snow-covered ground. My body was close to the point of breaking, my hope nearly gone as the grizzly pressed a large paw on me as if to push me into a snowy grave . . . and that was the moment when I heard a growling battle cry from above me.” 

“Was it a wolf?” Aleu asked. “You know, one of your relatives on your– I mean, our wolf family tree?”

Balto shook his head. “Not even close. It was your mother, Aleu.” The quarter-wolf gasped with surprise.  

No way! Aleu thought of the idea of the elegant purebred husky that she had learned about doing such a thing. Why would a husky risk her own life to save a hybrid outcast like Papa? She really must have been crazy in love with him or just completely crazy altogether! She didn’t ask Balto aloud, but continued to listen to his story.

“I learned later that Jenna had tracked down my scent from the hospital window the evening I had left and concluded that I was going to bring the team and the serum home. Thank goodness she arrived when she did! She bravely leapt at the bear’s paw, biting down on it and causing it to loosen its grip on me. I was free from its grasp, but Jenna was flung from the bear like a child’s rag-doll toy; however, I noticed that the roaring bear’s strength and large power clearly wasn’t going to stop her as she got up and latched back onto it before I even had a chance to recover. Jenna was thrown off of it again, but thanks to her attacking distraction, I was able to get up and lead the bear away from her and near a frozen lake that was down a steep hill. It was a risk, but I was willing to do anything to repay Jenna’s bravery and sacrifice by risking my own safety for hers.” 

“That sounds ridiculous,” Aleu chuckled.

“But it was love, wasn’t it, Balto?” Geona asked. “She must have really loved you to do such a act.” 

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Balto’s cheeks were slightly flushed at the thought. “It was at that moment that I knew she loved me for me and not out of pity of the bullying of my breeding. Why else would she risk her own life in the rough snow to save mine? In the thrill of the moment, I truly loved her more than I did when we first met.” He paused, allowing the words to sink into the minds of the females with him. “I used my surroundings to fight back – mainly in the form of a naked branch that hit its nose before it could reach me; however, I fell backwards, sliding onto the icy surface of the mountain lake. Naturally, the grizzly followed me, despite the danger of falling through. I felt the ice beneath me crack several times before the bear’s feet, and soon the rest of its body, plunged through; I never would have expected what happened next – the icy water was calling for me to join it as well.”

Aleu gasped. “You fell through the ice?” Balto nodded. “How could you survive in that cold water?” 

“It must have been Aniu’s saving grace for you to have survived,” Geona murmured in a soft voice. She turned to his daughter with a calm look. “Why else would you still be here in front of us today?”

“Huh?” Balto’s ears pricked up at one word that caught his attention. “What was that, Geona?” 

He was born and raised by the wolf, right? The light-gray wondered to herself. His she-wolf mother must have taught him about the Great Aniu at least . . . if anything! How strange . . . “Oh, it’s nothing,” Geona shook off the comment with her head. “Please continue, Balto.”

Balto cleared his throat before telling the next part. “Anyway, a circular crack surrounded me, and my weight began to pull the slab of ice below the frigid waves. I held onto the rising edge of the ice, watching as my friends ran to my rescue, calling out my name with worry, but they could do nothing; the circular piece of ice flipped over, taking me under with it.” He paused again; this time a tear dripped down his face. “The icy chill of the water stung me like needles, nearly paralyzing me in its spell. I could hear nothing, but I could feel the pressure of the strong current trying to sweep me within it; I remained firm, trying not to move as much. Luckily, I located a tiny opening that would be necessary for me to survive; I needed some air to breathe, so I began to suck in some air through the hole. It wasn’t much, but it was better than cold water any day.  

“My eyesight was blurred, but for a split-second glance, I swore I could see the form of the burgundy and white she-husky above me; I felt as if her paws, although they were between a layer of ice, were actually touching my own for one single moment. Oh, if only the warmth in her heart could have flowed through her paws and melted the ice away! I only blinked for a moment, and she was gone – the current had swept me away. I began to close my eyes, giving into the darkness that was calling me beneath the frozen abyss. My mouth was filled with water – I was drowning . . . and before I realized it, I blacked out.”

“But . . . how did you –?” Aleu whispered, unable to understand how her father could be so strong at one point and completely helpless at another, but Balto interrupted her query with the answer. 

“When I returned to my senses, I could tell that I was no longer in the lake. I felt a large weight hit me, thankfully causing the water vomit from my mouth, but my eyes couldn’t open. Was I dead? Was I alive? Would I ever see my friends and Jenna again? I did not know until my hearing returned. Seconds later, I could hear the honking voice of Boris trying to bring me back to him and feel his feathery pats against my muzzle, sense the nervous ramblings and mutterings of Muk and Luk behind him . . . and my nose smelt the loving scent of the brave Jenna, . . . who I knew once my sights were set on her now, I would never look at the same way ever again.” He slightly smiled as the memory returned to him. “My eyes finally opened, my vision blurred, but the sight of a relieved Boris holding my head up with his wings made me feel grateful for his company. I was able to stand up for a moment, but I quickly collapsed back onto the snow-covered ground, shuttering violently after my ordeal; I still felt worn out and nearly frozen, but I couldn’t figure out how to get my body temperature back up. Apparently, Jenna knew she could help, so without a second to rethink, she placed her body on top of mine.”

“Papa!” Aleu blushed embarrassingly. “That didn’t seem like a good time to be so friendly.” 

Balto turned red at the thought of his daughter’s comment. “Now, now, Aleu; she only meant to warm me, not to . . . oh, gosh . . .” He lowered his head in embarrassment. Balto let out a nervous chuckle. “Okay, I actually enjoyed the feel of her silky fur against mine, but I thought she enjoyed it too, despite her serious tone as she spoke. She gave me important information that really helped out on our journey: she had learned through a recent message that Eagle Pass, the quickest way through the rocky mountains that awaited us, was now blocked, leaving only the danger-filled Mountain Trail as the best way to start looking for the team. I knew she was strong-willed enough to handle anything, so I didn’t doubt her courage.”

“Thank goodness she found you,” Geona spoke up. “If she hadn’t, you probably would have used up more time you didn’t have to waste.” 

“That’s right, Geona,” Balto replied. “I felt grateful to have such faithful friends by my side, but things began to go so wrong moments later. Once some of my strength had returned, Jenna got up, satisfied by what she had done for me, but when she took a step forward on her right foreleg, she fell onto the snow with a cry. I knew she was hurt, but she refused to believe it. She got up and moved again, but to the same result, she collapsed onto the snow. Jenna’s ankle was hurt – there was no way she would make it any further. She suggested that I go without her, in fear of her injury slowing us down; she was right that she would slow down the journey, but there was no way in hell that I was just going to leave her to be sacrificed within the upcoming storm ahead.”

“What did you do, Papa?” Aleu asked. “Did my mother get home safely, even though she had been hurt?” 

“I’m getting to that, Aleu,” Balto nearly let out a growl, causing her to step back suddenly with a gasp. He had to apologize quickly. “Sorry, but you have to be a bit more patient.” Aleu lowered her ears, as if to say she was sorry, and nodded before the brownish-gray hybrid continued. “Instead of me leaving without her, I sent Boris and the bears back with her, having them escort her back to home on a large pine bough. In return, Jenna gave me her red-orange bandanna for warmth;” Balto’s eyes began to grow misty with tears as he pictured the beautiful husky sliding the tied piece of fabric off her neck and onto his own. “She thought it wouldn’t keep me very warm, but just knowing that she loved me enough to give it to me made me feel so . . . so happy. I felt her nuzzle against each side of my face as the others got themselves ready to travel. Before we parted, Boris told me something that I never really understood until days later –” The hybrid paused to clear his throat and dried his eyes. “He told me this: ’A dog cannot make this journey alone, . . . but maybe a wolf can.’”

“What did he mean by that, Papa?” Aleu wondered aloud. “I know that you’re half dog and half wolf, but I don’t understand.” 

“I think I understand it,” Geona told them. The two part-wolves looked at her with open ears. “He probably meant that this journey was a chance for you to understand the wolf that lives within you. Apparently you preferred the tame half over the wildness that everyone seemed to reject.”

“Well, you’d be right, Geona,” Balto nodded. “but the moment when I realized that doesn’t come until later