Chapter 4

Balto awoke the next morning, half hoping the day before had been a bad dream. He looked around. He was in a shallow hole in the snow. He groaned. He was as he had been the night before. He got up and padded off.

He padded through the snow. He could not see. Snow whipped around everywhere making vision impossible. He had been in the forest for two weeks now. In all that time he had eaten one rabbit. He was starving. He wondered if he'd ever find anything. Now he was caught in a blizzard.

He suddenly broke down sobbing. He cried for his family. He cried for his situation. He cried for everything. He shivered from the cold. He suddenly saw something approach. It was as white as the snow. It waddled towards him as he lost consciousness.

Balto snapped awake. He was in an unfamiliar setting. He rubbed his head. He was aching all over. He struggled to get up.

"Please do not try to get up little vone." A voice called. Balto saw a goose waddle towards. "If I hadn't found you, you vould be freezed to death."

"That's frozen to death." Balto corrected.

"Vell forgive my Russian!" The goose snapped. The goose extended his wing. "Boris Goosinov. My friends call me Boris. If I had friends."

Balto reluctantly shook his wing. "Nice to meet you Boris. Now where am I?"

"You are in Nome Alaska." Boris said proudly.

"Nome? Where's Nenana?"

Boris frowned. "Nenana is quite a vays avay from here."

Balto winced as he got up. "I don't feel too good."

"You must be hungry. Vait here. I get food."

Boris waddled away. Balto took a look at his surrounding. He realized he was on a boat. The deck was on a slant and Balto struggled to stay upright.

Then Balto looked out at the town. It was beautiful. Balto looked at the little houses. The boat was right on the outskirts. He felt himself tempted to go into the town. Who could possibly want to hurt him in a town this beautiful?

He remembered the family he had had only a week earlier. Tears came to his eyes. He didn't know why the wolf had killed them. The wolf was dead now. Balto couldn't say he felt sorry for him. He heard a familiar waddling sound. Boris had returned with a big piece of bacon.

"Zis vill help your stomach."

Balto ate the bacon in less than ten seconds. "Is that all you brought?"

Boris nodded. "You can go into town and get more if you like."

Balto nodded. "I should probably get out of your way. I don't want to be a drag."

Boris shook his head. "Actually I have quite a dull life. I vould be fine vith you staying for a vhile. By za vay, vhat is your name?"

"My names Balto."

"Good to meet you Balto. You may stay as long as you vant."

Balto nodded. "I'll stay for the night then leave tomorrow."

Boris shrugged. "As you vish."

Balto padded off the ramp. He headed for the town.

It was getting dark out. There were few people on the streets. Balto padded through the dark town. Suddenly his ears perked up. He looked around. He was in the middle of the street. He couldn't see anything.

"Who…who's there?" Balto called nervously.

"Well look at the little puppy." A voice said.

Balto could faintly see the outlines of dogs.

"That ain't a puppy. That's a wolf."

Balto bared his teeth. "Stay back."

The dogs burst out laughing. "You're a funny little guy you know that?!"

One of the dogs advanced on him. "What are you going to do big bad wolf? Eat me?" He laughed.

Balto could feel anger building inside of him. He needed to leave.

"I gotta go." Balto turned to leave. There were more dogs behind him.

"What are you going home to mommy?" The dog teased.

Balto growled. "Shut up about my mother."

The dog smiled. "What did she get shot? Scum deserve that."

Before he could stop himself Balto had leapt onto the bigger dogs leg. He bit down. The dog howled in pain.

"He bit me! The little twerp bit me!" The dog howled.

Balto jumped over the dog and ran off down the street. He had to get back to the boat.

He looked back. The other dogs were chasing him. "Get back here you little creep!"

Balto ducked into an alleyway. The dogs followed.

"Come out and show yourself! We won't hurt you little guy!"

Balto wasn't convinced. He noticed a ladder. It led to the roof of the building.

He climbed up. The other dogs noticed.

"There he is! He's going onto the roof!"

Balto reached the roof. He looked down. The dogs were beginning to climb the ladder. Balto looked for a way out. There were no other exits. He thought over jumping to the opposite building, but knew it was too far. He heard a sniggering. He realized with horror that the dogs had caught up with him. He turned. The lead dog was limping. Balto could see blood seeping out of his leg.

"You shouldn't have done that twerp." The dog snarled.

Balto backed up. He was trembling with fear. The dog grinned. "End of the road kid."

Balto suddenly noticed something. There was a clothesline going from the building to an opposite building. He grinned.

"Well this has been fun guys. Really it has. But I gotta go."

Before the dogs could react, Balto clamped his jaws around the clothesline and slid across to the other building. The dogs stared dumbfounded after him.

Balto jumped to the street. He began running, and didn't stop until he had reached the beached boat.

Boris looked worried when he appeared. "Vhat happened to you?"

"Nothing important Boris. Why are you so worried about me?"

Boris shrugged. "It vorries me seeing young pups out zere on zeir own."

Balto smiled. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Are you sure? You can stay for as long as you vant. Zis town isn't very…open minded…about volves."

"I'm not a wolf. I'm a wolf dog." Balto corrected.

"No offence intended. But you look like volf. Humans vill, I'm afraid, see you as volf."

Balto nodded. "Maybe you're right." Balto padded over to a blanket in the corner of the boat. He wrapped it around himself to protect from the cold.

"Tell me about yourself Boris."

Boris scratched his head. "Vell zere isn't really much to tell. I vas flying south, and I crash landed here. I liked it so much zat I decided to stay."

"Really? That good of a town huh?"

Boris nodded. "Vhat about you? How did you end up in za voods of Nome?"

Balto sighed. "I've had it rough. This wolf…killed my whole family. He tried to kill me but I escaped. I wandered through the woods and ended up here."Tears slowly formed in his Balto's eyes. "I don't even know why the wolf killed them."Balto began crying. Boris waddled over to him and wrapped a wing around his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Balto. I didn't…I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay. You didn't know."

"Vhat happened to the vone who killed zem?"

Balto felt rage course through his veins. "I don't know. He may be dead, but I'm not sure."

Boris nodded. "Vell I'll take care of you for now."

Balto nodded tearfully. "Thanks Boris."

Boris waddled away. "I hope you sleep vell. It vill be cold night."

Balto nodded. "Goodnight Boris."

"Goodnight Balto."