Come the morn, the word was about town like a conflagration; the girl was missing and nowhere to be seen. People spread the tale, saying they would have to initiate a search, that almost every dog in town would be tasked to the chase. Some miners grew irascible at the news, saying that the postponing of their work wasn't worth the life of one girl - but it was the mayor's daughter, and he was not to be denied. This Doc told the other dogs as they sat around in the warmth of the boiler room.
They murmured between themselves, a note of worry in the air. "It's one travesty after another," Sylvie said, to general agreement.
"Yeah," Nikki began, "seems like us dogs can't get a break around here. What do yous think of this, Balto?"
"Well, it is odd. But if she is out there, I'm sure we'll find her."
"Except that we ain't search dogs," Kaltag added.
"No, we're not search dogs, but we are dogs. We're the best method of transportation these people have, and if they intend to go out there and look, then we're going to help."
"What about Steele?" Sylvie asked.
"Steele, that lousy mutt?" Dixie said, "They wouldn't use him if the world depended on it." Some chuckles went up from the crowd. "Well they wouldn't, would they?"
"They might," Balto replied hesitantly. "Uncomfortable as the thought makes me, he is one of the town's best dogs."
"One of the town's best dogs?" Kaltag scoffed. "You remember what he did, right?"
"Yes, I remember." Balto shot him an admonitory glance. "I just mean to say that he's a good runner, and they might place him on a team."
"Well don't you worry," Kaltag said, "if he gives you trouble, you come to me and I'll kick his tail."
"We all will." Dixie added.
"Thanks, guys." Balto smiled at them, then got to his feet and yawned. "Anyhow I should be off; going to check up on Jenna."
For most of the year the town of Nome was covered in snow and ice, and today was no exception. As Balto stepped out into the streets, he shivered at the gelid air. In some places the snow piled up to the windows, and many inhabitants ambled about in snow-shoes and thick habiliments.
The day saw a great hubbub about the town; miners walked by on their way to their claims, couriers ran the mail and news, and sled-teams bustled about, hauling loads big and small. Some of the people, recognising the town's hero, leaned down and patted him, while others simply smiled; one fellow on his way back from the butcher lodged a bone in Balto's maw before he could object. When he finally found Jenna, he spat it onto the ground and sighed. "Being a hero is hard work."
"Surely it's not that bad," she replied with a chuckle.
"Bones aren't really my thing," he said with a grin.
"People are mostly friendly around here; give it time and you'll get used to it."
"They weren't before."
"That was different. People fear what they don't understand, and they just saw you as a potentially dangerous wolf hybrid; but they know you now - they see you as a hero." She walked closer to him as she spoke, nuzzling him on the cheek. "You're my hero."
The wolf-dog blushed and chuckled, returning the nuzzle. "Oh stop it."
"Make me," she countered with a playful growl.
Within moments he was chasing after her, running through alleys and around precarious bends. The snow kicked up wildly from their paws, spraying anyone unfortunate enough to be in their path. She bounded up a pile of crates, onto an awning, and then she was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Balto fast at her heels. She hopped across a clothesline, and the wolf-dog followed, the thrill of the chase in his eyes. Finally, she slid to a stop.
Balto plodded up beside her and they took a seat atop a relatively flat section of roof. "You're getting good at that," he said.
"I learned from the best." Jenna gave him a wink, then licked him on the cheek, causing him to blush again.
From their vantage point they could see most of Nome and the world beyond. Snow-covered rooftops glittered in the cold morning sun; clouds large and ominous blanketed the horizon to the east; the mountains sat, ancient, stoic and grey, to the north beyond plains of snow and ice; and in front of them, to the west, lay the Bering Sea, shimmering and ethereal.
"There's no place like Nome," Balto mused with a smile. This was the primary reason he loved the rooftops; not for the height, nor the joy of deftly leaping across them as if they were a giddy playground - but for the vista.
"No," Jenna replied, "and I imagine there's not any place like it in the entire world," she said, leaning into his side. She closed her eyes, enjoying his warmth and the delicate touch of his fur against her nose. Soon they were laying side by side, nestled against each-other and dreaming of the future.