Chapter Eight: Team Practice.

7:00 A.M. Tuesday, February 3, 1925:

Nine hours later, as the new morning finally rolled around, Balto once again found himself repeating a familiar process. As the wolf-dog began to stir into consciousness, his day started like every other morning. His basic functions started first, just like they always did. His heart, lungs and brain had still been working all night, while the rest of his body had been resting up for the new day.

As his brain slowly came back online, Balto could begin to feel things again. The first thing he noticed was that he was lying on his back, and that the wooden floor of the trawler wasn't as hard as usual. His next thought was that he was warm, surprisingly warm. The trawler usually had a draft inside that could range from nippy to freezing cold, inside, forcing him to sleep with a woolen rug wrapped around him. After a few more seconds, Balto came to the conclusion that he wasn't inside the trawler anymore.

Balto's yellow eyes snapped open and he quickly surveyed his surroundings. The hybrid finally realized that he was sleeping inside a human bedroom: a little girl's wooden bed wasn't far away, placed in the corner of the room.

As the part of his brain that stored his memories also came back online, Balto began to remember things from previous day - the greatest day of his life. The half-breed breathed a sigh of relief as he realized where he was: inside Rosie's bedroom with Jenna. He could smell the husky's pleasant scent and felt her fur brush against his back, indicating that she was still asleep, lying right behind him.

He didn't want to wake her up just yet, so Balto decided to quietly turn around, hoping to get a good look at his new fiancée. Balto slowly rolled over onto his side, threading as softly as he could. But instead of laying eyes on a familiar rust and cream colored husky, Balto found himself nose to nose with another dog - who was a complete stranger. Balto jumped backwards in shock and yelped startlingly.

Awakened by the sound of Balto recoiling, the stranger dog fell backwards, terrified by the sight of the hybrid's wolf-like fangs gleaming in the early morning sunlight.

Lying only a few feet away from the stranger, Jenna woke up to the sound of her boyfriend screaming, and started screaming herself when she realized there was someone else in her bedroom with her.

Knowing that both his and Jenna's lives were potentially in danger, Balto's next instinct was to attack the stranger and force him to reveal his identity. Balto immediately charged the canine before he could attack or try to flee the scene, and pinned him against the hard wooden floor.

Being significantly smaller than his adversary, the stranger dog didn't stand a ghost of a chance of freeing himself from Balto's vice grip.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?!", Balto growled, lips curling.

"I'm so sorry!", the dog pleaded desperately.

Immediately recognizing the stranger's voice, Balto looked down and realized that the intruder was really Star, crushed underneath his giant paws. The hybrid really didn't know what to make of that shocking development.

"Star, what the heck are you doing?", Balto demanded, before he decided to step off the husky's chest and give him some space.

Recognizing the sled dog as well once her nerves had calmed, Jenna got to her feet and glared at the husky.

"I couldn't sleep last night. I kept hearing all these strange noises, it felt like there was someone inside my house even if I didn't see anyone, so I decided to sleep here, close to you", Star explained, tentatively standing up and blushing out of embarrassment.

"Why would you come here?", Jenna demanded, looking and sounding every bit as annoyed as her mate.

"Well, you guys are the only dogs I've known who's stood up to Steele and lived, so…", Star explained, trailing off at the end as he realized how bad that sounded out loud.

"So you decided that I would be your own personal bodyguard, just like Steele used to be", Balto finished flatly..

Star gulped but he didn't deny the accusation, he only feared the wolf-dog's reaction.

Balto and Jenna shot skeptical looks at each other and felt each other's exasperation. Nevertheless, both members of the canine couple put a fair amount of consideration into what their next move should be before they turned to face their 'visitor'.

"Star, I'm sorry, but you can't stay here", Jenna frowned.

Star's ears drooped. He was obviously disappointed but he also clearly expected that entirely reasonable reply.."I understand", the husky nodded, before he turned to walk towards the door.

"Star, wait!", Balto hastily called after him, catching the sled dog's attention.

Surprised, Jenna glanced at her fiancee, wondering what the wolf-dog was up to.

Meeting her curious gaze, the hybrid offered her a sympathetic smile. "Hey, the guy just stood up to Steele, even I'm a little on edge right now", Balto reasoned, before he turned to address his teammate once more.

"Star, how many dogfights have you been in since you first moved to Nome?", Balto questioned.

"I don't know, four, five? Why do you ask?", Star speculated, feeling confused.

"Because I've been in plenty, too many if you ask me. And every time, I've been outnumbered or up against someone bigger than me", Balto recounted, crinkling his brow.

"Well, what does that have to do with what we're talking about now?", Star pondered.

"Everything. Because in all those dogfights, I've tried to learn from my mistakes, and I've learned some things along the way too. I won't be your bodyguard Star, but I can teach you self-defense, some moves I know. I know it might seem a little strange, taking lessons from a half-breed, but-", Balto offered, before the smaller husky cut him off.

"I'll take it!", Star agreed, his eyes lighting up as he quickly ran over to shake the hybrid's paw. "So, when do we start?", he questioned excitedly.

Balto blinked, taking a moment to catch up on his teammate's choice. "We'll start bright and early tomorrow morning", the hybrid decided.

Star nodded his head, gave one last awkward smile to Jenna (which the husky returned) and then he ran out the bedroom door, presumably heading back to his home.

"Oh, and don't forget team practice today!", Balto shouted after him, rushing to stick his head in the hallway.

"I won't!", Star replied from downstairs, making a fair amount of noise. After a few more seconds, the husky was already gone.

Balto chuckled, shaking his head, and stepped back inside Rosie's room. Truth be told, the more time he spent around them, the more Balto started to think the husky and his brawnier friends weren't really all that bad.

"Think you can teach me some of those lessons? It's not easy being a girl in a town full of guys, some of whom are perverts", Jenna requested, still feeling intrigued by her mate's proposal.

"You can come by if you like", Balto replied offhandedly, which led to the husky to quirk a brow. Clearly, something was distracting her boyfriend.

"You're worried about something", Jenna guessed intuitively. Balto caught her eye, but the hybrid didn't deny her assumption.

"Today's my first real day as a sled dog, and the leader of a team at that. Yeah, I'm a little worried", Balto admitted, before he started pacing around the rug. "I mean, being a fan or a spectator is one thing, but actually participating is a bit more daunting", the hybrid figured, trying to put his concerns into words.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine. This is what you've always dreamed about, remember?", Jenna chimed in warmly and encouragingly.

Balto nodded his head, though Jenna could still tell the wolf-dog still wasn't really convinced. Eventually, the hybrid stopped walking around circles, figuring it would do him no good, and decided to just change the subject.

"So what's on our agenda for the day?", Balto spoke, curiously inquiring.

Jenna's ears perked up and the husky consulted the plans she had made the day before, a bit hazy now from a night of sleep. "Well at twelve, we'll meet up with Dixie, Sylvie and Doc so we can plan the wedding", Jenna replied.

Balto groaned softly, rolling his eyes, and his puzzled mate really didn't understand why he had that reaction.

"Jenna, don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriends are driving me nuts", Balto confessed, only half-joking.

Catching on, Jenna smirked. She wasn't expecting that, but she could hardly blame her mate admittedly. "Yeah, Dixie and Sylvie hardly ever get to plan a wedding, and when they do, they tend to go a little overboard", she explained.

"Only a little?", Balto asked sarcastically, quirking a brow.

"Hey, watch it. Besides, shouldn't you and your team be practicing soon?", Jenna inquired.

"Nope, according to Gunnar, practice isn't until 9:00, so we've got all morning to figure about what we're gonna do until then", Balto reminded her, grinning wolfishly.

Jenna felt her cheeks grow warm, blushing lightly, at the thought.

A bit more time passed and the two dogs chatted amiably all the while, wandering through a variety of topics, until Balto broached a more serious matter cautiously.

"Just so you know, Jenna, being the wife of a wolf-dog won't be easy", the hybrid warned her, his arm tossed lazily over the husky, holding her close.

"When is anything in life ever easy?", Jenna retorted sarcastically.

"You'll probably be the talk of the town, known as a wolf-lover for the rest of your life", Balto added, wanting to make sure the husky knew exactly what she was getting into before she recited her vows.

"If I cared about what the other dogs thought of me, then I would have never had said 'yes' when you asked me to marry you", Jenna firmly replied, dismissing the thought.

Feeling satisfied that he had said his part, Balto smiled warmly. It seemed that nothing, not even Steele, would keep his husky bride from walking down the metaphorical aisle on their wedding day.

"Not to mention you'll have put up with me howling all the time", the hybrid teased her lightly, nuzzling the house dog and making her giggle unexpectedly.

"Balto, I love it when you howl, it's part of what makes you special", Jenna insisted jovially. Once she had calmed down, the husky cocked her head. "Why do wolves howl so much anyway?", she questioned curiously.

The wolf-dog shrugged. "I dunno, it's just a part of my instincts. I do it when I'm happy or sad or angry. Howling can be used as beacon to call other wolves, or just a way of letting off steam", Balto mused thoughtfully. "You know, it's in your instincts too", he added when a thought occurred.

Jenna blinked. "I'm pretty sure it isn't", the husky said skeptically, caught off guard by that suggestion.

"Sure it is, dogs are all the distant cousins of wolves, remember? Thousands of years of evolution by man has taught you to bury your instincts deep inside you and just ignore them, like I how I used to ignore mine", Balto explained, holding Jenna's paws in his own.

Still, the house dog seemed unconvinced.

"Jenna Jones, I can gladly say that you're more like me than you think you are", Balto remarked with an easy smile, meeting Jenna's curious gaze with a look of content affection.

Finally, it dawned on Jenna what Balto had taken away during the serum run: that all dogs and wolves were the same underneath their differences. They all had something in common, the same origin. Just like how all humans were the same, no matter what gender or race they were.

"That's pretty deep, for a renegade wolf who hated himself just a few days ago", Jenna observed, intrigued yet pleased by her boyfriend's change of outlook.

"Yeah, well ever since that night in the ravine, it's like every part of me is different", Balto remarked, stretching and getting to his feet once more.

"Maybe it was always there, locked away like your instincts", Jenna theorized, standing up as well. The two dogs had spent enough time lying around and talking in Rosie's bedroom, they figured it was time to venture downstairs to officially start up their day.

On their way down the hallway, an appealing idea occurred to Balto while he was letting his mind wander. "I know what we should do. We should visit Boris after breakfast and tell him about the good news", Balto suggested.

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Boris will get a kick out of hearing his son is getting married", Jenna reckoned.

"Or he could just freak out", Balto speculated, as the hybrid recalled just how high-strung his father figure could be.

Jenna shrugged, entirely unconcerned about the old goose's reaction. "You know him better than I do", she replied.

Things were quiet again for another beat, before Jenna piped up once more with a question. "So what do you think is for breakfast?", the house dog inquired.

Balto's bushy eyebrows climbed up his forehead as the half-breed felt perplexed. "How would I know?", he questioned.

"You're the one with the super-sensitive nose", Jenna cheekily reasoned, grinning at the wolf-dog.

"Ah, fair point", Balto chuckled, his features relaxing as he caught his girlfriend's drift. With that, the wolf-dog's ears perked up as the half-breed starting sniffing the air around him. Hearing activity down in the kitchen, he could already additionally smell the food Eve was cooking downstairs: bacon, eggs, toast, pancakes, waffles, and freshly brewed coffee. He listed every tantalizing morsel to his mate.

"So, how does freshly-baked human food taste?", the wolf-dog pondered. For most of the hybrid's life, he had scavenged eaten food that was slightly past date, or had already been thrown in the garbage, so he had very little idea how fresh out of the oven human cuisine tasted.

"It's hard to describe, you'll have to try it for yourself to know for sure, but in my opinion, it is fantastic!", Jenna replied earnestly.

"Mmm, sounds promising", Balto chuckled, tossing a careless arm around Jenna as they walked towards the staircase.

However, unbeknownst to the happy couple, time was running out for them. Trouble was brewing just across town, and there was only a few hours left until both dogs would have to fight for their lives.

((()-()))

As Balto and Jenna descended down the wooden staircase, the beautiful scent of freshly baked human food was growing stronger and stronger every second, tempting Balto to spring forward and find it. The two dogs discovered that the door leading to the kitchen and the dining room was currently unlocked, allowing them to slip quietly inside. However, it wasn't long before they noticed by the Jones family patriarch, Tom, who was sitting at the table, reading his morning newspaper.

Thomas glanced up from the headlines and observed the two dogs padding into the kitchen, brushing past Evelyn's legs. "Glad to see you're up so soon, boy, you've got a big morning ahead of you today", Tom smiled, addressing the newest resident.

Balto barked in response and sat back on his hind legs, watching as Eve flipped the pancakes, fried the bacon and eggs, and poured their coffee. After another few minutes, she placed all the food and beverages on a silver tray and rested it on the table. Just from watching her work, Balto could tell that Eve had repeated this process hundreds of times and learned over time about how to be a good housewife, inventing her own unique ways of getting her chores done quickly and efficiently.

Balto could also guess that breakfast was not quite as an enjoyable for the two spouses without their daughter, Rosie, present. Beneath their cheery smiles that morning, Thomas and Evelyn were still a bit on edge. They were still worried about their little girl, afraid that the antitoxin would stop working for some reason, and that she could relapse at any moment.

Balto wished he could comfort the couple, but it was impossible. He wished he could tell them about the promise he had made to watch over their daughter, and that he would be Rosie's protector for as long as she was sick in bed. He wished now more than ever he could talk to humans. Instead, the wolf-dog sighed. He would simply have to keep his promise to Rosie in silence.

As Tom started chewing on a piece of bacon, relishing the saltiness, he held up his newspaper and pointed towards a sizable, conspicuous photograph on the front page. "See this, boy? You're front page news now", Tom declared, his voice slightly muffled from the food he was digesting.

"Now dear, don't talk with your mouth full", Eve scolded, before she took a bracing, familiar sip of her black coffee.

Tom, for the most part, pretended like she hadn't spoken and placed the newspaper on the kitchen floor so that Balto and Jenna could read it. Sure enough, Balto recognized the picture on the front page as being a third-person view of when he signed his adoption papers the other day. As he stared at the black and white photograph, Balto realized that the photograph must have been taken by one of the dozens of reporters that were inside City Hall at the time. Beneath it was a picture of Eve attaching a collar to his neck, from the night before.

Balto tried to read the descriptive words below it, the captions and the paragraphs, but he didn't understand the English language to that extent. The only human language he was well versed in was some Eskimo tongue, and he only knew that because he used to spend some time on native territory when he was still a pup.

Luckily for Balto, Tom picked up the paper again and started reading aloud for the benefit of his family. "Local wolf-dog hybrid, Balto, is welcomed into Nome, taking champion sled dog, Steele's, place as lead dog on Gunnar Kaasen's team, a rag-tag group of huskies and malamutes", Tom intoned, sounding slightly amused.

"No offense Balto, but I never thought I'd see the day when Steele was replaced by a wolf-dog", Tom noted, silently checking out the smaller print.

"Yeah, me neither", Balto agreed in his head, still adjusting to everything that had happened the previous day.

"Serves him right, that dog. From what that boy said last night, I'd say Steele was a regular tyrant", Eve remarked, earning an amused snort from her husband, while she sliced her fork into a thick and juicy waffle.

"Tyrant?", Balto thought, glancing at Eve. Hearing the woman's annoyed, offhand words, the hybrid recalled something. Two nights ago, he had compared his life story to the fictional canine Buck, and his own rival, Spitz. Buck had taken Spitz's place as lead dog, after Spitz had died - killed by Buck's own paws. Perhaps his life wasn't so much like Buck's after all. But before he could continue that line of thought, the hybrid flinched when a fairly loud, rumbling sound emitted his belly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten yet and neither had Jenna.

Tom was confused for a moment before the man stood from his chair and shot an apologetic look at his canine pets. "What is wrong with me? I forgot to feed the dogs, again", the American immigrant chided himself, before he walked to one of the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a familiar bag of dog kibble.

Evelyn watched her husband work - pouring kibble into each dog's dish - and took another sip of her coffee, content to let him handle the task on his own this time.

"Eat up guys, you're gonna need a lot energy today", Tom advised, before he patted Balto on the head.

Balto barked happily, his tail wagging, and licked Tom's hand in return, eliciting a chuckle from the human.

Once that was done and taken care of, Tom took his seat back at the table again, which still felt warm and inviting to the man, and started examining the second page of his paper. The husband and wife ate in silence for a while after that. They filled their bellies but they shared no words between them, only occasionally making noise whenever they moved their dishes or flipped a page. Eventually, Thomas sighed.

"I've gotta be getting back to work soon. Now that the hospital says the children are recovering, the boss man tells me that my week off is over", the scruffy man informed his wife, sounding more than a bit bitter.

Catching that, Evelyn set down her cup and quirked her brow. "Is there something wrong?", she asked.

"I just wish I could be there by Rosie's side until she's better. How can I work knowing that my daughter is sitting in a hospital room, twenty-four hours a day, surrounded by strangers?", Tom admitted, meeting eyes with her over his newspaper.

"Now don't exaggerate, honey. Most of the kids at her school are there with her and I'll be there, she won't be alone", Eve insisted reassuringly.

"Yeah, I guess", Tom reluctantly conceded, folding up his paper, though the man obviously wasn't very convinced.

Evelyn smiled at his overprotective instincts, knowing where he was coming from. The woman leaned forward and gently placed her hands on top of her husband's hands. The kitchen table was fairly small, and it was obviously only designed for four people, which allowed Eve to easily stretch her arms from end to the other, if she chose to do so. Normally, such a thing went against proper breakfast behavior, but she was okay with setting propriety aside for a change for what she had in mind.

"Rosie will be fine, honey. She has her father's spirit", Eve insisted, looking her husband straight down the eyes as her own seemed to sparkle just a tad.

Gradually, her spouse's expression brightened and the man chuckled lightly, appreciating her input. He raised his fingers so he could intertwine them with his lover's. "Look at us. Isn't it traditional for the husband to be the one who comforts his wife?", Tom lightheartedly teased her.

"Well, we've never been much of a traditional couple, have we? An Englishwoman and an American, a frontier man. Where I'm from, our marriage would have been considered such a scandal", Eve reckoned.

"Can't say I have any regrets about it though", Tom stated, entirely undaunted, as he gazed into Eve's eyes and the smaller woman gazed back, sizing him up. Slowly, the two humans leaned forward, leaned into each other, and without ever breaking eye contact, their lips touched.

Balto and Jenna watched in astonishment as the old married couple kissed passionately - indulging in comfort and solace and intimacy - like they were still teenagers on their first date. Balto had asked Jenna the other day how such polar opposite people could ever have grown attracted to each other, but now he felt he understood. It was not unlike his relationship with Jenna. It didn't matter who they were or where they came from, all that mattered was that they cared about each other very much, enough to shut out everyone who would tear them apart or deny them their happiness.

After a moment, Tom and Eve pulled away from each other, filling their lungs with fresh air, and proceeded to straighten themselves out in their respective chairs.

"Well", Eve spoke, feeling a tad flustered as she toyed with her eggs with her fork.

"Yeah", Tom agreed, feeling about as awkward at the moment. Neither of them really knew what to say or do next, after such a spontaneous and heated display of affection. Eventually, the man glanced over the back of his chair, towards the two canines who seemed to be alternating between eating kibble and eyeing the pair.

"Sorry you two had to see that", Tom jokingly apologized, earning him some tail wags from the canines and a scoff from his wife before she started biting into one of her muffins. And just like that, with a bit of humor, the somewhat awkward, flustered atmosphere dispersed and things between the family were amicable and sociable again.

Balto was really starting to like this family.

((()-()))

About thirty minutes later, Balto and Jenna stepped out of Rosie's house, refreshed and ready for the new day. Jenna was correct, human food tasted amazing, even better than dog kibble. While they were feasting, Tom had snuck the pair a few pieces of toast and some bacon strips underneath the table whenever Eve wasn't looking. And after 'wolfing' down their breakfast, Balto and Jenna were ready to find Boris and drop the ball on the old goose - hoping that their big news wouldn't cause him to have a heart attack.

Before they set out looking for his trawler, Balto and Jenna surveyed all of Front Street. There were a lot more people out and about on the streets that day, and they all seemed to be in a pretty good mood: the humans could relax more easily now that it seemed like the Diphtheria strain that ravaged their home was being thoroughly beaten back.

"Are you ready?", Balto asked his girlfriend.

"Oh, I was born ready", Jenna quipped with a smile.

Balto grinned, breathed in the crisp, bracing, arctic air (filling his lungs), and once he had had his fill, the wolf-dog set off down Front Street, a special kick in the hybrid's step that morning. The feeling of being able to walk down the street, amongst all the other dogs and humans and not be judged or ridiculed - it felt great, every bit as good as he had imagined it would be.

Not long after they set out, the canine couple passed by a few other dogs, some of whom greeted them. And once Balto got over his surprise about that, the wolf-dog gladly greeted them back. Two of them, the hybrid quickly recognized: Doc and his second-in-command, Jared.

"Hey Doc!", Balto called, quickly gaining the old St. Bernard's attention, who turned and padded over towards them.

"Balto, Jenna, it's good to see you two up so early", Doc noted, looking the pair over..

"Yeah, we were just on our way to tell Boris about our wedding plans", Jenna explained, shaking Doc's paw.

"Boris?", Jared pressed, feeling like he was missing something.

"Yeah, he's Balto's goose father", Jenna explained in a nonplussed manner.

"You have a goose for a father?", Jared asked, chuckling.

Balto frowned a tad, yet he also rubbed the back of his neck. "It's a long story", the wolf-dog stated.

"Well, we have plenty of time", Doc figured encouragingly, mirth and intrigue twinkling in the old dog's eyes, making him appear several years younger for a moment.

Balto tentatively looked between his two neighbors and his girlfriend, wondering if he did indeed have time for such a detour, before the hybrid let his limbs go slack and he proceeded to tell them the story of how he first met Boris as a pup.

((()-()))

On the other side of the street, Blaze, along with his best friend, Derek, and his girlfriend, Grace, were walking towards the Old Mill, relishing and anticipating their chance to escape the frigid cold temperatures of the streets by warming up next to the Old Mill's furnaces.

"I still can't believe the nerve of that wolf-dog!", Blaze grumbled, still sulking in a bad mood because he had been thwarted the night before.

"I still don't see why you're making such a big deal about this", Grace retorted, feeling annoyed.

"He doesn't belong here, Grace!", Blaze snapped, and just like that his girlfriend's expression hardened.

"Blaze, you don't get to decide who deserves to have a home and who doesn't. No one does!", Grace scowled in return, growing more and more frustrated with her boyfriend's prejudices.

Blaze was just about to give the husky a languid reply, when something stopped the surly dog in his tracks. On the other side of the street, only about four or five meters away from them, were Balto and Jenna, chatting with Jared and Doc about some old goose named Boris.

Blaze elbowed Derek in the stomach to get his attention, making his buddy frown at him before he followed Blaze's line of sight, and both sled dogs locked their eyes on the half-breed.

Immediately realizing what her two friends were planning, Grace stood in their way. "Don't even think about it!", she warned them, growling now.

Normally, Blaze would have just kept going and ignored his girlfriend's warning, she just didn't seem to understand after all, but something else was stopping him. Doc was once again standing in his way, keeping from him reaching the wolf-dog unseen and unnoticed.

Doc. Always Doc.

Blaze snarled in frustration and angrily tore his gaze away from the four canines, swearing a blue streak in his head as he stormed down the street and threw open the doors of the Old Mill. His perplexed companions took their time trailing behind him, both of them were unsure about how they should feel about Blaze's outburst.

Completely unaware of the close encounter they had just had, Balto and Jenna finally wrapped up their story and bid Doc farewell.

"See you at 11:00!", Jenna shouted, as she and Balto waved the old dog good-bye.

With their last distraction finally out the way, the two dogs made their way out of Nome, leaving the busy streets and rustic buildings behind them, and padded towards a familiar wooden trawler beached on land.

((()-()))

After another few more minutes, Balto and Jenna arrived at their destination, the hybrid's home for the last four years. The pair of dogs took their time padding up the gangplank that led to the upper deck, and barked as loudly as they could to get Boris' attention.

Keeping it up for a good thirty seconds, they heard a loud clattering sound beneath them, followed by a larger thud, and they knew they had succeed. Judging by all the scents Balto detected in the air around them, the wolf-dog guessed Boris wasn't alone.

The door to the small cabin swung open and the grizzled Russian snow goose hastily stepped out, nearly stumbling over his own webbed feet as he rushed out onto the snow-covered deck.

"Balto, you're back!", he exclaimed, before he gave the wolf-dog a brusque yet friendly hug around the legs.

"I always come back, Boris", Balto replied, chuckling. After the massive and disorienting changes of the last few days, it felt good for the hybrid to revisit the comforting familiarity of his old home, and the father that had raised him.

"You didn't come home last night", Boris noted, scrutinizing him.

"Yeah, I spent the night at Jenna's", Balto explained, looking over at his husky girlfriend and feeling a tad worried.

"That's actually why we're here, Boris. There's something we've been meaning to tell you for a while now", Jenna added, speaking up for the first time since she arrived.

"What?", Boris probed, furrowing his brow.

"We've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Jenna and I are pretty serious now, and we want to get married. In a few days, actually", Balto piped up, shooting the snow goose an optimistic smile and hoping for the best.

However, instead of replying or exploding, Boris fell silent, seemingly frozen in place. He stared at the wolf-dog, slack-jacked for a few moments, as his son and his son's girlfriend looked him over, trying to comprehend what he heard. Once he was finally done with that, Boris quietly found his words. "What did you just say?", he asked in disbelief.

"I'm getting married to Jenna in a few days", Balto repeated calmly, beaming brightly.

"No kidding?", Boris asked in the same bewildered tone.

Balto nodded his head and shuffled a bit closer to Jenna, wondering absentmindedly if he had sent the old goose into shock. But before he knew it, Boris launched forward and wrapped his wings around Balto's neck, hugging him again, cutting off the wolf-dog's oxygen flow. The hybrid stumbled and tried to keep himself from toppling over, prompting Jenna to take a precautionary step back.

"My son! My idiot son is getting married!", Boris proudly proclaimed, still trying to crystallize that development in his head. Jenna giggled as she watched the snow goose noogie her boyfriend, he hybrid squirming uncomfortably underneath his wing, looking more like a pup than an adult dog.

Eventually, Balto gave up on trying to worm free and decided to just let his proud father enjoy the moment.

((()-()))

As the sun continued to climb over Nome, Balto and Boris sat on top of the trawler as Balto explained how he proposed to Jenna two nights before. While the father and son were talking, Muk and Luk were playing around in the snow nearby, having stopped by for a visit earlier. Boris was too engrossed in Balto's story to be annoyed by the polar bear brother's antics like he normally would. Jenna, knowing the pair deserved some alone time, decided to entertain Muk and Luk and frolic with the siblings for a while.

"So, that's pretty much everything", Balto finished.

"Whoa", Boris said softly, taking a moment to try to absorb everything he had just learned, everything he had missed. "I can't believe you actually worked up the nerve to propose", the snow goose commented, knowing how reticent and hesitant the wolf-dog could be when it came to matters of heart.

"You aren't worried things might be moving a bit quickly?", the old avian questioned cautiously.

Balto shook his head. "Nah, Jenna and I have talked it over. This feels like the right move for us, especially after we've both waited for so long", the wolf-dog replied. With that. the lupine's ears perked up. "There is one other thing I would like to tell you, Boris. Or rather, ask you", the hybrid broached.

Boris tilted his head, looking a tad suspicious. "What?", he asked. His boy had a habit of doing crazy, dangerous things, and taking him along for the ride.

"Would you like to be my best man at the wedding?", Balto requested hopefully.

Boris's expression softened and a bright smile worked its way across the Russian bird's face. Waddling forward, letting the lupine stay in suspense for a few seconds later, Boris rested his wing on Balto's shoulder. "I would be honored, son", Boris proudly accepted.

It was official. He was going to have a daughter-in-law. He had always liked Jenna, and he thought her friendship was good for his boy to have, but now she was going to be a part of the family. And that was… really something else.

Suddenly, a loud, deep ringing noise - like a gong sounding off - echoed across the land, disturbing the pair. Once the hybrid took a moment to adjust his ears, Balto recognized it as belonging to the clock tower in the center of Nome. The clock rang nine times, making it 9:00 A.M: the hour Balto was supposed to meet with Gunnar Kaasen and his team for his first practice session as a sled dog.

Balto gazed out at the town of Nome, not too far away, and then he looked back at the trawler around him, feeling conflicted. As much as he wanted to be on time for his very first practice run, he wasn't quite ready to leave Boris and his old friends yet. There was still so much waiting to be said, and he was worried he might offend them if he kept ducking out all the time.

Understanding Balto's dilemma, Boris looked the wolf-dog over and then laid eyes on the town, before he sighed. "Go on, it's your time now, son", Boris stated encouragingly.

Balto got to his feet, but the hybrid hesitated once more.

"Go!", Boris urged him.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Boris", Balto promised his father figure, before he leapt off the side of the ship, landing nimbly on all four paws like he always did.

"Come on, Jen, it's time to go!", Balto called, gaining his girlfriend's attention. Jenna nodded her head in agreement, bid Muk and Luk goodbye (shooting them an apologetic smile when she had to leave so quickly), and dashed over towards her boyfriend.

On deck, Boris watched the pair of canines run across the snowy field, gaining a good amount of momentum, as he honed in towards Nome.

Boris sighed again. He would be lying if he said his spirits didn't lower after they were gone. Balto had just saved a town. He had moved out suddenly, finding himself accepted into a human home. He was getting married to the love of his life. His boy was finally growing up and striking out on his own. But where did that leave Boris? From the words of the snow goose himself, he had stuck around Nome for as long as he had to take care of Balto and raise the lone wolf pup into a strong, capable adult. Now that that job was done, and Boris would be living alone with only the bears to keep him company, he had to wonder what he would do with himself from now on. Did he even still belong?

Behind Boris, Muk and Luk crept forward, cradling a giant snowball they had made between their forepaws, all set to chuck it at the snow goose's head (which he most certainly would have found less amusing than they did), when the old bird stopped them in their tracks.

"Don't even think about it!", Boris hissed, his voice was barely louder than a whisper but the threat in it and the promise of violence was very clear.

The polar bear brothers gulped, locked eyes with each other, and after a bit of thought unanimously decided to just the drop the snowball over their own heads.

((()-()))

Unaware of Boris's troubled thoughts, Balto dashed down Front Street. The feeling of running full pelt was wonderful. Balto had ran before, hundreds of times to get away from Steele or anyone else who might cause him trouble. But this was one of those times when he got to run just for fun, and in the middle of town at that. He allowed his wolfish muscles to push himself forward at breakneck speeds. While he was sprinting, he let his loll hang out of his mouth, tasting the nippy air around him. The wind brushed against his fur, cooling him off before the hybrid had a chance of overheating.

Balto and Jenna had already split up, barely slowing down to do so, agreeing that Balto would go to his practice session with Gunnar while Jenna would spend the rest of the morning with Dixie and Sylvie.

Balto kept galloping determinedly until he arrived in downtown Nome, where the hybrid found what he was looking for. Gunnar Kaasen and his team of sled dogs, currently short one member, were waiting beneath the clock tower with their harnesses ready to be attached.

Balto inhaled, closing his eyes and mentally preparing himself to live out his puppyhood dream once more, before the hybrid padded over towards his new teammates.

Gunnar smiled when he saw the wolf-dog coming, and took the liberty of patting Balto on the head. "Good, you're right on time", the man commented, turning around to face his team. "Since Balto's new here, we'll start with some of the basics today. Hopefully, it'll give you all time to adjust to the change", Gunnar decided, raising his voice so all seven dogs could hear him. Even though he knew the canines couldn't understand him, Gunnar still preferred to speak to them and give them orders like they were humans. And unbeknownst to the musher, his trusted sled dogs always received them.

Balto kept his curious golden eyes on Gunnar as the man went around attaching the harness to Nikki, Kaltag, Star, and the other three dogs on the team. Outwardly, Balto was calm and patient, as a lead dog should be, but inwardly, the hybrid was brimming with excitement. Truthfully, his wagging tail gave him away.

When it was Balto's turn, Gunnar made special care to secure the harness around his neck, brushing through all the fur surrounding the lupine's nape. Balto, feeling a bit awkward, tried his best to hold still so the man could do it properly. The harness didn't quite fit him, since it had already been custom tailored to Steele's neck and it would take another few weeks for Gunnar to acquire a new one for his new recruit, but the wolf-dog didn't really care honestly. He was finally leading a sled dog team.

Balto's long, bushy tail continued to absentmindedly sweep the snow behind him, until it accidentally brushed up against Star's nose, surprising the husky and provoking him to sneeze. After that reaction, Balto quickly reigned himself in, remembering how deadly Star's sneezing fits almost were during the serum run.

Gunnar climbed onto the edge of his sled, getting into position, and securely locked his hands on both ends of the handle. The musher pulled a small, weathered whistle out of his pocket, the one he used to send signals to his team and keep them in line, which got all the dogs excited, not just Balto. Still, they stood in place, waiting on the man's word.

"Good dogs", Gunnar said, knowing from experience how hard it was for the rowdy canines to restrain themselves when they were pumped up. It's why he had trained them well. Finally, the two little words Balto had been waiting for tumbled out of the man's mouth. "Now mush!", he shouted.

"A Useful Striker" by Murray Gold begins.

Gunnar blew his whistle and the team sprang into action. Balto pushed his hind legs forward with as much strength as he could muster, propelling both the sled and his subsequent teammates forward. Gunnar quickly tightened his grip on the handle, just to be safe, as Balto started pulling the sled down Front Street - stepping up to the plate and giving the human a chance to measure his performance.

Balto had ran with the team before, two nights ago when he was delivering with the medicine. But he had been so thoroughly focused on getting himself, the other dogs, and most importantly, the antitoxin, home safely that he hadn't really thought about savoring the experience. But now, as he was guiding his teammates and pulling the weight of the sled behind him, shouldered between six other dogs, Balto had all the time in the world.

Though the team had to be moving a good ten or fifteen miles per hour once they gained momentum, the world was moving in slow motion for Balto, allowing to take him in every detail, just as it had done when he was racing Jenna before.

"This is awesome!", Balto exclaimed in his head, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he watched the world blur around him in every direction. The hybrid loved the feeling of the soft, deep snow being crushed beneath his paws, and the crunching sound it made whenever he ran.

Soon, Gunnar led the huskies and malamutes out of town, wanting them to practice their drills in the forest, where things would be a bit more complicated. The experienced musher was surprised and impressed by how well Balto was reacting to his commands. He somehow seemed to understand every one of them, even though Gunnar had never taught him before (or any other man for that matter). The musher had no way of knowing Balto had watched him and his team practice for fun for years, and the former stray knew most sledding commands by hard at this point.

"Left, right! Right, left! Haw, gee! Gee, haw! Yee-haw!", Balto grinned, while the wolf-dog amply dodged numerous trees and rocks coming up in his path.

"Whoa, Balto, slow down", Gunnar cautioned him, growing a tad worried.

Realizing his mistake, Balto quickly obeyed his musher and fell back, slowing down his pace. Being a sled dog was incredibly fun, especially for a thrill-seeker like Balto, but it could also be fairly dangerous if one wasn't careful. Balto still remembered how getting careless and reckless and panicked had nearly sent him to an early grave a few days before.

Behind him, Balto's teammates breathed a quiet but unanimous sigh of relief, since they were finally able to easily keep up with their lead dog. Balto turned his head and noticed that some of them already looked a bit strained, running pretty close to their limit to try to keep pace with him. He had been having so much fun cutting loose that he had almost forgotten there were six other dogs attached to him, under his guidance. With that in mind, Balto resolved to keep a clear head and keep checking on his teammates every few minutes.

((()-()))

After running for a few hours, stretching their legs and getting into a good, smooth rhythm, the team approached a nearby babbling brook.

"Okay guys, it's about to get rough!", Balto barked, warning the others.

The dogs in question nodded their heads, letting him know they all understood. Balto was a bit surprised at how willing they all were to follow and trust such a green leader, but he tried to focus all his attention on getting them over the brook.

"Guys, I'm gonna need all of you to jump up, but only on my signal", Balto ordered, getting them ready. Six barks of agreement followed, and the wolf-dog started to run faster, pushing himself tp rapidly gain speed for the first time in hours.

As the brook bore them down on them between they knew it, Star gaped a little in fear as he realized Balto going to try to jump it. At the last possible second, the wolf-dog kicked forward with his hind legs and propelled himself high in the air, soaring above the dividing point between snowy land and icy cold water. Following his lead, Nikki, Kaltag, Star and their teammates took advantage of all the momentum they'd gained and made flying leap behind their lead dog, dragging their sled and their disoriented musher behind them.

All of time seemed to slow down, for the wheel dogs and their leader, as they flew through the air for a few short, worrying seconds where absolutely anything could have happened. The wolf-dog looked as they soared over the rushing water. Risking a quick glance behind him, he could see the terrified faces of his teammates as they rapidly started to free-fall.

Half-way through their descent, Balto carefully positioned his feet so he would land softly on the snow on the other side of the brook. Realizing the other half of Balto's plan, the six other dogs quickly did the same, while Gunnar simply held on for dear life.

Instead of plummeting into the freezing cold water like he had expected them too, Gunnar, his team, and his sled all landed safely (if roughly) on the other side of the divide, missing the freezing white water by several inches. The team was jostled a bit by the impact with solid ground, and they kept sliding forward for a few seconds before they all worked to put on the brakes, skidding to a stop. Once they were confident that they had done it and emerged unscatched from the manuever, every dog present shot each other a surprised by triumphant smile.

Once they had come to a complete stop, Gunnar shook his head and stepped off the sled, furiously blowing his whistle again and hurting the dogs' ears.

"Balto!", Gunnar shouted sternly.

Balto winced and turned his head around with folded ears, quickly realizing his new musher wasn't pleased with him.

"That was the most dangerous and risky thing I've seen in awhile, you could have killed us all!", Gunnar scolded, throwing his hands in the air to emphasize point.

He didn't know what else to do at the moment, so Balto simply gulped and wondered if he had already made a mess of things with the man.

But instead of chding the hybrid some more, Gunnar's voice grew softer and more thoughtful as he cooled off. "Still, I've never seen any other dog move like that before, not even Steele", he mused, pacing around the sled. He looked his new dog over, sizing the canine up once more. "Maybe making you lead dog wasn't such a bad idea after all", he contemplated, quirking his brow.

The man leaned over and scratched Balto's head, which slowly encouraged the wolf-dog to relax once more. "You're doing good, boy. Just try to be more careful, okay?", he advised the hybrid, barely speaking louder than a whisper, but he knew the dog heard. Balto barked, seemingly in compliance, and the man stepped back, satisfied that he had made his point.

The musher walked back over to his sled and took his position once more, ready to get team practice back on track. "Mush!", he ordered, blowing his whistle.

After successfully crossing his first large body of water, Balto and his team pressed onward, bravely venturing further into the wilderness.

((()-()))

After running through nearly every square inch of the nearby forest, Balto began to recognize certain parts of the area. The wolf-dog turned his head to survey his surroundings and noticed that some of the trees had claw marks scratched onto the side of them: marks he had made himself to guide his way back to Nome during the serum run. Which meant home wasn't too far away.

Noticing his lead dog's curiosity and alertness, Gunnar spoke up. "Practice is almost over, follows. We've just gotta get home", he announced, tightly gripping the reins of the team.

After running through another line of trees and a few bushes, Balto saw his old trawler off into the distance, and Nome wasn't too far behind it.

"Home sweet home", Gunnar grinned heartily.

As they ran past the beached trawler, Balto glanced up and laid eyes on a familiar face: Boris was resting on the side of ship, watching his son's first run. Gunnar didn't seem to notice the old bird, so Balto eagerly barked up at him. In response, Boris waved his wings and saluted the hybrid, encouraging him to push on. The snow goose wore a rare, contented smile as he watched the team bypass his home and sail into Nome.

As they were dashing down the familiar living area of Front Street again, Balto barked in joy, his teammates barking and woofing just as excitedly, before they put on the brakes and came to a stop just underneath Nome's clocktower, exactly where they had started a few hours ago

Gunnar quickly stepped off the sled and pulled a stop watch out of his pocket, consulting it for information. His jaw dropped a bit as he took in the readings. "Two hours and thirty minutes to cover the entire surrounding area, an all time low! Even faster than Steele!", he exclaimed, looking up at his team in amazement. He quickly checked the clock tower above to confirm whether his measurement was accurate or not, and it was. "We'll be winning races in no time!", he declared, grinning proudly.

Stepping forward to address his team, Gunnar patted all his dogs on the head, rewarding them for a job well done, and proudly rubbed Balto on the head. "Nicely done", he congratulated the hybrid. With all that said and done, the man went to work unhooking their harnesses and moving the sled away, freeing the seven canines to step out of rank, stretch their legs and do whatever they wanted with themselves for the rest of the day. Once he had gathered up all his equipment, Gunnar bid his team adieu and walked away.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Balto turned towards his new teammates, grinning. "Good job, guys", he complimented them.

"Hey, you were the one who was on fire out there", Kaltag countered, smirking.

"Yeah, you ain't too bad", Nikki commented, adding his two cents.

Balto chuckled, feeling relieved that everything turned out okay, and then he glanced up at the clock tower.

"Practice is over, and I gotta go talk to Doc about the wedding. Dixie will kill me if I'm late", Balto joked, getting ready to set out looking for his mate and her friends.

"Hey, don't forget about our lessons tomorrow", Star piped up to remind the half-breed, a tad anxious.

"I won't", Balto replied, entirely unworried, quoting Star's words from earlier that morning.

The wolf-dog threw one last grin at his new team and then briskly ran off to find Jenna, leaving Nikki, Kaltag and Star behind.

"Hey, what lessons were you talking about there?", Kaltag inquired curiously.

"Balto's giving me self-defense lessons tomorrow", Star replied, feeling pretty satisfied.

"And what do you need those for?", Kaltag frowned, still feeling confused.

And just like that, the smaller husky felt a bit less pleased with himself. "Well, just in case… just in case something comes up", Star offered, verbally stumbling over himself as embarrassment started to creep in.

One could pinpoint the exact moment the golden chinook caught on, because comprehension visibly washed over his face. "Oh, you mean just in case you run into Steele", he guessed, before he started smirking. Star nodded his head in reply and Kaltag chuckled under his breath. Kaltag knew that Star always felt subconscious about being the runt of the team and he usually got anxious around other, bigger dogs, worrying that someone, somewhere was out to get him.

"Come on, let's go to Old Mill, I need a bone", Nikki suggested, grunting, before the stocky chow-chow started walking in the direction of the Old Mill.

"Not me, I think I'll go home and take a nap. My feet are killing me", Star groaned, staring at his warm, slightly swollen feet. After rubbing his throbbing paws in the snow, Star started to walk in the direction of his house.

"Hey, if you're not careful, Steele's gonna get ya!", Kaltag shouted after him, laughing.

Star rolled his eyes and simply ignored his boneheaded friend, before he mumbled something underneath his breath.

Kaltag shrugged, already knowing that Star had no sense of humor, and walked off with Nikki. Getting warmed up and finding a bite to eat sounded really good at the moment.

((()-()))

11:40 A.M. Tuesday, February 3, 1925:

Star walked through the dog door of his house, greeting by his familiar, inviting living domain, and yawned. The small husky really needed a good nap right about now, after all that running he had been doing for the past week. First the serum run and now a three-hour long practice session, he could barely even keep his eyes open.

The house was still dark and empty inside and all the curtains were closed for some reason. Star squinted his eyes, trying to see in the dark, and wished for a moment that he had Balto's glow-in-the-dark eyes. The only good thing about the omnipresent blackness was that it would make it even easier for him to fall asleep.

Searching for a place to get comfortable, Star stumbled over his dog dish that was lying in the middle of the floor and landed painfully on his face. At that moment, when the world had been spinning all around him at high speed, blurring during the second he had before he hit the floor, Star had noticed something that shouldn't have been there. A sharp flash of blue in the darkness of the room. He tried to refocus his eyes and find the blue spot again, but it had already disappeared, if it had even been there in the first place.

Star sighed and just shrugged it off. "It was probably just my imagination again", he thought resignedly. Star had been worried about Steele returning to get him and his team ever since they had returned to Nome from the serum run, and he was pretty afraid to leave his friends' side. After the past two days, he had started to form a new friendship with Balto, so the husky felt pretty safe for the time being. Then he remembered what Kaltag had to say when he confessed his fear to him.

"Steele's gonna get ya", Star mocked, poorly imitating the chinook's rough, gravelly cadence. "Stupid Kaltag", he muttered underneath his breath.

"Oh, I don't know", a cold, indifferent voice interjected from behind him.

Star's heart skipped a beat, his muscles tensing up where he stood, as he recognized that familiar voice. Barely wasting a second, he whirled around to find the source of it.

"Sometimes Kaltag is spot on", Steele sneered, menacingly stepping out of the shadows and slowly advancing towards Star.