Balto and the Mystic Collars (Intro/Prolouge)
by Apaulo Wolf
It was a warm pre-evening in Nome, Alaska. our hero sleeps comfortably in his boat. Amazingly he has a book over his eyes titled “Arabian Nights”. “umm… hmph….. HEY WAKE UP!” a voice echoed. hearing this balto lifted the book off his eyes and fully awoke.
“YAAAWN. Boy, is that late already? What time is it?” He asked himself as he reached for a collar that had been lying on the floor. “huh? Where’d this golden collar come from? I don’t remember having this.” Then the mysterious collar began to steam. And a large cloud appeared above Balto’s head.
“You are the legendary wolf/dog!” The voice spoke in joy.
Then out of no where, a female wolverine appeared. “AAHHH! A wolverine!”
“D-Do not be alarmed! I am Shara the genie of the collar. Y’know like Aladin and the magic lamp.” The wolverine suggested.
“Don’t think I’ve read that.” Balto responded.
“WHAT! You’ve got to be kidding me. It is the best story of the Arabian Nights.”
“I mean I haven’t read because, well I am wolf/dog not a human. I can’t read.” Balto explained.
“Oh yes right. Um besides that, please take a look at this book.” Shara showed Balto the book he had been sleeping with.
“Whoa, these pages are blank!”
“Our world, the world of the Arabian Nights……. is vanishing.”
“Vanishing? But how?”
“This is the work, of an incredibly powerful and evil wolverine spirit, the Erazor Djin.”
“Eeee-razooo-r Djinnn?
“Yes. He used his evil magic to become even more powerful. he could not bear to simply remain in the book any longer. And so he has begun to set the inscriptions free, absorbing the power of the book itself.”
“The power of the book?”
“If our world ceases to exists, then not only will those stories be silenced forever but the Erazor Djinn will then be unleashed in to your world.”
“That definitely sounds like trouble….. but what can I do? I’m just a normal dog….”
“I want you to stop him. You must stop the Erazor Djinn. Only you, the brisk wolf/dog, can stop him.”
“Hmmm. Soooo you want me to put this guy in his place? Well I suppose I can help out with that, but again, how? I mean this all out of a story book right? How am I supposed to do anything about that?”
“That’s easy, you are my master, having called forth the genie of the collar, as such I am able to grant your wishes. Simple wishes at any right. Bringing you into the world of the Arabian nights is with in my power.”
“WHAT! Inside that book? Now please place the collar on your neck.”
“Like this?” Balto began to adjust the collar on his neck, after completely getting on the collar Balto began to feel a pain. “OOWWW! What are trying to do choke me?”
“My apologies o’ master, but the contract has been sealed.”
“Contract?”
“Yes, as master of the ring, I am now bound to protect you. Now rub the collar.”
“You mean like this?” Then the with a sudden flash Shara appeared in front of Balto again.
“Oh master of the collar….. What is thy wish?” Shara asked. then Balto began to sneeze.
“Achoo. A-a-achoo. W-well how bout something to help me with this sneezing.” Then Shara istantly made dozens of tissues appear out of now where. “thanks you’re a life saver. You see I caught this cold the day and….”
“Please, be serious!” Shara interrupted.
“Okay, okay, thanks for these hankies though. “
“Oh please, someone tell me this isn’t really happening.”
“All right enough playing around… let’s go. Take me to this world of the Arabian Nights.”
“As you wish master.”
“Oh come on, you don’t have to call me master. Just call me balto.”
“As you wish, Balto, the legendary wolf/dog…. here we go, into the world of the Arabian Nights!”
“OKAY! So how do we do this?” Balto asked. then Shara made a flying carpet appear from thin air. Balto jumped on it and Shar floated next to him. “Alright! This is sweet. I love flying.” And then Balto and Shara flew into the book of the Arabian Nights.
“WWWHAAAA!” Balto fell on to what seemed to be a free-floating page of the Arabian Nights. “What is this? It looks all watery and but at the same time fiery. And what’s with all these pages?” Balto asked.
“This is the prologue. You are entering into the book. After all you should always start from the beginning.”
“Alright then. But uh…. there’s a lot of stuff in the way. I mean those blocks and spike wrecking balls, who knows what else…..”
“That’s simple, just run right passed them, jump over them, and… oh… do you see those glowing orbs?”
“Yes.”
“Those are spirit pearls. If you have at least one, you will protected from any danger.”
“All right, that sounds good to me.” Balto instantly began to start running towards the pearl. Then acquired it. “Wow this is shiny.”
“Oh dear, please we must move on.” Shara requested.
“Okay, let’s keeping ‘reading on’.” Balto and Shara continued on through the prologue, eventually making it to the beginning of the first chapter. “Now where are we?” Balto asked.
“Let me see, page……. ah page 92. This is the last page of the prologue. On the other side of this arch is the entrance to the first chapter.”
“Great, so can you tell me more about this Erazor Djinn guy, or take me to him.” Balto requested.
“No need!.....” Shara became frightened at the dark cloud in front of her. “HE’s HERE!” then the form of a muscular demented looking wolverine appeared in front of Balto.
“So you’re the Erazon Djinn.” Then without warning, Erazor flung his finely sharpened claws a Balto. “Whoa!, what’s with that!?”
“Balto, he’s the one who is striking the words from our world on these pages.” Shara said cowering.
“You…” Erazor spoke. “You must be the mut that just got added to the story.”
“Don’t you know anything? I’m not some mut, I’m a wolf/dog, and proud of it.” Balto responded cleverly.
“(chuckles) I am Erazor Djinn as you already know. I am the one who shall carve up this world as I see fit.”
“Yeah well if you’re going to do that could you at least wait till I finish reading it?” Balto responded.
“Balto…. Shara said in annoyance.
“100 of the 1001 Nights have already been wiped clean. And soon, the rest shall join them, night by night. And then with the seven Celestial Collars….”
“Seven Celestial Collars?” Balto interrupted.
“You have gathered them for me have you not, Shara my dear?” Erazor asked.
“Are you still going on about that? I told you, those things don’t even exist! And even if they did I’d never give them to you.”
“Oh? Wouldn’t you, though?” then Shara turned away. “Then I suppose a suitable punishment is in order then…. “ Erazor created an orb of blistering cold ice in the shape of a snowflake. He fired the snowflake at Shara.
“LOOK OUT!” Balto jumped in the line of fire, and got hit by the snowflake instead.
“BALTO!” Shara screamed in terror.
“Aha, hahahaha. So this is how Judgement is dealt, is it? Hmmm this should be interesting. You listening? Bring me the seven Celestial Collars before the arrow of cold melts. if you do not….” Balto began to get nervous. “your life is forfeit. Next, I think shall collect the life of King Stelryar.” And with a few last chuckles Erazor vanished.
“The king is the creator of the Arabian Nights, and the main character of the story!” Shara worried.
“I’m pretty fast, if I could lead a sled dog team through a blizzard in under a few days, I could make it to the king before that creep. Let’s see if we can gt to him first.” And with that Balto began his journey through the first chapter.
(Chapter 1 coming soon)