the respect. The only thing she wanted in this life was to never be alone again she didn't desever to die the way she did. Any respectful canine would do the same thing as I," Balto said sturnly. Jenna's ears dropped,"Im sorry Balto I didn't mean it the way it came out," Balto sighed and tugged at the bear's back paw, "Come on we can....drop this thing in a near by lake or something," he said as Jenna walked up to the other paw to help him drag it.

Jenna and Balto walked for what seemed like hours through the forest till they came near the enterence of Balto's old territory. Lifting his head, Balto howled long and strong,annoncing his pressence. He and Jenna both waited a long moment but heard no responce so, they desided to check the now deserted, territory out. "Jenna walk with me incase a new clan is here they will attack all unknown creatures," Jenna nodded and walked closer to Balto. He blushed a little as she brushed up against him but, tried his best to stop. Jenna saw him and giggled, "What's so funny," Balto asked as he put his head to the ground and sniffed,"Oh....nothing," she giggled again. Balto smiled and continued walking slowly around the grounds sniffing for his fellow clan-mates. "So, how deep into the forest does your clan's turff expand to?" Jenna asked after a while, Balto looked up at her with his eyes and was silent for a long moment before answering her question, "My mom said that our clan's home streetches from thoses trees, to the end of this montain, our dens where many, our worriers proud, our sentries had the keenest of eyes, and our hunters refused to come home without food," "Sounds like a great clan," "That it was, you'd have loved it, we excepted all thoses in need and welcomed them with open arms," Balto said proudly. Jenna smiled, the more she got to know Balto, the more comfortable she felt around him.

Balto lifted his head and sniffed the air,"Storms on the way we should take cover," he said. Jenna nodded and Balto led them to his old den.Smiling, he watched as Jenna looked and sniffed around,"So this is your old place?" "Yep home....sweet home minus the family,"Balto said and laughed weakly. Jenna smiled and sat,letting her eyes wounder for a moment, Balto felt his stomache growl and figure he'd go hunt before the storm. "Hey Jenna I'll be right back I should get us some food incase we get hungry," "Alright, I'll come with," "No Jenna someone needs to gard the den," "But how will I be able ta deffend it?" Balto leaned his muzzle to hers and looked her in the eyes,"Your kidding? We just fought off a huge bear a couple of wolves should be nothing," he laughed,Jenna pushed him softly, "Correction YOU killed a bear I was knocked out remember?" Balto growled playfully at her, "Fine I'll leave my scent so everyone knows it and everything in it is mine alright?" Jenna rolled her eyes and Balto thought about what he'd just said, "You know what I mean," he growled softly. "Just don't be long and be carefull," Jenna said as Balto turned to leave. "Yes mother,"Balto joked as he headed out the cave to mark it.

After marking the den, Balto set out hunting on the same path his father took over a year ago.He'd been out only 15minuets when he spotted a baby carribu, antlers not yet grown in, it'd be easy prey and enough to last Balto and Jenna at least a week. Balto licked his lips as he crouched down and stalked it closly. Balto looked all around him and sniffed the air, making sure no others where with it as he crept at pouncing distance to it.He shifted his weight and growled rather louldy as he lounged into the air, landing on it's back. The young carribu bucked and screamed as Balto's jaws sank deep into it's neck, slowly ending its life. The yellow in Balto's eyes turned a light orange as his prey slowed down and blood filled his mouth. It laid limp on the ground after what felt like hours of fight, Balto grabed its neck in his jaws and dragged it back to the den.

By the time he got there it had began to snow and the wind blew hard. Balto put the carribu down and howled before entering,Jenna walked to the enterence and had a puzzled look on her face, "It's to show respect for our opiset gender, at least that's what mom always said," Balto answered. Jenna staid quiet, "I brought a young carribu it's not much but it'll last us at least a week if we have to stay here," Said Balto before he picked it up and dragged it inside. Balto laid it near the middle of the den and Jenna sniffed it, "It smells....bad," she said, "Well....it's a fresh caught dead animal you want it to smell like flowers?" Jenna frowned and took a bite out it,"It's not....so bad," she said. Balto smiled and started eating at it with Jenna, "The storms gonna be a big one we might be trapped here a while, you sure you don't wanna head back to Nome?" Balto said after a few bites. Jenna swallowed the meat that was in her mouth and looked into Balto's eyes,"We've gone this far and I know you'd rather be with your clan then with a bunch of stupid house dogs," Jenna said with a laugh.Balto smiled,"Well....I don't know Jen not all dogs are stupid," "Right I forgot your father, what happened to him anyway?" Jenna asked as she took another bite of the meat. Balto walked away from Jenna and the carribu and stared at the growing storm,he sighed remembering his mother's words, "Mom told me that my father froze to death in a storm doing something that not many dogs would do for a wolf, he died trying to find us food.She said he tried his best to bring all of the hunting party home but they were either shot or froze durring the night. The way she talked about him made him seem like such a great guy, I wish I could remember him," Said as he choked back tears. Jenna walked up to him with sympathy in her eyes, she put her head under his and the two of them closed their eyes and tears slid down Balto's eyes. "Your parents sound so noble Balto,I'd kill to have anyone in my life like that," She said smiling.

Balto awoke curled against Jenna's warm body.He smiled and got up slowly, trying not to wake her, he looked out at the storm and sighed. It had been four days since his mother's death and since he'd entered Nome. He was begining to think that this quest was pointless, that the more days that past was another day his clan would move till they found a proper place to call home. Suddenly Jenna appeared beside him with a smile on her face, "Good morrning Balto," Balto smiled but kept his eyes on the storm. He and Jenna had gotten very close in the past days and he grew to like her alot more then a friend should but, he often woundered, had she felt the same way? She had always comforted him and often never wanted to leave his side but neither had his younger sister Aroura growing up, she was his shadow. This was different, Jenna wasn't family in the since that he and she had different reletives. Jenna looked into Balto's eyes and smiled, "Something wrong you seem distracted," She asked after a while. Balto shifted his weight from one side to the other and cleared his throat and mind of the thoughts, "It's....it's nothing Jenna I'm fine," Jenna scowled and Balto closed his eyes and turned his head but could still feel the sting from Jenna's eyes, burning into him. "Alright, alright stop giving me that look, I'll tell you. Look, after the storm is over I'm going back to Nome," Jenna's scowl turned into confustion, "I don't understand thought you wanted to rejoin your clan now your saying you wanna go back to Nome why?" Balto looked her in the eyes in a way that made Jenna feel as though he was looking through her insted of at her, "The day you found me a sleep, I had a dream my mother was alive. She said something to me that, untill today I didn't understand. That I'd go on a journey and realize where my new home should be. I know now she ment for me to stay in Nome I mean why eles would I have wound up there and made friends like Steel, the sled dog team and....you," Balto said, blushing, he tried his best to hide it but, Jenna noticed and laughed quietly. "I understand Balto, if you feel have to go back to Nome I'll be happy to come with you when the storm is past," Balto smiled, "That's great Jen,"

The storm was over about a week after they'd run out of food.They'd been reiling on the snow just outside the den for nurishment but, on the last day, they thought their lives would soon end and, had it not been for the for the storm finnaly ending allowing Balto and Jenna to leave,it would have been. Jenna trotted ahead happly while Balto trailed slightly behind, his eyes still forced on the den where he'd spent most of his life and all of his happiest moments in.He sighed as ran a ways to catch up to Jenna, leaving his past behind but, never forgetting it. "Hey Jenna you hungry?" Balto joked, Jenna laughed and nodded her head. Balto looked around and spotted a few snow hare not far from them, "Hey Jenna ever hunted before?" He whispered, "No why?" Balto pointed his snout to the two hare a few feet from them. Jenna looked at them then Balto, "Well up for a lesson?" "I....guess so, what do I have to do?" "Easy you creep up behind them and make sure the wind is blowing against your fur, when you get leaping distiance from them pounce, bite and hold till it's heart stops," "Oh Balto I don't think..." "Don't worry Jenna, it's all instinces, we've been in the wild for two weeks they should have taken over by now," Balto said interupting her. Jenna's ears dropped to the side and Balto sighed,"You really are a purebred dog ha ha ha, come girl, fallow my lead and be as quiet as you can," Balto said with a laugh. Jenna growled but fallowed Balto's lead as he crept with in leaping distance of the hares. He licked his lips and shifted his paws like a cat ready to pounce, "You go for the one on the left the one on the right has my name writtin all over it," Balto whispered and Jenna nodded. She growled slighly as Balto laid on the floor and Jenna did the same,"On