Hello everyone, Dr. Indigo here, and welcome to the first chapter of my latest fanfiction project. As of this point I don't have a whole lot to say about it, other than that it is a story for the Balto franchise (which is owned by Universal and not me), and that it will be about 3 to 4 chapters in total, depending on whether or not I choose to write an epilogue. So without further ado, let's just get this show on the road. Enjoy.

Chapter 1: Morning Routines.

Warmth…

That was always the first thing to return whenever sleep released its grip on his senses.

Whether it was from the embers in the fireplace beside his bed or the breath of the dog he chose to share it with, the warmth was always the first thing he noticed. Not that this was problem. In fact, he couldn't imagine a more pleasant thing to wake up to in the morning.

Usually by the time the warmth reached his bones his other senses would start to kick in. First his ears would be treated to the melodious sound of the local loons accompanied by the oh-so adorable snoring of his bedmate. Next his nose would start to twitch, stimulated either by the greasy aroma of meat cooking in the kitchen or by the flowery sweet scent of perfumed fur. Sometime after that his eyes would open and then his day would begin.

This was the typical morning routine for Balto and today was no exception.

As the last lingering vestiges of sleep finally faded from his body, the noble wolf-dog let out a yawn and slowly lifted himself off the large red cushion that was his bed; taking special care not to disturb his still slumbering mate. Though she was just a dainty little thing, she had a great responsibility, so she needed to rest a little longer than he did. And besides he liked watching her sleep, all curled up like a little ball of cuddlesome fluff. She was almost too adorable for words.

Before he could gaze much longer upon his dozing lover, Balto's stomach let out a low growl, telling him it was time for breakfast. So without any further delay, the handsome half-blood gave his spine a quick stretch and quietly walked off toward the kitchen, where their owner was undoubtedly preparing their first meal of the day.

'Owner…' he said internally, mulling over the word as if this was the first time he had ever heard it. 'Never thought I'd see the day…'

And to be perfectly frank neither did anyone else. In spite of his elevating standing among the community, Balto's less than laudable lineage was still enough to put most humans on edge. So the likelihood of him ever being permanently welcomed into someone's home was always extremely slim. That is of course until he met Ms. Dorothy.

Oh… Ms. Dorothy, wife of the local butcher and just about the kindest woman you'd ever want to meet. She had another name of course, like all humans did, but since the animal folk never needed such things to tell each other apart Balto never bothered to learn it. No, to him she was just Ms. Dorothy and that was enough. For what other name could properly describe such a woman. Ms. Dorothy, who took him in to her home and gave him a warm bed to sleep in. Ms. Dorothy, who fed him delicious cuts of exotic meats three times a day. Ms. Dorothy, who washed and brushed his shaggy coat and gave him pleasant scratches behind the ears. Indeed, what a truly wonderful woman she was to take in one such as him, even if she could get a bit too touchy-feely for his liking.

"Good morning," said a honeyed voice as the handsome half-blood as he entered the kitchen. "Sleep well Mr. Balto?"

Balto replied with a polite 'Yes ma'am', though to her ears it sounded more like 'Bark Bark'.

"Glad to hear it," she replied with playful giggle, pretending that they were having a real conversation. "I'll bet you're hungry, aren't you boy?"

In spite of his fondness for Ms. Dorothy, the noble wolf-dog was still a bit uncomfortable with being called 'boy'. However, he hid his discomfort, not wanting to appear rude, and merely nodded in response.

"Well that's just perfect," she said before breaking into a little sing-song speech. "Because~ I've got something extra special for you today~ a nice, juicy, steak~"

At the end of that last little line of sing-song she held up the meat in question and it was truly a thing of beauty; Two inches thick, five inches long, laced with delicious fat, and still dripping with blood. Dorothy giggled when she saw how mesmerized he was by the raw slab of cow flesh; she even held it up to his nose just to tease him a bit. However, just as his instincts kicked in and he tried to gobble up the delectable morsel, she pulled it just out of his reach; causing her to let out another playful giggle.

"No, no, no, my little Prince, be patient~" Ms. Dorothy said playfully, wagging her index finger in mock disapproval. "This particular little steaky-wakey comes to us all the way from the Orient. My Henry used a few of his extra-special connections to have it shipped to our sleepy little town for an extra-special client, and he was nice enough to let me have some samples to give to you and my little Princess~" There was a hint of mischief in her voice as she spoke; still dangling the bloody morsel just inches out of reach. "So since this is such an extra-special treat, I think somebody should have to earn it first~"

Balto resisted the urge to wince. He knew all too well where this was going. A short time after he had begun living with Ms. Dorothy, one of her lady friends suggested that she instill a few basic commands into him; just in case any of his baser instincts ever kicked in. A ridiculous and completely unnecessary notion, but unfortunately his new master was all for it. So for the next several weeks the noble wolf-dog was put through a rigorous, not to mention humiliating, training regimen and by the time it was finally over he was perfectly conditioned to perform over a dozen tricks at his giggling master's command.

For several months afterward, Ms. Dorothy would bring him out whenever they had company and make him perform for them like a Circus Poodle. She would make him sit-up, laydown, rollover, speak, beg, shake hands, and host of other simple tricks which, while always met with applause and complements, were completely degrading. Luckily however the novelty of his tricks eventually wore off and his master ceased making him perform for guests. However, every so often, the butcher's wife would make up some excuse to try out her commands and it looked like now was one of times.

"Now then Mr. Balto," the human woman said in a sweet yet command tone. "Sit for Mama."

Balto obeyed without resistance. Not that it would've made much difference if he tried. In spite of being a bit flighty, Ms. Dorothy turned out to be a superb dog trainer.

"Good boy, now speak."

Again Balto obeyed, responding with three quick barks. They didn't mean anything in particular. Though Ms. Dorothy had sworn on several occasions that he was saying 'I Love You'.

"Oh, my, my, my, so smart and handsome; no wonder my little Sweetie Pie loves you so much." She said affectionately. "Alrighty then, just one more and you get your treat. Balto… Beg."

A split-second after the command was given Balto went into position. He raised his two front legs up and pointed his paws downward in a submissive fashion. Then he turned his snout in a similar downward fashion and began to whimper pleadingly. Of all the tricks the noble half-blood had had instilled into his brain, this one was the most humiliating. Unfortunately it was also Ms. Dorothy's absolute favorite.

"Aw~ You are just too adorable~" the butcher's wife cooed sweetly as she knelt down to his level and began to scratch him behind the ears. "You're just my perfect little Prince aren't you? Yes you are~ Yes you are~"

Although these tricks were always degrading, Balto could never bring himself to be angry at Ms. Dorothy for making him perform them. She never meant any harm and she was always quick to reward him with lots of praise and affection; so really a few brief moments of humiliation here and there were a small price to pay.

"Oh~ You're such a good boy Mr. Balto. Yes you are. Yes you are. And good boys deserve their rewards~" she said as she held the desired cut of meat up to his waiting maw. "Go on sweetie, eat it all up, you've earned it."

Not needing to be told twice, the noble, if somewhat domesticated, wolf-dog gladly ate the succulent morsel out of his master's hand. Much to his delight, the raw steak was just as toothsome as advertised. The tender flesh, the scrumptious fat, it was an absolute taste sensation. It was almost a tragedy when he finally had to swallow.

"My, my, you were hungry weren't you boy?" she asked in a playful yet motherly tone. "And did my handsome little Prince enjoy his breakfast?"

Balto said nothing, opting to instead lick the residual blood off his lips; fortunately Ms. Dorothy took that as a 'yes'.

"Glad to hear it," said the butcher's wife as she stood up and walked back to her cutting board. "But just remember, no more until lunch. I can't have my little Princey-Poo getting all chubby-wubby~"

And with that said she grabbed her cleaver and began hacking away at the other steak she had set aside. With skill and quickness equal to that of her husband, Ms. Dorothy chopped the bloody slab into bite sized cubes. Once that was finished, she lifted up the left side of the cutting board and carefully slid all of the meaty chunks into a polished silver bowl.

"Hmm, I do believe I hear my little Princess waking up." She said as she knelt down once again; this time with the silver dog dish in hand. "I bet she'd just love it if her hubby brought her breakfast in bed. Don't you think?"

Ms. Dorothy was nothing if not odd, but she was well versed in the ways of romance; or dog breeding, depending on your perspective. And Balto had learned long ago that whenever she told him to do something in regards to his mate, it was usually a good idea to listen to her. So he took silver bowl in his teeth and, after giving a respectful nod to his peculiar master, walked back into the living room; taking special care not to drop a single scrap of scrumptious meat.

Much to his elation, Ms. Dorothy had been correct; his beloved was indeed beginning to stir form her slumber. This was just too perfect; for although he would never voice this in the company of other canines, he really did think of her as his Princess and what better way for a Princess to wake up, than to be served breakfast in bed by her beloved Prince.

As he approached the crimson cushion that was his bed, Balto paused for just a moment to take in the form of the creature he shared it with. Part of him still couldn't believe this was real; eighteen months ago he would've never thought he'd end up with a dog like her and not for the reasons one might think. For one thing she was very… small, much smaller than himself; at least one-third his own size, if he had to guess. And while he had never been one to put too much stock in a female's appearance, back then, ideally, he would've preferred to stay with one a little closer to his body type; if for no other reason than familiarity. Secondly there was the matter of her personality. His current mate was, for lack of a better phrase, not the brightest star in the sky. She wasn't stupid, at least not as much as everyone thought, but she was a bit ditzy, had a tendency to mix-up her vocabulary, and seemed to think about grooming more than anything else; none of which were qualities he particularly desired in a mate even to this day. Lastly there was the little matter of her breed. Unlike his previous lover, she was not a husky, and while he wasn't technically one either, they did bare enough of a resemblance to himself to make him feel comfortable around them; once again, tying into his desire for the familiar. Indeed, over a year ago he never would have pictured himself falling for a dog like her, but then again that was before the incident.

Since then he had learned a great deal; about love and about himself. For instance, a short time after the incident he learned that familiarity, while comforting, is vastly overrated. Sometimes in order to move forward, one must be willing to embrace the new and different. And sometimes when one embraces the unfamiliar they discover things they never imagined. In the case of the tiny Pomeranian he had chosen as his mate, Balto discovered that beneath her skin-deep vanity and apparent lack of intelligence there was the soul of an angel. She was sweet, empathetic, nurturing, and possessed some of the finest maternal instincts he had ever seen; which she would come in handy in the near future. All that, coupled with a newfound appreciation for her adorably compact size, and the stoic wolf-dog was forced to admit that he had found his perfect life partner.

A gentle yawn quickly brought him back to reality and he soon found himself face-to-face with his no longer sleeping beauty. Even with her advanced state of bedhead, she was still a vision of loveliness. Her white and pale-lavender fur was still frizzed up from her extended slumber; giving her the appearance of a lady's powder-puff. Her eyes, though still somewhat glazed, sparkled like the precious gems that they were. Indeed every inch of her, from perfectly manicured paws to her beautiful bushy tail right down to that cute little beauty mark on her left cheek, was absolutely ravishing. But of course her most attractive feature, at least from his perspective, was her swollen belly. Whereas some dogs might find such a thing repulsive, he saw it as a sign of wonderful things to come. To him it made her look like a glorious goddess of love and fertility.

"Morning Sweetie…" she said with another tiny yawn; her voice like that of a young fairy. "Oh, is all that for little old me? You shouldn't have."

Carefully, Balto placed the sliver dish on the floor in front of her, freeing his mouth to give an answer.

"Don't be ridiculous." He said in a calm yet affectionate tone. "Nothing's too good for you Dixie."

End Notes: One chapter down and only two or three more to go. I hope you all enjoyed the setup and please feel free to write a review before you leave. Constructive Criticism is encouraged but all rude or insulting remarks will be removed so if you don't like this series or this pairing don't berate me about it by using foul language. I mean it. Anyway, see in the next one. Peace.