Toby Part One: Hero Worship
“Look, mommy, puppies!” said a little girl. “Can we have one, please?”
“Sure, Tina. Why don’t you pick one?”
Tina picked up one of the puppies. The puppy barked and licked her face, making her laugh. “I’ll take this one,” she said.
Terry smiled as she watched the family walk away. “I guess our kids are growing up,” she said in a voice that was half-happy and half-sad. She nuzzled her mate, a bloodhound named Rex.
“Hmmph,” he replied grumpily. Terry wasn’t bothered by his apparent gruffness. She knew that Rex’s thin coat made the cold uncomfortable for him. He was a police dog who almost never ventured outdoors unless his nose was needed to track down a lost child or an escaped criminal. And whenever he did go outside, he tended to be irritable. But Terry knew that under that gruff exterior, Rex was really very kind and affectionate. She nuzzled him again and noticed with some satisfaction that his tail had begun to wag just a little.
One by one the pups were taken by eager little boys and girls. Terry’s eyes began to mist slightly. She knew
She looked into the box and noticed something was wrong. Four puppies had been taken, but five were gone. Then she saw why. A hole had been scratched in the side of the box just big enough for a pup to squeeze out. She didn’t have to check to guess who it was. ‘Toby,’ she thought with an exasperated sigh. “Rex, would you watch them for a minute? I’ll be right back.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Rex.
“It seems our little Houdini has disappeared. Again.”
Rex stood up. “I’ll go find him,” he said, but Terry stepped into his path.
“Oh no you don’t. You stay here. Ever since you visited the school last week all the children know you. They’ll want the pups more if they know their father is a police dog, especially
Rex groaned. A chance to get up and move around would have suited him just fine. But he knew Terry was right. “The things I do for family,” he muttered.
Terry headed quickly to the lot where Toby liked to play. Sure enough, there he was, standing on a pile of boxes and howling. With his combination of Terry’s husky appearance and Rex’s dark brown color, one could have actually mistaken him for a wolf cub. But at the moment all Terry noticed was how close he was to the edge, and how unsteady the pile looked. “Toby!” she called. “Get down from there before you get yourself hurt! You’re supposed to be in the box, not on it!”
Toby stopped howling and just sat there. “I’m not gonna get hurt,” he insisted. “I’m practicing.” And he lifted his head and let out another howl.
“Toby, please stop that howling. Humans won’t want you if you do that all the time.”
“I don’t wanna get a human,” he said. “I wanna be a wolf-dog like Balto.”
Terry sighed. “I should never have told you about him. Your brothers and sisters can simply enjoy a story, but you always have to try and live it.”
“Dad always says stories are supposed to be learned from,” Toby pointed out.
Terry shook her head. “Toby, please. You know I just want a good life for you. I lived on the streets for a while once, and it was terrible. I don’t want that life for you.”
“Your mother is right, son.”
Toby and Terry’s heads swiveled. “Rex?” asked Terry. “You said you’d watch the kids.”
“They’ve all found homes,” he said. “All except Toby.” He looked up at his son. “Toby, your mother is right. I’ve seen what life on the streets does to a dog. And it’s not good.”
“I don’t want to live on the streets either,” Toby countered. “I just wanna stay with mom until I’m old enough to handle myself. Then I’ll find a spot somewhere on the edge of town, just like Balto and his boat.”
Rex scowled. “Toby, I’ve told you before, you should be a tracker like me. It’s a good job, you’ll be helping people who really need it, and besides, you’re practically made for the job. You’ve got the best nose out of all your brothers and sisters.”
Toby shook his head. “I don’t want some hand-me-down legacy. I don’t want to have my whole life handed to me. That’s how Steele had it and look where he ended up.”
“Alright,” Terry said before Rex could burst out about Toby’s calling tracking a “hand-me-down legacy.” “Toby, if you want to stay with me, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll let you stay longer if you promise me that if you find a home you’re happy with, you will stay there."
Toby jumped down off the boxes. ‘Like that’s ever gonna happen,’ he thought. “Okay,” he said. “It’s a deal.”
“Now let’s go home,” said Terry. “It’s getting dark.”
Rex shook himself. “And I’m guessing there’s a storm coming. I can smell it.”
Toby didn’t want to admit it, but he smelled something in the air too. ‘Ah, who cares?’ he thought. ‘I’ll bet Balto can smell storms too. I’ll bet he smelled this one a month ago.’
Later that night, Terry got up. She went over to the police chief’s house and slipped through the dog door. She walked through the house, looking for Rex. “What kept you?” came a playful voice from behind her.
She spun around. “Rex!” she breathed. “You scared me.”
Rex chuckled. “Oh, come on. I know I’m not the best-looking dog in
Terry laughed. “No, no. I mean, you startled me.” She walked up to him and they touched noses. “How did you know I’d be coming here at this hour?”
“Because I know you,” he said simply. “And because I’m worried about Toby too.” He led her over by the fire so she could warm up while they were talking.
“Rex, when will he come to his senses?”
He looked her in the eyes. “Sweetheart, I’m not really sure he hasn’t. He’s right about one thing: having everything hand-fed to you is no way to live.”
“Rex! Don’t you want a good life for him?”
“Absolutely. But in the meantime, a little challenge will be good for him. When the time comes, he’ll find his place.”
Terry’s ears slid down. “But what if he doesn’t?”
“Then his place will find him. We just have to make sure he gets by until then and doesn’t get into trouble.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Absolutely. Kids have a way of rising to the occasion. Especially when they get the right help.” He walked her to the door. “Now, you’d best get home before he wakes up and decides to get into mischief.”
Unfortunately, not everyone in Toby’s family agreed with Rex. The next day Toby had a run-in with his half-brother Pete. Pete’s father had been a husky like Terry, but had died when he tripped pulling a sled in a race. Pete had been bitter ever since, and when Terry met Rex it had gotten even worse. When his half-siblings arrived, Pete had been scornful of them all. But Toby was the one he hated most. And today was no exception. “So what’s up, runt?” he asked in greeting. “Did you get a home yesterday?”
“Nope,” said Toby cheerfully.
“Aww, that’s too bad,” Pete said in a voice generally used for talking to infants. “But I guess nobody wants a runty mutt like you.”
“I escaped. I decided I wanna grow up just like Balto.”
“Heh,” sneered Pete. “That old half-breed? Why don’t you start by sticking your head in a garbage can?”
“’Cause then I’d have to room with you,” answered Toby. “You’ll see. Someday you’ll see that it doesn’t take a purebred to be somebody.”
“Ha! We’ll see,” sneered Pete, walking away.
Later while he was playing in the lot, Toby heard a sound on the other side of the boxes. It sounded like a cat, but he imagined that it was Steele, Balto’s arch-enemy. He crept up to the corner and listened, not wanting to give away his location by sticking his nose into view. Then he shot around the corner, barreling straight toward his prey. But instead of catching it and knocking it to the ground, he and it smacked heads.
“Ow!” protested his victim. “What do you think I am, a goat?”
Toby realized that he hadn’t been stalking a cat. Instead, he had crashed straight into a girl pup about his age. She looked like a mix of malamute, chow, and husky. “Sorry,” Toby said, shaking his head to get rid of the ringing in his ears. “I thought you were Steele.”
The girl looked at him as if he had completely lost his mind. “Steele? What would give you a crazy idea like that?”
Toby shrugged. “My imagination runs away with me sometimes,” he admitted.
“Somehow I guessed,” the girl retorted, rubbing the top of her head. She stared at him. “What’s your name?” she asked.
“Toby,” he answered. “Who are you?”
“I’m Luna.”
“Wanna play with me, Luna?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Promise not to use me to practice your mountain goat impression?”
Toby rolled his eyes and promised. “You wanna play Balto?” he asked.
“Is that what you were playing when you whacked me on the head?” she asked.
“Will you drop that already?” Toby was getting frustrated. “You don’t have to be a bad guy- er, girl. You could play…”
‘Oh, great,’ thought Luna. ‘Anything but Jenna.’ “Could I be Aleu?” she asked quickly. “You know, the daughter Balto had who looked even more like a wolf-“
“Yeah, I know about her. Okay, you run off and hide like you’ve run away, and I’ll try to find you.”
Toby and Luna became fast friends, and they met to play every chance they got. One day they were playing in the lot. Luna was pretending to be in a canyon cornered by bears, and Toby was Balto, ready to jump in and save the day. But when he tried to jump, he accidentally dislodged the pile of crates he’d been standing on. He fell helplessly through the air, followed by about twenty boxes and crates. He landed with a thud, and the entire pile came crashing down around him. Luna had just enough time to scream before she too was buried by the falling cargo.
Toby was lucky. Most of the boxes missed him and the ones that didn’t were empty. He crawled out from under the pile and shook himself. “Luna?” he called out. There was no reply. “Luna!” he yelled again. ‘Oh, man. Please don’t tell me I smashed you,’ he thought. He ran around and around the pile, calling Luna’s name over and over. ‘Please, please be okay.’
He put his nose to the ground and started sniffing. Maybe she had been clear of the avalanche and simply hadn’t heard him yelling for some reason. His tail started to wag when he picked up her scent, but his hope died instantly when he realized that the trail didn’t lead away from the pile, but into it. ‘I’ve gotta do something,’ he thought. Finding an opening in the pile, he wriggled through, working his way in deeper and deeper, wherever he could squeeze through a gap.
“Oww,” came a quiet whimpering.
“Luna?” Toby hurried towards the sound. Sure enough, there was Luna, half-buried under a crate. “Hang on!” he told her. “I’m getting you out of here!” He grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and pulled. Nothing happened except that Luna started to groan with pain.
“Stop,” she said, sounding as if she were barely conscious. “It hurts.”
“I’m getting you out of here,” he said. He pulled harder and managed to move her an inch. But as soon as he moved her, the boxes began to shift. ‘Oh no,’ he thought. ‘If I keep this up I’ll bring the whole pile down on top of us again.’ There was only one thing to do: get help. “I’ll be back,” he promised. “Just hang in there.”
Following his nose to fresh air, he ran out of the lot and into the street, yelling his head off. “Help!” he barked. “My friend’s in trouble! Hurry!” His calls produced instant results. About a dozen dogs sitting or walking around came running. “This way!” Toby yelled, leading them back to the pile. “She’s right under here!” He sniffed around the pile, trying to find where he’d come out. “Here!” he said, pointing to the opening.
At once the other dogs started in on the pile, pulling away the boxes. Soon they had uncovered Luna, and Toby’s stomach tied itself in a knot. She looked even worse than before. Her back legs were caught under a heavy crate. “Ouch,” commented one of the dogs. “That can’t be very comfortable.”
“Come on,” said another. “Let’s get her out of there.”
“How’d this happen?” asked someone else. Toby guessed what was coming next and ducked inside what remained of the pile. Right now, questions were the last thing he wanted to face. ‘If everyone knows this is my fault, I don’t know what I’ll do,’ he thought.
Luna had to go to the vet’s office. The vet identified her by the tags on her collar and sent his assistant to get her owners. Toby, who had snuck in under the building and was hiding under the floorboards, listened anxiously.
“Is this your dog?” asked the vet.
A man’s voice replied. “Yes, she’s ours. But what on earth happened to her?”
“I don’t know,” said the vet. “Some dog came here and wouldn’t stop barking, then led us to that empty lot by the harbor. That’s where she was, half-buried under a pile of cargo.”
“How is she?”
“Both back legs broken, I’m afraid. And there’s some damage to her spine.”
Toby drew in his breath sharply. ‘It’s all my fault,’ he thought.
“Is she gonna be OK?” asked a little girl.
“Yes, she should be fine. But she’ll have to stay here for a few weeks until she recovers.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
As the family left, Toby thought over and over again, ‘It’s my fault. She’s hurt and it’s all my fault!’
Some dogs came in to see Luna as well. Toby heard them talking with her above his head. Her parents, an uncle or two, an aunt, and her grandparents all came by to see how she was doing. All of them wanted to know what had happened, but Luna was too tired to give much detail. All she told them was that she’d been playing and got into an accident. ‘Oh, man,’ thought Toby as he listened. ‘I can’t let word get around that I did this. They’ll be so mad at me. And why shouldn’t they, after what I’ve done? Well, I’ll at least get a chance to apologize to her.’ He listened as one of the dogs got chased out by the vet. ‘I’ll wait until night, when the people are gone and the place is locked up,’ he decided.
During the night, Toby put his plan into action. As soon as the lights were out and the place was silent, he pushed up one of the heating grates in the floor and crept into the room. “Luna?” he called into the darkness. There was no reply. ‘She must be asleep,’ he thought. ‘I hate to wake her, but I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t apologize right now.’ He sniffed around and found his way to her cage. “Hey!” he whispered. “Psst! Luna, wake up. It’s me.”
Luna stirred. “Toby?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”
“I snuck in. I had to apologize to you, and I couldn’t risk being seen. I… I don’t think I could face your family after what I did.”
“Aww, c’mon, Toby,” she said with a yawn. “It wasn’t so bad. Heck, it doesn’t even hurt that much.”
Toby’s eyes had started adjusting to the dim light, and he saw that Luna’s back legs were both bandaged so thickly they resembled bowling pins, and a brace was fastened to her back. “What kind of dimwit do you think I am?”
“How many kinds are there?”
“Luna, this is serious! I could’ve killed you!”
“Yeah, but you didn’t.”
Toby dropped his head. “Well… I’m sorry anyway.” He looked up. “Still friends?”
Luna considered. “I don’t know. Being your friend so far has been pretty hazardous, y’know?”
“Luna!”
“I’m joking, I’m joking.” She wagged her tail weakly. “We’re still friends, on one condition.”
“Anything.”
“Don’t just leave me here. They haven’t had a lot of business lately, so I’m the only one in the room. It’s like solitary confinement. Promise you’ll come back every day.”
Toby laid his ears back and shook his head. “With visitors around? Not a chance.”
“Then drop by when nobody’s around, like right now.”
Toby nodded. “It’s a deal.”
Luna yawned. “Well, the doc says I need to get plenty of sleep. Goodnight Toby.” She curled up as best she could and went to sleep.
“Goodnight, Luna,” said Toby. Using his claws he pried up the grate in the floor and disappeared.
The next day Toby came to the grate. He didn’t go in because he could hear that someone was talking to Luna. “He’s a big fan,” Luna was saying. “Every time we play it’s always Balto, Balto, Balto.” She giggled. “I still haven’t clued him in to my little secret.”
Her visitor chuckled. “What, you’re embarrassed?”
“No, I’d just rather not tell him yet.”
“I know what you mean,” said another voice. This one was female. “It’s more fun to keep secrets, isn’t it?”
“I hope you haven’t been keeping any from me,” said the other voice with a hint of a chuckle.
Then a noise was heard in the next room. “Go! I think someone’s coming!” said Luna. Toby heard a rush of paws, the scrape of a window opening, some muffled thuds, and then the window slamming shut.
‘What was that all about?’ he wondered. He considered asking Luna that night, but he didn’t want her to know he’d been listening, especially since he hadn’t meant to. In the end he chose not to ask, but for the next several days the question played at the back of his mind. After a while the vet said that Luna was well enough to go home, and she and Toby took to playing their usual games, although they had to take it easy while her legs healed. Between taking care not to play too hard and making himself scarce whenever anyone walked by, Toby was too busy to wonder about the mysterious conversation. By the time the casts and brace had come off he had forgotten all about it.
One day while they were playing a black-and-white malamute came up to them. “Do either of you kids know where I can find Balto?” he asked.
Toby’s tail went between his legs. He didn’t like this stranger. He seemed familiar, as if Toby had seen him or heard about him before. “I don’t know,” he said.
The malamute looked at Luna. “How about you?” he asked. “I understand he visited you while you were in the hospital.”
“Say what?” asked Toby, whipping his head toward Luna.
Luna’s tail crept between her legs. “Where did you hear a story like that?” she asked.
The malamute shrugged. “Things… get around.” He smiled. “After all, it’s not every day a big hero like him visits a little girl at the vet.”
“Well, I don’t think it’s really your business anyway,” she said.
“I can see this is getting us nowhere,” said the stranger. And he picked up Luna.
“Hey!” she protested. “Put me down!”
Toby ran up to the stranger. “Put her down,” he threatened, “Or I’ll beat the tar out of you!”
But the malamute kicked him away as if he were flicking aside a pebble. “Stay out of my business, kid,” he snarled, bounding off.
Toby ran after him, but the bigger dog was much faster and easily outdistanced him. Toby started to whimper. What could he do now?
“What’s up, kid?” asked Pete, strolling up right at that instant.
“Some creep just grabbed Luna and took off!” said Toby. “I tried to stop him, but…” he sniffled. “I was too slow,” he whined. “You’ve gotta help me.”
“Well, sorry, runt. But I don’t know who it was or what he smelled like, so you’re on your own.” And Pete walked away.
“What good is being a purebred if you’re too much of a snob to help someone?” Toby shouted at his half-brother’s back.
“Get lost,” answered Pete without so much as a backward glance.
‘Stupid pig,’ thought Toby. ‘Thinks he’s so much better than me cause he’s older and I just happen to be part-‘
“Bloodhound!” he exclaimed. He’d never been happy about being part bloodhound, but now he was glad that he was. He ran back to the alley where he’d been playing with Luna and sniffed at the stranger’s footprints. ‘Yes!’ he thought. ‘I’ve got him now!’ And he began to follow his nose.
“Put me down, you big jerk!” yipped Luna. “Let me go or I’ll bite you!”
“Hush up and keep your teeth to yourself, princess,” snarled her kidnapper, “Or I’ll tear you apart and leave you for the birds.”
Luna could tell by his voice that he meant it. She gulped. ‘Where is he taking me?’ she thought.
They traveled through several streets and back alleyways until they came to a narrow dead-end corridor between two houses. Here Luna found herself dumped unceremoniously into an empty garbage can. “Now you can bark,” the stranger said. “In fact,” he added, baring his teeth, “I strongly suggest that you do. Yell for help, and keep on doing it. I’ll be going now, but I’ll be close by.” And he disappeared.
“Hey!” she yelled. “Let me out of here!” She tried to knock the can over, but snow was piled up all around it and it wouldn’t move. “Let me out!” she barked. “Help! Anyone? Get me out of here!”
She barked for what felt like hours before a dog’s face appeared over the edge of the trash can. It was Balto. “Luna?” he asked. “What are you doing in there?”
“Some creep grabbed me and threw me in here.”
“Hang on,” he said, hooking his paws over the rim of the can. He pulled, and the can tipped over. “Sorry about the rough landing,” he said. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, she’s fine,” said a cruel voice from behind them. “But you won’t be, wolf-dog.”
Balto spun around to see an all-too-familiar dog standing in the entrance to the alleyway. “Steele,” he growled. “I might have guessed.”
“It’s time to finish a little old business,” said Steele, stepping closer.
Balto picked up Luna and pushed her into a hole that went under a house. “Get out of here,” he ordered. Then he turned and launched himself at Steele.
Toby tracked Luna’s kidnapper through the streets of Nome. He almost lost the scent several times, but each time he managed to pick up the trail again. He finally tracked the smell to an alley. He listened. He could tell a fight was in progress, but who was fighting? He peered around the corner and saw two dogs. One he recognized as the kidnapper, and the other had to be none other than… “Balto?” he asked in wonder.
“You ruined me!” raged the stranger. “I was the lead dog until you came along and got in the way!”
“You were willing to let innocent children die just to satisfy your pride,” Balto answered. “I didn’t ruin you, Steele. You did.”
“Steele?!” Toby wondered aloud. ‘So that’s why he looks so familiar! He’s just like in Mom’s stories!’
"I don't know how you survived that last fight, Steele, but I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else," Balto growled.
Steele grinned malevolently. "Very heroic. But then, last words usually are," he snarled as he lunged at Balto. Toby watched dumbstruck as dog and wolf-dog battled it out. Steele managed to get a grip on Balto and threw him against the wall. Balto sank to the ground and lay motionless.
Steele stepped forward. “Now,” he said, savoring the moment, “To finish it.”
“No!” Toby ran forward and did the only thing he could think of. He jumped into the air and clamped his jaws hard on Steele’s tail. Steele let out a howl of rage and spun around, trying to dislodge the pup, but Toby held on tight until Steele slammed him against the wall, jarring him loose.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the half-pint hero,” snarled Steele. “I’ll teach you to get in my way, you little flea-bitten-“ But that was all he had a chance to say before he was knocked aside. Balto had gotten his second wind and was on the offensive. The surprise onslaught drove Steele out into the street.
“There he is!” someone shouted. A whole pack of dogs headed for Steele with fire in their eyes. Steele sized up the situation and ran for his life with the pack close on his heels. Toby ran behind them, but again he was too slow to catch up.
“Toby, are you alright?” asked a voice.
“Luna!” yelled Toby, running over to his friend. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Where’d that pack come from?”
Luna laughed. “I’m fine. He wasn’t trying to hurt me, he just wanted to use me as bait to get Balto.” She shrugged. “I decided since everybody’s heard of him, somebody should know he was back in town.
“I never thought it would come to this,” said a female voice. Toby and Luna looked up and saw a malamute / chow mix standing next to them and staring off in the direction Steele and the pack had gone.
Luna wagged her tail. “Hi mom. This is Toby, the friend I’ve been telling you about.”
Luna’s mother looked at Toby. “Oh, yes. The one who put you in the vet’s office.”
Toby backed up and his tail went between his legs. “I didn’t mean to do it, honest.”
Luna’s mother smiled. “It’s all right. I know it was an accident. My daughter has told me a lot about you. I’m glad I finally have the chance to meet you face-to-face.”
Balto walked up. “Is everyone alright?”
Everyone nodded.
“Well that’s the first good news since Steele showed up. What happened back there anyway? I mean, I remember him standing over me, but then he was mad at you for some reason.” He was looking at Toby.
“Um, well, sir, I saw you fighting, and I sort of bit him on the tail.”
This brought a chorus of laughter from Luna and Balto. “You didn’t really, did you?” giggled Luna.
Toby nodded, his face turning bright red. Then he noticed that Luna’s mother wasn’t laughing. She was just standing there with her head and tail drooping. "I thought I finished him last time," she said in a voice that was almost a whisper. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come back to Nome.”
“What do you mean, Mom?” asked Luna curiously.
In response, she turned away. “Come with me, Luna. There’s something I need to tell you.”
As mother and daughter walked away, Toby looked up at Balto. “You were amazing,” he said. “The way you took on Steele like that was totally awesome.”
Balto shrugged. “It wasn’t the first time, and I’m afraid it won’t be the last. Steele’s hated me since before the diphtheria epidemic.”
“Before?” asked Toby. “I thought he was mad at you for getting the medicine to Nome and showing him for the stinker he was.”
Balto shook his head. “That just added to it. He’s hated me ever since I first set foot in town.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m part wolf.”
“Why would he hate you for that? I think it’s neat.”
Balto laughed a little. “Well, most dogs around here hate me for being a half-breed. Or at least they used to.”
Toby looked at the ground, thoughtful. “Yeah, my brother- well, my half-brother, really- is kind of the same way.” He hadn’t meant to mention Pete, but now the whole story came pouring out. “His dad was a husky, like my mom, but he died and then mom met my dad, who’s a bloodhound. So now Pete thinks he’s so much better than me just because I’m a mix.” He looked up at Balto. “I always thought if I were a wolf-dog like you everyone would respect me.”
Balto shook his head regretfully. “I’m afraid you’re wrong about that. Being part wolf doesn’t make you popular at all. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to break up fights that started because someone was picking on my kids for being part wolf, and they’re less wolf than I am.” He sat in silence for a moment and allowed this to sink in. “A friend of mine once told me that there are journeys a dog can’t make alone, but a wolf can. Maybe it’s the same for mixed-breed dogs.”
Toby thought about that. All his life he had wanted to be half wolf like Balto. It had never occurred to him that maybe being half bloodhound was good enough. “You know, you’re right. When Steele grabbed Luna, I couldn’t keep up with him. But I was able to sniff him out and track him down that way.”
“And you showed up just in time, too,” said Balto, ruffling the fur on top of Toby’s head. “Gotta go, but I’ll see if I can help you out with your brother one of these days.”
Toby’s jaw dropped. “Really? You’d do that for me?”
Balto smiled. “I’d be happy to.”
“Wow! Thanks! I’ve gotta find Luna. I can’t wait to tell her about this! See ya!” And he dashed off with his tail whipping back and forth like a flag.
Toby headed for Luna’s home and found her talking with her mother. Not wanting to interrupt, he sat outside and waited. And while he was sitting there, he couldn’t really help overhearing what was being said.
“I still don’t believe it!” Luna was saying. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to tell you because… well, because I wanted to forget it myself.” Luna’s mother sighed. “I shouldn’t have come back to Nome. I should have known Steele would come back and there’d be trouble.”
“So why did you come back?” Luna asked.
“Because of your father.”
“Oh, I see.” Luna sounded close to tears. “And I guess he’s also the reason you didn’t tell me that the dog who almost destroyed Nome is my grandfather!”
Toby’s eyes widened. ‘What?’ he wondered.
“I know how you feel,” Luna’s mother said. “After all, he’s my father too.”
Toby ran off in confusion. ‘This can’t be real, this can’t be real, THIS CAN’T BE REAL!’ he thought over and over again.
“I know it’s not a pleasant thought,” Luna’s mother continued. “You have a proud heritage too, though.”
“Yeah, I know!” snapped Luna. “I’ve got one grandpa who saved the town because my other grandpa just about destroyed it!”
Once again, Toby tried to pretend he hadn’t heard the conversation. He still played with Luna, but now every time he looked at her all he could think of was how much she looked like Steele- although most of it was in his mind. The only real resemblance was her sapphire-blue eyes. Luna was distracted too, often lost in her own thoughts, but it was inevitable: she noticed that something was wrong. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked Toby one day.
“What?” asked Toby.
“You were looking at me weird,” she said. “And you were showing your teeth.”
“Oh.” Toby stared very quickly at the ground.
“Toby, what’s eating you?”
“Nothing.”
“Toby, you tell me this instant what the problem is!”
“Well,” Toby began, “You remember after Steele kidnapped you, your mom took you off to talk with you?”
An odd look crossed Luna’s face. “Don’t remind me.”
“Well, see, I had a really great talk with Balto and he said he’d help me with Pete and all. I went to tell you and sort of… accidentally heard what you and your mom were talking about.”
Luna looked worried. “You did?”
“Yeah. I really didn’t mean to, honest. It just…”
“Happened, yeah.” Luna sighed.
Toby knew he should probably stop, but the words kept coming. “It just freaks me out, talking to someone who’s grandpa has been Nome’s most wanted since 1925.”
“Yeah, well try actually being that someone!” Luna retorted. “Not to mention talking to someone who’s eavesdropped when you and your mom have been discussing family issues!”
“Luna, I told you it was an accident!”
“Yeah, sure!” She nearly exploded. She took a few deep breaths and started to cry. “I’m sorry, Toby. I shouldn’t be so mad at you. It’s just… well, I don’t really know who I am anymore.”
Toby nodded. He wasn’t used to seeing Luna cry. “Maybe I should go,” he suggested.
Luna turned to go back home. “Yeah, I’m sorry. See you, Toby.”
They saw very little of each other in the following days. Neither of them seemed able to talk to the other. One day, Rex decided to have a talk with Toby. “Son?” he said as Toby sat sulking out in the yard one morning.
“What, dad?”
“I’ve noticed you stopped playing with your friend Luna.”
Toby shrugged. “So?”
Rex sighed. “So I decided to talk to her parents to see what was wrong, and apparently it’s a problem on both ends.”
Toby nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
“Son, it’s no more right for you to ignore her just because of her grandfather than it is for Pete to bother you for being half bloodhound.”
“I know, but…” Toby shivered. “It creeps me out, that’s all.”
“Well, there’s more to the story than you realize. That’s why I brought someone to talk to you.”
Toby turned around, expecting to see Luna or her mother. But instead he saw a strange husky coming around the shed. “Hi, Toby,” the strange dog said. “I’m Copper, Luna’s dad.”
Toby nodded and looked at the ground. ‘Great,’ he thought. ‘A talk with the girl’s dad. This always means trouble.’
“I guess you’ve already heard about Steele being Luna’s grandfather,” Copper went on. “And I’m sure you realize that it’s not her fault.”
Toby nodded. “Did you know who her mom was before this whole thing?”
Rex balked. “Son, that is a very rude question-“
“No, I understand,” Copper interrupted. “And yes, Toby, I knew. I knew about her before she ever came to Nome. The plain fact is I knew- or had guessed, at least- before she figured out my secret.”
“Your secret?” asked Toby, pricking up his ears.
Copper chuckled. “Well, it’s not a secret exactly. It’s just that dogs don’t make such a big deal about it as they used to.” He put a paw down in front of him and lifted it, revealing a larger-than-normal pawprint.
Toby stared at the pawprint. “You’re part wolf?” he asked.
“Yep. You already know about Taya’s father. Well, meet mine.” Balto stepped out from behind the shed. “I believe you two know each other,” said Copper.
“Wait a minute,” said Toby slowly, staring at Balto in disbelief. “You mean that you’re Luna’s other grandpa?”
Balto grinned. “Yeah, I know it’s kind of strange. It made me feel like Lord Montague until I got used to it.”
“Who?”
“Oh, someone in a story the humans tell. Never mind.” Balto shook his head as if he couldn’t believe he was actually talking about the whole thing. “I never imagined my grandkids would have any connection with Steele, but people are always judging me because of my parents, so I guess I’ve got no place judging anyone else. And you know, Taya’s a good dog. You’d never know she was Steele’s daughter.”
Toby’s head was spinning. “Let me get this straight. You’re Copper’s dad, and Steele is Luna’s mom’s dad?”
Copper nodded. “That’s right.”
Toby sat down trying to stop the world from spinning. “So what does that make Luna?”
Copper’s face took on a very serious expression. “Very confused,” he answered. “Toby, I know it may not seem like it, but you’re in an important position right now. You and your father are the only ones outside our family who know our secret. We didn’t want it to get out at all, for fear that Taya would be chased out of town. But now we have to trust you, because you’re the only friend Luna has who knows.”
“So what am I supposed to do?” asked Toby.
“Well first, it would mean a lot to me and my dad if you wouldn’t let this mess up your friendship with Luna. And please don’t let it get around. Try not to even think about it when you and Luna are playing. Just think of her like you did before this whole mess started, if you can. Believe me, it’s no easier for her than it is for you, and she’ll need a good friend while she’s getting used to this.”
Toby nodded. “Okay,” he said. He stood up. “In fact, I think I’ll go see if she wants to play right now.” And he took off.
“Well, I’m glad that’s over with,” said Copper.
Toby found Luna waiting for him. “Hi,” he said, not sure what else to say.
Luna smiled. “I was hoping you’d come by.”
There was a long silence. Toby stirred the ground with a paw. “Your dad came and talked to me about the whole… you know.”
Luna looked at him hopefully. “So, it doesn’t bother you having a friend who’s related to Steele?” she asked.
“Well, it is kind of strange,” Toby admitted. Luna frowned, and Toby quickly added, “But it’s your business anyway, not mine. Besides, you’re related to Balto too, which is kind of cool.”
Luna blushed, then drooped slightly. “I hadn’t wanted you to find out that part either,” she confessed.
Every part of Toby went stiff. “You mean you knew it all this time and you never told me? Why?”
“Well, like you said, it’s my business. Besides, you’re a Balto nut, and I don’t want to be friends with someone who only likes me because of who my grandpa is. I want a friend who’ll like me for me. We have a saying in our family that your parents define what you are, not who you are.”
“Well, I guess that makes sense, but still…” Toby trailed off, then shook his head. “Ahh, forget it.” He lowered his chin to his paws and wagged his tail. “So, you wanna play? How ‘bout I’ll be Balto and you be…” he stopped at a look from Luna. “What?” he asked.
“How about you be you, and I’ll be me?” she suggested.
“Well… okay,” Toby agreed. “And I won’t tell anyone your secret,” he added. “Just you, me, your folks, and my dad.”
‘And now,’ thought an all-too-familiar malamute as he crept away unnoticed through the shadows, ‘Me.’
To Be Continued…
Balto, Steele © Universal Studios
Copper, Taya © redwolf03
Terry, Rex, Toby, Pete, Luna © Dragon Tamer