said, a little suspicion creeping into her voice, "I'm Balto's daughter."
"Oh," Likea said, "I don't know him very well, just met your mom the other day, I'm.. new here in Nome."
"Well," Aleu said, watching Likea closely, "any friend of my father or mother's is a friend of mine, do you need somewhere to stay?"
"With these wolves," Trinea thought, "I'd rather freeze to death. We dog's will always be better than you. We've seen the advantages, or should I say, ways we can use, human companionship. You shun them, so they hunt you. I hope you and your whole pack get slaughtered someday, you should have went with the husky blood in you."
She smiled at Aleu.
"Thank you," she said, "but I've really got to get to finding him, do you know where he is?"
"Yeah," Aleu said, "he said they were headed for Applegate, and then Anchorage from there."
"Thank you," Likea said as she turned and walked away.
She stopped on the edge of the hill and looked back at the cave, where the wolves had all gathered to see what was up.
"Yes," she thought, "someday, someday the humans will succeed in wiping your kind off of this earth, then it will be just us domesticates running around, the way it should be, survival of the fittest after all.
Her thoughts turned toward Balto then.
"How much we are alike my love, we both are
on journeys likely to end in death, but neither of us
care, and yet, there can be only one victor in this
race, one victor indeed and I will win, I must win,
even if it means destroying your entire world to get
there.”
Jenna was walking towards Drake and Gemeni's home. She was thinking about what Kelli had said.
"Is she right? " Jenna thought, "Should I have given him a chance, maybe then he wouldn't be off in the middle of nowhere."
She really felt worried about him, and this caused to realize how much she missed him, how much he must miss her.
"But don't think about it," Jenna told herself. "You're just going to drive yourself mad thinking about all the what if's in this situation, though… there are a lot of them."
She walked up on the steps to the old mill, where Drake lived, and stepped through the door.
"Hi, Jenna," Gemeni said as she walked up to her.
"Hey," Jenna said, smiling. How're are you feeling?"
"Well," Gemeni said, "this morning I felt a little sick, but it felt kind of good too, because I knew the reason."
She smiled back at Jenna.
"Is Drake here?" Jenna asked.
"No," Gemeni said, "I think he went to investigate some thieving that went on at the butcher's last night. I swear, there are more thieves in this town than dog's these days.
"Yeah," Jenna said, "I guess I can't blame most of them though, they've got to eat something. I mean if it was to eat, or feed my pups, I'd do it too."
"Yeah I guess so," Gemeni said, "but our law doesn't make any allowances for that sort of thing."
Jenna nodded.
"So you said that he was a t the butcher's?"
"That's where he told me he was going last, but you never know with him, he's probably found something else to stick his nose in. He's always late."
Jenna smiled again.
"You should go easier on him," she said, "it is his job after all."
Gemeni nodded.
"Yeah I suppose so."
"Well I'm going to see if I can't find him," Jenna said.
"I heard that Balto was gone," Gemeni said, "does that have anything to do with why you want to see Drake?"
"No," Jenna lied, "I just need to talk to him about something."
"Jenna don't start second guessing yourself on this," Gemeni said, "I know it's hard, and I know how you must feel, but if you start pondering all the what if's, you'll drive yourself insane."
"I'm not," Jenna lied again, "I just need to talk to him that's all."
"Well remember if you ever need to talk about anything, anything at all, I'll be here, alright."
"Thanks," Jenna said.
Then she turned and walked out the door.
It didn't take Jenna long to make it to the butcher's, sure enough, Drake was there.
"…so it looks like probably three dog's, all fairly small from the looks of it, wouldn't you agree Terrace?" He finished as she walked up behind him.
"Yeah," Terrace said, "I concur."
"Probably that run away group again."
He sighed.
He looked up at his friend.
"I don't really know who it was, do you?"
Terrace smiled.
"Not a clue," he said, but I'll keep searching."
The black husky walked off.
"Hey you," Jenna said.
Drake jumped.
"Oh Jenna," he said. "How long have you been standing back there?"
"Long enough," she said.
She smiled.
"You're trying to protect them, aren't you?"
He sighed.
"Yeah," he said, "I feel so sorry for them, they don't have any other way to eat. I can't ask them to just starve. They got off before because they were young, and might not have known any better, the oldest one's only a year old, but now… if they come back before me I'll have no choice but to banish them. Then… who knows what'll happen. The cold season's coming and without food already, and a home…"
He didn't finish his sentence.
"I understand," Jenna said, "I think it's kind of sweet of you."
"So what brings you here?" Drake asked.
"Well Balto…"
"What now?" Drake asked.
"Hey," Jenna said, a little defensive, "let me finish, actually before I do, you've got to promise me that this stays between the two of us, it goes nowhere else do you understand me?"
She paused.
"I don't want t see him hurt any more," she said softly.
"Go on," Drake said.
"Okay," Jenna said, she took a deep breath.
"Last night… Balto came to see me."
"WHAT!" Drake yelled. "Jenna that is in direct defiance of the order he was given, in defiance of all that our law is and stands for, I can't believe he'd be that stupid!"
He looked at the ground and then back up at her.
"Jenna," he said, "if someone saw him… I'm… I'm not going to have a choice, I can't defend contempt."
"You heard my ruling… that sentence… that sentence is enforced on threat of death."
"I know," Jenna said, "that's why I said that it stays between us."
"What if someone else saw him Jenna, if they report it… I'm going to have to hunt him down."
"Well hopefully no one did, or at least I don't think they did, anyway it doesn't matter, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."
"He said last night that he'd told you everything, is that true?"
"To the best of my knowledge," Drake said quietly.
"Where did he say he slept that night?" Jenna asked.
"Well," Drake said, "it was an old barn, over on Thirtieth Street."
"The red one?" Jenna asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"And one other thing," Jenna asked him.
"Did he tell you what he was trying to find me?"
"Yeah it was a diamond…"
Jenna's eyes seemed to swell and she smiled.
“Balto," She thought, "where would you find something like that?"
" ….a heart shaped one, but Jenna, he's
probably just making that up, I've got no proof that it…"
Jenna cut him off.
"Thanks Drake," she said.
Then she turned and ran off, towards thirtieth
street.
"That was strange," Drake thought.
"Hey Drake," Terrace yelled form around the
corner. I've got something I think you're going to want to see."
Drake walked around the building.
"What now?" He thought.
Terrace was standing by the garbage can that
the butcher threw scraps of meat in, so the dog's could get at it.
"Well that's just freakin' fanstastic," he said aloud, "so much for seeing Gemeni today."
Sticking out of the trash can was a gray paw…
Jenna made it to the barn quite quickly.
"Balto I once said I wished I could believe you, please let me now." She thought.
She walked around the barn for almost an hour, looking.
No diamond.
She tore the place apart.
No diamond.
She nearly knocked the building off of it's foundations.
Still no diamond.
She collapsed on the floor, breathing hard from her exertion, tears flooded her eyes as she started to cry soflty.
"Balto, I want so badly to believe you, but none of your story matches up, how can I?"
She closed her eyes, and began to think.
"I miss you so much Balto, I'd admit that I was wrong… if only I could believe you, if only I had one teeny, tiny little shred of evidence."
She opened her eyes.
"Oh Balto," she said.
Laying in the snow just inside the door, was a beautiful shiny heart shaped diamond.
Chapter XII
Jenna made the walk to Drake's carefully, as to not drop the diamond that was in her bandanna.
She was so happy she could hardly stand it, she
14089 visits
Report this fanfic 
