that…”

“Kodi?!” Jenna yelled.

She ran past Balto, who was so stunned he couldn’t even move, then the moment passed, and he ran after Jenna.

“Well Kodi, how… how did you survive?” Jenna asked as Balto slid to a stop in front of Kodi and Dusty.

“He found a cave,” Dusty said, “he saved my life.”

She smiled and nuzzled him. Then she collapsed into a fit of coughing and her ears drooped.

“Dusty are you okay?” Balto asked.

“She’s pretty sick Dad,” Kodi said, “I really need to get her to doc’s. I think she’s got a fever.”

He looked at Dusty and smiled.

“I thought I was going to lose her in that cave, she didn’t wake up for the first week or so, I almost thought….”

He nuzzled her.

“Well I’m just glad she’s alright.”

“Well, I need to get her there; I’ll talk to you guys later.”

Kodi started to leave, leading Dusty down the sidewalk.

“Wait,” Balto said.

“Yeah, we’ll come with you!” Jenna added.

The two of them ran after their son.

Chapter 15

Balto hopped up into the Jenner, Luke’s new plane.

“Good boy,” he said. “Make sure you stay in there, wouldn’t want to fall out of there where we’re going.”

Balto smiled at his family and friends below him.

Jenna as usual was worried sick, Kodi was beside her, grinning at him, and Dusty was beside him.

He was glad that she was alright, she was still a little sick, but she was getting better.

She and Kodi made a great looking couple.

“Okay Balto, I’m going to start her up.” Luke called out.

He lowered his goggles, and the dogs stepped back.

Luke grabbed the shiny propeller and pulled down on it sharply.

The engine coughed once, and then started up/

“Wow,” Balto thought, “It’s even louder inside it.”

Luke climbed into the cockpit, and adjusted the various controls.

He turned to Balto and gave him a thumbs up.

“Ready boy?”

Balto barked.

“Here we go.” Luke said.

Then, with a short jerk, the plane started forward, sliding on the skids that Luke had put on in place of the wheels.

The plane taxied half way down Main Street, before Balto felt the skids leave the ground.

At first he was scared, as Luke goosed the throttle, and the plane soared up toward the clouds.

Jenna and his family grew smaller and smaller, and then even the town vanished, as they soared up and into the clouds.

Balto couldn’t see anything but white for a few minutes, then the plane punched through the top of the clouds, and Balto could see.

“Wow!” He thought.

Many words passed through his mind: beautiful, magnificent, wondrous… but none of them quite fit. The view defied words.

The frozen plains lay spread out before him as he’d never seen them before.

He was always looking up at the mountains, but now, he was looking down on them.

“I told you boy,” Luke said, “there’s nothing like it is there?”

Luke circled the plane a few times, before coming to Main Street to land again.

Balto couldn’t help but be disappointed; he was back on the ground again.

Though he’d been in the air for over an hour, it seemed like minutes, no seconds.

He hopped out of the plane as it braked to a gentle stop and Luke cut the engine.

Jenna ran over to him.

“Oh Balto!” She said. “Are you alright?”

Balto laughed.

“Of course I am.”

“Well dad,” Kodi asked “how was it?”

“It was….”

Balto stopped.

“It was what dad?” Kodi asked.

Balto smiled, remembering.

“I can’t even describe it son, it was so… I just can’t.”

He smiled at his son.

“You’ll just have to try it someday.”

Jenna stepped in front of him then.

“Oh no he won’t,” Jenna said, “and you’re not either, not ever again. I almost had a heart attack.”

Balto laughed.

Then he became serious again, and looked up at the clouds.

“They look so far away now.” Balto thought.

“Jenna, nothing could keep me from doing that again, and again and again and again.”

He sighed.

“Too bad I can’t do it myself.”

Luke walked over to Balto.

“Hey, how’re you boy, did you like it?”

Balto barked, jumped up and licked Luke’s cheek.

He laughed.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Well boy,” Luke said kneeling down beside him. “I was just talking to the other’s, and… well it seems that you don’t have a home boy, and I was wondering if…well I’m going to moving up here soon, and I was wondering if you’d want to live with me?”

“WHAT!” Balto thought. “Me get… get adopted!”

He barked and jumped on top of Luke, knocking him off balance.

Then Balto licked his face.

“Alright, Alright boy, I’ll take that as a yes too.”

Epilogue

Balto looked down at his new home.

Jenna was waiting in the yard.

The plane was circling, getting low enough to land.

The pilot had made a deal with Mr. Harrme.

Now, Luke carried supplies, and the team carried the mail, that way everyone was happy.

They’d just returned from delivering food to the isolated community of Isaloosa, and their long flight was nearly over.

As the plane touched down, Balto reflected on all that had happened.

Thought it had been a trying time for all involved, he guessed that they all came out smarter because of it.

The plane started to slow down and Balto hung his head.

“Time to stop again,” Balto thought.

He felt so…. tied down when he wasn’t in the air.

Jenna started to walk to the plane.

Luke looked behind him and saw Balto.

“What’s the matter boy?” He yelled over the engine.

He patted Balto on the head and Balto looked up at him.

Luke smiled.

“I know what you want boy,” he said, “and I do too.”

He pulled back on the yoke and goosed the throttle.

Balto smiled as the runners skipped across the snow a few times; then they were flying again, rising toward the clouds.

Balto looked back and saw Jenna shake her head, and then walk back toward the fence.

Balto smiled, and then looked up, up toward the clouds……

THE END