is very good at telling animals apart, and he determined that Balto is at least part wolf.”

“So? He’s not dangerous! He hasn’t hurt anyone!”

“He hasn’t hurt anyone - yet. If he’s part wolf, then he could seriously hurt someone. You know how dangerous wolves can be.”

“But he can’t hurt anyone, he’s just a puppy,” Rosy said as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“Rosy, he may be a puppy now, but puppies grow up. He may not hurt anyone now, but he may when he’s bigger.”

Finally, Rosy burst into tears. “NO! NO! IT CAN’T BE!”

“Rosy, listen to me. We can’t keep a wolf in our house. I’m sorry, but he has to go,” This was more than Rosy could take, and she ran into the house crying. Her father approached Balto, who tried to scamper away, but he caught him anyways. As he picked him up, Jenna whined and tried to follow him. “No girl, you must stay here,” he said and left the yard, leaving Jenna standing there alone. As he was being carried away, Balto could see that she too was starting to cry.

He had been so close to living with them, so close to being loved and cared for. He had spent three weeks getting his hopes up, only to have them dashed in three minutes. All because he was part wolf. Once they had reached the edge of town, he was put down and left there. Balto tried to follow him in a desperate attempt to get back to Rosy, but every time he would be pushed back. Finally, he gave up and walked back to his first home, the old boat on the shore. Once again, he was alone in the world, with no one to take care of him. That night, if you listened carefully, you would hear the cries of a lonely puppy that had been abandoned for the second time in his short life.

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Present Day

All night, the memories came back to Balto in his dreams. The joy of being loved by Rosy. The fun of playing with her and Jenna as a pup. The shock of being kicked out by her father. Being alone - again.

The celebrations had lasted until the sun started to peek over the horizon, and that was when the team dogs finally decided to hit the hay. Balto had started in the direction of his boat, but Jenna had insisted that he stay with her instead. After much persuasion, he finally relented and fell asleep in her shed with her snuggled up to his side.

When he did wake up, the first thing he felt was her body rising and falling against his. He looked over at her, and couldn’t help but admire her. Her rust colored fur smoothly transitioned to a white underside and was topped off with a bright orange bandanna around her neck. For Balto, she was the most beautiful dog he had ever met, and she had a kind heart to top it all off.

“She’s perfect - the girl of my dreams. Someone or something up there must really like me,” he thought to himself. Her head was resting on his paws, so he had to take extra care when pulling them out so as to not jostle her. After freeing his paws, he got up and gave out a big yawn while stretching himself before padding up to the door to take a peek outside.

The sun was high in the sky and had already started to travel towards the west. Balto had slept clear through the morning, but for good reason. He had traveled non-stop for several days and was exhausted. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he had slept clear through the entire day.

It didn’t take long for Jenna to notice that she wasn’t pressed up against a warm wolfdog anymore. She woke up and saw him staring out the door. Even though she was a purebred husky, she had always been interested in the scruffy half-breed. She knew it was because she had spent time with him as a pup. She had gotten to know who Balto really was during that time, something the other dogs had never given him a chance to.

He turned back into the shed and he smiled when he saw she was awake. His face had many of the features of a wolf: yellow-gold eyes, large floppy ears and a long, narrow muzzle. It was these features that had made many people fear and hate him, but Jenna saw past that. She saw past the wolf features and saw that there was also a dog in that wolf. A dog that wanted nothing more than to be accepted and loved.

“Well good morning Jenna,” he said. “Sleep well?”

“Yes,” she replied. “You’re not thinking of taking off and leaving me alone here are you?” she teased.

Balto walked back to her. “Now what kind of dog would I be if I did?” he replied and gave her a nuzzle before she got up and stretched herself.

“Oh, what time is it?” she asked.

“Sometime in the afternoon,” he replied.

“It’s that late already? Maybe Rosy’s awake now,” she said and walked out of the shed, followed by Balto. As they walked out in the open streets, Balto seemed like he was on edge. He was constantly glancing from side to side, even though the streets were mostly empty. “Balto what is it? You seem tense,” she asked.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. I guess I’m half-expecting someone to come at me. Before, I would always have to be on alert in case Steele or one of his cronies decided to come at me,” he replied. “I know that most of the dogs won’t want to hurt me now, but I still can’t shake the feeling.”

“I guess old habits die hard,” Jenna said. “It must be hard living with very few friends.”

“Well, I did have an old goose and two polar bear cubs to watch out for me. Actually, now that I think about it, they’re probably wondering where I am now,” he said. “Jenna, I’ve got to go. I’ll meet up with you at the hospital later okay?”

“Of course,” she replied. While she turned down the street the hospital was on, he went the other direction out of the town, towards his old friends.

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Chapter 3: A New Friend

There had been one dog that did not share the festivities with the rest of the town. He had spent the previous day trying desperately not to be seen and had taken refuge under the hospital to accomplish this. This dog was Steele, the former champion of Nome. He knew that if he were to be seen, he would be in big trouble. The others had found out he was a liar and his own team had turned against him. It was all because of one wolfdog.

“The wolf managed to get home, I’ll give him that. But I won’t let him take my town, my team, and my girl away from me!” he thought to himself. He could hear the sounds of the children slowly waking up above him. One voice in particular caught his ear.

“Mom… dad?”

“We’re here Rosy sweetie. Don’t get up too quickly, you still need your rest,” her mother said.

“But I’ve been resting for days. I want to get up,” she replied.

“I know, but it’s what the doctor says you need. You’ve been through quite a lot kiddo,” her father put in.

“But I want to go see Balto.”

The mere mention of Balto’s name sent rage coursing through Steele’s body. He knew who that kid was; it was Rosy, Jenna’s owner and the only kid who favored Balto over him.

“If I can’t go to Balto, can’t he come here?” Rosy asked.

“Yeah, I want to see Balto too,” a small boy said.

“Me too.”

Soon, most the kids were asking their parents if they could see Balto again and this became too much for Steele, whose ego was already bruised.

“It should have been me. Those kids should be asking to see me, not him,” Steele thought and he trotted away from the kids to another part of the crawlspace where it was quieter. “That wolf has ruined my career! I won’t let him get away with this. This is my town, and it will always be my town!”

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Balto crossed the snow-covered field towards a beached fishing boat that had been his home for as long as he could remember. He dashed up the plank and onto the deck.

“Ah, so the conquering hero returns eh?” a thickly accented voice said from inside the wheelhouse. It belonged to an old snow goose that waddled out of the wheelhouse. “And what has made you so happy and smiling?”

“Everything Boris. Everything has me smiling,” he replied.

“”You’re going to have to be a little clearer than that boitshick. Old Boris isn’t good at guessing games,” Boris was a Russian snow goose who had befriended Balto when he was a pup. On the outside, he seemed to be just a crotchety old bird, but Balto knew that deep down, he had heart of gold.

“I don’t know how else to put it Boris. Today was the first day I could go in to town without being kicked at or picked on,” Balto said. “But I spent most of it with Jenna.”

“Ohhhhh. So, are you thinking of moving in with her and her family?” he asked.

Balto smile faded. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know if I should.”

“And why not? Is it the wolf thing again?” he replied, slightly annoyed.

“No. Well, not entirely. I mean I like her and all, but don’t you think it would be a little sudden to ask now?”

“True, but what about later, when it won’t be as sudden?”

“I don’t know. You know how much of a rough time I’ve had with people.”

“You still don’t trust humans,” Boris said flatly. Balto didn’t reply, but his expression spoke volumes to Boris. “I see. Well, you are a big dog who can make his own decisions. If