Jenna's True Love by Crimson Husky | Silver Wolf's Balto Page

Jenna's True Love
The Story of Balto Through the Eyes of his Jenna.
By Crimson Husky

You know, the one thing that has always amazed me is how quickly one's life can change, perhaps that is no more evident than in regards to my husband, Balto. Talk about a dog that led a very rough life, up until recently, that is. I remember the first time I caught site of him. It was not long after I first moved here approximately three years ago. I was taking a walk with my two new friends, Sylvie and Dixie, when we caught site of Steele, the leader of a championship sled team, along with three others, verbally taunting and kicking snow on another dog I had not yet met. Sylvie, who was also the town gossip, told me that dog's name was Balto, and he lived on that old and decrepit beached boat just outside town, with a goose named Boris. She also informed me that he was half wolf, and as a result, he was the target of much abuse. I have to admit, that hearing this frightened me a bit. What if this wolf-dog were one day pushed too far and reverted to his wolf instincts and attacked some innocent dogs or even humans. But still, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him; after all, no one deserves to be treated like that just because they are different.

We met face to face for the first time a couple of months later, and it was a moment I could never forget. It was the day of the first dog sled race of the year, and as per usual at any race, Balto could be seen following every aspect of the race. I was there with my girl, Rosy, who was testing her new sled and watching the race. As the lead team, no surprise it was Steele's, rounded the final corner, heading for the finish line, Rosy's new hat was blown off by a gust of wind that set it right in the path of Steele. Rosy then attempted to make a dash for her hat; fearing for her safety, I grabbed hold of her and kept her back. Then out of the crowd dashed Balto; he outran the feisty Steele and fetched the hat. After the team had passed, he walked up to Rosy and returned her hat. She accurately described his actions as "crazy", and an attempt to show off to a pretty girl, that would be yours truly. I smiled, blushed, and looked away. Balto smiled as Rosy attempted to hitch him to her sled. Just then, her father ran toward her and pulled her away. He was certain that Balto's inner wolf made him too much of a danger to be around. However, my girl and I knew better. I saw into his heart that day; he was a kind sole just looking for a little love in this large, cold, and cruel world. Moments later, he jumped out of nowhere, and landed right in front of me. He then tried to say something, but all he could do was smile bashfully. Just then, my girl and her family started calling for me to come. I turned around for a brief moment, only to look back and see that he'd disappeared. I frantically began looking for him; I really wanted to thank him for helping us out earlier, but I had no luck, as he had disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared.

Balto was different from any other canine I'd ever met. Despite being frequently abused, both physically and verbally, he was still a kind, sweet, and caring individual. I began to feel as if I might be falling in love with him. After just a few hours had passed, I would see him again. Rosy had come down with a fever, plus she had begun to cough violently, so her family had taken her to the infirmary. As I sat there, looking in at her, Balto came up from behind and shyly asked me if I would like to join him in a little moonlit fun; all I could say was, "hi". He then took notice of my preoccupation, and found Rosy to be my concern. All I really wanted to do at that moment was to find out what was the matter with my dear girl. Balto then offered to help me find out by taking me underneath the infirmary. Never in my life had I been in such a gloomy and frightening place. Sensing my anxiety, Balto attempted to brighten the mood by using an old trick he knew. Taking some broken bottles, and lining them up just right with the lights shining from above, he brought the Northern Lights to this dank and dreary place. As I admired them by saying, "They're beautiful", Balto, in a romantic voice, said, "Yeah, beautiful". After turning away from the lights, I was surprised to see that he had been looking at me the whole time. I then gazed into his beautiful brown eyes, and for the first time in my life, I had seen and felt true love. At that moment, I knew that destiny had guided me to this place for one reason: to show me who my kindred spirit was. What most certainly would have been our first kiss was interrupted by the doctor's bad news about Rosy. I then ran off, upset and in tears; Balto followed and apologized for taking me there, but I assured him that I was upset over the news, not at him. I than told him I was glad he brought me under there. Just then, that jerk Steele showed up on the scene with some sausage links he'd stolen from the butcher, and as per usual, he began to hit on me. Balto immediately came to my rescue, but I told him to let me handle it. Then I sure showed Steele a thing or two; I sweet-talked him right into the furnace. He got back at me though when Rosy's father and the butcher showed up. Steele decided to frame Balto for his crime by throwing the stolen links at him. Steele was then given credit for capturing the meat thief, as Balto took off. I tried to follow in the hopes of possibly consoling him, but Rosy's dad grabbed hold of me; there was nothing I do could for that poor, sweet, innocent canine.

I thought about Balto all night, and how alone he must have felt, oh how I wish there was something I could have done to help him. The next day, the humans were holding a race to find the fastest dogs for a sled team that would make a 600-mile journey to fetch the medicine that would save our town's children including my Rosy. I decided to accompany Sylvie and Dixie to the race, anything to try and get my mind off Balto and Rosy. However, wouldn't you know it that gossipy Sylvie had heard about my romantic encounter with you know who the night before, and she did not hesitate to bring it up when I made a crack about Steele. I then thought to myself, "What did I have to be ashamed of? Balto is really sweet, and his sincerity and fidelity are rivaled by no other; and I had a crush on him." Dog almighty, did I ever shut her up when I did not deny her story like she was expecting me to; after all, any girl would be lucky to have Balto as a boyfriend. Oh, if only they all knew him like I did.

Well, after I got my two cents in, the competitors began lining up for the race; what a site, those dogs were going to help my Rosy get better. Then, out of the blue, I saw Balto jump out of an alley and place himself at the starting line; I couldn't help but smile. I stood along the sidelines yelling, "Go Balto!" I was so happy when he won the race. However, that joy would turn into anger when Steele rejected his victory and refused to allow him to join the team. I came forward and defended him; after all, with Balto's speed and wolf instincts, he would be ideal for the team. After speaking sincerely to me, and saying I was right, he turned his back on me by slamming his claws into Balto's paw, making him look like a vicious dog to the musher. The musher than banished him from the team. I tried to apologize to Balto, but he took off more discouraged and broken hearted than ever. That night, besides Rosy of course, all I could think about was poor Balto, cold and downtrodden on that old boat. What a dilemma I was facing; both Balto and Rosy needed me; oh what was I to do? After much thought, I decided Rosy's side was where I belonged; I was hoping Balto's close friends would be there for him.

Several days had passed before I would see him again. The buzz around town was that Balto had become so despondent following his latest rejection that he only came out at night for brief periods. I was worried about him, but my mind was quickly brought back when word had reached town that Steele and his team, were lost, along with them, any hope of the children getting better. I grew even more depressed; I was going to lose my girl to diphtheria. Little did I know that Rosy and I had a guardian angel of hope watching over us; and that angel's name was Balto. That night, as I was watching over Rosy from the hospital window, I picked up a familiar scent on the windowpane. I then turned around and saw four sets of prints in the fresh snow that had recently fallen; two sets of polar bear cub prints, one set of goose prints, and one unusually large set of husky prints. Balto and his friends had set out to find the lost sled team and the medicine. "Oh what a wonderful dog! He's risking his life to help save the children of Nome", I thought to myself. I then decided that I too must go along, for the very least, to lend moral support and to inform him about the blocked trail he would most likely desire to take. I noticed right away that he had left guide marks by scratching the trees in order to mark the path. I followed his marks all night. This was the first time I'd ever been out on my own, and it felt pretty good; I felt just like my wolf ancestors. At this time, I felt that there was nothing I could not do.

I found Balto about noon the next day, and I did not arrive a moment too soon; a large bear was attacking Nome's only hope. I lunged myself toward the grizzly and managed to distract it long enough for Balto to slip away. Things would only grow worse as he had slid down a hill, and landed on a lake covered by only a relatively thin layer of ice. That bear was determined to destroy him as he gave pursuit down the hill; all I could do then was watch. I was frozen with fear as I looked at that heavy bear hit the ice, causing it to crack; I kept hoping and praying that my Balto wouldn't fall into that freezing cold water, and when he did, I went ballistic. I ran down to the lake, and watched as the two polar bear cubs, Muk and Luk attempted a rescue; it did not help to hear Boris tell me that they couldn't swim.

There was nothing left to do, but hope for a miracle. I was overjoyed to see them emerge with Balto; I began to run enthusiastically toward them, not realizing I had hurt my paw in the battle with the bear. Balto was not out of the woods yet though, as he was still unconscious and not breathing. We all watched anxiously as Boris tried to bring him back to life; the feeling of relief I felt after Balto came back was beyond description. My feminine instincts then took over I as saw him lying there shivering; I just had to help warm him up. As always, his first concern was of my condition, not his own. As he began to stand up, I placed my paw on his back and gently pushed him back down; I then carefully rested my body on his back so that he might regain some of his lost body heat. After a while, I stood up and prepared to continue the journey along side him. I may have been mentally ready, but not physically as my injury had begun to show. Trying to be unselfish like Balto, I told everyone to just leave me there and continue on. Besides, I had helped him by freeing him from the bear, warming his cold body after the fall, and passing him the vital message about the blocked Eagle Pass. I realized that Balto was the only hope Nome's children had, and if I had to give my life to help him out, than so be it. I should have known that Balto would not have permitted me to make such a sacrifice. He proceeded to order Boris, Muk, and Luk to carry me back home while he continued the journey alone. Knowing this may be my last chance to express my love for him, I staggered over to him, gave him my favorite bandanna, and nuzzled his neck; he then promised me that he would return to Nome with the medicine. I looked into his eyes and saw his determination, and I knew that the fates of Rosy and the other children were in good paws.

All the way back, I kept thinking about him tracking the lost sled team containing a group of dogs that were not exactly fond of him. "Hopefully this team will notice his good motives for making the quest and accept his help", I thought to myself. However, it did not help my confidence to see Steele show up alone the next day with his tragic stories depicting the demise of each member of the team, and how Balto had met a tragic end trying to be hero after a fall off a cliff. Steele's tears over these so called incidents told me another story. He was too conceited to shed tears over the loss of another, and he would never have cried over the loss of Balto, a canine he simply loathed. I refused to believe him; not even his returning of my bandanna was enough proof of his story's truthfulness to me. Steele had made up the whole thing. "Balto's alive and he's coming home", I then announced to the crowed assembled in the boiler room. Steele had sold the entire town, including the humans, that all hope was now lost. This was most evident outside the telegraph office, as the lantern lit to symbolize the town's hope had all but been extinguished. There was only one individual left in town that believed all would turn out fine; yours truly, Jenna; I knew my true love would not let me down. I grabbed a lantern and made my way up a small hill just outside town, and after rearranging some broken bottles on top of the hill, I created my own Northern Lights, just as Balto had done to symbolize his love for me earlier in that dark and dreary place underneath the infirmary. These lights would guide him back home.

After creating my light display, I resumed my vigil at Rosy's bedside hoping that Balto would be home in time, as her condition continued to grow worse. The next day and a half seemed like an eternity; the minutes seemed to pass by like molasses in December. "Oh my dear, sweet Balto, where are you? Rosy and I really need you", I kept saying to myself. After awhile, I had begun to give up hope; maybe Steele was right, maybe my Balto had perished. It took all my strength to hold back the tears; I had to be strong for Rosy and her family.

That night, just as I was about to nod off, I heard a very welcoming sound; the sound of a wolf howling in the night. There was no doubt in my mind whose howl it was, my true love had returned with the medicine. I began to bark enthusiastically, and all those in the hospital knew exactly why; they too had begun to hear the team as it rapidly approached town. I rose from my vigil and dashed outside to watch as this heartbroken town awoke with new life and as the lantern outside the telegraph office was relit. I stood in the shadows for several minutes, watching as the people of Nome crowded around my Balto to give him their thanks and gratitude, and as Boris, Muk, and Luk came to hug, kiss, and even lick him. He deserved all this attention after everything he'd been through. Then, something unexpected happened, Rosy's dad came out of the hospital, and after patting him on the head, instructed my Balto to follow him into the hospital to see Rosy; another human had seen through the wolf's clothing and into his good heart. I really wanted nothing more than to thank Balto for everything, but there was one more in front of me, my dear Rosy, the only human in town who had always trusted him. I stood there in the door way watching them, and it brought a smile to my face to see her embrace him. That was it, I wouldn't wait any longer; I wanted him now. I casually said, "mm hmm", and batted my eyes at him. I jumped for joy as he called my name and ran towards me. When the running and jumping had stopped, I looked him straight in the eye, and began to rub my head against his neck; with these actions, I was trying to tell him that I loved him, I would always be there for him, and that he was the only one for me. After that, it was an honor to escort him to the porch of the infirmary where a standing ovation from the town's grateful citizens was waiting for him.

From that day forward, Balto no longer lived in fear nor was ashamed to be half wolf. I loved him for the kind, sweet, caring, unselfish, and even handsome canine he was. Several months later, I talked him into having puppies with me. Well, that concludes my story. Although he still lives in that old boat, maybe becoming a father will help to change his mind about settling down. I will conclude by saying that even if he does not change his mind, he'll always be my Balto, and how many girls can call an actual hero their own, especially one as sweet as mine.

Dedicated to Traci Z - The inspiration behind this story.