Sparkle
In Your Eyes
(started
2/3/08 – )
Summary: Valentine’s Day is a week away and
Balto wants to give his mate, Jenna, the perfect present to show her how much
she means to him. After taking suggestions from friends and his own children,
can he find the perfect gift – one that comes from the heart? (one-shot Valentine’s
Day fic – Note: This story takes place the winter after the ending of “Balto:
Wolf Quest” and over a year before the beginning of “Wings of Change.”)
Rating:
G for General Audiences. Nothing bad here – it’s just a sweet, sappy one-shot
romance story this time.
Disclaimer: Any official characters and events
from Balto and Balto: Wolf Quest are the property of Universal Studios Inc. The
fan-names and personalities of Yukon and Denali are the property of Juuchan17
and should not be used without permission.
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Part
I: Reminiscing the Past
February
. . . 1927 . . .
The medium brown-gray
canine gazed at the calendar that hung on the wall inside his mate’s house. He
didn’t really notice the painting of a horse and carriage gliding over the
fresh powdered snowfall that lay above the boxes with numbers that symbolized
the days. It was indeed February, a month that was filled with the cold and
snow of winter, but something was different about this month this year.
I can’t
believe it’s been that long already . . . He pondered in his mind as he sat down on the wooden
floor of the room. What has it been . . . two years? I can’t even believe
the change . . .
Years ago,
he never would have thought a human would actually let him step foot into their
home; this was, of course, due to the fact that he wasn’t a purebred dog – he
was a wolf-dog, half-husky and half-wolf. He was an unusual color for a mutt
anyway, with his grizzly brownish-gray fur, light tan-white markings around his
red eyes, around his muzzle, down his belly and tail, and on his ankles and
large paws. His large gold-pooled eyes made him seem more wild than tame, as
did his lack of grooming.
People and
dogs alike shooed and shunned him with their actions and words, mainly out of
fear of his mixed blood and the untamed wildness inside him, but he never
thought about hurting anyone, even if he wanted to. The people had already
judged him without getting to know him despite his breeding.
Everyone .
. . except for those two, mainly her . . .
Jenna . . .
and her young human, Rosy, apparently could see something else instead of a
hybrid mutt that the others saw; they saw him as an innocent soul, a dog who
only wanted a chance to show everyone that he wasn’t just a wolf-dog . . .
Unfortunately,
they had to go through so many trials and tribulations in order to get him to
get the townspeople to see him with new eyes.
“Balto?”
The sound
of a warm, loving voice made the wolf-dog’s ears twitch towards the source of
the feminine tone. She was a bright burgundy-brown husky with white markings on
her face, down her slender belly and tail and on much of her thin legs. Around
her neck was a bright red-orange bandanna, tied neatly in a knot on her chest;
despite the worn feel of the fabric, it looked rather regal on the young
female, allowing her to stand out from the other dogs in town.
Balto’s
face was automatically in a smile as the rest of his head turned towards the purebred
creature that had called him. “Oh, . . . Jenna!”
The two of
them scampered towards each other like a couple of playful puppies and met in
front of the calendar for a nuzzle. If you hadn’t noticed, the two of them were
very much in love, and despite the differences of their breeding – him being a
wolf-dog and her a purebred husky – and how much they were complete opposites
in looks, they didn’t care who saw them together. If the two of them had even
fallen in love years ago, the she-husky would have easily been exiled by all of
the other canines in town . . . mainly because she was of such high-breeding,
others thought it didn’t seem right for her to even be around with a dog as
low-class as one with wolf blood . . . even if he happened to be only
half-wild. However, that all changed after a series of events two years ago . .
.
“How have
you and Boris been lately?” Jenna asked him as they sat in front of the
calendar. By the tone of her voice, it was obvious that she had no fear talking
to Balto. “I know the weather’s been pretty rough within the past couple of
weeks, and I was just a bit worried about you . . . Oh! And the bears too; how
have they been taking it?”
“We’ve
handled things all right, I guess,” Balto replied. He, unlike Jenna, lived
outside of town on a grounded old boat that had been long ago forgotten, away
from the teasers and bullies that mocked his wolf heritage. Ever since he was
about six months old and taken in by a Russian snow gander named Boris, he had
resided there, knowing that no human would want him roaming the alleys of town
all the time like other street dogs. “Muk and Luk have stayed on the inside of
the boat’s hull, so they’ve been fine.” He sighed. “At least you’re warm inside
here with Rosy, right?”
Jenna
nodded. “Of course. She is my human, so she makes sure that I stay safe and
warm at night.” She knew that he still wasn’t used to being around humans, so
she liked to inform him on life with a human to take care of them.
“That’s
good to hear,” The hybrid commented. “Things have been much better for us since
Rosy got better from that diphtheria scare, huh?”
“Yes, it
has,” Jenna responded. “but it was all thanks to you in the end.” She gave him
a sweet lick to the cheek, causing him to slightly blush. The husky giggled
lightly as she began to point out something written on the calendar. “You know,
it’s been about two years since you became a town hero and saved all those
people.”
Balto was
silent, for his thoughts were on what she had just said . . . and what he was
pondering on moments ago. I didn’t mean to be a hero, he thought. I
only did what I felt had to be done . . . because, . . . because everyone else
gave up hope . . .
I knew I
had to try to save them . . .
Two years
ago, Rosy, as well was a lot of other children within the town of Nome, had
begun to show symptoms of a deadly illness called diphtheria; however, the
local doctor lacked the serum that would hopefully save those that were sick.
There was a chance that all that were ill would eventually succumb to the
disease, but thanks to a desperate request via telegraph, a shipment of
antitoxin was on its way towards the tiny town, but the closest it could go was
to the town of Nenana, which was many hundreds of miles away from the
shore-lined town.
A sledding
team, made up of what the humans saw as some of the strongest and fastest husky
dogs in town, set out on its way to pick up the serum and bring it home to the
sick people; however, after retrieving the medicine, the team got lost in the
mountains and missed several vital checkpoints along the way. Once word of this
reached the town, people – most especially the parents and pets of those
children that were sinking closer towards losing their battle – began to lose
hope of a miracle.
But those
townspeople and the local dogs didn’t know Balto.
He took it
upon himself to find the team and lead them home safely, despite the fact that
many other dogs saw him as crazy. With help from Boris, Muk and Luk, and even
the bravery of the tame husky Jenna halfway through his quest, Balto was able
to find the faith and strength he needed to complete the rest of his journey
and find the team on his own. However, it would take the greatest courage to
stand up to the team’s lead dog Steele, and get him to give up his position so
that the mutt could keep his promise to the ones that trusted him to succeed.
After a vicious attack, Steele fell over a ledge, and thankfully, the team
welcomed Balto as their leader; despite a few setbacks a la’ Steele and some
other natural obstacles, Balto was able to tune more into the wolf side of him
that he was once ashamed of and use it to his advantage to find their way
through the Alaskan wilderness and mountains. Within days, a long and loud howl
was all the people of Nome needed to breathe sighs of relief and proclaim the
once outcast Balto as a true hero by both humans and dogs alike.
Because
. . . I couldn’t bear to see you cry . . .
“Balto?”
Jenna snapped him out of his memories of those times past with her calming tone.
“Huh,
what?” Balto shook his head, trying to get his mind back on what was important.
“Oh, . . . oh yeah . . .”
“You do
seem to remember that night, right?” The husky’s amber-hazel eyes burned into
his heart. “You know, it was on that night that I knew I truly loved you.”
A soft
smile grew on the wolf-dog’s face. “Oh, I loved you long before then, Jen.” He
looked down at his large paws, chuckling under his breath. When I first saw
you at that race before Rosy got sick, you took my breath away . . . and stole
my heart . . . “I just never expected what would happen to us next.”
About three
months had passed before an amazing miracle took place: Jenna had given birth
to a litter of six beautiful puppies – three sons and three daughters. Balto,
being a first-time father, was a bit nervous to see them for the first time on
his lover’s teats, but after a moment, he began to love them, knowing that he
had a legacy to teach his wisdom to. For a new father, he easily fell smitten
for the attention and love of his three sons – Kodiak, Dingo, and Denali – and
his three daughters – Saba, Yukon, and Aleu. For once, they had given him a
chance to be the perfect father.
“You mean,
with Aleu . . . and the rest of our pups . . .?” Jenna asked worriedly,
although she knew the response.
“Yeah,”
Balto’s ears fell slightly. “We both knew that our children would all be
part-wolf, but . . .” he sighed for a moment. “I never thought that our
first-born would be more like me than I thought . . .”
“But we
took that chance anyway,” Jenna comforted him before they both sighed in unison
as they nuzzled.
Out of the
six pups, the light gray-brown Aleu was the only pup that seemed to inherit her
father’s wolf appearance and mannerisms, despite the fact that she didn’t have
a clue about it. Her other sisters and brothers looked more like the red and
white-furred Jenna, their dam, but they still had wolf in them although they
could conceal it well. After they turned eight weeks old, all but the oldest
was adopted, taken in by a human child of their own. A year had passed, and
their oldest daughter had yet to find a home to call hers, but destiny had
another plan for her . . .
“If only I
had gone with you to see her,” Jenna murmured sadly. She missed her daughter
deeply when she had run away after learning the secret of her heritage. A
hunter had nearly taken her life, and thanks to Balto and the others, she was
spared, only to hear the truth about who she was; in rebellion, she began to run
wild into the woods in order to find her real place. “I could have helped you
protect her while you tried to bring her home at least.”
“It still would
have been too dangerous, Jenna,” Balto reminded her. “You know that. You’ve
been inside the wilderness before, I know, but life out there is more ruthless
than you could believe and it’s not exactly what you would call a home sweet
home to one not born for it. Anyway, those wolves wouldn’t have taken kindly to
you, especially since you happen to be a human’s dog – a husky.” The words were
not easy for him to tell her, but it was true. Jenna wasn’t born into the wild
like he was, but despite him being left near a human town as a pup, he was
still more connected to the wild than she.
“Humph, I
could have tried to fight them myself, you know,” The husky playfully boasted.
“I fought off a grizzly bear to save your life once before, so don’t count me
out just yet, Balto!” She smiled at him, despite the seriousness of the
journey.
“I know you
would have done something like that, but I wouldn’t want you to get hurt out
there again because of something that was my fault. Besides, it wasn’t a place
that you were meant to be; that’s why I stopped you from following me,” Balto
said again.
“I
understand that,” Jenna recognized that fact. “Besides, Aleu wasn’t born in the
wild either; just because she looks like a wolf doesn’t mean she could have
handled the dangers of the North like you could. And anyway, she wouldn’t have
had a prayer out there if it wasn’t for you.”
“In the
end, that land was our daughter’s fate, although I originally thought she
wasn’t supposed to be involved in the situation either.” Balto remembered. “She
was wiser and more mature than I thought she was before she left.”
Once Father
and Daughter reunited in the mountains, they traveled close to a seashore where
a pack of wolves were awaiting their arrival. Nava, the Alpha of the Clan, told
them about the wolves’ plight and that Aniu, a white wolf that the wolves look
to for guidance and worship, had told him in a dream that in order for the Clan
to survive the upcoming winter, they had to cross the large stretch of water
that their source of food, the herds of caribou, had done sometime prior. The
rest of the wolves were unsure of whether to stay or go across, but when Nava
spoke of their new leader being “the one who is wolf and does not know,” the
lupines began to look at Balto, the half-wolf visitor to their territory, as
the one that would fulfill Aniu’s will.
However, Aleu
began to see that she and her father were there for a reason: they were
supposed to help fulfill Aniu’s prophecy to Nava; Balto was not convinced by
the wolves’ problems, despite the fact that he had had dreams of caribou
crossing an ice bridge on top of water, and his overprotective attitude made
him want to leave with Aleu the next day, whether she wanted to or not. Once
the next day arrived, Balto realized what he had to do, and when the right
moment came, Balto began to lead them across . . . and Aleu completed the
journey, deciding to guide them to the caribou as their new leader after also
receiving and interpreting the same dream of caribou crossing a mysterious ice
bridge to another land across the salt-water sea.
“I knew she
was different all along,” Jenna commented. “but I’m just glad to know that
Aleu’s following her heart.” She let out another sigh. “Our other children have
begun to follow their own dreams as well . . . and living their own lives.”
“Yeah,”
Balto was able to smile again. He knew that his other children would most
likely be into the local sport of dog-sledding, and he didn’t blame them at
all. At a young age after he began to live near Nome with Boris, he had watched
his first dog-sledding race and instantly fell in love with the thrill of the
chase. “I always knew we’d have strong lead dogs in the making with our pups.”
“Balto,”
Jenna joked. “they’re not pups anymore; why, they’re almost two years old
already.”
“I know, I
know,” Balto tossed his head, nearly laughing as he did so. I still can’t
believe it though . . . “but I so proud of them, especially Kodi.”
“Yes, he
has found a way to follow your paws,” Jenna sighed happily. Kodiak was the
youngest and the runt of the litter, always the last to finish quick foot races
down the shoreline near Balto’s boat. He felt so down when he lost each race,
but thanks to Balto’s encouragement and personal lessons, Kodi left the nest
with high dreams of becoming a lead dog on a team. Currently, he was just
chosen as a new recruit for the local U.S. Mail team that traveled between Nome
and White Mountain almost daily. He was running as a wheel dog to start, but
his dream was only growing.
“I’m so proud
of him, Jen,” Balto smiled with pride. “He and his brothers have a lot of
promise in the harness.” Dingo and Denali, Kodi’s brothers, were also in
training to become sled dogs, although they weren’t as good as their little
brother was.
“Don’t
forget about Yukon too,” Jenna reminded him. “Just because she’s a girl doesn’t
mean that you should forget about her skills either!”
“Ah, yes,” Balto
chuckled with forgetfulness. “She’s more than I ever expected from a daughter .
. . just like her older sister.” Yukon had dealt with teasing and labeling due
to the fact that she was not only part-wolf, but also a female who wanted to
run a race as a lead dog. However, she must have been born with her father’s
bravery and perseverance, because she was able to show that she was more than
worthy enough to lead a team, and just a month ago, she was chosen to lead a
dog-sled team for a temporary basis. “She really has come a long way.”
“And
there’s Saba too, you know,” The husky sighed happily. “She’ll be a wonderful
show dog one day.”
“Well, she
does get her beauty and looks from you, after all,” Balto noted. Saba was
almost a carbon copy of her mother, thin legs and all; the only difference
between the two was that Saba had stunning blue eyes, much the opposite of
Jenna’s amber-hazel. All the local dogs began to love her as much as that had
her mother, and that made her one of the most popular dogs in Nome. “She is our
little princess.”
“Indeed,”
Jenna nodded.
Balto
sighed as he looked back at the calendar once more. So much time has passed,he thought. He began to chuckle underneath his breath. Oh, I must be feeling
old . . . I’m starting to think about the past like an old mutt would! Oh, geez
. . .
Jenna
looked at him and sighed, shaking her head. He’s so strange . . . and he hasn’t
changed since I first laid eyes on him . . . She looked at the calendar,
noticing a certain date that made her eyebrows lift. “You know, Balto,” she
began to catch his attention once more, breaking the silence. “Valentine’s Day
is only a week away . . .”
“What day
is that?” Balto whined; he had never heard of the holiday, so it was normal for
him to ask. “I’ve never heard of this, . . . Valentine’s Day, before. What
exactly is it all about?”
The husky
chuckled. “I’m sorry . . . I forgot that you are still new to the customs of
humans.” She lifted a paw to a box with the number “14” on it. “Humans
celebrate this holiday on February 14th called Valentine’s Day. It’s
a day where lovers, couples and family members show how much they love one
another by showering each other with gifts and other nice little things.”
“That’s a silly
idea, Jen,” Balto chuckled again, a bit louder this time. “You know I love you,
more than life itself!” He paused for a laugh, but Jenna gave him a serious
gaze, silencing him. “Well? Don’t the humans know that about each other
already? Don’t they tell their mates how much they love each other on a daily
basis?”
“Sometimes
they do, mainly the young newlyweds and the innocent children,” Jenna
explained. “but some couples don’t seem to show it as much as others. That’s
why they celebrate Valentine’s Day – a day to remind their mates of how much
they mean to them in their lives, even when times get too busy to say it
otherwise.”
“I see,”
Balto said. “So, do dogs celebrate this holiday as well?”
“I’m not
sure, really. I’ve heard of some couples doing something nice for their mates
before, but I do know that this year is the first time the local dogs are publicly
going to join the celebration, so I thought we could exchange gifts between
us,” Jenna suggested. “We do have a week before the celebration, so that should
be more than enough time to pick out gifts for each other.”
“Sure, that
sounds great!” Balto barked eagerly. “What type of gifts to people usually give
each other?” He motioned his head towards the door, as if to ask her with
gestures to take a walk with him.
“Well,” the
purebred husky smiled, giving him a nod. “I’ll tell you once we’re outside,
okay?” She trotted forward, following behind her mate until they both were out
of the doorway of Rosy’s house.
The terrain
was white today, since the recent snowstorms had nearly buried the wide streets
of the tiny Alaskan town by the sea. After stepping outside, a trail of
paw-prints started from the wooden porch in front of the two-story house and
began to follow behind the curled mostly-white tail of Jenna and the slightly
lifted two-toned tail of Balto until they reached the end of Main Street, which
looked out onto the outskirts and the shoreline near the grounded graveyard of
boats that lay scattered in the sand dunes with only wooden posts to mark their
places. In between the end of the street and the boats by the shore, a tall
totem pole carved of forest wood and painted in the ancient style of the Native
Inuit people stood planted in the soil, casting its small shadow on the ground
as the sun brightly lit up the early afternoon sky.
“So,” Balto
tried to continue their previous conversation. “what’s typical for a gift on
Valentine’s Day?” He stopped to look at her eyes as he spoke. “What would girls
like you like to be given by the ones that love them most?”
Jenna’s
eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks then quickly they softened after a
couple of seconds. “Well, I’ve seen lovers give the simplest of gifts like
little snacks, home-made treats and a couple of flowers. Others give more
elaborate things like multiple gifts, poetry, and maybe even a total romantic
evening for two.” She paused, noticing the shocked look on his face.
I know
he doesn’t have much,she thought as she looked into his eyes. But whatever he gives me, I’ll
still love it . . . and I’ll always love him for it.
She began
to nervously giggle as she tried to cheer him up, but her voice began to calm
the more she saw his red and gold eyes shine beside her. “But if a lover’s gift
truly comes from the heart, the receiver will love it unconditionally, no
matter how rare or common it may be.” It was obvious that she was comparing
other lovers that she had seen before, but in truth, Jenna was talking about
herself and Balto.
Balto
seemed to breathe a soft sigh of relief. Thank goodness . . . I was afraid
she wouldn’t like any old thing, especially since she is such a well-bred and
popular husky. He smiled at the thought. She must really love me like I
knew she would back then . . .
“One week,
huh,” Balto muttered, meaning for Jenna to hear apparently.
“Yes,
Balto,” Jenna repeated. “We have a whole week to find the perfect gift for each
other.” She smiled, looking out at the totem pole and the boats surrounding the
beach. “I’ve got to get started right away. I’ll leave you to your search then,
okay?” She turned around after giving Balto a goodbye kiss on the nose and
began to walk away.
“Jen . . .”
Balto questioned under his breath, but by the time he recovered from the
husky’s quick getaway, Jenna had already made her way down Main Street.
“Good luck,
Balto,” Jenna’s soft voice echoed down the street into his ears. “I know you’ll
find the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day.”
“You too,
Jen . . .” Balto murmured aloud. He sat down onto the frozen snowy ground with
a loud, deep sigh and his muzzle low in defeat. “Oh, what could I give you to show
how much you really mean to me?”
(Part I
– completed 2/6/08)
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