The Beginning
by Wolf Witch

This is is a story of Balto’s past, of Kane’s past. What happened to Balto in his past how and he came to live in Nome and with Boris. It is also about Kane where he came from, and those six months of his life with Aniou.

There was a lot of gossip in Ancourage about the coming charity race for “DISABLED ORPHANS”. One of the teams competing would be the Championship team lead by Kane. Kane was gray/black husky and every ones friend. Twenty teams would be competing in a race from Ancourage to Nanarnac.

“Looking forward to the race Kane?” asked Snow a white husky and Kane’s teammate. “Can’t wait, what about the rest of you guys” replied Kane.

“ Can’t wait, let’s go, yeh cool” came the replies. Then the barn door opened and in came their musher Simon. Simon had brown hair blue yes and wore black trousers and red coat.

“Time for a run you guys, calm down” he laughs as the dogs came bounding out.

As they ran through the woods Kane thought about the up and coming race. Suddenly they stopped, in front of them was a white she wolf. Her beauty mesmerized Kane.

“Wow I’ve never seen a wolf like her, I wonder if she’ll speak to me?” thought Kane. The rest of the team was a tad nervous.

“It’s ok boys she’ll not harm you, probably hunting, we’ll wait till she’s finished” said Simon, this reassured the dogs.

“Hi I’m Kane, who are you?” asked Kane. The wolf looked at him then vanished. “That was strange,” thought Simon.

A couple of days later the other teams started to arrive and one of them was lead by a dog-called Iron, Steels father. Kane and Snow were chatting to other dogs when Iron came over.

“So this is the great Kane, looks more like a common husky then a championship winner. Associating with muts, and non teammates” snarled Iron

“So what if I am, nobody asked your opinion. Also around here everyone’s friends with each other, so shove off it you don’t like it,” replied Kane.

After Iron had gone dogs from other teams came up, unlike Iron they didn’t care whom Kane was friends with. Then asked if they could join the conversation, the town dogs happily let them.

Over the coming couple of weeks preparations were finished for the charity race, all the teams had their picture in the newspaper “THE ANCOURAGE DAILY”. The weather forecast for the race was good.

Finally the day arrived the weather was good, hundreds of people turned up to see the start of the race. Kane and his team were in 17th place.

“On your marks get set go,” shouted the mayor. A last they were off through woods and over frozen lakes.

As the race went on Kane’s team progressed up from 17th place to 6th place. After they had been running for a couple of days a massive blizzard came, the team could hardly see where they were going.

“Slow down guys, need to be” but Simon was cut short as the team went careering down the side of a cliff. Simon hit his head on a boulder and was knocked unconscious. The team landed in a snowdrift, a while later Kane awoke.

“What in the world happened?”

“I don’t know,” replied Snow. They knew instantly that Simon was unconscious.

“What do we do now?” asked the dogs.

“You guys stay here I’ll go find food”.

Meanwhile rescue teams had been sent to find them, after they didn’t arrive at the checkpoint. Hours past and Kane couldn’t find any food

“What was I thinking, I’ll never catch food”

“That because you’ve never done it before” said a voice.

Kane looked round to see a white she wolf, it was Aniou.

“Hay I’ve seen you before on a run once, who are you, I’m Kane”

“Aniou let me help you find food”. With that they set off, unknown to ether of them a bald eagle was watching them, it was the Great Spirit.

“Aniou you fool, going and falling in love with a dog” with that he flew off. Kane brought food to the team but under the cover of darkness. Days past and Kane and Aniou fell deeply in love.

A week after the accident they were returning from a hunt when Kane saw the rescue team turned up, in the trees Kane and Aniou were hidden.

“Kane you can go back know if you wish, I won’t make you stay.” said Aniou.

“No way am I going back there, I love you?” replied Kane.

The dogs could see Kane

“Why isn’t he coming back they asked. With one last look at his ex-team Kane bounded off.

Aware that the rescue teams may come looking for him, Kane and Aniou left the area and headed to the coast. On the way they met various wolf packs, who happily let them pass through their territory. Late one evening they came to a town, they slunk in hoping to get a free meal. They could smell chicken in one of the dustbins, carefully they looked in inside, they managed to get a decent amount of food. A sudden gust of wind knocked it on the ground with a tremendous crash, awakening the family in side. A door opened and a man stepped out holding a gun, behind him stood a woman and a two-year-old girl. The girl had red hair and blue eyes, Rosie, three years before she met Balto for the town was Nome. They watched the pair for a few minuets then went in. Knowing they had been seen Kane and Aniou left, not knowing what would take place they’re three years later.

After that Kane and Aniou avoided towns whenever possible if not waiting for the cover of darkness. One day high in the mountains Aniou led Kane to a cave so they could rest, once Kane was a sleep the Great Spirit appeared.

“Come Aniou there is a meeting in another part of this cave and that includes you, come”.

The Great Spirit led her to a chamber covered in pictures; all the spirits were there. “What’s all this about?” asked Aniou.

“You and that dog” answered Koda the bear.

“What about Kane?”

“Aniou this can’t last, you’re a spirit he’s not, and you’re a wolf he’s a husky. Your cubs would be half breads and one may possess magical powers, if he was a wolf it would be ok but he’s not” said Koda.

“Your wrong it can last we love each other, I gave Kane the chance to go back, but he refused. Our cubs will be brought up in the wild sure; they’ll know their half-breeds but it wont mater. If one of them has magical powers I will teach it how to use them.” Shouted Aniou with that she left, the rest of the spirit’s left too, four years later Aniou’s granddaughter Alue would come there and meet Maroe.

A week later Kane and Aniou came to wolf packs territory; the leader appeared it was Nave, thought he was younger. He happily let them join the pack; Kane and Aniou lived there happily for a few months. One day Aniou said,

“Kane I’m pregnant, and I don’t want the cubs to be born here, there’s a place that safe and no one except me knows about it. I want to go there and live, it’s a fair way off so we have to leave before it’s to late,” said Aniou.

“Of course we can go, lets go now,” replied Kane smiling.

They said goodbye to Nave and the pack and began their journey. For weeks they traveled avoiding hunters, at last they reached the place. Trees surrounded a large lake and a cave was visible in the hill. Kane hunted for him and Aniou. Finally the cubes were born. Six in total three males three females. The dark/light brown one was named Balto, his gray / silver brother Silver Wing, his black/silver/gold brother Mirax, his brown/ white sister Eagle, his white/ silver sister Moonlight and his white sister Faith .All of them had yellow/brown eyes, all except Faith who had pure blue. Kane was very proud of his children, as was Aniou. The Great Spirit wasn’t happy neither were the other spirits but, what was done could not be undone. Kane and Aniou played with the pups every day, for a time then all that changed.

The pups were a month old

“Aniou I’m going hunting be back in a while” said Kane.

“Dad can I come with you?” asked Balto.

“No you can’t, sorry but you’re to young,” replied Kane.

As Kane was hunting he was spotted by a musher who recognized him. Without warning Kane was caught in a net. Kane was taken home. Though the other dogs asked him where he was, he refused to answer to protect his family.

Aniou knew he had been caught when he didn’t return that night. As time went by the pups asked her about their father, Aniou told them that he was a husky and how they had met.

One day when the family was out walking a blizzard came from nowhere; the pups panicked but were walking close to her and found her within seconds. Balto and Faith were walking a little way in front of their mother, and couldn’t see her in the blizzard. Faith darted off to the right getting lost in the blizzard; Balto felt his paws sliding under him as he fell down a hill.

When Balto awoke he found a goose standing over him

“You ok kid” asked the goose

“Yey but I haven got anywhere to go, mums probably gone by now and I don’t know the way home” replied Balto

“Kid I’m on may way to a village to live how about you come live with me, names Boris”

“Ok I’m Balto half wolf, half husky”

The two friends set of, later that day they arrived in Nome and set up home in an abandoned fishing boat. Balto learned how to steel food from bins and hunt small mammals. One day a black and white pup came up to Balto “So you’re the half breed everyone’s yappin about”

“Hi I’m Balto, yeh, I’m half wolf but it still means we can be friends”

“Steels the name, and there’s no way I would ever be friends with a half -breed like you”.

With that he walked off, across the road a little girl and her husky had been watching. Rosie and Jenna, seeing as there was no one about they came over.

“Hello, I’m Jenna, listen don’t pay any attention to Steel he’s a bully. Whats your name and where are your parents”.

“I’m Balto and I got separated from my mum in a blizzard a few months back.”

Rosie stroked Balto and the three became friends, after a few attempts a guessing his name Rosie finally guessed it was Balto. Things were all right for Balto, though Steel and his gang did pick him on.

When Balto was a year old he met a pair of polar bears called Muk and Luk, they became firm friends. Though Balto was happy there was something missing, he knew this brothers and sisters were safe all except Faith. What had happened to her, the last he had seen of her was when they were walking in front of their mother? Where was she, was she a live or dead? Balto knew that she was different, but what he wasn’t sure. Strange things sometimes happened depending on what she was feeling or thinking.

When Balto became two years old he realized he loved Jenna but knew her humans or any others would never accept him dog or man. A year later he would save children’s lives and become a hero. Two years later he would have pups with Jenna.

Want to find out what happened to Faith and how she is different? Find out in “Faith” the first story about Balto’s sister. Of her life after the blizzard and when they met each other but didn’t know it.