A note from the Author: The character who refers to herself as “I” in the story is MY character, so do not use her without my permission. Balto is copyright Universal Studios. Enjoy the story!

 “It’s him! It’s Balto!” I yelped, as the sled teams shot past me like a blur. My brothers and sisters began yapping and jumping excitedly, it really was him! Suddenly, I found myself running through the crowded streets of Nome, weaving in and out of legs, heart pounding, legs racing. Mother’s voice sounded far away. I and Balto were neck and neck, my insides danced like fireflies just to see his shaggy yet handsome face through the crowd….I was just as fast as the others, I gasped as I suddenly pulled ahead, I was amazing! I was lightning! I was a sled dog…. BAMF! THUD...I looked up dizzily from a mound of snow. In this distance I heard a finishing gun firing, cheers, laughter, and shouts. Enraged, I looked behind me to see that I had tripped over a man’s boots. He looked down at me crossly, his brow furrowed.

“Beat it, stray.” He kicked me lightly in the ribs, and sent me sprinting away yelping. Mother was furious. She snarled and pulled me away from the humans, my head and tail drooped.

“Do you know what kind of danger you were in? Suddenly running off into the crowd without warning, with all these humans around? I’m glad you’re not hurt. Now FOLLOW ME.” I trailed sadly after Mother, but I felt heartbroken that I hadn’t run with Balto all the way to the finishing line –I’d missed my moment. I couldn’t help looking back; I needed to know who had won… Balto came second. One of his team mates had a slight limp from an injury during the race,, and it had slowed them down the slightest but because of their strength, they had pulled through amazingly. Balto was smiling up at the winner’s team leader, a big, beautiful Bernese mountain dog with scars on his face.

“Congratulations.” He said. The team leader smiled and nodded respectfully, since Balto was a hero among dogs.

“Congratulations yourself.” He replied. Balto grinned and led his team away. I stood, staring in awe. Mother barked and I scrabbled after her.

 I had always been proud of my fur, a sweet, golden colour all over, rich and bright. Mothers was darker, a deep, red-gold. Mother must have once been very pretty and I’m being vain when I say I take after her.

We went back home, to the back of an old abandoned storehouse on the outskirts of Nome. Mother padded over to the wall, shook herself of snowflakes and lay down against the barrels, which provided some shelter from the wind. It was too cold to play, so I nestled close to her warm, furry body. My brother and two sisters snuggled in next to me, huddling for warmth.

 I don’t remember being born. Just the cold, a deathly, icy cold, and then the sudden warmth of my mother’s body, she was terribly thin. Other small bodies were nestled close to me, and I found out they were my brothers and sisters when the world was revealed to my wondering little eyes. Mother explained to me when I was older that I used to have another sister. She was always ill, weak, never really alive, The Unlucky One. She died a few days after we were born I think, because in my world of darkness and warmth, I suddenly felt an absence of something next to me. Mother said that she had simply “Lost the Will to Live.”

I had not lost the will to live. I was healthy, and alive, and every day was like a new adventure to me. So I grew into happy, frolicking pups like my brothers and sisters. They were good for a game of tag or wrestling, but the biggest of the litter always stole any treasures we other pups found, and he was the only one who I couldn’t outwit in a game of tag or a wrestling match. He fascinated me though. Sometimes, when Mother dropped off to sleep in exhaustion, I watched in awe as he would tiptoe out into the snow-covered streets, break into a run, and disappear from view. Then he would come back, full of tales of the unknown, of the cafes were humans through him the most delicious scraps he’d ever tasted, of the lights and sounds and colours, of the house pets he’d seen in their cosy homes, resting by the fire. We listened, taking in his every word, and at night, we dreamed of Jet’s stories…especially the delicious scraps that would fill up our hungry stomachs.

The one day, he didn’t come back. We think he got run over by a car. We were all terribly sad for a long while, but our lives went on, in this harsh, unforgiving world.

 When I was a bit older, we were allowed to roam about the streets to look for scraps to feed ourselves. I had grown into a restless pup, and a day wouldn’t go by without me dreaming that I was going to make something of my life. I one day heard a lot of commotion coming from over by a large crate. There were humans, all standing and barking at one another in the funny way they do. Not wanting to be seen, I slunk in the shadows and watched them warily.

I heard pups yapping and saw men pulling them out with furry gloved hands and examining them, and a couple of little human-pups running about with their new dogs, shrieking and yelling with happiness. The puppies danced in and out of their legs, kicking up snow and barking with glee,. The two pups that I could see looked quite similar in appearance, so I guessed they were all from the same litter. I suddenly felt a pang of utter loneliness, looking on at the one thing that I as a stray would never experience…a human companion.

I hung around for a few minutes until the crowds had almost dispersed. Then, barely able to contain my excitement, I padded over to the crate and peeped at the pups that were left. It was only then that I realised that this was…Balto and Jennas’ litter! I gasped in surprise…and tumbled into the crate! The two remaining pups jumped back, wide eyed. There was a long silence.

They were round about my age. One of the pups had a reddish-brown coat, like his mama, but a bit darker, and an off-white underbelly, muzzle and bottom half of his legs. His shoulders and nose were broad, and his smile was warm and bright. I liked him instantly. The other pup was different, different from all the rest of the litter. She looked just like Balto.

“Who are you? Where did you come from?” the red pup asked. I quickly picked myself up.

“I’m a stray, off the streets.” I said, puffing out my chest proudly. They both looked impressed, and I smiled to myself.

 “Pleased to meet you. I’m Kodiak, but everyone just calls me Kodi.” The red puppy said, wagging his tail. There was a small pause.

 “I’m Aleu.” The other pup mumbled. She sure was an odd one, that pup. She was slightly funny-looking, with her head and neck out of proportion with the rest of her body, and the largest blue eyes ever, not at all like Balto or Jenna. I was about to tell them where and how I’d lived and survived, when Aleu suddenly blurted out, “Haven’t you got a name?” My brain stopped dead.

“Err….no, um, no.” I whispered awkwardly. Aleu sniggered, but Kodi just smiled at me.

“That’s ok. You wouldn’t have one ‘cos you’re a stray. My mama and papa’s humans gave us all names. They want us to keep our names if we can, so they tell our new owner our names, but the owners can always change them if they want.” He suddenly spun around in circles, barking madly “Yahoo! I’m going to have an owner! Mine and no one else’s, and it’s happening TODAY!” he stopped, then swayed dizzily. “Uh, I think I have to sit down,” he panted. I laughed happily, but suddenly felt horribly lonely again. Kodi was so lucky.

 Suddenly we heard a jeep engine. “There’s more! They’re coming! More humans!” Kodi grew even more ecstatic, jumping up and down. Panic numbed my brain. What should I do? What if they think I am up for sale? Mother had always taught me to fear humans, most of them don’t look twice at a stray…but my feeling of loneliness wasn’t going to be forgotten. And so I stood, on the bridge between two lives. Something inside of me, somehow, made a decision. I stood my ground. Two human men and a woman came and looked at us in the crate and then a big pair of hands grabbed Kodi and raised him up.

“You’re a fine looking fella; I’ll bet you’ll be good at mail delivery. What d’ya say to that?” Kodi barked loudly. A few moments later and he was being carried over the man’s shoulder to his jeep, the woman following behind. He turned to say goodbye to us, and his face was one of amazing excitement and happiness. I was so pleased for him, but I wasn’t watching what was happening to ME. Suddenly I felt myself being lifted up, terror filled me and every instinct I had told me to break free and run, maybe bite his hand, but I had to stay still. The man felt me trembling and laughed.

“You scared of me, little girly? Hey, you don’t look at all like that other pup, what’s going on?” After a small talk with Jenna’s owners, the man and the owners came back smiling. “Where did you come from, then? You sneaked into the crate because you wanted to be adopted too? Hah! You sure are a little character!” He smiled at me, and I wagged my tail shyly. He talked to Jenna’s owners, they all laughed, and a few seconds later my new owner had wrapped me in a woollen blanket and was carrying me away. I wanted to howl with excitement and joy. I couldn’t help looking back, worried about Aleu. She smiled at me, and then curled up in the crate. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. I snuggled up against the man’s chest, and listened to the steady beat of his heart. I remembered my life as a stray puppy, living beside the old abandoned storage shed. Tomorrow I’m a new dog, I whispered to myself. The words tasted sweet in my mouth.