mate.
"Now that he’s free…can I eat him?"
Again, the goose ducked behind the husky.
"Aniu…" Raider pleaded.
The wolf sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Sweetie, how do you expect to survive much longer in the wild if you keep making friends with our food? What about our puppies?"
"They’ll be fine. We’ll find a nice den."
"Did you say you vere looking for a den?" The goose asked curiously.
"Yes." Both canines answered simultaneously.
"Come." The goose said, waddling off the frozen creek.
Aniu and Raider looked at each other suspiciously then decided they had nothing to lose. They followed the waterfowl towards the woods. After about 20 minutes of walking the goose grabbed a branch the dangled in front of an opening in the ground. Aniu peered into the den.
"It’s wonderful!" She turned to the goose. "Thank you very much. Whenever I eat birds here, I’ll think of you." With a grin, she disappeared into the den.
The goose chuckled nervously and turned to the dog.
"She’s cute." He laughed.
"Yeah, she’s really something." Raider agreed. "Thank you for you help…what’d you say your name was?"
"My name is Boris. And it vas a pleasure helping you and your lovely mate."
Raider smiled and wrapped his foreleg around the goose.
"You’re alright, Boris. You come and see us anytime you want!"
He retaliated by wrapping his wing around the dog.
"I’d like that. I’d like that very much."
Raider ceased his frantic digging and was panting heavily. He had finally unearthed the den his son was born in. The old dogs’ eyes weld up with tears. The scent of his precious mate was preserved inside the frozen den; it smelled as if she was still in there, waiting for him.
"Aniu…" Raider cried, the hot tears streaming down his cold face.
He crawled inside the den and wrapped his tail over his nose.
I never stopped loving you. I never will.
Night had fallen across Nome. Boris walked the streets calling Balto worriedly. But the hybrid was nowhere to be found. As Boris continued calling, Jenna heard him from inside her home. She ran to the door and whimpered. Rosie opened the door and Jenna bolted outside.
"Boris!" She called.
The goose came immediately.
"Jenna, have you seen Balto?"
"Earlier. I told him about that dog you were talking to. Why didn’t you tell me he was Balto’s father?"
"Nevermind that. I need to find Balto. It is time for him to learn vhat happened to his mother and father."
"But will he listen to you?"
"I…" Boris hesitated. He looked into Jenna’s eyes. She was right. Balto wouldn’t listen to him. Boris took a deep breath. "Maybe…maybe, he’ll listen to you?"
Jenna smiled and nodded. Boris took her paw in his wing.
"Here’s vhat happened."
Balto watched from several yards away. He couldn’t hear what was being said, but Jenna’s facial expressions were devastatingly sad. She was crying; Boris started crying. Balto leaned in, but still could hear nothing. He backed up and walked away. Now, he was curious.
3 days went by before Balto finally came out of hiding. Jenna was the first face he saw.
"There you are." She said coldly.
"Hi." He said, trying not to look at her. "You wouldn’t know where my father is, would you?"
"The same place he’s been for the past 4 nights."
"What are you talking about?"
Jenna jerked her head to the side.
"Follow me."
Balto reluctantly followed.
The pair walked for miles until they finally came to a snowy ridge. There, below in the den, lay Raider’s half-dead body covered in snow. Balto shuddered inside.
"He hasn’t moved from there. It’s like his spirit died." Jenna whispered.
Balto shook his head.
"Why is he doing this to himself?"
Jenna looked into Balto’s eyes.
"Because of you."
Balto swallowed and sat down.
"I think I’m ready."
"Ready to listen?" Jenna asked sternly.
Balto nodded.
"Yes."
Jenna closed her eyes and began.
The winter hit with full force. The winds were high and bitter cold. The snow hadn’t let up for weeks. Blizzards reshaped the landscape and took its toll on the dog and wolf. Aniu had birthed 4 beautiful puppies; 3 white pups and a brown one. Unfortunately, food was scarce and Aniu couldn’t provide enough milk for her babies. One by one, the babies died, leaving only a single pup. Aniu and Raider worried for their final child, as Aniu’s hunting ground was completely covered with snow and ice. All three canines were slowly starving inside their den. Raider had been away from his home for months, but the time had come for the dog to return to town and search for food. Boris accompanied his friend to Nome at nightfall. The two rummaged through the garbage cans, searching for any scrap of food they could find. The goose and dog were unaware that they were being watched.
Two suspicious looking men scoured the streets for huskies, which they stole and shipped overseas and across the country for labor and food purposes. One of the men held a book of popular show dogs. CT’s Raider of the Lost Arc was on the first page. Raider was their next target.
After a while, Raider felt he had found enough food to sustain his mate and pup for at least a few days. He and Boris went to take their leave. The tantalizing smell of cooking meat caught Raider’s attention. He spotted a roast, oddly lying in the road.
"That’s peculiar." He thought.
But, his stomach was empty, and the dog was desperate. He handed the bundle of food he held in his mouth to Boris.
"Take this to Aniu, I’ll catch up with you."
"I don’t know, Raider. Something’s not kosher about this."
"I’ll only be a minute." Raider loped over to the meat and went to grab it.
Like a serpent in the grass, a tranquilizer dart zipped through the air and pierced Raider in the side. Before the dog knew what was happening, the poison had taken its toll. Raider stumbled and fell to the ground.
"RAIDER!" Boris called frantically, dropping the food and running towards the downed husky.
The goose skidded to a stop when the two men emerged from the shadows and muzzled the drugged dog. He was then dragged to a back alley. Boris didn’t know what to do. He paced anxiously before deciding to return to Aniu.
The wolf weakly lifted her head when she heard the goose’s distinctive honk.
"Boris?" She whispered.
The goose threw himself into the den, scaring the wolf to her feet.
"Boris! What on earth is wrong with you?"
The goose shakily got to his feet, panting.
"Raider…" he gasped. "He…he…"
"What?" Aniu questioned worriedly. "Where’s Raider?"
"…Captured…" Boris huffed. "Drugged…"
Aniu’s eyes went wide when she heard ‘captured’.
"No!"
She burst from the den, but not before Boris locked onto her tail.
"Aniu, vhere are you going?"
"I have to save Raider!"
"Vhat? You’ll be killed!"
Aniu turned and pushed Boris on his back.
"Listen to me, Boris. Take care of Balto."
"Vhat?!"
"No matter what happens, keep him safe. Promise me, Boris!"
"But, Aniu..."
"PROMISE ME!"
"Alright! I promise! But…"
Aniu was gone before Boris could say anymore. The goose looked into the den at the sleeping puppy. He looked back towards town, hoping, praying…
Her heart raced as she bounded recklessly in the snow. She ran into rocks and fell over logs, but she refused to stop. Battered and bruised, she exploded into the center of town. She frantically started to howl.
"Raider! RAIDER!" She cried desperately.
Raider half opened his sleepy eyes. He tried to return her call, but he couldn’t speak. Only his mind was awake enough to hear his mate’s howls born of despair.
"Aniu…go home…" He cried in his head.
Aniu dashed through the town. Suddenly, she caught Raider’s scent. She spotted him hanging off a sled in an alley.
"Raider! I’m coming!"
"No! Go back home, Aniu!"
Raider’s heart skipped a beat when a shotgun’s boom rang throughout the cold sky.
"No…"
"Raider…" She whispered weakly, her shoulder pumping blood.
"Aniu…go…before it’s too late…"
A second shot could be heard, followed by a whimper. Raider, though almost thoroughly unconscious, started to cry.
"Aniu…" Tears flowed from his eyes like waterfalls. Finally, the poison took complete control, and Raider was out cold.
Boris flinched at the third and final gunshot. He wanted so badly to leave. But the tiny 6-week-old pup in the den, which was beginning to wake up, made him stay. Little Balto sniffed his way to the mouth of the den. Boris crawled inside the den and brought the pup with him.
"Where’s my mommy and daddy?" The pup whimpered.
Boris couldn’t control the tears dripping off the end of his bill.
"Oh, boy-chick." He sniffled, grabbing the pup in his wings. "It’s okay. Uncle Boris is here for you. I’ll alvays be here for you…"
Back in town, Aniu’s dead body was hung proudly on the building of the man who shot her. Raider, meanwhile, was passed out on a sled headed for Canada, where he would be shipped to the East Coast and sold.
Balto stared intently into Jenna’s eyes.
"I…I didn’t know…"
Balto looked back down at his father’s lifeless body. Swallowing his pride, Balto walked down to the den. He touched his father’s ear. Raider weakly looked up.
"B…Balto?" he asked in disbelief.
"Dad…I…" Balto looked away for a moment. He licked his lips.
Spontaneously, Balto crawled into the den and cuddled up next to Raider, who was befuddled at his son’s new behavior. Balto lay his head against Raider’s chest. The husky felt tears cascading from Balto’s eyes.
"I’m so sorry, Dad…" Balto whimpered. "I’m so sorry."
Raider smiled and licked Balto’s head.
"I love you, son."
"I love you, too dad."
Raider’s eyes wandered to the ridge where Jenna stood. Raider smiled and bowed his head slightly to hers.
Thank you. His eyes seemed to say.
Jenna smiled back and took her leave. Her place on the ridge was taken by Boris, who watched happily as father and son reunited in love and forgiveness. An unusual icy breeze ran through Boris’s feathers. He looked over and smiled at Aniu’s spirit.
"Thank you, Boris."
"I
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