Chapter 1
Jenna shook her head and groggily stood up, her back ached from sleeping on the old wooden boards. She stretched for a few seconds and then slipped out of the warm boiler room. The sun sat on the horizon, itching to get higher in the sky. She closed her eyes and tilted her nose up, getting a good whiff of the morning air. She blinked a few times before jumping back into reality: she had to find Luke and join his pack. Grief overcame the small female and she groaned, angry with herself and her own desires. “Mom?” The voice made her jump and she spun around, hackles raised and her lip was pulled back into a growl.
“Saba?” One of Jenna’s daughters stood behind her and she looked at her mother with fear. “I’m sorry dear, you frightened me.”
“Oh ok, what are you doing up so early?” She asked, sitting to scratch her right ear.
“I’m going for a walk with Dusty, and what are you doing up at this hour?” Jenna was actually mighty curious as to why Saba, the daughter who despised awaking early, was up at this ungodly hour.
“A few friends and I were planning on going for a run.” Saba smiled up at her mom; her hazy big blue eyes shimmered in the morning light.
“Well have fun,” She licked her daughter’s forehead and Saba gracefully turned and ran off towards the beach. Jenna allowed a few tears to escape, she knew this might be the last time she would see one of her most successful daughters. She was reminded of Aleu, her eldest pup, who had ventured off to find her true self and took on the responsibility of leading a pack. She remembered Balto returning without Aleu and the tears that had been welling up in his eyes, trying to stay strong for Jenna’s sake.
Jenna blinked away the memories and looked off in the distance to find Dusty making her way outside. The delicate female swiftly ran over to Jenna, “Ready?”
“Can’t I see my babies one more time?” She whined.
“Jenna, it’s bad enough Saba saw you, but Kodi or Dakota will surely kill you. And Dingo I’m sure has been told what happened.”
“Well what about Detani?”
“She is two miles north of Nome and Aleu is out of the question.” Dusty said she nuzzled Jenna.
“What about…” She allowed her voice to trail off, knowing that speaking to her mate will only make things harder.
“Now can we please go?” Dusty pleaded, not wanting the rest of the town to awake before they left. Jenna nodded and she followed Dusty outside of the town, looking behind once more.
“Goodbye Balto.” She muttered and raced off toward her new destiny.
Chapter 2
Jenna’s paw pads were aching, and frozen by the time she reached the territorial boundary of Luke’s pack. She swung her head around facing Dusty, “So I guess this is goodbye?” She asked.
“I will visit you with news about Nome, occasionally but here you will he happy.” Dusty smiled, lying through her teeth. There was no way she could come back to visit Jenna, she would get eaten alive by the wolves that lived here.
“Thank you Dusty, for everything.” She nuzzled the gray female and pulled away.
Dusty nodded, “Goodbye Jen.” She smiled widely and turned around, running in the opposite direction. When Dusty was clearly out of sight, Jenna felt her heart sink realizing she was alone. She sniffed the air, tilting her head back trying to get a scent of Luke. Only old scent markings stung her nostrils…and they weren’t his. Suddenly she heard a stick crack a few feet away and her ears shot straight up, and a shiver went up her spine. She felt a presence nearby and she jumped when a second stick cracked. BAM! She felt her whole body collide with the ground, and a loud yelp escaped from her throat.
“Who do you think you are? Roaming around here?” A female was holding down the helpless husky, and she was a muscular wolf.
“I-I’m looking for Lu-Luke.” She stuttered.
The female spat in Jenna’s face, “Pssh, yeah you and the hundred other females that wander around here.”
“What?” Jenna asked glancing up at the wolf.
“He messes around with dogs all the time, and then never accepts the consequences, he just moves on.”
“Where is he?” Jenna asked.
“I’m not telling you.”
"Where is he?” Jenna asked persistently, through clenched teeth.
“Fine, I was just keeping you from getting your heart broken,” the female shrugged, “I will lead you to his den. I’m Mishka by the way.” She said stepping off Jenna.
“Jenna.” The red husky mumbled.
“Come on, follow me.” Mishka led the way towards a large den formed by silver smooth rocks that collided together. Light flooded into the cave and a black wolf with a gray underbelly lay curled up in a ball. “Luke…Luke. There’s someone here for you.”
“Huh? What?” He lifted his head and groggily turned around, facing the females and his eyes grew wide, “Jenna?”
“Yeah that would be me.” Jenna said meekly.
“I’m going to go check on the hunting group that just left.” Mishka said and stepped out of the cave, leaving an awkward silence.
“I uh…um.” Luke muttered he was at lost for words. He stared Jenna up and down, “Why are you here?”
“Why do you think?” She said in snappy tone, “I’m pregnant with your pups, and I can’t have them back Nome.”
He looked at her and her stomach in disgust before making his decision, “I give you permission to stay here till the pups are one year old,” He stood up, “then they leave along with you.” He grunted.
“What? Why can’t I or they stay here where their father is?” She pleaded.
“Because this is no place for a dog and her mutts.”
“Our mutts.” She snarled.
“Pssh, you honestly think that you are going to threaten a wolf like me?” He asked circling her, and Jenna knew that her situation was getting from bad to worse.
“Didn’t you feel anything?” She asked.
“I don’t love you,” He mumbled.
“What?”
“I don’t love you!” He shouted. The tears had already dripped off her cheeks and splattered at her paws, she closed her eyes tightly.
“Wh-why?” She asked, sniffling.
“Because you’re a dog and I’m a pack leader.”
“So you were in it just for the pleasure?” She said through clenched teeth.
“Pretty much, sorry.” He shrugged, pushing past her, “Don’t forget about what I said, you leave when they become a year old.” He spoke before exiting.
“I’m alone…again.” She said through her tears, “it’s what I get.” She shook her head, disappointed in herself. She sighed, laying down wondering what to do now, she was alone in this unfamiliar part of Alaska. Her eyes flickered up towards the rising sun, “Balto.” She muttered.
“Jenna?” Mishka stepped into the cave; she bent down and nudged the red dog.
“Wha?” Jenna jumped and stood up; she was face to face with the female she had met earlier.
“Are you ok?” Mishka cocked her head to the side.
“Uh yeah, so what do I do now?” She asked, looking down at her paws.
“You can help me,” Mishka spoke in a relaxed tone “do you know how to hunt?”
Jenna knew she couldn’t but how was she going to survive if she told Mishka she couldn’t, she would surely starve if they knew, “Yes.” She lied.
“Well then you can come hunting with me, we won’t be gone for long.” Mishka said without turning to face Jenna.
“Great.” Jenna muttered, so low that Mishka couldn’t quite catch what she had said.
5 months later
“Where is she?” Jenna asked frantically.
“I don’t know mama.” Disk said, glancing up at his mother.
“She was right here, next to Raven.” Jenna said, her eyes shifting from side to side searching the perimeter of her den for her middle pup. Riley was missing again, and Jenna had just about had enough. She had given birth to five pups but only three survived the night of the birth. The pups have just become 4 months old and are at the age of causing mischief.
“I guess she went outside.” Raven said, sitting down to scratch behind her ear.
“Ok you two stay here,” Jenna licked their foreheads, “And I mean it. Don’t leave!”
“We won’t go anywhere, we promise.” Disk said, smiling. He obeyed and listened to everything his mother said. Jenna stepped out of the den, the sun had set a while ago and the moon was rising high in the black sky. She tried to think of peaceful thoughts, hoping for the best she stuck her snout to the ground and tried to catch her daughter’s scent. She smelt something near the entrance to the denser part of the woods and her heart sank.
“You went in here?” She asked, speaking to herself. She jumped over the bushes leading on to the path and she raced ahead. She lost her footing as her paw caught hold of something; she fell on her stomach and spun around noticing a small red heap with large paws staring back at her. “Riley!” Jenna raced to where her middle pup sat in fear and licked her in between the ears.
“Mom, where did he go?” Riley asked shaking so violently Jenna had to back away to make sure her pup wasn’t seizuring.
“Where did who go, love?” Jenna asked, looking around.
“The nice brown dog.”
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Jenna, Saba, Dusty, Balto, Kodi, Aleu and Dingo all belong Universal Studios Riley, Disk, Luke, and Mishka belong to me Raven belongs to Paden