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No problem man, I love it when people point those things out to me. I knew i probably had a few in there, and i've gone through this a dozen or more times looking for them, but these things happen. At least i'm pretty sure it's not so filled with them that you cann't enjoy the read. But thanks again Marine 310. OH yes, and thanks for taking the time to read it and posting a comment.

No problem. I enjoy this stuff. Never liked to read...now I do. Odd. Oh yeah, forgot to vote in the poll. haha. I'll let you know if I come across anything more as far as typos and such.

Now that I think about it, there were a few times where you added letters. lol. like, added "ed" in a place or two that didn't make sense for it to be there. But again, like you said, nothing that will prevent someone from enjoying the read. Again, good job, and I'll be waiting for the next chapter...impatiently waiting. hahaha!

Okay, no update yet. I've been procrastinating (I know that's spelled wrong.) But as i was saying, i 've been kind of lazy since I finished the second chapter. But don't worry, i've managed to get a few thousand words written today, and there will be a few more tomorrow. I'd say it's going to be two to three weeks until the next chapter is up and running - and that' if i really hunker down and get going. But i think the wait will be well worth it. Anyway's, thanks again for reading.

Man, I got all excited when I saw this had a new post from you in it.


Can't wait for the next chapter. As I've said 3-4 times now.

Okay, here we go with chapter 3. There will probably be a few grammer errors, so bare with it, plz. On with the show.


Balto strolled across the white tundra beneath the bulky hairpiece of grey, spiky, off-grey, white, slimy, and very stiff hair. A firm look of displeasure filled his face as he sauntered along, still dripping bits of mud from his jowls like blood. His eyelids still had a covering of grainy - half-dried – mud-balls of rather foul gunk. Little grey rivulets ran down his back and his front legs to the snow, leaving a steady trail of drips wherever he went.

Boris walked along next to Balto, a grin of unfathomable satisfaction filling his face as he waddled in his hefty way … far to the left, then far to the right.

Up ahead the boat began to loom up out of the snow, and just to the right they could see Nome coming into view with chimney smoke wafting into the air. The sun had already reached, and passed, it’s apex for the day, and would be well on it’s way to the frozen sea in an hour’s time. The main portion of the day had been, for the most part, wasted on this frivolous pursuit of hair.

Balto took a sidelong look at Boris and saw his pleased grin. “Why are you so happy?”

Boris honked a single laugh. “It’s not every day I get this much peace and quiet.” He turned his head and looked back towards the river, making sure they weren’t there. A chuckle rose in his throat as he turned back. “Those bears were laughing so hard they won’t be able to get up till the sun goes down …. Which leaves me nothing but peace and quiet for the rest of the afternoon.” Boris beamed a huge grin as he interlaced his longest feathers and put his wings behind his head in repose. “Nothing but peace and quiet.”

Balto scowled and looked at the snow in front of him. “Glad I could help make you’re day all the better.” He growled.

“Oh don’t be so mad Boyo.” Boris set his right wing confidently on Balto’s muddy shoulder. “I think this will all go well.”

Balto looked away, he didn’t know; he just didn’t know anything anymore. One part of him wanted to run and hide in the trees until this stupid thing came out of his fur. Another part wanted Boris’s head stuffed into a snow-bank. Yet another part said go with it, Boris knew what he’s doing, he wouldn’t go astray on such a thing as love. Then in between these three main ideas came a flurry of internal dialogue demanding this and that until all possibilities became lost in a fog of confused and misappropriated commands. If only I knew she had feelings for me, then at least I’d have some place to feel safe, Balto thought in a cheerless tone. He let his head dangle on the end of his neck as he continued on towards the boat.

Then a most peculiar smell assaulted Balto, brought up in a sudden gust of wind; bringing Balto to a stop, his nose wide open in the air, his eye’s scanning the snowy hills and shadowy edges of the boat. The smell was there for only a second, maybe less; but it was enough to put Balto’s neck hair on end and his senses on alert. It smelled so faint it may not have been as close as Balto thought. Perhaps it had been some trick of the wind? Nothing looked out of place around the boat, yet something seemed – or maybe felt – different, something had to be.

Boris stopped a few feet along and turned; aware of Balto’s sudden unease. “What is it?”

Balto’s eyes scanned harder, searching for the miniscule movement of something out there to confirm what his apprehension screamed. His nose flared in and out with each breath, trying to sample the smell he had only faintly got. Nothing. “I thought I smelled something is all.” Balto shook his head and stepped forwards, racking the smell up to a fluke of the wind and his nose.

Boris fell in line with Balto’s shoulders as the walked towards the boat in their casual way.

They crossed the last hundred feet to the plank of the boat without another word exchanged. Balto kept his nose open for any other smells, and his eyes searched without success for any movements just beyond the snowy hills. Boris kept looking around; being especially sure to look behind them for the bears more than anything.

Then, as Balto got to the base of the boat, something came drifting through his nose again. It wasn’t the smell had had got a moment ago, it was much sweeter, prettier, and very transcendent. “Jenna.” Balto said, completely forgetting about his hair or anything else. She’s here, Balto thought with a jump in his heart. She’s here! She’s her! she’s here!

Balto cut by Boris - sending him whirling to the snow - and ran up the bouncy gangplank in a fevered sprint. Sitting at the top of the plank was something Balto had never seen before; a silly toy-cat tipped onto it’s side and painted a rosy red. By no means had Balto seen such an inane thing as a toy cat; especially since there were lots of real cats to play with. But it wasn’t the gift that excited Balto the most; it was the one who brought it that excited him. “Jenna?” Balto called out, thinking she might still be here. “Jenna?”

“Um … uh-Balto?” Came Boris’s quaking voice still on the ground at the bottom of the plank.

Not now Boris, Balto thought as he ran to the helm of the boat, thinking she might be waiting in their, snoozing away. “Jenna?” Balto said stepping into the door of the helm and looking around. Nothing seemed different besides a few broken pieces of wood and a tuft or two of loose fur from the bear and bird fight earlier. The blanket still remained on the floor in a ruffled pile, and the watering dish sat empty. Jenna, without doubt, wasn’t in here.

Perhaps she had shown up and seen he wasn’t around and went home. She could have shown up right after he left this morning, they had been gone to the river most the day after all. Jenna then left the cat as her calling card for him to go and see her tonight, or maybe this afternoon. It meant she wanted to talk to him. It also meant Jenna had some sort of feelings for Balto, whether or not it just meant she wanted to be friends; but it still made Balto’s heart flutter in his chest like a wild bird in a cage.

“Looking for someone?” A voice growled behind him.

Balto felt his world implode and the fluttering in his chest die. Instantly the stench he thought he smelled earlier filled Balto’s nose and sent him reeling back into memory, back to a name he wouldn’t soon forget. “Steel.” Balto growled as he turned and faced the black and white malamute standing in the door.

“Glad you remember me.” Steel said in an overly pleased way. “I would have been hurt if you forgot.”

Balto felt a rage building in him, vying to burst upon Steel and tear him apart. He wanted to tear into Steel’s throat for all the indignant catcalls he used in days past, ‘Lobo, baby killer, and just plain wolf.’ Yet more than that, Balto wanted to tear Steel apart for the way he thought about his flower, Jenna. A growl began to rise in Balto’s throat, but it cut short, and Balto stared helplessly as the laughter rose.

Steel began to laugh and giggle, menacingly at first, but eventually rising to laughter of the most joyous kind. Slowly Steel backed out of the helm of the boat laughing through tears, on the verge of falling over into some epileptic fit.

At first Balto wondered what could be so funny, but then he remembered, his hair. Oh how embarrassed Balto felt. If he could have blushed he would have turned a red not known before. Now Balto wanted to run away and cry, but instead he kept his ground and didn’t cry. Somewhere in Balto’s head he silently vowed to get Boris back for this, one way or another he would get that bird back.

“What?...Wha…? What is … is that?” Steel managed to stutter through his laughter. After a moment he calmed down enough to continue, a smile of amusement on his face. “I always knew wolves had strange habits, but this just… just take it.” Tears of joy ran down either of Steel’s cheeks. He looked refreshed and in great spirits for the good laugh.

Balto began to growl again, bringing Steel’s amused look to a more stoic one. “You may have beaten me before Steel, but I’ve grown and I’ve learned, and I can beat you up and down this boat all day long.” Balto took a menacing step forwards to prove his point.

Steel flashed a gritty smile. “And so you have grown from the wimpy wolf pup, but it doesn’t make you a better fighter. Besides…” Steel turned leisurely around and walked towards the front of the boat, flashing a great strike to the neck and back for Balto if he had been ready for it. “I have an ace up my sleeve.” Steel’s tail disappeared out of sight. “Come and talk with me Balto, I don’t want to fight you… right now that is.”

Balto felt uneasy about the talk. He wondered what Steel knew. Did he know about the night when he helped Jenna? Did he know about Jenna’s coming out here? Steel had to be suspicious about something going on between them.

Balto suddenly remembered Boris, he hoped the big mouthed bird had gotten away. He hoped with all his heart that Boris was on his way back to the river for Muk and Luk. Slowly Balto stepped forwards out of the helm, taking a glance in the direction Steel had disappeared, just to make sure an attack wouldn’t be sprung on him. Balto then looked over the edge of the boat towards the plank where he last saw Boris.

The two dogs from the race, the fat dark brown-one, and the taller lighter brown-one with a spot on one eye, stood on either side of Boris snarling and laughing. Boris had his wings wrapped tightly around his body, his head twisting quickly back and forth, never letting either of them from his sight for more than a second. The two dogs laughed, bared their teeth, and joked quietly between them. “I’ve never tasted goose before. I bet you taste … just like chicken.” The fat brown one laughed at the lighter brown one’s cruel words “You go Caltag.”

Boris looked extremely nervous and on the verge of making a run for it. But then Boris caught Balto looking down on him out of the corner of his eye, and Boris looked up at him with a pleading expression, asking Balto to do something.

“Balto.” Steel suddenly growled from the front of the boat. He stood angrily gazing over his shoulder at Balto from the same spot Balto always looked at Nome. “Get over here before I tell them to tear him in two.” Steel turned to look back towards Nome.

Slowly Balto turned away from Boris, hopeful neither of the dogs would make a move they would soon regret. Balto trotted towards Steel and sat, making sure to keep a good distance between them so Steel wouldn’t be able to get the first hit if a fight broke out. Without a bit of haste Balto sat down and waited for Steel to make his next move.

After a quiet moment Steel turned and stepped down off the railing and the crate and looked long and hard at Balto, like a father disapproving of his son’s dress style. “So Balto… you and me have a little problem we need to discuss, don’t we?” Steel sounded very peaceful as he spoke, yet reserved and strangely anxious. He strolled casually towards Balto and sat within easy striking distance. Balto wanted to get up and move back, but he dared not. “It’s come to my attention, that you and me, Balto, might have something for the same girl, which of course she can only have one of us.” Steel’s eye’s locked momentarily on Balto with a hateful glare. “And because she’s my girl, that means I get the first right to-“

“She’s not you girl.” Balto cut in. “She’s free to –“

“-She’ll be what she’s told to be!!” Steel barked and sprung to his feet as if to attack. But Balto kept his cool and remained sitting as Steel stood before him. “She’s mine. She belongs to me, and no sniveling wolf-dog is going to take that away.”

Balto sat quietly staring at Steel, unsure if he should speak. Somehow Balto knew if he did speak the two of them would be locked into an epic death-battle in the bat of an eye.

“You, Balto, are a problem to contend with, nothing but a bug in my fur.” Steel calmly sat back on his haunches again. “So I’m going to take care of this in the best way possible.”

Balto looked questioningly at Steel.“So are you saying you want to fight me for her?” Balto asked, unsure of what it was Steel was trying to put across to him.

“No, no, Balto. Fighting is for a … class lower than me. I won’t fight for a girl. I’d kill for one, but hopefully not in this case…. I want to do this discreetly, without involving a fight scene. So that’s why I’m here, to tell you not to go anywhere near Jenna again – or else.” Steel’s eyes tightened and bore into Balto. “I’m perfectly willing to let you, and your bird friend go, as long as you give me your word, to never go near Jenna again.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I will tear your little friend apart, piece, by, piece.” Steel growled, letting the words roll off his tongue individually. “Besides…” Steel said standing up. “What are the chances Jenna would ever actually like you. You seem to forget your place in this world. You are a half-breed, and she is a purebred, like me.”

“Love has nothing to do with what breed you are.” Balto said defiantly while lowering his eyes to Steel’s feet – as if shielding himself from seeing the blow which was sure to follow.

Steel threw his head back and gave an embellished laugh. “Love! You actually think she would ever love you, a half-breed despised and detested by everyone in town? She could never love you.”

“And why not?” Balto growled looking up.

Steel lowered his head down in front of Balto’s face, letting his eye’s touch Balto’s in a way Balto had never experienced from friend - or enemy. “Because if she did, everyone would hate her as much as they hate you. Think about it.” Steel pulled his head back away from Balto and turned his body sidelong to him. Yet Steel’s eyes remained focused on Balto’s face. “Everyone hates you so much, that if she was fool enough to fall in love with you, she would be finished. She would have to hide her face from everyone she knows, her friends, her mom, her dad, and even from those who don’t know her. Everyone would hate her guts, all, because, of, you.” Steel let the words roll out of his mouth individually again, just so they would sink in.

Balto knew, even though he didn’t want to, that Steel was right. Jenna could never love him. Balto could never let her love him. The images of Jenna being trodden over, label as a lobo lover, and run out of town by a pack of snarling dogs; just for her right to love whomever she choose - hurt Balto more than any physical wound could. Although Balto could have his love, he could never allow Jenna to give up such a thing as her place in the world she grew up in. Balto knew how hard it was to live without a place in life after all. He could never allow her to experience that same hardship.

“So you see Balto,” Steel’s hard voice returned to Balto’s ears. “What you want, you just can’t have, unless you … want to … hurt Jenna.”

Defeat, the dreadfulness of it filled the air with a quivering stench. Balto felt Steel’s trouncing words as if he had killed Jenna with his own teeth. Balto looked at the deck of the boat and felt tears rolling up into his eyes. He blinked hard and clenched tight. Nothing would ever allow them to be together, nothing.

Steel turned and looked towards the plank. “So I hope this little chat has at least put you in your place, Balto. Because if I see you anywhere near her again … I’ll tears you apart.” Steel trotted a few steps away, then turned and began trotting slowly back. “And just to remind you of your place-”

Suddenly Steel charged forwards and slashed at Balto with his teeth, catching Balto totally off guard and without a chance to defend himself. Steel’s teeth sunk into Balto’s left shoulder, through his fur, and into his body. Steel then wretched backwards with all his might, still holding onto Balto; tearing Balto’s shoulder open in one quick move before he let go.

An inch wide by three inch long gash appeared, gushing blood down Balto’s shoulder. The pain of the attack dropped Balto’s body to the deck with a heavy thud and gasp of pain.

Steel licked his lips of the blood and trotted towards the plank smiling indifferently. Then Steel slowly turned and looked back at Balto, still lying on the deck bleeding. “Oh, and one last thing Balto.”

Balto looked over at Steel.

Steel smiled. “I really like your hair.”

Steel laughed, the turned and looked down over the railing of the boat. “Okay Nikke and Caltag, let the bird go and let’s get going. We’re finished here.” With a casual turn of his head Steel took a final look at Balto, and turned. Steel walked to the back of the boat, and down the plank.

For a moment Balto listened to Steel and the other two as they walked away, gently chatting and giggling like young boys do. Then the three of them were gone, their voices disappearing into the wild.

Balto dug his face into the deck with the pain of the wound, Jenna, and everything else pounding in his temples. Tears welled up so hard in his eyes they began to run down his face and mix with the blood on the deck. Blank anger filled Balto’s mind in such a way he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to deal with what he felt, so he laid absolutely still, cried, and hoped, beyond hope, for death.

A moment later Boris appeared off to Balto’s left, gentle waddling towards Balto. “Boychick, are-”

“-I’m fine,” Balto said snapping out of his miserable trance. He sat up and looked around, as if he had forgot where he was. “I just need to… be … be alone for a …a while.”

Boris stepped forwards with his wings spread as his eye’s caught sight of the wound. “But your bleeding, we need to stop the bleeding.”

The sight of Boris, his face sad and ready to comfort, made Balto momentarily hate Boris with everything in his heart and soul. Something made Balto suddenly hate everyone who ever had feeling for him. How could they ever love him? Why would they ever want to love him?

Balto jumped to his feet before Boris could get near him or say anything. Balto bolted to the back of the boat in a sprint, down the plank, and out across the tundra towards the mountains with a small trail of blood following him.


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Jenna paced impatiently back and forth across her shed, which didn’t provide much thinking room; because the shed was only eight feet wide. So as soon as Jenna reached one of the walls she would turn around, walk a few steps, think a few words, and find herself up against the other wall and turning. She had been pacing long enough that her trail had worn down into the wood floor, through the dirt, grime, and loose hair.

The day grew late, hours passed by in what seemed decades. It had been hours since Jenna had been on the boat with the toy cat. Now she wondered if maybe it was all a mistake.

“Oh… where can he be? Why hasn’t he shown up?” Jenna turned around and walked back to the other wall. “He should have gotten the message by now, shouldn’t he have?” Jenna stopped and looked at the wall; it seemed to be mocking her. She turned around again. “Maybe I shouldn’t have gone out there? I shouldn’t have taken the toy cat out. It was such a stupid idea Jenna.”

Then she realized something, and felt terribly stupid for not thinking of it sooner. She turned and walked to the door and peeked through the crack between the doors at the sun. Soon it would set and darkness would take the streets – and then…. “Oh Jenna, you’re so stupid. He’s not going to come into town during the day. He’s going to wait until it’s dark.” Jenna shook her head at her foolishness. She turned and looked towards her bed at the back of the shed. “Perhaps I should take a rest before he shows up, just so I won’t look like I’ve been pacing back and forth all afternoon waiting for him.” Jenna smiled and walked to her bed, laid down, and shortly fell asleep.

Yes, two posts again.


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Jenna awoke some time later. She hardly realized she had drifted off as she stood up from her bed, not quiet sure what had woken her, still half asleep with a distant haze over her eyes. She looked across the shed at the doors, and for a moment, wondered what time it was. Then she heard the scratch of a single paw on the door. The fur on Jenna’s neck stood up as she realized who it was. At first she opened her mouth to call out to him, but then thought better of it and instead moved to the door at a measured pace, cautiously crouched low as if to leap away from an attack. She stopped at the door.

“Balto?” She called in a shy voice.

“Jenna, open up, it’s your mother and father.” Came a stoic and heated voice which made Jenna cringe. If Jenna knew it was her just her mother she would have let her in without a thought. But since Jenna’s father was there, she hesitated.

“Jenna,” came Jenna’s father. “We need to talk to you about Steel.”

Again Jenna hesitated at their call; she really didn’t want to talk to her father about Steel. Yet she knew she had to open the door and face them since they knew she was home. Jenna pushed her shoulder into the door. The door opened and Jenna stepped back to give them room. Jenna’s mother entered, followed closely by her father. They walked to the rear of the shed and sat down next to each other. Both their faces appeared angry, with a mixture of deep disappointment and anguish.

“Jenna,” Jenna’s father, Duke, said with a tone of superiority. “Come here.” He commanded in his father voice.

Jenna stepped towards them, looking sheepishly at their faces. Duke appeared very upset and angry as he scowled at Jenna over his nose. Jenna’s mother, Flower – a mostly rust colored dog with crème socks on her back feet – looked even angrier than her father. She looked ready to attack Jenna with her slightly bared teeth and misgiving eyes.

Jenna expected Flower’s verbal, or physical attack, at any moment; which made Jenna look away from her and keep her eyes away. Jenna sat down in front of them and kept her eyes to the left and down towards the floor.

“Jenna,” Flower said, her voice quaking with anger. “We have reason to believe, your father and me that is, that you have been cheating, on Steel, with … a wolf.” The words came hard, each one forced. “Is this true?”

Jenna looked at her mother, and then at her father, feigning a look of shock. “No, of course not. I don’t know where you would get such an outra-”

“Steel told us.” Duke cut in, brining Jenna’s charade to a stop. “He said, that earlier today he saw you walking into town from that boat east of town - where that dirty wolf Balto lives.”

Jenna looked down at her parent’s feet. She knew she had been caught. “Half wolf.” She whispered.

“What?” Duke said raising his voice.

Jenna raised her head and looked defiantly at her father. “He’s only half a wolf I said.”

Duke growled and bared his teeth and rose halfway up off the floor, as if to attack. But something stopped him. “I don’t care if he’s only one-eighth wolf, you are a purebred, not-not some hussy …mutt!” He barked.

“You should know better than to be around wolves Jenna.” Flower voiced passionately. “You know he’s after only one thing. He’s a wolf and –“

“- No he’s not!” Jenna barked disobediently. “Balto’s nothing like you two have told me about wolves. He’s sweet, he’s compassionate, and he’s like nobody I’ve ever met.”

For a moment Duke and Flower looked at their daughter without a word spoken. Then Flower stepped forewords with a new tenderness in her eyes and smile. “Jenna, that’s what Balto wants you to think. He’ll tell you that you’re beautiful, that you’re special, and that he’ll take care of you no matter what. Then when you trust him enough to turn your back he’ll take what he wants – and if you’re lucky he won’t kill you outright when he’s done.”

“He’s not going to do any of those things!” Jenna replied rather sharply. “Steel is the one who does that-”

“Steel is a fine young dog who’s going places in life!” Duke barked. “Who – who’s this Balto? He’s a nobody who will live his entire life as an outcast-”

“-Only because nobody will give him a chance…. Everybody looks at him and sees his-his fur and his build and they-they only see a bloodthirsty wolf from our nightmares and- and children stories.” Jenna paused for a breath. Her voice faltered and cracked with each word. “Has-has anybody ever just taken a moment to talk to him, to-to see past his fur and get to-to know him, as more than a wolf, or a dog, but just as somebody who wants love and acceptance like the rest of us?”

This, once again, brought Flower and Duke to a stop. They looked at each other and seemed to be having a quiet conversation going on between them in an instant.

Duke stepped forwards with a new benevolence on his face. “Jenna, this is not about his acceptance, or who he is. This is about you, your safety, and your life. You should be thinking of your purebred bloodline, and you should be looking for a life-mate who is also a purebred, who will take care of you, love you, and be their for you when you don’t know best, like Steel.”

Jenna growled in her throat. “Dad, will you quit telling me about Steel. I hate him with every part of my body. He’s the real nobody in this town, and you won’t take your daughters word about it because Steel lies to your face and tells you what you want to hear. Steel’s the real wolf around here.”

Duke growled and his face turned furious. “You have no idea what sort of evil you are dealing with here Jenna! And you have no idea what you are talking about! Steel is just looking out for you. Isn’t that right Steel?”

“Yes it is Duke.”

Jenna turned to the door, a look of horror suddenly became etched into her face. Just in the door, standing with an upset casualness, Steel looked at Jenna. His face contorted into a sad grimace as his eye’s bore into Jenna with genuine heartbreak.

Slowly Steel stepped forwards into the little family circle. “When I saw what you did today Jenna, it…it hurt me. I mean, I thought you and I had something real, something special.” Steel sat down a foot to Jenna’s left, his eyes beginning to well up with tears. “I was on my way to see you, since I hadn’t been around in a while with my training going on and all, and-and you weren’t here. I looked all over town for you, and eventually found Dixie. She said that you were out looking for me, and she told me that we touched our noses together on that date we had a few days ago.” Steel looked down as if trying to suck the tears back into his eyes, a single sob escaped him. “Which I knew you and I haven’t done at all.”

Flower gasped and Duke choked as he stuttered on. “Wh…wha,what!?! What is this he’s saying Jenna? Have-have you been getting friendly with this wolf?”

“No, well… I mean… Balto… he was there … when I-”

“-I’m afraid she has lost some, but not all, of her purity to this impure beast.” Steel stated matter-of-factly with tears running down his cheek.

Flower gasped and her eyes lit up with a new lividness, as did Dukes. Duke stood up and seemed to vibrate with a rage he could hardly cope with anymore. “I’ve never been so upset, or angry, in my entire life Jenna.” His eye’s moved quickly about the room, but nowhere near his daughter – which seemed to be where his rage stemmed from. Duke looked at Steel and beyond to the door of the shed. “I’m going to rip, this Balto’s legs, from his body.”

Jenna gasped at her father’s cruel remark, tears formed in the edges of her eyes.

“Please sit Duke.” Steel said calmly. “I’ve already taken care of Balto.”

Jenna looked fearfully at Steel. “You didn’t?”

Steel turned to Jenna. “I merely reminded him of his place and where he belongs in relation to you.” Steel put simply.

The words sounded, to Jenna, unsympathetic and cruel. They came unwrapped, in a subtle basket of polished terms, hidden behind a hedge of twisted lies. Jenna wanted to stand up and scream at them all; scream that they were all foolish, liars, and know-nothings. But she felt the prison bars of her social standings crushing her under a weight she couldn’t ever hope to lift. Everyone had expectations for her to be what all the other purebreds before her were. She was expected to grow up, get a purebred life-mate, have purebred pups, and to grow old with her life mate – even if she hated him with all her heart.

“Now Jenna.” Duke said in his authoritative tone again. “I’m not going to have some childish crush on a wolf ruining your life. We know better than you on this.”

Jenna knew she had no choice but to listen and obey them.

Duke continued. “I’m ordering you to forget this Balto, and to never go near him again. I don’t ever want you to see him in private, or in public. I don’t want you to speak his name, or to even think about him from this point on. Do you understand?”

Jenna shook her head, yes.

“I can’t hear you Jenna!?!” Duke ordered.

“Yes.” Jenna said still looking at the floor.

“I want to see it in your eye’s Jenna.” Duke ordered again.

Jenna slowly looked up; her blue eyes rimed red with tears. A sob bubbled up in her throat, but she stopped herself short of letting it out. “Yes father, never again.” Her face dropped to the floor and the sob escaped along with a flood of tears.

Everyone remained silent to take Jenna’s tears in for a moment.

“Now nobody but us four know anything about this.” Flower started, looking at all their faces - except for Jenna who still had her eyes on the floor. “And we’re going to keep it this way. I don’t want to hear anything about my Jenna having anything to do with Balto, or a wolf, or anybody else.”

“Not even a rumor will be passed, anybody who says anything will have to deal with me.” Steel pledged.

Flower smiled as she looked at Steel admiringly. “And I want to thank you Steel, for telling us about this before it got out of hand.”

Steel smiled. “No problem … mother.”

Jenna raised her head with her teary red eyes and looked at her mother. Flower beamed wide at the remark, already accepting Steel, in some way, as her son-in-law. A churning feeling began to roll Jenna’s stomach, threatening to spill her guts on the floor. How helpless she was against her parents or Steel.

Flower’s voice became harsh again. “Now Jenna, we’re going to leave you and Steel alone for the evening, so you two can work things out. I expect this little event won’t have to be repeated?”

Jenna looked up, as if to yell in protest at Steel’s staying. But Flower’s expression forced Jenna’s face back down. “Yes mom.” Jenna said dishearten, her face s plastered to the floor.

Suddenly Flower pushed her face into Jenna’s shoulder and neck, embracing her in a motherly nuzzle. “I hope you know we did this for your own good. We did this because we love you Jenna.” Flower whispered into her daughter’s ear. After a quiet, motherly moment, Flower pulled away and walked a few steps to the door of the shed. She turned before reaching the door and looked at Duke. “Have you anything more to say Duke?”

“Yes hun,” He said looking at Flower with a lovers smile. “I just want to congratulate this fine young dog.” His voice turned to a whisper and he stepped closer to Steel. “And I want to say, that if you ever see that wolf-dog Balto near my daughter again, I want you to make sure he won’t ever get up again. Understand?”

“Yes sir. I may even get your help with it.” Steel smiled like a loving pup at Jenna’s father.

Duke mimicked Steel’s smile and followed after Flower without another word exchanged. They walked through the open door and out into the night. A quiet, and very distant, conversation came up between them. Jenna could just barely hear them talking to each other about the snow falling and what a terrible night it was. Jenna heard the wind lapping against the back of her shed as they walked out of hearing range.

Steel followed them to the door “Have a good evening.” He called as they walked away. Then he stood waiting for a long time, watching them leave. Finally, when they were far enough away, Steel turned back into the shed with an evil grin and sly look across his face. “Now Jenna, It’s just you … and me.”

Jenna looked fearfully at Steel with tears running down her face. She wished Balto was here to do something.

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Balto ran and ran and ran and ran and ran until his lungs burned and his head became dizzy. His eyes began to blur around the edges and pulsate with his every heartbeat. For a while he stumbled on, unsure of anything, only moving forwards to get away from the pain. After a time he couldn’t go a step further and he collapsed into the snow, got up and walked a bit further, then collapsed for the last time where he laid breathing, in, then out.

Finally Balto managed to come back around. He no longer felt as dizzy, and his eyes no longer blurred or pulsated. Balto sat up and felt the pain of his strained muscles burn through his entire body. He took a sidelong glance at his shoulder where the large gash still remained. It didn’t look to be bleeding anymore, all the open flesh and blood had congealed into a rough patch. Dried rivulets of blood ran down his shoulder to his paw like a sleeve of twisted tattoos. Balto knew he had lost a lot of blood from how his head kept spinning – but it wasn’t enough to outright kill him. He looked around with a bleak glaze in his eye, disheartened in some way that he hadn’t died.

He had made it to the base of the mountains and the trees that lined their fringes without slowing down once. Behind him he could see the boat, a good two miles away. Balto could also see the town, just to the right and mile further than the boat. The sun began to fall fast in the sky, and in a short while would set. The front edge of a storm cloud began to peek over the mountains to the northwest of Nome.

Today had been a terrible day and Balto couldn’t wait for it to end. He wanted nothing more than to move beyond all this: beyond Jenna and his foolish love for her, beyond his wanted to be accepted by the town, and beyond Steel and his hateful words. Balto just wanted to return to his bleak life of day to day survival. Balto wanted to forget everything from the past three days.

The wind began to blow down the mountain. Balto knew he wasn’t going to go back to the boat tonight; he couldn’t stand to face Boris right now. But he also knew, from the harsh wind, that a storm would brew up in a short time and he would need a place to sleep that was out of the snow. Balto remembered an abandoned den just a mile or so to the west of where he was, in the trees, by a small spring. It would provide the best shelter for miles around.

So Balto stood up and began to trot along through the trees towards the den. He let his head hang low – but he couldn’t ever let it hang as low as he felt.

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Balto found the den as he came strolling through the poplar trees with the storm clouds beginning to blow over the mountains and rustle his fur. The very tops of the trees started to sway in the breeze and whistle with each brushstroke against the sky. In no time the storm would be going strong. Balto casually ambled the last few feet down the slope to the den.

The main entrance to the den resided under a twenty foot wide boulder, in the middle of a bunch of poplar trees, which grew well from the constant flow of spring water nearby. It was a very quiet and secluded spot where nobody, except a few kids and young dogs, ever went – especially in the winter.

Balto slowly walked up to the den, making sure to sniff-out the area before getting to close. He didn’t want to crawl down into the den to find a hibernating bear rushing out of the darkness to meet him. That would really complete this day, Balto thought listlessly. Nothing smelled out of place as he got close to the den entrance. At least there wasn’t the overpowering smell of bear-breath wafting out of the ground.

Balto took one last depressing look around. He could see the spring water bubbling out of the ground nearby and forming a little pool a dozen feet away from the den. But other than the little bit of open water above the continuously pumping spring, the water was frozen solid, or covered over with ice. The poplars shivered in the breeze, and a few spruce with their thick covering seemed to jiggle with laughter. Everything was quiet, and nothing appeared out of place as Balto turned and crawled down into the darkness of the den. His ‘hair’ rubbed against the roof of the tunnel, knocking some dirt on his back as he slid down into the ground.

The den was old, very old; probably older than the town of Nome. Balto had at one time wondered how recently wolves lived in the den. They had probably left about the time the humans showed up on the shores looking for gold. The humans had probably shot, trapped, and skinned the last wolves to live in the den – however long ago that was. In the back of Balto’s head he imagined the last wolves that lived in the den running away, their pups dangling in their jowls as they crossed over the ridge into the next valley.

Balto crawled through the twisting tunnel, down a dozen feet or more until the den opened up into the darkness of the main chamber. The den stretched ten feet across, and stood five feet high in the middle. Above Balto the rock, which rested over the den entrance, stuck through the dirt providing a very solid roof. In the exact center of the den, piled a foot or so deep, were bunches of old spruce boughs. They were brown and no longer smelled like spruce, but instead smelled of a strange funk which curled Balto’s nose hair. But at least it’s warm, Balto thought; the first bit of cheer it seemed he felt in years shinning through a hairline grin.

Yet it wasn’t enough to light his optimistic fire, everything was just too damp for that. Balto crossed to the boughs with his head hung low. The memory of Jenna, Steel, and Boris’s funny idea about hair – and every other problem in his life – filled him with such pain and uncertainty. It felt as if only death would be able to cure him of this pain, or at least a deep and forgetful sleep.

Balto stepped onto the boughs and turned around three times, mashing the needles down to make a more comfortable bed to sleep on. Balto laid down spent a short time cleaning some of the mud and blood from his fur, but finished far from being clean. Finally Balto laid his head down, closed his eyes, and cried.

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“So Jenna, what shall we do first?” Steel said as he crossed the shed in a leisurely step, licking his lips and eyeing Jenna like a piece of something delicious. “We could … Oh, I don’t know … go and…” Steel shook his eyebrows up and down

“Steel. You are sick!” Jenna barked. She still had tears in her red eyes. “If you think I would ever-”

“- Oh, I don’t think … I know.” Steel suddenly charged towards Jenna, his teeth bared and aiming for the back of her neck.

Jenna ducked down. Steel misjudged his step and flew over her back and into the wall with a crash. The shovels, picks, and gold-pans which had been leaning against the wall crashed down around him.

Jenna bolted for the half-open door and slammed her shoulder into it. The door swung open, with Jenna following right behind, landing in the freshly fallen snow on her side. Jenna jumped to her feet and bolted into the snowstorm, unsure of where she was going. Behind her she could hear Steel pulling himself up from his mess.

“JENNA COME BACK HERE!”

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Sleep came to Balto, a deep and blissful state of nothing vanishing into the distance of nowhere. Every problem in Balto’s waking life went away: Jenna went away, Steel went away, Boris went away, and all the people and dogs of Nome vanished into the ether. Balto began to feel a very slight drifting motion, as if he were on a boat and floating down a slow moving stream in the darkest of nights.

Odd shapes and colors began to pass in front of Balto’s vision. They were vaguely familiar, yet distant and unassuming. Then images of real things began to come. There were rocks of all different colors, shapes, and sizes. There were trees, and snowy hills; but always unfamiliar and with no real care or need to identify where they were. This went on for a while.

But then the shapes and hills began to converge and congeal into floating puzzle pieces, which slowly began to move together to form an image. Some of the images of hills moved back, and the images of trees and rocks moved closer. Suddenly there were two yellow eyes rimmed black, staring straight ahead and filled to the brim with compassion. Then there were two ears, a mouth with a neck stretching away out of sight. The face of a white wolf took shape. Yet this wasn’t just any white wolf, as Balto recognized who it was. Balto suddenly let out an echoing scream which resounded through his skull and the den. “MOTHER!!!!!”

Swiftly the dream shattered apart and Balto sat upright in the den on the boughs with the wind blowing outside. At first Balto felt another depressing thought begin to creep into his skull. Now he missed his mother, and he wished she was here now. Everything felt so hollow. Balto began to cry again.

But then Balto raised his eyes towards the tunnel he had come down, she was there. She sat in the corner of the den, looking across at him. “Hello Balto.” She smiled sweetly, seeing his eyes on her. She looked the same as the day when she had left Balto, her virgin white fur shining crystal clear in the darkness. Her yellow eyes piercing and all-knowing.

“Mother?” Balto said sheepishly. “Is it really you?”

“Yes Balto. It’s really me.” She replied, her voice angelic in the hollow echo of the cave.

Balto jumped to his feet and rushed to her, and she to him. They met in a nuzzle Balto thought he would never be able to have again. Together they embraced each other, holding for what seemed an infinite amount of time. Mother and son once more joined together.

Then Aniu stepped back from Balto. “My, how you’ve grown.” Her face turned to one of befuddlement. “And this thing you’ve done with your hair?”

Balto looked at the floor of the den. “It’s Boris’s idea. He wanted to make a fool of me to see if Jenna woul –“

“-I know, you don’t need to explain.” Aniu cut in. “I’ve been watching over you, and Jenna. I just wanted your reaction to it.”

Balto felt a hurt in his heart. “If you’ve been watching me, then why haven’t you come to see me?” Balto looked up into his mothers eyes, pleading with tears on the edges of his eyes. “If you’ve been watching me, you could have-”

“-I couldn’t.” She interrupted. A long silence filled the den as Balto looked at his mother, waiting, expecting her to explain. Then Aniu spoke. “Do you remember what I said when I left you?”

“Yes. You said, ‘I’ll be there for you when you need me most, now stay still, I’ll be right back.’” Balto repeated, going back into a painful memory so far away. Balto dropped his eyes to his mother’s feet; he was thinking back to that day again. “Mother, what happened to you? Why didn’t you come back?”

“That’s not important.” Aniu said, her voice bringing Balto’s eye’s back up to hers. “What’s important is that I’m here to help you, and to clean your fur.” She giggled and smiled and stepped by Balto, heading towards the tree boughs in the center of the den. Aniu lay over on her side on the boughs facing Balto. “Now come here and let me clean that out of your fur, and tell me why you’re crying.”

Balto walked over to his mother and lay down up against her stomach, facing the same way she was. Balto felt safe, like he never had before. Aniu began to lick the fur on top of his head, and the blood and mud from his shoulder. As she cleaned his fur, Balto began to repeat the whole story to her. He told his mother everything about Jenna, about himself, and about Steel. Balto told everything right up to this moment. Aniu listened, gently licking his head again and again and again.

When Balto finally finished his story he turned and looked at his mother with tears rolling up in his eyes again. “Now I have to let her go because we come from two very different worlds. We can never be together. I could never ask Jenna to leave her world, and I can’t join her” Balto looked down, sulking.

“Why not?” Aniu spoke for the first time in a while.

Balto thought about it and looked up at Aniu. “Well… because of our diff-”

“-Besides that?”

Balto thought and thought, trying to come up with a reason besides Steel saying he couldn’t. But nothing came. “I-I don’t’ know.”

“I thought so.” Aniu replied softly as she stood up and began to circle around Balto, heading slowly towards the den entrance.

“But then how can we be together?” Balto said looking at her as she circled. “I don’t know what I could do?”

Aniu turned around and faced Balto head on. “Sometimes when we really want our love to be, we have to let it go free. Then if we are meant to have love, a chance will open itself to us one day. We only need to have faith, intelligence, patience, fidelity, a big heart, and a keen eye backed with unfathomably courage for when these moments present themselves.” Aniu turned around again. “Now I want to show you something, follow me. There isn’t much time left.” Aniu crouched down and slipped up out of the tunnel to the outside.

Balto wanted to question her about the time statement, but she had vanished. Balto jumped to his feet and followed up the tunnel after her.

Outside the weather was terrible, snow blew around and the trees creaked and groaned in the unbearable wind. Balto looked for Aniu. For a moment he thought he had lost her in the snow. Then he saw her, standing with her back to him, near the spring where the water rushed out of the ground. “Come here Balto.” She said sweetly over her shoulder. “I want you to see something

Balto walked to her right side and stood. The spring rushed out of the ground just in front of their paws. “What is it?” Balto said looking into the water. “It’s just a spring.”

“No,” Aniu corrected. “Look deeper into it.”

Balto looked into the water, squinting and straining his eyes into the bubbling pool, trying to go deeper down into the darkness. Then something began to form deep within the pool. It began to float to the top of the water like a leaf from the bottom of a stream. Balto could see the shadow of a dogsled team pulling a sled with no driver. Suddenly the lead dog took shape and color, and Balto saw himself as more of an adult in the lead traces. Balto could sense the urgency in his own face. He was racing against time.

Balto looked up at his mother. “I don’t understand it. Why am I on a sled-dog team?”

“Look again, look deeper.” Aniu said shaking her nose towards the pool.

Balto looked into the water. It was just water bubbling out of the ground once more. But again he strained and squinted and another image began to form and float to the top. This time it was a box with something moving inside it. They began to take shape, and Balto realized they were rust colored puppies. But one of them was grey and wolfish, like himself. Then Balto saw Jenna, older and more beautiful. She was smiling at him. Balto felt Jenna’s love for him beaming through in her smile, and a strange sort of heartbreak. The puppies were going away.

Balto looked up at Aniu. “Is this the future?”

Aniu closed her eyes and shook her head, yes.

“So then me and Jenna will be together after all?” Balto looked hopefully towards his mother.

“Maybe, but not today or tomorrow.” She said simply. “You must first let Jenna go and grow up. Then one day you will have a chance to do a deed so great, so selfless, the entire world will know about it.” Aniu smiled. “And then you will be able to be with her, and everyone will know who you are.” She smiled. “You just need to keep your faith, your patience, your big heart, your fidelity, your intelligence, and your selfless courage; and then this will come to be true. Just reach for the light, and find out who you are.” Aniu turned back to the spring. “Now I want to show you one last thing.”

Balto looked into the pool. An image began to form again. This time he saw Jenna, as she was now, running through the snow. She was scared and breathless. She needed help. Behind her Balto saw Steel chasing after her tracks. “JENNA, GET BACK HERE!!” he barked. Suddenly Jenna was at the end of an alley, with building on all sides, no place to go. Steel stood at the end of the alley closing in on Jenna.

Balto raised his head to look at his mother to ask if this was happening right now, but she was gone, nowhere. All around Balto twisted his head looking for her in the snow, and then he heard a voice echoing out of everything and everywhere. It was Aniu’s sweet voice. “Balto, wake up.”

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Balto awoke, lying on the tree boughs, in the center of the den, with the wind blowing outside. He was alone, and everything had been just a dream. Yet he looked hopefully towards the den entrance, in suspense to see if his mother there. But she wasn’t. He was alone.

Yet the dream still remained in the front of Balto’s skull. Had any of it been real? Could it really have all been just a dream? Was it all just some fiction, brought out by the hopeless mess he was in?

Balto knew where he could find out if it was just a dream and nothing more. Standing up, Balto quickly moved to the den entrance, up through the tunnel, and into the wind and snow, just like in the dream. Balto looked down at the snow, but there were no fresh tracks at all. He then moved to the spring and looked into the pool, straining, trying to bring something to the surface. Nothing came. It was just a spring gushing water. It had all been a dream, nothing real about it.

Then Balto caught a pain in his left shoulder. He looked at it. His large wound was still there, and had broken open in his hasty run to get out of the den. A small trickle of blood ran down his shoulder, where the older blood and mud still remained in it’s spider web pattern. Soon the fresh blood clotted and stopped. None of it had been real. Aniu hadn’t returned and cleaned his fur and told him all those things. It was just a stupid dream.

Balto began to turn, to go back down into the den to pass the storm sleeping and forgetting. Balto took several steps to the den, ready to just pass it all off as an illusion, when he stopped. Something was different. Balto turned and walked back to the pool and looked back into the bubbling water, but it was moving to fast to see anything. So Balto moved around the spring, trying to see his reflection on the very edge where the water was stillest. He found it in a small spot where the water coming up from the ground was just still enough he could see himself clearly.

The mess that had been on Balto’s head was gone, completely. All that remained was his usual tuft of free flowing wolfish hair. Balto knew that what his mother said was real. That if he kept his heart, his intelligence, his patience, his fidelity, his faith, and his courage, he would be able to be with Jenna one day. Then the hair on Balto’s neck stood up as he looked in the direction of the town.

“Jenna.”

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Yes, i know, isn't it a cliff hanger. I have one more chapter before this thing is finished. I'm slowly working on it. I hope you've enjoyed this so far.

Oh yes, there's going to be a big epic showdown! Great chapter!

Aaugh! So many terrible emotions!
I really sympathize with Jenna. Her parents really are blind and ignorant, aren't they?
Here's hoping Balto sets things straight with Steele, if not Jenna's parents, too!

Okay let me just start by saying of all the fanfictions I have read you are the first to make me here Keven Bacon's voice being Balto and to keep Balto in character. Second of all In visualizing your story I didn't get lost I was able to navigate my way around nome as well as Balto was if not better. Therd You kept Balto from being to weak and a baby but also from being un realisticly strong. Which is probably most believable. Fourth of all you pulled off making Balto and Jenna awkward teenagers without making it an obviouse unspoken excuse for bad writing like I have seen before and I am guilty of, and They wern't awkward to the point they were out of character or annoying. Last I laughed out loud when they were walking and starring at one another and I relate to every part of that distracted looking at the puddle oh I walked over it feeling. I was in your story I would love to here more.