open and uttered a horrifed gasp as he saw his mother crumple to the ground, with a bloody stain in her side. The hounds backed away as two men came over and picked up Aniu and Yakkov. Balto began to sudder uncontrollably in his cage, but he somehow managed to hold his tears inside. He would not give the evil creatures with the thunder sticks the satisfaction of seeing him dead too.

He held his breath again as the men passed dangerously close to his cage, and though Balto jumped slightly when the men accidently dropped a sack beside the cage, they didn't take notice of him.

Then, at last he was alone.

**********************************************************

Balto paused at this part of the storytelling. He had greatly edited this part of the story for Tovah, but the memories were still fresh, and seeing them in the theater of his mind was almost too much to bear. "I never saw my Mother or brother again after that, but sometimes I dream about them. I suppose they're in heaven."

Tovah caught the look of pain in her father's eyes, and she laid a little paw on top of his. "You don't have to tell the rest if you don't want to, though I still want to hear it."

Balto shook his head and grinned. "Nah, I'm ok. I just havn't told anyone this story before, except for your Mother. Now where was I?"

"You were stuck in the cage."

"Oh yes, The cage. Now I was all alone, and no one was there to rescue me. I was never so lonesome in all my life..."


Chapter 4

Balto wearily opened his eyes.The sky was now lit up with stars, and he realized that he had fallen asleep. The memory of the events earlier flooded him, and he began to cry.

I'm alone!
I'm gonna die in this cage!


I'll never see Yakkov again.
Mother will never come for me.

He sniffled and wondered what could have called him out of his merciful sleep. At least when he was asleep these horrible thoughts were far away.

He thought he heard movment and curious, he turned to look.

Unbidden, the legends about evil spirits lurking around at night leaped in his mind, and he fearfully called out "Who's there?"

He backed away in his cage when he noticed that the movement was rightnext to his cage. It was the sack that the hunters had dropped. It wiggled around and suddenly it honked indignantly.

Honked?

Balto forgot to be afraid and crept closer to the side of the cage that the sack was by. "Hello?"

The bag wriggled in response. "Oy!" A muffled voice cried out. "Get me out!"

"I can't!" Balto replied, feeling upset. "I'm stuck in a cage. You're beyond my reach."

The sack wriggled until the rope binding the top lossened enough so the creature could poke his head out. "Aye, that's what I needed. AIR!"

It was a middle aged snow goose. Balto wondered if the bird could help him out of the cage. "Excuse me, can you help me after you get out? I've been in here for a while, and I wanna get out now."

The goose finnaly popped his plump body out and shook out his feathers. "One  moment." He waddled over to the cage door and studied it. "I know what to do." He said at last. Balto's heart gave a leap. "Give me paw of yours, and we see if it work."

My paw? How's that gonna help? He held it out obidiantly, and the goose stuck one of Balto's claws under the steel peg that held the one of the hinges together to the side of the cage. Then he pulled up, and the door began to be lopsided. They repeated this until the whole door fell out of the cage entrance. Balto leaped on the bird. "Oh thank you Mr. Goose sir! How did you know that would work? How can I ever thank you?"

"Thank me by getting off me! And call me Boris! No more of this 'Mr. Goose' business."

Taken aback, Balto slid off his rescuer. "I'm sorry."

"Now, to get you back where you belong. Where is Mother of yours? How you get tangled with hunters?"

Boris instantly regreted asking the youngster, because he began to cry. The pup managed to choke out what had happened, and now it seemed that there was nothing to do with him. "So what of those who escaped? Maybe they take you back?" He asked, a little too hopefully.

Balto's heart soared. He had completely forgotten that his uncle and his remaining siblings were still around. "My Uncle! He'll take me back!"

"Wonderful!" Boris said, relieved. Now he wouldn't be stuck being Foster Father!

**********************************************************

They got a terrible surprise when they reached the den site, however. "They're gone!" Balto wailed in horror.

It was true. Kemo and Tara had ran here to Uncle and Shougon,  and they immediatly left, going deep into Grandfather's territory. They had assumed that Balto had been killed along with Aniu and Yakkov, and there was no point in staying in the area. Now Balto began to cry all over again. "I'm all alone! No body's here to take me!" He burried his face in Boris's stomach and cried out for Mother.

Boris shook him slightly, alarmed at where this was leading up to. "You are not alone! Stop crying, it won't help!"  He sighed as Balto gulpped back a sob. "I take you with me until you can stand on own four feet, yes? We find place to live together."

(Now, you mustn't think too badly of Boris. You must remember that he was not used to hysterical orphened puppies suddenly looking to him for comfort and answers, and since this was his first time we really can't blame him too much for not knowing how to deal with this sort of situation.)

Balto's sobs subsided to a few little hitches in his chest, but that wasn't really crying. He tried to make his voice steady as he whiped the remainder of his tears away. " 'Find place'? You mean you don't have a place already?"

The Goose rolled his eyes heavenward, exasperated. "What you think I am, Real Estate Agent? I only flew in last night!" Boris sighed. "Now, we find shelter, so follow me."

They walked for a long time, and Balto was almost asleep on his feet when Boris stopped. "Here we are."

With a yawn, Boris tucked his head under his wing, and Balto cuddled up next to him for warmth and comfort. Just as he closed his eyes, he felt Boris push him away. "Keep cuddly puppy stuff to yourself, ok boychick?"

"My name is Balto, son of Tag and Aniu." Balto said in a rather stern little voice. He paused for a moment. "What's a 'boychick'?"

Boris yawned. "It means 'friend'. Now go to sleep!"

Balto almost smiled as he curled up a few feet away from the older goose. Boris had called him a friend.


Chapter 5

A few days later, Balto and Boris reached a tundra. "I have idea of where we are going now, the trees were the hard part." Boris sighed. He cast a worried glance at Balto. The pup had hardly spoken a word during all through their journey, yet he would become terrified if he ever lost sight of Boris, even for a moment. "You hungry, boychick?"

Balto looked down at his belly as it rumbled. "Mmm hmm. I could eat a whole caribou if it was around. I'm tired of eating yucky fish gut stuff along the beach."

Boris got a bit nervouse. Balto wouldn't ever eat him, would he? "Just be sure that you don't develope taste for old goose."

Balto stuck out his tongue. "Yeach! Eat you? I wouldn't touch you even if I were starving. You stink like morning breath after you eat."

"What? I do not!" Boris squawked indignantly. "How could you say such a thing to your rescuer? Mind your manners."

Balto hung his head. Mother would never have allowed any of her pups to be so rude. He wondered if she was watching him even now, and whether she was displeased about his behavior. The thought made his face hot.

He quietly followed Boris over a hill, and they both stopped in surprise. Below them lay a rather small town, bustling with activity. Balto was so curious he forgot to be scared when he noticed men in the streets. "What is all this?"

"It is called a 'town'. Humans and their pets stay there. It's like a pack that never moves."

"Oh." Balto could understand that. He smelled some really good smells, and turned to Boris. "Can we go look? I'm hungry."

Boris was about to say no, but then he realized that he really didn't have anything for the pup to eat. They would have to take the risk. "Ok, but you stick close to me. I am knowing this place better then you."
***********************************************************

Balto couldn't believe his eyes when he got into town. There were so many humans, and dogs too. There was even some dogs that looked as small as he was, even though they were full grown. "Do you think they will make friends with me?"

Boris looked away, and coughed nervousley. "Best we keep to ourselves kiddo. Wolflings like you aren't liked around here."

"Oh."

Balto looked up at one of the buildings, and felt his belly rumble again. This building was full of meat! He dashed in before Boris could stop him, and snitched a hot dog. He trotted out proudly. "Nothing to it!"

Boris scowled. "Don't just eat it out in the open! We have to get into ally way."

Once in the ally way, Balto set down the hot dog. "Do you eat meat at all?"

"Of course not! Disgusting habit if you ask me."

Balto shrugged, and turned to bite the hot dog. To his surprise, his jaws clicked shut on a nose. "Oh!"

"OW! Watch it!" Bellowed the husky. He was terrifingly bigger then Balto, and they could see he was miffed. "Care to do that again, little coyote?"

Balto gasped indignantly. Wolves and Coyotes never got along, and it was a  terrible insult to call someone that. Suddenly feeling brave, he cried "Give me my meat back! It's mine!