Balto: The Final Quest: Part 1: A New Place
Author's Note: This series of stories will take place as long one-shots, but is part of a trilogy of adventurous, action packed, stories. SPOILER! My character, Rhondunhadaegun, returns to aid Balto again. Also, there is an introduction to a somewhat interesting human character. He plays a slightly important role in this fanfic. There will be no song lyrics in any of these. I want to keep it tight, and to the storyline with no distractions. Any suggestions on how to make this better would be very invaluable to me, and would be greatly appreciated. Also, there is a little bit of sci-fi in this if you would consider what I use as sci-fi. It picks up where my first fanfic left off, so if you did not read it, you will be a little lost. I hope you, the fellow reader/writer, enjoy this tale.
Part One: A New Place in the World
Balto had finally finished recovering from his injuries and was looking forward to the next few days.
Why you ask? Two reasons: No Steele; and he could get back to doing things that he would normally partake in.
An underlying reason remained though; he could spend more time finally being able to do things with his family.
He was forced out of bed by a playful shove from his mate. "Good morning Balto, or should I say afternoon," stated Jenna. Balto replied, "Well hello to you too. Did you say it's afternoon?" Jenna laughed and said, "Yeah, it's around 1:30. You slept for over half of the day." Balto was surprised; he hadn't slept for that long in quite a while. "Well that sucks. How was your day so far?" "Not bad. The kids and I talked for a while and told some jokes," stated Jenna. Balto then forced himself up and over to Jenna. He nuzzled her and they went for a somewhat lengthy stroll around town, continuing to discuss multiple subjects.
When they were about to finish their stroll, a familiar voice said, "Hey there Balto, Jenna, what's up?" The couple turned and smiled at the recognition of their friend, Kaltag. Jenna was first to speak, "Hello, Kaltag. I want to thank you again for helping Balto and sticking by his side through everything so far." Balto then spoke, "Yeah, thanks. I've never had friends like you, Nikki, and Star before. How are you on this day?" Kaltag replied, "I'm alright. No need to thank me for doing what everyone naturally should do anyway, but thank you for the respect. Well, I would love to stay and chat with you guys, but my owner needs me home right now, he's kinda sick. Don't worry though, just a cold. See you two later." Balto and Jenna replied, almost in unison, "See ya, Kaltag." The two laughed and walked back to Jenna's house.
When they reached their destination, Balto told Jenna that he would be back in a little bit after he checked in with Boris. She nodded in acknowledgement and proceeded to enter the threshold.
Balto arrived at his trawler to be greeted by his son, Kodiak, and his old goose friend, Boris. "Hey dad," said Kodi. "Ah boychick, good to see you again!" said Boris in his signature accent. "Hey Boris, Kodi. What are you guys talking about?" he said as he entered the cabin. Kodi spoke, "Well dad, it's kind of good that you happened by, I need to discuss something with you," he said, slightly nervous. "What is it son?" replied Balto. Kodi sighed, then said, "Dad, I think I wanna see some more of the world. Don't get me wrong, this place is excellent, but I need something slightly more exciting. I know it seems kind of strange, I'd be leaving my owner and my family, but I want to live, you know. I wanna be more." Balto's smile turned into a light frown. "Kodi, you're already on the sled team, you're pretty popular, and you have everything that you could ever need, and pretty much want. What's wrong with the way your life is now?" "Nothing, dad, but it's just that nothing ever happens in this town. People wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, and scratch out a living. That's not enough excitement," stated Kodi. Balto replied, "Do you want to be in danger, or end up hurt or d…" Balto paused and realized what he was about to say. "So you don't think that I can handle living independently? Don't think I'm tough enough?" stated Kodi. Boris saw what was happening and left the two to talk. "I'll see you both in a little bit, I have to go wash deck and make sure Muk and Luk are not going to be bothering us today." Balto nodded and said, "Son, I would never doubt your abilities or endurance. I'm just confused as to why you would want to leave this behind." "I don't, but I also don't want to do the same thing and run the mail just about every day for the next 5 years." Balto sighed and surrendered, understanding what his son was saying. "Alright Kodiak, but if you go, I'm going until we find you a place, unless you at any point change your mind. We'll both leave tomorrow around 9:00 A.M." "Alright dad, thanks." said Kodi. "I'll see you tomorrow dad." "Alright, oh, tell your mother that I'm staying here tonight and I'll see her in the morning," replied Balto. Kodi nodded and ran in the direction of Jenna's home.
Balto sighed and said to himself, 'Good kid'. He smiled and then took one last look at the now setting sun. It was a hazy red/pink. It illuminated everything in the background of the forest. Balto then stepped down from the bow and went to the cabin. He rested his head in between his paws and took a deep breath. He thought about how perfect everything was, and everything that was peaceful. He also heard a distant howl and sighed happily. Within a few minutes, he had drifted off to sleep.
Day 2- 7:39 A.M.
Balto had awoken from a dreamless sleep. He had a smile on his face. He got up and stretched his muscles, and he then walked out on the deck. Boris heard him walk out on the deck and said, "Good morning, Balto. Why are you up so early?" "I would ask you the same thing, but I forgot that you always constantly mop the deck. Haha. Yeah, nothing really, I just wanted to watch the sun rise for the first time in a while. Afterwards, I was gonna check on Jenna and then leave with Kodi," replied Balto. Boris was only a little bit surprised as to why Balto was going, so he bothered not to ask. "Well good luck boychick, I will leave you in your peace." "Thanks, Boris. I'll see you later." Boris then flapped his wings and departed, leaving Balto alone.
Balto looked at the little bit of light that glistened in the distance. He let out a peaceful sigh and sat down to watch the sun for a little while. The whole time he pondered his life and thought about everything that had happened from what he could remember from when he was a pup, to the present. When he finished thinking, he realized that the sun was higher by about 3 degrees now. He looked at the sun and guessed that it was around 8:22. Balto then said to himself, "Oh crap, I better go see Jenna before I go." With that, he was off.
He loved the feel of the crisp autumn air as it rushed through his fur. The wind carried more than just cool air. On his way into town, he picked up a familiar scent. Wolf. He was able to point out two particular wolves, Rhondunhadaegun and the black wolf that had helped him previously. They were not in town but they were near, keeping an eye on the town to prevent any trouble. Balto was a little surprised, because in the weeks after his injuries, the wolf pack had kind of appointed themselves as the town's guardians. Balto chuckled lightly to himself as he recalled some of the events of the past, and at the thought of wolves defending dogs and unsupportive humans.
He reached Jenna's house about 3 minutes later. He pawed lightly at the door so it was loud enough for Jenna to hear. He waited a minute, then the door slowly and softly opened. "Good morning, Balto. Why are you awake so early?" said Jenna. "Good morning to you too, Jenna. I need to talk to you about something," stated Balto. "What's wrong?" "Nothing's wrong, I just have to talk to you about Kodi," said Balto. "Okay, come in." With that, Balto thanked Jenna and stepped into the house, the door closing behind him. "Jenna, I do not have too much time until I have to leave, so could you listen to everything I have to say, then respond?" Jenna simply nodded in reply. "Okay. Our son, Kodi, has decided that he wants to look for a new place with more "excitement". He and I are setting out this morning to search. I felt as if it would only be right to go with my son on his quest. Don't fear for me, I will be back. I promise." Jenna stared into his eyes for a minute, then nuzzled him. "Balto, you'll always come back. I know that for a fact. Whatever happens, just remember that I love you. I will always love you. Stay safe and come back alive," stated Jenna. Balto replied, "I will. I love you too." They nuzzled eachother one final time and Balto departed. He was met outside by Kodi. "Hey dad, you ready to go?" "Sure. Did you say goodbye to the team? They're not running today." Kodi got embarrassed at the fact that he forgot about his teammates. "No, I'll go say goodbye now." Balto replied, "Alright son, try not to take too long." "I won't dad." Kodiak ran in the direction of the old mill and entered.
Balto took in his surroundings one last time. He noticed how the sun was shining particularly bright today. The air was cool and there were few clouds in the sky. He let out a soft sigh then turned around when he heard steps. It was Kodi. He just nodded his head with a hint of sadness and they were both on their way.
9:37 A.M.
They had just exited the town and were on the outskirts near the forest. They were about ½ of a kilometer into the forest when Balto heard a low growl. He stopped and looked around but saw nothing. He ignored it, but was blind-sided by a gray figure that pinned him down with great force. Balto tried to get a look at his attacker, but was pushed down again. Kodi was shocked at first, but then started to laugh. Balto said, "What the hell are you laughing for? Help me!" A familiar voice said, "There is no need Balto, it's me, Rhondunhadaegun." "Who? Wait a minute, where have you been man?" Balto stupidly replied. "I've been around here. How have things been in town?" Rhondunhadaegun replied stepping off of Balto. "They've been alright. How about your pack?" "We've been staying in this general area. There is a large enough amount of food and other resources to sustain us for a while." Balto smiled and replied, "Well that's good. So what's up?" Rhondunhadaegun responded, "Well, a comrade and I were in the area and noticed you leaving town and we were curious as to why." "Oh, well I'll explain if you and your comrade would like to come along." "We would love to," said a black wolf. Balto replied, "Okay. I forgot to mention, what is your name anyway?" The wolf stated, "My apologies, the name is Auermoctoc." "That's a cool name." "Thank you. Let us depart."
