It's Okay to Be Different
Balto rested his head on his paws and smiled as he watched a deep crimson leaf fall from a nearby tree and gracefully hit the ground. It was a crisp, clear fall day, and Balto felt this was the perfect opportunity to take a nap on the front porch of his owner Duke’s house. Now that he was getting older, Balto was starting to appreciate naps more and more.
He was about to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, when suddenly he saw a flash of red trot by him. Seeing a dog with red fur meant there was a high chance it was one of his relatives, so he craned his neck forward to see who it was. He soon realized it was his granddaughter Naira, and he could tell by her body language that she wasn’t too happy. Her shoulders were slumped, her tail was in between her legs, and her head was down — it was clear she was going through some trouble, and as much as Balto wanted to nap, he knew looking out for his granddaughter was far more important.
“Naira,” Balto called out gently, hopping down the steps and padding over to the red wolfdog. “Is something wrong?”
Naira shot up, and Balto’s heart sank when he saw that her auburn eyes, which were so much like his own, were wet with tears. “Naira?”
“There is something wrong… something wrong with me!” Naira cried, her voice thick with emotion as her tears threatened to spill over.
“Why do you say that?” Balto replied.
“Grandpa, isn’t it obvious?” Naira replied, sitting on the ground in defeat. “All my life, I’ve been different. I’m not like all the other girls who flirt with the guys and wait to get their fur brushed. Everyone just sees me as ‘one of the guys.’ And… and Grandpa Steele…” Naira wanted to speak more, but she knew her voice would falter too much if she continued.
Meanwhile, Balto had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ever since Steele had returned to Nome, he had a sneaking suspicion that the husky was up to no good. “What about Grandpa Steele?” Balto said a bit urgently. “Naira, what did he do?”
“I-I thought he wanted to get to know me… but he was just using me…” Naira’s breath hitched, “to… to get to Mom!” She let out a soft sob, and the tears she had been holding back finally fell out of her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.
“Of course Steele had an ulterior motive,” Balto muttered. He leaned forward and nuzzled Naira, letting her dry her tears on his fur. “Naira, I won’t let him hurt you or your mother, I promise,” he said sincerely, wrapping his paw around his granddaughter’s back. He then drew back from Naira, looking straight into her eyes. “And Naira, I want you to know there is absolutely nothing wrong with you.”
“How could you say that?” Naira asked, clearly not believing what Balto had to say. “I’m so different from everyone else.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Balto replied. “Look, I knew exactly how you feel. When I was your age, I used to be the different one because I’m part wolf. The other dogs would always make fun of me, and I had no friends except for your Grandma. And eventually, after the Serum Run, I got all the other dogs’ approval, but I soon realized I never needed it all along.” A smile crept across his face. “Naira, nobody ever changed the world because they acted like a copy of someone else. Your uniqueness is what makes you, you. The dogs that look down upon you aren’t worth your time. But the people who are, like your family and your friends, love you for you. Your uniqueness is what makes you special, what makes you stand out from everyone else, and you should be prod of that, Naira.” He placed a paw on her shoulder. “Because I know I am. I couldn’t ask for a better granddaughter.”
Naira mulled over her grandfather’s words, and soon she realized maybe Balto was right. She returned the smile her grandfather gave her and nuzzled him, burying your face in his scruffy brown fur. “I love you, Grandpa.”
——
Felt like writing something out so here ya go :) also the reason Balto has a lot of gray by his eyes and muzzle is because he’s almost 10 in this, so he’s an old fella now xD
Naira, story belong to me
Balto, images, BG (c) Universal
He was about to close his eyes and drift off to sleep, when suddenly he saw a flash of red trot by him. Seeing a dog with red fur meant there was a high chance it was one of his relatives, so he craned his neck forward to see who it was. He soon realized it was his granddaughter Naira, and he could tell by her body language that she wasn’t too happy. Her shoulders were slumped, her tail was in between her legs, and her head was down — it was clear she was going through some trouble, and as much as Balto wanted to nap, he knew looking out for his granddaughter was far more important.
“Naira,” Balto called out gently, hopping down the steps and padding over to the red wolfdog. “Is something wrong?”
Naira shot up, and Balto’s heart sank when he saw that her auburn eyes, which were so much like his own, were wet with tears. “Naira?”
“There is something wrong… something wrong with me!” Naira cried, her voice thick with emotion as her tears threatened to spill over.
“Why do you say that?” Balto replied.
“Grandpa, isn’t it obvious?” Naira replied, sitting on the ground in defeat. “All my life, I’ve been different. I’m not like all the other girls who flirt with the guys and wait to get their fur brushed. Everyone just sees me as ‘one of the guys.’ And… and Grandpa Steele…” Naira wanted to speak more, but she knew her voice would falter too much if she continued.
Meanwhile, Balto had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ever since Steele had returned to Nome, he had a sneaking suspicion that the husky was up to no good. “What about Grandpa Steele?” Balto said a bit urgently. “Naira, what did he do?”
“I-I thought he wanted to get to know me… but he was just using me…” Naira’s breath hitched, “to… to get to Mom!” She let out a soft sob, and the tears she had been holding back finally fell out of her eyes and slipped down her cheeks.
“Of course Steele had an ulterior motive,” Balto muttered. He leaned forward and nuzzled Naira, letting her dry her tears on his fur. “Naira, I won’t let him hurt you or your mother, I promise,” he said sincerely, wrapping his paw around his granddaughter’s back. He then drew back from Naira, looking straight into her eyes. “And Naira, I want you to know there is absolutely nothing wrong with you.”
“How could you say that?” Naira asked, clearly not believing what Balto had to say. “I’m so different from everyone else.”
“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Balto replied. “Look, I knew exactly how you feel. When I was your age, I used to be the different one because I’m part wolf. The other dogs would always make fun of me, and I had no friends except for your Grandma. And eventually, after the Serum Run, I got all the other dogs’ approval, but I soon realized I never needed it all along.” A smile crept across his face. “Naira, nobody ever changed the world because they acted like a copy of someone else. Your uniqueness is what makes you, you. The dogs that look down upon you aren’t worth your time. But the people who are, like your family and your friends, love you for you. Your uniqueness is what makes you special, what makes you stand out from everyone else, and you should be prod of that, Naira.” He placed a paw on her shoulder. “Because I know I am. I couldn’t ask for a better granddaughter.”
Naira mulled over her grandfather’s words, and soon she realized maybe Balto was right. She returned the smile her grandfather gave her and nuzzled him, burying your face in his scruffy brown fur. “I love you, Grandpa.”
——
Felt like writing something out so here ya go :) also the reason Balto has a lot of gray by his eyes and muzzle is because he’s almost 10 in this, so he’s an old fella now xD
Naira, story belong to me
Balto, images, BG (c) Universal
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