Balto: As Good As It Gets Written By: Anthony E. Rotramel Started: 20070428 Finished: 20070629 Pages: 180 Words: 26,344 © 2007 Anthony E. Rotramel. All Rights Reserved. Note: This story was inspired by Balto, (© 1995), Balto II: Wolf Quest (© 2000) and Balto III: Wings of Change (© 2005) by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. The characters Angie, Gemeni, James, Fairbourne, Shanaea, Hans, Alai, Ebbie, Josh, Kodi, Dusty, Roger, Stephen, Mr. Harrme, Samm, Jack, Ki and the events of this story are © 2005 by Anthony Rotramel. The other characters are © Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. Congratulations to Lonewolf_Fanwriter and Breeze Starbuck of baltosource, as contest winners, their characters: Jack and Halima are included within this story! Warning! This fic is rated PG-13 for violence and some foul language. Reader’s discretion is advised. Prologue: A small brown dog ran through the blinding snow out of Streene, a small town just north of Applegate, Alaska. The images of what he was quickly leaving behind were still as fresh in his mind as the blood that coated his paws. “I didn’t want to hurt her.” He thought. A tear came to his eye. “…why did I have to do that?” He thought back to the past. This was not the first time this had happened. There had been many before poor little Angie. Angie, whose deep brown eyes he’d fallen so desperately in love with only a few weeks ago. Angie, whose beautiful red coat had gleamed in the daylight and downright shimmered in the moonlight… Angie, whose throat his jaws had clamped down on not ten minutes ago… Angie, whose blood coated his paws and dripped from his muzzle… …Angie, who was no more. The small brown dog tried to shrug off the guilt and sadness he always felt after he rendered these females harmless. “It was her or me…” he thought. “…and it sure wasn’t going to be me. I had to do it. If I hadn’t she would’ve taken over me. I could see it in her eyes… she said she loved me, but she really didn’t. I could tell by the way she acted, the treacherous little liar… and I almost fell victim to her trap… I must be more careful in the future…” He swallowed as he ran and a grim scowl came onto his face. “…yes…” he thought. “…even though I loved her I only did what had to be done. She would’ve taken my very identity from me. I could feel her sucking my soul right out of me…it was self defense, that’s all…” The brown dog kept running from the town however, putting more and more distance between he and the slaughtered female, for even though he himself felt the killing was justified, the dogs of the town would not feel the same way. This he knew from past experience. The first time this had happened he’d tried to explain the danger to the dogs of his town, what felt like so long ago, but in fact was only about a year. It was only by luck and the help of a sympathetic party that he’d managed to escape with his life. “…why’d you have to turn against me…” The dog thought. “Why’d you have to side with them, you saved me once, then tried to consume me yourself… why… why did you make me kill you…” It was a question he’d asked himself many times… but he’d never gotten an answer… the beautiful female who’d aided his escape from Fairbanks was dead, and the answer to this question, the dog supposed, had died with her. The dog quickly shifted his thoughts away from the painful memory of her to more important matters, like his current escape. “When they’ve realized that I’ve run away they’re going to connect me to Angie’s death… murder is what they’ll call it, and it won’t take long for them to get a team out looking for me. I have to find somewhere else before they catch up with me.” The dog came to a well traveled trail and turned, starting down it. “A trail like this has to lead somewhere.” The dog thought. “I’ll run down it until come to a town, then I’ll stop there.” The dog continued down the trail, running through the falling snow… Chapter 1: “Hey Sis!” A gray and white dog said, bounding up the steps where a red and cream colored husky stood. “Ask Dad if we can go play.” The dog at the top of the stairs smiled. “Already Hans? We just got back.” “…come on Sis, please?” The gray dog pleaded. The other smiled again. “Okay, Hans, okay, just no pouting.” Hans grinned. “..deal.” “How come it’s always me who’s got to ask Dad, huh?” The other dog asked. “…because, Dad always listens to you.” Hans responded. “…whatever.” The other dog said, walking through the doggy door and into the house. “Hey Dad.” She said. Kodi looked up from his spot by the couch. “Hey Shanaea. What are you up to today?” “…not much.” Shanaea responded. “Hans wants to know if we can go play.” “Hmm… well, you know we have to be ready for that night run lesson tonight. The musher expects all of us here. If you’re not he’ll be mad.” Kodi answered. “I know.” Shanaea said. “…but we’ll be back before that. We just want to play a little hide and seek.” Kodi smiled. “Well I guess as long as you’re back when the musher expects you to be I really don’t care.” Shanaea grinned. “Thanks Dad!” She nuzzled her father. “Just be careful alright?” Kodi said. “Remember to watch for cars and don’t go near the outskirts.’ “We won’t.” Shanaea said. “…and we’ll watch for cars, I promise.” “Okay,” Kodi said. “You two have fun. Just make sure and be back when you’re supposed to. I don’t want the musher to get mad at you. Are your other siblings going too?” “I don’t guess so.” Shanaea said. “They’re still out with Josh.” “Okay.” Kodi said. Shanaea smiled. “I’ll see you later dad.” “Alright.” Kodi said. Shanaea turned and stepped through the doggy door to the porch outside. Hans jumped in front of her. “So what did he say?” He asked excitedly. “He said it was okay, as long as we’re back for the lesson tonight.” Shanaea responded. “See?” Hans said. “…told you he always listens to you.” “…guess so.” Shanaea said. “Come on!” Hans called, bounding down the steps. “Race you there!” “Hans, wait up!” Shanaea called, running after her brother, quickly leaving her home behind. Shanaea walked carefully through the darkened streets. The sun had fallen and the bustling city that Nome was in the daytime had given way to the cold darkness of night. Shanaea thought back to what her father had told her earlier that day. “We need to getting back.” She thought. “The musher will be angry if we’re not back soon.” “Hans!” She called. “Hans come on, we’re going to be in trouble.” She looked around, and then stuck her head into the alley to her left. “Hans!” she called again. “Hans come on, I give up!” Shanaea started to walk carefully down the alley recalling with a burst of fear the darkened alley in her dream… the one she’d been having since she was a pup. “It’s nothing.” She told herself. “It’s just a dream. No sense in being scared of a bad dream. It’s just a nightmare, that’s all, a figment of my imagination.” A can overturned behind her and Shanaea stopped walking mid-way down the alley, whirling around to face the sound. She saw nothing but an old can rolling into the light in the center of the alley. “Hans?” She asked timidly. A growl came from behind her and she whirled around again. “Hans if that’s you this isn’t funny.” A dog stepped from the darkness into the light about twenty feet ahead of her. “Hans?” She asked, taking a tentative step forward. “Is… is that you?” The dog looked up and Shanaea gasped. The dog’s eyes glowed red as the light gleamed off them. Whoever this was, it wasn’t Hans, of that Shanaea was certain. The dog growled again. “Hans… cut it out.” Shanaea said, her voice beginning to quiver with fear. The dog growled again and ran toward her. “Hans…” Shanaea said, the rest of the words caught in her throat as the dog leapt forward. Shanaea backpedaled, stepping on a can which sent her sprawling to the ground. As the dog closed the distance to her he leapt in the air. A burst of adrenaline hit her system and time slowed for Shanaea as the dog flew at her. She could see his gleaming teeth as he leapt at her, but fear had frozen Her muscles and though her mind screamed at her to move out of the way, she could nothing as he descended toward her. The dog hit Shanaea and sent her tumbling to the ground. The dog was on top of her and there was nothing she could do about it. She twisted and rolled, trying to get him off of her to no avail. Finally exhausted and tired she could do no more, and had done nothing to begin with. There was no doubt in her mind, the dog with the impossible red eyes was going to kill her. As she sat there, thinking of what must have happened to her brother, and what would soon happen to her, the dog stopped growling. She closed her eyes and waited for what she was sure would happen next… …but the attack never came. She opened her eyes. The dog still sat on top of her, but as she watched he started to smile, and then impossibly, to laugh. “Hans!” She yelled, as the dog stepped off of her. “Hans I’m going to kill you!” Hans just kept laughing. “You should have seen the look on your face.” He said. “It was priceless, absolutely priceless.” “Okay genius.” She said, irritation still evident in her voice. “How’d you do it?” “Do what?” Hans asked, still chuckling to himself. “Do what?” she asked. “What do you mean do what… make your eyes glow red you jerk.” “Oh that, good wasn’t it?” Hans said. “So?” Shanaea asked. Hans smiled. “A magician never reveals his secrets.” “So what if I tell dad?” Shanaea asked. “You know what he told you about scaring me like that.” Hans frowned. “Come on sis, that’s a dirty thing to pull.” “So was scaring me like that” Shanaea said. Hans sighed. “You promise not

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