Balto is Saved

"Beautiful. Most beautiful." said Jenna. Balto said, "Yea. It is." Jenna nuzzled Balto and they looked at eachother. "Thank you for bringing me here. But I need to get back to the hospital. I overheard the doctors saying that Rosie could die anytime anyday. Without that medicine, Rosie is in deep trouble." Jenna said. Balto understood her worries. He looked straight ahead at the dark clouds and spoke up. "Jenna. I could get that medicine. I could get it right now. I could run all the way to Nenana and get it." "No! I am sorry Balto. I can't let you. It is two dangerous out there. You could get eaten by a bear or wolf and you could get seriously hurt." Jenna said, She lifted her paw and pointed in the direction of Nenana. "I can do it Jenna. I can." Balto argued. "And I am part wolf. So says Steele." "Don't listen to Steele. I really thought I knew you better than that Balto. Please don't go. I don't want you to get hurt." Jenna pleaded.

Balto looked at Jenna's soft face and whined. He didn't know what to do. Half of his body told him to listen to Jenna and the other half told him to do what he wanted. Jenna touched noses with him and he closed his eyes. He thought about all those nasty bears and wolves. "Hey Jenna. Where were you? You were supposed to meet us at the race grounds 5 hours ago. We were supposed to watch Steele run a practice run. Remember?" asked Jenna's friends, Dixxie and Slyvie. "Hey I am sorry. Balto took me to the most amazing place." Jenna explained. "Ooh a date." Said Dixxie. "Shut up D." Jenna growled. "Jenna and Balto sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Jenna nursing a litter of babies." said Sylvie. Jenna and Balto turned pink. "Well I gotta go. Bye Jenna." Balto said. He touched Jenna's nose and ran off.

"We are so sorry Jenna." said Sylvie. "Yea. We didn't mean to make Bialti run off." "It is not Bialti. His name is Balto and I love him." Jenna said. She looked away from her girlfriends. Jenna wondered where Balto was. She got up and walked away from Dixxie and Sylvie.

"Hey Balto. Come here." Said Steele. Balto growled at him. "I'm serious." Steele said. Balto started to walk away when Steele grabbed his tail and pulled Balto back. "What do you want of me Steele?" "I want to know if you are going to try to race me in the big race. Just to tell you, you won't win. SO don't even come. Oh yea one more thing. Don't try to make a move on Jenna. Her owner and my owner are going to try to breed us so leave my girl alone." Steele growled. His nose was so close to Balto's that Balto could smell Steele's mint fresh breath. Steele's owner would do anything for Steele.

"Bye Bye. Wolf/Dog." Steele smirked as he walked away. Balto said, "Sheesh. What a dog. He thinks he can do anything." "I know. But next time, don't talk to him. It will just get you in trouble." Jenna proclaimed. "Do you promise me Balto?" She asked. She stared at him. She didn't take her beautiful brown eyes off his hazel eyes. "I promise." Balto finally promised. Jenna smiled and nuzzled him. Balto hoped that he would be able to keep his promise.

"Hey Steele." Dixxie giggled as Steele walked by. "Steele. Do you know who won the race?" Sylvie asked. She giggled and as she did, she snorted. "Oops." "Nobody won the dang race because it hasn't started." Steele growled. Dixxie ran over to Steele and pushed her body under his front right leg. "Oh Steele." She gasped. Steele lifted his paw and walked away. "Oh I love him. He is the best." Dixxie said. But Sylvie had other things on her mind.

That night, as Jenna sat beside Rosie at the hospital, Balto watched from outside. He still wasn't allowed to be seen anywhere because the people of Nome still considered him as a wolf. He watched as Rosie coughed and coughed and Jenna howled. All of a sudden, "WOLF!" Someone screamed. Oh no. Balto had been seen! He turned his head and one of the people of Nome was pointing at him. He turned his head to look back at the window and Rosie's father screamed. He saw Rosie say, "Balto." He looked at Jenna and she barked. That told him to run for his life. Rosie's dad grabbed a gun and ran out the hospital door. Her mom was to shocked to see Rosie hop out of bed and run to the door. She screamed out, "Balto!" In her weak voice. This made Balto turn his head and see poor Rosie. He also saw her dad hooking up Steele and his other dogs. "Run Balto. Run." HE said to himself. He used all the extra strength in his legs and..........poof. He ran with all his might. He burst out under the waterfall and hid in the thicket. His heart was pounding. "Stupid Balto. Stupid move." He said. THen a thought struck him. "Jenna." He whispered as he fell asleep.

"Balto!" Jenna cried as she burst out of the hospital the next day. She ran around and searched everywhere she could think of. "Balto! Balto! Bal-----oofff!" Jenna cried. "Oh sorry Steele. Have you seen Balto? HE was caught looking through the hospital windows yesterday and then he ran off. I can't find him anywhere!" Jenna burst out. Steele said, "There there. IT is okay Jenna. Balto ran away. How perfect." Jenna looked at him akwardly. "I mean how perfectly terrible." Steele stuttered. "I don't know what to do. Oh Steele." Jenna said as some tears rolled down her cheeks. Steele walked up to her and put his head around her neck. "Don't worry. Steele is here." Steele tried to comfort her. "Nothing is going to be the same without Balto!" Jenna cried. She tore away from Steele and ran through the woods. She went all the way past the waterfall and saw wolf tracks. Or were they dog tracks. "Balto." Jenna whispered. SHe followed the dog tracks and found that they led her all the way to the thicket. But this wasn't just any thicket. It was the bear, Thorne's thicket. Thorne was the roughest, most toughest bear ever. And if Balto was inside, he could be in real danger! Jenna thought, should I go in or no. Well if Balto is inside he could die. I have to! Jenna ran inside the thicket and almost tripped over something. Jenna was huffing and puffing.

Meanwhile, Dixxie and Sylvie were clambering all over Steele. Again. "Oh Steele. You are the best sled dog ever. You are a genius." Sylvie said. "Yea. you are. We love you Steele!" Dixxie giggled. Her cheeks turned pink. Dixxie made her way under Steele's front legs and Steele said, "Ok. Not this time Dixxie. I am trying to find Jenna." "I know Jenna is our friend but forget about her. You don't have a chance Steele. She won't go for you since she already is with Balto." Sylvie said. "I don't know......" Steele started to say. Then he turned and ran from them. The only thing HE had on his mind was Jenna.

"Balto!" Jenna whispered. She didn't want to wake up Thorne if he was there. She crawled to the far end of the thicket. She saw a grey/white thing on the ground. She went over and nosed it. It looked up and Jenna said, "Balto!" She touched noses with him and he said weakly, "Jenna. I thought about you all night." "Come back to Nome with me. Please Balto." Jenna said. "I can't. I can't ever go back to Nome. Ever again. The only time I am going to go back to Nome is when I have brought the medicine back." Balto said. "Balto....." Jenna started. "Don't say anything." Balto got up weakly but he fell down. "What happened. How come you are so weak. Balto?" Jenna asked. But Balto didn't answer. Then Jenna saw why. A trail of blood flowed down Balto's tail. The steady flow of the blood made Jenna to sick to look. She realized what could have done this to Balto. Thorne. Jenna pulled at her bandana. She got it off and wrapped it around Balto's deep gash on his hip. She helped him up and tried to pull him out of the thicket. Then she saw the most horrible thing. A bunch of little dead animals were scattered in one part of the thicket. Thorne must have done this. Jenna made herself look away from all the hideous animal skulls and bones. SHe got Balto out of the thicket and saw Steele standing right there. "Steele" Jenna started. "Please help me. I know you hate Balto but please help me get him into Nome. Rosie's dad will help. I know him. He would help any animal even Balto. Please Steele." Jenna started to cry. "Please. I don't want him to die. Please." She pleaded with him. Now. Steele did not want to see Jenna like this. So he threw Balto on his back and walked with Jenna back to Nome.

When Dixxie and Sylvie saw Steele, Balto, and Jenna walking back to Nome, they ran up to Jenna. "Jenna. What happened?" Dixxie asked. Sylvie had noticed Jenna's bandana on Balto's hip. Jenna said, "Can't talk. Dixxie. Go get Rosie's dad." Dixxie nodded and ran and got Rosie's dad. Steele left Balto on the ground but he stayed there with Jenna. Jenna thanked him, "Thank you Steele." She touched noses with him. When Rosie's dad and Dixxie returned, Jenna's paw was resting on Balto's chest. She looked up at Rosie's dad with sad eyes and he said, "Oh no." He patted Dixxie, Sylvie, Steele, and Jenna on the head and picked up Balto. He brought him back to the hospital. He did an exam on Balto. Rosie said too weak to hear, "Balto." Jenna got up on the bed beside Rosie and licked her face. "Jenna." Rosie whispered. SHe patted her. Dixxie, Sylvie, and Steele all sat at the door. Rosie's dad set Balto on the floor on a soft blanket. "Jerard? Is that dog going to be ok?" asked Rosie's mom. Jenna hopped off the bed and lay next to Balto. Jerard put a hand on Balto's chest and felt the heart beat. "I don't know if the dog is going to be ok. But I know that Rosie here is going to be fine. They delivered the medicine on train. So Rosie is going to be fine. But I don't know about him." He said pointing to Balto. Jenna looked at Jerard and cocked her head. "It is ok Jenna. I am sure everything is going to be fine." Jenna hoped he was right.

Then the doctor came in and said, "Well Rosie. You should be almost as good as new by tomorrow. Oh." The doctor almost