A New Start

The sun shone high in the sky over the sleepy town of Nome. It was fairly warm for April with the crust of the snow melting swiftly and occasional puddles could be seen. Despite the temperate weather, not a soul wandered the streets. It was a Sunday morning so both man and dog decided to sleep in. If one would gaze down the snowy streets one could see the long icicles dripping slowly from the roofs’ shingles, some so long that a group of them nearly covered the windows behind them. At the end of one of the streets was a small house quite like all others with its simple shape frozen into the ground, but there was commotion inside that made it one of a kind that day.

If one walked close enough to one of the windows and glanced in between the icicles, a small, almost empty room could be seen. A pleasant fire was glowing delightfully on one side of the room making the entire interior warm and cozy. There was some sledding equipment on shelves and leaning against the walls along with some bags of coal. In the middle of the room lay a large basket in which a reddish husky lay all curled up. Beside her basket sat a proud, brown wolfdog with his golden eyes staring intently into the basket his mate lay in.

“They are so beautiful, Jenna.” He said breathlessly as he gazed down at four newborn puppies snuggling at their mother’s side.

“I’m glad you think so.” She said wearily and tried to smile.

“Jenna you’re exhausted,” Balto said suddenly in a louder tone of voice. “do you need me to do anything? Like get you something?” He was anxious for her.

“Maybe some food? I’m really hungry.” Came the reply.

“Ok.” Said Balto. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” He said only to realize afterwards that that was a stupid thing to say. He blushed.

“Don’t worry,” smiled Jenna “I won’t go anywhere.”

Balto nuzzled her then hurried out the door gently kicking it shut behind him and began trotting down the street thinking about what had just happened. He and Jenna had been up since dusk when Jenna suddenly went into labor. It was a hard morning for both of them but also a joyous one. And now Balto was a father again! Oh, what joy to see those four bundles of life and his mate all well. Balto smiled. He was glad he could be with Jenna this time when she gave birth. He felt like such a failure as a father last time as he wasn’t there to support her when they had their first litter. “Come to think of it I was a failure all throughout bringing up our first litter of pups.” Balto thought sadly “Aleu even ran away because she was mad at me. I guess it was all for her good in the end though.” The wolfdog shuddered and brushed away the thought. This was no time to dwell on a gloomy past; this was a day of celebration! This new litter was a new start for everyone, a new beginning! And Balto would not fail as a father this time. He would make sure of that.

“First I should make sure I get Jenna something to eat.” Balto said aloud and he picked up his pace as he continued his way to the butcher shop.

He soon returned to the house with some fresh meat in his mouth. He carefully nosed the door ajar and ambled inside. Upon reaching his mate’s basket he dropped the meat and then suddenly, he turned.

“Oh, Jenna” he gasped as he stared into the basket. There were five puppies nestled up against Jenna’s underbody.

“Surprise…” whispered Jenna and she smiled. “She came while you were away.” Balto was appalled.

“Oh, Jenna,” he said again “I, …I wasn’t with you …” He stopped. How could this happen? He was letting her down again by not being with her!

“I’m…so sorry.” He mumbled. But Jenna was cheerful.

“For what? Aren’t you glad we have another child? Look at them!” She licked the five pups’ foreheads. Balto calmed down. Jenna was right. What’s to worry about? His family just grew with five new members. He licked the pups as well.

“That one looks like you.” Said Jenna pointing to a brownish pup who was closest to her tail. She chuckled. “He is so fuzzy.”

Balto smiled and nodded. “His fluffly fur makes him look fatter than he probably is. Let’s name him Kuruk.” Jenna nodded.  “How about this little girl?” She asked, referring to a red puppy in the middle. Balto beamed. “She’s so pretty; just like her mother. No doubt she’ll look like you and Saba.” Jenna nuzzled the pup.

“So beautiful and delicate” she whispered. Balto sighed and looked at the small window and out at the blue sky. Between some clouds a beautiful rainbow could be seen. Both dogs stared at it as rainbows were a rare and beautiful sight. They looked at each other and smiled. “Amitola.” They said aloud.

After they had named all of the pups the two adults settled down to sleep. Balto rested his head on his outstretched paws, smiling. They were so happy together with their new litter. Soon, somebody would be looking for Jenna and discover them with the pups. Then there would be commotion and no peace for a long time. The next few days would be friends and family visiting which would allow little time for rest as well. But all that seemed so far away. For now there was peace for him to be with his family and he was overwhelmed with joy and sleepiness. The latter soon took over him and he was fast asleep.

Balto & Jenna belong to Universal Studios

Kuruk, Amitola & siblings belong to me