can’t go.” Jenna said.

“what are you talking about?” Balto said. “…of course you can go.”

Jenna sighed. “Balto… I can’t do that to him.”

Balto sighed. “Jen… you can’t be serious… you’re going to stay?”

Jenna nodded.

“Balto, he took care of me when I was all alone, when I had no one else. He taught me how to survive out here. Without him I wouldn’t be able to talk to you right now… I’d be dead.”

Balto sighed.

“Balto, please, please try to understand.”

An angry look came into Balto’s eyes and Jenna stepped back.

“I understand Jenna, I understand just fine! I understand that while I spent every waking moment from the day you left thinking about you, worrying about you, wanting to be here with you, and trying to find a way to make that possible… that you just forgot all about me!”

Jenna shook her head, tears coming to her eyes once more. “Balto, I never forgot you, never.”

“Looks like it to me.” Balto said. “Only thing that’s missing is a couple a pups and you could just replace our entire freakin’ family!”

“Balto…” Jenna said, trying to cut him off.

“Oh wait!” Balto continued. “I may have spoken too soon, perhaps they’re on the way! That would fit the pattern of things so far! I mean, you’ve certainly had the time to…”

“Balto shut up!” Jenna screamed.

Balto stopped.

He was breathing hard.

Tears coursed down Jenna’s face.

“I’ll never forget you.” Jenna said. “The times we spent together will always be in my heart, but… I can’t just abandon Dolo because things are all hunky-dory back home now… I can’t use him like that.”

Balto sighed.

“You know what Jenna, that’s fine!” He yelled.

Balto felt anger consume his feelings.

“Never mind that I felt like killing myself the entire time you’ve been gone! Never mind that I’ve searched for you every waking moment for over two months!”

He stopped yelling and sighed. Then he stepped forward and looked right into Jenna’s brown eyes.

He continued in a softer voice, begging Jenna to hear him.

“…never mind that my love for you never stopped, never wavered…

Jenna looked away, tears rolling down her soft face.

Balto understood then that she would not be swayed. As impossible as it seemed, he’d lost her.

Balto had always known that he would someday, but he never expected it to be of her own accord, certainly when he’d done nothing wrong.

The thought filled Balto not with rage, but sorrow, a hurt deeper than any he’d ever experienced.

A tear came to his eye.

“…you know what… screw you.”

Balto turned and walked slowly away.

“Balto?” Jenna said, looking back at his slowly retreating form.

He kept walking.

“Balto, please don’t do this.” Jenna said, taking a step forward.

Balto kept walking.

“Balto!” She cried.

“Don’t look back boy,” Balto thought. “You can’t look back…”

Balto started running then, and soon disappeared into the trees.

Jenna stood there, tears coursing down her face, blinding her.

Dolo walked up behind her.

She turned and looked at him for a long while.

Then she buried her face in Dolo’s fur and cried.

Balto made it to Nome almost two hours later.

He walked straight toward his home.

As Balto neared it, he saw Blaize standing by the gate.

“Hey dad,” Blaize said slowly. “Any luck this time?”

Balto sighed and walked by his son. “Yeah… I found her.”

“What’s the matter then?” Blaize said.

Balto stopped on the porch.

“She’s staying there.”

“What?” Blaize asked.

Balto sighed and walked into his house.

Jenna didn’t feel very good.

It wasn’t that she was physically sick, she was in good health, but her mind was spinning.

“Did I do the right thing?” Jenna thought. “I do love Balto, but… but I couldn’t just leave Dolo like that, could I?”

She sighed and yawned.

She was tired.

It was late afternoon. Dolo had left almost two hours ago to find them something to eat. Jenna had wanted to help, but Dolo had told get to stay behind.

She knew she should eat, but she just wasn’t hungry. Something about what Balto had said bothered her deeply.

“He’s never spoken to me like that.” Jenna thought. “He was so… hateful.”

She sighed.

“Then again, he had been searching for me for the last two months, only to find me unwilling to leave.”

She sighed again.

“What was I thinking? No wonder he was mad at me. If only Dolo and I hadn’t…”

Jenna covered her face with her paws.

“I’m so sorry Balto.” She said aloud. “I want to be with you, I really do…”

Suddenly Jenna sensed someone in front of her.

She opened her eyes.

Dolo stood there.

“Jenna, we need to talk.”

She sighed. “Dolo, if you heard that I…”

“Jenna, I heard a whole lot more than that, I heard you talking to Balto earlier… you should go back to him.”

“What?” Jenna asked.

“Jenna, I love you, but you don’t belong out here. You weren’t meant to be a wolf, to live this kind of life… you need to be back in town.”

Jenna smiled at him.

“I already talked to Connal,” he continued. “He says that I can come back to the clan… I am going back to the clan Jenna.”

Jenna stood and nuzzled him. “I’ll never forget you Dolo. Thank you.”

Dolo smiled.

“Jenna, I’ll always treasure the time that we spent together, you’ll always be in my heart, and my mind.”

She smiled.

Dolo walked a little ways into the cave and rolled over a small rock near the entrance.

“Oh, and if you’re going to be going back, you might need this.”

He stuck his head into a shallow hole and pulled out a brilliant, though somewhat soiled red cloth.

Jenna’s eyes lit up.

“My bandanna!”

Dolo smiled and nodded.

“You have no idea how long it took to find this thing.”

Jenna walked up to him. “…but why…”

“Jenna, I talked to Connal a few days ago… I knew that Balto was looking for you… and I guessed why.”

“I expected you to just leave with him. It really surprised me when you took up for me and decided to stay.”

Jenna smiled.

“Dolo, I couldn’t do that to you, not after all we meant to one another.”

“Do you know how to get to Nome?” Dolo asked.

Jenna shook her head. “…but thanks to you and your training I can find it.”

“Do you mind if I walk along with you?” Dolo asked. “It’s kind of on the way to the Lorelei Clan’s cave.”

Jenna nodded, taking the bandanna from him and slipping it over her shoulders.

She looked at him and smiled.

“Let’s go.”

It took Jenna and Dolo almost three hours to reach the outskirts of Nome.

Dolo watched as Jenna started to walk away, then stopped and ran back to him.

“Jenna…” Dolo started.

She kissed him.

As Jenna pulled away she smiled.

“Thank you Dolo.”

He smiled at her.

“Go home Jenna.”

Jenna turned and ran across the open field of snow that lay in between the forest and the town of Nome Alaska, her home.

Epilogue:

Balto was sleeping on the porch when he was violently shaken awake.

“What?” Balto said groggily.

Last night’s sleep had not been a good one.

“Open your eyes sleepyhead.” A familiar voice said.

Balto slowly opened his eyes.

“I must be dreaming…” He said. “…either that or I died and you’re an angel.”

Jenna smiled.

“You’re not dreaming Balto, and you’re very much alive. I’m really here.”

“…but you’ve… you’ve got your bandanna back… you… you look like… you.”

She smiled.

“I got caught up with Rosie and her family before I could get over here. They groomed me up and cleaned the bandanna… I guess they were real worried about me.”

“I was real worried about you.” Balto said, rolling over. “So why are you here?”

“I’m here because I’m home.” Jenna said.

“What about poor Dolo?” Balto asked.

“He’s the one that told me to come home. He overheard us when we were… uh… talking.”

Balto sighed.

“Listen, about that Jenna… I’m real sorry about what I said… I was out of line.”

Jenna smiled. “No, I