His Fathers Son

  Rumors of Retirement  

     It was a freezing morning in Nome, as the town awoke for another busy day, Balto made his way through the streets. A gentle breeze tugged at his fur as he walked, his paws leaving tracks in the deep snow. As he walked he looked at the Christmas decorations; the large decorated tree that stood outside the town hall, the lights strung between shops with tinsel and hanging ornaments hanging inside shops and houses. With only two weeks to go until Christmas 1924 the town was incredibly busy. Passing the Post Office, Balto watched as the mail arrived, the dogs panting and barking as the bags were unloaded.

 “Oh these feel heavy, what have they got in them, bricks?” asked Mr. Connors picking up the bags.

 “Full of presents I think” replied the musher Mr. Simpson lifting off another bag.

“Well regardless the postman will some trouble delivering them, well we had better get this lot inside” replied Mr. Connors pushing open the door of the Post Office.

“I had better go home myself, my wife wants to put the tree up today. Good work guys, you did well pulling the sled” Mr. Simpson said as he unclipped the dogs.

     Lowering his head Balto crossed to the other side of the street, keen to avoid the notice of the mail dogs and their cruel comments, especially those of Steel. As he crossed his nose was filled with the smell of freshly baked bread, caribou, sugar and minced meat. Balto’s face lit up as his eyes fell on the Cinnamon Whirl Bakery run by Mr. And Mrs. Norfolk. Reaching the bakery Balto saw a brown cat with four white feet sitting on the outside window ledge.

“Good morning Balto” said the cat pleasantly swishing her tail.

 “Good morning Cinnamon” Balto replied smiling at his friend.

“If you are looking for breakfast then slipped around the back, my owners have saved some of the unsold goods from yesterday for you.”

 “Great news, I’d better go eat now before you open up.”

“Relax Balto you have time its only ten to nine,” the cat replied as Balto slipped down a side ally.

    Arriving at the back of the bakery Balto slipped through a hole in the fence and into the bakery yard. After barking a couple of times the door opened and a rotund man with an apron over his clothes walk out.

  “Good morning Balto I thought it was your barking I heard. You are in look today, there are a couple of beef pasties and a couple of apple turnovers left from yesterday” Mr. Norfolk patting Balto before walking back inside.

   A few moments later Mr. Norfolk reappeared with the food in a metal dish, placing it down before walking back inside. As soon as the door shut Balto dived into the food, wolfing it down in his hunger. Starting on the turnovers Balto ate slowly, keen to savor the taste and pleasure of such sweet things. Just as he finished the last turnover Balto’s ears pricked up as he heard the sound of dogs talking. Walking over to the fence he crouched down so that he was invisible to them and did not incur their taunts.

 “Listen Kaltag you cannot be serious.”

“I am Roger, was in this morning’s paper.”

“Papers don’t always tell the truth” replied the husky called Roger.

“I saw that article was well Rog, it was front page stuff” said another dog.

“Kurt’s right it was front page Rog, I think it is true” Kaltag replied.

“Ok say he is retiring, he’s world famous, why would he want to retire to here?” Roger asked as the three passed by Balto.

   Listening to their conversation Balto’s curiosity was triggered, for despite his outcast status he did know sled racing well. Unknown to humans Balto was one of many towns dog who could read, a fact that was virtually universal among dogs that lived in towns.

  “I wonder which dog is retiring? Whoever it is must be old and top level, there are not many of them, several retired at the end of last season.” Balto thought stepping out of the yard.

    Walking back onto main street Balto saw many dogs sitting in groups talking about the morning’s news. As he walked he noticed dogs turned towards him before whispering to each other. To his surprise no one shouted out their usual comments or taunts, even Steel seemed intent on his conversation. Reaching a group sat outside the local bookshop called Shakespeare’s Sonnet, Balto watched as their voices lowered the minuet he approached. Looking around the group he noticed that Jenna was sat amongst, her eyes full of uncertainty.

 “So would anyone like to tell me what is going on?” Balto asked looking around the group.

 “Take a look at today’s paper wolf dog” said Spinone Italiano called Celino, pushing the paper towards him.

      Looking at the paper Balto gazed down at the front page of the Nome Daily. Racing Legend Retires to Nome. The article underneath explain that the dogsled racing legend Cathán was planning to retire and that he would be coming to live in Nome. Cathán was a famous and successful lead dog who was into his seventh year, a dog everyone knew about and who young pups worshipped. He had one every title there was to win, wining some year in year out, he the best sled dog in Alaska. Next to the article was a picture of him, a classic looking Siberian husky with markings similar to Steel, but where Steel had black fur Cathán had grey and where Steel had white fur Cathán had light brown, a light brown which was an identical color to the Balto’s light brown fur. An interesting quirk was that he had dark brown on his front right leg which extent from his paw to half way up his leg. This dark brown fur was identical to Balto’s dark brown fur and had earned Cathán the nickname Cathán ChocolatePaw.

    Seeing the article Balto gazed at it in utter shock, his eyes wide as he looked at the picture. Looking up at the other dogs Balto saw the curiosity in their eyes, all itching to ask him that one question. Stuck up though they may seem none of them were blind and they had all noticed the similarities between Balto and Cathán.

 “So wolf dog, you look like him, we can all see that” said Celino.

“What he means is why? Are you any relation to him?” Dixie asked.

     Looking at them Balto stepped back, his heart pounding inside, his head spinning with what he had read. With a look at Jenna, Balto sprang away, running out of town, the newspaper clutched between his teeth. As he ran he knocked over several people, each one crying out as they hit the snow.

 “Stupid mutt!”

“Damned half breed!”

   Reaching his boat Balto threw himself down onto his bed of blankets, his mind spinning as he reread the newspaper article.

“He’s coming to live here! After all this time we will meet. What will he think once he sees me? I’m not the pup he remembers, I live in a town, I’m an outcast here, he’s a famous sled dog. If I could see him just once, to thank him for what he did to protect us all. We were so happy when I was a pup, me, Mother, my brothers and sister and Father, living out in the wild. Before everything changed, before his humans….before he left” Balto though bitterly.

        As Balto lay there Boris looked in on his young friend, his eyes drifting to the newspaper and then to Balto. Seeing the paper to goose instantly understood what was going on. Shaking his head Boris walked away, aware that Balto need his privacy and time to think.

      Balto’s Past  

        For the next three days Balto stayed away from the centre of town, constantly wrapped in haze of confusion. He barely ate and Boris soon began to worry about him, as Balto had taken to sitting alone on the hill. Boris wasn’t the only one who was worried; Jenna was also concerned about her friend, having not seen him since that morning the article appeared in the paper.

       Walking up to Balto’s boat on the morning of the fourth day, Jenna carried with her a small bag containing the day’s newspaper and some stolen bread. Though she and Rosie cared about Balto, Jenna had never once been to his home.

 “Relax this is no big deal, Balto is your friend, all you want to do is to make sure he is alright” Jenna thought walking up the gangplank. “So this is where Balto lives, it’s a nice place, at least it keeps to cold out.”

     Looking around Jenna dropped the bag as Boris walked towards her, his eyes flicking between her and the bag.

 “I presume you would be Jenna” Boris said.

“I am, and you must be Boris, is Balto here…..?” Jenna asked shyly.

“He is, has been for the past three days, ever since that newspaper article came out.”

“Is he alright? When he left, everyone saw the rebalance…..I’m not here to pry, he’s my friend… I was worried about him.”

“He’s in the cabin, you might be able to help him” Boris replied.

 “Thank you, Balto is lucky to have you” Jenna replied, picking up her bag and walking into the cabin.

   “Balto” Jenna said softly as she put her bag down and looked at Balto.

“Jenna what are you?” Balto stammered getting up off his blanket.

“I have not seen you since…………. You are a stray….. I was……..I thought you might be hungry” Jenna replied pushing the bag forward.

“Thanks Jenna” Balto replied taking the food out of the bag. “Would you like some?”

“No this is for you, I’ve already eaten at home, you eat it” Jenna replied smiling.

“Thanks” Balto replied wolfing down the food, allowing Jenna chance to look around the cabin.

 “So besides bringing me food, is there any other reason why you are here?” asked Balto once he had eaten.

“I was worried about you, Rosie was getting worried she did not see you after school for a couple of days, she saw the article too. I wanted to make sure…….. I saw the picture and the look on your face, I’m not here to pry, but if you would like a friend to talk to” Jenna replied looking Balto in the eyes.

 “A friend would be great” Balto replied leading her out of the cabin onto the deck.

        Seeing the pair Boris smiled before leaving the boat so they could have some privacy. For a while neither spoke as they stared out across the ocean in the distance they watched the fishing boats and occasional a seal would pop up. 

 “Cathán is my Father, strange as it seems he is. I’m an outcast stray and he’s a famous sled dog” Balto said.

  “It seems so strange how it could happen. My Father used to live in Fairbanks before he came to live here, and my Mother was born here. I grew up with both of them, I cannot imagine what you went through” Jenna replied softly.

  “I knew my Father well as pup, my earliest memory is of him looking down at me. My Mother was a wolf with pure white fur, oh they loved each other so much. He always there to protect us, me and my brother and sisters, he loved us so much.”

“Where did you live?”

“Out there” Balto said pointing with his paw to the vast forest. “We lived wild, my Mother and Father hunted for us, life was great. They played with us every day, our home was in a cave overlooking a small lake, it was the most beautiful spot in the world. We had a family of bold eagles nesting in a tree near us, my sister is white and light brown, my parents named her Eagle. Dad used to tell us stories of time as a sled dog, we used to race him just for fun, he’d run with us for hours.”

“It sounds wonderful Balto, I cannot understand how you came here.”

“One day we were playing when humans appeared, my Father’s humans, they were looking for him. He told us to run, he distracted them so we can be safe, he was captured, I saw it. He tried to get away, but they used ropes to stop him, he howled to us, he howled goodbye. A couple of days later Mother’s older daughter joined us, our half sister, she was a pure wolf. Mother had been with a wolf a couple of years before she met Cathán, she never told us why much about him.”

“What was your half sister like?”

“Beautiful, she was pure white with a thin line of black on her ears and she had such a kind heart. She helped Mother raise us after our Father was captured, we used to spend hours playing together, my sister looked up to her. Between her and Mother, things were good. A few months later we were with our Mother when a blizzard came, it blinded us, I slipped and hit my head. When I came too Boris was standing over me, he took me in and we came here. We were going to try and find my Mother, but we couldn’t, the snow had hidden our tracks, and I didn’t know the area that well.”  

  “Oh Balto I am so sorry, I cannot imagine what you must have gone through” Jenna said placing her left paw over Balto’s.

  “It was so painful, everything that happened back then hurt. I missed them so much, I always will.”

  “Of course you will, but you will soon be with your Father. He’s coming here to live, his owner has issued a statement confirming it, it is in today’s paper. You can be with him again, you and he can be together as you were before.”

“It’s not that simple Jenna, the last time he saw me I was a pup and we lived as wolves. You know how things are in town, he is one of the best sled dogs there is, he will not want to acknowledge me as his son” Balto replied facing her.

“You cannot say that! He is still your Father, no matter what anyone says, he loves you.”

“He loved me. I’m just a half breed who looks more wolf than dog, he will treat me just like the other dogs do. Besides he might not recognize me, I’ve grown a lot since then.”

 “Balto please listen to me, Cathán is your Father, he will love you regardless nothing will ever change that” Jenna said standing up.

 “Jenna you are not like me, in your case it would true, your parents are proud of you. How can face my Father when I am nothing better than wolf dirt?”

“Because he fell in love with your wolf mother, obviously he does not see wolves as dirt. He loved her and stayed to you to raise you, he gave his freedom so you could be safe, he will accept you and be glad to see you.”

“If I very lucky he might meet me once or twice in secret, that is all someone like me can expect.”

“No you can expect more!”

“Not me Jenna, he is a husky I am a wolf half breed. This isn’t the wilderness, things may have worked out there but not here” Balto replied hanging his head.

“Balto” Jenna said looking at him.

“Jenna I know you are trying to help and I am grateful for it, but there is nothing you can do to change things” Balto replied as he left his boat for the wilderness.

 “Oh Balto if you only knew how I truly feet about you. You are worth so much more then what you think. Believe in who you are inside, not what other dogs see on the outside. One day everyone will see who you are and how much you are worth, they will see you as I see you.”

    Alone in the wilderness Balto sat underneath a waterfall looking at his reflection in the water.

 “How can things between my Father and I go back to the way that they were? I’m a half breed outcast, he’s famous, our lives can never be as they were. Out there it was different we lived as wolves. I am not who he remembers. Not a dog not a wolf but both, a filthy half breed. All my reflection shows is what I am, took much like a wolf of humans to accept me, not wolf enough to be able to live wild.” 

    Fathers Shock

It was February 16^th 1925 in his house in Fairbanks, Cathán looked at the front page of the Fairbanks Chronicle with utter shock. On the front page was a picture of his son Balto with the article beneath telling of how he had saved Nome. Nome, the place he would be going in less than a week’s time to begin his retirement. 

“Balto it is truly is him, after all this time. He looks so much like me yet he has Aniou’s eyes. Oh Balto what happened to you, why are you living in a town? I thought you would be living wild and free. Something must have happened to you and Aniou, but what? The sooner I go to Nome the better, I have to find out what happened.” Cathán thought as his musher walked in.

 “Reading the paper Cathán, I bet your looking at the picture of Balto” said his musher stroking his head. “Well look that that, I think he looks a bit like you boy, did you get up to something during the time you were missing?”

    At this Catháan barked a yes and his musher laughed as he removed his boots and coat, both covered in snow. Getting up slowly Cathán so he did not knock the wound on his shoulder, a wound that had meant he had begun his retirement early. The wound had occurred three weeks previously in a nasty accident that had injured other dogs on his and the opposing team. Though he was still fit his days of racing were over, a quieter life beckoned in Nome, one transporting visitors to and from the town. He was also saying goodbye to his musher who was staying in Fairbanks, instead he would be living with his musher’s eldest son, who was a vet in Nome.  

    Walking out of the house Cathán walked over to a small pond in his musher’s garden, looking down at the frozen water.

  “Balto, this is amazing, he’s a hero, well he certainly has my speed. I never thought I would see my family again, never thought I would see Aniou or my pups again after that day. It has been nearly four years since Balto was born, oh how well I remember that day, it was the best day of my life. We had such a good life back then, I was happy living wild.”

     Flashback

Cathán and Balto walked through the forest near their home, both were laughing as Cathán told Balto of his time as a pup. As they walked Balto tried to emulate his Father’s tread, his eyes sparking with admiration. Reaching a stream the pair swam through a shallow part, with Balto swimming as well as his Father. Getting out of the water the pair shock their fur, sending water flying in every direction, with some landing on a couple of nearby crows.

 “Race you to the Old Hut Dad” Balto said looking at his Father.

“You are on, ready, steady, GO!” Cathán replied setting off with Balto close behind.

     Running through the forest father and son kept pace with each other, their eyes focused on the view in front of them. Their paws kicked up dirt as they ran both letting out howls of joy. They scattered a herd of deer as they passed a small clearing, the animals alarmed by their howls. As they neared a larger clearing Balto put on a burst of speed, reaching the Old Hut seconds before his father.

 “You win Lightening Paws, you certainly have my speed” Cathán panted as he looked at his son with pride.

“Do you think I could be a sled dog?” asked Balto.

 “Perhaps you could if you keep getting faster” Catháan replied laying down.

“I’d be the best sled dog ever, I would love to be on a team with you Dad” Balto replied sitting down next to him.

“So would I, we would make an excellent team. Maybe when you are older I will take you to my home, one thing is for sure, everyone would be able to tell you are my son.”

“That would be fun Dad, it would great to run with you, we would be the BEST team ever.”

 “We would cut a dash through the racing world, Cathán and Balto Father and Son sled dogs, I like the sound of that” Cathán replied as they set off home.

                             End

“We had so many dreams; well he pulled a sled so one has come through. But towns are cruel places for wolves, half wolves I have known have been looked down on. I should never have left, I should have led the humans deep into the forest, I could have lost them, and doubled back. If only I’d have stayed………. I have to talk Balto as soon as I get to Nome, I have to tell him how proud I am, that I want to get to know him.”

             Star’s Arrival 

   It was the day that Cathán was due to arrive in Nome, dogs stood in groups on the streets talking, all eager to meet him. It was now well know why he was coming and who he would be living with, as an article giving the details had appeared in the Nome Daily a week before. Of all the dogs Balto was the most excited about it as he was keen to meet him Father. Balto’s had changed since he has been accepted by the town humans and dogs, no longer did he think he was worthless. Despite his actions Steel and some of the dogs still treated him like dirt, but they were the minority.

   On a boat out on the sea Cathán watched as Nome came into view, remembering the last time he had been in the town. The boat docked and he run up to a white man with longish black hair in a thick coat, his musher’s son Oliver.

  “Hi boy, you well that cut is healing good” Oliver as he was licked. “Come on, time to take you to your new home.”

    Walking into the town the pair received stares from the town dogs, with humans greeting the pair as they walked. Passing the town butchers Cathán groaned when he laid eyes on Steel, the son of his rival Iron, a proud and sometimes cruel dog with lots of pride. Seeing him Steel barked out a greeting keen to become friends with the star as a way of advancing his status. Seeing through him at once Cathán turned away, his eyes landing on a red and cream husky who was playing fetch with a young human. To his surprise the husky stared at him, her eyes moving over his face as if looking for something. The girl too was looking at him, seeing them Oliver called out. 

 “Rosie come over and meet my new pet.”

“Morning Oliver, come on Jenna” Rosie replied walking over with Jenna. “Wow you look so much like Balto, you have to be related.”

    Looking at her Cathán pricked up his ears he heard his son’s name, looking at Jenna he spoke.

  “The girl, she just said she knows Balto, if does then I presume that you do as well Ms.”

“Jenna my name is Jenna, Balto is my…..I….well you see…….it is more than friendship” Jenna replied blushing.

 “Right well, this is awkward……..I am glad he has someone…..Tell him I am here when you see him and……..where can I find him?”

 “He lives on an old fishing boat on the shore, he lives with a goose, I am pleased to meet you” Jenna replied as she and Rosie walked away.

        Continuing on their way through to town, Oliver and Cathán soon reached the house Oliver shared with two other young men. There was Christopher a teacher born and bred in Nome and Warner a very sharp young lawyer who worked with Rosie’s father Arthur. Walking into the house the pair found Christopher sat on the sofa deeply engrossed in a Charles Dickens novel.

  “Are you still reading that Chris?” Oliver asked as they walked in.

“Oh back at last, yes I am, I cannot have the children reading it unless I know it back to front. So this is Cathán, hello boy” Chris said kneeling down. “I still cannot believe you managed to talk Warner into letting him come here.”

“Oh it wasn’t hard, I just reminded him that my uncle owns the place and that if he wanted to stay he better allow a dog” Oliver replied sitting down.

“Nice one Olly, my Dad would have been very unhappy to hear Cathán had not been allowed to come because of Warner, he knows how much Cathán means to your Dad.”

 “That’s what I told Warner, that and that as our landlords son you are technically in charge of  who lives here, dogs and humans included” Olly replied grinning at his cousin.

“To right I am and I say this guy is more than welcome, it’s great to have dog. Man I cannot believe we let Warner live here at times” Chris muttered stroking Cathán.

 “Me neither, but he pays the rent. Besides the way things are heading with him and Ms Eleanor Oak he might be moving out soon.” Oliver replied. “Who knows maybe Cathán will help change his attitude.”

      Listening to the conversation Cathán smiled, glad that he had good humans, and keen to meet Warner.

      A couple of days after his arrival Cathán walked through Nome his senses taking in the sights and smells of the town. As he walked other dogs walked up to him, each one introducing themselves and welcoming him to the town. Passing a green grocers he saw Steel sat with the rest if the mail team.

  “Cathán welcome to Nome, I am Steel, leader of the mail dogs” Steel said. “It is a pleasure to have you here.”

“I am pleased to be here, Nome seems like a friendly place to be, perfect for my retirement” Cathán replied eyeing Steel warily.

  “You are to kind. I believe you know my Father Iron, he has told me a lot about you, it is a pleasure to meet you in person.”

 “I know your Father, he and are were what you would call rivals.”

“Oh, he told me a different story, I am not him” Steel replied as Jenna, Rosie and Rosie’s mother walked out of the shop.

   Seeing the three Steel turned away, his eyes full of anger at the red husky, as part of him blamed her for the loss of some of his status. Laying eyes on Steel, Jenna glared at him, still that his pride nearly cost Rosie her life. Watching the exchange Cathán instantly saw the hostility, confirming his judgment that Steel was just like his father.

 “So sorry about that, she and I do not get on, a little matter.”

“I could see that for myself, so tell me about the town hero, I have heard many things about him.”

 “Balto, he isn’t respectable, a dog such as yourself does not want to associate with him” Steel replied as other town dogs walked up.

 “Good morning, I am Celino” said one dog.

“Hi my name is Sylvia town gossip, how are you finding Nome?” said an afghan hound.

“It is pleasure to meet both of you, I like Nome everyone here has been very welcoming.”

 “Well Nome is a friendly place” Celino replied, his eyes flicking over to Steel.

“So it would appear, I was just asking Steel here about the town hero, the event epidemic has been in all the papers.”

“Oh Balto, well he is half wolf, I am afraid we did not treat him to well before….” Sylvia replied hanging her head.

 “It was his wolf look, we all treated him rather shabbily…. It was not right and we all regret it now” Celino replied blushing. “We are town dogs, we had heard stories from our humans, that is not excuse though.”

 “Oh that is enough, neither of you have to apologize for the way you treated that lobo half breed, he deserved everything he got. He is an outcast who does not deserve our respect” Steel snarled.

“Steel how can you say that?” Sylvia and Celino replied as Jenna joined them.

“Balto saved the children’s lives!” Jenna shouted.

“Listen Steel we all misjudged him, which I accept, but I am willing to make amends for that. You lied to us all when you got back, we respected you and though you would help the children” Celino shouted angrily.

 “You are a better dog then that half breed Celino.”

“Balto saved the life of my owner and proved to me who he was, for that I am eternally grateful, my boy nearly died thanks to you” Celino snarled in reply

 “He saved my owners little girl, she’s only two, she could have died” Sylvia snarled.

 “Cathán do not listen to them…..” Steel replied, turning towards Cathán.

 “I was right, you are just like your father Steel, boastful, full of pride and arrogant. They may have treated Balto badly but they have the courage to admit they were wrong, you do not. I for one am eager to meet Balto, I have met several half wolves in my time, they have been perfectly pleasant to me. Unlike you I do not judge on breeding alone, only on their personality” Cathán replied glaring at Steel.

  At this the other dogs cheered with delight glad to see that Cathán’s attitude towards Balto was pleasant from the start, they were also glad to see Steel taken down a peg or two. Ever since the article first appeared in the paper, Steel had been boasting that he and Cathán would become friends and run on a team together, that the fact that this had gone dramatically wrong was very pleasing for them. Walking away from Steel with Jenna, Sylvia and Celino, Cathán grinned widely, glad that he had helped his son in some way, well aware that the Balto would hear about the event for the day was out.

Father and Son

    Cathán was right about Balto hearing about the event, the town gossip chain had gone into overdrive and Balto heard about that evening through the brother of Kaltag’s girlfriend. Sitting out on his boat, Balto though about what had happened.

“I cannot believe my Father said those things to Steel, in front of all the mail dogs as well. Wow that took a lot of nerve, Steel still has some status here as a race dog, that never changed. I wonder is he meant all those things, no he must have done, he would not have them otherwise. He didn’t tell them the truth either….he didn’t brag about me… he must have meant what he said. Of course he did you fool, his first day here he sent you a message through Jenna. Today must have been his first day in town, I wonder if he’s still around now, it’s only just gone six. No wait until tomorrow when its light, you’ve not seen him in years, you could walk right past him. Besides what would you say to him? Wait until morning and think this through, decide what you’re going to say to him. What do I say to him? It’s been three years since we last met, so much has changed since then. How do I tell him what happened to us after he left?”
     As Balto sat thinking he looked out to Nome then gasped as he saw his father walking towards his boat. Standing up Balto looked at his father for the first time since he was a pup. Though his father had aged slightly, he still looked just as Balto remembered him. For a moment neither spoke as they looked at each other, each taking in the others appearance. Slowly Cathán walked up to the beginning of the gangplank, stopping just in front of it. Seeing his stance Balto nodded once and Cathán began to slowly walk up, all the time his eyes focused on his son. Stepping onto the boat’s deck Cathán stared at his son for a moment, before Father and son bounded towards each other.

“Balto my son I am so thrilled to see you, I have dreamed that this day would come for years.”

“I never thought I would see you again Dad, I’ve missed you.”

“And I you my son, I have missed you all so much. You have grown into a fine wolf dog, I heard about your exploits, I am so proud of you.”

“You have no idea how much that means to hear you say that” Balto replied grinning.

“You are my son, I would be proud no matter what you did, I think we have a lot of catching up to do. I want to hear everything that has happened to you since I was captured.”

    Grinning Balto sat down next to his Father on the deck and began to tell him all that had happened. As Balto told him of the arrival of Aniou’s older daughter Cathán’s ears pricked up, as he had seen a wolf that fitted her description not long before. Unknown to him he had seen the wolf on same day that Balto had met a white wolf at the bottom of a cliff, a wolf who fitted Balto’s description of his half sister. On hearing of the blizzard and Balto’s separation from Aniou Cathán’s heart sank, even though years had passed he still loved Aniou and had hoped that Balto would have been able to take him to her. Cathán’s sadness turned to white hot anger when he heard of his son’s arrival in Nome and his treatment by the other dogs and humans. But the anger lessened on hearing about Jenna and Rosie, glad that two had seen past his son’s looks

 “Rosie got sick with diphtheria, she was ill, Jenna was worried… I helped her find out what was wrong. From the start I wanted to help Rosie get better, she’d been such a good friend, she and Jenna. I did all for Rosie….and for Jenna, I had to save Rosie. Then….as more children fell ill…. Rosie’s friends…... I knew I had to help them.”

 “You did a very brave and noble thing Balto, most importantly you did out of a genuine desire to help. I am very proud of you, you are brave and true, there is nothing more I could ask. You have my speed as well, I always knew you would be fast.”

“I do don’t I, I told you I would be a sled dog one day, do you think we could pull I sled together now you’re here?”

“There is nothing I would like more then to run with you Lightening Paws, tomorrow we will tell everyone who you are.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Of course I do, you are my son, it is high time the world knew that. Incidentally I presume that Ms Jenna already knows?”

 “Well er… we are…. you see the thing is……. We are friends before and when the article first came out last December I told her.”

“But now things are different, you are no longer just friends.”

“No… we er….we you know…. I mean we love each other” Balto stammered blushing.

“No need to be embarrassed about it, you are both adults, it is perfectly natural….she is a lovely girl, I can tell she cares about you. Love spins you around, knocks you back and just makes life wonderful…. I felt just as you do know when I was with your Mother. You were willing to risk everything for her, just as I was willingly turned my back on this life for your Mother. I’m here now, you ever need me just come.”

“I will Dad, you’ll be seeing a lot of me now.”

“I certainly hope, I’ve got a lot of time to make up for. You must introduce me to Boris, I have to thank him for doing such a fine job of raising you.”

“Well he had a good starting point, you and Mother had already given me morals and values, all Boris had to do was build on them. I always saw him as an Uncle like figure, if it hadn’t been for him I don’t know what I would have done.”

 “Neither do I. You have grown up to become everything I thought you would be and more. As a pup you had a kind heart, a strong sense of right and wrong and courage, all those I see within you now. No matter what happens from now on we face things together as father and son. No matter what any dog or humans tells you, know that you will always be worth something to me, no matter what, you are my son” Cathán said smiling proudly at his son.

“No matter what. Before…..I used to think I was worthless…..now I know that isn’t true, I love you Dad.”

“And I love you to Balto.”

     Together father and son looked out across Nome, as they did the Northern Lights shone above them. At last both were reunited, their bond still presented despite the time passed, a bond which could not be broken. Both looked up at the hill above town, and for a moment, in the mist of Northern Lights, stood a white wolf. The wolf howled a song of pure beauty, a song that came from the heart. For a moment the wolf stared at the pair, a smiling dancing on her face, and then in an instant the wolf vanished into the Lights. Father and son smiled at each other, as for a moment their family had been whole.    

     End