Balto was afraid of his other children finding out his heritage. He wanted to shelter them from a life of torment. But what Balto did not know, was that it's ok to be different.

Balto was down and blue. Jenna had gone to find yet another child. This time Dusty had left over a small fit he had gotten into with his mother. Balto wanted to protect his eldery wife, yet she said she must go. She wanted to run, fast. And what better than to save someone and take them home? Balto had come to a conclusion, his kids were stubborn. Very stubborn. Balto was getting to and old age and didn't have as much strength as usually. But he had strength and thats all that mattered.

The days were getting shorter as winter approached, still, no sign of Jenna. It had been 3 days and he missed his lovely wife. Balto grew rather bored of being alone. Boris had gone to live with the goose after he felt unwelcome and betrayed for no reason at all. Steele quit the sled team and so did Kodie. It was going out of "style" and the times were changing fast. Balto missed those days. Life was good, better than ever. Now it seemed like everything was old and uninteresting. Balto would have loved to be back in the reins of a sled team again or be running with the wolves, but then again, times had changed.

Jenna sniffed the air for a trace. She picked one up, but it definantly wasn't Dusty's. She searched high and low for that scent because oddly enough....it smelt familiar. So she moved along and right in the middle of the forest is where she ran into Steele. "Jenna, how are we today?" "Fine Steele now I have to go." "Haha, I lost you once Jenna, and I am making sure it won't happen again." "Steele you know I am with Balto, besides I don't like you. You are a low-class pig." "Jenna, Jenna, Jenna we certainly have gotten fistey." "Steele I said leave me alone and I mean it. I am trying to find my son! So go away!" Steele pushed himself in front of her to make sure she wouldn't, or couldn't, escape. "Jenna you do know you can't survive on your own right? You need an expert at this sort of "missions" and I can certainly help you there" "Let's get something straight Steele, if it wasn't for Balto my girl would be dead. Second of all, some hero you are. You came back home and lied to everyone about you so-called journey. Balto is the hero, not you." Jenna ran off. It was to late for Steele, jelousy had gotten in the way again.

Balto walked slowly into town. He remebered when him and Boris would run from Steele and his gang. He sat up looking into the window in the doctor's office. He smelt Jenna's and Boris's scent. He missed them so badly. He slinked off trying not to attract attention. He saw memorial poster's hung up in his honor. He classified himself as a hero but would never say that outloud. Balto had always sort of been a loner and never had many friends. He also classified himself as an outcast. He headed back to his boat, old and weary. He smelt Muk....wait Muk? He thought to himself. Bingo! He could go see Muk and Luk. But then he decided against it. They would probably ask about "Uncle Boris", He didn't really want to discuss that right now. So he waited and watched snow fall. Slowly as time went on.

"Look guys it was really kind of you all to take me in.", Dusty studdered out another thankyou. And an old shaggy looking guy repleid in a real huskey and deep voice, "What's the matta with ya, kid? Ain't anybody ever given ya enough?" His language wasn't all that great, he came from the streets. Dusty glanced at his 5 new friends. More like a gang rather than friends. They lived on the Northern part of Alaska, just on the border of the Pacific. There was a dumpy old town a few minutes away where the gang would cause trouble and havoc. Dusty had made friends with just about everyone. Ginger (the run-down looking poodle), Freddy (A tall bear-looking St. Bernard otherwise known as the old shaddy looking guy, everyone called him Boss), Larry (a rather piteful looking golden retriver), Rascal (a self-confident daschund). And then Sabrina....aah Sabrina. Dusty thought she was the most beutiful looking girl he had ever laid eyes on. She had a slender body and walked like a model on a cat walk. She had long ears and was black and white. Most would call her a mutt, but no Dusty, he thought of her as a goddess. She said she was half and half (malamute and black lab). "Hey uh fella's, gingasnap uh why don't we go get some meat out of the meat locker?" Sabrina had just appeared in the scene and Dusty's tounge fell out of his mouth "Huh-huh-hi S-S-S-Sabrina."What's wrong wit this kid...he uh...messed up in da head?" Dusty felt like a million bucks and then again he felt like dirt. The words he longed to say would not come out of his dumb mouth. "So uh how 'bout that meat?" Dusty nodded his head and snapped back to reality. Even though stealing was totally against his policy, he would do anything for Sabrina.

"Dusty?! Dusty where are you?" An exausted Jenna slumped down on the dirt. She had searched for miles. Plus it was getting cold. She needed food. Tonight, she would hunt. She saw 3 rabbits, caught 1. And ate a small pondsmelt. Still, she wasn't quite satisfied. She closed her eyes and tried not to sleep but of course she woke up a few hours later to the petrifying sounds of the night. "Hoo, hoo!" "Argggh?! What was that? Who's there?!" Jenna turned around to see an owl perched on a small twig coming from the old and hollow willow. "Heheh I guess I have to be more careful with my judgement." Jenna was scared, but she could not let fear tear through her one chance to be more than just a silly girl. She had dreamed of this day from the moment Balto saved Alue, but she never told anyone. "I just have to keep trying, becuase hope is never far from you."

Balto had been asleep when he woke up to hear footstep. "Huh!? What!? Who is there?!" "Balto, I have made a fool of myself, but I would like to apoligize. I know now how hard it must be with your...*sigh*...family." Boris had come back and Balto felt relieved. He missed Boris but nobody had known. "Boris, why did you go." "Balto, jelousy is a cruel and greedy feeling, make sure you never feel it." "Wait, Boris are you jelous of....me?" "Balto, just accept my apoligy. Please. You like chip?" Boris opened a box of soap flakes (thinking they were potato chips). And it was like old times.

Dusty had caught the "team" 4 trouts and 2 bluegill. He gave Sabrina the fish that was left over. Sabrina talked in her normal fashion and they discussed their next menancing plot. Dusty went to sniff the forest grounds to see if perhaps anyone he knew had come through the land. No one....not a trace of his friends. Some friends. Well now he was with people of his kind, or at least he hoped.

"Oh Yes! Hurrah!" Jenna had gotten Dusty's scent, she ran and ran and ran. Faster and faster gathering speed as she went. Nothing could hold her back now! When she got to the Northern Bay, Dusty had gone for a swim with his buddies. She waited and waited and she knew she had his scent so she carried on. She walked up the bay and down the bay. And then she spotted him. "Dusty!" "Mom!? What are you doing here?!" He scurried out of the water and shook himself till he was dry. "Dusty you need to come home! How dare you run off!" "How did you find me, I mean dad I could see, but you?" "What, me what? Hmmm? I am stronger than you know! Now come, we are going home." "No, I have friends here and they are....pretty nice." "Friends? You call them friends? I heard them talking. So what are you going to steal next?" "No. You got it all wrong mom. I belong with these dogs. I don't need wolf heritage getting in my way." "How did you know you had wolf in you?" "Mom I know alot of things." "Nevermind you will come home tonight and do as I say." "Well well well, look who we have got here," Steele suddenly jumped into the picture. He looked bruised and sore. "Steele? What happened?," Jenna was astonished by him not looking top-dog. "Well, I, uh got into a little misfit with a bear. I won. Easily as you can imagine." "Hmm... likely story." Jenna was fed up with his indecancy. "Jenna, did you know that you look lovely?" "Steele I don't need arrogant passes to judge whether or not you are a jerk. And the meter is definantly going towards jerk to the max." "Oh you wanna play hard to get eh?" "Back off Steele, that's my mother your speaking to!" "Oh what's the wittle wuskey gwanna do abwout wit?" Steele said that in a babyish manor like Dusty was a little child. "Grrr......" Dusty lept for Steele and missed while Steele shot a snap at him and pit his paw. Sabrina saw she should help so she crawled out of the water. She was larger than Steele. Yet Steele still acted macho. Sabrina pawed him in the chest while Freddy hopped out of the water. By now all the dogs were out of the water and ready to attack. After a rather violent scene, Steele ran into the forest. Dusty stayed with his friends but they were ordered to follow Jenna to Nome and stay there.

And so it ended up a happy tale. And they all were saved. If only Balto's kids would stay where they were for once in their life. Balto knew he and Jenna had many more journeys ahead of them. And that made them smile as the walked down the

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