be attentive.”
“Train Mel? Piece of cake. I’ll say something next time I see him. Say, how did you even know about this?”
“I pick things up here and there. I should be trotting along. Foxes get treated very poorly in towns.”
“If you must. Thank you, Mr. White.” With a heave of her generous back end, Dips rose to her feet and waddled off to the post office.
“Finally, someone used my name. Miracle of miracles.” Chuckling heartily, Virgil walked, unafraid, down the center of town.
“Hello down there. You are looking unfamiliar. New into Nome?” Boris flapped down from the sky, and settled himself into step beside Virgil.
“Zdravstvuyte. I am Mr. Virgil White. Or whatever piece you’d like to use. Rad s Vamee poznakomit’sya.”
“Your accent is strange, but, it is good to hear the words. Rad s Vamee poznakomit’sya, Virgil White. My name is Boris.”
“Oh yes, I’ve heard of you. Balto’s father-like figure. A bit of a temper, a bit of a grump, but overall a good egg.”
“That is correct. What brings you into our little town?”
“This, that and the other thing. Mostly I came here to tell people things they desperately need to know. I’ve already helped out a few struggling individuals. I was the one who helped to patch up Jenna and Kodi. It wasn’t easy, mind you. They’re stubborn. But I did it.”
“Oh! So you are one! I must thank you most greatly for helping to make peace. They fought like great Russian bears. Now, is peaceful. Much better for Balto. Having mate and son fighting hurt him much.”
“He’s going to be hurt even more in another few hours, if that.”
“Why are you saying such a thing?”
“Because Aleu is coming back. I told him yesterday. It took a little of the cheer out of him, but he had to know. Otherwise he’d be in even worse shape when she showed up. Because she has company.”
Boris widened his eyes in shock. Over Aleu, over the fox knowing she was coming, over who was coming with her. “What are you? What are you playing at?”
“I’m someone who knows things. And I wanted to smooth things over by giving Balto a chance to prepare himself and those around him for what will be revealed when she enters town.”
“But how do you know? How do you know about this? Tell me! Tell me!”
“Calm down. You’ll do yourself a mischief screaming like that.” Virgil winked at Boris and trotted faster, calling out, “Do svidaniya, tovarich.”
The goose stopped cold at the last word, his breath catching in his throat, mouth agape. “No… You are wrong. You do not know what…”
“They’re probably still waiting for you in Moscow. Or St. Petersburg. You told them you would be there. What’s the matter, comrade? Lost your stomach for the Red Army after the fall of the Tsar? You fought the Imperial aviary freely, and killed your fair share of royal swans and hunting hounds beside the borzoi and Siberian wolves. You were the one who said you would support the Bolsheviks with your life. No one forced you to bring down the White Army’s animals. So why did you run out on them when they won?”
“It was long time ago. I was young and stupid. Did not know what I was getting into. I fought for life, and to prove was not coward. Lost many friend and family, saw whole skeins brought down by Tsarist Merlins. What could I do? But after war, could not keep living there. Was too afraid of second revolution. And did not believe in all of my comrades… My fellow revolutionaries’ ideals. So, I flew east, hid in cargo of ship and ended up here.” There were tears in Boris’ eyes as he dredged up memories of what he did, and what happened to him. He wiped his eyes and shook his head. “How did you know?”
“Does Balto know?”
“Balto? Of course not. I could never tell anyone I was Red. Whites came here. I could be killed for what I did.”
“You could be. But I think he deserves to at least know. Your girlfriend too. You plan on having eggs with her. You have to tell the ones you love the truth.”
“How can I? How can I admit that I was killer?”
“It was a different time and a different place. You had to pick a side, and you chose the one that sounded the best. But after killing for so long you ran away from it. Start with that. If they really do care about you, and you know they do, they’ll understand.”
“I still want to know what you are.”
“Sadly, I have to be off. The sparks are going to start flying. Balto’s outside of town, and Jenna’s heading over to him. And for added excitement, Kodi and Kirby are coming too. It’ll either be very messy, or very touching. Either way, I need to be there, just in case.”
“In case of what?”
“In case Balto leads them off before they arrive.”
Just past the outskirts of Nome, where a hill rose up tall and proud, Balto paced, intending to rush up and force the arrivals back behind the hill as soon as he saw them. Then shuffled them back into the wild, before… “Balto! Balto, there you are!” Jenna…
“Yea. H-hi there, Jenna. What are you doing out here? I thought you were with Rosie?”
“Well, Rosie’s playing with her friends, and she let me go where I wanted. So I looked around and saw you out here. What are you waiting for?”
“Waiting for? Nothing. I’m not waiting for anything. What gave you that idea?” Balto slowly walked towards Jenna, trying to subtly push her from the scene.
“I watched you. All you did was stand up, listen, and lay back down again. What’s going on, Balto?”
“Nothing! I swear.”
“Then why did you force Kodi, Kirby and I off the boat last night? That’s not like you. You looked scared. Nothing scares you.”
“Nearly…”
“Dad!” Kodi and Kirby came running up from town, following Jenna’s tracks in the snow.
“Kodi? What’s going on?”
“I just wanted to say… I’m sorry for thinking ill of you. When mom and I were fighting and you tried to keep the peace. You just wanted us to be happy with each other. And I understand that now.”
“Th-thank you, Kodi. That’s wonderful but this isn’t the best time.”
“What’s going to happen, Balto? Answer me!”
“Dad? What’s mom talking about?”
“It’s nothing!”
“Am I too late?” Virgil trotted up to the confused knot of canines.
“Balto, I am your mate! Tell me what’s going on here.”
“Oh, just in time I see.” The white fox settled himself on a fallen tree, close enough to watch the action, but out of strike range.
The dogs had gone silent, trying to sort their next moves out, when something wafted through the air. Balto, being especially sensitive, caught it first. But the rest picked it up. Familiar. Warm. A wolf, or almost. A known wolf. “No. Please, if you care, please no. Go away, just go away…” Balto’s voice was a whisper, pained and pleading.
“It can’t be… Balto you said…” Before Jenna could finish, they heard the crunch of paws on snow, while the scent of lost daughter Aleu grew.
And then it happened. She crested the hill. It was her, no mistake about it. And she seemed alone. For a moment. Before a red fox bounded along, right at her heels. Balto looked to his daughter and, overcome with so many emotions could only cry, “Aleu!”
“Daddy!” Brimming with happiness at being home again, Aleu ran up to rub muzzles with her father. And then her brother.
“Sis!” Kodi pressed necks with Aleu and then went back to his position by Kirby. Aleu sat down, the red fox setting beside her. And then against her.
Seeing this made Jenna blink. She shook her head and tried to understand. “Aleu?”
As though seeing her for the first time, Aleu looked at her mother, who was staring at her. And she realized why. “Mom…”
But Jenna was already looking at her mate. This was what he was afraid of. “Balto!” But her anger had another target. Two children who were… “Kodiak!” Her lips curled, and a snarl rose in her throat.
“Jenna.” The statement was bland, but heavy with meaning. Kirby boldly stood before Jenna, using his hunky bulk to shield his boyfriend.
Aleu looked at Kodi once again. And saw something familiar there. She smiled and tilted her head. “Bro?”
Kodi nodded his head and smiled. “Yea, sis.”
“Sinopa.” The red fox broke her silence at last, inclining her head in a friendly gesture towards Kirby.
The former lead dog smiled a little, nodding down at the fox. “Kirby.”
“Charmed.”
“Likewise.”
Following Kirby and Sinopa’s cordial introduction there was a short silence. And an explosion. Words flew like birds, hurled with anger, contrition and pride. No one listened but they certainly made sure they were heard. And then some. Most of the screaming was done by Jenna, who stalked between her mate, her son and her daughter, blaming herself, her mate, her family line, the sun, moon, stars and anything else she could think of.
Balto padded between his offspring, shielding them from Jenna’s anger, trying to get her to be reasonable and see that she was being unfair. His words may as well have been spoken to
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