Started: 05/11/06

Finished: 04/04/06

Pages: 142

Words: 23,521

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 Shadow, Dash, Melody, Timbre, June, Drake, Gemeni, Everest, Trina, Jason, Stripe, Astarre, Saeidifar, Saba, Everest, Dolo, Jade, Connal, Slate, Slag, Granite, Ramsey, Jack, Shep, and the events of this story are © 2006 by Anthony Rotramel. The other characters are © Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. The name Saba is © 2000 by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment.

© 2006 All Rights Reserved.

Prologue:

Previously in Balto: …Must Come to an End

The last day had gone by far too fast for Balto. He and Jenna were walking to the old mill.

He could see a large crowd near the old mill.

Jenna looked up at him.

“It’ll be over soon Jen.” Balto said.

She looked back to the front and the two walked around the side of the old mill, toward the crowd of dogs, which parted to allow them to pass through.

Balto walked, Jenna by his side to Drake, who stood near the edge of town, just beyond the old mill.

Balto stopped.

“Jenna.” Drake said.

Jenna looked up at Balto.

He sighed and the two of them walked forward, stopping next to Drake.

“Jenna, you were tried and by your own admission, have been found guilty of kidnapping and attempted murder. As punishment for these crimes I have sentenced you to be banished from the town of Nome, Alaska and all of its members and affiliations. Today we are here to carry out the sentence. I will remind you once more that if you ever return to Nome, you will be killed on sight. These are the terms of your sentence. Do you understand?”

Jenna nodded. “Yes.”

“Then go.” Drake said.

Jenna sighed and turned, walking back toward the group.

“Jenna…” Drake started, but fell silent. Jenna stopped in front of Gemeni. “I’m sorry.” She said. “I truly am.”

Jenna turned and walked out of town.

Balto watched her become smaller and smaller as she walked toward the horizon.

Balto suddenly bolted past Drake and ran to Jenna. “Jenna!”

Drake sighed.

Jenna stopped and Balto caught up to her.

“Jenna!” He lowered his voice so that the others would not hear. “We are still on, right? You’re coming back?”

Jenna smiled and nodded.

A tear slid out of her eye.

“I said I do anything for you Jenna.” Balto said. “...and I will. I promise.”

Jenna nodded. “I love you Balto… and I will return.”

Drake’s voice cut off Balto’s response before he had the chance to make it.

“Balto…”

Balto looked back.

“I… I have to go back.”

Jenna nodded.

“I love you Jen.” Balto said.

“I love you too Balto.” Jenna said.

Balto raised his paw to her face.

A tear slid out of his eye. Even though he knew that he’d soon be with her again, it hurt him to see her walking away from him, knowing that she could not return.

Jenna turned, walking away from Balto, his paw slid off her muzzle and she walked away. Balto stood there and watched as she slowly disappeared from view.

Chapter 1:

Two weeks later…

A brightly covered fish swam through the crystal clear waters of the Yukon River. Its world was a blurry one, filled with blots of different shades of black and white.

They had swum quite a distance, from the rivers of Canada, to return to this river, where they had been born, and where their children would be born. Some had not made the journey, becoming food for bears and other predators, as the system of life continued it’s never ending circle.

One particular salmon couldn’t possibly have known that it was in danger of being the next to fall to this circle as it swam against the strong current of the river.

Suddenly, the water exploded in a cloud of bubbles, and the salmon darted to the right into the open water, narrowly escaping the sharp jaws of the creature that had intended to make the salmon its dinner.

The creature was a red dog, and she was fast becoming irritated with the work that was involved in acquiring food now. You see, she wasn’t used to the wiles of the wild. This young husky had been raised in a home with humans that cared after her every need. She’d had a warm home, a bed, food… she’d had it all.

Now though, she had to scrounge for food, and she was still learning the tricks of this trade.

She snapped at the water again and again, taking out her frustration on the crystal water, hoping to get lucky and snag one of the fish, but all this action got her was soaked and weary.

She snapped again, and lost her balance, plunging into the freezing water.

The husky stood up in the shallow water and walked to the bank of the river, shivering as the breeze blew and chilled her wet coat.

Jenna finally got up on the bank and fell on the snow covered ground, shivering.

“This isn’t as easy as I thought it’d be.” She thought.

Jenna shivered again, and decided that, if she didn’t want to freeze to death, she’d better head back to the small cave she’d found and made her home.

She stood up and started walking toward it. The sun was dipping below the horizon, shedding its orange light over the clearing in a beautiful glow.

It took Jenna about fifteen minutes to make it to the cave, and she crawled inside, exhausted from her attempts to find some food.

She curled up in a ball and shivered.

It would be some time before her coat dried, and she could fall asleep.

“Falling into the river wasn’t very smart.” Jenna thought. “I need to be more careful; mistakes like that can kill out here.”

By this time, the weary sun had fallen below the darkened horizon, and the ivory moon had appeared in the obsidian night sky.

Jenna stood up and walked to the narrow entrance of her small cave, and looked out at the moon.

“I wonder if Balto is looking at the same moon.” Jenna thought.

She sighed and turned, walking back into the cave.

“Balto…” She thought. “I’ve tried to not think of you these two weeks, but… everything I see reminds me of you…”

Jenna fell to the rock floor of the cave a few feet from the entrance.

“I miss you so much…” She thought.

Jenna put her head on her paws and a tear rolled down her face, spattering on the rocks.

She sniffled and closed her eyes.

Even if she was cold and wet, she had to go to sleep. She’d have to be up early tomorrow if she wanted to find breakfast.

Jenna’s stomach growled and she sighed.

She’d have to go to sleep hungry again tonight. Out here, no one was there to feed you, you had to feed yourself and if you didn’t.... or couldn’t?

Jenna sighed and closed her eyes again.

“…better not to think of that,” she thought. “I’ll find something tomorrow… I’ve got to.”

Soon, Jenna drifted to sleep.

Though Jenna didn’t know it, Balto was looking at the same moon she had.

He sat at the entrance to the boiler room; a certain red husky had filled his thoughts of late.

He sighed. “Jenna…” He thought.

Balto turned and walked into the boiler room, pausing there a moment, as his thoughts drifted back to the past, to the many times throughout the years that he and Jenna had sought refuge from the cold in this very room.

After lingering there a moment, Balto walked over to a small hole in the far wall of the boiler room, and slipped inside it.

The small tunnel was dark and the moisture from the snow above had seeped though into the access tunnel, making it slightly damp.

He ducked through a maze of timbers which crisscrossed through the small crawlspace.

Eventually Balto came to an open space, and stopped, glancing around.

Golden light streamed down from a vent in the ceiling, which was also the floor of the hospital above.

Balto walked slowly over to a dusty pile of broken bottles of various colors.

“I’m surprised they’re still here after all these years.” Balto thought.

He carefully pushed them into the light and sighed. Then he stepped to the side, and the light hit the broken glass, flashing a multi-colored ribbon of light across the far wall.

Balto sighed again and a tear rolled out of his eye as he thought of Jenna.

Balto suddenly felt very tired, and curled up next to the pile of glass.

“I promise Jenna, I will find you… I will.”

He sighed and continued looking at he lights, transfixed by the memories that they provoked into his mind.

Suddenly the light from above was cut off, as Doc put out the lanterns in the room above, preparing to retire for the night.

The small area that Balto laid in