perfect father. 

“You mean, with Aleu . . . and the rest of our pups . . .?” Jenna asked worriedly, although she knew the response.

“Yeah,” Balto’s ears fell slightly. “We both knew that our children would all be part-wolf, but . . .” he sighed for a moment. “I never thought that our first-born would be more like me than I thought . . .” 

“But we took that chance anyway,” Jenna comforted him before they both sighed in unison as they nuzzled.

Out of the six pups, the light gray-brown Aleu was the only pup that seemed to inherit her father’s wolf appearance and mannerisms, despite the fact that she didn’t have a clue about it. Her other sisters and brothers looked more like the red and white-furred Jenna, their dam, but they still had wolf in them although they could conceal it well. After they turned eight weeks old, all but the oldest was adopted, taken in by a human child of their own. A year had passed, and their oldest daughter had yet to find a home to call hers, but destiny had another plan for her . . . 

“If only I had gone with you to see her,” Jenna murmured sadly. She missed her daughter deeply when she had run away after learning the secret of her heritage. A hunter had nearly taken her life, and thanks to Balto and the others, she was spared, only to hear the truth about who she was; in rebellion, she began to run wild into the woods in order to find her real place. “I could have helped you protect her while you tried to bring her home at least.”

“It still would have been too dangerous, Jenna,” Balto reminded her. “You know that. You’ve been inside the wilderness before, I know, but life out there is more ruthless than you could believe and it’s not exactly what you would call a home sweet home to one not born for it. Anyway, those wolves wouldn’t have taken kindly to you, especially since you happen to be a human’s dog – a husky.” The words were not easy for him to tell her, but it was true. Jenna wasn’t born into the wild like he was, but despite him being left near a human town as a pup, he was still more connected to the wild than she. 

“Humph, I could have tried to fight them myself, you know,” The husky playfully boasted. “I fought off a grizzly bear to save your life once before, so don’t count me out just yet, Balto!” She smiled at him, despite the seriousness of the journey.

“I know you would have done something like that, but I wouldn’t want you to get hurt out there again because of something that was my fault. Besides, it wasn’t a place that you were meant to be; that’s why I stopped you from following me,” Balto said again. 

“I understand that,” Jenna recognized that fact. “Besides, Aleu wasn’t born in the wild either; just because she looks like a wolf doesn’t mean she could have handled the dangers of the North like you could. And anyway, she wouldn’t have had a prayer out there if it wasn’t for you.”

“In the end, that land was our daughter’s fate, although I originally thought she wasn’t supposed to be involved in the situation either.” Balto remembered. “She was wiser and more mature than I thought she was before she left.” 

Once Father and Daughter reunited in the mountains, they traveled close to a seashore where a pack of wolves were awaiting their arrival. Nava, the Alpha of the Clan, told them about the wolves’ plight and that Aniu, a white wolf that the wolves look to for guidance and worship, had told him in a dream that in order for the Clan to survive the upcoming winter, they had to cross the large stretch of water that their source of food, the herds of caribou, had done sometime prior. The rest of the wolves were unsure of whether to stay or go across, but when Nava spoke of their new leader being “the one who is wolf and does not know,” the lupines began to look at Balto, the half-wolf visitor to their territory, as the one that would fulfill Aniu’s will.

However, Aleu began to see that she and her father were there for a reason: they were supposed to help fulfill Aniu’s prophecy to Nava; Balto was not convinced by the wolves’ problems, despite the fact that he had had dreams of caribou crossing an ice bridge on top of water, and his overprotective attitude made him want to leave with Aleu the next day, whether she wanted to or not. Once the next day arrived, Balto realized what he had to do, and when the right moment came, Balto began to lead them across . . . and Aleu completed the journey, deciding to guide them to the caribou as their new leader after also receiving and interpreting the same dream of caribou crossing a mysterious ice bridge to another land across the salt-water sea. 

“I knew she was different all along,” Jenna commented. “but I’m just glad to know that Aleu’s following her heart.” She let out another sigh. “Our other children have begun to follow their own dreams as well . . . and living their own lives.”

“Yeah,” Balto was able to smile again. He knew that his other children would most likely be into the local sport of dog-sledding, and he didn’t blame them at all. At a young age after he began to live near Nome with Boris, he had watched his first dog-sledding race and instantly fell in love with the thrill of the chase. “I always knew we’d have strong lead dogs in the making with our pups.” 

“Balto,” Jenna joked. “they’re not pups anymore; why, they’re almost two years old already.”

“I know, I know,” Balto tossed his head, nearly laughing as he did so. I still can’t believe it though . . . “but I so proud of them, especially Kodi.” 

“Yes, he has found a way to follow your paws,” Jenna sighed happily. Kodiak was the youngest and the runt of the litter, always the last to finish quick foot races down the shoreline near Balto’s boat. He felt so down when he lost each race, but thanks to Balto’s encouragement and personal lessons, Kodi left the nest with high dreams of becoming a lead dog on a team. Currently, he was just chosen as a new recruit for the local U.S. Mail team that traveled between Nome and White Mountain almost daily. He was running as a wheel dog to start, but his dream was only growing.

“I’m so proud of him, Jen,” Balto smiled with pride. “He and his brothers have a lot of promise in the harness.” Dingo and Denali, Kodi’s brothers, were also in training to become sled dogs, although they weren’t as good as their little brother was.  

“Don’t forget about Yukon too,” Jenna reminded him. “Just because she’s a girl doesn’t mean that you should forget about her skills either!”

“Ah, yes,” Balto chuckled with forgetfulness. “She’s more than I ever expected from a daughter . . . just like her older sister.” Yukon had dealt with teasing and labeling due to the fact that she was not only part-wolf, but also a female who wanted to run a race as a lead dog. However, she must have been born with her father’s bravery and perseverance, because she was able to show that she was more than worthy enough to lead a team, and just a month ago, she was chosen to lead a dog-sled team for a temporary basis. “She really has come a long way.” 

“And there’s Saba too, you know,” The husky sighed happily. “She’ll be a wonderful show dog one day.”

“Well, she does get her beauty and looks from you, after all,” Balto noted. Saba was almost a carbon copy of her mother, thin legs and all; the only difference between the two was that Saba had stunning blue eyes, much the opposite of Jenna’s amber-hazel. All the local dogs began to love her as much as that had her mother, and that made her one of the most popular dogs in Nome. “She is our little princess.” 

“Indeed,” Jenna nodded.

Balto sighed as he looked back at the calendar once more. So much time has passed,he thought. He began to chuckle underneath his breath. Oh, I must be feeling old . . . I’m starting to think about the past like an old mutt would! Oh, geez . . . 

Jenna looked at him and sighed, shaking her head. He’s so strange . . . and he hasn’t changed since I first laid eyes on him . . . She looked at the calendar, noticing a certain date that made her eyebrows lift. “You know, Balto,” she began to catch his attention once more, breaking the silence. “Valentine’s Day is only a week away . . .”

“What day is that?” Balto whined; he had never heard of the holiday, so it was normal for him to ask. “I’ve never heard of this, . . . Valentine’s Day, before. What exactly is it all about?” 

The husky chuckled. “I’m sorry . . . I forgot that you are still new to the customs of humans.” She lifted a paw to a box with the number “14” on it. “Humans celebrate this holiday on February 14th called Valentine’s Day. It’s a day where lovers, couples and family members show how much they love one another by showering each other with gifts and other nice little things.”

“That’s a silly idea, Jen,” Balto chuckled again, a bit louder this time. “You know I love you, more than life itself!” He paused for a laugh, but Jenna gave him a serious gaze, silencing him. “Well? Don’t the humans know that about each other already? Don’t they tell their mates how much they love each other on a daily basis?” 

“Sometimes they do, mainly the young newlyweds and the innocent children,” Jenna explained. “but some couples don’t seem to show it as much as others. That’s why they celebrate Valentine’s Day – a day to remind their mates of how much they mean to them in their lives, even when times get too busy to say it otherwise.”

“I see,” Balto said. “So, do dogs celebrate this holiday as well?” 

“I’m not sure, really. I’ve heard of some couples doing something nice for their mates before, but I do know that this year is the first time the local dogs are publicly going to join the celebration, so I thought we could exchange gifts between us,” Jenna suggested. “We