Authors Note---The characters Balto, Jenna, & Steele are copyrighted to Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The rest of the characters (Saba, Slick, Mickey, etc.) are purely fan characters created by me, and are copyrighted to wolflover421.

               Slick: Friend or foe? Part 1/3

          Slick  had just saw the most beautiful dog he had ever met. She had a reddish/creme coat, stunning blue eyes, a purple bandanna fastened to her neck, a slim figure, delicate paws and the kindest smile Slick had ever saw. She was from Nome, and went by the name a Saba. Her parents were rumored to be Nome's most famous couple--Balto and Jenna.

          Slick ran up to her right away. "Hey there, what's your name?" he asked, pretending he didn't know her name.

       "Oh, hello. I'm Saba. I'm new here, what's your name?" she replied, caught off guard. Saba thought he was kind of---cute.

        "Sorry, I'm Slick. Say, you look like that dog from Nome! The dog who saved the town, his mate, you look like her." he said, pretending again that he didn't know who her parents were. "What's her name? Ja-ju-ji.." he added.

           "Jenna? I look like Jenna? Oh, that's becuase I'm her daughter. Balto, the dog who saved Nome, is my father." she replied. "How do you know what Jenna looks like?" she asked suspicously.

          "Oh, um, my father told me. My father is your fathers enemy--Steele." he replied. His his toned changed, he was a little embarassed about his father had treated her father--but he had changed.

           "Oh. I see. You must be Slick, the pup of Your stuck-up father and your flirty mother." she said coldly to him. Saba hated Steele's family, it didn't matter what they were like now.

        Slick's jaw dropped and tears filled his eyes. He didn't care for her now. "My father isn't stuck up and my mother isn't flirty. And I'm not like what my father was bakc in Nome--and he has changed! You never even met him, so why are you insulting him, hmm? How do YOU know that he's a stuck up creep like you say he is? He's NOT!" Slick shouted at the female. "And to think I thought you were going to be nice. Your the only one who's stuck up around here!" he added. He was quiter, but his tone set shivers down Saba's spine. How could one be so cold?

         "I'm sorry, I shoudln't have--" she was cut off by Slick.

          "Shouldn't have insulted my family? May we never meet again, Saba." he said, his tone still icey. His mouth was curled into a half snarl, half scowl. Slick was deeply affected by the words spoken by Saba. She had insulted his family--without even knowing them! How dare she...but I mmust not hurt her. I must not have a bad reputation. he thought. Slick turned around to see if she was stil there. She was there--sitting, with tears welling up in her eyes.She had not meant to insult him so...or did she? Did she really hate Slick because of his father? "We can't choose who our parents are...". She remembered the wise words Balto had said to her when he told her that she was part wolf. Saba padded off, crying. Slick turned to face the group of dogs that had come to watch when they herd shouting.

         "What are you staring at?" he snapped at them. His tone was of anger--filled with rage. Slick walked off, his head held low, his fur ruffled, and his mouth twitching. "Do you think he's gone mad?" one of the dogs in the crowd whispered to his friend. "No, he hasn't cracked yet. But he will soon." he replied quitely, watching slick walk off.

        Slick went to the small alley he called home. His mother was there. Amber could tell immedialty something was wrong.

     "What's wrong?" she asked inquiringly. "I met this girl...." Slick replied.

"I see. Who is she? What does she look like? Do you like her? Is she your girlfriend already?" she asked too many questions at once, and Slick knew it was just her motherly intsinct, but he couldn't help but get angry at the thought that her--would be his girlfriend. 

    "She's not my girlfriend. She insulted me and you and father. I don't like her one bit, ok?" he rplied, trying to keep his tone cool. "Oh." she said simply, and chanfed the subject.

        Saba was running through town, ears streaming down her face, nearly blinding her. How could I have been so terrible? I was acting like Steele did--predjudiced an mean--and the only reson for that was for his parents? He'll never forgive me. She halted. Saba was at the edge of town. She turned back, head low, tears falling slowly onto the ground. She had to go apoligize--but wait for him to cool off a a bit....

*1 week later*

  Saba had seen Slick hanging aorund a small alley recently. She decided that he'd be there, so she padded daintly to it. 

   Slick immediatly recognized the scent of her---the dog he despised so---Saba. He stood, rackles raised, lips curled into a frightening snarl.

         Saba quickened her gait. Se was nervous, and began running furiously. She spun into the alley and ended up nose o nose with Slick. She blushed, then turned away. Saba shuffled her paws. "I--"

   "What are you doing here?" Slick cut her off. Seeing she meant no harm, he sat down.

  "I came here to apoligize. I'm sorry for what I said, I was taken over by the hate I had for your father, Steele, for what he did to mine years ago now." she said nervously. "Do you think we can be friends?" she added quickly.

     "I accept your apoligy. I'm sorry that I yelled at you so. I had no right to, and I over reacted I suppose. After all, sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me." he said, with a slight chuckle.

   "So...we're frineds now?" she asked.

   "I suppose so." he replied quitely.

   "I should probaly go now--" she started.

    "No, no, if you want to stay you can. No rush." he said, cutting her off once more.

     "Truthfully, I have no where to stay. I've been mainly sleeping on the streets. Do you mind if I hang around?" she admitted. I want an owner...but no one will adopt me now. she thought.

        "Yeah, you can hang around here for as long as you like to." he said replied. "If your looking for an owner, there's an adoption center who takes in street dogs." he aded, seemingly reading her mind.

    "Oh, thanks." she replied quietly. She yawned widely, ad sat down. "I'm" She yawned once more--"tired. G'night Slick."

    "Yeah, uh, goodnight." he replied. It felt odd that a female was sleeping in his home.  He walked further back into the alley, layed down, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

        The next morning, Saba was already gone by the time Slick woke up. He didn't really care, so he roamed around for a bit, talking to his friends. He didn't wonder where Saba was or what she was doing--that is until the 4th day he had not seen her around town. ao he began to investigate houses--nothing. He looked in the streets and called her name--still nothing. Then he asked any of the dogs he knew--as well as total strganers--if they had seen Saba around. They always said the same thing. "Nope, I haven;t seen her around at all--sorry."

      That's when slick began to worry. Had something terrible happened to her? Did she run away? Was she...dead? He did not know, and his mind was blocked by terrible thoughts about what had happened. That's when an idea strucj him--he would go to Nome to look for her. But that was before he got the terrible, hostile, eerie mesage. It read, "She has been captured. You will not find her or us. Try, and face deadly concequences."

     And that's when he got the help of Mickey, a good friend of his.