Balto: Hero

Nov 4, 2008

This story takes place directly after the events in Balto.

All characters belong to Universal Pictures.

All my life I have waited

For the chance to give the love

Only you demand of me

Balto walked slowly back to his boat, head down, his ears still ringing from the celebration in town. He could barely hear the snow crunching beneath his paws, and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

After he'd brought the medicine back and saved the children of the town from the Diphtheria epidemic, the townspeople of Nome wouldn't let him leave the porch of the hospital. They cheered and applauded and pet him and hugged him for over an hour, and while he enjoyed the attention and his newfound sense of belonging, he was exhausted.

Bringing that anti-toxin back to Nome had been a difficult ordeal, and he had braved avalanches, unstable ice caves, snowstorms and had run flat out for days to get it there. He loved Rosy, because Rosy was the only human in town to ever give him a fair shot. He desperately needed to save her, and would, and did, do whatever it took to get her that medicine.

"Of course, there was another reason you did it too, wasn't there Balto?" his inner voice intoned.

Balto smiled to himself. "Yeah." He thought back to when he was nuzzling Rosy in the hospital earlier that night. She was hugging him when he heard a small cough behind him. He turned around and – "Jenna!" He ran to Jenna, a gorgeous red and white purebred husky who was looking at him with admiration in her pretty brown eyes.  They danced around each other in excitement to see each other again. Balto had kept his promise to her and brought the life saving elixir back to Nome, against impossible odds.

Jenna was happier than she ever thought she would be again. She was so grateful to Balto for saving her owner Rosy, she was so amazed by his determination and intelligence, and as they danced around each other she realized... she was in love with him. They stopped dancing, and Jenna became serious for a moment and looked deeply into Balto's eyes, drawn to him like a moth to flame. Balto would never forget that moment as Jenna's deep, warm eyes pierced him to his very soul.

She leaned forward and nuzzled him earnestly, closing her eyes and pressing against his head and neck. Then she pulled away and looked at him shyly, a hint of blush appearing on her cheeks. Then the crowd erupted with applause and cheers, and the two of them sat on the porch and took in the celebration. Balto was a hero, and everybody loved him.

"And I love Jenna", he thought to himself. "I love her! I just hope she loves me too. Maybe..." he began to hope beyond hope. "The way she looked at me... oh, Jenna."

Balto finally arrived at his home, an old landlocked boat beached there long before Balto was born. He crawled into the boat and under his blanket and finally, mercifully fell into a deep sleep. His last dwindling thoughts lingered on Jenna, and the feel of her muzzle pressed against his neck, her scent overpowering his nostrils...

###

Balto woke up many hours later, and the sun was high in the sky. He was a little bleary and his legs and paws were sore, but he felt refreshed. "I must have been out for the whole night and half the day," he thought. He yawned and stretched, wincing as his leg muscles protested. "Ow. I suppose I should be thankful I can walk at all," he said gruffly. He gingerly walked to his water bowl and drank deeply, quenching his thirst.

"Balto! How is my hero today? Sleep well?" Boris flapped in and gave Balto a big hug.

"Thanks for letting me sleep, Boris. I really needed it," he said as he sat down and yawned again.

"Of course!" Boris said. "A hero needs his rest after saving the entire town!"

Balto rolled his eyes. "Boris, please stop calling me that. I'm the same Balto I always was."

"No!" Boris exclaimed, folding his wings. "You're a hero now! The whole town loves you! And one, I suspect, loves you more than all the rest." He winked at Balto with a big grin on his face.

"Jenna," Balto said quietly as his eyes lost focus and he envisioned her beautiful eyes looking at him with admiration. "Do you really think she loves me?" He sat up straighter and perked up his ears, excited at the thought that Jenna might really love him the way he loved her.

"I know love when I see it," Boris told him. "And I see it. I see it in you and in Jenna. Trust me boychik, it's love."

"I have to go see her," Balto said with a new sense of urgency. "I have to... I have to tell her how I feel, even if she rejects me. She has to know that I love her."

Boris walked over to Balto and put a wing around his shoulders. "Balto, you are a kind and generous soul. You risked your own life to save those kids, and now..." Boris said softly. "Now it is your turn to be saved. Go to her Balto, she will be waiting for you."

"Thanks Boris," Balto replied. "I needed to hear that."

Boris nodded at Balto. "Now go, hero. Shoo!" Boris flicked his wings at Balto in mock annoyance.

"All right, I'm going! Sheesh." Balto rolled his eyes at Boris again, and leapt off the side of the boat.

He headed toward the hospital where he knew Rosy was being held for observation until she completely recovered. "Jenna's got to be there with Rosy," he thought as he ran across the snowy fields on the way into town. He suddenly felt like he did when he ran the last stretch into Nome with the medicine, and without thinking he raised his head to the sky and howled in excitement.

The people in the town heard him and began to shout.  "Balto! He's coming back! Balto's coming!" The people began to gather at the edge of the town to get another chance to thank their hero, and Balto arrived to open arms and a crowd of grateful humans thanking him, petting him and offering him treats. He nuzzled as many hands as he could, and ate the meat they gave him after smelling it and realizing how hungry he was. Some of the children wrapped their small arms around his neck and said "Thank you Balto! We love you!" He licked their cheeks in response, which made them giggle.

Balto was happy for the food and the loving attention he was receiving, but all he really wanted was to see Jenna. He didn't expect the whole town to come out to greet him, and he was a bit overwhelmed by it all. He was eventually able to get away as the crowd dispersed, and he broke into a run towards the hospital.

Jenna was sleeping on the floor next to Rosy's bed when she heard the howl. She jolted herself awake as she realized it was Balto, and she ran to a window to see if she could spot him. She could see a crowd of people at the edge of town, and she heard people yelling about Balto and she smiled. "My hero," she thought to herself. She sat at the window and watched her townspeople shower Balto with affection and gratitude, and waited to see where he would go.

She saw him running towards the hospital, and she turned and ran out the doggy door in the back. Balto got to the hospital and scratched at the door. "Uh, Jenna? Are - are you in there?" he asked timidly. He moved to one of the windows next to the door and looked inside, but he couldn't see her.

"I'm here, Balto," Jenna said softly from right behind him. Balto jumped and fell over onto his side, scrambling to get back on his feet again. "J - Jenna! I - how did you –"

Jenna laughed softly and walked over to him. She smiled and pressed her muzzle against his, nuzzling him. She heard him sigh and his body relaxed as he returned the affection. "I'm sorry I startled you," she said.

"It was worth it," he said with a  grin, and got back on his feet. "Jenna, I –" He stopped, captivated by her beauty. She was beautiful, this red and white husky. And the way she looked at him... it was like she was looking into his soul. "I can't believe she's even interested in me at all," he thought. "Me, a ragged mutt half breed. What do I say to her that won't turn her away?"

"Jenna, would - would you like to, um, go for a walk on the beach with me, maybe?" he managed to stammer out, looking down at the floor. "I mean that is if you're not busy, I mean you probably have things to do, I don't want to waste your time or anything, you're probably busy, I shouldn't have asked, never mind I'll just –"

"I'd love to," Jenna interrupted with a smile.

"You - you would?" Balto asked with surprise and relief.

"Mmm-hmm," Jenna nodded at him,  her eyes sparkling. "Rosy is recovering and she's just sleeping now. Thanks to you."

Balto grinned sheepishly. "I, uh... I'm glad she's okay. I really like her."

"She likes you too," Jenna replied. "And so