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Here is my latest one-shot fic. I apologize profusely for taking so long, but thanks for bearing with me.
Now, I will return to In the Name of Aniu. (Been a while, hasn't it?) I hope to have the next chapter done soon, but unfortunately I have precious little free time now that marching band has started. Still, I'll try my hardest.
Enjoy!
Seven Spanish Angels: The Ballad of Innocent Blood
LoneWolf_fanwriter
This story is inspired by the Ray Charles/Willie Nelson song ‘Seven Spanish Angels.’ The song’s lyrics are copyright to them.
Balto, Jenna, Steele and Boris are copyright to Universal Pictures.
The remainder of this story is the property of Lone Wolf_fanwriter.
Chapter One
Texas, 1903
The sun rose over the barren desert, signaling the beginning of another day. As far as the eye could see, the land was flat and dry, with only cactuses to provide shade for the scampering prairie dogs and jack rabbits. The only safe inhabitable place for settlers was the town of Applegate.
Located on the shores of Luna Lake, Applegate was the closest town to the New Mexican border, except El Paso. While the name of the town was a mystery, for there had never been apple trees or anything of the sort in Applegate, the lake was named after the mother of the first family to settle along its shores. Luna Daniels had been the driving force behind her family when they decided to make their home by the lake, and when more settlers joined them, she was often found washing clothes for the townsfolk in the lake.
Until one morning when she went out earlier than usual and disappeared without a trace. No one had even the smallest inkling where she’d gone or what had happened to her except her daughter, who was only five years old at the time of the disappearance. She said she had woken as her mother got up, and when she called to her, her mother had told her she was going to start washing early that day, and then tucked her back in bed and left. Luna Daniels was never seen again. Her only daughter’s name was Jenna.
Growing up with only a father and two brothers was difficult, but, she found, not unbearable in the least. She often followed her brothers around and by the time she was ten, she could run just as fast as them or any of their friends, even with her dress on. Once, Flint had convinced her to wear a pair of his summer pants and a vest while she put her hair in a bun and covered it with a hat. The result was a drastic change in appearance the made even her closest friends mistake her for a boy. She kept up the ruse all day.
Now, in 1903, she was nearly twenty-one years old. The white fur that covered the front of her body as well as her slender arms and legs created a sort of glow if the sun reflected off it at the right angle, but it was her stunning red fur that made her the envy of the boys. She had always hated wearing bonnets, preferring to go without it, letting her stunning red hair rest on her shoulders.
Her father, Jason Daniels, was a gunsmith, and since he was often busy replenishing purchased munitions and making special guns for higher paying customers, he gave her charge of the store. This in itself required Jenna to know how to properly handle firearms. So in the week or so before he turned management of the store over to Jenna, he had showed her exactly how to handle a rifle.
Once he was confident she was well prepared, he took her to the edge of town and let her fire it at a few vultures hovering near a cactus. She fired, and one of the birds fell dead. Then the second, and then the third. Jenna had lowered the rifle and smiled.
Once word of her feat got around, every young man looked at her with a bit more respect when they passed her in the street, but she could guess the reason behind their smiles, and although she smiled in return, that was as far as most boys got with her.
Most boys, that is, except for Balto McLain.
When he smiled at her and doffed his hat, she somehow knew that it was sincere, true kindness and not a mask for other thoughts. That, perhaps, was what first made her notice him. Most others ignored him on the street and didn’t even acknowledge his greetings. Jenna had sensed there was something different about him the first time they passed each other on the street, but it wasn’t until they met face to face that she truly understood him.
It was a warm day in mid-June, and she was working the counter at her father’s store. Balto walked in late that morning and, as always, tipped his hat to her with a smile as he made his way to the counter. As Jenna took count of what the last customer had bought, he looked at the rack of hunting rifles and shotguns behind her.
“Do you often handle those things, Miss Jenna?” he asked, nodding toward the guns.
“Every day,” she replied, setting aside the counted money as she looked up, “Do you want one?”
“How much for that 12-gauge there?’ he said, pointing to a rather large double-barreled shotgun.
“That’s a pretty big one. Usually used for hunting, but the biggest thing to shoot around here is a coyote. What’re you buying this one for?”
“I’m trying to teach myself to shoot.”
“That’s a mighty big gun for a first try,” she said, looking back at it, “Didn’t your daddy teach you how to shoot?”
At this, Balto’s face lost its cheerful appearance and took on an expression of deep sorrow.
“I, uh, never knew my dad…or my mother for that matter,” he said quietly, “They both died when I was real young.”
Jenna immediately regretted speaking.
“Then who…”
Balto sighed.
“I grew up in a town not far from here, sleeping where I could, until an old man named Boris took me in and let me work his shop. From then on, I saved up enough to move out and find my own way in the world. And here I am.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jenna whispered, “If I’d known… I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s alright. It’s not like you brought this back to my mind,” Balto said with a small smile, “I’m always thinking about them. Wondering what they would have been like…” He sighed again. “Well, how much for the gun?”
“The list price is forty-five dollars, but we have others that go as low as twenty-five if you want.”
“That’s fine. I’ll go with the first one.”
Jenna nodded and lifted the 12-gauge off the rack. As she laid it on the counter, Balto held out a handful of bills.
“Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, forty-five,” he said, counting it out for her as he laid it in her hand. Jenna giggled.
“Thank you. Will you need ammunition as well?”
“How much would that be?”
“Five dollars.”
“Done.”
He handed her the money and she handed him the shotgun and its shells.
“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” he said, extending his hand, “Balto J. McLain.”
“Jenna E. Daniels,” she replied.
Balto noticed an orange bandanna around her neck.
“That’s a pretty little cloth there,” he commented.
“My mother gave it to me,” she replied, “Not long before she disappeared.”
Balto started to apologize, but Jenna held up her hand.
“That’s alright. It seems we’ve both lost someone close to us. At least we both know.”
“True. It’s been nice to talk with you, Jenna,” he said, “I’ll see you around.”
“Alright. You take care, you hear?” she called after him.
Balto stopped and turned around.
“Yes ma’am, thank you,” he replied, waving back at her.
As he turned around again, though, he came face to face with Steele Thane, who gave him a malicious smirk as he flashed the badge pinned on his shirt.
“One side, half-breed,” he said, pushed Balto aside, “Make way for the new sheriff.”
Steele strode up to the counter and rested his elbow on it. Jenna gave a half-hearted smile as she closed the register.
“Morning, Jenna. Your father’s been making a special order for me,” he said to her, “Is it ready?”
“I’ll check.”
While Jenna disappeared into the back room where the surplus inventory was kept, Steele turned on Balto again.
“Where are you going with that?” he chuckled, nodding at Balto’s gun, “Gonna shoot some coyotes? Oh wait, I forgot, you’d be shooting your brothers and sisters, wouldn’t you?”
Balto leaned against the door frame and said nothing, but only looked at Steele without a single hint of emotion on his face. He opened the cartridge box and pulled out two rounds. He then snapped the two barrels open on the hinge above the trigger. As he loaded the shells calmly into his newly bought shotgun, he said,
“I don’t like to shoot for anything other than necessity.”
He finished loading and snapped the barrels closed again.
“Have you ever shot anyone?” Steele pried.
“Never,” Balto replied. Truth be told, he’d often thought of shooting Steele for his insults, but always reasoned that it would be a waste of a bullet. “Had reasons to, but never shot anybody.”
Steele chuckled to himself.
“Half-breed…”
At that moment, Jenna reappeared carrying a small rectangular box.
“Here you are Mister Thane,” she said, setting the box down on the counter.
“Thank you Jenna,” he replied, picking it up and walking toward the door. He had only gotten a few steps when Jenna called to him.
“Mister Thane?”
Steele turned around.
“Sheriff or not, we require payment.”
Balto noticed that Steele smiled, but he could clearly sense that the new sheriff had expected a few perks to the job.
“Of course,” Steele said, “How much?”
“That will be thirty-five dollars.”
The register rang, and a minute later, Steele left.
Balto shook his head and sighed, still leaning against the door frame.
“How a man like him became sheriff I’ll never know.”
“His father owns nearly half the town,” Jenna replied, “It wouldn’t be hard for him to buy the position.”
“That’s probably what he did,” Balto agreed, “There is no way the town would elect him to office.”
“I agree,” Jenna replied, producing a bowl and spoon from behind the counter.
“What’s that?” Balto inquired.
“Lunch. Beef and carrot stew.”
“It smells heavenly.” Balto scented the air and smiled.
“It’s my special recipe,” Jenna replied, “I use my own vegetables.”
“I didn’t know you were a farmer, too.”
“A gardener is more like it,” Jenna said with a laugh, “The jackrabbits and mice get in so often, I have to get up twice a night just to make sure I still have anything left.”
“A pretty girl like you needs her sleep,” Balto replied, raising his brow, “Why don’t you put up a fence? That’s what I did.”
“I haven’t the time, and neither does my dad or Flint.”
Balto rested his chin on his hand for a moment.
“Well, I’ll think of something,” he said, nodding to Jenna, “Have a good day, Miss Jenna.”
He made it out the door, but less then three steps later there was a great crack and the floor collapsed beneath him. Jenna heard the noise and came running, only to find Balto standing quite surprised with only his upper body above the floorboards.
“I’m so sorry. Here, let me help you up,” Jenna said, crouching down beside the hole, “I’ve been pestering Flint to fix these floorboards for weeks.”
Balto smiled and climbed out. The two stood and examined the hole.
“I can fix that,” Balto said matter-of-factly.
Jenna turned to him in surprise.
“I had to build my own house.”
“Oh… Well, if you want to…”
“I tell you what; I’ll fix up this porch for you and use the leftover wood for a garden fence in exchange for a bowl or two of that stew.”
Jenna smiled and suppressed a laugh as they shook hands.
“Alright, Mr. McLain, we have a deal.”
Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching nearby. He turned away and headed toward the edge of town; as he turned, the fading light twinkled on the star on his chest.
Early the next morning, as Jenna began restocking the shelves for the coming day, Balto arrived with his horse and a cart full of lumber. He started working as the sun rose and he was done before the first customer arrived less than three hours later. Granted, he did not only replace the faulty boards, but replaced the whole porch, posts and all. Balto left his horse and cart tied to one of the new posts and began moving the old porch floorboards around behind the store, where Jenna’s small garden waited. Two hours later, a fine fence guarded her precious vegetables from the varmints that had plagued them for so long. During a lull in the flow of customers, Jenna came out to inspect the results of Balto’s handiwork.
The old porch floorboards had creaked with every step, but as she tested them by marching back and forth, not a sound was heard other than her footfalls. Balto had just finished her garden fence when she came through the back door. She smiled at his work and invited him in for lunch. Her brother Flint passed them on his way out and nodded to Balto.
“Going out again?” Jenna called.
“Amos is starting a poker game, and I’m in it.”
“Amos Thane? Flint, sometimes I worry about the folks you make friends with.”
Flint shouted something back and they both laughed.
As they sat down at Jenna’s small round table, Balto glanced around at the cozy kitchen and living room fit snugly behind the store.
“Looks like you’ve got a mighty fine place here, Miss Jenna,” he commented, taking his first spoonful of her stew.
“We get by easily enough,” she replied, “I’d really like to see your home sometime.”
“Oh, you don’t want to see my place,” he said sheepishly, “I’m not a very good housekeeper.”
Both were silent for a short while as they ate. Finally, Jenna spoke again.
“Why are you always alone, Balto?” she said softly.
“No one wants a half-breed for a friend,” he replied, “Not me, anyways.”
“Well, I do,” she said, “And I’d love to get to know you better, Balto.”
Balto looked up in surprise, and his tan-brown cheeks reddened slightly.
“You’re the first to say so, Miss Jenna. Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome, Balto. And you can call me Jenna; you don’t have to address me as Miss.”
“Alright Mi…Jenna, is there anything else I can do around here?”
Jenna smiled. She intended to get to know this orphaned young man as well as she possibly could.
“Well, the door doesn’t hang straight out front…”
Balto smiled back.
“I can fix that.”
The days passed quickly, and Balto always dropped by to help out at the Daniels’ store. He straightened the doors and repaired their rusty hinges, stocked shelves, hauled lumber for the coming winter, and even repainted the sign out front, but refused any form of pay. He simply enjoyed Jenna’s company, and she enjoyed his. And so passed more than a month for Balto and Jenna.
Then, late one night after the store had closed, Balto finally relented and agreed to show Jenna his home. As the moon peeked through the clouds, he led her to a small wooden house near the edge of town. Though the outside had seen better days, the inside was surprisingly well-kept. The small stove provided plenty of warmth for the chilly desert nights, the table was set for one, and the bed was made. Jenna glanced around and smiled.
“You keep a very tidy house, Balto,” she commented, “I think my father would like you.”
“Thank you,” he replied, glancing off to his bedside table, “Now where’d I put that thing this time?”
“Is something wrong?”
“My knife’s missing.”
“You made your own knife?”
“No, my father made it for me. He even carved my name into the handle.”
“That’s a nice touch. I’m sure it’ll turn up.”
“I guess you’re right; it’s really not something that would be stolen.”
Jenna noticed a small book on the table and picked it up.
“That’s my journal,” Balto said, “I try to write in it every day. It helps me get things off my chest so I can forget about them if I need to.” Jenna flipped to the most recent page and found a sketch of herself. She turned to Balto in surprise, and his cheeks turned bright red. “Although some things I’d prefer to remember for a long time.”
Jenna smiled and looked around again, and Balto glanced outside.
“It’s getting dark; would you like me to walk you home?”
“Certainly.”
The two left Balto’s house together, gazing at the stars and naming constellations. When they arrived at the Daniels’ home, Jenna knocked on the door and turned to Balto.
“Thanks for all your help around here.”
“Always a pleasure, Jenna,” he replied.
Jenna stepped toward him and eyed him for a moment. She then leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. As she pulled away, Balto touched the spot where her lipstick left an imprint and a smile spread across his face. Jenna smiled bashfully as her own cheeks turned a shade of pink. Just then, Jenna’s father opened the door and with a nod to Balto led Jenna inside.
Balto walked back towards his home still smiling from Jenna’s kiss, happier than he’d been in months.
Chapter Two
One day soon after their first kiss Balto came in later than usual. He was carrying his shotgun and a shoulder bag with him.
“I’m going out for a few days,” he said simply, “I’ll be back soon.”
“This is sudden,” Jenna replied, “Where are you going?”
“To visit some of the places I used to go when I was but a wanderer.”
“Oh…” she said, trying to hide her disappointment, “Well, be safe, and come back soon.”
“I will, Jenna,” he replied.
With that parting remark, Balto turned and left.
From that point on, time seemed to crawl by for Jenna, and with each passing minute she realized more and more that she missed Balto. By the sixth day, she wished he would come back, and by the fifteenth day she was miserable almost beyond consolation. The pages of her journal were soon stained with lonely tears. She only managed to remain cheerful for her family’s sake.
Then, seventeen days after Balto’s departure, her father was found dead in his workshop. A rattle snake was curled up on his desk. The cause of death was listed as a snake bite. Jenna sank deeper into depression and came close to closing the store for good, but she knew it was her only source of income, and thus had to keep it open.
A few days after her father’s death, Jenna was just locking up when a tall husky wearing a bandana over his muzzle burst through the front door and caught her completely off guard. Before she had time to scream, he clamped a white paw over her muzzle and rested his pistol against the side of her head.
“Hello there,” he said slowly. Jenna took notice of a slight strain in his voice; the stranger was trying to hide his own voice by assuming another. “Such a pity a lovely young lady like you has to work so hard just to stay alive,” he continued, “And with such a bad taste for mates, too. You should find someone better like, say, me.” Jenna growled at him, but said nothing. “Well, I’ll take that as a yes. I hope you don’t mind traveling, Miss Jenna, because by the time we stop, you won’t even know what country we’re in.”
“I hope you like jail, pal, ‘cause that’s where you’re headed,” said a voice from the door.
Both the stranger and Jenna turned in surprise.
There stood Balto, with his pistol aimed at the stranger’s head.
But the stranger just laughed.
“Do you think this wise, boy?” he said, suddenly turning Jenna so that she was between him and Balto, “If you shoot, I shoot, and pretty Miss Jenna dies with me. You don’t want that now, do you?”
Balto bared his teeth, but slowly lowered his pistol. He would not risk Jenna’s life. The stranger nodded approvingly.
“Now drop it, and kick it toward me,” he ordered.
Balto complied in disgust. The stranger laughed again, but this time with a cold harshness that matched his black eyes as he turned his pistol on Balto.
“Goodbye,” he snickered.
But suddenly, as he was about to pull the trigger, Jenna wrenched her muzzle free of his grasp and bit down hard on his gun arm, just below the wrist. The stranger screamed and the gun clattered to the floor. As Jenna broke away from the stranger, Balto dove forward and snatched his pistol. He raised it and fired three fast shots at the masked husky, who by some miracle was not hit and leapt through an open window and escaped into the night.
Balto heaved a sigh of relief as he stood only to be warmly embraced by Jenna.
“Oh my God, Balto, what are you doing here?” she said shakily as a few joyful tears fell from her eyes.
“I told you I’d be back,” he replied, “I guess it’s lucky I came when I did. Are you alright?”
“I am, now that you’re here,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder.
Moments later her brother Flint, having heard the shots, rushed in. Jenna assured him that everything was fine now, but recounted her brush with death to him.
“And you bit him?” Flint asked in astonishment.
“Well, what would you have done?’
“If I were you, I would have kicked the guy in the crotch, but that’s just me.”
Flint, Balto, and Jenna all laughed.
“Well, if you two don’t mind, I’m going to bed,” Flint said, “Jenna, don’t forget to finish locking up.”
“I won’t, Flint,” Jenna replied.
With a final tip of his hat, Flint retired to his bedroom upstairs.
Jenna, meanwhile, accompanied Balto to the front door.
“I guess I should be going now,” he said, starting out the door.
Jenna, however, held him back.
“Just one more thing…” she said.
When he turned back toward him, she put an arm around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Balto was quite surprised at first, but quickly became used to the feeling of Jenna’s lips against his and began to kiss her back. After a long moment, they pulled apart and smiled, their cheeks flushed.
“Thanks, Balto,” Jenna whispered, wrapping her arms around him.
Balto returned the embrace and then stepped out onto the porch he’d constructed. He looked back at Jenna and smiled before making his way off into the night.
But even as Jenna bolted the door and turned out the store lights, two eyes peered in through the window. Outside, a masked husky growled as he clutched a bandage tight over his pierced wrist and fingered something in his other hand.
“I didn’t want it to come to this, Jenna,” he said, “But you leave me no choice.”
He turned and melted away into the darkness, but not before taking one last glance at the knife in his hands; on its handle was the name Balto McLain.
Later that night, Balto made his way back toward Jenna’s store. Although he was not entirely sure what had coerced his feet to carry him to her door, he did know that he wanted –no, he had- to talk to her.
As he neared the porch, though, two black eyes watched Balto with great interest.
That’s right, half-breed, come back to your girl, the stranger thought, just like I thought you would.
Just as Balto was about to knock on the door, the stranger stepped from the shadows and onto the porch.
“Balto, just the man I was looking for,” Steele said, “Do you mind taking a quick walk?”
Balto eyed the sheriff suspiciously.
“Not now, Steele. I-”
“I’d advise you not to knock,” Steele interrupted, “I came by a minute ago, and Jenna was none too pleased to see me so late. She doesn’t want to be disturbed right now.”
Balto hesitated.
“Well, alright,” he conceded, stepping down off the porch, “I can see her later, then.”
He started toward home, but Steele called after him.
“How about a walk, then? It looks like neither of us will be getting much sleep tonight.”
Balto hesitated again, but turned and walked into town beside Steele.
“So, are you friends with Jenna?” Steele asked.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Balto replied, thinking about the kiss she’d given him.
“Well, for those of us who have not had the pleasure of courting Miss Jenna, please tell me, what’s she like.”
“Oh, she’s…caring, funny, beautiful, everything you could ask for in a girl.”
Steele’s eyes flashed briefly in pure anger, but quickly returned to their mock friendliness.
At that moment, someone darted out of the alleyway in front of them.
“Hey you, stop!” Steele cried, dashing after him.
Balto was about to follow when there was a small crash, and he turned to see a shattered box in the alleyway near a bigger pile of crates. He advanced cautiously, and suddenly noticed the glimmer of something on the ground in front of him. He leaned down and realized it was a knife; his personal knife.
And it was stained with blood.
With the knife in his hand, he moved slowly around the pile of boxes and nearly fell over in shock. Before him lay a young cowboy, no older than twenty, with a deep knife wound in his chest.
“Help! Somebody help! Murder!” Balto shouted.
He leaned down and felt for a pulse. Nothing.
Just then, he heard the click of a gun cocking behind him, followed by Steele’s voice.
“Balto McLain, you are under arrest for murder.”
Balto turned and came face-to-face with the barrel of a Colt revolver.
“This is a mistake, Steele,” he said calmly, “I didn’t do this.”
“Drop the knife.”
Balto did.
“Now will you listen to me?” he demanded, “I didn’t do this!”
Steele moved around behind him again.
“Put your hands on your head, hybrid,” he growled.
Balto spun around, infuriated.
“I’m telling you, I DIDN’T-”
Suddenly, the butt of a gun came down on Balto’s head from behind, and he collapsed.
As Steele looked down approvingly at Balto’s unconscious form, someone walked calmly up beside him. A small star shimmered on his chest.
“Is he dead?” the stranger asked, nudging Balto with his boot.
“You should know that was not part of the plan, not yet at least,” Steele replied, “But you’ve done your part, Amos, and for that I thank you.”
“For what it’s worth, you aren’t a very fast runner. I had to slow down for you, and that says things.”
Just as they were finishing their conversation, mingled voices drawing near reached their ears, and both bent down and acted busy as a small crowd gathered behind them. Among them was Flint Daniels.
“What the hell’s going on here?” Flint demanded, seeing Balto on the ground and a dead body beside him.
“We caught this guy red-handed,” Steele replied, gesturing toward Balto and then toward the body, “Apparently, he had something against the deceased here.”
Flint’s eyes went from Balto to the corpse and then to Steele and Amos, who were both watching him.
“This doesn’t make any sense,” he said, his eyes fixed on Balto, “I just saw this guy a few hours ago.”
“People change, Flint,” Amos said, “Come on, let’s get this guy to where he belongs: jail.”
Chapter Three
Jenna woke late the next morning because it was Sunday and her store customarily opened at noon rather than eight in the morning. Glancing at her clock, she saw that it was still only a little past ten and decided to pay Balto a visit before her work day began. Since the night before, she couldn’t get her mind off of the kiss she’d given him and the feelings now welling up inside her.
When she arrived at Balto’s home, she knocked twice on the door and waited. No one answered, and she knocked again. After a moment, curiosity got the better of her and she pushed the door open and went inside. She found to her great surprise that the small house was empty; tidy as ever, but empty.
“If you’re looking for Balto, he’s not here,” said a voice behind her. Jenna spun around to see Flint standing at the door. “I figured I’d find you here.”
“Well, have you seen him around?” Jenna asked, sensing Flint was hiding something. His eye lids drooped and his whole appearance revealed that he had not slept much that night, but she saw something beyond his exhausted expression.
“Oh, I’ve seen him,” Flint assured her, “But I didn’t like what I saw.”
Jenna furrowed her brow.
“Well?”
“Jenna, he’s been arrested for murder.”
“What?” Jenna exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“Steele and Amos both saw him do it,” Flint insisted.
“Bull. I don’t trust Steele as far as I can throw him, and your ‘friend’ Amos is no better.”
“Jenna, if two people saw-”
“Two brothers,” Jenna corrected, darting past him into town, “They could be lying, and I’ll bet they are. I won’t let them do it.”
Flint struggled to keep up as he shouted after her,
“Jenna, the trial’s already started!”
At that moment, Balto stood before the judge’s bench, pleading his innocence to a determined prosecutor, a silent crowd of onlookers, and a jury that was all but decided on their verdict. The past night was a blur to him. He only vaguely remembered sleeping, but he clearly remembered being shaken awake and then interrogated by both the judge he now stood before and Flint Daniels while Steele and Amos Thane watched nearby. He had repeated over and over that he had found the body and had had nothing to do with the murder, but his statements fell on deaf ears. Now, he could only hope that the jury would be more willing to listen.
The prosecutor turned to face him again.
“And you say that the knife the sheriff found on your person is not yours?”
“No sir, I said that that knife had been lost for over a month.”
“Peculiar how you remember how long you’ve been missing this insignificant little trinket.”
“It’s very special to me,” Balto replied, somewhat angered, “My father made it for me.”
“And I suppose he carved your name into it here?”
“That’s correct.”
“I see. And you say you found this knife lying next to the body and picked it up out of curiosity?”
“Because it was mine, sir,” Balto corrected.
“Perhaps you’d care to explain how it subsequently disappeared again? Why don’t you take us through last night’s events?”
Balto nodded and began his story again.
He had just finished when Jenna and Flint came in.
“Your honor,” Jenna began, “I can prove that Balto is innocent.”
“Miss Jenna, the time for testimony is past,” the judge replied.
“Balto was with me almost the whole night, how could he have-”
“Miss Daniels, Balto McLain was found with the knife in his hands.”
“Let me guess, it had his name on it right?”
“Yes,” replied the prosecutor, “And it was covered in blood.”
“His father made that knife for him. It’s been missing for weeks!”
“That’s what Balto said!” chimed someone from the crowd.
“It doesn’t matter,” the prosecutor barked, “All I know is he was found with the knife in his hand and the body beside him and that spells guilty to me.”
“How can you have a trial so soon anyway? Without any investigation at all, this seems more than a bit odd to me.”
The judge pounded his gravel twice.
“That’s quite enough, Miss Daniels. Be seated.” Jenna reluctantly took her seat and Flint sat down beside her. “Now, for clarification, I must ask Amos Thane to again recount the events of last night.”
Amos stepped up to the witness stand as Balto took his seat.
“Well, I was making my rounds through the town when the wolf-dog-”
“His name is Balto,” Jenna interrupted angrily.
The judge pounded his gravel again.
“Miss Jenna, if I have to ask you to be quiet just once more you will be removed from the courtroom.”
Jenna fell silent.
“Good,” said the judge quietly, turning to Amos, “If the witness would refer to the accused by his name?”
Amos nodded slowly.
“As I was saying, I was making my rounds when I passed Balto. He seemed no harm at the time, so I let him pass. Just then, someone else darted past me, and I took off after him, but he was faster than me. Whoever he was, he got away. Then, I thought I heard voices, so I made my way toward them and found Steele struggling with Balto, who had a knife in his hand, so I clubbed him across the head. It was only later that I saw the body.”
Balto stood immediately.
“I object! I never saw Amos that night. I was walking through town with Steele until he took off after a runner; I told you twice already!”
“Overruled!” the judge cried, pounding his gravel.
No sooner had he spoken than Jenna stood.
“Your honor, Amos Thane is lying.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know Balto, and he’d never do anything like that.”
“Just how do you know?” the judge countered, “If you have any information regarding the murder, please share it.”
“I…”
“Did you witness the murder?”
Jenna’s voice lost its power.
“No…”
“Then on what are you basing your claim?”
“My feelings, your honor.”
“Feelings?” the judge exclaimed, “Miss Daniels, fact takes prominence over feelings in my courtroom.”
“What facts? You’re basing your judgment on coincidental evidence,” Jenna replied just as loudly, “The only witnesses to this are Steele and Amos Thane; don’t you think it’s the least bit odd that your sole witnesses are brothers. They could be making this whole thing up.”
“A likely story,” the prosecutor laughed, “He’s got quite a case against him.”
“Your honor, if you would give me just one day to prove my claim-”
“I’m sorry, Miss Jenna, but I cannot,” the judge replied, standing up, “Though the sheriff has already confirmed your story, Amos, the law requires one more person to hold you as a truthful man.”
“Ask Flint,” Amos replied, “He was there.”
Flint, a bit shocked, stood up slowly.
“Well I only arrived-”
“Deputy Flint,” the judge said, “Can you verify what Deputy Amos has told the court?” Flint looked at Balto, and then at Amos and Steele. “The answer does not lie on other people’s faces, Deputy. Now please tell me, can you confirm what Deputy Amos has said today?”
Flint glanced at Jenna, and she pleaded with her eyes, but he shut his.
“Yes, your honor,” he replied slowly, “Amos is telling the truth.”
For a moment, the entire courtroom was silent. In that moment, Jenna knew that the last hope for Balto was gone.
“Alright, you may be seated,” replied the judge, turning to the crowd, “Is there anyone in this room who is not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Balto McLain is guilty of murder?”
No one spoke, and none but Jenna stood. She looked around slowly.
“It’s because he’s a hybrid, isn’t it?” she said softly, turning toward the jury, “No wonder you all agreed so quickly. ‘Oh, he’s the outcast; no one will miss him if he’s hung.’” She sighed and lowered her voice slightly. “Well I will. I’ll miss him.”
“Balto’s race has nothing to do with their decision,” the judge said sternly.
This only made Jenna angrier.
“Like hell it doesn’t! This is discrimination. How many of you have actually said ‘hello’ to him when he passed you on the street.” No one said anything. “I thought so.”
“Miss Jenna that doesn’t mean we’re discriminating against him.”
Jenna continued as though she hadn’t heard the judge speak at all.
“Your belief in the sheriff has turned to blind devotion. How did Steele become sheriff anyway? As I recall, no one voted.”
At this, Steele tried unsuccessfully to stifle a chuckle, and the judge turned on him.
“Is something funny about this, sheriff?”
Steele’s smile faded for a moment, but returned so fast that no one noticed the change except for Jenna.
“I’m just laughing at why we’re even conducting this trial.”
“Then perhaps you’d care to explain why the murder weapon that you say Balto used vanished into thin air.”
“It did not vanish, your honor, Balto threw it away just before we took him,” Steele replied, “We have yet to locate it.”
“Why on earth would he discard the weapon when you and Amos clearly saw the entire thing? And why, Steele, did you not stop him?”
“The knife, your honor, was thrown at us; perhaps he had intended to kill us as well,” Steele replied, “And as I said, your honor, I was too shocked to act when action was needed. I never suspected one of our own residents could be so violent.”
He caught Jenna’s eye and dared to flash a grin at her.
Her face grew red in anger.
“If you wanted him dead so bad, you should have just shot him yourself, but then you’d have your own trial to deal with. Or would you rig that one too?”
“That’s enough!” the judge exclaimed, pounding his gravel loudly, “Deputy Flint, would you please escort Miss Jenna out of the courtroom and see that she doesn’t return.”
Flint got up slowly and walked toward his sister, who was staring uncomprehendingly at the judge.
“I’m sorry Jenna,” he whispered.
He took her by the hand and led her toward the door as the judge watched.
“Feelings alone aren’t enough to prove a man’s innocence,” he said.
At this, Jenna turned her head.
“But they seem enough to condemn him…wrongly,” she replied bitterly.
As if in response to this statement, the head juror stood up and delivered the verdict: guilty as charged. The mandatory punishment: Death by hanging.
The judge nodded and sighed.
“Deputy Flint, please escort Miss Jenna home and see that she is not present at the hanging tomorrow. Deputy Amos, please go with him.”
Amos got up and met the two at the door. As Jenna, flanked by Flint and Amos, left the courtroom, she caught the judge’s final words.
“The sentence will be carried out at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning. Case dismissed.”
As the three made their way through the empty streets, an unusual silence hung in the air. The only sound to be heard was the crunching of the deputies’ boots in the dry dirt. They arrived at the Daniels’ store and Amos took a seat on the porch bench while Flint led Jenna inside and to the small staircase in the far corner of the kitchen. He sat down in one of the dining chairs and nodded toward the stairs, but Jenna only glared at him. His eyes fell to the floor.
“I’m sorry, Jenna,” he said softly, “but the law is the law.”
“Why couldn’t you defend him in there? You know him nearly as well as I do. Does it make any sense that he would suddenly turn around and kill someone?”
Flint mumbled something she couldn’t understand.
“Come again?” she said, growing angry.
Flint looked up.
“People change,” he said. Jenna scowled at him. Suddenly uncomfortable, he tried to change the subject a little. “Besides, what could I have done?”
Jenna walked towards until she stood directly in front of him, and crossed her arms.
“Let me ask that another way: Do you trust Steele and Amos to tell the truth?”
Flint opened his mouth and hesitated.
Jenna tilted her head and looked at him suspiciously.
“Yes,” he said finally.
Jenna frowned at him and took to the stairs, but turned back one last time, shook her head, and went up. Flint sighed and put his head in his hands. He’d never been able to lie convincingly to her. Good God, he thought, what have I done?
Upstairs, Jenna lay sobbing into her pillow. Never in her life had she felt so useless. Silently, she cursed herself, the judge, Amos, Steele, and anyone and anything else she could rightly feel angry at. After a while, she got up and walked to the window. Just beyond her window in the town center, she saw the other deputies preparing the gallows and her heart sank. She pulled the curtain, unable to bear the thought of what was to take place there the very next day.
And there’s nothing I can do, she thought in despair.
“Don’t think like that, child,” said a voice nearby.
Jenna felt her blood run cold for a moment. She knew that voice, but she hadn’t heard it for more than fifteen years. She turned around and came face to face with her mother, Luna Daniels.
“Mother?” she said in disbelief.
“You aren’t just going to let them hang that young man, are you?”
“What can I do?”
“Look in the mirror, and tell me what you see.”
Jenna sighed in frustration and glanced over her shoulder. The image she saw only barely resembled her normal self. Now, her eyes were red from crying, her cheeks were stained with tears, and her hair was quite unkempt.
“I see a desperate young woman who’s about to loose someone very dear to her.”
“That is what I see as well,” Luna replied.
“Then why can’t you help me?” Jenna cried, close to tears again.
“Hush,” her mother soothed, “Look again, and look harder this time.”
Jenna turned and peered at the reflection in the mirror. As she did, her thoughts overcame her concentration. Steele’s framing Balto for murder, Amos is lying to cover for him, and Flint… She stopped in mid-thought. That’s it! That’s it! It worked then, why not now? She turned around with the spark of an idea in her eye.
“Mother, I…”
But she stopped. Luna Daniels was gone.
Jenna sighed and said a silent prayer of thanks before creeping down the narrow hallway into Flint’s room. She returned to her own room moments later with a black hat, trousers and a vest to match it. She smiled in triumph as she gathered her hair in her hands and tied it into a bun before slipping on the hat.
Chapter Four
The following morning, Flint woke to find a note on his lap.
I couldn’t bear to say good-bye.
9:15 to El Paso. –Jenna
Flint looked at his pocket watch and cursed. 9:10. He leapt to his feet and bolted outside. Amos was still sleeping on the porch bench. Flint took his hat off and smacked the deputy awake.
“Ow! Hey, what’d you do that for?”
“Jenna’s leaving town, you idiot, and she got past both of us!”
Flint turned and took off running down the street with Amos following a ways behind. By the time they reached Applegate’s small railway station, smack between town hall and a group of houses, it was 9:15. The train was nearly full, but Flint spotted Jenna, dressed in her favorite white summer dress, stepping into the last empty compartment.
“Jenna!” he called after her.
Jenna turned and saw him, but stepped on the train without a second glance and shut the door. Flint, meanwhile, had run into wall of people. He tried to push his way through, but the conductor cried, “All aboard!” and the whistle blew. Before Flint or Amos got halfway to the train, it pulled away in a cloud of smoke and steam. Both looked at each other and began to make their way back toward town.
No one noticed a black-clad figure walking across the tracks from where the train had been carrying a tiny suitcase with a bit of white sticking out.
Balto woke to the sound of someone banging on his cell bars. Having not gotten much sleep at all, he pretended not to hear it and laid still. The banging persisted until finally Amos’s voice replaced it.
“Wake up, wake up, you worthless hybrid,” he chuckled, “Judgment Day is upon us. We best not keep the gallows waiting.”
Balto got up slowly and stretched as Amos unlocked the cell door and bound his hands together. At that moment, Steele walked in.
“Ready to die, wolf-dog?” he said.
“You first,” Balto replied.
At that moment, the town photographer walked in and began setting up his camera.
“Come on, wolfie,” Amos said, “Time for your picture.”
He sat Balto down on a stool against the wall as the photographer prepared the camera.
“Alright,” the photographer said finally, “Please face the camera…Good. Now don’t move.”
He took two pictures: one from the front and one from the side. With that, he bid Steele and Amos good day and left.
Amos handed Steele the end of the rope that bound Balto’s wrists and the sheriff wasted no time in dragging his prisoner out into the scorching sun. Though his strength was practically exhausted, Balto still managed to stand proud and tall as he was led to the town center. There, a crowd of citizens awaited him and his two-man escort with shouted insults and curses aimed at him, but still he held his head high as he mounted the stairs to the gallows. The town priest followed the three up and gave him his final rites. As the priest stepped down, the noose was placed around Balto’s neck and tightened. He raised his muzzle to the heavens and waited for the end.
Suddenly, the sound of an explosion echoed through the streets, followed by the staccato cracking of rifle shots. The women in the crowd retreated to their homes, dragging their children with them, while the men grabbed their rifles and pistols and set off toward the small pillar of smoke that could be seen over the rooftops. Some one cried ‘Fire!’ and the bell at the town hall rang in alarm. Yet even as all this was happening, Amos and Steele remained by the gallows. Amos was looking around in amazement when Steele shouted,
“Get on with it!”
On his brother’s signal, the younger Thane released the trap door below Balto’s feet and he fell for less than two feet before the rope went taunt. Satisfied, Amos took off after the rest of the men with his rifle in hand. Steele started after him, but turned back and watched as a sudden breeze made Balto sway in the wind. He smirked and followed his younger brother toward the far edge of town.
As they left, though, neither of the Thane brothers could hear a small sound over the cries of the townspeople and the clanging of the town hall bell. Balto’s eyes still held a faint trace of life as he struggled to take a breath as the thick rope dug into his throat. The fall had not broken his neck as had been expected, but was now slowly strangling him. The cause was Balto’s height. Because he was taller than most of the gallows’ previous criminals, the deputies had had to raise the noose an extra six inches to ensure that his feet would not touch the rafters supporting the stage once the trap door was opened. The result, be it fortunate or unfortunate, was that there simply had not been enough lax rope to snap Balto’s neck. Yet even as his eyes began to glaze over, there was the crack of a rifle nearby, and suddenly, he dropped completely through the open trapdoor and onto the ground below.
A black-clad figure, completely unseen, had been watching and waiting patiently from the second-story balcony of a shop. Then, once the crowd had dissipated as planned, the figure took a waiting rifle and with one shot cut the rope. As Balto dropped to the ground, the figure clambered over the railing and dropped to the ground.
Balto was just regaining his sight as he took deep breaths of blessed air when the figure in black pulled him out from under the gallows. He got quickly to his feet, looked back at the shredded rope, and suddenly realized that this person had saved his life. Yet for the life of him he could not recognize the figure, thanks to the orange bandanna covering the husky’s muzzle.
“That was an amazing shot,” Balto said. The black-clad figure only nodded. “Who are you?”
Imagine his surprise when the figure pulled the bandanna down and took off the black hat, revealing Jenna’s smiling face.
“Did you ever have any doubt?” she said, pulling him into a warm embrace.
Balto returned the embrace, but then slowly pulled back and studied her at arm’s length.
“Jenna, you can’t be seen with me,” he stammered, “If anyone finds out that you cut me down, they’ll be after you too.”
“They’ll never suspect,” she replied confidently, “For all intents and purposes I left town earlier this morning on a train to El Paso. Now let’s get out of here.”
On Balto’s suggestion, Jenna quickly packed a few days worth of clothes and a few other essentials in a small suitcase and bought a ticket to El Paso again. Thankfully, a different clerk was at the register for her ‘second’ trip, and stamped her ticket without hesitation. She and Balto parted ways at the railway station.
“I’ll ride ahead and meet you there,” Balto assured her, “I still have a friend there.”
Jenna nodded and kissed him on the cheek before he rode off on his horse to follow an old footpath to El Paso. Fifteen minutes later, Jenna boarded her train.
Meanwhile on the farthest edge of town from the rail station, Steele, Amos, and all the other townspeople who had responded to the explosion and the cries of ‘fire’ arrived to find nothing more than the charred remains of a wooden barrel. One sniff of the air told them all they needed to know about the cause.
“Gunpowder,” somebody said.
“Must’ve been some kid pulling a prank,” said another.
“How does a kid get hold of a barrel of gunpowder/” demanded yet another.
As the townspeople argued, Steele stepped up beside his younger brother.
“We better go cut down the corpse,” Steele said.
Amos nodded, and the two snuck off back toward the gallows. The two talked and laughed about how their troubles were over, but when they reached the town center, both fell silent as they stared at the frayed piece of rope that dangled from the scaffold. Amos leapt up and inspected it; at the same time, Steele discovered the loosened noose end of the rope on the ground nearby. Two pairs of footprints led away.
“Someone cut him down,” he growled as he threw the rope down in frustration, “Amos, go tell the judge. I’m sending word out to all neighboring towns. He will not get away.”
Flint walked up beside him and examined the gallows.
“Who would cut him down, though?” he said, “Are you sure the rope didn’t just break.”
“Positive,” Steele said, “Flint, is your sister at home by any chance?”
“No; she left just this morning for El Paso.”
“Then that’s where we’ll start our search.”
“Why there?” Flint said, “There are so many people who would recognize him once they get your telegram. Why would he go to any town for that matter?”
“He’ll go to El Paso because it’s the last city before the Mexican border,” Steele replied with a grin, “He’ll need supplies, and he’ll probably want to check in on his girl, too.”
Just then, Amos returned.
“The telegram’s been sent, Steele,” he said.
“Good.”
“There’s one other thing,” Amos continued, “A witness said a black-clad figure cut him down, but she didn’t see anything else.”
“Put a notice out for that man, and then mount up. We’re going to El Paso.”
Less than an hour later, Jenna stepped off the train in El Paso. In no time, she made her way to the town stable, where she ran into the stable owner’s young aid. A few minutes later, the lad was recounting the bills in his hand as Jenna led a young stallion out, fully saddled. At that moment, Balto rode up beside her and climbed out of his saddle.
“Nice horse,” he commented, glancing into the stable, “Probably the best out of the lot; good choice.”
“Thanks, but I just like the look of this one,” Jenna replied, patting the colt on the head, “Now, you said you had a friend here?”
“Follow me.”
Balto led Jenna to the general store, where the two tied their horses to the small post and went inside.
“Boris?” Balto called as he made his way to the counter.
From a room barely visible through the open door behind the counter, the two hear sounds of boxes being pushed aside and some muttering in what sounded like Russian. Someone carrying a larger pile of boxes emerged from the back room, but Jenna couldn’t tell who was behind the pile until it was set down. Even then, she saw nothing. Only then did she realize that there was a small staircase leading up to the counter from behind. Just then, an aged Russian goose stepped up onto the counter. She barely had time to look surprised as the goose turned to Balto squinted at him.
“Kido?” he said in disbelief.
“Hey, Boris,” Balto replied, “Do you still wish you were half-eagle?”
The goose’s eyes lit up.
“Balto, it is you!” he cried, flinging his winged arms around Balto’s neck, “What on Earth are you doing back here?”
Balto’s smile faded, and he looked at Jenna.
“Boris,” he said quietly, “I’m in a little trouble.”
Boris followed Balto’s gaze and then looked back at him.
“Is she pregnant?”
Jenna’s mouth fell open in shock.
“No,” Balto replied firmly, “Jesus, Boris.”
“What? You say you in trouble, so I make assumption…”
“Boris, I’m wanted,” Balto interrupted, “and I need some supplies.”
“Wanted? My God, Balto, what’s going on? The last time I see you, you were young, short, respectful boy, and now you’re running from the law?”
“He’s nearly been hung,” Jenna said, finally recovering, “Our town sheriff’s crooked, and he’s set Balto up for murder.”
“Murder? Why in the name of God?”
“Boris, we need help,” Balto pleaded.
“Okay, I see. Fine. You’ll need exactly three days worth of food and water.” He noticed their questioning expressions and added, “It’s the most you can carry on the horses you’ve got; and you don’t want to be walking them along, I’m assuming.”
Balto and Jenna looked at each other and nodded. Boris smiled.
Fifteen minutes later, they walked out, loaded up their horses, and rode away.
Boris watched them go through the back window of his store and said a silent prayer for the two. With that, he sighed and went back to restocking the shelves. This is one of those times I am wishing I was in Russia, he thought, There we shoot crooked officials, not just dismiss them from office.
Unbeknownst to him, Balto, or Jenna, someone else had been watching with great interest as the two ‘outlaws’ left. Across the street from Boris’ store, the telegraph operator looked again at the description he’d received from Applegate over the wire. He started tapping out a reply:
Criminal sighted leaving town. Stop. One other male with him. Stop. Awaiting your word. Stop. El Paso. Stop.
Balto and Jenna rode all day, crossing into the south east corner of New Mexico early that evening. At that point, the two dismounted their steeds and sat in the small shade of a boulder to eat a late lunch of pork and canned vegetables. They ate in silence until Balto set his tin plate aside and met her eyes.
“Why did you rescue me?”
Jenna gasped.
“Balto, I love you,” she said, “You must know that.”
“I do now,” he replied with a smile.
Jenna smiled and pulled him closer to kiss his cheek. He did the same. As they moved closer, their arms wrapped around each other and their lips met. For a long moment, they held each other close and enjoyed bliss unlike anything either of them had ever felt. As they slowly separated, both were smiling. Jenna set her tin pan aside and they lay down side by side on their backs.
“So where are we heading?”
“There’s a small canyon not too far from here where I used to stay,” Balto replied, “We don’t have enough daylight to make it today though. Here is the safest place to stay tonight.”
Jenna glanced at the sky. The sun was just dipping below the horizon, and already the temperature was dropping dramatically. She shivered despite her black attire. Balto got up and plucked a blanket out of his saddle bag. He wrapped it around her and suggested that she try to sleep.
“What are you going to do?” she replied.
Balto picked up his shotgun from where it leaned against the boulder.
“I’m keeping watch,” he replied, “But with any luck, they’ll think we’ve gone to Mexico.”
Meanwhile in El Paso, Boris watched with some discontent as a small group of riders dismounted outside his store. All four of them had saddle holsters carrying rifles, but not one of them carried his rifle into the store. These were not robbers. Boris went back to arranging the cans behind the counter as the four huskies walked in. He let them walk all the way to the counter before he turned around.
“Good day, and how may I be helping you?” he said.
“We’re looking for an escaped murderer,” Steele said, “Maybe you’ve seen him?”
“What does he look like?”
“He’s a wolf-dog. Brown and tan fur, kind of strong.”
Boris raised his eyebrow.
“Your description is too vague. There are not so few wolf-dogs as you think.”
Steele rolled his eyes and produced one of the photographs from his pocket.
“Maybe this will help?” he said slowly, trying to restrain his frustration.
Boris squinted at the image and shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but I have no seen this hybrid,” he said, “Is there anything else I can be helping with?”
“Perhaps,” Flint replied, “There’s someone else who was supposed to arrive her this morning; my sister Jenna. She’s red and white; shouldn't be hard to miss.”
“Her I saw,” Boris said, “She came in here this morning for a few odds and ends. Said she was going back to close her store at home, I believe.”
Flint sighed in relief. At least Jenna was safe at home. Originally, he might have sided with Balto, but after the escape… Why would an innocent man run?
“Is there anything else?” Boris interjected.
“No, that’s all, thank you,” Flint replied, tipping his hat, “But if you do see him, let us know.”
“Of course,” Boris said with a nod, “Good day, then.”
He watched as the four huskies left again, and shook his head.
Outside, Steele withdrew a map from his inner vest pocket and laid it out on his horse’s saddle. He then turned to his deputies.
“If you were an escaped criminal, where would you go from here?”
“Well, we’re only a day’s ride from the Mexican border,” Amos said, “So if I was him that’s where I’d go.”
“I see, then that’s one direction we’ll not be going,” Steele said.
“What?” Flint said in confusion, “but you said…”
“Forget what I said! He won’t go there.”
“But why?” Flint demanded, “It’s the closest escape for him.”
“Yes, but it was the first one we thought off, and he probably knows that if we wanted to, we could likely overtake him before he reached the border. So he won’t be going that way.”
“But where else would he go?” asked another deputy, “There’s nothing but open desert in all directions except back the way we came.”
“Don’t you see, Eli?” Steele said with a grin, “His love, Miss Jenna Daniels, is still around here somewhere, and he won’t leave her; all he wants is to disappear, and unless he wants to fry doing it, there’s only one place to go.” He rested his white-furred finger on a point just west of El Paso on the map, and all the deputies moved closer to see.
“Sierra Valley,” Flint said quietly.
“Not even really a valley, but more of a small canyon…” said Eli.
“…with a dried up river,” Amos finished.
“That’s it,” Steele replied, glancing at the sky, “It’s too dark to travel safely now, so we’ll rest up here tonight, but come dawn tomorrow, we ride for Sierra Valley!”
Even as Steele and his deputies bedded down in El Paso, some miles to the west Jenna lay wide awake, staring blankly up at the star-filled sky. The wool blanket helped fend of the cold night air, but kept glancing over at Balto. The wolf-dog was slouching against the boulder a short distance away, staring off to the horizon, watching for anything larger than a prairie dog. Yet despite his best efforts, his head was beginning to sag, his eyelids heavy. It was only the cold that kept him awake, she saw, because he was shivering more than subtly.
She looked down at the wool blanket that covered her from her neck to her feet and felt a flash of guilt. She got to her feet and, with the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, walked over and sat down beside him. He turned in surprise.
“I thought you were asleep.”
Jenna shook her head.
“You look cold; I couldn’t just leave you freezing here,” she replied.
She took the blanket off her shoulders and draped it over both their bodies. She moved closer to him and he took a hand of his shotgun to hold her close.
“Thanks,” he whispered, kissing her gently on the cheek.
Jenna blushed and smiled. She then snuggled up close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Before long, she was fast asleep. Balto glanced over at her as he felt her chest slowly rise and fall against his side. He smiled warmly, knowing that there beside him was the woman he’d spend the rest of his life with.
The next day as the sun peeked over the horizon, Steele rose and woke his deputies. The five-husky posse gathered around their horses as Steele briefed them.
“The valley is just over a day’s ride from here,” he said, “So we’ll have to ride through the night to make it their by tomorrow. I hope you’ve all gotten enough sleep, because you’re going to need it.”
At the same time, Jenna woke resting against Balto. He had dozed off the night before, and now lay slumped against the boulder. She woke him with a kiss on the cheek. His eyes blinked open and his smiled at her.
“Good morning,” he said, tossing off the blanket, “Did you sleep alright?”
“Never better,” she replied, standing up behind him, “Do we ride on?”
“We’re about a morning’s trip from the valley, so we should be there by noon,” Balto said. He folded up the blanket and tucked it in his saddle bag along with their tin plates.
Jenna saddled up and waited until Balto did the same. Then the two headed out across the desert once again.
The sun was nearly halfway through its descent toward the horizon as the two approached a small canyon.
“Welcome to Sierra Valley,” Balto said, sweeping his arm in an arch before him.
“Is that it?” Jenna asked, her voice rising in relief, “Finally.”
“I’m sorry it took longer than I thought,” he said, “I haven’t been out this way for years.”
“At least we’re here,” Jenna sighed happily.
Many miles behind, Steele dismounted his horse and bent down to inspect something he had spotted in the dirt. As the deputies stopped and dismounted beside him, he stood up again, this time holding a tin can.
“They’ve been here,” Steele said calmly.
“Who?” asked the third deputy, furrowing his brow in honest confusion.
Steele turned and looked at him as though he had three eyes.
“Eli, you are about the dumbest man I’ve ever met,” he said, “Who do you think we’ve been after since we left Applegate?”
“Well, you did say something about that Balto character,” Jacob said defensively.
“Thank you for finally catching up,” Steele said, turning to the others, “This means we’re on the right track. If we hurry, we can reach the valley by nightfall. Move out!”
Yet even as the sun dipped below the horizon, Balto and Jenna stood side by side on the small porch of the cabin Balto had led them to. With their horses tied to the posts, the two held each other close and kissed gently. Jenna put her arms around Balto’s neck as he moved against her. They embraced warmly and Jenna rested her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat.
“I love you so much,” she whispered, tilting her head back to meet his eyes, “Please don’t ever leave me again.”
“I’ll spend the rest of my life by your side,” Balto replied, touching his nose to hers.
Jenna had never felt so happy in her entire life. Here in Balto’s arms she felt loved and protected. She knew he would never let anything happen to her, nor would he ever stop loving her. Everything about him made her feel pure bliss. Even the way he looked at her sent shivers up her spine. ‘How could he be so perfect?’ she asked herself, ‘I’m lucky to have a guy like him.’
At the same time, Balto felt a new level of love coursing thru his body –no, his very soul. He had always wondered what it would feel like to love and to be loved, but never in his most wonderful dreams had he felt anything like this. Jenna was a godsend, an angel in disguise, and he loved her more than anything in the world.
The two spent a long time on the porch, forgetting their flight from Applegate, the desert, even where they were. The entire world simply ceased to exist. Only they remained.
Jenna brushed against him as she turned for the door, but he caught her by the hand and spun her into a kiss. She returned it and tried to go inside again, but found that even if Balto’s hand failed to seize her, she always wound up in his arms again. Yet they did make it inside, spinning in a blissful dance of warm embraces. When they made it to the bedroom, Jenna took a moment to look around as Balto took her in his arms.
The room was small, yet well lit by the two windows and the oil lamp on a small table nearby. There was one bed big enough for two against the far wall, and Jenna felt something more than love rising in her chest.
“We really should try to get some sleep,” Balto said softly.
Jenna looked at him and they both smiled.
Neither of them got much sleep that night.
Morning found the two lovers in much the same way the cool night had: wrapped in each others warm embrace. Jenna was the first to awaken, and she leaned over to wake Balto with a kiss.
“Thank you, Balto, for last night,” she whispered, “I’ve never been so happy in all my life.”
Balto smiled and kissed her back.
“Neither have I, Jenna.”
The two enjoyed solace in each others arms as the sun rose.
Then, Balto’s ears perked up at a distant rumble. Even so, he was not yet certain what the noise was, and was thus extremely reluctant to tear his eyes from the Jenna’s. But then, his ears swiveled and he instantly recognized the sound of approaching horses. That meant riders, and they were much too far off any sort of path to be there by accident. Up until that moment, he head wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with the girl he loved more than life itself, but once he heard the pounding chorus of hoof beats, he knew that he had been wrong to so quickly assume they were safe.
He broke the embrace and climbed out of bed, much to Jenna’s dismay, and began donning his clothes. When he slipped on his gun belt, she knew something was wrong.
“What is it?” she asked, “What’s going on?”
“Get dressed, Jenna, quickly,” he insisted, lacing his boots.
Jenna silently obeyed. At the same time, Balto had finished dressing and was loading his shotgun and belt with shells. Jenna quickened her pace, and finally slipped on her black vest and hat as Balto walked briskly into the tiny living room and looked out the front window. He saw nothing, but the steady hoof beats were drawing closer, echoing off the small canyon walls.
“They’ve found us,” he said, snapping his loaded shotgun closed.
“Who?”
Jenna knew the answer almost before he said it.
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My five latest videos. Enjoy!
The Change - Balto
Two Worlds - Balto and Jenna
Wake Up America - Balto
Long Black Train - Balto
Balto - Go the Distance
Last edited by Lone Wolf_fanwriter on Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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