noticed, the other day I watched Violet play with you.”

“I never saw you.”

“I watched from the roof,” Balto replied grinning. “How are you coping?”

“Terribly everything is terrible……” Jenna chocked. “I miss her so much………everyday.”

“I miss her to Jenna,” Balto replied nuzzling her. “Nothing is the same anymore.”

“Some things are, my love for you is the same,” Jenna replied smiling for the first time. “I’ve loved you for a long time Balto, now I’ve had the courage to tell you.”

“I love you to Jenna,” Balto replied kissing her deeply.

“I want you as my mate Balto.”

“Are you sure? I’m just an outcast!”

“You are the only one who I want, you see me as a person not a prize,” Jenna replied looking at him strait in the eyes. “I don’t care what the others think I’ve spent to long caring what others think of me. I nearly lost you once Balto I’m not willing to lose you again.”

“You’re right Jenna damn the lot of them, we don’t need them, not now we have each other,” Balto replied kissing her again. “Come on let’s leave this town for a while, we need to run free for one night.”

       Taking to his paws Balto led Jenna through the deserted streets and out of town. Running side by side, they past the hospital, leave town as fast as they could. Across to tundra and into the woods they ran, their speed perfectly matched, happiness and utter joy coursing through them. Reaching the forest Balto led Jenna to a frozen waterfall, Jenna utterly amazed at its beauty, the ice glistening in the moonlight. Looking at the place Jenna saw Balto standing in a patch of moonlight, walking up to his she kissed him, placing her paw over his. Feelings they had been hiding coursed through them, in an instant they cast off all restraint, throwing the dogs opinions into the wind. Under the star filled sky two lost souls claimed each, their hearts and souls uniting at last. Out of loss, a spark of hope for the future burst into life, a spark born both not only of loss but of love.

___________________________________________________________________________

    The following morning Jenna awoke alone in the cave under the waterfall. Stretching she walked out to find Balto outside, on the ground in front of him were two fat hares.

“Good morning Jenna,” Balto said wagging his tail.

“Morning Balto,” Jenna replied looking at the hares. “I got worried when I found you gone.”

“Sorry about that I was out catching breakfast, hare caught by yours truly.”

“Well breakfast delivered that is a surprise,” Jenna replied as they took bites. “I never knew you could hunt.”

“Arden and Eagle put me through a refresher course, turns out I can hunt extremely well, I am part wolf after all.”

“Well the hare is lovely. I’ve never had my breakfast caught fresh for me before.”

“Well maybe I will have to hunt for you again.”

“Perhaps you will,” Jenna replied running her tail under his chin. “We had better head back to Nome, Arthur and Violet will be worried about me.”

“I suppose so and I promised Eagle I would give her a tour of town,” Balto replied kissing Jenna.

   Leaving the forest the pair headed back to Nome arriving as the town was starting to get busy and just as the mail team arrived. Seeing the pair the town dogs looked at them in shock, some horrified while others were happy. Seeing them raged boiled through Steels blood.

“Jenna what were you thinking? He is a filthy half breed and you are a pure breed husky. Do you have any idea?” You and I should be a couple, king and queen of town.”

“You do not own me Steel nor do you have any claim to me. Balto is twice the dog you will ever be. Balto sees me for who I am unlike you who see me only as a trophy. I can what I like with whoever I like and there is nothing you can do to stop me,” Jenna snarled, glaring at Steel with hate in her eyes.

“You will pay for this wolf dog I will make sure you suffer,” Steel muttered watching the pair walked away.

     That afternoon Balto and Eagle walked through the streets of Nome, Eagle looking around her with curiosity as she had never set foot in a town before. Passing the town bank Eagle watched people withdrawn or deposit money. At the general store Eagle nosed pots and pans, putting her paw on a typewriter she typed a few letters.

“This place is very different to the forest,” Eagle said as they passed the barbers shop.

“It’s not that bad………..oh great,” Balto replied, spotting Steel and the mail dogs lounging on barrels outside Jo’s Restaurant.

   See the pair Steel and the dogs exchanged evil grins, calling out hurtful names at the pair, all delighting in throwing names at Eagle. Jumping off the barrels the dogs walked up to the pair and continued Steel saying very cruel comments to both Steel and Balto. Then in a flashy Eagle sprung, pinning Steel to the floor before the dogs or Balto had time to react.

“Never say that again dog unless you want trouble,” Eagle snarled putting a paw to his throat.

“You cannot hurt me wolf dog you wouldn’t dare,” Steel replied arrogantly.

“Really and what makes you so sure of that?”

“That’s the way town is you are a filthy wolf dog and are at the bottom of the social ladder, I am a racing great and at the top. For a filthy mixed breed you are very outspoken,” Steel replied looking at Eagle with a mixture of hate and a touch of fear. 

“Well unfortunately for you I do not care of town social ladder, so unless want several injuries I would watch your tongue. I am not filth. I may have dog blood but I am a she wolf. Your opinions are meaningless to me. Stay away from my brother and I or else I will make you suffer. You will not win a fight against me dog,” Eagle snarled slapping Steels across the face.

     Stepping off Steel, Eagle allowed him to climb to his feat, smiling as she saw the looks of shock on the faces of the town dogs. Turning on her heel Eagle walked away with her head held high Balto looking at her in awe and with pride.

“Eagle, do you have any idea what you have just done?”

“Put a cowardly bully in his place.”

“No you have humiliated one of the most popular dogs in town and in doing so made my life even harder,” Balto replied hanging his head. “Those dogs are going bully me even more in revenge for what you have just done.”

“So leave town if your life here is so intolerable, it is not as if you need to stay here. You already carry a mark of what that dog did to you,” Eagle replied looking at the long white strip of fur on Balto’s shoulder. “You can hunt almost as well as Arden and I, leave town with us when we go. You would free from all this accepted for who you are.”

“I never thought about that,” Balto replied in surprise as the words sank in “I’ve lived here so long, cut off from a wolf’s life, living wild never occurred to me.”

“Well perhaps you need to seriously consider it. You need to remember who you once were as cub, you may have dog blood in your veins but we both know you look more like a wolf. I cannot believe you allowed that arrogant bully to speak to you in such a way, not after what his actions caused.”

“It’s always been that way Eagle, I’ve accepted it and become used to it,” Balto replied sadly.

“You shouldn’t have to accept it Balto you are better than that. Jenna may see you for who you are but is she worth suffer all that abuse for?”

“Hold it Eagle I love Jenna. If you had known Rosie you would have understood,” Balto replied as the climbed onto the butcher’s roof.

  “You stay here to remember Rosie don’t you?”

“I don’t know Eagle everything that has happened since she died………it’s confusing. I’m grieving for her yet Jenna and I are together. I am just……..”

“Lost?”

“Yeh lost,” Balto said looking out over town.

     That night Balto sat alone out on the sea ice, above him to full moon glowed brightly, the stars twinkling in the night sky. His eyes downcast Balto looked at his reflection staring back at him from the ice.

“What am I doing here? All I ever wanted was to be accepted but that dream died when Rosie did. I am just an outcast who is despised by those I tried to help. Eagle’s words today were painful to hear yet she’s right, I don’t have to stay here, I do have another choice. When I’m running or hunting with her and Arden I feel as if I belong somewhere. Both Arden and Eagle have invited me to join them. Could I do it? Leave town leave Jenna and never come back? I love Jenna somehow she managed to forgive me for what happened. Could I throw her love away after she had suffered so much already? What would Boris say? He was there for me when I need him the most. Muk and Luk their mother was killed, how would they feel if I left? Yet part of me wants to leave with Eagle and Arden a wolf part that sees the wisdom in the choice. If only I knew what to