OLIVIA_LOVES_LINK

                                          PRESENTS

                                           Saba's Love

Storyboarded and written by me (duh!)

Critiqued by Andrew Morgan

NOTE: Shtiya (shtee-uh) is my character, along with Thug, Gangsta, Somebody, Sasha, Alexi, Enzo Driscoll, Eula, Dimitri, Darius, Torpedo, Evelyn, Mary, James, and Walter. Please don't use them without permission, or I'll report you without hesitation. Most of my characters will soon be displayed in my art gallery: Olivia loves Balto.

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   Saba opened her eyes wearily. She expected to be on a soft rug in front of the fireplace, but instead she was in a wooden box looking at an alley wall. She scolded herself.

"Darn it! I was supposed to be back with the humans, but here I am in the alley for the 10th time this year!" she said to herself, frusterated.

Saba stood up and stretched. She was a bit drowsy at first, but woke up when she stepped in the cold snow. It was spring, and the snow was mushy. Saba hoped her brother, Kodi, who was on the Mail Sleddog Team, noticed the slushy snow.

Saba smelled something unfriendly. She saw 3 dog heads turn the corner and walk towards her. She recognized the alley dogs at once. Their names were Thug, Gangsta, and Somebody. Thus was a rottweiler who had many scars on him and a torn ear. He had a New York accent. Gangsta was a doberman, and Somebody was a white bull terrier. Thug and Gangsta couldn't think of a name for him, so they just called him Somebody.

"Go away. I'm not putting up with you today," Saba said defensively, standing her ground.

"Aw, we ain't gonna do nuthin' to ya. We just wanna play around with a beautiful girl, ain't that right, boys?" Thug said, turning his head to Gangsta and Somebody for an answer.

"Yeah," Gangsta and Somebody said in unison.

The 3 alley dogs came closer and closer to her, and started circling her with smirks on their faces, when suddenly, Thug shouted, "Get 'er!" They all leaped on her. Saba fought them violently, but they overpowered her.

When Saba knew she was done for, a figure soared through the sky with the sun beaming behind it. The figure threw the alley dogs off of Saba and fought them until Thug, Gangsta, and Somebody ran out of the alley, wimpering like puppies.

The stranger that saved Saba looked back at Saba and asked "Are you alright, miss?"

Saba looked at him. He had a bridge on his snout and had dark grey fur, with a lighter shade of grey going from his jaw to the front of his neck and chest, on down to his belly and under his tail.

"I'm...fine," Saba replied, still amazed at his heroic deed.

"My name is Shtiya. I heard a dog fight, so I went to see who the victim was, and I saw a damsel in distress and fought the alley dogs off," the stranger said as if he was telling a story to a puppy.

"My name is Saba," replied Saba, smiling.

Saba suddenly realized she needed to get home. "Ahem. I should be going home now," Saba said hastily.

"Shall I walk you home?" Shtiya asked, seemingly dazed.

"Huh? But you don't even know where I live!" Saba exclaimed, chuckling.

"Oh, uh...right," Shtiya said, embarassed.

Saba chuckled,  "I can get home on my own, thank you."

"I'll see you later, I guess." Shtiya said. He trotted out of the alley.

"Well, he was awful nice," Saba said to herself.

She walked on the snow, her dainty paws pattering. She found herself thinking only of Shtiya. His eyes...they certainly had a sense of humor in them. And his smile could make anybody chuckle. His build reminded Saba of her own father, Balto.

"Hi, Saba! Whatcha doin'?" a familiar voice said.

Saba snapped out of "Dreamland" and looked down in front of her. It was Alexi, a black moscow toy terrier with brown eyes.

"Oh, hi Alexi," Saba said, smiling politely.

"I couldn't find you at your home last night," a borzoi questioned Saba.

"Well, Sasha, I ended up falling asleep in the alley again," Saba explained to the borzoi.

"As always," Sasha said, rolling her eyes.

"Looks like the mail came in late again," Alexi said, looking at Kodi and the rest of them team.

Seeing Kodi reminded Saba that she needed to go home. She hastily said "Please excuse me, but I really need to go. I'll see you two later."

Saba was in a hurry, and she ran to her home. Panting, she pawed and wimpered loudly at the door. As the door opened, Saba saw a familiar face.

It was Evelyn. Evelyn was 8 years old and had blonde hair in a ponytail and blue eyes.

"Hi, Saba! Did you spend the night in the alley again?" Evelyn chuckled and hugged Saba.

Saba licked Evelyn's smiling face, and Evelyn giggled.

"You know, Saba? When Rosie told me Balto and Jenna had puppies, I just had to get one.  Balto saved my life when I had diptheria, you know. Everybody thought I was sure to die!" Evelyn told Saba proudly.

Saba was satisfied by this. She was very proud of her father for what he did. Evelyn was only 5 at the time, and Saba couldn't imagine not knowing Evelyn. Evelyn's little brother, Walter, wasn't so lucky. He was only 2 when he died of diptheria. If only he could've lived 10 minutes more for the medicine to arrive...but at least Evelyn's older brother, James, lived. He was now 15.

"Come on in, Saba! I bought you sausage links, and I know those are your favorite! exclaimed Evelyn.

Excited, Saba brushed by the door and into the house. She sat down by a counter and looked up eagerly at Evelyn, who just walked in.

"Heh heh! Ok, Saba, here you go," Evelyn said, holding a sausage link. Saba gently took away the sausage and started chewing.

Evelyn's mom, Mary, came in from another room, and when she saw Saba, she exclaimed , "There you are, Saba! Did you end up in the alley again?"

It was hard for Saba to bark with a sausage link in her mouth, so she just trotted over to Mary, sat at her feet, and waited to be petted. Mary scratched Saba's ears, and Saba's foot started thumping.

Saba then walked away and layed down on her rug to finish the sausage link.

*****

Saba was taking a walk in the town with Sasha and Alexi. Alexi looked up at Saba and asked, "Why do you always end up spending the night in the alley?"

"I've only been there 10 times this year! But anyway, I don't really know why I do...the house is so much cozier and safer, but for some reason I sleep in the alley sometimes," Saba replied, thinking about the question.

Saba heard a lot of barking from the town dogs as an unfamiliar dog appeared. He looked a bit scruffy and had fur of medium length. The brown dog walked up to Saba ans said, "So you're the daughter of balto, eh?"

Saba was a bit timid around strangers, but she answered "Y-yes...I'm Saba."

"Oh, how rude of me, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Enzo Driscoll, but just call me Enzo. I'm here to visit my Uncle Doc," the stranger said, smiling friendly at Saba.

"I know Doc! Everybody in this town knows Doc! I didn't know he had a nephew! Saba exclaimed.

"Well, you know now. Uncle Doc is my ma's brother," Enzo said proudly.

"Gosh, Doc really keep quiet about his relatives," Saba said, surprised.

"Tell me about it," Enzo said, rolling his eyes.

Saba chuckled and asked, "Could you tell me what breed Doc is? Everybody's been wondering that for a while."

"Well, his ma was a St.Bernard, but nobody knows who his pa is," Enzo answered.

"Not even Doc knows?" Saba asked, curious and surprised.

"Nope, not even him...or his ma for that matter," Enzo said. Enzo walked along down the road with his owner.

Saba's eyebrows were raised.

"I knew Doc had St.Bernard in him! Sasha exclaimed, satisfied.

"Odd...I thought he might have malamute in him," Alexi said suspiciously.

"Well, maybe his dad was a malamute," Saba said in the same tone.

"We'll never know," Sasha said.

"I probably won't even know," a stranger's voice said.

Saba, Sasha, and Alexi turned their heads to where the voice came from and saw an old female St.Bernard.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was speaking my mind. I couldn't help overhearing your conversation...and by the by, I'm Eula, Doc's mother," the St.Bernard said.

"Very nice to meet you, Eula. Doc hasn't spoken of you either...but anyway, I'm Saba," Saba said, introducing herself.

"Well, how d'you do, Saba?" Eula asked politely.

"Just fine, thanks...these are my friends Sasha and Alexi," Saba said, pointing at her 2 friends.

"Hi," Sasha and Alexi said at the same time.

"Well, y'all are quite the trio," Eula said, grinning.

"So why is Doc so quiet about his relatives?" Alexi asked as if she'd been wondering that the whole time.

"He never talks about anything unless he needs to," Eula replied.

"Well, he hasn't ever been a chatterbox," Sasha said, understanding.

"I'd  better catch up with Enzo," Eula said hastily. Eula followed the pawprints Enzo left in the slushy snow.

Saba, Sasha, and Alexi continued walking and chatting.

"So, did you see the plane today?" Alexi asked Saba.

"No, I must've been inside the house," Saba answered.

"Oh my GOSH you should've seen it! It was amazing!" Alexi exclaimed.

"I may see it later. Dad's been really impressed with planes lately," Saba assured Alexi.

Alexi was looking another way, and she said, "Look, it's Dimitri!" Saba turned her head and saw a rather handsome norwegian elkhound.

"Hey, Lexi pretty!" Dimitri shouted to