The wonderful cover art was done by Beauty_Jenna: Thank you so much!

Balto was waiting. Jenna had been in Rosie’s home all day and he had been worried. Jenna was to have a litter of pups, and Balto was anxious to see the outcome and to meet Jenna. He knew reminded himself of what had happened to his relationship with Aleu, when she had found out that no human being would ever take her home because of her wolf-ish nature. He sighed as he waited. His muscles grew tense, and he shivered to loosen himself of his own bonds.

Then, something changed. It was as if the wind had stopped blowing, but that something good was coming. Balto lifted his head and listened for a sound. He heard footsteps, and heaved himself off the ground just before the door opened. Rosie stood in the doorway, her bright smile telling Balto everything. Balto’s tail swished back and forth as he leapt into the house and darted into the room where Jenna lay.

Jenna looked up. “Balto,” she said, “Our pups have been born and all are safe.”

Balto nodded, his smile wider than any he could remember. He looked down into Jenna’s wicker basket, and saw a bundle of furs… many colors. He nuzzled Jenna happily.

Jenna sighed and yawned. “Oh, Balto… we have so much work to do.”

Balto knew she was right. He noticed one of the pups wriggling across the basket to Jenna. His small sounds were small, and high-pitched. Balto smiled to himself.

“He looks like Kodi,” balto realized. Jenna nodded.

“There is one exception,” she smiled. “Come and look into his face.”

Balto bent low and looked into the small creatures face. Though he had looked like Kodi, the pup had dark eyebrows, and large eyes. Even though they were closed, Balto could see that they were large, and the pup had the very same markings that Balto had, only in white. Balto was overjoyed, and he gave the small, whimpering ball a firm lick.

Jenna smiled again, and laid her head down. Balto licked his mate’s ears, then said, “Goodbye, Jenna. I will be at my boat.”

Jenna nodded, and sighed contentedly.

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It was a month after the arrival of the pups, and Balto was standing with Jenna as he watched his litter play on the beach, near his boat. Boris the goose was nearby, safely in the boat. Balto glanced at Jenna, who was looking on at her litter proudly.

Balto noticed the one pup, who resembled Balto in his face, jump onto a pole, which was sticking up from the sand. A quick image flashed in Balto’s eyes: It was the very same pole on which his daughter, Aleu, had once howled. The pup looked down onto his siblings and growled, then pounced on one of the females. She was a light brown color, like Aleu had been, but her eyes were a fiery orange. She rolled over and pushed her brother off, before assuming the position on the pole.

Balto turned to Jenna as she tumbled off, and her brother leaped up. “Do you have nay ideas for names, Jenna?”

“Of course not,” Jenna said, turning to Balto. “I think we should name them together.” Balto nodded, and Jenna laughed, “Oh, look! They’re fighting over the pole, now.”

Jenna was right. The brother and sister were now playfully chewing each other’s ears and trying to knock the other over. Balto smiled. “How many, again?”

Jenna looked at Balto, surprised. “Balto! I’ve told you once, every day of the past four weeks –!”

Balto laughed, “I know, I know, there are twelve! I’m only joking, Jenna.”

Jenna sighed and laughed herself. “Yes, seven males, five females.”

“Alright… how about that one?” Balto gestured toward the brother, who was now talking his sister. “I’ll leave him up to you. Meanwhile, may I name the female?”

“Of course, Jenna!”

Jenna nodded, and watched the pups play, her eyes darting around in order to keep the small female in her sight. Balto kept his eyes on the male.

He looks very much like me and Kodi, Balto thought. Then, an idea came to his head. Why not combine his and Kodi’s names, together? “Kolto?” Balto liked the sound of the name. Then, he put his name in front of Kodi’s. “Balti, or Baldo?” Balto snorted to himself. He glanced toward the boat and said, “Sounds like ‘Boris.’”

“Hey, Jenna… I have a name for the male.”

Jenna turned. “Yes? What is it?”

“Why don’t we name him Kolto?”

Jenna nodded. “Very good! I like it a lot! But it sounds a bit incomplete….”

“What do you mean?” Balto asked. “Do you think it needs something more?”

“A vowel,” Jenna answered, “Perhaps. You name him, it was only a suggestion, but I already like Kolto very much, let’s leave it.”

Balto then understood what Jenna wanted. “Kolton? Is that better?”

Jenna looked around. “Why, yes! That is perfect!” Balto smiled, pleased with his outcome.”

“Kolton, then,” Balto answered.

Jenna nodded, her eyes closed. “I am still thinking of one for the female… she reminds my of a waterfall, or of fire.”

“Fire and a waterfall?” Balto asked. Jenna nodded again. Balto turned back to the pups. “Hmm, I don’t know.”

“She reminds me so much of Aleu, that it is hard for me not to name her just that.” Jenna sighed. Balto sympathized with her, knowing how she felt about her daughter, who had left them to lead a wolf pack. Jenna raised her head. “What if we named her something that resembles Aleu’s home? Or something of which Aleu knew about.”

Balto thought a moment. “Spirit? We had to follow Aniu’s spirit to guide Aleu to Nava and the pack.”

“Spirit,” Jenna said quietly, closing her golden eyes. “My little Spirit….” She opened her eyes, and looked at Balto. “You’re getting good at this,” she said. Balto laughed.

The two parents happily watched their litter play together, on front of them, in the water. They stayed there until the sun set and they had named the last of the pups.

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Balto watched as his pups were attached to the sled. Kolton was in the lead, and his partner was a dark brown pup with red markings, who Jenna and Balto had named Blaze, because of the way the sun would show on his bright red spots. Behind Blaze and Kolton were Ania and Jenner. Ania was a daughter, and her fur was white, with grey patches around both eyes, and grey paws. Balto had named her after his own mother, Aniu, who he had me on his journey to bring Aleu back home. She had three black lines on her forehead. Beside her was her brother, named after Jenna. Jenner was a rather large male, and he looked very much like Jenna, except that his eyes were green. Jenner was hooked up in front of Spirit and her partner, Blanche. Blanche was a small male, and he was entirely white with one blue and one green eye. His tail ended in a fine, black tip. Altogether there were six sibling hooked up to the sled. Off to the side, the other six waited for their turn.

The first of the six was an entirely red female, with white paws and green eyes. Jenna had named her Poppy, after the poppies that grew in a cluster outside of her home. Beside Poppy, there was her sister. The pup was an orange color with black, white and red markings. Jenna and Balto had named her Borealis, because her sister, who was white, grey, black and blue-tinged had been named Aroura. Jenna had commented on the Northern lights – the Aroura Borealis – on the night that the pups had been named. After Aroura, there was an all black male with a white star on his forehead. His eyes were green and his left forepaw was white. Balto had named him Nayaki. Beside Nayaki there was a male, who had looked very much like Spirit and Aleu. His eyes were slanted like Aleu’s and his color patter was exactly the same, only with different colors. His top color was black and his underside was a light grey-blue. Jenna had named him Opal. The last brother was an all black male, who had been named Panther. Panther had black eyes, and a long, flowing, black coat.

As Balto looked down the line of his pups, he could see something in every one of them. Kolton, of course, brave and smart; Spirit, full of energy and life; Poppy, an explorer, and even Panther, quiet and alone, though possibly the most intelligent of them all because of his ability to listen and learn. Balto knew that, whatever became of them, that he would be there to help, them, all the way.

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