and replied. “Then I won’t.”

Jenna laughed.

“You should have seen the looks on their faces, it’s the first time I’d ever seen them struck speechless.”

When the dogs finally took off, I was surprised to see Balto running with them. I was so excited as he rounded the corner, he was coming up in the lead!

Then another dog kicked him in the face and he fell to the frozen bay alongside the street. I thought he was done, but as I watched he scrambled up the mooring poles of the dock and onto the deck of one of the ships in the frozen harbor. He jumped from the deck of one ship to another, until finally, he was back over the street, at which point he dropped and landed back in the race, in front of the leader!

He crossed the finish line, and I ran over to congratulate him.

Steele walked up to him just as I got there, I didn’t hear what he said, but I heard Balto’s reply. He said, “Now just a minute there Steele, I was the fastest dog.”

Steele laughed and told him that if he thought any musher would put Balto on his team that he was more mixed up than Steele had thought.

I interjected then, trying to come to Balto’s rescue, reminding Steele that he wasn’t the only dog, that there wasa team of dogs going for the medicine.

Steele’s musher came over then and saved us all from what I was afraid would soon turn into a violent confrontation.

I forget now what Steele said before that, something about turning Balto into a cat toy I think, but I can’t be sure… it was so long ago… anyway, The musher stuck his hand out to Balto, but Steele stomped on Balto’s paw and made him growl in pain.

The musher pulled his had back quickly and told the man beside him that he couldn’t trust Balto because he was half wolf… so Steele won by default.”

“Wait a minute!” Trixie cried, cutting off her grandmother yet again. “So you’re telling me that Steele won, even though Balto beat him!”

Jenna sighed and nodded.

“That’s so unfair.” Trixie said.

“I know.” Jenna said. “…Balto became very withdrawn then, and slunk off, ignoring me completely… now, it wasn’t anything about me, Iit was just something that Balto did. Growing up he had no one but himself, so when he’d get upset he’d often retreat into himself, shutting others out. It was thing about being a stray that never left him… anyway, I watched the team leave from the yard of the hospital that night and hoped they’d return fast. Rosie grew worse with each hour and I was afraid that she wouldn’t make it.

Jenna paused.

“So a few days passed and we got word that Steele’s team had made it to Nenana and picked up the anti-toxin, but then, no news for three days… really, they should’ve been half-way back, but they hadn’t hit any of their checkpoints… they were off the trail, lost in the storm… and there was no more time to send another team… the children weren’t going to make it.”

Jenna sighed.

“I knew it must be bad when they let me come into the hospital, see, us dogs usually weren’t allowed in the hospital, or well the human part of it anyway.

I walked into the hospital, and saw Rosie up close for the first time in a few days… she was real sick, I could tell from the way she looked, and sounded.

I put my paws on the bed and licked her cheek. She opened her eyes about half way and smiled breifly as she said my name softly. Then she closed her eyes again, and started moaning. “

Jenna sighed again, tears coming to her eyes, the traumatic event still very fresh in her mind, even after the vast amount of time that had passed.

“I… I felt so helpless. I mean, it had always been my job to take care of little Rosie; to comfort her, and I’d always been able to… if she fell from her bike, which she often did in those days because she was still so young, I was able to be there, to pick her back up… well, not physically of course, but emotionally, able to cheer her up when she was sad, even make her smile when she didn’t feel well, but this… dyptheria, I couldn’t break through it’s hold on her…”

There were more than a few tears on Jenna’s face now as she slipped deeper into the past, feeling as if she were there again, in that hospital so many years ago.

“I… she was my little girl, I cared more for her than I did my own children, she was mine and I was hers… I just…”

Jenna paused.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, of never seeing her smiling face, never feeling her warm touch behind my ears, to never hear her young voice call my name… I couldn’t even imagine it. It was about as lost as I’ve ever felt.”

Jenna paused again.

“Anyway, when it became apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to do much good for Rosie, they put me back outside. I went to the window to resume my constant vigil over my little girl and laid my head on the window.”

Jenna smiled.

“Then I recognized a familiar scent and looked at the path leading beside the hospital, and out of town… I saw pawprints.”

“Who was it grandma Jenna?” Trixie asked.

Jenna smiled again.

“It was Balto.”

“Balto?” Trixie said, then she paused and Jenna smiled as she saw her grandaugther realize what had happened.

“He went after the lost team, huh?” Trixie asked.

Jenna nodded.

“Yes he did.”

“…but what about the storm?” Trixie asked.

“It was still blowing full force.” Jenna replied. “…hadn’t slackened in the slightest, that’s what made him a hero.”

“I guess so.” Trixie said.

Jenna smiled.

“Now, I felt better then, knowing that Balto was out there trying to help… somehow I knew that Rosie would be alright, somehow I knew that Balto wouldn’t give up, that he would return with the medicine.”

“…and he did, right?” Trixie asked.

Jenna smiled again.

“Well, we’re not quite that far into the story just yet child.”

She paused.

“So a few more days passed. It had been nearly two weeks since Rosie had gotten sick, and the town thought all was lost.”

“What about Balto?” Trixie asked. “Didn’t they belive in him too?”

Jenna sighed.

“At this point I was still too afraid of losing my friends to admit the friendship that Balto and I shared… I… I didn’t tell anyone what I knew.”

“Oh.” Trixie said.

Jenna nodded.

“Anyway, that night I heard the telegraph man relay some news to the others. There had been an avalanche at Eagle Pass, and the route was blocked. This was significant because I knew, and I knew that Balto knew that Eagle Pass was the fastest route to Nenena from Nome. I knew he’d be heading there, and when he found it blocked he’d have to backtrack to Mountain Trail, losing precious hours that Rosie couldn’t afford to lose.”

Jenna paused.

“I decided then to leave Nome, to find Balto and relay to him this crucial information.”

“That was awful brave of you grandma.” Trixie said.

Jenna smiled.

“I guess so, though crazy is what I would’ve called it then. I mean, I was just a pet, I’d never had to worry about food or a home, I’d always been cared for, now I was venturing into the wilderness, without a clue how I was going to survive.”

“Why’d you do it then?” Trixie asked.

Jenna smiled again.

“It was for Rosie. I’d do anything for my girl, even as old as I am now, and as bad as I feel, if my girl needed me I’d be there… or die trying… it’s what it means to be a dog, the reason we’re called man’s best friend.”

Jenna paused, waiting to see if Trixie would respond. When she didn’t, Jenna continued.

“So it took me another day or so to catch up to Balto.”

“That’s fast.” Trixie said.

Jenna nodded.

“Balto made it easy for me though, he was marking his trail by scratching pieces of bark off the trees he passed.”

“That’s smart of him.” Trixie said.

Jenna nodded again.

“Yes it was, he was a very smart dog.”

“So did you tell him the news about Eagle Pass?” Trixie asked.

“Not yet.” Jenna said.

“Why?” Trixie said, a confused look on her face. “I thought you said it was important.”

“It was.” Jenna said. “…but when I found Balto he was in a little trouble.”

“Trouble?” Trixie asked.

“Trouble in the form of a Kodiak standing over him about to crush him.” Jenna said.

“Oh no!” Trixie cried, “What did you do?”

Jenna smiled.

“I did the most crazy, insane thing I could’ve done. I attacked it.”

“You did?” Trixie asked.

Jenna nodded.

“I bit its paw just as the bear wass about to drop it on Balto’s head. The attack worked long enough for Balto to get his breath back, and then the bear threw me off and I crashed to the snow.”

“Ouch.” Trixe said.

Jenna nodded.

“Yeah, but strangely enough I didn’t really even feel the pain then, I got back up and attacked it again.”

“Again!” Trixie said.

Jenna nodded.

“This time Balto was able to get up and then I was thrown off again, and hit an old tree branch. I felt something in my leg give, and that time I did feel some of the pain, enough to take me out