Chapter 1

The date was January, 1925.

The small town of Nome lay peacefully in its obsoletion on the barren Alaskan Frontier, its roofs capped with fluffy, white powder from the snow that trickled slowly down from the grey clouds that loomed above it. It was cold on this day, with a persistent and bitter wind, but these thoughts eluded the mind of a certain canine as he lay calmly on the bow of his boat, watching the sleepy little town from afar like he did nearly every day of his life; longing for acceptance, even though he knew that obtaining it was impossible. He knew what he was, as well did the town, and he knew that no matter what he did he could never change that. For hours he had lain motionlessly on the rail, simply blinking tiredly at the town, with his tail draped lightly over the side behind him and his paws hanging limply over the edge before him, and in this time, a layer of snow had accumulated along the length of his body and had steadily grown thicker with the passage of time; but the depth of the drift was hardly noticeable, for the snow that fell was light and thin. The canine sighed, letting his ears fold flat to the top of his skull and it was then that he found his icy blanket, for his sensitive ears were bitten by fire as soon as they touched his head. He groaned in annoyance and closed his eyes lightly then slowly pushed himself up onto his feet and stumbled his way down to the deck of the boat. He lazily shook the snow from his fur and then carried himself drunkenly toward the cabin, sauntering along with his head held low to the ground and his paws dragging heavily beneath him.

He needed not to open his eyes, for the old, grey blanket was always in the same place every day, and as soon as his head breached the doorway to the cabin, he ducked his head all the way to the deck and nosed his way beneath the ragged pallet of wool, turned half of a circle, and flopped heavily down onto the hard, wooden deck, folding his paws before his chest and carelessly depositing his head on said appendages. He turned his eyes over to the bowl of stale, dried kibbles that Boris had left him and regarded its contents with distaste. He felt like the most useless creation to ever be put on this planet, felt as though he didn't deserve to eat the meal that he was given as he knew that somebody out there who was actually worthy of living their life could eat it rather than him. Why waste food on a useless, hybrid freak? He rolled his eyes and turned his attention forward then closed them lightly, sinking further beneath the blanket so that only a hairline crack of wood and white light beneath the fabric could be seen. He hated himself and cursed what he was, hated the world that had always cursed him for what he was, and on countless occasions, he would find himself staring longingly at the mountains or at the river, knowing that if he were to hurl himself over or into either of them, he would be doing the world a favor by ridding himself from it.

He shook the thoughts from his mind, for such thoughts of self-destruction were dangerous. He could kill himself, and often times had been on the very verge of doing just that, but each and every time he was standing on that metaphorical ledge, he would think about the few people, the outcasts just like him that he would leave behind, and that would pull him away in the nick of time. He knew that Boris needed him just as much as he did, for he was in the exact same boat as Balto was. He was an outcast amongst his kind because he refused to fly and once he had become entangled in Balto's life, he had sealed his fate for the rest of eternity. If he were to go, Boris would be crushed, would maybe even die himself from depression for if he lost Balto, it would be like losing his own son; and where would that leave Muk and Luk? Those two would never be able to survive on their own. After all, they were mere cubs, afraid of the water, and had absolutely no idea how to fend for themselves. They needed Boris, maybe even more than either of them realized, for in him, the hybrid was certain, they only saw somebody of whom they could use to try and fill the empty void that their mother had left behind when she drowned. And then there was-

An unexpected shift of the breeze caused a sudden chilly draft to slice into the cabin, bringing with it a small flurry of snow; but mixed with it, was something far more desirable than the inescapable, frozen ice particles. It was her! She was here! The wolf-dog immediately felt his spirits lift and he rose to his feet, shucking the blanket to the floor, and then padded determinedly toward the bow of the boat, completely erasing all of his thoughts that he had quelled his mind with earlier. He hopped up onto the crates and stood with his forepaws on the rail of the boat, scanning the horizon excitedly. A thought entered his mind pertaining to why it was that she was coming all the way out here in the snow, but he quickly jettisoned such a thought, for any visit from her was a much welcomed gift. He knew it was her, for her scent was unmistakable, but at the current moment, he could not see the individual that he sought. It entered his mind that he may have imagined it, for she had been in his thoughts for the better part of the day, but his apprehensions were soon laid to rest when his wolfish eyes spotted a tiny red dot on the horizon line. He immediately felt his heart leap for joy and his stomach tie into nervous knots, but he was used to it, for this happened every time he was around her.

He had found it incredible that a girl such as her would ever even cast him anything other than an incredulous look, and he would have never foreseen them actually becoming friends, but she was different than all of the other dogs in town. She was the only one outside of his immediate "family" that was able to see him for who he was, not what he was. He sat back and smiled as he watched her draw nearer, folding his ears back limply and letting out a slow breath; but when another figure became visible, his smile quickly faded into a deep scowl. He had always been taught to see the good in people, but this particular canine had none whatsoever. He was taught to never hate anybody, but he did. He hated this guy. His name was Steele and he was the town's jock sled dog. He was always asserting his dominance over the other dogs in the town, was either respected or feared by any and all dogs; not to mention that he was the one who was solely responsible for making his life a living hell- but despite all of this, the guy was a coward, for he never walked the streets unless he had his gang of thugs to back him up. To say the truth, the wolf-dog was quite surprised to see that he had come out here alone, well except for Jenna, that is; and then the apprehensions began to rise up in his mind again.

Why was she with Steele? Could it really be that she had decided to finally give into his unrelenting attempts to get under her tail? If that was the case, Balto knew that he would have lost any and all reason to stay in town; but then on the breeze, he heard something that lifted his spirits up a bit. Though he could not make out what it was that they were saying, he could tell that the two of them were not on square ground, for he could tell by the general tone of the copper female's voice that she was not very pleased to be in his company.

"Steele, please, just leave me alone," she begged exasperatedly, attempting to push her way past him, but he would not step aside.

"Oh come on now Jenna, surely you don't want to be some dirty wolf's bitch now, do you?" he asked her mockingly, flashing his renowned evil smile.

Jenna growled, baring her canines threateningly.

"It would certainly be better than being with you," she snarled, again trying to step around him, but again he obstructed her path.

"Jenna you know that the only reason why you're even talking to the mutt is because you feel bad for him," he accused, "Everybody knows this; so why don't you stop playing around with the world's trash and come play with me?" he crooned, licking his lips wantingly as he ran his eyes over Jenna's sleek body.

Jenna had heard just about enough of this.

"Steele, you're nothing but a stuck up, egotistical prick," she growled defiantly and pushed him over onto his back, "and I feel bad for any girl who would even lay a paw on you," she finished, finally able to step around him unmolested.

Steele lay in the snow growling and trying to recollect his dignity and after a few moments, he rose to his feet and bared his canines at Jenna's back.

"Just you wait, Jenna," he called to her angrily, "You'll see! He's nothing! And then you'll come crawling back to me just begging for a second chance!"

Jenna only flipped her tail upward and continued to walk away, paying no heed to his words. Embittered and humiliated, Steele growled and shook the snow free from his fur and then turned around with his head held low, mumbling curses toward that mutt and that stupid bitch.

The hybrid only watched her with a smile of admiration, lifting his head up again to where his chin was parallel to the ground. He watched her for a moment longer with adoring eyes and then decided that he should probably greet her. He rose to his paws and hopped down from the crates on which he had earlier sat and made haste for the plank that led down over the starboard rail and to the ground below, his paws seeming to possess a certain bounce as he carried himself along, his tail sweeping happily behind him and his breaths excited, for a visit from Jenna was always the highlight of any day that he had since he had arrived in town. He arrived at the plank and started down it without even pausing, descending carelessly- too carelessly- for as he took his third step, he felt his right forepaw land on a patch of ice and then slide out from under his body. He let out an involuntary yelp and turned a somersault in the air before landing heavily on his left side. He groaned, cursing his luck and his clumsiness and winced as he drew his paws beneath him. Painfully, he pushed himself up off of the ground and shook his head then his body and slowly rolled his shoulders trying to rid his body of the dull pain that radiated deep beneath his fur. He could only hope now that Jenna hadn't seen his act of foolishness. He pinched his eyes together and rolled his neck.

"That's gonna hurt tomorrow," he mused quietly to himself, cricking his neck to each side.

"Yeah probably," he heard a female voice say to him with a hint of mockery in her tone, "and if I had to make any kind of assumption, I'd say that it hurts already."

The hybrid winced, flattening his ears and pulling his head to the side, for he knew that she had seen him fall, and then opened his eyes slowly, doing his best to keep his embarrassment hidden from his copper coated companion. However, Jenna was easily able to pick up on it and she laughed lightly at him, causing the wolf-dog's face to heat up beneath his fur.

"You… you saw that didn't you?" he asked her slowly, shamefully, moving his eyes intermittently between his paws and Jenna's chocolate irises.

Jenna allowed a giggle to tickle her throat.

"Yup," she chuckled, causing the hybrid to move his eyes away from hers again, "and if you're not more careful you'll have to worry more about yourself than Steele or lead."

The hybrid scowled a bit when he heard this.

"I'm sorry," Jenna apologized quickly, "I know that was mean."

The wolf-dog nodded slowly.

"It was," the hybrid agreed, "it hurt."

Jenna's face fell into a flat expression.

"Balto, I'm so sorry," she apologized, "Is there anything that I can do to make it up to you?" she asked him seriously.

Balto smiled provocatively.

"Well, I would be simply honored if you could accompany me into town for some fine dining," he teased, knowing that if they were to get anything at all together that it would either be from a trashcan or from the scrap pale that the butcher left outside of his building; that is if somebody hadn't already helped themselves to its meager contents already.

Jenna's face twisted into one that betrayed a sort of playful anger and she shoved him with a paw.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked him coyly, using a rather flirtatious tone.

Balto smiled.

"Maybe," he answered playfully, shooting her a sly grin, "after all, I'm just dying inside from that horrible thing that you said to me earlier."

Jenna sighed in defeat, playing along with his coitus game, for she actually thought that it would be a great idea getting to go out on a date with him; and after all, how could she say no now?

"You're so cheap," she accused with a chuckle, once again shoving him away.

Balto laughed at this as he rocked back onto his proper point of equilibrium and bumped her with his shoulder.

"Played you right into that one didn't I?" he teased her, smiling victoriously.

Jenna scowled and used her paw to bop the top of his muzzle in a friendly manner in turn causing Balto to chuckle.

"I guess you did," she answered reluctantly.

Balto smiled at her.

"So what do you say?" he asked excitedly.

Jenna was exceptionally happy to see him in such a felicitous mood, but then mixed into this was a sudden realization that her hybrid friend, and even she herself, often times had the tendency to forget about certain things while they were around each other, important things like his status in town and, though she felt bad for having to remind him, she knew that it would be for the better in the long run if she did rather than keep her mouth shut.

"It sounds like a wonderful idea, I mean really, it does" she began in a tone that foreshadowed the 'but' that was to follow, "but aren't you worried that… well… I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Balto's heart sank a little bit when he heard this and he dropped his head so that his muzzle was in linear correspondence to his hocks, folding his ears and letting a light sigh escape from his mouth. Even with the brevity of which such a sigh had lived its life, Jenna was able to pick it up and she felt her own happiness beginning to slip away from her as well. Balto knew that she was right, but he didn't blame her for it. He blamed himself mainly, kicking himself for even suggesting the idea in the first place, but at the same time he also wanted to impress her, to show her a good time. He wanted to show her that he could stand up for himself, take care of himself, show her that he was more than he seemed. However, the voice of reason in his mind spoke to him once again, telling him that getting into a fight was the last thing that he needed to do. God forbid somebody sees him tangling with any of the town's dogs and the next time somebody saw him what would be hurled in his direction would be far worse than a rock or a foul curse.

"You're right," he answered to her, his tribulation bleeding predominantly through his tone and his posture, "I'm sorry that I ever brought up the subject. I guess I just thought that I could slip in unnoticed. It was a stupid idea anyway."

Jenna lowered her head until it was level with his and tempted it up again with her eyes, but Balto only closed his own and turned his muzzle further away from her. Jenna kept her own head set in the position in which she had placed it and reached a paw over toward her hybrid friend's face, sliding it under his chin and then using it to pull his muzzle toward her.

"Balto look at me," Jenna crooned softly.

Balto considered resenting her comforting touch, resisting her demand to face her, but thought better of it and slowly allowed his head to pivot around until he was looking Jenna in the eyes.

"You don't have to prove a thing to me," she said to him in an effort to sway his emotion away from the sadness that had overcome him, "I don't care what they say about you because they don't know you like I do."

Balto was still laced with uncertainty in both himself and in her words and Jenna promptly continued her work of condolence.

"They look at you and they only see what you have on the outside," she continued, "they are so blinded by prejudice that they can't see beyond that. They can't see past your appearance and see who you really are; but I know who you are. You're a gentle and kind spirit, split between two worlds, forced to live a life without acceptance because of each side of your blood's failure to see the good that the other side possesses, and you're definitely somebody that I would be honored to go out on a date with, regardless of what they think of me."

Balto had so many emotions congealing together inside of his mind that he didn't know how he should feel. Should he be saddened by her words, or should he be happy that at least somebody in this world was able to fully understand him and cared enough about him to throw away their own reputation just so he could be happy?

"I'll tell you what I'll do," Jenna began again, still detecting hints of uncertainty from the half wolf, "just as soon as this crisis passes and Rosy is all better, we'll go for a walk to the mountains," she offered, causing Balto to lift his head slightly, "just you and me together."

Balto once again felt his heart leaping uncontrollably inside of his chest and he lifted his head up to its normal position, causing Jenna's to rise as well.

"Really?" he asked her, still in the throes of disbelief.

Jenna smiled.

"Yes," she answered, stepping closer to him and closing her eyes slowly, "really."

Balto could sense the desire in the advance that Jenna made toward him and he knew that this desire mirrored that of his own. He closed his eyes as well and the two slowly began to move their heads closer and closer to each other.

"My oh my isn't that just touching!" they heard a rather deep and very contemptuous voice tease, followed promptly by beguiling and unmistakable cackling.

Surprised by this, the two quickly separated, but neither Balto nor Jenna needed to turn around to know who it was that was there and the latter did not need to even see the scowl on the former's face to know that their presence was highly unwelcomed.

"What are you doing here Steele," Balto demanded coldly, lifting his head and turning to see the afore mentioned sled-dog approaching them with his usual band of cronies at his back.

Steele cocked his head to the side in confusion and let an inexplicable expression form upon his features.

"Balto Balto Balto," Steele said to him in a hurt tone, "I'm offended. I thought for sure we could have ourselves a decent and civilized conversation without becoming hostile toward one another, don't you think? Especially seeing as how I won't be in town for a while."

Balto growled.

"I don't reckon so considering how our last "little chat" ended," Balto rebuffed bitterly, flattening his ears and locking his jaw, "remember? I woke up in an irrigation ditch."

Steele only grinned while Jenna only watched, her apprehensions increasing with each moment that passed.

"Such a shame too," he replied, rolling his shoulders slowly and taking a step closer, "I would not have expected you to black out like that."

Balto's growl intensified in the depths of his throat and he stepped closer to his foe.

"You threw me into the corner of a house, asswipe, what did you think was gonna happen?" he accused.

"Balto please," Jenna begged from her position beside him, "be better than him. Don't give in to what he wants."

Steele shook his head and stepped between the two of them, shoving Balto forcefully away.

"Jenna, you deserve so much better than him," Steele began bitterly, referring to what he had earlier seen and heard, "why don't you just ditch the mutt and you and me have ourselves a little walk to my place," he offered, "there's some sausages waiting for you there in case you're interested."

Balto could only imagine what the true intent behind Steele's words was and he did not like that one bit. He was not going to stand idly by while he verbally assaulted her like that, not anymore.

"Alright Steele, you wanted a fight, well fine," Balto growled, "you can insult me all you want but you leave her out of this. She deserves far more respect than what you give her and I'll be damned if I let you say another word to her."

This in turn evoked taunting laughter from Steele's friends and caused Steele to smile sinisterly.

"My aren't we bold today," he mused, circling the hybrid, "but if you insist..."

Without wasting even a single second, Steele threw his stiffened forelegs into Balto's shoulder, causing the scrawny hybrid to roll onto his side. Balto stopped himself and got to his feet, but just as soon as he steadied himself, Steele hurled a vicious right hook in to the side of his muzzle and then brought his left paw slamming down onto the top of it, knocking Balto senseless for a moment. But Balto refused to fall. He was finished with being a push over. He was going to make his mark. He was going to defend his friend's honor, even if it killed him in the end.

"Steele stop this!" Jenna demanded, jumping in front of him, but Steele only shoved her away.

However, in this momentary span of confusion and diversion, Balto had recovered and was ready to go again. He knew that Steele was a coward, and therefore would not fight with rules, but Balto was no coward. He had morals and he was going to do his best not to violate them, so he waited until Steele was facing him before making his strike, raking a left hook across his face and then a right. Steele's head jerked to each side with the blows, but that was all that could be said about it, for Steele simply brushed them off as though a pup had batted his nose. Balto swung again, but Steele ducked away and slid his shoulder beneath Balto's chest, sending the hybrid skyward and then to his back a short distance away. Balto hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of his lungs, and Steele used this to his advantage. He slid his way to the downed hybrid and brought his paws down repeatedly on his face, using his claws to carve deep gashes all across his cheeks and his muzzle. Balto fruitlessly tried to defend himself with his forelegs, but he was too weak from the initial hit he had taken when he landed to put up much of a fight. Steele knew this, as did Jenna and the other three who watched, and he used this to his full advantage. He carved out Balto's body, dragging his claws along the hybrid's chest and neck, but he was careful not to kill him, for tormenting him was much more fun than watching him die; and all Balto could do was scream while Jenna cried, knowing that she had to help her friend, but also knowing that she couldn't. Kaltag feared Steele, feared what would happen if he were to stand in his boss' way, but despite his reputation under Steele's command, he was still a good person. Though he himself was conflicted with his decision making from time to time, he knew what was right and what was wrong, and this was completely wrong. He had to put a stop to this before it got any worse, for it had already gotten way out of hand.

"Steele I think he's had enough," Kaltag called out, stepping forward a short distance under the apprehensive gaze of his allies.

However, Steele received the warning and finally withheld his paws and gazed proudly down upon his handy work. Balto's face was so swollen around his eyes that they did not open and his fur was matted with blood and snow. All around his muzzle and across his cheeks, were multiple gashes of varying length and points of intersection with each other, a true masterpiece if he did say so himself. However, Steele's cruelty was undying and he had to get one final shot in before he and his advocates evacuated the premises. He spat on the hybrid's destroyed face and then did something that nearly made Jenna throw up so disgusting and appalling was the act. Without warning, Steele jammed his paw forcefully down upon the barely conscious hybrid's throat, crushing his windpipe shut. Though Balto was only seconds away from passing out, he reacted to the blow as though he were functioning at his full mental capacity. He choked and coughed, gasping for air, trying to scream in pain, straining to breathe as he rolled and kicked about in the snow, clasping his stricken throat in his paws. He pitched hither and thither across the ground, gasping so perilously for air with quick and sporadic intakes. Jenna broke down and began to cry, rushing over to her friend and doing everything that she could to try and help him, but she was not a doctor. She could only cry and watch as he kicked about and then finally became still in the snow.

Steele only stood aside with a sadistic smile spread across his lips, but behind him, Nikki, Kaltag, and Star could only stare, their mouths slightly ajar and their disbelief so great that words could not reach their throats even if it were their will to speak. What they had just witnessed was probably the most despicable, the most disgusting, and the most appauling thing that they had ever seen and it made them physically ill to the very depths of their beings. Nobody deserved that. Not even him. Steele goaded in his victory for a few moments more and then slowly turned, uttering not even a word, and then began to walk slowly back to town; but as he passed his advocates, he shot them glances that told them to choose a side right then. He knew that they were disgusted by his actions and that their vision of him as an individual may have changed drastically, maybe to the point of resentment, for such feelings were perceptively evident on their faces, so he had to make it clear to them right now; they were either with him, or against him. Either way was just fine with him, but if they were to choose poorly, the result of their actions would be a most tragic and rather baleful accident. The trio of followers rose fearfully to their paws and fell in at their ringleader's back, only this time, they trekked a sizable distance behind him so as to ensure that they did not get in his way.

Jenna watched them go with hate and disgust boiling out of the tears that poured down from her eyes and she continued to bore such feelings into their backs until they were no longer visible on the horizon. It was at this time, that she turned her attention down to Balto once again. She was frightened. She did not know whether or not he was even alive, or if he was, if he could live after taking such a blow to his trachea, but her apprehensions were eased slightly when she saw the subtle rise and fall of her friend's chest cavity, signifying once and for all that her hybrid friend was indeed alive. She knew that she had to get him inside the boat, had to get him out of the snow, so she gently took hold of his scruff and gave him a strenuous pull, but she failed to even budge the unconscious wolf-dog. However, she was not going to give up on him. She took his scruff into her teeth once again and began to pull, groaning from the strain, but try as she might, she could only move his head and the very front of his shoulders. She began to feel desperation and helplessness begin to settle in upon her, making her panic and cry harder.

"Come on Balto," she begged, giving him another tug, "we have to get you inside."

But no matter how she tried, she could not obtain any kind of sufficient movement. However, her desperation only fueled her further, further provoking her to keep trying, to not let him down. She heaved heavy breaths, said respirations shooting forth from her mouth in long plumes of steam that danced skyward until they dissipated over her head, and after but a few moment's rest, she went at it again; but as she was lowering her head, she heard something in the distance that caught her attention, bringing her ears up to an alert erection and her head up a short moment thereafter. It sounded to her like a distressed screaming, but the distress was not that of physical pain. More so it was that of disposition, of somebody being pestered by things bigger than him. She did not even need to hear the accented mumbling and the childish laughter to know who it was that she had heard and before she had even seen them appear in the distance, she was running toward them and calling out their names.

"I swear zis is last time that I-"

"Boris!" the speaker heard, thus interrupting him from his muted rant.

Said snow goose lifted his head, as did his duo accompaniment of polar bear cubs, of whom only moments ago had been dancing about him in childish folly, and they peered about the horizon line in search for the one who had called; and a few moments later, they saw an unmistakable copper coated female running hastily in their direction. Boris was at first curious as to why she would be out here in the first place, but what concerned him even more so was her urgency, and he did not even need to ask questions to know that something was wrong.

"Boris, Luk, Muk," Jenna called, encouraging the trio to quicken their pace.

Finally, the two groups met, Jenna arriving breathlessly before them.

"Jenna vat is matter?" Boris asked her worriedly, evoking an unintelligible murmuring from the larger of the two polar bears.

The smaller of the two opened his mouth to translate for his brother, but Jenna cut him off.

"It's Balto," she said desperately, "Steele came out here and, and- he's-"

Boris did not wait for her to finish, nor did he make any attempts to calm her down. Fearing the worst, he took off toward the boat, moving across the ground just as fast as his little webbed feet could carry him. Muk and Luk were close behind him and when they caught up with him, Muk threw Boris up onto Luk's shoulders and the two charged onward with the disconcerted goose bouncing and squawking along atop the large one's back. Jenna normally would have laughed at such a sight were she not so worried for her friend, but given the circumstances of present, she merely followed along at their side until they all skidded to a halt a short distance beside Balto. So sudden was the stop that Boris had not the time required to brace himself against his own momentum and henceforth was sent careening forward off of Luk's shoulders and into the snow, skidding a short distance across the top and coming to a stop on his face. However, he was quickly up onto his feet and ran to Balto's side, joining Jenna Luk and Muk. The first thing he noticed was Balto's damaged face and he muttered something under his breath, more than likely a curse toward Steele and his gang. However, he was still more concerned as to why Jenna was so concerned.

"Vat happened here?" Boris asked in a flat tone, failing to take his eyes off of his friend.

Jenna did the best that she could to compose herself and then she opened her mouth.

"I- I was coming out here to see how Balto was holding up after what Steele had done to him in town earlier after the race and I guess that Steele got wind of it because he followed me," she explained, "I told him to leave me alone, but he wouldn't listen so eventually I had to force him to leave."

Boris nodded.

"I guess that must've really set him off because he returned a few minutes later with his little band of thugs and just who do you think Steele took his anger and humiliation out on?" she cried indignantly, using quite a substantial amount of emphasis in her words.

She was upset with herself, angry with Steele for what he had done, and more than anything, she was still scared for her friend.

"The beating wasn't the worst part," Jenna continued, "because after Steele had knocked Balto senseless, Steele took a cheap shot to his throat, and I-I'm just afraid, Boris," she pleaded, "I did everything I could, I tried to get him up inside the boat, but I'm just not strong enough to move him and I-"

"Jenna please," Boris interrupted her, laying a wing on her shoulder, "It vasn't your fault. Like you said, you did all you could do."

Jenna sniffled and nodded then they all turned their attention back down to Balto and Boris inspected him, seeing another subtle rise and fall in the hybrid's chest. Boris sighed in relief, knowing that Balto was alive, but what concerned him the most was the strike he had taken to the throat, for those kinds of strikes were often times fatal even if the victim appeared to be fine. As gently as he could, he ran his finger-like feathers along each side of the unconscious hybrid's trachea, checking to see that everything was right where it should have been, for internal bleeding, closure, or anything else that would jeopardize his life, and after a moment longer, he straightened up.

"He's going to be fine, Jenna," he finally said to her, "but he probably vill not be vaking for quite while."

Jenna released a breath that she was not aware that she had been holding and pulled Boris in for a hug.

"Oh thank you, thank you so much," she cried happily.

Boris squawked, his wings spread on each side, and very well just allowed himself to be embraced; even though he never did thoroughly enjoy close contact. After a few moments, Jenna released him and he stumbled back a few paces, righting himself and watching as some of his feathers fluttered to the icy ground. Jenna smiled sheepishly, but Boris only brushed it off.

"Muk, Luk," Boris called, turning to the two polar bear cubs, of whom still had their noses down to the unconscious wolf-dog.

Said polar bears jumped up into attentive poises, locking their eyes on their "uncle" and awaited his instruction.

Boris shook his head and walked over to them.

"Get the boy-chick inside," he ordered them calmly, "but be careful. We don't vant to damage him any worse."

Both of the bear cubs nodded and Luk, the larger of the two, lay down on his chest only about a foot to the left of their downed friend while Muk gingerly slid his paws beneath the hybrid's side, and then began to carefully lift him skyward. However, he was struggling, so Boris took an end in an attempt to help the cub, but even he was faltering under Balto's dead weight. Jenna noticed the two of them beginning to stumble and, through fear of them dropping their friend, rushed forward and slid her shoulder beneath Balto's upper body, therefore taking quite a substantial amount of weight off of the young cub and aged goose's hands. Boris and Muk silently turned their eyes to Jenna and she returned their gaze then gave a curt nod.

"Alright, on three," Boris instructed, repositioning his grip so that he would be pushing up on the hybrid rather than pulling.

Muk and Jenna readied themselves and waited for the count.

"Von, two, three!" Boris cried with a groan as the word "three" left his beak, for as soon as that word became audible, the three of them began to lift Balto higher and higher into the air.

"Alright, steady," Jenna called out, "up on your end a little bit, Boris."

Balto was then swung carefully until he was positioned above Luk's back and then they began to set him down.

"Alright, now gently let him down," Boris instructed.

Jenna began to slide herself out from beneath Balto but kept steady pressure, and once she was out, she finished in the lift by laying Balto's upper body gently down upon Luk's fluffy back. There were strained groans all around as the three of them slid their various appendages out from under the hybrid and took a step back.

"Now, carry- him- in," Boris huffed tiredly to Luk, getting on a side and holding his wings up against Balto so as to stabilize him.

Luk only nodded and began to rise carefully to his feet, making sure to keep his body as steady as possible, and once he was up properly on all fours, he began to walk in the direction of the boat, keeping his rate of progression at a deliberate and steady pace. As he approached the plank, Jenna got behind him and braced Balto so as to keep him from sliding off of Luk's back, and then the two began slowly up the plank, disregarding the way it bowed and groaned strenuously beneath their immense weight. Boris and Muk waited down at the bottom until Jenna, Balto, and Luk were safely over the top of the rail before they ascended the plank, each of them making quick work of the flimsy, worn out piece of wood, and joining their affiliates up on the deck of the boat.

"…im into the cabin," they heard Jenna instructing Luk, arriving in time to only here the latter of the statement.

There was a nod from Luk and he sauntered into the desired vicinity, pausing so Jenna could squeeze past him and move Balto's blanket before continuing inside; and once he had entered the cabin, he was told to lie down. He did as he was told and Jenna got on a side while Boris and Muk wordlessly filed in behind them, taking to the same side that Jenna was on.

"Alright boys easy does it," Jenna said to them, gingerly gripping Balto's limp shoulders, "on three."

Boris and Muk took their portions of the hybrid and nodded, silently signaling to Jenna that they were ready to proceed.

Jenna nodded and tensed her muscles for the laborious job ahead.

"One, two, three," she groaned and picked up her end, pinching her eyes closed.

Together, the three of them lifted Balto off of Luk's back and then gingerly laid him out on the floor of the cabin, positioning him so that he lay on his stomach with his tail wrapped about his body and his head laid upon his forepaws. They stepped back, tweaked a few minor infringements, and then gently draped the blanket over his body, thus effectively shielding him from the cold so that he may recover quickly and comfortably. For a moment, the four of them simply stared at the hybrid and then wordlessly left the room so as to give him privacy; but not a one of them would leave the boat, not until he arose. Jenna knew that he would probably not wake for at least an hour, maybe more even; but she did not care. She was going to stay out here until he woke up, even if that meant getting her tail chewed by her family when she got back. It would be nothing compared to how awful she would feel if she simply left Balto after what had happened, especially after the way he had defended her honor like that. Leaving without thanking him would not set well with her conscience.