Pick of the Litter

Pick of the Litter

 

 

“Balto! Balto!” Boris called. He took Balto’s sleeping head and patted his cheek. “Wake up!”

Balto shook his head. “Huh? What?”

“Come, its Jenna.” Boris said in between breaths. Balto’s eyes widened understanding at what Boris was getting at. With out a word he found himself running to Jenna’s home. The summer grass made a soft “crunch” under his paws. He panted fiercely with each stride. In town he slowed to a trot then to a walk as he neared the shed he assumed that Jenna was in.

He slowly pushed the door open with his snout. The door creaked drawing Jenna’s attention to it.

“Well, Hello Balto.” She said quietly

He walked in and over to his second litter. “Jenna…” He gasped. Looking down at the four pups he noticed three of them looked like wolves one, which was the runt, looked like a husky.

“There as beautiful as ever.” He said as he nuzzled his mate. He feared for the ones that looked like wolves though. He didn’t want their fate to end up like Alue’s…Homeless. He also worried that the runt wouldn’t live. His siblings would pick and push him around. Like the omega of a wolf pack.

He hoped that this wouldn’t be the second litter’s fate. He wanted to give them a wonderful life and now it would be easier to let go its just holding on was the hard part. Saba and Dingo, two of his children had died already and Aleu was gone to live with wolves.

“Jenna, what if the pups don’t make it through?” Balto asked

“What do you mean?”

“I mean like they don’t get adopted or they die.”

“Oh, Balto. Don’t think such things!” She scolded then licked him on the muzzle “It will be ok, you’ll see.”

 

Seven weeks seemed to fly by and the pups here healthy along with playful. He had one week to be with them. He dreaded adoption day but he couldn’t keep it from coming. If he could he would and live with the pups forever.

Balto lay on the beach watching the three wolf-like pups play. But where was the fourth? Suddenly Balto heard a small growling noise and his ear being pulled. He smiled and looked over. It was Zeeke, the runt.

“Zeeke.” Balto said playfully and started standing up forcing the pup to let go of his ear. Zeeke laughed and pounced at his dad’s paws. Balto chuckled and ran away, Zeeke chased his father. It seemed that Zeeke had more wolf in him than his brother, Byte and sisters, Malt and Sissy. This could be a problem in many cases.

Balto tried to bond with the pups for as long as possible but they lived with Jenna so it was kind of hard. He felt like a failure to the last litter he sired. But it wasn’t going to happen again. He was blessed with a second chance and he wanted to make the most of it.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

A wooden box sat in a town of Nome, Alaska. There was a sign on the front saying

 

“Free pups to good homes”

 

Inside played four pups with the parents watching them and passer Byers. Inside one pup howled.

“Zeeke, honey please don’t howl.” The mother, Jenna said

“Sorry mom.” He said in a squeaky voice.

Jenna nuzzled the pup “its ok honey.”

Zeeke looked shocked as if he had never felt love before. Maybe he didn’t want to feel this emotion.

He made a quick growl and pounced on one of his siblings. The two laughed and played around. While the others looked out of the box.

“Malt and Sissy were always the quiet ones.” Jenna said to Balto.

“Yah” Balto said. He saw a little boy come over.

“Daddy, Daddy can I have a puppy?”

The dad rubbed his hand on the boys head, ruffling his hair. “Ok”

The boy laughed with joy in his eyes “I want this one.” He said while picking up Malt.

“She’ll be so good with Kodi.” The boy laughed

Sissy whimpered and jumped around the edge of the box trying to get to her twin, Malt. Jenna walked over and tried to calm her down while Balto pondered about the pup’s future.

Well Malt was going with that boy and she’ll be in good hands along with her older brother, Kodi.

Hours passed and every pup but Zeeke was adopted.

“I don’t understand.” Jenna said “All the other pups got adopted but Zeeke…”

“It’s his personality Jenna. He acts more like a wolf than a wolf itself. No human wants that living with them.” Balto said sadly. History was literally repeating itself.

Jenna sighed sadly accepting the truth.

“Why must this happen to our pups?” She said sadly and sat next to Balto. She rested her head on his shoulder and watched Zeeke sleep. Balto looked up to the sky he could feel Jenna’s warm tears on his shoulder.

I knew this would happen. If Zeeke didn’t die from his sisters then his fate would be like Aleu’s. He thought to himself.

The sun set behind the mountains. Balto walked to his boat with Zeeke sleeping on his back. Of course the pups were already weaned so he came to live with his father. The did that with the last litter.

He lay the snoozing pup on his blanket and fell asleep next to him.

Chapter 3

 

One year seemed like a lifetime of trouble for Balto and Boris. Muk and Luc thought Zeeke was fun to play with, when he wanted to play that is.

Zeeke watched as Balto and Boris talked. He hid behind the trees and planned his next move carefully. He bared his teeth and charged at them.

Pouncing on Boris then both fell with an “Oof” Zeeke got up and shook off the grass and dirt. He looked at his uncle and growled.

“Zeeke!” Balto scolded. “You know better get down!”

Zeeke looked at his father with utter shock and backed off of Boris.

“Sorry.” He murmured

Without his father looking he ran off to town. He loved to cause the butcher trouble. Walking around town he spotted his two sisters.

“Malt! Sissy!” he called and ran up to them.

“Oh, hey Zeeke!” Sissy jumped

Malt scoffed “Just like a stray, can’t find a human pup so he bugs us.”

Zeeke folded his ears back to his head. She hadn’t always been like this. But recently he’d been getting this crud from her. Good thing for Sissy she was a sweet heart.

Shaking it off he asked “Have you seen byte at all?”

“No.” Malt said

Sissy rolled her eyes at her twin “What she means is Byte has joined the sled team with our older brother, Kodi.”

“Really? Well tomorrow they’ll be up for a race.” Zeeke laughed while wagging his tail.

“It’s a mail team you dolt.” Malt said.

“I’m aware of that thanks.” Zeeke said

“Honestly, Sissy why are you so mean to him?!” Sissy demanded

“Because, 1) he’s a runt. 2) He’s a stray. And 3) he’s a savage. Pure wolf blood if you ask me. Honestly causing the poor butcher trouble and stealing from his stock. As if he isn’t poor enough.”

Malt curled her bushy tail.

“Come Sissy.” She said with her nose in the air and began trotting off.

“I’ll see yah around Zeeke.” Sissy said and caught-up to Malt. Zeeke smirked a goodbye and ran off. He lay down on the post office porch and listened for the mail team. Suddenly he heard barking and the clicking of harnesses in the distance. His ears flicked, he raised his head and looked towards the direction of the noises. He saw his two brothers Byte and Kodi along with the rest of the team coming his way.

He wagged his tail as the team neared. Soon they came to a stop and the musher unloaded the mail.

“Hey guys.” Zeeke said

“Hey Zeeke.” Kodi and Byte said.

“Byte, what been going on I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Nothin’ much. You?”

Before Zeeke could reply the musher had loaded the next batch of mail.

“Hike!” He called and the team set off. Zeeke ran along side them.

“Go Zeeke. The musher will whip you away.” Byte said.

“But-”

“Go!” Byte said with a snap at Zeeke’s legs. Zeeke yelped and tripped over himself. He sat in the snow listening to the team laugh.

 

Chapter 4

 

 

That afternoon Zeeke walked back to town and saw his brother Kodi along with his owner and his mother, Jenna with her human playing around together. Zeeke wagged his tail and ran over to them.

“Look Jenna!” Rosie laughed “Its Zeeke.”

Jenna and Kodi looked over and smiled. Zeeke slowed to a walk and panted as Rosie pet him. She pet him under his chin. Zeeke didn’t like this. just as the dad walk out the door Zeeke bit his daughter’s hand. Good thing she was wearing gloves.

“Zeeke!” Jenna exclaimed. Zeeke looked up and saw Rosie’s father pointing a pistol at him. Kodi darted in front of Zeeke.

The dad lowered the weapon and looked at his daughter’s hand. Thankfully no skin was broken. Zeeke folded his ears back and crept over to them.

“Get!” The dad shooed. “Go one get!!”

Zeeke began running but slipped on the snow. The dad was walking over. Frightened he ran off.

 

“Zeeke what do you think you were doing?!” Balto scolded.

“I-I don’t know. It happened instinctively.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.” Balto said upsettingly “You just have too much of my mothers side in you. It worries you mother and I.”

“Is that shameful I mean look at you!” Zeeke barked. Balto looked shocked then his expression turned angry.

“I’m going to take a walk.” Zeeke said and ran off the boat and into town. He ran over to the meat market and squeezed his body through the hole he had dug as a pup. Nearly getting caught. I’ll have to make that bigger. He thought.

He browsed though the meat and quickly stole some mutton. A light shined into the room. It was the butcher. Zeeke quickly but quietly made his way out.

Laughing to himself he ran to the woods.

 

He looked for a quiet place to eat his large piece of meat. He lay down and started gnawing on it. Not even five minutes later he heard nearby patting of paws. His ears flickered towards the noise but there were three of four wolves.

He got up and moved to another part of the wood un-aware that he was moving towards the wolves.

He chewed the de-thawing sheep. It was pulled right out from under him right before his eyes. He looked up at the thief. It was a wolf, Zeeke bared his teeth.

“Give that back!” He barked

“Give that back.” The brute

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