The Passing of Balto

By Agwolfcp, 2006

Balto awoke with a start. It had been a long time since he had had such a vivid dream, so this one took him completely by surprise. He tried to recall the dream as he shook the sleep from his eyes, but found that he could not. All he could grasp from the far recesses of his subconscious mind was a nameless voice. An oddly familiar voice, one that he knew he had not heard in recent years. And it was… it was calling him. What exactly had been said he did not know, but there was no doubt about it, it had been summoning him.

Balto pushed to dream to the back of his mind as he attempted to rise, bones creaking with the effort. He sighed. Younger days had long since passed, and Balto knew that he was old. He glanced down at Jenna, who was still sleeping soundly beside him. How many of their daily strolls had ended this way, with the two of them curling up back-to-back for a nap? Balto missed the days when he was able to run with the sled dog team, and even lead it. Now he could barely take a walk around Nome without becoming exhausted. It was a bit discouraging.

Not wishing to wake Jenna, and not wanting to start back without her, he started to settle back down to continue his nap. If he couldn’t fight growing older, he might as well give into it. He was just starting to slip into the realm of sleep when a bright light flashed, a light so bright that it jolted him back into full awareness. Balto could barely open his eyes, for fear he would be blinded by the strange light. But his curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly opened his eyes. What he saw was mystifying.

It was a wolf. No, a dog. Or was it a wolf? Balto couldn’t tell, but when the figure spoke and became clearer, he knew instantly what and who it was.

“Father!” it was Aleu. Standing before him, bathed in the intense light was his daughter, whom he had not seen in years. The voice from his dream.

“Aleu!” Balto was overjoyed to see her, but at the same time was puzzled. “Why aren’t you with your pack; surely they still need you?”

She smiled, but did not answer his question. “I’ve been sent to find you, and to bring you home.”

“Sent? By whom? Home? Where, what home? This is my home,” he said, thoroughly confused. It was then that he noticed she was slightly transparent, that the light seemed to shine through her a bit. “Aleu, are you-?” he was unable to finish putting his thought to words.

She nodded. “During a hunt, I got between a furious moose and a younger pack member. The other wolf was luckier than I.”

Balto swallowed hard, finding it difficult to take in.

“And now it is your turn, for that is why I’m here.”

There. The words he had been waiting for. As soon as he realized that Aleu was dead, he understood why she was here. And he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to go. He gazed up at her, unsure of what to say or do.

Aleu sensed Balto’s uneasiness. But this was her task, and there was no going back without him. But, she also knew that once he came with her, he’d be glad he did.

“There are so many others that want to see you, Dad.” She started.

His ears pricked with interest. She continued. “There’s Star, and Kaltag, and Nikki, and…” she grinned. “…Steele.” A look of surprise appeared on Balto’s face. “Yes, in his later years, he regretted how cruel he had been to you, but never had the chance to tell you so himself.” Balto was speechless. But he still was apprehensive. “And of course there’s me and Uncle Boris, Dad, and…Grandpa, your father.”

His father! It had been so long, so long since Balto had last seen his father that he no longer remembered his voice, what he looked like, or even his name. Once he had known, but no more. It would be good to hear that name again. He looked back at Aleu. She wasn’t finished yet.

“And Grandmother… Aniu.” She knew that that name, the name of the great white wolf that was Balto’s mother, would get him to come. “Are you ready, Dad?”

Balto got up, much faster than he had earlier. He was already feeling stronger, more youthful. Death. It was naught but another adventure, wasn’t it? And to get to see those he held dear… He nodded. He was ready. He took a step forward and stopped. Something was holding him back. Jenna.

She was still laying on the ground, sleeping peacefully. He couldn’t leave her, not yet! Aleu saw what was going on.

“Don’t worry, Dad. Mom’s time will be soon, but not yet. But when it does come, I’m sure you can be the one to come get her.”

Balto nodded. It still pained him to leave her, but it could not be helped. Giving Jenna one last loving lick on her ear, he walked over to Aleu. In a flash, the afternoon sky was gone, and in its place was a star-strewn one instead. The light that had surrounded Aleu burst with color, twisting into a staircase leading upwards into the unknown. Balto looked at the light fondly. Aurora Borealis. The Northern Lights. He should have known. He glanced at Aleu, and she nodded, and they started up the stairway, fading into the night.

The sky turned back to its former state, a bright blue with lazy clouds drifting through it. Jenna awoke, yawned, and sat up stiffly. So they had fallen asleep on one of their strolls again. Typical. Yet, not so typical. Something didn’t feel right. It was as if a great emptiness had settled over her. She glanced at Balto sleeping next to her, intending to wake him up to ask him if he felt it. He looks so peaceful, she thought. Her heart caught in her throat. Too peaceful. He wasn’t moving, he was far to still. She touched him, fearing the worst. He was cold. Silent tears spilled down her cheeks, glistening on her fur. Balto was dead. Suddenly, she felt herself being wrapped in a comforting warmth. Soon, a voice in her heart seemed to say. Yes, she thought. Soon. She knew she would see him before long, and that it would require some patience. For now, she would just need to enjoy the time left for her, and to make the most of it. She still had most of her full-grown pups, and 18-year-old Rosie, but they would not always have her. Jenna started back home. The town would give Balto’s body a good resting place. Thus died the dog who saved Nome, she thought poetically. And I shall soon join him. But not yet.