not.” Jenna said.

“Take care of yourself.” Said Drake.

“You too.” Jenna said.

Drake turned, and walked off.

Jenna sighed.

“Jenna, now!” Dixie said. “You’re going to be late!”

Jenna turned and walked up to Dixie, then the two of them continued on down the street.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4

 

Jenna walked drearily down the street.

It was early morning, and Steele had, once again, talked to her all night.

“That guy just can’t shut up about himself.” Jenna thought.

Truth be told, that fact was getting on Jenna’s nerves, that and a distinct lack of sleep.

“At least this time we did something other than talk about him at first.” Jenna thought.

They’d went on a run.

Jenna was pretty slow, and Steele, being a racing dog, of course surged ahead, leaving her in the dust.

“That was some good time spent alone.” Jenna thought.

She shook her head.

“I don’t know how long I can keep this up.”

Dixie had been right about one thing though, her relationship with Steele had gotten her accepted. Being with that guy had its benefits.

“… but can I really do that? Can I really use someone, even a jerk, like that?”

That thought made Jenna uneasy.

“Jenna! Jenna! Come here girl!” Rosie said. “Come on, we’re going to the races!”

“Oh no,” Jenna thought. “I forgot about that.”

Rosie ran up to Jenna and hugged her dog.

“Come on girl! We don’t want to miss it!”

Jenna sighed.

“Am I ever going to get any sleep?” She thought.

Then she and Rosie walked off, toward Main Street.

 

A rough looking, gray dog ran across the snow covered street, followed by a Russian Snow Goose

“Whoa boy!” The snow goose said, breathing hard. “Balto, slow down!”

The dog slowed to a walk, and stopped, turning toward the goose.

“Boris, hurry, we’re going to miss the beginning of the race!”

“Hoy!” The goose said, as he collapsed beside Balto.

“Come on Boris!” Balto said, running circles around the goose. “Get up!”

“Geez!” Boris said, “Balto, don’t you ever get tired?”

Balto smiled, and ran over to a stack of crates against the general store wall.

He jumped up on top of the first one.

“Sled… dogs… can’t… be… tired.”

He jumped off of the top box and onto the roof of the general store.

He looked down on his goose friend and smiled.

Boris shook his head and followed Balto up the crates, albeit somewhat slower.

Balto was already looking down on the starting point from his vantage above.

Boris decided not to say anything.

“Not like I haven’t before, and what good has it done?” He thought. “Still, he needs to realize that his dream of running with a team will never come to fruition, and set his mind on something accomplishable.”

“Hurry Boris!” Balto said, “You’re going to miss it!”

Boris sighed and walked over beside his friend.

Soon the gun sounded, and the teams were off.

Balto cheered as the teams rushed below him.

“You know Boris,’ Balto said, his voice almost trance like. “Someday you’ll be watching me down there.”

Boris shook his head and remained silent, choosing to set aside a different time to talk to Balto about this, rather than ruin the day for him.

 

The races were over, and Jenna was walking toward the pavilion where the rewards and medals were to be given out, of course, Steele had won.

“As always.” Jenna thought.

As she was walking by, she noticed a hole in the metal fence to her right.

“If I could get through there I could get there faster.” Jenna thought.

She walked over to the hole and crouched down.

“Looks big enough,” Jenna thought.

She started to crawl through, and then stopped.

“”What the…”

She tried to move forward again, but couldn’t.

She looked over her shoulder.

“Oh great.” She thought.

The bandanna she wore around her neck had caught on one of the pieces of metal sticking out of the fence.

“Come on.” She thought.

She tugged on it again.

“Come on you dumb thing,” She said aloud. “I’m gonna be late for the awards.”

She kept trying to pull herself out, with little success.

Balto and Boris were moving along the roof tops, as usual, Boris was lagging behind, and Balto was running, leaving the goose behind.

Balto stopped and walked in circles until his friend got next to him.

“Let’s go Boris!” Balto said. ‘We don’t want to miss the award ceremony!”

Boris ran up to Balto and stopped.

“Balto… if… if you’re not good for anything else…”

He stopped to catch his breath and leaned against a small chimney that stuck out of the roof.

“… at least you keep me in shape.”

His wing slipped off the chimney, and he slid down the roof, hitting the gutter at the edge and sliding down toward the drainage hole.

Balto heard his screams reverberate through the pipe, until Boris shot out of the end of the pipe, followed by all the snow he’d managed to dislodge.

Boris hit the ground.

“Hoy!” he said.

He looked up.

“Ahhh!”

The snow crashed into him, and completely buried the poor goose.

It was all Balto could do to keep from falling off of the roof from the laughter that was shaking his body.

Soon Boris’s head poked out of the snow.

“Very funny,” he said, spiting out some snow and flapping his wings to uncover himself.

“Boris…” Balto started but he just collapsed into another fit of laughter.

Boris shook his head.

“Come on Boris.” Balto finally managed to say. “We’re going to miss the awards.”

Boris shook his head.

“I don’t think I want to go to the awards today.”

Balto shrugged.

“Alright.” He said. “I’ll meet you back at the boat then?”

Boris nodded, then turned and began to walk away, limping slightly.

Balto laughed again.

“Should I go after the poor guy and see if he’s hurt?” Balto thought.

He looked over to the podium where he could already see the teams gathering.

“Nah, Boris is fine, besides if I don’t hurry I’m gonna miss them!”

Balto took off running across the rooftops

 

Balto had almost made it to the podium.

He jumped across the gap created by the roof he was on, and the next one, and the next one.

Balto made the jump with ease, and landed surefooted on the other side.

He ran across the wooden fence, and hopped onto the next roof.

Balto was about to do the same on the metal fence in front of him, when he heard a clanging sound.

He stopped.

He heard it again, and then a voice.

“Come on you stupid thing!”

Then he heard more clanging.

“That voice…” Balto thought, “… it’s… it’s beautiful.”

He walked to the edge of the roof and looked down.

There, caught on the fence by the orange bandanna she wore around her neck, was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.

Balto was star struck.

She was deep crimson, with a cream color on her face, chest, underside, and about half of her legs.

He ears sat on top of her head, and her brown eyes looked troubled, maybe even frightened.

“She’s…. the… most… beautiful….”

Balto took a step forward, and stepped on an old can that someone had thrown up on the roof.

His paw slid out from under him, and he rolled down the roof, then off it, landing with a crash in a dumpster behind the restaurant he’d been standing on.

The lid slammed shut.

Jenna jumped d, and tried to run, but the bandanna was stuck.

The lid popped up.

“Who… who is it?” Jenna asked timidly.

Balto stood up.

‘Oh!” Jenna said, her uneasiness wavering, “Who are you?’

Balto smiled.

“Name’s Balto,’ he said, “I… I tripped up… up there.”

Balto raised his paw, and swiped a piece of garbage from the top of his muzzle.

“Well are you alright?” Jenna asked.

“Nothin’ hurt but my pride.” Balto responded. “Are you stuck?”

Jenna sighed.

“Yeah… I’m gonna be late for the awards if I can’t get off this thing.”

“Well let me help you.” Balto said.

He took the bandanna in his mouth.

“Now, when I say go, you pull straight out, like you have been, and I’ll pull up, ready?”

Jenna nodded.

“Go!”

Balto pulled up, as Jenna surged forward, and the bandanna came off the fence with a snap, throwing both Balto and Jenna to the snow.

She stood up.

“Thank you… what’s your name?”

“Balto.” Balto responded.

“Right, you told me that already, didn’t you?”

Balto nodded.

“Sorry,” she said.

Balto was struck dumb by her beauty.

He finally recovered his tongue and said.

“Oh, well, that’s

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