that she had something very important to say. She never walked in a hunched over wolfish manner unless something pressed uncontrollably on her mind, and she needed someone to vent on and get her emotions straight so she could go out and try again.
Balto sighed and let his body sink down onto the crate. He folded his paws on one another on the edge of the railing and let his jaw rest on them. No sense standing around for Jenna, might as well catch some rest, Thought Balto as his eyes closed around the distant speak that came for him. She would wake him when she got here.
“Balto.” Balto’s eyes shot open and he raised his head off his paws. Below him the most beautiful husky looked up with anxious eyes.
“I’m sorry; I was just checking the inside of my eyelids.” Balto yawned wide enough that he needed to close his eyes to do it. “So what’s on your mind Jenna? You don’t come out here unless you got a bone to pick with me.”
“And that’s exactly why I’m here. I want to speak to you about your son.”
Balto rolled his eyes and looked towards the sky like the answer to every problem he ever faced might be up there somewhere. His eyes came back around and locked onto Jenna. “So what did Dakota do now?”
Jenna growled loud and ferocious enough that Balto almost came to his feet to get away.
“No! This is about your so called good son, Kodi.” Jenna hissed.
Both of Balto’s ears flattened to the sides in wonder. “Kodi? You mean our Kodi?”
“Yes,” Jenna growled irritably. “And I want to tell you all about what he did to Dusty the other day. Just let me get up there.” Jenna moved impatiently around the right side of the boat towards the rickety plank that leaned up through a gap in the railing.
“Kodi?”Balto asked himself in a whisper as he came to his feet. He turned and meandered off the edge of the crate to the floor and moved around the side of the boat; following alongside Jenna.
Jenna put her front paws on the edge of the snowy plank and looked up it. Balto stood near the top of the plank next to the railing waiting for her to come with a broad smile on his face. Sneering slightly at Balto’s grin, Jenna pushed up towards Balto. Her weight bent the plank until it looked like a piece of stretchy cloth. She pushed on carefully, always watching the plank to find that telltale sign that she was about to end up in the snow. With a huge sigh of relief, she set all four of her paws on the deck and looked back at the plank. It had returned to its original shape.
Jenna turned with a start to Balto. “Now, about your son -”
”Wait, wait, I want to get this straight.” Balto emphasized his speech. “You mean, that our Kodi, the Kodi I have never had trouble with ever, who runs the mail team, who -”
“Yes!” Jenna barked before Balto could continue. “Our son Kodi hurt Dusty.”
Balto sighed uneasily and adjusted his paws. “So, did they get in a fight or something?”
Jenna closed her eyes, turned and walked towards the front of the boat past Balto. “Well, sorta.” Jenna’s voice still rang with bitterness.
“Sorta?” Balto turned and stood shoulder to shoulder with Jenna on her left side. “Why don’t you elaborate on it?” Balto teased lightly.
Jenna glared with her left eye. “Well, the other day I was walking down the street on my way to Dixie’s to see her pups,-”
“Wait,” Balto happily interrupted. “Dixie had her pups. What’s Star think about it?”
Jenna turned and groaned angrily at Balto’s insolence towards the problem on her mind. Walking towards the back of the boat, she regained her thought and turned to face Balto once more, only calmer. “Yes, I think Star is very happy, but that’s not what I want to talk to you about. This is about our son, and I’m very concerned, as you should be.”
Balto sat down and perked his ears, the sign that he was ready to listen and be serious. “Okay finish what you were saying then.”
Satisfied that Balto would now listen; Jenna walked up to him and sat down face to face. “Well, anyways, I was walking to Dixie’s when Dusty ran across the street in front of me crying. I went and followed her and tried to comfort her. Eventually she told me why she was crying.” Jenna turned slightly away from Balto. “Apparently Dusty had walked in on Kodi saying mean things to his friends about her and … I just don’t understand why Kodi would do something like that” Jenna shook her head disapprovingly.
Balto looked deep in thought, his mind shifting around with questions and possible answers. “Well … what if Dusty’s trying to play a joke on Kodi? You know, she gets you all built up so you go talk to Kodi, and then when you do Kodi has no idea what you’re talking about.”
Jenna growled and turned away. Walking to the other side of the boat she stopped and turned to face Balto again. “There is something else.” Jenna said flat and calm. “I guess Dusty has had a crush on Kodi for some time now.”
Lowering his left eyebrow, Balto stepped towards Jenna. “You mean, Dusty, likes our Kodi?”
Jenna sighed and sealed her answer with an affirmative nod. “Did like him anyways.”
Balto rolled his eyes and began to pace back and forth just a few steps. “I don’t believe it. I mean, I’ve never had any problem with Kodi. Never. It just doesn’t make sense. There has to be something missing. There’s got to be something that we don’t know.” Balto stopped and shook his head gravely at Jenna. “So when do you plan to go and speak to Kodi about this?”
Jenna breathed in sharp like a sudden pain stabbed her. “Well, that’s the thing. Dusty made me promise that I wouldn’t talk to Kodi.”
Balto grinned. “But there was nothing that said I couldn’t go talk to him, right?”
“Nope, nothing said you couldn’t” Jenna said point-blank.
“So why can’t you go and talk to him?”
Jenna rolled her eyes almost into the back of her head. “I wish I could, I would give him a good piece of my mind. But Dusty made me promise that I wouldn’t talk to Kodi, it, it’s one of those girl things.”
Balto knew to stay away from the ‘girl things.’ It was better to live long “So where is Kodi?”
“He went on the mail run this morning. I wanted to give you some time to think about what you would say to him.” Jenna moved back towards Balto. “But I want you to make sure to tell him how disappointed I am in him. Got it Balto?”
Balto shook his head. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll tell him.”
“You better,” Jenna hissed. She knew how Balto had a free-spirited heart to punishment. It was one of Jenna’s - very few - little peeves she had about him.
At that moment Balto’s stomach came to life like two wild cats trying to escape from a canvas bag. The dark, angry, bewildered, mood that had encompassed the boat just moments earlier, shattered with the life that exploded from Balto’s sides. All of Jenna’s attention moved focus down to just below Balto’s ribs where his belly sunk up against his back.
“Hungry are we?” Jenna said with a coy expression.
Balto couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah,” He stepped forward towards Jenna, the expression on his face changing to a puppyish silly. “I bet some Husky paws would go good right about now. You know, calm the beast within.”
“Balto, don’t you dare.” Jenna began to back away from Balto. “I’m in no mood for being tickled.”
“I’m sure.” Balto turned sly and low like a panther stalking his prey. Moving slow, Balto crept left, then right, across the deck towards Jenna, all the while eyeing her paws with delight and hunger.
“Balto get away.” Jenna backed her paws away. A giggle rising in her as Balto crept closer in his devious catlike way. “You’re just trying to cheer me up, and I don’t want to be cheered up, I’m sorry I asked about your stomach, now leave me alone.” Jenna bolted around the left side of the wheelhouse towards the front of the boat, leaving behind a flurry of giggling.
Darting around the right side of the wheelhouse, Balto caught Jenna in his eyes coming around from the left side at the same time as he. They both stopped on opposite sides of the boat looking at each other furtive; each waiting for the other to make a move. With a leap equal to that of a spry pup, Jenna turned and raced back to the rear of the boat. Balto followed her on his side of the boat.
Jenna came around the back of the wheelhouse first and made a run for the plank, all the while laughing. Balto moved in on her laughter and slid across the deck just in front of the plank and Jenna, brining Jenna’s nose right up to the tip of his.
“Gotcha!” Balto yelled leaping onto his back paws and reaching out with both his front legs to grab Jenna. But Jenna moved to swift for Balto and passed under his grasping paws towards the front of the boat; leaving Balto looking stupidly down at the deck between his front legs where Jenna should have been.
Jenna scampered a dozen steps away and turned. “Come on Balto. Are you loosing some of your youth in old age, or maybe it’s just all that sleep that’s got you down?”
“Oh, I’m going to tickle every one of your paws when I get hold of you.” Balto threatened on a friendly level. “And I’m never going to let you go.”
“Try me.” Jenna jeered, lolling her tongue out at Balto.
“You’ll regret that.” Balto sneered and sprinted after Jenna.
Jenna ran to
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