way slowly down the stairs.

He walked over and sat beside his siblings.

"Now listen here," Gemini said sternly, "Jason and Hook don't you ever do that again, you could've hurt your sister. And Delilah, what have I told you about fighting?"

"But.." All three of the pups said.

"No buts," Gemini said, "do you want to talk to your father?"

The three pups hung their heads and flattened their ears against their skulls.

"No," they all said.

"Then go outside and play something that's not dangerous." Gemini said.

"Let's play wolf hunter!" Delilah said, "Jason, you can be the prey!"

"Ohh! Why do I always have to be the prey."

The three pups ran out the door.

"Wheew!" Gemini said, "see what I have to deal with?"

"Yeah, looks like you're pretty busy," Meko said.

"It's not always like this, they sleep at night."

"I'm sorry, now what was it you were saying?" Gemini asked.

"Oh," Jamie said, "I was just hoping to see Jenna."

"Oh so you heard huh?" Gemini said.

Jamie nodded.

Gemini sighed.

"Yeah she.. she was hurt pretty bad, I guess she got beat up by a bunch of wolves. Drake took her to Doc's to see if she needed help."

Jamie walked over beside her.

"That's what Meko was telling me," Jamie said.

"How's she..."

Jamie was interrupted again, this time by a scratching sound outside the door.

Gemini walked over and opened the door.

"Drake, come in."

Drake walked in, followed by a tired looking Jenna.

Meko leaned over to Jamie.

"She does look hurt," he whispered.

Jamie walked over to Jenna.

"Hey Jenna, what happened to you?"

"Why her," Jenna thought, "why her and why now?"

"Oh," she said, "I got attacked by a bunch of wolves... I... I think they might've killed Blaize."

A tear came to her eye, and she looked at the floor.

She looked back up.

"Do you have somewhere where I can lay down for a while, I don't feel very good."

"Yeah," Drake said, "upstairs, I'll make sure no one bothers you."

Jenna smiled faintly.

"Thank you Drake, Gemini."

She looked at Jamie.

Then she walked up the stairs.

"What did I do now?" Jamie thought.

Jamie walked up the steps as well.

Jamie followed Jenna into one of the rooms upstairs, Jenna didn't even notice she was there.

Jenna laid down on an old chair that was in the room, and closed her eyes.

Jamie stepped through the door.

"Hey Jenna."

Jenna opened her eyes.

"Hi Jamie," she said, the she rolled over, and got settled in.

Jamie walked over next to her.

"Jenna... I... I don't know quite how to say this but...."

"Look, Jamie," Jenna said. "I'm really needing to go to sleep, can it wait?"

Jamie sighed.

"Yeah," she said, she hung her head turned to walk away.

"No," she said, turning back around, "Jenna I... I need to talk to you."

Jenna rolled over and looked at her.

"What is it Jamie?"

She sounded exasperated.

"Jenna... I..."

Jamie walked over and sat beside Jenna.

"Ever since I came, I've been trying to be your friend, trying to be nice to you and all.... but everytime I try to talk to you, you just brush me off. I think you are the luckiest dog.... and... I like you."

Jenna sighed.

"Jamie..."

Jamie interrupted her again.

"Jenna I... I just want to be your friend. Why... why is that asking so much... huh? What did I do?"

"Jamie," Jenna said, "you didn't do anything wrong."

She sighed.

"I guess... I have been a little... disagreeable huh?"

"I'll say," Jamie said.

"I'm sorry," Jenna said, ""it's just that... with you and Balto.... well it.. it just felt a little... awkward."

She laughed.

"I.. I know it sounds stupid, but... I guess... I guess I was afraid of you, afraid of you getting close to him.... I... I was Jealous, I... I guess I thought that you might try to take Balto from me."

Jamie looked at Jenna.

"Jenna, I'd never... well...."

She sighed.

"I wish more than anything in the world, that he'd come to Anchorage, that... that we were together... but... I respect the new life he's made, and now... now I just want a friend."

"He'd never told me about you." Jenna said.

"Well... " Jamie started.

She smiled.

"We were both just pups, He was only about three months old when I left, and that was oh, about a month before Mikie died."

"See," Jenna said, "now he has told me a little bit about Mikie."

Jamie smiled again.

"Balto was only about, oh... maybe a month old, maybe less when Mikie adopted him, or found him is more accurate.

I guess Balto had wondered away from his family, he never really told me anything about before either, but... but I remember when he was just new to Applegate."

"Applegate?" Jenna asked.

"Yeah," Jamie said, that's where we used to live, where we met each other."

She stopped.

"I thought you were from Anchorage." Jenna said.

"I am.. or was.. but.. that comes later in the story, I'll explain, don't worry."

"The other dogs didn't really like him, see, while the humans couldn't really tell that he was... different quite yet, we dogs could. The pups ostracized him, he didn't have any friends."

She smiled again.

"That's why I talked to him the first time.

He was so lonely, he never let it show, always made himself look so tough, calling himself a loner and all, but I could tell he was hurt by their refusal to accept him, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before the humans did as well.

So I walked up and talked to him one day, and I enjoyed my time with him. So... so we became friends. Now the other dog's shunned me as well, and at first I was frightened by this, and I thought of running back to them... but for some reason... I didn't.

At that point we weren't anymore than friends, I mean we were just kids, we weren't thinking about anything that wasn't happening right now. Whatever happened yesterday was gone, and whatever the future held, we couldn't see, so we just lived.

Balto and I became extremely good friends; we did everything together.

See, though Balto was Mikie's dog... Mikie was very sick. I didn't know it at the time, didn't know until Balto told me when we met up in Anchorage, and I don't think he knew until later, but... Mikie was gone all the time. So Balto was left alone a lot. We went out on the frozen prairie, and through the moutains... we had so many... adventures together.

Sometimes, he'd just show up at my girl's house, and it would be like midnight, and he'd jump on the shed, and crawl on the roof, because my girl's room was on the second floor, and bang on the window.

I'd come to the window all sleepy, 'cause I just woke up, and slide the window open, and he'd be wired and ready to go, some new adventure running through his mind... and a lot of times we'd leave then, it would be midnight, and we'd take off to some new place he’d found.

She smiled again.

“It… it went on like that for three months.

That was when I found out we’d be moving soon. I… I didn’t know what I’d do without Balto, I think that was when I realized that he was more than a friend to me; that… that he meant more than that.

I let it go for a week, not knowing how to tell him.

Then before I knew it, it was the day before we were to leave.

The people of the town had started to realize now, that he was different, and they started to slowly pull away from him.

I… I told him that I wanted to spend the evening with him, but… I still didn’t know how to tell him.

That night up on the hill, we talked, and I accidentally fell asleep. Soon the evening was over, and I knew that I had to tell him…. then he made it even harder on me, he said that he’d enjoyed the time we spent together very much, and asked if we could do it again sometime.

That was when I told him.

At first he looked extremely upset, and then he said he was going to come with me, or meet me anyway.

He was going to leave Mikie and walk all the way to Anchorage,

When I left, that was still the deal, but then….. he never showed up… I didn’t know what had happened to him, but apparently…”

Jenna interrupted her.

“Mikie died.”

Jamie nodded.

He said he was on the way to Anchorage, when he almost froze to death… and when he woke up…. He was here.”

Jenna was silent for a moment.

“Jamie I’m sorry I was so… I’m sorry that I treated you so badly.”

“That’s okay,” Jamie said, “if it hadn’t been for you, I probably never would have met Meko.”

Jenna nodded.

“That doesn’t excuse the way that I treated you though.”

Neither of them said anything.

It was Jamie who finally broke the silence.

“Where is Balto anyway?”

“He… he went to see if he could do something about Blaize… I think.”

“Well,” Jamie said, “I guess I’ll leave you alone then,”

She got up and started to walk away.

“Jamie,” Jenna said.

Jamie stopped and turned.

“Thanks,” Jenna said, “I feel as if I know a Balto that I never did before.”

“You’re welcome.” Jamie said, then she started to walk away again.

“Jamie.”

She stopped again.

“I’d… I’d like it very much if you’d stay