Jenna’s kindred spirit

The story of Balto told from Jenna’s point of view

This story was recyled from Balto's Boat. I got this story from another site, yes, and I thought I'd recycle it since no one ever visited that site, and plus I've added several of my own touches.

By: Starwarsisme - recylced from Balto's Boat

You know, the one thing that has always amazed me is how quickly one's life can change, perhaps that is no more evident than in regards to my mate, Balto. Talk about a dog that led a very rough life, up until recently, that is. I remember the first time I caught site of him. It was not long after I first moved to Nome approximately three years ago. I was taking a walk with my two best friends, Sylvie and Dixie, when we caught site of Steele, the leader of a championship sled team, along with three others, verbally taunting and kicking snow on another dog I had not yet met. Sylvie, who was also the town gossip, told me that dog's name was Balto, and he lived on that old and decrepit beached boat just outside town, with a Russian snow goose named Boris. She also informed me that he was half wolf, and as a result, he was the target of much abuse. I have to admit, that hearing this frightened me a bit. What if this wolf-dog were one day pushed too far and reverted to his wolf instincts and attacked some innocent dogs or even humans. But still, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him; after all, no one deserves to be treated like that just because they are different.

We met face to face for the first time a couple of months later, and it was a moment I could never forget. It was the day of the first dog sled race of the year, and as per usual at any race, Balto could be seen following every aspect of the race. He couldn’t let one go unseen, he wanted so badly to be on a sled team. I was there with my girl, Rosie, who was testing her new sled and watching the race. As the lead team, no surprise it was Steele's, rounded the final corner, heading for the finish line, Rosie's new hat was blown off by a gust of wind that set it right in the path of Steele. Rosie then attempted to make a dash for her hat; fearing for her safety, I grabbed hold of her and kept her back. Then out of the crowd dashed Balto; he outran the feisty Steele and fetched her hat. After the team had passed, he walked up to Rosie and returned her hat. She accurately described his actions as "crazy", and an attempt to show off to a pretty girl, that would be yours truly. I smiled, blushed, and looked away. Balto smiled as Rosie attempted to hitch him to her sled. Just then, Rosie’s father ran toward her and pulled her away. He was certain that Balto's inner wolf made him too much of a danger to be around. However, my girl and I knew better. I saw into his heart that day; he was a kind soul just looking for a little love in this large, cold, and cruel world. Moments later, he jumped out of nowhere, and landed right in front of me. He then tried to say something, but all he could do was smile bashfully. Just then, my girl and her family started calling for me to come. I turned around for a brief moment, only to look back and see that he'd disappeared. I frantically began looking for him; I really wanted to thank him for helping us out earlier, but I had no luck, as he had disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared.

Balto was different from any other canine I'd ever met. Despite being frequently abused, both physically and verbally, he was still a kind, sweet, and caring individual. I began to feel as if I might be falling in love with him. After just a few hours had passed, I would see him again. Rosy had come down with a fever, plus she had begun to cough violently, so her family had taken her to the infirmary. As I sat there, looking in at her, Balto came up from behind and shyly asked me if I would like to join him in a little moonlit fun; all I could say was, "Hi." He then took notice of my preoccupation, and found Rosy to be my concern. All I really wanted to do at that moment was to find out what was the matter with my dear girl. Balto then offered to help me find out by taking me underneath the infirmary. Never in my life had I been in such a gloomy and frightening place. Sensing my anxiety, Balto attempted to brighten the mood by using an old trick he knew. Taking some broken bottles, and lining them up just right with the lights shining from above, he brought the Northern Lights to this dank and dreary place. As I admired them by saying, "They're beautiful",

Balto, in a romantic voice, said, "Yeah, beautiful."

After turning away from the lights, I was surprised to see that he had been looking at me the whole time. I then gazed into his beautiful brown eyes, and for the first time in my life, I had seen and felt true love. At that moment, I knew that destiny had guided me to this place for one reason: to show me who my kindred spirit was. What most certainly would have been our first kiss was interrupted by the doctor's bad news about Rosie. I then ran off, upset and in tears; Balto followed and apologized for taking me there, but I assured him that I was upset over the news, not at him. I than told him I was glad he brought me under there. Just then, that jerk Steele showed up on the scene with some sausage links he'd stolen from the butcher, and as per usual, he began to hit on me. Balto immediately came to my rescue, but I told him to let me handle it. Then I sure showed Steele a thing or two; I sweet-talked him right into the furnace. He got back at me though when Rosie's father and the butcher showed up. Steele decided to frame Balto for his crime by throwing the stolen links at him. Steele was then given credit for capturing the meat thief, as Balto took off. I tried to follow in the hopes of possibly consoling him, but Rosie's dad grabbed hold of me; there was nothing I do could for that poor, sweet, innocent canine.

I thought about Balto all night, and how alone he must have felt, oh, how I wish there was something I could have done to help him. The next day, the humans were holding a race to find the fastest dogs for a sled team that would make a 600-mile journey to fetch the medicine that would save our town's children including my Rosie. I decided to accompany Sylvie and Dixie to the race, anything to try and get my mind off Balto and Rosie. However, wouldn't you know it that gossipy Sylvie had heard about my romantic encounter with you know who, the night before, and she did not hesitate to bring it up when I made a crack about Steele. I then thought to myself, "What did I have to be ashamed of? Balto is really sweet, and his sincerity and fidelity are rivaled by no other; and I had a crush on him." 

Dog almighty, did I ever shut her up when I did not deny her story like she was expecting me to; after all, any girl would be lucky to have Balto as a mate. Oh, if only they all knew him like I did.

Well, after I got my two cents in, the competitors began lining up for the race; what a site, those dogs were going to help my Rosie get better. Then, out of the blue, I saw Balto jump out of an alley and place himself at the starting line; I couldn't help but smile. Then the shot of a gun was heard and the dogs sprinted. Some of Steel’s friends, Kaltag and Nikki, wanted Balto out of the race for good, so handing around with Steel really had an influence on them. As they rounded a corner, Nikki violently kicked Balto in the jaw and sent him tumbling down to a frozen river. I wanted to get a better look, so I left my so-called friends and crept underneath a rickety fence with Boris on top of it. Then, I saw Balto jump onto poles jutting out from the frozen pond, he jumped and leapt, and landed right in front of Nikki. I stood along the sidelines yelling, "Go Balto!" I was so happy when he won the race. However, that joy would turn into anger when Steele rejected his victory and refused to allow him to join the team. I came forward and defended him; after all, with Balto's speed and wolf instincts, he would be ideal for the team. After speaking sincerely to me, and saying I was right, he turned his back on me by slamming his claws into Balto's paw, making him look like a vicious dog to the musher. The musher than banished him from the team. I tried to apologize to Balto, but he took off more discouraged and broken hearted than ever. That night, besides Rosy of course, all I could think about was poor Balto, cold and downtrodden on that old boat. What a dilemma I was facing; both Balto and Rosy needed me; oh what was I to do? After much thought, I decided Rosy's side was where I belonged; I was hoping Balto's close friends would be there for him.

Several days had passed before I would see him again. The buzz around town was that Balto had become so despondent following his latest rejection that he only came out at night for brief periods. I was worried about him, but my mind was quickly brought back when word had reached town that Steele and his team, were lost, along with them, any hope of the children getting better. I grew even more depressed; I was going to lose my girl to diphtheria. Little did I know that Rosy and I had a guardian angel of hope watching over us; and that angel's name was Balto. That night, as I was watching over Rosy from the hospital window, I picked up a familiar scent on the windowpane. I then turned around and saw four sets of prints in the fresh snow that had recently fallen; two sets of polar bear cub prints, one set of goose prints, and one unusually large set of husky prints. Balto and his friends had set out to find the lost sled team and the medicine. "Oh what a wonderful dog! He's risking his life to help save the children of Nome", I thought to myself. I then decided that I too must go along, for the very least, to lend moral support and to inform him about the blocked trail he would most likely desire to take. I noticed right away that he had left guide marks by scratching the trees in