last thoughts were of you, as I slipped into the darkness.
I woke up in Nome, a goose named Boris had found me, and saved me… he became kind of a father to me, and I… I couldn’t just leave him. I… I thought of you all the time… then… well then I met the only female I could even think of comparing to you. I figured you’d given up on me a long time ago, moved on… so I did.”
“Balto…” she started, “I… I never gave up on you.”
“I wish I’d known that,” Balto said, “things might be different.”
Jamie sighed
“I guess everything that happens has a reason.”
“It does Jamie,” Balto said, “if I hadn’t been there, the town of Nome might not be there anymore. I… I had to go find a lost team and…”
“That was you?” Jamie asked.
Balto nodded.
“I heard about it, but.. I didn’t know it was you.”
Nothing was said between the two for a long time, the snow just drifted through the air between them.
“Ten kids?” She asked.
Balto smiled.
“Yeah,” he said.
She smiled.
“That’s a handful.”
“Well,” Balto said, “six of them are coming up on three years old, and two of them are two, and two of them are just now, today two weeks old.”
“Why’d you need to see Jack?” She asked.
“Well..”
Balto told her the events of the past week, telling her of Trinea, and how Jenna was fooled into believing her. How he’d come all the way here, because Jack could tell Jenna the truth.
“She must be quite a girl for you come all the way out here for her,” Jamie said, when he’d finished.
“She is,” Balto said, “the only dog I can even think of comparing her to is you.”
Jamie smiled.
I’m happy for you Balto,” she said, “I’m sorry for being the way I was to you a minute ago.”
“I just hope we can remain friends,” Balto said.
“Are you kidding?” Jamie said. “Nothing can ever take away Applegate, and the time we spent together there. I’ll always be your friend Balto.”
Then she turned and walked away.
Balto watched her.
He smiled, then walked back into the shed.
CHAPTER XVII
Tycha and Tim were still talking, when the door to the big house opened.
A human walked in.
"Hey what are you two doing in here, who are you?" The man yelled.
Tycha jumped up.
"Run!" Tycha yelled.
The man picked up a jar off one of the tables and threw it at them.
It exploded on the floor, just where Tim had been sitting seconds before.
They ran.
As soon as they were clear of the house, Tycha stopped, as did Tim.
"Tycha?" Tim asked, a little confused.
Tycha sighed, and a tear rolled out of her eye.
"I'm sorry Tim," she said.
She sighed again.
"That... that wasn't my home." She said.
So I gather," Tim said, thinking of the glass jar that had almost creamed him.
"You want to see where I really live?" Tycha said.
Tim nodded.
"You're standing on it," Tycha said.
Tim looked down; he was in the middle of hte street.
"You don't have a home?" Tim asked.
Tycha shook her head, and looked at the ground.
"I sleep wherever I can, and meet other dogs who can help me."
"Why... why did you lie to me?" Tim said.
"Why are you lying to her," he thought.
Tycha sighed again, looked at the ground, and then looked up at him.
"I know it may sound stupid," she began, "but... well, I think... I know I really like you... and I... I just wanted you to like me."
Tim smiled.
"It doesn't matter to me where you live."
She smiled too.
"Really?" She asked, "most dogs are kind of turned off by a... a stray."
"Well they're pretty dumb then," Tim said.
"I...uh... have something to confess to you as well," Tim said.
"What is that?" Tycha questioned.
"Well, it's something that I just haven't told you, not something I lied about, not really anyway... you remember that I told you I was from Nome?"
"Yes," Tycha said.
"Well...."
Tim paused, unsure of how to put it.
"I'm... not exactly a dog."
"What?" Tycha said, confused.
Tim sighed.
"Here goes..." he thought to himself.
"Balto found me, in his boat, because ... I had no home, you see I'm kind of a stray too."
Tycha grinned at him.
"I m a stray, however, because.... because my whole pack was annihilated by hunters."
"You're pack?... Then you're a..." Tycha started.
Tim nodded.
"I'm a wolf."
Tycha took a step back in surprise.
"You don't look like a wolf, you look like a dog, I mean one of us domesticates."
Tim smiled.
"My mother was only half," he explained. "She was a half wolf, who fell in love with the alpha male of a pack, and left her humans to be with him. I inherited her looks."
"Tim.. I.... I don’t know what to say." Tycha said, shocked at this new revelation.
"I hope.... I hope we can still be friends Tycha," Tim said, "cause I.... I really like you too. I should have told you sooner, but I.... but I wanted you to like me."
Tycha smiled at him, and took a step forward.
"Tim.... do you mean that?"
"Yes," Tim said, "I agree, it's crazy, and I don't know how to explain it, but... I love you."
She stepped closer still.
"Tim," she said quietly, "do you mean that, really?"
Tim nodded.
"I... I'd like to come with you tomorrow," Tycha said.
Now it was Tim's turn to be shocked.
"But you said you'd lived your whole life here, are you sure you'd want to leave it, I mean I don't exactly have a home either."
"Tim look at your paws," Tycha said.
Tim did.
"What do you see?" Tycha asked.
"I see rocks.... and dirt... and snow...."
"What do the rocks and dirt make?" Tycha asked.
"The road?" Tim said.
"The street, Tycha said. "Tim, that's all I have here. I've heard of Nome, and it sounds like such a neat place."
Tim smiled.
She stopped talking.
I'd love for you to come." Tim said
Tycha's face went serious, for the first time since Tim had met her, and she stepped forward, until they were almost touching, the she laid her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck.
Tim was a little surprised, and didn't know how to respond. Then he smiled, laid his head on top of hers, and cuddled with her.
The two of them were walking down the street, talking again.
"So," Tim said, "how did you come to be a...."
He paused, not quite sure how to put it.
She smiled.
"A stray?" She asked.
He nodded.
"Well, I used to live with a group of humans, a family. I don't really remember much about them. I was really small. Then they... they had to move... and wherever they were going... I couldn't go.
They left me on the side of the road... just outside Anchorage. I thought they'd come back... but... they never did.
I knew I was on my own now, I... I didn't really know what to do. I mean I was just barely a month old, and I... I was so cold, they left in January.
Tim interrupted her.
"How'd you survive?"
"Well," she continued, "I met a really nice dog, a dog who had lived on the streets herself for quite a while, after her family dumped her off. She was waiting for this other dog named Balto.."
Tim cut her off.
"Balto?" Tim asked, "I came with him, remember?"
"Oh yeah, that was who you were with, huh?" she said.
"Where is she?" Tim asked.
"You met her this morning," Tycha responded.
Tim thought for a moment.
"Jamie?"
Tycha smiled and nodded.
"Why...."
Tim's voice drifted off.
"I'm sorry, go on," Tim said.
"I've got some things to ask Balto." Tim thought.
"Well anyway," Tycha began again, "She's kind of raised me, for about six months anyway."
"So what would she think of you going away?" Tim asked.
"I don't know," Tycha said.
Tim sighed.
"Well maybe we should tell her."
"Yeah," Tycha said, "we should.
"So do you have anywhere to sleep tonight?" Tycha asked him.
"No," Tim replied, smiling at her.
"Well I know of this really beautiful spot up on the hill, over there, outside of Anchorage, if you want to go there."
"Where are you going to stay?" Tim asked.
"Wherever you do," Tycha responded, "if that's okay I mean."
Tim smiled.
"That'd be great, lead the way."
The two continued walking down the sidewalk.
CHAPTER XVIII
The next morning, came a little too quickly for Tim. He thoroughly enjoyed the night before. He and Tycha hadn't gotten to sleep until three o'clock in the morning. They'd just stayed up and talked, almost all night.
He was surprised how much they had in common with one another. He was still getting used to the... charge that seemed to jolt through his body, every time he looked
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