The Day Before

(started 9/4/07 – finished 9/6/07 / story = 1,333 words) 

Summary: Jenna listens to what her owner, Rosy, has to say about what will happen the next day . . . the day when her dog’s first litter are given away to their own owners, and Jenna begins to think about it as well. (One-shot; told in Jenna’s POV)

Rating: G for General Audiences. Nothing bad in this one – that’s something different for a change, eh? 

Disclaimer: Balto, Balto: Wolf Quest and any characters from the films are the property of Universal Studios, Inc. and Universal Cartoon Studios Inc., and they do not belong to me. However, the names and personalities of Denali and Yukon are the property of the author, Juuchan17, and should not be used without the author’s permission first.

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The noon hour was just perfect: the sun hung over Rosy and I as we sat near the town’s edge, looking out at the bay that lapped its waves against the sandy beach. A soft blanket was underneath us, offering a bit of protection from the hard surface of the natural floor that the two of us were sitting on. I could feel a gentle breeze nudge against the red-orange bandanna that donned my neck and start to rustle my perfectly-groomed coat of bright burgundy and ice ivory.

I could hear my human munching into a sandwich that she had packed into her picnic basket for herself after she had taken out my own lunch. The small burlap bag of dried meat mixed with some dry kibble spilled in front of me, but strangely my appetite had left me for a moment. I let out a sigh as I felt my eyelids lower a bit with atop my tiny front paws, thinking about what I had told my mate and the father of my children only a hour ago . . . about tomorrow, about our six children, and about letting them go. 

“Hey, girl,” I heard my mistress’s voice break the calm silence and causing me to lose my sudden train of thought. “Are you excited about tomorrow?”

Without thinking, I barked back a reply. I knew clearly what was going to happen, especially since I was about their age when Rosy chose me for her own, but I had never been the one to witness my own flesh and blood be taken from me. 

“Yeah, it’s gonna be interesting to see who picks who out of that litter!” Rosy giggled. She was there when I had given birth to them about eight weeks ago, and she knew that each pup I cared for was special in their own way. “Oh, I wish we didn’t have to give them away. I like them so much!”

I nuzzled her gently on the face, giving her cheek a quick lick. I understood how she felt, because that’s exactly how Balto felt when I talked to him earlier. Even I had grown attached to my litter of half a dozen, especially since mostly all of them easily received their mother’s striking auburn-burgundy and white coat from genetics. I sighed deeply once again and let out a slight whine, thinking in my memory about the one pup that gave me a bit of worry. 

Rosy had heard my sudden whine of concern, turned her attention towards me, and petted my head gently with her small, little hand. “Don’t worry, Jenna. I’m sure that everything will be fine.” She looked back at the bay, intrigued by the glittering reflection of the high sunlight onto the rippling surface of the water. I had wondered how she always seemed to understand how I felt about things, but I guess that was just our close connection to each other that could have explained that. “I’m sure they’ll all find great humans, just like you did!”

Somehow, her kind, encouraging smile made me feel better about the adoption process that was to occur the next day. She was right, everything would be fine. I mean, who wouldn’t want a son or daughter of Nome’s hero? How could anyone in their right mind resist a puppy that had the blood of a true hero flowing through their veins, especially when each one could easily follow their father’s proud legacy of being a lead dog? Even I was born of dog-sledding blood, so I knew that my six children – three sons and three daughters – each had potential to make their own name out there as a child of the famous Balto of Nome, Alaska. 

The eldest, my first-born . . . Truly, she was born to dance to the beat of her own drum! Balto and I knew she was to be like her father, especially with her carefree spirit, constant howling and her light-brown and gray coat marked with tan . . . Like father, like daughter, I suppose, but I wondered if my little Aleu, my wild child, would ever be chosen by a human child at all.

The other five – Yukon, Dingo, Saba, Kodiak, and Denali – didn’t trouble my thoughts at all. I was certain that their natural charms and personalities would clearly shine through to the happy, glowing faces of the local children that would start to grow up by receiving their first pet. Each of them clearly had natural skills of a husky, and with about a year’s training, I was sure that each one of them would make me and their father proud. 

Rosy took another bite of her sandwich before putting it back down and reached into the sack of meat jerky to feed a medium-sized piece to me, which I grabbed with my jaws and chewed eagerly. I had gotten a bit of my hunger back, so the dried meat began to hit the spot. I was starting to feel a little bit better, until Rosy had to remind me of the one minor problem that had slipped my mind for the past two months.

“Too bad they’re part wild,” Rosy sighed, placing her hands under her chin. “Maybe no one will want them after knowing that.” 

My eyes grew wide. Oh, dear, I had forgotten all about that one thing! Balto was half-wolf after all, and with me being a purebred husky, each of our six children, whether they looked it or not, had a bit of lupine blood inside them. I began to sigh as well; I knew that for many years, the humans and even many canines that lived and learned from them had discriminated against all those with wolf blood in them, afraid that they would go wolf at any moment. Even a few months ago before Balto became a nation-wide hero for his bravery, he was persecuted terribly for even being half wild and half tame; I knew that still, although he was now a hero, not everyone respected him for who he was now, all because he had his mother’s wild blood surging through his heart.

I whimpered beside my human, nuzzling her arm with my nose. I was hoping that perhaps things were finally beginning to change for those with mixed-breeding, but I myself had had to deal with the prosecution and cruelty of my fellow huskies once they learned of my union with the hybrid hero. Many of them turned on me, teased me, and wondered if breeding with a half-wolf would make be become wild like him too, but I ignored them all the way, for my love for Balto was meant to last forever. I could care less if he was only half-husky and half-wolf, because to me, he was all-hero. 

“Hmm?” Rosy looked at me after I brushed against her arm. I gave her a soft bark of encouragement, which made her strike a smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, Jen. Maybe they’ll be some people that’ll want your pups for what they are, not because of their breeding.” She let out a quick giggle. “They are puppies after all, and even adults have a place in their hearts for them! I’m sure we’ll have nothing to worry about.”

I barked louder in agreement as I began to eat another piece of the dried meat from my bag. Maybe she was right . . . . maybe, maybe everything will work out tomorrow, I thought to myself as I felt another breath of wind stroke against my bandanna and fur once more. I looked back out at the water and the reflection of the sun as it began to make its five-hour descent into the darkness of the horizon. I was in a strange and suddenly newfound state of serenity now, awaiting what was to come the next day and knowing that it was to be one of the hardest things I’d ever do. 

END