Balto's Story

Part 1: Balto's Past

Chapter 11: Pup Without a Family

"Wait a minute, dad..." Balto's youngest daughter Nunivat said. "... so this is how you met uncle Boris?"

"Yeah, you both randomly bumped in to each other during that blizzard?" Saba, Balto's middle daughter, added.

"Yes, you two." Balto nodded towards his daughters. "Uncle Boris from that point on stuck with me, and took care of me while I was separated from my parents and siblings. I remember how sad and disappointed I was he would help me try to look for my family, only to come back home empty handed..."

Boris, the snow goose was walking back to the boat on the snow covered beach outside Nome, Alaska, with a grey wolfdog pup. Unfortunately, after hours of looking for the pup's mother, the wolfdog Balto could only walk alongside Boris, hanging his head close to the ground and dragging his tail along the snow, extremely disappointed that he was not able to find his mother. He did not say a single word.

When the pair got back to the boat, Boris found it fitting to at least try to comfort the sad pup.

"B-Balto... I'm... sorry. I'm sorry that we weren't able to find your mother." He attempted to sooth the wolfdog pup's sorrows.

Balto looked back up at Boris, still not saying another word. With this, Balto and Boris walked up the boat, preparing to call it a night and go to sleep.

But Balto wouldn't go to sleep just yet. Even at night, Boris found Balto staring off from one side of the boat, looking and longing for his mother in sadness.

"Balto..." Before Boris could say anything else, Balto did look up at him, waiting to hear what he has to say.

Boris then continued: "... are you sure?"

"Sure about what?" the young pup asked.

"Are you sure that you can only remember your mother? What about your papa? What about any siblings? Unless you are an only child..." Boris pleaded.

"I... don't remember." Balto sorrowfully replied. "I can only remember my mom."

"Boychick, think harder. Try to think harder. Can't you remember at least a little something about any other family members you may have been with?"

"I... can't!" Balto exclaimed. He then started to tear up. "I- I can only remember- my- my mama." Balto started to tremble and cry. "Maybe I did have a dad, and... siblings, but I don't remember. I only remember..." Balto found he could no longer keep his emotions in check any more. "

"...Mama!"

Balto broke down, crying. He sobbed and wept heavily, tears streaming down his face. Boris tried to reach out and comfort him, but Balto only shied away, and Boris just let Balto cry his eyes out. Only a little later could Boris be able to comfort Balto.

"There there..." Boris gently wrapped his wings around Balto and pulled him towards his chest. Balto curled against Boris, crying his sorrows away as Boris held the pup close to him, rubbing his back with his wings.

"I'm sorry, Balto. I'm sorry that you were separated from your mama... and maybe other family members too... but don't give up just yet."

After a while, Balto calmed down, and was able to look up at Boris. He then wiped the tears from Balto's face with his wings and continued to gently console the grieving wolfdog pup.

"What do you mean, don't give up yet?" Balto asked innocently.

"Don't give up on not being able to reunite with your mama. She could possibly be out there, somewhere."

"But what if... what if.. she's gone?" Balto questioned.

"No, don't talk like that." Boris said. "That's quitter's talk. We don't know for sure what happened to your mama. Maybe she's gone, yet, maybe she isn't. Again, we don't know for sure."

"Does that mean... we'll still look for her?"

Boris hesitated. He didn't want to dampen the pup's hopes, but at the same time, he knew inside that Balto's mother could be long gone. Still...

"Look, we can't keep looking forever. But, I promise we can at least try one more time tomorrow." Boris promised.

Balto embraced Boris for another hug, and Boris obliged. "Really, Boris? Are you sure?"

"You bet, little one." Boris replied. "At any rate, I'm going to stay to take care of you."

"Really?"

"Absolutely. A little pup living without a family, such as your self, needs someone to take care of him, and I won't leave until you can stand on all four legs."

"But I can-"

"Don't take that literally. The point is, ole' Boris will remain here to take care of you."

Boris meant it. After Balto was comforted and fell asleep, he settle next to him, keeping the sleeping pup company. Boris listened as Balto murmured indistinct words in his sleep. Although, Boris could tell a little bit of what the pup was saying.

"Mama... come back... I miss you..."

Boris gently rubbed Balto to comfort him, and took a few more minutes of silent watching and comforting before he too would fall asleep.

"Boy, did Boris really mean it when he said that he would take care of you, dad." Dingo commented. He stuck with you, even to this day."

Balto nodded to his second oldest son.

"Gosh, I can't imagine being a little pup and growing up without a family. It's one thing if you're adopted and just living in another part of town." Dingo commented.

"Or, moving to another town with your owner." Kodi added, and Dingo nodded to his younger brother.

"But to be separated from your family without knowing whether they made it out alive or not..." Dingo continued.

The red husky Josh addressed his fellow brother in-laws. "At least some of use get to live in another part of town and still be able to see each other. Just with you guys alone, you are able to see your family members every day. It's unlike me, who moved with his owner to another town and being unable to see his siblings and parents ever since. Although, it's not just me. I imagine more - or - less the same with Yin and Yang, and Dana, and Thunder." Josh looked at each of his in-laws, and they nodded in agreement. There was just one other person left though.

"What about you, Kenai?" Josh addressed his wolf brother in-law.

"I haven't seen my mother Sena, nor my other siblings, since I joined my former alpha Nava when I was young." Kenai explained.

"Although no need to mention it, I'm with my mom and dad here right now." Dusty added, glancing over to her parents. "But, I haven't seen my aunt Andrey, nor my other siblings since they were adopted about a couple years ago."

"Haven't seen my family since I was adopted and met Dingo." Dana briefly mentioned.

"I took care of Yin ever since our mother Shen died in a fire, trying to save us. We were only young pups then." Yang said. He glanced over to his sister, who gently rubbed his back with her paw.

"It was hard enough to grow up without our mother while living in a new place. Even moving to another one before moving back here again." Yin added. Her mate Yukon gently nuzzled her, while she nuzzled him back.

"Thunder? What about you?" Yukon asked.

"Well, I didn't say this to everyone, but when I briefly moved with my owner to Arizona, I did get to meet my father and grandfather while I was over there. It would be great if I can see them again sometime." Thunder added.

For a bit, the in-laws chatted with each other about their families and their lives with (or without) them. Afterwards, the group chatter died down as they brought their attention back to Balto and his family.

"So dad, I guess that when you met mom is what's next?" Yukon asked.

"We're almost there." Balto replied. "But before that, I was able to meet the so-called "balls of fluff" first." Balto's comment earned a giggle from Jenna.

"Wait papa, you mean...? Aleu added, and Balto grinned at her.

"If Boris were here, he would like to hear about this." Jenna giggled. Balto nodded at his mate, and continued his story...

Once again, Balto walked back with Boris, sad once again that he could not find his mother. However, unlike yesterday, he would find a couple of furry surprises coming his and Boris's way.

"Uncle Boris!"

"Oh no..." The goose muttered in disbelief.

"What's that?" Balto asked, and from a distance, Balto could see two big furry creatures run towards them.

"Balto, get behind me." Boris instructed, and Balto obeyed.

"Alright you two, stay back!" But the furry creatures were two excited and jumped on to Boris. Fortunately for puppy Balto, he was able to jump out of the way and landed on to a pile of snow. He watched in fear as the unknown figures tried to hug and smother Boris, all the while, yelling at them for all the trouble and stress they caused him. Just then, the bigger one caught sight of Balto, and muttered to Boris who that was.

"Oh. Oh boy." Boris knew where this was going...

"Come over here." He called out to the wolfdog pup. Balto timidly scurried behind Boris.

"Muk, Luk, since you are so curious... this is Balto. I've been taking care of him for a couple days." Boris said.

"Is he a dog?" the smaller Muk asked.

"Not exactly." Boris answered. The bigger Luk seemed to speak in muffled words that sounded like "Not exactly?"

"What I mean is, Balto is half wolf. He told me that his mama is a wolf, while his father is a dog. Strangely he can only remember his mother, yet knows that he is half wolf, and that his father must have been a dog."

"A dogwolf?" Luk asked. "Does he bite?"

"Well, why don't we ask him." Boris suggested in a bit of an annoyed tone. After Balto got to finally speak and the three got to know each other...

Luk kept muttering unrecognizable words to Muk in such a way that it sounded like he was pestering him.

"Alright, alright! What happened to his mama?" Muk commented after listening to Luk.

"Um, Balto, why don't you go back up to the boat until I call you?" Boris suggested. Balto obeyed, and went up the boat while Boris explained Balto to Muk and Luk. Afterwards, Balto was able to come back to join Boris.

"I'm sorry to hear about that, Balto." Muk said to Balto, referring to his separation

"What are you two?" Balto asked. Muk and Luk stared confused at the pup after he spoke his innocent question.

"Boychick, these two are polar bears. They are brothers. Like yourself, they are also orphans, meaning they don't have their mother anymore. I took care of them before you bumped into me. They don't live with me... but they always have such an annoying pattern of running into me uninvited!" Boris snapped at the polar bears. They didn't seem to be that affected by Boris's annoyance.

"If I was only able to make my way back to the motherland..." Boris muttered under his breath.

"Are you taking care of all three of us, then?" Balto questioned. Boris was about to protest, but held back.

"Well... it seems like I am going to.

"Unfortunately..." He muttered. He turned to see the polar bear brothers. "Okay, Muk, Luk, if you two would be so kind, now that you two and Balto got to know each other, go get some shuteye. You three will have plenty of time to see each other."

With that, Boris and Balto went up to the boat to get some sleep, while Muk and Luk went back to where they came from.

"Boris, I guess that I have made new friends now."

"What's that?

"Friends."

"Oh, if that's how you want to see it, then sure. Don't you worry, Fido, you will get to see them again. They don't live that far from here.

Balto nodded and fell to sleep soon. Little did he know that in the coming days, he would make even more friends than just Boris, Muk, and Luk.