Balto snapped up the moment he heard claws tapping on his den's floor, for a brief moment he was hoping it was one of his pack members. A survivor just like he is, but his hope immediately died down when he saw a dog step in. This one was different, unlike the dogs on the boat, this one's fur looked well kept. Red and white, there was something behind its neck, and its legs were rather slim.
The two kept on staring at each other for a split second, reading the other, the dog didn't look like much of a threat. What Balto thought would be a threat is what would the dog be bringing with it? Its owner could be nearby and have a gun, it could be this Steele those dogs were talking about, it could even be bringing more dogs. Hell, Balto was willing to bet it was all of the above. "What do you want?" Balto finally broke the silence.
The dog snapped up when it heard his voice. "I never seen a wolf before," it said, or rather, she said. "And you haven't ran yet?" Balto laughed to himself. If the only experience he's had with dogs so far told him anything, they either attack in groups or run at first sight of him. "No, why would I?" she asked.
Balto stood up, he wasn't much bigger than her, thanks to the dog blood running through him, he was roughly about the size of a large husky, but smaller than a wolf. "Well, for starters, if you don't leave, you'll end up as my next meal," the wolfdog said. Balto knew he didn't mean that, but it was his best bet of getting rid of this dog without harming it. "Jenna! What are you doing talking to that thing?"
Another dog, which Balto could tell towered over him stepped into the den. Around his neck was a golden collar, his coat was black and white with a little rings around his eyes. "Steele, you don't have to watch me every single second. Especially if I hadn't agreed to being your mate," Jenna said. Even the wolfdog could tell how much of a creep Steele was. The dog's eyes constantly ran up and down the female's body, and it sounded like he basically stalks her on a regular basis.
Balto's morals told him to step in, but his instincts told him to flee. This was an opportunity to get out of here, but the hybrid's morals won over him. "I don't think stalking a girl and constantly peeking at her is a way to win her over," Balto said. "And what do you know about relationships, lobo?" Steele spat at him. "I certainly know more than you do if you think stalking your love interests is a good idea."
The wolfdog didn't have a single bit of experience when it came to courting females, wolves or dogs, but what he did know was that they likely didn't like getting stared at constantly, and definitely doesn't like being stalked.
"Well, if you want to start getting smart with me you damn animal…" Steele bared his teeth. How pathetic, the malamute's teeth were significantly smaller than a wolves, and didn't seem sharp at all. "I highly doubt you can even lay a paw on me," Balto said confidently. The malamute charged at Balto, who simply stepped to the side and quickly ran around him. "Sheesh, you're slower than I was when I was a pup," Balto taunted.
Steele didn't take that lightly and ran at Balto again, only to run head first into a wall. "And you aren't much smarter than I was either," he chuckled as he walked away from the downed dog. Jenna was just staring at him. "Hello?" the wolfdog waved a paw in front of her face before deciding to leave.
"Wait!" Jenna ran out from the den after him. "Why did you do that?" the wolfdog shrugged. "Somebody's gotta have morals, because if nobody had them, then what would we be other than a bunch of ruthless beasts?"
"Rosy, get back here!" a human's voice. Balto looked behind him to see a smaller human and a larger one with facial hair. The smaller one must be a child. "Jenna what are you doing out here!" the girl yelled. The father quickly grabbed hold of Rosy and Jenna and pulled them away from Balto. "Dad what are you doing?" the child asked. "You and Jenna were gonna get bit by that thing."
The wolfdog knew his welcome was at its end, and he started walking away. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Steele standing at the mouth of the cave. "Steele? What were you doing in a wolf den?" Rosy asked. Not too long after, the malamute lunged at Balto's neck, only to bite down on thin air. The humans started backing away, keeping Jenna close to them. "You still haven't learnt your lesson, mutt?" Steele didn't seem to falter.
"Well, guess you'll learn…" Balto turned to walk away. "A wolfdog is at his best in the wild," he finished. The wolf dog's cockiness got the best of him, because Steele grabbed a hold of his neck, and threw him at a tree.
Balto got up and shook off the initial pain of the blow. He looked dead at Steele and shook the anger out of himself. Fighting back would give the humans more of a reason to kill him. Jenna looked horrified at what had just occurred, while the child looked almost as scared. Steele got ready to attack once more as Balto got ready to side step it.
"Steele, stop!" All of a sudden, Balto's vision was blocked by a husky standing in between him and Steele. "Jenna get back here!" her owner shouted. The wolfdog sat down as the husky started barking and giving the much larger dog a piece of her mind.
Balto's bruises slowly started hurting more and more as Jenna managed to chase Steele away with words alone, her owners looked more shocked about how their dog protected a "wolf" over anything else. "Are you okay…" she trailed off, having never been told the wolf dog's name. "Balto, and to answer your question, I'm fine. My back is just bruised," Balto answered. "Might as well kiss her at this point." he joked to himself.
The husky started sniffing over him, just like how his mother had when he hurt himself.