Steele sighed

Balto looked through the silence filled night. A tear ran down his light fur. He sniffled. He wasn’t sad, he was crying with frustration. Why, he was just starting to think about his family. His brothers and sisters. His wife and children. And of course, lovely Boris. But, he hadn’t yet ever in his life, thought about his parents. He had vaguely known his mother, Aniu, the White Wolf. But, his father, he hadn’t even met him before his mother died. He didn’t know what his name was, nor did he know what he looks like. He abruptly stopped crying, only to find a figure, not much shorter than he. He gave a puzzled gave at the figure.

 

“Hello..,” it said.

 

“Who are you?! What do you want?!” Balto snapped, cutting off the sentence.

 

“Papa.”

 

“What…? Aleu? Is that you?” He gasped.

 

“Yes,” Aleu ran to him. He came toward her with glee.

 

“Why are you here?” were the only words that he could say.

 

“Long story. Where’s Mama?” she asked eagerly.

 

“Inside, come on.”

 

She ran toward the doorway of the small cabin on the side of the road. Balto knew something. Something that only he and Aleu knew. That she had definitely changed. Somehow, someway she was different than before. He decided to let it die. He hustled in through a shed type place that Jenna called home.

 

**

“Jenna, we need to talk,” Balto whispered.

 

“About what?” Jenna inquired.

 

“Aleu. She’s acting strange. Something’s different about our little baby. She’s acting a bit more...Well...Wolfish than she is.” Balto sighed.

 

“Well, she told me a small little secret.”

 

“WHAT?!!!” Balto shouted.

 

 

“She well, got married and had puppies,” Jenna said not sure if that’s what Balto wanted to hear.

 

Balto had a blank face. Now he was in pain. His chest had an achy feeling. The pain tore through him. He sat in awe. His eyes widened to where they would soon emerge from his face. He fell straight on his chest, his paws over his ears.

 

He ran home. He shouted, “Boris.”

 

“Vat?!” he called.

 

“Aleu came home! With a huge surprise!” He ran and bounded onto the boat, right in front of Boris.

 

“Vat is it?” Boris solicited.

 

“Aleu is married! And she had puppies!”

 

“Vell, vere is she? And her new husband? Da puppies?” he held Balto’s fur on his neck, his beak, to the wolf-dog’s nose.

 

“I don’t know. Jenna told me,” Balto said with a slight frown on his face.

“You’re a Grandfather! And I’m… Great Uncle Boris! I’m great!”

 

“That’s great. But I just wished we could’ve met her husband before they got married. I wonder what he’s like.” Balto thought. What if it was Niju? Oh, Lord, Jenna would kill her for marrying that monster!

 

“Well, Boris, I’m goin’ to bed. Call me if you need me.”

 

But Boris had already started snoring. Balto snickered. He took his small blue tattered quilt and placed it over him. He lay down near the bow of the boat. He sighed, and just like that he was in a deep sleep.

 

**

 

“Papa?” Aleu called through the large boat, “so, he still lives in this old dump, huh? I wonder where…”

 

“Kiddo!” Boris bellowed.

 

“Uncle Boris!!” She cried. Boris greeted her with many hugs, practically choking her. “I love you too, Uncle Boris.”

 

“I heard da news! I’m so happy vor you! Where are da puppies, your husband?”

 

“They’ll be coming soon. I’m not sure when,” Alue looked past the sunrise.

 

“Aleu, why you here so early?” Balto yawned the question.

 

“I came to tell you about Rajah!” Aleu said happily.

 

“Who the heck is Rajah?” Balto asked.

 

“My husband, duh! Oh, and they’ll be coming soon, him and the pups.”

 

“Tell me about Rajah,” Balto said in relief, now knowing it wasn’t Niju, “What’s he like?”

 

“Well, he’s a…a..,” Aleu thought. Dad’ll be so angry if I tell him he’s wolf, he wanted me to merry a husky! She thought for a moment.

 

“A what?” Balto ask.

 

“A wolf.” She replied sadly, “I know you wanted me to merry a husky, to keep on the ‘wolf-dog’ thing, but he was so, wonderfully perfect, like an angel.” She smiled a huge smile.

 

“That’s fine dear. If you loved him that much…”

 

**

 

“Rajah?” Aleu called.

 

“Aleu?” he shouted through mist filled night.

 

The hate tore through Balto as he watched his little girl ran to her soul mate. He sniffed the air. That scent, that smell of this ‘Rajah’ guy. It smelt like…

 

“Papa, this is Rajah. Rajah, this is Papa.”

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Rajah said. He a maroon tint to his fur, his underbelly, a periwinkle color. He knew what that smell was.

 

“The pleasures all yours,” Balto said with a grudge already forming in his mind. He had already readied himself to undertake this little butt-kisser.

“Uhh, Papa?”

 

“No, no, call me Balto...”

 

“Papa!”

 

“What?” Balto looked angry at Aleu.

 

“Come on Rajah, let’s go see the pups.” Aleu walked away.

 

“Uh, Balto, I’m sorry about that. Ever since we had the pups, she’s been acting differently then when I met her.” His maroon fur swayed in the blue wind.

 

“Rajah, I was going to ask you, what’s your father’s name?” Balto inquired.

 

“Niju, why?” He looked at Balto. He now recognized him. He was the one; the one who his father said destroyed the clan. Though he wasn’t as big as Niju, you could tell they were father and son.

 

“Where is he?” Balto ask.

 

“He well. Died. It’s a good thing. He was useless!”

 

“What about Nava?”

 

“He was able to survive, he ran to find food,” Rajah said sadly.

 

“That’s so sad.” Now Balto was beginning to feel sorry for him. He didn’t want to but he had to. It was different than Balto. He hadn’t known his father. He thought he was still out there, somewhere…

 

“Well, what about your mother?”

 

“Her? That useless disgrace of a wolf.”

 

 

Balto was shocked at what he said. He had seemed liked a nice guy, but now, what the heck did Aleu see in him?

 

Rajah raised his head; small tufts of hair fell in his face. There was a scratch, no, a scar… That must have been from Niju.

But why? But then Balto thought, what would he do to Aleu, what has he done to Aleu?!

 

But before he knew it, he was buried in the frigid ice water of the winter. The ice tore at his mind; the water, so cold he couldn’t breathe. He bounded out of the water, onto Rajah.

 

“What the heck did you do that for, you idiot?” Balto yelled in his face.

 

“You’re that wretch, Balto! The mutt that ruined our clan; ruined my life!” Rajah countered. He swung his huge paw at Balto’s chest. He dodged it and put his paw deeper onto Rajah’s throat. Rajah gagged, but he managed to topple over Balto.

 

“ALEUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!” Balto screamed. He ran to the lake he had previously.

 

“Oh, no you don’t wretch!” Rajah shouted trying to tackle him.

 

“Well, you’re not as smart as I thought you’d be.” Balto said as he stepped to left, and in return, Rajah fell into the ice cold winter water.

 

“Papa? Where’s Rajah?” Aleu ran across the moon toasted snow.

 

“We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

 

The End

 

 

 

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