throats. At first it seemed that her rescuer had lost, for the malamute grabbed his shoulder in his mouth and crunched down. Blood ran down the dog's leg and Jenna winced as she heard him cry out in pain. But then he bit down hard on the malamute's foreleg, then the other, then his neck. What a fool to have left his neck so wide open while attacking a simple area as the shoulders.

The black malamute soon fell to the ground. The gray dog released him and growled as he allowed the black dog to get up and limp away.

"You stay away from her!" said the gray dog in a voice that Jenna wished she would never hear again.

"You may have won this time, wolf-dog. But we'll get you next time!" and with that the black malamute limped out of the alley and out of sight.

The gray dog turned towards Jenna. All of the evilness melted away and he smiled warmly at her," Are you okay?"

Jenna shook her head and blinked. She couldn't believe what had just happened," Uh... yeah. I'm fine."

Balto smiled again and took a step towards her," My name's... OW!" the dog yelped and fell down, his leg bleeding and staining the snow. He had wounds all over his body. He collapsed and just lay in the snow, breathing loudly.

"Oh my gosh! You're hurt!" cried Jenna," Help! Someone help us!"

"Stop! Stop! They'll just kill me. They all hate me. You'd be better to just let me die here," said the dog.

Jenna could see it in his eyes and tell by his voice that he was serious. They way they called him "wolf-dog" and how they would kill him later made her think...," What have they done to you?"

"It's a long story. I'm sorry I might not survive long enough to tell you..." he began.

"Don't be silly..." Jenna lay down across his bloody back to keep him warm and began to lick his shoulder. It stung at first, and the dog growled in pain, but she quickly apologized and continued cleaning his wounds.

"By the way... thank you for saving my life," Jenna remembered what he had done for her.

"Heh! You're welcome," the dog managed a short laugh.

Boris had been watching the whole thing from the roof, covering his eyes during the bad parts, and cheering as Balto chomped down on the malamute's legs and neck. He then flew down next to Balto and Jenna and held Balto's head up, "Balto! Speak to me! Keep talking, okay! We'll help you!"

"Who are you?" asked Jenna.

"My name is Boris, and I'm currently this lonely dog's only friend. His name is Balto," said Boris.

"That's a nice name, Balto," replied Jenna.

Balto only moaned. He wished his desire to die weeks ago had come to pass, rather than to suffer what he was going through now. But at least he had his only friend with him and the dog he wished to meet had met him.

"My name's Jenna," began the dog," I just arrived here. I was hoping to explore the town and get to know some of the dogs here, but instead I found those three and they chased me. I don't know what they would have done if you hadn't come to my rescue," Jenna continued to lick Balto's wounds.

"They probably would have eaten you," said Boris," I have seen my share of nasty sled dogs, and if they see any new dogs in their territory they would rather kill them than be their friend, even females."

Jenna's mouth hung open in disbelief," They wouldn't have, would they?"

Boris only nodded. Jenna looked down at the snow, deep in thought, and then went back to Balto's wounds," I guess I really do owe you my life. I only wish there was a way for me to repay you."

"There isn't. I just wish I could do more for you," replied Balto, still hurting, although Jenna's tongue did feel good as it cleaned his wounds.

"Well, you could show me around this place. As well as point out the local nasty dogs," Jenna chuckled.

Balto just smiled. Jenna wouldn't want his biased opinion, but if she wanted to know who the dogs were and meet new friends, he would have to put his dislike of them aside just once and try to do good for the benefit of another person... someone he loved.

After talking with Jenna for another hour about small things, Balto limped back to the boat. He lay under his rug, imagining it was Jenna, and dreamed about his new friend. He had made a good impression, or so he hoped, and everything seemed to be going well. He hoped that she would become his girlfriend (er... dog) and they might eventually... then reality clicked in again and he looked at himself. He had never taken a bath in his life, but he did manage to stay well-groomed. But Jenna must take a bath every week and was brushed and clean and beautiful. He wanted very much to be a part of her life, but knew that the dogs in town would eventually tell her all of the lies about him and she would see him for what he was not. Perhaps if he managed to talk with her for a while longer and earn her trust then she wouldn't care what the other dogs said about him. But earning trust in someone is hard and can take a long time, but Balto and Jenna already had a positive first meeting, so Balto hoped that the next time they met it would be the same way.

Jenna's fence was still broken, and Balto crawled inside and waited for her to come out, meanwhile hiding behind a pile of wood. When he heard the door open he cautiously peeked around the wood and smiled as he saw Jenna prance out of the doorway. She could smell him immediately and began sniffing the ground. The door closed. Jenna followed her nose to the wood pile and smiled as she guessed where Balto was.

"You can come out now," she said a bid cautiously, still wary of the strange dog she had met," It's just me."

Balto was in ecstasy. Just hearing her voice calling him was like sweet music to his ears. He rather ridiculously walked out from behind the wood pile and smiled at her," How's it going?" Stupid stupid stupid! he thought, What a dumb thing to say!

"Not too bad. How are you managing?" she replied, not minding the words he chose.

Balto stretched," I'm feeling better. Maybe I should show you my home sometime? It's quite nice actually."

"Maybe? But not yet, I just met you yesterday."

"I was hoping you might like that tour today, if you're not busy and have some time to get away for a while?"

Jenna began to think. He was being awfully quick about these things. First he asked if she wanted to see his home, then a tour of the town. Perhaps he was just like those other dogs, only craftier. She promised herself to be more careful," Alright."

Balto smiled and led her to the opening in the fence," Ladies first."

"Thank you," smiled Jenna. A ladies man, but I'm not impressed yet.

The two walked the streets, side by side. Balto would occasionally steal glances at her and pretend that they were on a real date and every dog in town was jealous of his beautiful girlfriend (dog). If only it were true. Jenna seemed uneasy. He hoped he wasn't trying to force anything on her. She had total freedom to tell him when she was ready to go home, but what if she was shy or wasn't sure of herself enough to talk to him.

Jenna, on the other hand (paw), was enjoying herself quite a bit. Balto would point out certain places and tell her a few quick tidbits of information about each place, and then move on. They reached the hospital and then trouble started.

"Hey, wolf-dog!" laughed a voice from behind.

Balto rolled his eyes. Why Steele? Why now? he cried to himself.

Steele approached. He didn't have his gang with him this time, but he felt so sure of himself that he didn't need them," Who's your friend, Balto?" Steele said nastily.

"She's my friend, Jenna, and she just moved her a few days ago," replied Balto, glaring at Steele.

"Welcome, Jenna. I am Steele, the fastest sled dog around here. Want to see me flex?" Steele grinned and puffed out his chest.

"No thanks," airhead, thought Jenna.

"Maybe another time then. In the meantime, why don't you hang out with a classy dog, not a flea-bitten mongrel like that," he said, nodding to Balto.

Balto just growled. This was what he feared. Now Jenna would see that Steele was much more attractive and go with him. His chances with Jenna died that night.

"I'm sorry, Steele, but I promised to go on a tour with him tonight. Maybe you could show me around some other time, hmm?" Jenna said.

"Tomorrow night?" asked Steele.

"Sure."

"Great! Uh, where do you live anyway?" asked Steele, feeling a bit foolish.

"Down that street," Jenna pointed," In the house with the broken fence. Just wait for me behind the wood pile in my back yard."

"Alright. See you tomorrow night then." said Steele. He glared and hissed at Balto, who just glared back, and then walked away. It was the shortest, calmest encounter with Steele that Balto had ever had.

"What was that all about?" asked Jenna.

"That's Steele. He's been trying to get rid of me for a long time now... since we were puppies at least. He hates me because I'm part wolf."

"I think that's stupid! You can't help it that you're half of one breed and half of another. I thin it's kind of neat. I've never met a half and half dog before."

Balto's head began to spin! She likes the unique pooch! he sighed. He just nodded and smiled," Let's get back to the tour, shall we?" he held his paw out, allowing her to pass him. Balto glared as Steele's black shape disappeared from sight and then followed Jenna.

The night went very well. At the end, Balto and Jenna sat on the woodpile in Jenna's backyard looking up at the stars. They were in full bloom that night and almost every constellation was out. Balto sighed and watched the brightly flashing dots in the sky. It was amazing how they stayed up there, very far away in the bluish-black mix of sky.

On the horizon, Balto could barely make out the mix of colours known as the Northern Lights. Balto pointed and smiled as Jenna's mouth hung open and she gasped," It's amazing! I've never seen anything like it!"

"I like to watch them too. I always go out into the woods to this special cliff where there are no trees and the Northern Lights just seem to hover overtop of me. Maybe we could go sometime. You would love it."

Jenna started to feel uneasy again. Balto seemed to be obsessed with taking her out to places where he commonly went. As much as she liked him now, as well as the Northern Lights, she was still cautious. She felt sorry for his predicament at being a hybrid, but also knew that some hybrids were known to become ill-tempered and attacked people and dogs without warning. He may also be using her sympathy as a way of getting closer to her. Jenna saw Balto as the percentage of those dogs who were nice, but decided to get to know him a bit better before she judged him totally. To do so would be a mistake and she might regret it later on.

Finally Balto left and Jenna decided to stay outside for a while longer. The Northern Lights and the stars were her only friends now. She hoped to make new friends like Balto, perhaps female dogs her own age, or with similar interests, but until then she was happy to sit and watch the stars.

The back door opened and Rosy stuck out her head," Come on, Jenna," she said in her little voice. Still mastering english, the toddler loved to call her dog's name. Jenna barked happily and left her lookout spot. She ran inside and snuggled close to her girl. At least she had one good friend who truly loved her.

The gang of three dogs huddled in a corner of the Old Mill. Their master was leaving on his sled the next day and they wanted to get their revenge before they left. The black malamute, who's name was Devil, and his friends, a white husky and a gray samoyed, named Wilson and Cookie respectively, were still healing up their wounds from the fight with Balto, but their hatred was something that would stay for a long time.

"We'll have to do in that bitch," said Devil," She's the start of all this. If we get her then Balto will be sure to follow, then we kill him."

"You know what, Devil?" began Cookie, who wished his master had given him a name to reflect his nasty personality," I like the way you think," and then he grabbed a bone in his mouth and crushed it to powder," That's what I'm going to do to that wolf-dog as soon as I get him in my jaws!"

"That's nothing considering what I'm going to do to him!" laughed Wilson. The husky, who wasn't totally white, but the side of his face and his right ear was black, giving him the appearance of wearing a half-mask.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" asked Devil, knowing that he wanted Balto more than either of them.

"First I'm gonna let you two of you beat him to a pulp, and then I'm going to mate with that bitch right in front of his eyes! Heh heh heh! I think he likes her, and that would be like a slap in the face... and a half!"

Devil chuckled. He knew his friend's infatuation with bitches had led him down this road before. It was Wilson who had first suggested they chase Jenna, and while approaching the dead-end street he had whispered to Devil," She's mine now!" Devil had never had a girlfriend before. There were three bitches on their sled team, along with an older, wiser male lead dog, but Devil was strictly business. When he ran, he ran. It was all he ever thought about. Eat, sleep, run. With his friends it was Eat, eat, run occasionally, have some fun, eat again.

Cookie crunched the second half of the bone," Oops! There goes Balto's other leg!"

Wilson laughed, and Devil smirked a bit. He was thinking about running again, and the confined space of the Old Mill made him feel claustrophobic.

"Hey guys, I need to get some air," he said slowly and with a serious tone.

The other two quieted down, and Cookie let out one last giggle," Alright," he said.

They began to stand, but Devil pushed them both down with his paws," I want to go alone. I've got... that feeling again."

"Oh. We get it. Sorry," replied Wilson.

The two dogs watched as their friend left the Old Mill.

"You're gonna taker her, huh?" laughed Cookie.

"Well... you could have her too if you want? We'd just have to switch places when I was done," smiled Wilson.

"If we kept that up we'd never get around to killing Balto!"

"Why not just break all of his legs and leave him out there? Then I can take her home with me."

"Why not throw her off a cliff? She'd just tell the other dogs," Cookie started to have second thoughts.

"Who cares. We're out of here tomorrow anyway. We'd better do this tonight."

Cookie nodded and picked up another bone, but rather than crushing it he began to chew. The gang had never done anything this horrible before, and he was starting to wonder how far he'd go along with it. But Balto had hurt them badly and they wanted revenge. The bone tasted good, and pretty soon Wilson quieted down and fell asleep. Cookie looked out the open door where Devil had left just moments before.

"Devil, you crazy wolf," he sighed.

Devil trudged through the deep snow outside. Large white flakes were now falling, making it difficult to keep his eyes open and stay focused on his goal; the woods. Devil grumbled to himself, he knew the falling snow would only make that on the ground deeper and hinder his movement. But the falling snow would also cover up Balto's body and all of the blood. Not that he expected anyone to find him, except some wolves or a bear, but he still wanted to leave no evidence. The bitch would have to go too.

As he walked, he looked over at the beached fishing boat that served as Balto's home. It sat far away from Nome, by itself on a large snowdrift. Devil sighed. He could easily go kill Balto right now, but the feeling inside him was stronger than hate. It was something he couldn't quite understand, so he merely assumed it was the wolf side of him. By definition, and breed, he was a malamute, but he was also mostly wolf; a true breed of malamute. The first Siberian huskies and Alaskan malamutes had been bred down from wolves themselves, and Devil was from one of the old strains. His ancestors were timber wolves, and his friends were dogs, but he was a wolf too.

To hide this from other dogs, except his best friends and teammates whom he trusted, he acted as if he was normal. But he was not normal, and had been teased as a pup, and therefore hated himself and all other wolf-dogs. He had known dogs on other teams, who were larger and stronger, that were wolf hybrids, direct offspring between a dog and a wolf with no apparent discretion of trying to carefully plan a certain breed. The breeders just wanted power, speed, and strength. Devil thought of Balto as one of these dogs, only he lived on his own and was therefore assailable. He and Cookie and Wilson had chased Balto before, but now they were finally going to get rid of him. One less wolf-dog in the world.

Devil took his eyes off the boat and entered the woods. He walked for a few more minutes, taking in the beauty of the snow-covered trees. Then he sat down on his hind legs, pointed his nose to the sky, and howled.

Jenna exited the Old Mill with her new friend, a small white malamute named Dixie. Dixie was very hyperactive, but she was kind of nice and fun to talk with. Unfortunately she was madly in love with Steele, and Jenna just rolled her eyes and tried to get the annoying malamute out of her mind. Dixie had introduced Jenna to her friend Sylvie, an Afghan hound. The trio had talked late into the night and bonded quite well. But Jenna knew her owners, and Rosy, would get worried, so she and Dixie decided to leave.

They soon arrived outside Jenna's yard. She said goodbye to Dixie and then walked through the small hole in the fence. She was about to scratch at the door when she heard a sound. A strange yet familiar scent wafted to her nostrils. She looked behind her to see the same black malamute from a few days ago.

"Hello. Now, where did we leave off?" his lips curled into an evil grin.

Jenna's eyes widened with fear. She barked and started scratching the door, but everyone inside the house was asleep. Jenna turned and saw the other two dogs. She gasped. There was no escape. They encircled her, closing off all routes of escape.

"It's time to settle our score with your new boyfriend," said the black malamute. He leapt onto her and knocked her to the ground. With a small yelp Jenna hit the ground hard. She cried out in pain again as Wilson knock her against the woodpile, then the world faded into darkness.

"Is she unconscious?" asked Devil.

"Yes," said Cookie after nudging Jenna's motionless body.

"Good. Now, the two of you take her out to the mountain. I want to make sure Balto gets the message."

The other dogs nodded and started to drag Jenna away by the scruff of her neck. Devil crept along the edge of the fence and then leapt over it with a shout. "Hah!" he landed right in front of Dixie, who had heard Jenna's cries and watched the whole thing. Dixie stumbled backwards and kept her wide eyes fixed on Devil's black face.

"I want you to tell that half-wolf Balto that I've got his little friend there," Devil stared down at the small, frightened malamute," If he wants to see her alive, he should meet us at the Great Chasm." With that Devil walked over top of Dixie and gave her a sharp kick to her rump, which sent her screaming down the street.

Devil laughed out loud as he watched her run. His plan had worked so far. All he needed was to get Jenna away to the Chasm, then wait for Balto to arrive. He chuckled to himself once more and then ran off to catch up to Wilson and Cookie.

"They've taken Jenna!" Dixie shouted as she burst into the Old Mill.

Most of the dogs were still there, but many had left. Steele was sitting in the middle of the room in front of the boiler with his three-dog gang. At Dixie's loud arrival he stopped what he was doing and looked up.

"Who's taken who?" asked Steele.

"I don't know who they were. But that new dog, Jenna, they took her away!"

Steele growled. He remembered the beautiful husky who had been walking with Balto that one night. Whoever would dare to hurt her deserved to be put to sleep!

"Where did they take her?" asked Steele. He stood up, and Nikki, Kaltag, and Star soon joined his side.

"They said to tell Balto they were taking her to the Great Chasm," continued Dixie, scampering back and forth with excitement.

"Why tell Balto? Who cares about him?" asked Steele.

"I don't know. I'm not even sure why they would take her in the first place. I'd better run out to Balto's boat before they..."

"I'll handle things from here," interrupted Steele," Nikki, Kaltag, Star; let's get going. I don't anyone to get hurt," Steele said, tying to sound sincere. If I rescue her then she'll be like putty in my paws! Steele scoffed.

"But what about Balto? They said to tell him or they'd kill Jenna!" Dixie shouted.

"Well then, we don't want her killed now do we? We'll go get Balto and then head for the Great Chasm."

Dixie nodded and managed to sit down for a few seconds before she started running around again. Steele and his three-dog gang walked out of the Old Mill, and when they were down the street Steele started to laugh.

"What's so funny, dere?" asked Nikki.

"Don't you see? We'll be killing two birds with one stone," Steele grinned," After convincing Balto to come with us, we'll rescue Jenna, kill her abductors, and leave Balto to rot at the bottom of the Chasm."

"You're using your gray matter, boss!" commented Kaltag," What a great, ingenious, terrific idea!"

"Sounds fool proof!" added Star.

Kaltag smacked him and he stumbled into the side of a building. Nikki and Steele just rolled their eyes and continued walking towards the edge of town, and on to Balto's home.

"Hey! Balto! We're serious! We need to talk with you!" shouted Steele.

Balto hid in his cabin. Why had they come here? They never came out to his boat before, they just wanted him to stay out of town.

"I should go give that loudmouth a piece of my mind," said Boris. He pretended to roll up his sleeves (if geese had sleeves) and made a pair of fists.

"No, Boris! Maybe they'll just go away?" Balto hoped.

"Jenna's in trouble! They're gonna kill her! Come on, Balto, we don't have much time!" Steele called again. He smiled as Balto's head suddenly popped up from inside the cabin.

"What kind of trick is this now, Steele?" asked Balto.

"No tricks, I promise. Three dogs have taken Jenna to the Great Chasm, and they said that unless you come immediately they'll kill her!" Steele said, trying not to sound too much like a emotional sissy.

"Then she wouldn't be at home, would she?" asked Balto. He leapt over the edge of the boat and shot past Steele and his gang like a bullet. As soon as Jenna's house came into view he slowed down, but just enough so he wouldn't be tired from his run. He crawled through the opening in the fence and saw nothing out of the ordinary, but his nose told him the truth. He could smell the other dogs, as well as something that made his mouth drop; he cold smell fear.

Steele and his gang arrived shortly. Balto turned to face them," You're right. I can smell them. They're those same dogs from the other day."

"Yes. And we're here to help you rescue Jenna. I know we've had our differences, Balto, but right now you've got to admit that you need my help," said Steele.

Balto sniffed the ground once more and looked towards the mountains behind Nome, where the Great Chasm lay set into the rock and ice," Alright. We'd better get going before they kill her!"

Steele only grinned. The first part of his plan had worked.

Devil looked up at the two points where Wilson and Cookie were waiting for Balto to arrive. Cookie's gray shape could be seen against the white snow, but Wilson was almost invisible. Jenna struggled beneath him, but he held her down, using his weight to keep her from getting away. She was very frisky, and anything, save holding her by her throat, would have failed to keep her in one place.

The edge of the Chasm lay thirty feet away. As soon as Balto showed himself Devil would drag Jenna over to it and then negotiate. Meanwhile, Wilson and Cookie would sneak up behind Balto and kill him, while Devil threw Jenna over the edge. Of course Wilson would be mad that he didn't get to mate with her, but he would get over it.

"You're the worst kind of scum!" Jenna barked, finally ceasing her struggling.

"Thank you. I think you're pretty sexy... for a husky. I prefer my own breed, but I sometimes make exceptions," Devil smiled down at Jenna. He shifted his weight so it was mostly on Jenna's waist and hind legs.

Jenna struggled, but Devil managed to keep her down.

"Why are you doing this?" Jenna cried, realizing she was about to be raped.

But that idea couldn't have been farther from Devil's mind. He simply wanted to scare Jenna into submission," Revenge! I want to get rid of that wolf-dog forever, and if I have to use you to get to him then so be it."

Jenna began to sob. Just as Devil was about to make a nasty comment he looked up to see Wilson scrambling down the hill. He skidded to a stop right in front of Devil," Five dogs! Coming in this direction!"

"Who is it?" asked Devil.

"Steele and his gang!" Wilson looked at Jenna, then back to the mountain path that led into the Chasm.

"Is Balto with them?" asked Devil.

Wilson only nodded. Cookie, who had been waiting at his lookout, slid down the steep slope and stood next to Devil," We'd better just dump her over the edge and get out of here. There's no way we could fight all of them and still kill Balto!"

"Of course we can! We just have to attack Balto first, then see what happens after that," said Devil, making quick changes in his carefully organized plan.

"DEVIL!" shouted a voice from behind them. It was Steele.

Devil, Cookie, and Wilson all turned to see Steele standing with Nikki, Kaltag, and Star, just forty feet away. Balto appeared and stood next to Kaltag.

"Well well. Look who's shown up. And you've brought friends," Devil taunted Balto.

"I'm here, Devil. I'm the one you want. Now let Jenna go," Balto said. He began to walk slowly towards the trio of dogs, with Jenna stuck underneath Devil's massive body.

"Balto, stay back! They're..." shouted Jenna, but Wilson shoved his big bushy tail into her mouth and gagged her. She started to chew on it, but Wilson only cooed with pleasure. He had had a bitch eat his tail before, and he loved the feeling of female lips on his fur.

Balto hesitated, but remembered he was here to save Jenna at all costs. He no longer cared what happened to him. If he could use his life to save another, someone he loved, then his life would have been worth something. He sadly admitted his defeat and walked right up to the group of dogs.

"Now!" shouted Steele.

He led Nikki, Kaltag, and Star towards the group of dogs. Devil was startled, and stood up to fight. Jenna saw her opportunity to escape and ran. She huddled in a little ball, far enough away from the fighting that she felt safe.

Steele had knocked Devil to the ground and made a lunge for his throat, but Devil jumped out of the way and thrashed Steele with his tail. Steele shook his head and then growled," This is it, Devil. You should have left her alone."

"Why would you care, Steele?. She's Balto's girlfriend!" replied Devil.

Steele only growled and made another lunge at Devil.

Nikki was fighting Cookie, and doing a good job of it too. He grabbed Cookie's hind leg and dragged him around. Cookie was growling and gritting his teeth. Finally Nikki swung his head and tossed Cookie against the rock wall. Cookie whined and ran away, limping on his left foreleg. He had lost the fight.

Balto and Star had double teamed Wilson, who was fighting crazy. He snapped at Star, taking a chunk out of his ear, and then stood back in a defensive position. Star screamed as his ear bled from its wound. He ran around in circles until Kaltag slapped him again. Star fell to the ground, also out of the fight.

It was now down to Steele and Devil, and Balto, Nikki, Kaltag, and Wilson. Wilson, seeing himself hopelessly outnumbered, maneuvered himself so he was almost fighting side-by-side with Devil.

"So, fearless leader," he said sarcastically," When do we retreat?"

"Never!" cried Devil. He was already bleeding from several wounds, but so was Steele. He wouldn't give up until Steele was dead, and so was Balto.

Kaltag began to help Steele with Devil, while Nikki once again tried his leg toss with Wilson. Wilson only avoided Nikki's teeth and then kicked the Chow-chow in the head. Nikki rolled along the ground and bumped into the rock wall. He stood up and wobbled to his feet. All he could see was a bunch of blurred shapes fighting, a small gray shape laying on the ground, and a red ball of fluff.

Balto crouched low and bared his teeth. Wilson knew it was down to this. If he didn't kill Balto here then he would lose his chance. He howled out loud and rushed at Balto, preparing to knock him off his feet and then drag him to the Chasm, but Balto was too fast, and jumped out of the way. He chased after Wilson and took a chunk out of his rear flank. Wilson yelped and kept running down the path. He slipped on a patch of ice and cracked his head against the rock wall. His large heavy body slid down the icy path, faster and faster, accelerating at a tremendous rate before finally reaching the edge of the Chasm. He wasn't even able to scream as his unconscious body fell to the floor, many hundreds of feet below.

Balto watched the horrible scene in almost slow motion. It was his attack that led to Wilson's death. He had just killed someone. Balto looked over at the other three dogs as they fought. Steele and Kaltag had backed Devil almost to the edge of the Chasm. Balto gasped and ran towards them. Steele was about to push Devil over the edge when Balto appeared in front of him.

"Get out of my way, wolf-dog!" he shouted.

Devil stopped. He looked at Balto's back, totally open and defenseless, but he hesitated.

"No more killing, Steele. That's enough!" said Balto. He turned to Devil," Go. Now!"

Devil looked at Balto, then at Steele. Steele took a step backwards and then nodded to Devil. Devil just nodded back and ran down the path. He and Cookie could still make it back to Nome and take the team out in the morning. With Wilson gone the musher would have to find a replacement, but Devil hope it would be someone nice who would keep him out of trouble.

Balto watched the black malamute disappear down the trail, then saw Jenna approaching. She ran up and cried in Balto's shoulder, nuzzling him," I thought they were going to kill me! And then you! They had planned it that way, but I'm glad you're alright!" Then she noticed his bleeding wounds, and once again started to lick them.

"I couldn't have done it without you," said Balto to Steele," Perhaps finally you're..."

But Steele only growled and slapped Balto across the face. Balto flew backwards and skidded just inches from the edge of the Chasm.

"What are you doing?" asked Jenna.

"What I had planned to do from the beginning," replied Steele. He began to slowly approach Balto, who was struggling to stand up. But the fight had drained his energy and he could only raise his head enough for Steele to smack him again. Balto now hung almost totally off the cliff. With one last swipe, Steele could end his life. Balto closed his eyes and hung his head over the edge. At least Jenna was safe.

Jenna.

Steele was about to knock Balto off the edge of the cliff when he felt a terrible pain ripping through his foreleg. He turned to see Jenna biting savagely into it. He swung his paw and managed to dislodge her, but she leapt to her feet and faced him," I'm not going to let you kill him!"

Steele smirked as he looked upon the determined husky bitch. She was so small and frail, not even worth fighting to kill Balto, but if she wanted to play this little game, then Steele was all for it.

"You just made a mistake," said Steele, holding up his bleeding foreleg," I think you've been a very bad doggy. First of all, you make friends with a dirty wolf, then you run off with a bunch of low life dogs, then you expect us to rescue you? My friends have been beaten up," Steele waved his paw towards Nikki and Star," And now you've bitten me. I think you need to be punished."

Jenna gasped and took a few steps backwards, but soon she found herself against the rock wall, with no place to go. Steele only laughed and walked towards her a step at a time. Jenna, realizing there was no chance of being rescued this time, stood her ground and bared her teeth.

Then a gray shape shot past Steele and stopped next to Jenna. It was Balto, who also bared his teeth against Steele.

"Well now, look who got a second wind," said Steele," I guess I can still kill you after all."

Balto jumped at Steele, and caught him totally off guard. Steele took the impact straight in his chest, and he flew backwards and skidded to a stop. He coughed and looked up at Balto.

"Leave her alone, Steele," said Balto.

Kaltag approached, but one growl from Balto made him cower, and he went to check on Nikki and Star. Balto motioned to Jenna for her to go, and then followed her, leaving Steele and his gang to pick themselves up.

Balto stopped beside his boat, with Jenna by his side. He looked up at his grungy, dirty old wreck of a home, and then into town to where Jenna's fine house was.

"This is where I live," he said to her," Want to come in and take a look?"

Jenna still hesitated. She trusted Balto, but was still worried about what kind of dog he was. An evil wolf, a good dog. He was both, trapped inside one body.

"I don't know," Jenna began," Maybe another time." Jenna frowned as she saw Balto's ears droop.

"It's alright. Maybe..." Balto trailed off.

"I'd better get home. Thank you for saving me," said Jenna.

"Wait! Are you sure you'll be safe? Those dogs are still out there!" cried Balto.

"They won't be bothering me anymore," replied Jenna. She smiled at Balto and then turned and ran back to town.

Balto sighed. Boris popped his head over the side of the boat and looked down at Balto," Hey! Kiddo! What are you doing? You'll freeze your butt off out there!"

Balto barely heard him. It was indeed getting cold outside, but his heart felt warm that night. He had done something good, risked his life, and now they were friends. He hoped things would stay that way forever.

Nome, Alaska. 1925.

Balto chuckled," And then Boris and I had a snowball fight. I was in such a good mood."

"See, all you really needed was a friend. And you found two. Now you have the affection of everyone in town!" Jenna smiled warmly. Balto was a hero.

Then Balto found the perfect chance to ask her," Even yours?"

Jenna stopped smiling and just stared at him. Her ears were straight, her tail curled around her legs, and her eyes unblinking. Balto's mouth twitched. His left ear drooped, as it often did, and he curled his lips into a small grin.

"Yes. Especially mine," Jenna finally said.

Balto's grin broke into a smile, and Jenna laughed too. Then Jenna started to lean closer. Balto stopped laughing and watched her. He started to lean too. The space between them closed to a mere inch, then Jenna's tongue flicked out and caught Balto on his nose. He wiggled it a bit and sneezed, then laughed. Jenna chuckled too, and then pressed her mouth to Balto's in a passionate canine kiss.

She closed her eyes. Balto, confused and frantic, kept his eyes open for a few more seconds, but then closed his as well. Her lips were soft and furry, and felt good against his own. His heart felt warm again, and burned red with a hidden fire. All of his feelings and emotions, those that had been bottled up inside him for the past six years of his life, suddenly exploded and a large tear ran down his cheek and fell to the ground. It froze and landed without a sound. Balto had found his true love.

After a few more seconds Jenna pulled herself back and looked towards Nome.

"We'd better get this thing back," and she picked up the lantern. The Northern Lights died and faded into white snow, leaving the broken shards of glass where they had been for the past two days, and all night.

Balto was giddy, and intoxicated with happiness. Jenna truly did love him, and he also wanted to express himself. But all he could do was walk alongside her as they went back to Nome. But something was still nagging at him. He felt as if she had done all the talking with that long kiss, and that he should say something to her. It felt stupid to him, but it was exactly what he was thinking; what he was feeling.

"I love you Jenna," he said to her.

"I... I know..." Jenna kept walking with the lantern.

"Really. I wanted to tell you before, but I was too shy. I thought... maybe... you felt the same way?"

"I do, Balto. I love you too," Jenna smiled through the handle of the lantern," I hope our life together will be happy and wonderful."

Balto snuggled close to Jenna as they walked. His quest for love and happiness had finally ended, and he hoped that nothing would ever come between the two of them as long as they both should live.

THE END

*Author's Note: I would once again like to thank my friend, Goldberg, for his story request. I think we make a good team! The true story of Balto's youth is unknown to me, but I do enjoy writing about the animated Balto. I hope this story answers a lot of questions between Balto and Jenna, and I'll be sure to write more stories regarding Balto growing up.

Devil, Wilson, and Cookie
Are copyrighted to Cyberwulfe
©1999 Cyberwulfe

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