Author’s Notes #2:

**Read this before continuing!** 

The next six parts of this story are each continuations of the Prologue; however, each part has its own similarities and differences:

- The puppy that survives in each story is different, since in “Wolf Quest”, Jenna gives birth to six puppies (which is mentioned in the Prologue and five of the pups end up dead at birth), and hence why there is six separate tales of a father’s struggle to continue onward and a child’s search for self-worth and a true place where they truly belong.  

- Since one pup looks more like a wolf (Aleu) while the other five had more domestic features and markings (three of them had markings just like Jenna’s, the other two’s markings seemed more wolf-like IMO), each of their personalities are much different than what you may remember from the Balto sequels. Of course, only two of the pups, Aleu and Kodiak, became the main focus of the sequels (Aleu in “Wolf Quest” and Kodi in “Wings of Change”), so the tales of the other four are totally fictional and are the creation of the author, Juuchan17 (which is, of course, myself).

- The personalities of the puppies are mainly based on how they are raised after they are born, so some of the personality traits that were once seen in the sequels are expected to change, especially since now the surviving child has no one else except for Rosy and Balto (and occasionally Boris, Muk, and Luk) to take care of them. Some of them may become headstrong, hoping for a chance to become independent; others might go as far as physically escaping from the safety of home in order to find what they truly want; and a couple may just do the impossible to prove a point and take a stand for what they believe is right. 

- One thing that really hasn’t changed is Balto’s everlasting love for Jenna. Although she is no longer with him in life, her spirit remains within his dreams somehow. At times, any object that she once had (like her trademark bandanna, for example) or something that resembles her likeness in his eyes can cause him to undergo a sudden breakdown of tears (which he would prefer to not do in public, but sometimes it’s hard to hold back how he really feels inside). A major situation becomes caused by Balto’s heartbreak of losing his mate, and others may be instigated by his feelings and actions after his meeting with his only pup face-to-face. He tries to keep the fact that the mother of his only child isn’t there anymore from the pup, hoping that it will put the past behind him, but it seems that he can never escape his loss.

- Also, I have recently gotten into writing “song-fics” – a fanfiction that somehow incorporates a song’s lyrics within it – so each individual story has a different song that is featured within the pup’s tale. Sometimes it’s heard in a dream or a vision; other times, it may be heard in reality by one of the characters – either way, the song has special meaning to Balto, Jenna, or to the surviving pup (Mainly, it’ll be connected to both the pup and Balto). 

I had someone to tell me that this story’s premise reminded them of the animated masterpiece, “Finding Nemo”. Now that I think about it, he was right! The loss of the maternal side of a couple really does change the way the remaining parent to care for the children (or in this case, child) that is left behind. The only major difference to this epic tale and “Finding Nemo” is the fact that Jenna dies of natural complications that occurred while she gave birth. However, these tales are much different than that movie is.

Now that that’s all said and done, let the next part begin! 

- Juuchan17

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Part I

Balto looked at the child that was wrapped inside his lover’s bandanna, now spotted with blood and a bit of water that was used to clean the pup. Once his eyes saw the full body of the tiny newborn, he gasped and then lowered his eyelids in sadness. 

No . . . It is truly a curse . . . His eyes grew large in shock. Now I’ve only made things worse . . .

Rosy squeezed her arms around his furry neck. “It’s a girl, Balto! Isn’t she beautiful?” She spoke softly to him as she leaned her face into his neck; Balto could feel a few teardrops land on his coat as the next words that she said made him worried. “You know, she reminds me of you.” 

The hybrid let out a sigh, realizing that nothing was going to change that. Rosy’s right . . . she obviously takes after my cursed half of my breeding. He glanced at the pup again. The newborn’s coat was still drying after only being minutes old, but it was a beautiful shade of light brown. Her markings on her face, body, paws and underneath her tiny nub of a tail were beige-tan. Her eyes were tightly shut and her mousy-brown ears were flopped forward as she whimpered and squirmed against the soft fabric in the doctor’s palm, blind and deaf to the new world around her. But perhaps Rosy was right about another thing . . .  His tan eyelids lowered, causing him to glance at the child with a look of love. She is quite beautiful too . . .

The doctor wrapped the squeaking pup in the fabric and handed it to the young girl. The warm bottle of milk that Rosy’s father held was now placed in the girl’s other hand. “You can feed her, Rosy,” the physician told her. “She’s still a newborn and without some sort of nourishment, she won’t last very long.” 

Rosy’s eyes were fixing on the tiny child that was warming in her arms as she asked a question with a happier tone. “Can I go into the waiting room to feed her, Doc? It might be nice for her to get some fresh air.”

The Doc nodded. “Go ahead. Just don’t go outside, okay? There still might be a slight chill in the air that could be too much for her to handle.” 

Rosy responded with a slight smile as she walked out of the room and into the lobby. Balto followed right behind her, hoping that the dogs outside could welcome his and Jenna’s daughter into their town family.

The little girl sat on a bench near the window, allowing a few of the canines that peeked outside of the window to glance at Jenna’s surviving child. Balto, who sat down by the end of the bench, also looked much happier as he watched his daughter feed for the first time in her short life. Rosy placed the rubber nipple on the bottle to the pup’s light tan lips, helping her suck the liquid that would help her grow strong. The pup gave the nipple a tiny lick with her tongue; within seconds, she was attached to the bottle, drinking the warm milk until it was all gone. The wolf-like child let out a tiny burp – it sounded more like a little bark – and began to yawn, stretching out her miniscule legs and paws. As if she were in training to become a mother herself, Rosy rocked the wrapped puppy in her arms, softly humming a lullaby that her own mother sang to her as a baby. Balto listened to the tune as his daughter started to sleep; his ears pricked up, for he had a feeling that he had heard the melody before when he was a young pup. He felt at peace for once at that moment . . . actually, that moment was the calmest he had felt all day.  

As soon as the pup fell asleep, Rosy did as well, and Balto took this time to nuzzle his daughter one last time for the day. His large nose gently graced against her tiny wet one as she quietly snored. The doctor, who was smiling with the girl’s two parents, soon sauntered over to the half-breed and the two sleeping children. He lifted the pup from Rosy’s sheltering arms and picked up the empty bottle, returning to the back room. The father, knowing that today had been long, tiring, and extremely emotional for all of them, took the sleeping child in his long arms and with his wife in tow, they bid Balto farewell, leaving the clinic and heading for home through the swarm of canines outside near the stairway and the town street.

The clinic was quiet now, with exception of the wolf-dog’s whispering whimpers and the muffled crowd outside, still awaiting to hear the latest on the tragic situation. The doctor emerged from the back room and walked to the sitting mutt, kneeling beside him. 

“It’s all right, boy,” The Doc gave him a calm grin. “Your daughter will be okay for now. I’ve put her in a soft bed with a warm blanket around her, so you’ll have nothing to worry about.” He placed his hand on the wolf-dog’s scruffy head, ruffling up the hairs that still managed to stick up. “You know, you can sleep with her in here as long as you want to. I know that if you want to stay by her side until she’s strong enough to go home, our clinic will always be open to you. Besides,” The doctor walked to a back entrance that also led to an alleyway near the connecting boiler room. “there’s a dog door right here, so feel free to come and go as you please. I’ll even make a little bed for some additional comfort, in case you wish to watch over her overnight. This isn’t much repayment for you saving the town and all, but I think you might need it right now.” The doctor began to walk beside the wolf-dog up to the main entrance where all of the local dogs waited for Balto to come out. “I’ll let you go now, Balto. I have to clean the other rooms and all. I’ll see you later then.” He opened the door and allowed the gray-brown canine to be among the other huskies, closing the door behind him as he exited the building.

Not a dog spoke a word to the wolf-dog – not because they were still afraid of the wolf blood running through his veins, but because they had no idea on what to say to him after hearing the news of Jenna’s sudden death. However, there was one creature that had the courage to speak to him first. 

“Balto . . .” The Russian snow goose waddled up to him, placing a wing on the wolf-dog’s scruffy neck. “Are you feeling okay?”

The hybrid canine wanted to have a straight face once he arrived into the company of his allies, neighbors, and enemies, but all of the frustration and sadness that filled his heart emptied itself out from his eyes. 

“I couldn’t save her, Boris . . .” he dropped down onto the white-washed porch of the clinic, murmuring as he mourned. “I saw her die, she was right there in front of me . . . and yet in the end, I couldn’t do anything to save her . . .”

“There, there,” The goose embraced him calmly. “There probably wasn’t anything anyone could have done to make things better. Oh, I’m so sorry it had to happen to someone like Jenna.” This was the worst state that Boris had ever seen Balto before. Never had he ever cried so much in his life, but the hybrid felt a little bit better with his guardian by his side to comfort him in his time of life-shattering grief. 

Balto turned to his feathered friend with a small grin. “Thanks, Boris,” He allowed the gander to wipe a tear from his eye with a feathered finger. “I knew you’d be there for me when I really need someone.”

“Yes,” The gander, although he didn’t want to, tried to change the subject. “but what about Jenna’s pups?” Boris asked, hoping that there was happier news. “We all saw that little girl bottle-feeding one of them, but were there more? What happened to them?” Other dogs leaned forward to hear Balto’s response to this question, for they also wished for something good to come from this tragedy. 

“That’s my daughter . . .” Balto sniffed. The words were difficult to speak, for he wished it wasn’t true, but the truth had to be told to everyone. “Out of the six pups that Jenna birthed, she is the only one that survived.”

The crowd gasped in a mixture of shock, sadness, and surprise. Many of them went up to pay their condolences to the new father – for once, it was a time of grief and remembrance that every came together as equals, not worrying about one’s breeding or looks. Even the ones that considered Balto as an enemy were moved to tears at the announcement and the wolf-dog’s lamentation, for they adored Jenna’s kind, loving demeanor as much as he did. The comfort session lasted for about half of the day; by nightfall, the last canine had begun to return to his cozy home, leaving Balto and Boris alone again as the lights in the building dimmed for the night. 

Balto stood up, as did Boris, but the wolf-dog parted ways with his friend. “You go back to the boat, Boris. I’m staying here tonight.”

“Are you sure you don’t need me by your side tonight?” the snow goose asked. “What if you have that dream again? Or what if you start to get cold at night? Who will warm you?” 

Balto gave him a kind smile. “Thanks for caring about me so much, but I’ll be alright. The doctor said I was welcome to watch over my daughter anytime.” He walked over to the back alley that led to the doorway that the doctor had showed him. “Tell Muk and Luk not to worry about me, okay? I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to tell them that they will have a new playmate in a few weeks.”

Boris nodded as he paused and turned away, beginning his trip back to his wooden home. “Good night, Balto,” he muttered into the calming night winds as he watched his comrade enter through the dog door at the bottom of the back entrance. “I hope you start to have better dreams tonight.” 

All through the night, the wolf-dog slept in a small bed that the Doc had set up just for him. His daughter was curled up beside his tan underbelly, letting out quiet whimpering with her father’s ragged tail for extra warmth above her. The old Doc was in his own bed next door, waiting for the pup’s call for her early-morning feeding.

Just as the middle-aged gander had predicted, Balto had another dream that night as he rested with his wolf-like child by his side; the vision wasn’t like the other one that he had those many nights before Jenna’s death – it was more of a visualization of the life he almost had . . . or the life he desperately wished had happened in place of this tragedy. 

He was on the beach right near his grounded boat home, briskly running down the shoreline. His large paws slowly trotted to a halt as he turned around, waiting for his children to follow behind him. The wolf-dog grinned as six small figures ran towards him with barks and yips. The first five were each graced with the burgundy and white colors of their mother, except their markings were slightly different to make them each stand apart from one another. The last pup was the most different of all – it was his surviving daughter, the one that looked more like a wolf . . . just like him. She ran past him, chasing her brothers and sisters – the ones she would never know – and stopped at a small ledge that allowed her mousy-brown body to almost tower over her siblings. With a smile, she closed her eyes and lifted her head up high, letting a howl out of her mouth.

Usually, Balto would have been shocked to hear that wild voice coming from her like that, but he felt that he wasn’t in control of his actions in his dream. Instead of scolding her, he walked up beside the ledge and joined her melodiously high-pitched wail with his own powerful call. His eyes were closed, still in the moment of howling with his little girl, but a third voice – a familiar yet not quite wild tone of howl – synchronized with the other two. Even though he couldn’t see the source of the new sound, he recognized automatically who it was . . . 

Jenna . . .

A thin stream of tears flowed down his shut eyes as his lover’s cry slowly began to evaporate into a sudden breath of wind. The two wolf-like dogs – Father and Daughter – finally concluded their duet, opening their eyes to see five pairs of confused eyes staring back at them in silence. The daughter giggled as she nuzzled her nose against her father’s, soon leaping off of the ledge and barking to her siblings, who began to yip and run behind her; Balto let out a chuckle as he watched them run into the horizon, smiling as a breeze began to swirl a small pile of sand beside him. The wolf-dog again heard that gentle voice that he had fell in love with so long ago, but it sounded quite close to him. 

“Balto . . .”

He turned to his left and took a couple of side-steps the other way in shock at the sight that was now beside him. It was no longer a tiny whirlwind of sand, but now an outlined image of his beloved Jenna – bandanna and all – stood there by his side, her eyes frosted with the glitter of the grainy substance. Before he could even ask why her presence was there, she just looked at him eye-to-eye, giving him a comforting smile as her voice seemed to whisper within the wispy wind that surrounded the gray-brown canine, filling the air with a familiar melody.  

“In a moment, everything can change,

Feel the wind on your shoulder . . .”

Balto’s eyes grew large as he listened carefully to the words. I’ve heard this before . . . he thought. This song, those lyrics . . . it’s all so familiar. Where had I heard it before? He pricked up his ears and opened his mouth slightly in awe and wonder of the beautiful resonance that flooded around him. 

“For a minute, all the world can wait,

Let go of your yesterday . . .”

The wind began to rush, breathing stronger like a hurricane’s gale. It whipped against the gray-brown hybrid, shifting his already roughly-groomed coat. He shut his eyes tightly, preventing any of the sand from getting into his eyes, but as he avoided the minuscule grains, he continued to let the calm aura of his lover’s voice loom through his ears, listening carefully to each lyric’s word and hoping that soon the song would click into his memory. 

“Can you hear it calling?

Can you feel it in your soul?

Can you trust this longing?

And take control . . .”

His dark sepia eyebrows shot up as her melodious queries hit his eardrums. Mother . . . At last, her words had jogged his past recollections. I remember . . . her pure-white fur, her comforting warmth, her calming voice that made me feel safe whenever I was scared . . . A smile began to form on his face as more of his past began to play out in his mind’s eye to the music around him. I remember now . . . She would sing this tune to me and my sisters whenever we couldn’t sleep at night . . . Ah, I miss her . . . At some points, it felt like he could hear his lupine dam’s voice blend in with that of his mate’s. 

“Fly, over up the part of you that wants to hide away

You can shine,

Forget about the reasons why you can’t in life,

And start to try, ‘cause it's your time,

Time to fly . . .”

At the sound of the fading line of the chorus, Balto opened his eyes after his soul-searching and looked beside him, hoping for one final moment and nuzzle with the spirit of his beloved before awakening from his nightly slumber. But the sandy outline of Jenna was no longer in sight, for the small pebbles had scattered around him and returned to the beach shore where it originally came from. 

The images of his children – both the survivor and the five that he lost – were now gone as well. He was all alone now, and he wasn’t on the shoreline near his grounded maritime home either; the terrain was different and dark. The ground below his paws made him shiver – it was solid ice, which fit perfectly with the almost mountainous landscape around him. Only the sight of a few scattered pines added a slight bit of color to the wild yet dismal layout. Not even the light of the moon was visible in the midnight sky-scape, which was a pale shade of navy with the lack of starlight.

Suddenly, an echoing caw filled the air, bouncing from one rocky mountain to another until it reached the wolf-dog’s now pricked-up ears of dark brown. The source of the din swooped down, landing in front of Balto’s large tan paws. It was a raven, average-sized and yet it seemed to not fear the hybrid at all. It lowered its head then lifted it up, letting out another cry. 

“What are you . . .” Balto began to speak as it crouched its thin gray legs close to the ground and suddenly flew around him in a circular motion. He looked up at the raven with his shadowy plume of feathers covering its entire body, curious about the bird’s sudden actions. “What do you want from me?”

The raven only replied with a caw, releasing itself from its invisible round path. It flapped its wings several times before soaring towards a gap between two mountains. Instinctively wanting to understand the meaning of the raven’s sudden departure, Balto charged after it, being careful with his wolfish paws sprinting over the icy body of water. Once he had caught up with the soaring bird, he slid to a stop, watching as the feathered fowl flew straight up through the mountains’ gap, where a bright symbol of speckled lights caught Balto’s attention. 

It was a cluster of stars – a constellation. The glittering space rocks formed the shape of a butterfly, each of its wings so parallel and perfect as it shone in the night sky.

“A . . . butterfly?” Balto tilted his head in confusion by the sight in the sky above him. There was no reply this time from the raven; the only voice he heard was that same high-pitched howl that had once joined him earlier in his dream on the shoreline. He could not see her this time, however, but he knew who it was. 

“My daughter . . .?”

The howl grew louder and clearer, soon morphing into a wailing cry of hunger. Balto opened his eyes, awoken by his newborn daughter’s whimpering and the sudden creaking of the wooden door opening, revealing the elder doctor holding a glass bottle of just-warmed milk. 

“Ah, Balto,” the doctor gave him a kind, small smile as he approached the hungry child and the startled wolf-dog. “It seems she woke you up as well, huh?” He patted the gray-brown father’s head and gently lifted the tiny light-brown pup into his arms, placing it on top of a tiny blanket. He turned back to the wolf-dog, asking, “Would you like to help, boy?”

Balto let out a whine of worry. What could he possibly do to help feed his only daughter? He was only a dog who had gone from expected happiness to exhaustive sorrow in only a matter of a day’s time – for once, he felt completely helpless to anyone. 

“Oh, don’t worry so much,” Doc walked the now calmed pup to a set of benches near a couple of wall hangings and the soft glow of a lantern’s light. He sat down, placing the child on his lap and putting the bottle nipple on her lips, allowing her to drink. With one hand around the sucking puppy and her nightly bottle, he patted a seat beside him on the wooden bench where a map of Alaska hung above it. “Come here, Balto. I know you can keep us company.”

Encouraged by the kind gesture, Balto let out a yawn and slowly trotted to the warmth of the lamplight. He leaped onto the bench, sitting beside the serene scene that seemed to fill his heart with gladness. 

“You know, you’re a very lucky dog, Balto,” Doc spoke gladly as he continued to nurse the pup. “If Jenna hadn’t arrived here when she did this morning, none of her pups would have survived the birth. I’m sure that you really miss her, right?” Balto whined, lowering his head. At least the doctor understands my pain, he thought as he nudged against the doctor’s shoulder. “But you shouldn’t worry about her now, Balto. You have something more important here: your daughter.” As if on cue, the wolf-like pup let out a yawn, stretching her tiny legs out. The doctor placed the almost-empty bottle on the table where the lantern continued to fill the room with light, even in this dark hour. “She needs you more than you know now, so you have to protect her as she grows up . . . and keep Jenna’s memory alive in her.” He glanced at the pup, then at the wolf-dog, and let out a chuckle. “You know, she really does take after your side, doesn’t she?”

That was the second time that day he had had someone to tell him that. He sighed lightly, feeling ashamed by the fact that it would seem that everyone that he met would automatically know that his child took after the wolf part of him that he wished he would forget. Before his heroic endeavor only months ago, he had hated that half of him. It was because of his wolf side that he was considered a threat to town society, both by humans and canines. It was because of his wolf side that he was always alone, with only Boris, Muk and Luk to offer him company. It was because of his wolf side that he became the object of every bully’s attention, for they enjoyed mocking his wolf mother with their god-awful howling. Now he was left to raise his daughter within this same world that once hated him; he was afraid for her life, and he didn’t want her to receive the same torturous treatment that he had as an orphaned pup when he started living near the edge of Nome. 

I don’t want that life for her. She’s meant for so much more than to be made fun of for her looks,Balto told himself as he looked up behind him, reading the map. Although he didn’t know why the map intrigued his sudden fancy, his eyes were wide with wonder at the size of the land outside of the small dot that was placed beside the word “Nome.” Wow . . . I – I never knew how large the outdoors was before. I wonder . . . His ears lowered as he placed his legs on the top of the back of the bench, leaning closer to the map. I wonder where I was born out there . . . Hmm . . . His eyes, busy scanning the words, symbols and dots on the faded colored map, soon halted at a set of curved islands far south of the safety of Nome. He read the words beside them, curiously wondering why his attention was placed on them. A-Aleutian Islands . . . Aleutian . . . Aleu . . . he stopped, quickly turning his head to the doctor and his child. Aleu . . . that word . . . I don’t know why, but it just sounds so . . . so perfect . . . He let out a whimpering whine, for the word stood out as he thought about his little girl.

“Balto, what is it?” The doctor looked back at him, curious about the wolf-dog’s strange behavior. “What is it, boy?” Balto pointed his nose to the map, whining at the words in front of him. Doc stared at the focus of the hybrid’s attention, still cradling the now-sleeping pup in his palms. “Hmm? Ah, that’s the Aleutians there, Balto. Very wild island territory out there, it is. Why are you . . . ?”

Balto continued to try and get the physician to understand him, knowing very well that most humans couldn’t translate Canine very well. He whined and let out a small bark. The sound of the wolf-dog’s cry woke the puppy, causing her to let out a tiny whimper.

“Oh, Balto . . . Now look what you’ve done . . .” The doctor began to scold the half-breed, but before he was able to, Balto whined again. The doctor let out a sigh, then gasped in shock at what he saw next. Balto had leaned his head towards his daughter, hushing her with his gentle lick. To the older man’s surprise, the new father began to smile as his little child whimpered, nuzzling against her proud papa’s nose. Balto gazed back at the man, quickly pointing out the cluster of islands once more with a flicking motion of his nose and a soft whine.  

“Wait a sec . . .” Something inside the physician began to click. “The name . . . Are you talking about naming your daughter?” Balto nodded, letting out a quiet bark; he had to make sure not to wake his daughter again.

“Well, the islands are the Aleutian Islands. Were you thinking of ‘Aleutian’?” Balto shook his head.  

“No? A little too long, huh? Well, how about just plain ‘Aleut’ then?” For a second time, Balto shook his head, snorting in disgust.

“Not a good one, eh?” The doctor chuckled, placing his free hand on his chin, deep in thought as he looked at the word in front of him.  

“What about . . . ‘Aleu’?” Balto’s ears pricked up happily, leaning towards his child. Finally, he understood the canine’s previous actions and gestures. “Aleu, huh . . .” The man’s eyelids lowered, gazing at Father and Daughter with new eyes. “Well, Aleu it shall be then. It suits her very well, Balto.” He began to walk back into the room where Balto’s temporary bed was located. “Come on, now. It’s still nighttime, and Aleu’s ready for more sleep with her proud papa.”

Somehow, Balto enjoyed the sound of his daughter’s name as he followed the doctor’s voice, quickly and cautiously leaping ahead, making sure that he was there on the safe haven of soft blankets and cushion when his child arrived. He laid down on the blankets, smoothing out a section of the cloth near his underbelly with his nose so that his daughter would feel comfortable and secure as she slept by his warm, loving side. The doctor smiled at the patriarch part-wolf as he carefully placed the light-brown bundle of sleeping pup and the tiny cloth she was loosely wrapped in against the softness of Balto’s bedding, a little over a foot away from the half-breed.  

The pup, noticing the sudden change of location, woke up and whimpered softly; Balto’s eyes were wide, surprised by the fact that the human was letting the less-than-a-day old newborn wander off on her own so soon, but the doctor scolded him with a soft tap on his nose when the wolf-dog attempted to grab his child.

“Uh-uh, boy. Let her try to find you on her own, Balto,” Doc murmured to him, revealing his true purpose to the young father. “If she’s anything like you and Jenna, she’ll find what she wants while allowing her natural senses to develop.” 

Aleu, still blind since birth, lifted her head slightly, as if to use her new nose to sniff the fresh air around her. She continued to whimper, but it was quiet and calm as the familiar scent of her father filled her nostrils. Letting her hind legs free from the grasp of the cloth, Aleu slowly wriggled her way from her starting point, strangely moving closer to her father’s presence.

Once the mousy-brown pup made sure that the creature beside her was indeed that of her father, she let out a short, tiny whimper that sounded a lot like a squeaky howl. Balto nuzzled her in congratulation as the doctor nodded and left the two wolf-like creatures alone for the remainder of the night.  

Although Balto knew that his daughter couldn’t hear his voice yet, he whispered softly into her ear, grinning at the little miracle that Jenna had left for him.

“Oh, Aleu,” he brushed her face with his chin, helping her prepare for sleep. “Sometimes I wonder why Jenna left you with me in the first place. I suppose she left behind a little wild part of both of us within you.” He grinned as he lifted his head, remembering those days when he would see the slightly wilder side of the domesticated purebred, especially at that one moment when she had leaped onto a large grizzly bear that threatened the lives of him and his traveling companions while he searched for the lost sled team. Her attack had saved his life – his expression began to change from glad to mournful, for he thought about the fact that there wasn’t anything he could have done to save her from traveling through the one-way door of death.  

Jen, why did you leave me alone? Our daughter needs you as much as I do . . . A tear slid down Balto’s yellow and red eyes as he thought about his beloved. His head drooped as he began to swear to himself and his lover’s spirit, promising something that he would always keep. But she’ll never learn about you. Oh, I just can’t tell her about you, Jenna! The words in his mind were painful to think about, but it was for the best. Aleu looks too wild to be considered as part husky, even though she is mostly of husky blood. I’m sure that things will just be better this way.

He opened his eyes a little, glancing at his child while she slept against his tan belly. He let out a yawn and placed his head on top of his forelegs, slowly lowering his eyelids and still watching his little girl. 

Aleu, I will protect you from the tragic facts of your birth . . . You will live a normal life, and I . . . I will make sure that you never find out about your mother, as hard as it will be for me to do . . .

I have to do this for you, because . . . you’re my baby . . . 

(Part I – completed 3/28/07)