(started 12/13/08 -)

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After reading a popular story about Balto and Jenna’s early life together (hours or days after the ending of the first film, leading up to the beginning of "Wolf Quest" – you know who you are, you guys. *wink-wink*) as well as a couple of others, I thought that perhaps I could create my own beginnings of their relationship, adding events that could only make their love become stronger before they became first-time parents.

So this idea was born in my head – What if someone tried to separate them from each other and there was nothing either one could do about it?

I know, it’s all been done before, but I wanted to make this enjoyable and a complete test on both Balto and Jenna’s newfound love for each other, especially since they were both new to this emotion, new to love, and a bit shy about how they really felt.

I really hope you enjoy this piece of work, and perhaps it may help to inspire some other shy author out there to continue Balto and Jenna’s love story in their own little way.

- Juuchan17

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It was snowing when the malamute left the borders of his town. The latches on his dark collar glinted on the patches of deep snow in front of him, but he was too busy to notice. The sun was rather low – it was early morning in Teller, Alaska, a medium-sized town close to the Bering Strait. The brown-furred male could only run as he began to enter the woodland paradise that would lead him towards the mountains – now was not the time to walk or dilly-dally.

The words of the last conversation he had with his father continued to resound in his ears as he traveled, reminding him of the purpose of his journey.

- - - - - - - -

"Creek, come in here for a moment." A ragged, old voice caused the brown dog’s ears to prick up.

"Father?" Creek responded, poking his head into the room where the voice came from. "It’s me."

"Come in, son," the older male called again. "Closer . . . yes, come near the fire so I can see you clearer."

Obeying his father’s orders, Creek moved each gray-marked paw into the room, which was more like a drafty barn, one that the humans didn’t bother to use anymore. With every step, the floor creaked and cried out in squeaks, but the younger male ignored it.

"You called for me, Father?" Creek asked once he could see the other male in his sights. The male was a faded gray, obviously showing his years, and although he still maintained that powerful physique of a sledding champion, Creek’s father had retired from racing a couple of years ago to enjoy raising his children. He still wore his leather collar proudly, which bore the name he was known as ever since he was young – he was called Streak.

"Ah, yes I did . . ." The patriarch nodded slowly, his grayish-blue eyes gleamed at the sight of his son standing in front of him. "You’re no longer a pup anymore, I see."

"I’m on your old sled team now, Father. You should come to see me take off once and a while." Creek had inherited his mother’s wood-colored coat and kind, brown eyes, only receiving the gray of his father’s markings. The fire was warm and inviting, but now was not a time for relaxing, the youngling would soon find out.

"Maybe . . . when I feel the strength to go outside early in the morning," the elder slowly rose to his paws, leaning down to stretch his legs. A few whispered cracks sounded before he finished, sitting down once again and looking up at Creek with a sense of seriousness in his eyes. "But now is the time for you to fulfill your destined purpose, Creek."

The youngling tilted his head in confusion. "I don’t understand, Father," he responded. "What do you mean by ‘destined purpose’ anyway?"

Streak let out a deep sigh, his head fell while his eyes remained locked on his son. "It’s been a couple of years since I made the deal . . . and now it is time to keep my side of the bargain."

"What deal?" Each word uttered by his aging father made Creek even more perplexed, almost to the point of becoming angry. "Please explain this to me in English, Father!"

A heavy pause loomed between Father and Son until finally, Streak began to tell him the story.

"It was less than three years ago when Misty and I first met them, the two huskies from Nome. They were just like us – the male was a dark-brown sledding dog and his devoted red-furred mate was about a couple of weeks from whelping pups – and the two of them were quite generous. Your mother and I were wonderful hosts to them in this very barn, showing them around town, introducing them to relatives and trusting friends."

"Why were they there, Father?" Creek asked. "That seems weird for them to be far from home with a litter on the way."

"Indeed, we thought the same thing too," Streak continued to explain. "However, she wasn’t not afraid of giving birth away from her homeland – this was her second litter, after all, and with her mate being in the sledding business during this important time, she was strong-willed about standing by his side no matter where he traveled. It was a good thing that his musher left them here for the next two months – she gave birth a week after we met, nurturing six little joys at her side. Misty was nearly ready to deliver herself – she was carrying you and your siblings at the time – and by the time she did, the Nome litter was a couple of weeks old and we began to make . . . plans for the future."

"What kinds of plans were they?"

"Ones that would lead to a brighter future for our families, my son," Streak only replied. "and one that centers around you . . ."

That little addition at the end made Creek let out a small whine. "Around me?"

"Yes, my son," the elder nodded his head slowly. "There is someone waiting . . . someone you need to find in Nome."

"Who is it?" His ears pricked up with a strange sense of curiosity. "How will I find this person, Father?"

"It was a she-pup . . . one that I last remember being wrapped in a red-orange cloth – she was just a pup then when her parents and the musher returned them all home, so I don’t know what she’ll look like now." His head fell to the ground almost sadly as he sighed. "However, I know that now is the arranged time that we promised . . . those huskies will be waiting for you at their telegraph post, so you must leave tonight."

"Tonight?" Creek barked suddenly. "But what about my race? The musher is depending on me to be there!" He sighed out of frustration. "Oh, he’ll be so worried if I’m not there in the morning!"

"Son, this is more important than serving your musher," Streak almost leapt forward, taking his son aback with his rash tone. "This is the will of your family, and your future depends on you leaving as soon as possible!" He paused, using his muzzle to lift Creek onto his feet. "Now, the journey to Nome will take you at least a day’s travel the sooner you leave. I’ve heard the telegraph saying that a strong snowstorm is coming closer to here, so you must be prepared to withstand it and survive."

"Aren’t you coming too, Father?" Creek asked. "I’m sure those two huskies would love to see you once again."

"Oh, the storm would claim me," the husky shook his head, chuckling a little at his son’s reminder of the dogs that he and his mate had befriended. "I’m far too old to be meddling in a blizzard, although I would love to see them again." My time is almost at an end already, he added in his thoughts, but he surprised his son with a smile. "But Son, this is your journey, not mine. I shall see them again, but now is your turn to complete the contract that we had made."

After a couple of hours of rest, Creek rose to his paws and began his journey with the night sky slowly brightening up with the call of the dawn. Streak nuzzled his son with his nose, leaving him with a few words of where he should go.

"The telegraph office is the first building on the right," he said with a sense of rush in his voice. "I think that if you tell them of me, they should recognize who you are immediately."

"And if they don’t?" Creek asked nervously.

Streak paused, understanding how his son must feel, being rushed into such a situation arranged by adults. "Trust me, they will not forget." A smile filled his gray face, as if this would be the last time he would see his young son again. "They will tell you everything you need to know once you arrive there, including the whereabouts of the one in the cloth. I trust them with my own life." With a last nuzzle, the gray male's eyes fell solemnly. "Be careful, my Son."

"I will," Creek returned the smile, nodding as he began to set off on his journey. "See you real soon, Father."

Watching his son fade out of sight into the mists of falling snow, Streak took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Protect him, Misty," he prayed with closed eyes. "Help him arrive to Nome safe and sound. His destiny is calling, just like we all planned so long ago." By the time his blue eyes opened once again, the form of his son had vanished from sight. "Creek, my first-born son . . . the future of our family's lineage is in your paws."

- - - - - - - -

The winds were whipping across his back and sides, slowing his strides to a walk as the blinding snows gathered around him. He was bred to withstand extremities such as these – harsh winds, bitter cold and constantly dropping temperatures, total whiteouts of snow – but never before in his two years of life had he ever witnessed such fury from Nature.

The brown dog shivered almost violently, nearly closing his eyes to shield his sight of the piercing snowfall.

It was only the two of them together that evening at the shoreline, watching the moon start to rise and shining its silver reflection against the surface of the sea. The figures laid their long forms out against each other, close enough for their fur of brown-gray and rust-red to offer warmth to the other as the cold late-winter wind rustled over their heads.

Truly, anyone could tell that these two were love-birds - a young couple that had fallen head-over-heels in love with each other in only a matter of days. It wasn't exactly traditional for two younglings to just hit it off so suddenly, but it was 1925 after all - times were slowly starting to break away from even the oldest traditions . . .

The male, the brown-gray with tan markings on his face, legs, and body, opened his eyes, turning to gaze red and gold at the sleeping figure of his companion. He couldn't help but to smile at each sight of her, not even noticing that his cheeks were now painted in a thick coat of pink.God, she's such an angel . . . His eyelids fell slowly, stopping halfway as he watched her stomach slowly and steadily rise and fall while she breathed in her sleep. Her white-marked features were so detailed and lovely, nearly perfect like a purebred of her stature should be. Her slender form, her bushy two-toned tail, her elegantly sculpted muzzle . . . oh, just thinking about pressing his nose to hers once again made him tingle all over! I swear, sometimes I feel she's much too good for some stray half-wolf like me . . . He let out a sigh, releasing his worries into the chilled winter breeze.

Somehow, that breath and soft noise was enough to rouse the female from her deep slumber, nearly startling him as she moaned softly. The male gasped in surprise, but quickly grew more relieved once she fluttered her eyelids open and looked at him lovingly.

"Mmm . . . Hello again, Balto . . ." Her amber-hazel eyes shone nearly like yellow quartz in the rising moonlight as she smiled, chuckling a little while she did so.

However, the male was far too mesmerized to respond to her with words - what words could possibly be enough to describe what he was experiencing right at this moment?

"Balto, are you okay?" She spoke to him once more, worried by the male's lack of response.

"Ah, . . . huh?" He shook his head to return him back to the reality in front of his gaze. As only half-wolf, he could easily sense the emotions of worry in her eyes. Those eyes . . . they’re so dazzling . . . He felt himself want to melt just looking at her over and over again. "What is it, Jenna? Is there something on my face?"

She couldn’t help but to chuckle at his response. "No. Your face is just fine. It’s just . . ." The female tilted her head, looking away from him coyly. Her cheeks were no longer white after peering into his wild gaze. Oh God, is this what love is supposed to feel like? She remembered that one moment they spent in the woods when her instincts caused her to lay on top of his freezing fur; her once pink face darkened to a shade of near-fuchsia just as the thought of her actions, causing her nose to lower near to her front paws. Why did I do that again? To think that I did that to someone I barely know! Oh, if my parents knew that I did that to him . . . Now her face was brighter than her rusty-colored fur. But . . . but Balto has been nothing but warm-hearted towards me, caring about what’s most important to me . . .

"Just what?" He asked, hoping to tear down that wall that stood between them at this moment. His nose leaned in closer to hers, showing concern by managing a small whine. "Can’t you tell me what’s wrong?"

They had first met face-to-face only a week or so, and ever since then their fates became intertwined . . . and now, they were together – he was a cross-bred outcast that everyone in town who was once scorned and hated, and now was praised with the honor and respect of being a hero that saved so many lives . . . she was a natural beauty, adored and loved by all that graced her presence, most especially stealing the hearts of the most eligible canine bachelor in the entire town and even the half-wolf hero.

Neither of them believed that all because of their chance meeting that the two different worlds of the true pedigree and the wild wilderness would collide . . . and soon become something as pure as young love.

The female finally offered up a response, nearly tripping over her choice of words. "Nothing . . . I just . . . er . . . It’s just that I . . . um . . ." She knew he could clearly see the bashfulness in her face, knowing that she was getting completely flustered just at the mere thought of him. "Um . . . I’m sorry, but what were we talking about again?" She let out a soft laugh that was obviously a mixture of nervousness and denial of her true feelings.

"Jenna, you’re . . . You’re blushing!" Balto’s cheeks began to follow suit as well while he couldn’t stop himself for chuckling at the sight. She is so cute when she’s like this, he commented in his mind, making himself smile at the sight. She really isn’t the stuck-up girl everyone seemed to make her out to be just because of her breeding . . . I wonder . . . oh, I wonder if she really does love me the way I do her?

"Oh!" She scampered to where the sea met the sand, managing to look at herself on the surface of the water. Indeed, everything that was once white on her fur now appeared a flushed red . . . but she had already known that prior to seeing her reflection. The husky managed to smile at the sight of herself, chuckling. "I guess I am blushing!"

By the time she finally spoke at the water, the brown-gray male had already joined her side, his reflection appeared beside hers, also with a grin on his scruffy face. "It looks beautiful on you, you know." His wet nose managed to brush against her cheek.

"So does yours," she commented, adding for some conversation and also turning her nose to meet his in a sweet touch. "You know, I’m glad to have spent today with you, Balto." She lowered her nose, giggling softly. "After all, you are a hero . . . You saved my girl and all of the others that were sick, even risking your own life to do so."

He lifted his nose embarrassingly, chuckling at her praise. "Now, now . . . I only felt that it was my duty to help those kids, that’s all. Any dog with a real heart would have done the same, right?"

"Of course they would," She nodded, not realizing that she was now sitting beside him, rubbing her cheek and nose against his warm neck. "and I thank you so much."

"You know, you don’t have to say anything," The wolf-dog almost flinched at the sudden touch of the husky against him – he still wasn’t used to being accepted positively, especially since it was days ago when people wished to hurt him and treat him as a dangerous, wild animal – but she felt smooth and silky on his fur. "It was because of you that I was able to make it through."

She stopped, turning his attention to him suddenly. "Huh? What do you mean?"

The male chuckled at her surprise. "When you . . . came to help me against that bear," he reminded. "I’ve never known a husky to be so brave before, especially to someone like me." A smile cloaked his rugged face, but it faded as he took a glance to her lifted foreleg. It was carefully wrapped in a white bandage. "Sorry you had to get hurt because of me, Jenna. At least both you and Rosy are okay."

"What, this?" She did a double take on her wound and him, trying to act surprised. "This was nothing, Balto. We aren’t called ‘man’s best friend’ for nothing, you know." Suddenly, her tone grew sad, causing her velvet ears to slide to her neck. One would think that she looked as if she were about to cry at any moment. "When I was watching Rosy from the windowsill, I felt . . . felt so . . . so powerless. She’s my human . . . and I couldn’t do anything to help her get better . . ." Sniffling, she wiped a couple of thin tears from her eyes as she continued.

"Jenna, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to," the male sensed aloud.

She shook her head sadly. He was right though – she didn’t feel comfortable saying all of this, but the husky felt it was a way to give herself some closure. "I didn’t want to lose hope, Balto . . . you know that . . . but I’ve never felt so useless in my life. I love Rosy with all of my heart . . . and I couldn’t bear to see her struggle alone . . ." Her nose was very low, nearly touching the water’s surface as the tides began to slowly rise with the moon. "That’s why I followed your scent. I wanted to be of some use to her . . . and the others that were sick . . ." Now the husky couldn’t help but to sob.

The male sat down beside her, using his tongue to sweetly calm her down. "Oh, Jenna . . ."

She was a little calmer after a moment, but the husky had to continue. "I didn’t understand why I was so drawn to your scent, but I’m sure glad that I did." She sniffled again, but instead of tears, there was a beautiful smile lighting up her white face. "I may have hurt myself while fighting to help you, but I . . ." Her cheeks grew pink once again; as if she knew that she was blushing, the she-dog chuckled almost shyly, even after the next sentence came out from her lips. "I . . . I think I’ve fallen in love with you, Balto."

The male was taken aback by her admission to him, his golden eyes growing wide as hers lowered lovingly towards him. "With . . . with me?" he repeated with a hint of surprise. "Really . . . you love me, Jenna?"

She only nodded, understanding the risk of her admission. "Balto, you mean everything to me . . . I know that now." Her smile remained, as did her bright pink cheeks. "You are the bravest, . . . the most wonderful, . . . the kindest . . ." Somehow, the husky couldn’t finish her sentence, starting a new one instead. "When I returned to the other dogs, they didn’t believe me when I mentioned that you were out to find the team and lead them and the medicine back to Nome . . . but I, . . . I never, ever lost faith in you." Smiling, the female’s elegant nose nudged against the male’s. He beamed at her honesty and love, too modest to offer any response to her words. "Even when Steele returned with my bandanna . . . and saying to me that you had perished, . . . I knew he was lying. That glory-hound didn’t know a thing about you . . . he never gave you a fair chance, not like Rosy or I had that day at the race." Their noses parted, and her eyes gleamed in front of his. "You’re an amazing dog, Balto . . . you really are. I’m not afraid to say that I love you . . . with all my heart."

Even after all of those words, the male’s dark-brown ears fell sadly. "You know that the other dogs will only scorn you for being with me," He painfully reminded her with a low voice. "I am half-wolf . . . I could turn on you at any moment, and I love you too . . . Oh, I never want to risk hurting you, Jenna . . ."

Once she noticed the words she had been waiting to hear herself, she lightly gasped and tackled him suddenly with nothing more than a smile and a kiss. The husky didn’t realize why her body moved as it did, but somehow, it seemed to feel right.

"J-Jenna? Wha . . ." The wolf-dog was confused by her sudden actions, most especially the strength the fragile beauty unknowingly possessed. "What are you doing?"

"Balto, let’s let them talk. I don’t care what the others will say about us anymore . . ." She paused to kiss him on the cheek with her tongue. "You just said that you loved me . . ." The hybrid’s eyes widened at the touch – it felt quite comforting . . . and he enjoyed the feel of her silkiness against his own fur. " . . . and I don’t care that you have wolf in you either."

He smiled back at her, returning the nuzzle with his scruffy nose. "Aw, Jenna . . ."

"Please, just call me Jen," She chuckled at the stray’s formality to her.

"Just Jen?"

She smiled, nodding slightly. "Mm-hmm. Just Jen." Only those that truly loved her could call the husky by that nickname . . . and there wasn’t that many that were worthy of such an honor – this canine was definitely worth the privilege. "Anyway, what I mean to say is that . . . Balto, it’s not what breed you are that matters, it’s the heart inside that truly counts . . . and that’s what I love the most about you. That’s why you’re my hero, Balto . . . and I really, truly love you."

The male canine’s face was completely red by now. Never before had anyone loved him in spite of his wolf blood, but to think this purebred pet saw through his rugged, wild looks to reveal the true beauty within . . . he was quite flattered by that show of courage from her. Somehow, he managed to grin from ear to ear.

"And . . . I love you too, Jen," He grunted a bit at the female husky’s weight on top of his own body. It was awkward for him to start calling her by this new name, but the hybrid felt proud to do so. "Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I . . . I . . ." Hesitation set in as for once, the wolf-dog grew tongue-tied in front of her. "I . . . I’ve never met anyone so sweet . . . and caring before in my life." He paused, releasing a deep sigh to get his words straight. "I’ve only ever known that city dogs would never accept me because of me being half-wolf, but that all began to change when we first met in the snowy street . . . sharing our first kiss." A pink brightness colored his cheeks by now, showing the hybrid’s true nature – he was nothing more than a gentle soul that was so misunderstood by his appearance and bloodline. "Ever since that moment, I . . . I didn’t understand what I was feeling. I just couldn’t stop thinking about you . . . and wanting to be with you . . . always."

The female smiled, turning her head to the side diffidently. "Oh, Balto . . ." She felt as if she could melt in his embrace, still remaining on top of him like a pup bonding with its father. Carefully, the husky slinked off of him, laying beside him and sighing like a young love-struck child.

"That’s why I showed you the Northern Lights that night," He continued to explain his feelings, pouring out his heart to the one he loved. "It was my secret place, a special world that was an escape from the torture in Nome and yet a memory of my wild ancestors. I thought . . . I thought it would mean so much to share it with you because . . . because you were so sad. I only wanted to lift your spirits, not cause you any more pain from Rosy’s illness." His ears drooped, remembering the thought of learning her girl’s plight. "Ever since hearing that she and other children had diphtheria, I knew it could be my big chance to show everyone that I could be a sled dog . . . and make you smile once again." Their eyes met once again, causing them to kiss nose-to-nose with nothing more than a couple of smiles.

"And you did," she responded, knowing that the male was still far too humble to admit his heroic feat. "I doubt I could ever thank you enough."

"Oh, you don’t have to thank me verbally, Jen," he answered her comment with only a sheepish smile. "Just promise that you’ll always love me, no matter what happens . . . and let me always love you in return. That’s all I’ll ever ask of you."

Every second after his request was nothing more than happy silence. The female answered in the only way that she knew he could understand – with a kiss.

It wasn’t until morning when the two of them finally left the shoreline, heading towards Jenna’s two-floor house in Nome. Balto was all smiles, as was his new mate, the ever-so-bright purebred husky, as they strolled towards the ordered buildings that towered above them as if they were merely ants in a field. He was still not used to walking into the city limits without having to worry about being shunned and bullied, but Balto now had Jenna by his side – there was no longer any need for him to be afraid.

"Balto?" Jenna’s melodious tone snapped him back to reality. "Is something wrong?"

Realizing his sudden blankness, the wolf-hybrid only shook his head, smiling at the sight of her gentle face. "Nothing’s wrong, Jen. Not while you’re here beside me."

Jenna returned the gesture, rubbing her nose against him as she always seemed to do lately. That feeling’s the same here too, she thought as they drew closer to her house. She was not one to stay out late and feared that Rosy would be ever so worried with her sudden absence. The young child was only about six or seven years old and still recovering from the antitoxin injection – having Rosy get well was more important to the young husky . . . well, that and her love for Balto, of course.

"Can we stop by the hospital first?" Jenna suggested. "I’d like to check up on how Rosy’s doing."

"Um, sure thing, Jen," Balto smiled back at her. "I want to see her too. You know how much she enjoys being around me as well."

Jenna could only look at him with nothing more than her glowing white face. She’s taken a shining to you ever since we first met, she thought of her auburn-haired owner with happiness as they began to reach closer to the center of Nome. It’s almost like she sensed your natural kindness once she watched you save her musher’s hat. Maybe one day . . . one day, her parents will adopt you into our family . . .

It took about a couple of minutes for them to trot towards the front doors of the clinic. The orange-clouded windows were bright, even in the daylight, wide as if to show the entire world what their faith had led to . . . the healing of those that were almost lost to sickness. Nurses were still carefully tending to the children still recovering, while also making sure that the diphtheria epidemic would not spread out of the large doorways via the parents and guardians that had asked for a miracle – it was still quite contagious and no one wanted to take any chances in another outbreak.

The two dogs just stood there, peering into the main waiting room where a few patients remained asleep on make-shift cots. Parents that had kept an unmoving vigil on their dear children continued to watch by their sides, almost to the point of falling into an exhausting slumber. Most of them had remained awake until the serum arrived, but parents were far too concerned about making sure that their sons and daughters would still be there once they awoke. Now, the children were beginning to recover, thanks to the golden elixir that was safely retrieved, and hopefully it wouldn’t be too long before daily routines returned to normal around the tiny town of Nome.

To think I saved them with my quick thinking and actions . . . Balto sighed at the sight. He still was in disbelief by what he had done . . . And now everyone, even the humans that would throw snow towards me, treat me like I’m a regular dog . . . no, a real hero . . . I just can’t seem to wrap my head around it, even after a couple of days! He smiled, looking at a mother happily cuddling her child in her arms. Balto could feel the warmth that emanated from that tender moment, making his heart feel as if it were about to leap out of his chest. I helped to make this happen . . . and thanks to Jenna, I have been able to feel that love too.

"Ah, there she is, Balto!" Jenna barked happily at the sight of her girl in the window once the two of them visited every pane. The two slender parents continued to stand by the large bed where Rosy continued to recover. The young girl’s eyes were still weakly open, but the antitoxin continued to strengthen her body until the doctor felt her well enough to return home.

"She’s really a tough girl, Jen," Balto smiled, remembering how strong he last saw her. "I betcha Rosy’ll be home before you know it, so don’t worry so much."

"I hope so," the burgundy female sighed. Rosy let out a yawn, preparing to get some more rest; the medicine had weakened her so much that she slept most of the time. "I can’t help but worry – she’s my human, my girl . . ."

Seeing the sadness in Jenna’s amber-hazel eyes made Balto nudge against her neck with his own, comforting her with his thick, wolf-like fur. "I promise, everything will be all right . . . I’ll make sure of it."

I know that already, Jenna managed to smile, rubbing her nose in return. Everything will be wonderful as long as I am with you, Balto . . .

Meanwhile, two sledding dogs sat by the telegraph office. The brown-colored male with white marks donned his black-leather collar, showing that he was a racing dog, but it was strange that the husky was not in his harness today. The slender female, a bright red and white husky, whined with worry, turning to her mate with sad eyes.

"Do you think he learned of the agreement?" The female queried, doing a double take at the white stretch of fresh powder-snow that lay in between the mountains and the borders of Nome. "He wouldn’t have forgotten something like that, would he?"

"Don’t worry so much about it, my love," The brown husky looked ahead as well. "I trust that a dog of his age would remember anything about his own son. So, I’m sure he told him by now – well, at least over a week ago."

"But what if he didn’t make it through that storm?" She asked. "You know how difficult it was for even Balto to make it through the same blizzard!"

"Yes, but he’s a sled dog too, Tasha," The male responded bravely. "Remember when we first met his parents? They have the same pure blood in them as we do, so he should be able to survive the trek." He gave her a confident grin. "It’s a long way from Teller to here, but only the mountains and the wolves that inhabit those places should be more difficult than a blinding snowstorm."

"But he’s late, Tundra!" Tasha shuddered at the thought. "If he left on the appointed date, he should have arrived . . . yesterday!"

"I’m sure it’s just the storm setting him back," the sled dog reassured her. "He’s must have learned that safety is always best in natural disasters such as this."

Tasha nodded. Being a racer before retiring to be a mother, she knew the dangers of running with nature far too well. "It’s best to find shelter than to keep going in a storm when you’re alone out there. Wouldn’t want to freeze to death, you know."

"Perhaps . . ." Tundra sighed. "But we made a promise to them, saying that we’d wait here for their son. We can’t just assume that something has happened to him."

Without warning, a dark brown husky with gray legs let out a howl. It was weak, but the two mates were surprised by the sound nonetheless. The dog carefully approached them in a run from the direction of the Outskirts of Nome, but weakened by its current strength, the husky collapsed to the ground in front of their paws.

"Streak . . . my father . . . sent me to . . . to you . . ." The brown dog slipped out of consciousness, leaving the two sled dogs completely speechless by the youngster’s appearance.