Sparkle In Your Eyes

a Valentine's Day fic by Juuchan17

(Note: Special thanks goes to Kelev for the idea of adding two certain characters to the plot! Thanks so much! - Enjoy! Juuchan17)

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Part II: Any Suggestions?

The sun fell, giving rise to the moon and the stars of the midnight sky. Again, the sunshine gave way to the dawn, followed by the lunar sphere twelve hours later. 

A couple of days had passed since he and Jenna had made plans to exchange gifts on the “Day of Love,” Valentine’s Day. Balto remained on his boat, his dull-teal blanket covering over his sleeping head . . . although he wasn’t really asleep once the sun’s rays began to lap against his fur and the fabric.

It’s been two days so far – less than five to go, Balto thought as he flipped over to his stomach, losing the blanket on his head and letting out a sigh. Over the past two years, you’d think I’d know more about her preferences of what she likes by now . . .  

A waddling white fowl approached the waking mutt, stopping in front of his face and leaning to Balto’s eye-level before talking. “Good morning, Balto,” he greeted him with a Russian-like accent and a small friendly wave. “Ah, you look troubled again.”

Balto’s head rose at the sound of his guardian. “Boris, nothing’s troubling me this time.” 

“Are you sure?” Boris crossed his wings in front of his chest. “Remember last time you said nothing was wrong, you were being haunted by dream of raven and wolves almost two years ago.”

I remember that,Balto thought with a small huff. Boris had talked with him by the totem pole about it the same day Jenna gave birth to their pups. That began a big adventure about the importance of dreams and that stuff, . . . but that’s not the point this time. 

“Well if you were wondering, I’m not having nightmares and dreams this time,” Balto clarified. “It’s about Jenna.”

“What about Jenna?” the gander asked, not realizing that two moving piles of white fur were sneaking their way closer to them both. He gasped at a sudden thought. “Oh no – the stork didn’t land again, did it?” He placed a wing slightly over his eyes, shaking it from side to side. “Oy! Babysitting Aleu for almost a year was enough for me; I don’t think I could handle another bunch of pups using my body like a chew toy again!” 

Balto lifted his head up and laughed, easily amused by the comment. “No, no, Boris. It’s not about that.” Although I would love to be a father again, he silently added to his own response. “You know a lot about humans, right?”

“Ah, I am like traveling dictionary when it comes to humans,” Boris boasted, sticking his chest slightly out. “but I’m not perfect on certain things that they do.” 

Before Balto could begin to ask his question about that strange holiday he was just introduced to, the two white ninjas of fluff bounded over the wooden railing of the boat with a whooping cry, landing on top of the snow goose.

“Ack—!” was all the gander could manage to say as the larger of the creatures – with the smaller one sitting on his shoulders – sat atop of him, silencing him for the time being. 

“Uncle Boris!” The smaller of the two creatures lifted his head up, shouting with glee and a large smile underneath his black nose. “Uncle Boris, we’ve found you!” He chuckled a bit before continuing to speak in a slight British accent. “Luk tagged you, so that means you’re it! Hooray!” His short arms lifted up in the air, as if to show their victory in the game that they were playing.

The larger bear with a pale pink nose laughed softly, still sitting on the head of the goose. Boris was trying to tell the two bears to get off of him, but the muffled noise wasn’t exactly something they could comprehend. It was up to the wolf-dog to set things right, although he thought their close bonding was rather sweet. Boris was all those two had before he had come along, and even the idea of taking in two orphaned polar bear brothers seemed ridiculous to many animals nearby, but the Russian gander didn’t care.  

He really does love those guys, Balto thought with a small smile and a sigh to match. Although it’s not easy for him to show it that often.

“Muk . . . Luk . . .” He told them slowly and clearly, so to get their complete attention. “Could you not sit on Uncle Boris’s head? He needs to breathe too.” 

The smaller bear, Muk, looked down and gasped in horror. “Oh no!” Leaping off of his brother’s back, he allowed Luk to step backwards and give their “Uncle Boris” a chance to catch his breath. The gander gasped once the bear bottom was off of him, and in a sign of apology, the brothers leaned Boris against their fur, petting his shoulders.

“Sorry, Uncle Boris,” Muk apologized in a quiet voice. Luk mumbled a couple of noises to show he was sorry. Unlike his smaller brother, Luk couldn’t speak as well, but Muk was able to easily translate the noises that the large bear cub made into plain English. “Luk says he’s sorry too. We were just playing a game of tag, that’s all.” 

“I think you just have to touch the person that’s it, not crush them,” Boris was able to comment, advising the two bears. “But next time, play carefully, okay?”

“Okay. We’ll be careful from now on,” Muk promised. Luk made a muffled noise as he bobbed his head in a swift motion. 

“Now, run along and play now, all right?” Boris sent them away. “Balto and I are in the middle of a discussion.” He turned to the gray-brown wolf-dog and smiled back at the bears. “We’ll be down to join you for something, I guess . . . okay?”

With a quick nod, the two bears vanished over the railing and laughed as the sounds of pure happiness and tossed snowballs hitting and missing their targets filled the air. 

Balto let out a laugh. “It sounds like they’re enjoying the recent snowfall, huh?”

“Yeah,” Boris replied. “Now, what did you want to ask be about, Balto? Something about Jenna?” 

“Well, it’s about Jenna, but it’s also about humans,” Balto explained, beginning to ask his question. “Have you heard of a holiday called Valentine’s Day? Some day on the 14th of February?”

The gander placed a wing on his chin, thinking and muttering to himself. “Hmm, Valentine’s Day . . . Valentine’s Day . . .” He stroked his feathered jaw for a couple of seconds before lifting a feathered finger in the air. “Ah-ha! I have heard about this before . . . I do believe it’s a holiday that humans celebrate to show their mates how much they love each other.” 

“I know that already, Boris,”  Balto collapsed back onto the wooden planked floor, resting his head on his front legs. “Jenna told me all about it, but that’s not the problem.” He sighed. “The local dogs are having a celebration in less than five days for Valentine’s Day, and the two of us promised to exchange gifts. The problem is that . . . I don’t know what to give her.”

“But Balto, you and Jenna have been together for a couple of years!” Boris reminded him. “I have seen the two of you together, and I can feel the deep bond that you both share.”  

Balto was able to smile at the comment. Well, I do love her, and Boris has been through those first days with me, so he knows, he thought as Boris continued.

“Let me tell you a quick story, Balto. Back in Mother Russia, I remember my mother mentioning how young geese sing to one another in order to find their life partners. I remember asking her why we had to do that, and she told me, ‘Boris-dear, that is what we geese do. Only the one that answers your own unique call will be the one that is destined for you and you alone.’ 

“’But how will I know that?’ I asked her. ‘I can’t even sing well!’ But Mama reassured me with this: ‘It doesn’t matter whether your song is perfect or not; the one meant for you will accept it regardless. It’s a love song that only you two will understand.’”

“So, what exactly are you suggesting?” Balto tilted his head in confusion. “Although you raised me since I was orphaned as a pup, I still can’t honk like a goose, you know.” 

“I already know that, Balto, but I was suggesting that maybe you serenade Jenna with a love song,” Boris finally stated. “Use the voices of the angels to prove your love to your beloved and let all bear witness of your everlasting love for each other!”

“Me? Sing?” Balto was taken aback by the idea. He sat up and turned his head. “No way!” His voice began to stammer as he continued. “I-I-I . . . You know I can’t sing, Boris! It’s i-i-impossible for me to do that!”  

Especially in public, Balto added silently. I’ve just gotten on the good side of most of the local dogs here; if I sang to Jenna in front of everyone, . . . they’d think I was crazy.

Boris sighed. “So what, you can’t sing . . . but you can howl, yes?” 

The wolf-dog laughed, still shocked by the ideas that he was hearing. “Of course I can howl, Boris . . . but it’s not exactly romantic. Maybe between two wolves, but not to a husky.”

“A poem, perhaps?” Boris suggested. “It’s like a song, sans the music and all.” 

“I don’t think so,” Balto shook his head.

“Well, I don’t know what else to say, Balto,” Boris seemed to be out of ideas as he sighed again.  

The hybrid stood up, stretching out as he let out a long yawn, and began to walk towards the wooden railing that pointed towards Nome and the totem pole that stood proudly as a halfway marker. “Thanks anyway, Boris.” Balto told him bluntly as he leapt over the rail and landed on the sand below. “I’m going for a walk into town. Maybe I’ll find something while I’m there.” He began to walk away, not noticing that Boris was still murmuring to him.

“But if she really loves you, . . . no matter what you give to her, you will still