Written by Saberwolf

***JENNA'S HOUSE***

          Jenna woke up, breathing heavily, what a dream! She quickly glances over to the left, and Balto was missing still. Jenna sighed, not knowing what happened to her husband. The past few weeks, no just last months, after that encounter with that strange dark wolf, Balto hasn't been the same, he always seemed distracted and was easily agitated. Jenna sighed again, pity party, last thing she needed. Jenna forced her self to remember the good times with Balto, but this was a cumbersome task to undertake. Why is he acting so strange? she would think to herself. At any rate, she was still tired, and she was still parched from the day after running around all over Nome in search of Balto or any clues leading to his discovery.

          While Jenna got up to get a drink, she couldn't help but look out the window, as if in that instant, Balto would come to scrape at the window, a sign that he has completed his voyage and is now home again. She leaned her head towards her water biwk and began to lap the water ravenously, but to her surprise, it was quite bitter, almost as if she were driking tonic. She tried to supress a cough, not wanting to wake up her owners. Rosie presence couldn't be found in Nome anymore, she had grown up and gone down to the states. Jenna was proud of her owner and her successes. It was good to have Nava around too his wise words often comforted Jenna, and she manifested her gratituted by offering Nava a place to sleep in the shed. Of course, Nava would just smile and decline the offer.

          But how could Jenna blame him? He was all wolf, a canine of character, not a domesticated lap dog, like she was. But she didn't mind being a lap dog, for she was no dog of adventure, that was Balto's job, she was the type that just wanted to curl up on a rug in front of a open hearth, she loved the way fire seemed to dance, in it's own skittish, yet beautiful way. She then thought of her son Kodi, of whom she most proud of.

          Suddenly, breaking the silence, alas! There was a scraping sound at the window, Jennna's face lit up like the Northern Lights, but quickly subsided when she realized it was just a squirrel, she growled and jumped at the window quietly, the squirrel took off like a bullet, going down the street and back into the forest. Jenna realized that there was no purpose of sitting at the window like a damsel in distress, so she retired herself back to her basket, snuggled among the pillows, and shut her eyes till morning came.

***BOILER ROOM***

          Kodi was panting hard, his muscles were stiff, and so were Kiby, Ralph, Nikki, and Kaltag's. They were all searching for Balto for three hours in a blinding blizzard, when Kodi couldn't even move hardly, then had to call it a night and resumed to thaw at the boiler room. What confused Kodi the most that, while almost freezing to death, there wasn't a scent or anything of his father.

          "Kodi, if your dad is out there, he's probably frozen dead!" said Ralph.

          "He's not, my dad is around here somewhere" Kodi barked back.

            Kodi didn't have a alot of confidence in his answer, and in fact, had great fear that Ralph was right, but who could argue? balto had gone missing for three days! Kodie felt his muscles warmp up, becoming more loose and easier to flex, the snow compiled on Nikki's back was quickly shaken off, by the time it hit Kaltag, it was water, soaking Kaltag. Kaltag growled a little, inching closer to the boiler, the heat evaporating the water right off his coat. Ralph was drying off as he rolled all over a warm carpet and Kirby snuggled close to a boiler.

          "But there is always a chance!" Kodi said.

          "Sorry old pal, but there aren't much more odds to play with here-" Kirby began to say.

          "So that's it? You guys are giving up on him? The one dog that gave himself for use, this town, just so we could have a better life and you turn you're back on him when he needs us the most?!

          "Face it Kodi, no dog, or wolf, can survive this, unless they were born into it, and Balto wasn't born into living without complete shelter, I'm sorry, but he can't be alive." Nikki responded.

          "Then I don't need your help! I can do this myself! I can't believe I called you my friends!" Kodi shouted, the utmost hatred in his voice.

          "Kodi WAIT!" Kirby shouted "Don't do this, okay, you still have a life"

           Kodi stopped and paused, Kirby and the rest felt the room grow a bit cold, Kodi turned around very slowly, Kirby, although twice the size of Kirby, struck Kirby into a panic attack.

           "A important part of my life is out there freezing, you think I'm gonna JUST LET HIM DIE OUT THERE?! Kodi screamed, getting into Kirby's face. The other dogs froze in terror, this was a new side to Kodi no one had ever witnessed before.

           "Hey man, take it easy..." Kirby spit out, scarred out of his life.

           "Don't tell me what to do, Kirby, I am grown up now, and don't dare get into my way" Kodi warned very coldly.

           With saying that statement Kodi exited the boiler room and  headed off into the snow, the blizzard calmed down now to more of a breeze, the dogs looked back at each other, they were all ashamed of themselves, but they couldn't let Kodi kill himself in search of someone that (they thought) was already dead.

           "We can't let Kodie go through with this!" Kirby annouced.

           "Agreed, but what can we do?" Kaltag thought out loud.

           "Not much I am afraid" Kirby replied

***BALTO'S BOAT***

           The creaking and cracking of the old beached boat never seemed to bother Boris, and the wind howling made him want to glance over the side, to perphaps seeing Balto come running up to the boat, but he never did. Boris felt awkwardly lonely and scarred. His unrsting soul forced him to look over the stern just one last time for today. Boris sighed, getting back up and looked over the edge, out in the distance, Boris could see something moving, was it Balto? Had he finally returned?! Boris nearly jumped out of his feathers, but when the object came closer, it was acutally Kodi.

            "Kodi, what are you doing here?" asked Boris, a tone of disappointment was lurking in his voice.

            "I came to find dad, with or without my "friends" help." said Kodie, determined more than ever before.

             Boris now saw it, yes indeed, not only Aleu, but Kodi had it too, Boris saw the good old Balto now breathing and living in a new body, Boris could barely keep himself from crying.

            "That is great Kodi! Except we have no idea where he is!" Boris said frustratingly.

            "Can you recall anything unusual before he dissappeared?"

           "That's what I mean, nothing was unusual!"

            "Perphaps was he talking about a dream, any ravens been flying over head here?"

              "The only bird here is me, no raven, and he usually whines in his sleep, the night he dissappeared, not a whimper or a sound."

               "Okay, I'm running out of ideas" Kodie sighed in dispair, if his father left for a reason, then why would he? He was surrounded by love and friends and warmth here. What could possibly drive Balto out into the wilderness, all by himself? But suddenly, there was a SCENT! Where was it coming from? How old was it? Kodi no longer care, his father's scent filled his nostrils, it was coming from the side of the boat, why hadn't he smelt it