Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Characters, or any Game, Movie, or TV Show content that are mentioned in this FanFiction story. They belong to their respective owners and I honor respect their great works.
It was late afternoon in the wilderness of Alaska as Devon, Balto, and their friends continued their search for the medicine. They found themselves walking together through a wooded area in a forest with Devon and Balto leading the way. Muk and Luk both played with each other to pass the boredom with a snowball fight. Three of them nearly hit Boris as they struck a tree on his right, near his feet, and over his head. Boris turns to the bears and puts his right-finger to his beak telling them to shush and keep quiet, but wound up getting hit by a snowball. He falls backwards with his body shape in the snow.
"Brilliant! Right on the beak! What a bull's-eye!" Muk laughs
Muk and Luk high-five each other going high and low.
"That did it! Who did that?!" Boris says
The two polar bears look back and they saw Boris with a small pile of snow on his head. He was resting his head on his left-wing while tapping his right feathery fingers on the snow with an annoyed expression. Luk whimpers and Muk goes around and hides behind him, pointing at his brother.
"I-It was him." Muk stammers
Devon and Balto continued onward moving through the snow when they heard a faint growl which made them stop dead in their tracks.
"Hey. Did you hear that?" Balto asks
"Yeah." Devon says quietly
The Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog cautiously look around. Both of them were nearly on edge. Balto perked up his left-ear as he listened for any more sounds, but the forest was eerily silent. There was no sounds of birds or anything, save for the wind and the crunching of snow under their feet. Then, they heard some growling but it was faint. Something was stalking them. Something large and monstrous. And it sounded hungry. Devon thought maybe it was some sort of Dream Eater, a Nightmare, but he wouldn't be sure unless he got a good look at it. Whatever was making the growling sounds had to be close by.
"Guys, I think-" Balto says
Balto gasps when he turns his head and looks over to his right. Devon followed his gaze as they both caught a short glimpse of a large, dark figure walk past behind the trees, disappearing out of sight and causing snow to fall from the branches.
"I think we should keep moving." Balto says
"Agreed." Devon says
Devon and Balto kept moving ahead while Boris got up from the snow.
"Is that the answer to all problems? Motion?" Boris asks
Boris straightens out his back, which cracks, and brushes the snow off his wings while honking. Behind him, Muk and Luk were making a large snowball as they laughed. Devon and Balto looked back and saw that Muk and Luk were still lagging behind them. They stopped for a moment and called out to them.
"Muk! Luk! Come on! Let's get going." Balto says
After saying that, Balto continues onward with Devon following him.
"'Come on, boys. Let's go, boys. Faster, boys.' Easy to say for a guy with four legs!" Boris says
Boris was about to follow the Keyblade Wielder and the wolf-dog when he got knocked down by another snowball, which hits him in the back of his head, making him fall face first into the snow.
"Okay. That's it." Boris says
The russian goose spits and sputters as he got back up. Then, he turns around to face the the two polar bears, rolling up his wings as if he had sleeves on to show he meant business.
"It's time for goose to kick a little bear butt!" Boris says
Boris looks over at Muk and Luk and saw that they were shaking in fear. But they weren't shaking because of him. Something terrifying was standing behind Boris. To the goose, it seemed like he finally got through to them.
"Aha! Finally! Your old uncle Boris is making an impression." Boris says crossing his arms
Suddenly, the goose felt his back press up against a wall of fur, which he wasn't expecting.
"Now what?" Boris asks
Boris feels the fur with his right-feathered hand. Then, he heard a deep growl which made his eyes widen in shock and caused him to gulp nervously. Looking up, he saw a huge, monstrous black bear towering over him. It had pitch black fur, glowing red eyes, and razor sharp teeth. There was also an black-red aura of darkness enveloping the bear's body and the sunlight gave shades of orange and blue on it's fur. Boris' mouth dropped at the size of the large creature.
The black bear lifts it's right-arm up, getting ready to take a swipe at Boris as he backed away in fear. Devon and Balto turned around and they gasped in shock when they saw the bear attacking their friends. Boris quickly ran away screaming just as the giant takes a swipe at him, but then he gets trapped in a dead log jutting out of the snow with a bunch of branches still attached. Half of Boris' lower body was sticking out. The bear swipes the log with it's claws, sending Boris flying towards Muk and Luk. The two polar bears scramble to get away, but they end up trapped under the large branches.
Devon summons his Keyblade: Soul Calibur into his right-hand and both he and Balto rush to save their friends. Balto runs up ahead and leaps toward the black bear, but the large creature swipes it's left-claw at him, sending the wolf-dog back and into the Keyblade Wielder, knocking them both down into the snow. It took Devon and Balto a while to recover, but they soon came around when they saw the bear heading towards Boris, Muk and Luk.
"Guys! Hold on!" Devon yells
The Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog quickly rose up to their and rushed back into action. The black bear stomps over to the trapped goose and two polar bears and rises up on it's hind legs, getting ready to strike.
"Help!" Muk exclaims
Before the bear could attack, Balto bites down onto it's left-foot, causing it to roar in pain. Eventually, the bear falls down on it's back and Balto leaps to attack it, but the large creature swats him away with a swipe of it's claws. Balto was sent flying and he slides along the snow, slamming into a nearby tree on his left-side. He was left dazed and vulnerable. Rolling back onto it's feet, the bear approaches Balto while he was down, growling menacingly. It's path was soon cut off by Devon, who quickly stood in it's way, holding Soul Calibur out infront of him.
Now targeting the young Keyblade Wielder, the giant monster roars and attacks him. The bear swipes it's right-claw at Devon, but he ducks down and dodges it's massive paw as it swoops overhead. Devon swings his crystal Keyblade at the bear, striking both sides of it's head with a left and right slash. He goes to strike the bear again with a left slash, but the large creature grabs the Keyblade with it's jaws, holding it in place, forcing Devon and the bear into a lock. Devon pushes back against the vicious bear with all his strength, but he was no match for the strength of the huge animal. Eventually, the bear broke the lock by ramming it's head into Devon and knocking him down on his back, making him lose grip of his Keyblade in the process. Before he could get back up, the monstrous bear pins Devon down to the ground with it's right-paw. Devon grabbed the bear's paw with both hands and struggled to free himself from it's grip, but the huge paw carried a lot of weight almost equivalent to that of a car. That weight got heavier and heavier as the bear pushes it's paw down on Devon, crushing him and sucking the wind out of him.
"Guh! Ohh!" Devon groans
The large bear then raises it's right-paw, preparing to finish off the young Keyblade Wielder with a killing blow. But before it could get the chance, Jenna jumps in and bites the bear's paw with her teeth, saving Devon from almost certain death. The bear roars in pain as it now turned it's attention to Jenna. The female husky kicked her right-hind leg in the bear's face as she continued to sink her teeth into it's huge paw. Slowly recovering from his daze, Balto shakes his head and saw Jenna wrestling the monstrous creature.
"Jenna?" Balto says
The bear soon threw Jenna off it's back and into the snow. It went back to focusing on Devon, but Jenna quickly got back on her feet and launched herself at the bear again, attacking it in the face. As the bear stepped backwards, it's heavy paw lifted off Devon, much to his great relief. The young teen gave out a huge gasp, sucking in a ton of air as he tried to regain his breathing. Balto watched as Jenna bravely fought off the bear, then glances over at Devon.
"Devon!" Balto exclaims
Balto rises up on his feet and goes to help Devon while Jenna wrestled with the bear. Boris, Muk and Luk screamed as the bear takes a huge step backwards, coming dangerously close to them as it fought with Jenna. The bear soon throws Jenna off and knocks her into the log, toppling it over and freeing Boris, who falls and lands on Luk.
Once Jenna was out of the way, the large bear turns back towards Devon and Balto and advances towards them. Devon was up on all fours, panting heavily for breath.
"Devon? Are you okay?" Balto asks in concern
"Yeah... I'm alright... Thanks to Jenna... That bear was about to finish me off..." Devon pants
Devon and Balto look over and gasped when they saw the monstrous creature advancing towards them. The young teen summoned Soul Calibur back into his right-hand and both he and the wolf-dog backed up as the bear continued it's approach. They backed away a few feet from the bear until the ground beneath them gave way, causing Devon and Balto to fall backwards and roll down a hill.
"Aaaah!" Devon and Balto screamed
The two heroes fell onto the ground, which turned out to be a frozen lake covered with snow, which stretched out for miles around. Devon and Balto rose to their feet and they saw the huge bear coming down the hill chasing after them. They backed away as the bear approached them. Devon's left-foot fell in through the ice, creating a small hole and catching him and Balto by surprise, but he was able to lift it back out. The Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog stood their ground as the bear came close to them. Jenna, Boris, Muk and Luk appeared at the top of the hill and they cried out to Devon and Balto down below.
"Balto!" Boris exclaims
"Devon!" Jenna exclaims
The huge bear rises up on it's hind legs and takes one big stomp towards Devon and Balto with it's heavy right-foot, creating dozens of cracks in the ice beneath it.
"Whoa!" Devon exclaims
The animal got back down on all fours and takes another step towards the Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog. It's right-foot falls through the ice, but it doesn't fall completely in. Devon and Balto try to keep a steady stance to ensure they don't fall through the ice, but the heavy footfalls of the bear weren't making it easy for them. Their combined weight was gonna make the ice break and it seemed like it could give way at any moment. A crack in the ice stretch out between their feet and they look down. Then, they quickly glance back up at the bear as it lets out a loud roar.
The monstrous creature takes a third and final step and this time the ice breaks completely, causing the bear to fall into the lake. The bear tries to climb out of the cold water, but it's weight and lack of grip proved to be it's downfall and thus it slips into water and drowns, disappearing beneath the ice. The ice began to crack around Devon and Balto and they scramble to get away, but the slippery surface made it difficult to escape in time. They were soon standing on a large circular chunk of ice as it breaks away along the edges. The Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog grab hold of the ice platform they were on as it starts to tilt and flip over.
"Balto! Devon!" Jenna exclaims
Jenna, Boris, Muk and Luk rush down the hill to save Devon and Balto, but it was too late. The two heroes fall off the ice and into the freezing cold water. They emerge on the surface only for the large ice to come down on top of them, forcing them both underwater.
"No!" Jenna and Boris exclaim
Jenna and Boris run over to the lake and stop along the edge, looking out towards the spot where Devon and Balto disappeared. The ice was too heavy for them to push up and free themselves. They were trapped inside the frozen lake.
"Geronimo!" Muk says
Determined to save their friends, Muk and Luk jump into the lake without thinking, smashing through the ice with Luk humming a calvary charge. Jenna runs over to the spot where Muk and Luk jumped into the water.
"Muk! Luk!" Jenna exclaims
"They cannot swim!" Boris exclaims
"What?! Polar bears who can't swim?!" Jenna says flabbergasted
The two polar bears were hammered by the underwater current as they flailed uncontrollably. They soon saw Devon and Balto hanging onto the upper layer of ice ahead of them. Balto used his claws to hold on while Devon used Soul Calibur like a hook. Both of them were sucking onto the ice, trying to conserve their oxygen, which was quickly running out. Above them, Jenna saw the Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog trapped under the ice over at a spot beneath her feet.
"They're drowning!" Jenna exclaims
Jenna scratches against the ice, trying desperately to help Devon and Balto, but the ice was too thick. She could only watch in horror as they both disappear from view, being swept away by the current.
"No!" Jenna exclaims
Jenna turns to Boris, who had his head through a hole in the ice behind her, searching underwater for Devon, Balto, Muk and Luk.
"Well?" Jenna asks
Boris lifts his head out of the cold water, covered in icicles. He sneezes and all the ice shoots off head.
"Yaa-oww! I don't see them." Boris says
Silence filled the air as Jenna and Boris stand around looking anxiously left and right about the frozen lake, wondering where their friends were.
"Ohh! Where are they?" Jenna asks
Suddenly, they began to hear a rumbling sound, which got louder and louder with each passing second. Jenna and Boris look over to their left and right and they saw Muk and Luk burst out of the frozen lake near the shore with Muk carrying Devon and Luk carrying Balto. Jenna and Boris cheered and laughed, relieved to see that Devon and Balto were out of the lake.
"Muk! Luk!" Boris laughs happily
"Balto! Devon!" Jenna exclaims happily
Jenna and Boris ran towards the shore. Luk sets Balto down on a log and pushes him to try and revive him while Muk shakes himself dry from the water. Devon was laid out near them on his back. As he ran over to them, Boris trips on an ice crack and he slides all the way towards the shore on his chin. He soon flies into Muk, knocking him forward into Luk, which made the larger, more heavy polar bear fall onto Balto's back, which in turn, made him spat out a ton of water. Boris rushes up to Balto and shakes his head and slaps the left-side of his face.
"Come to life. Come to life. Breathe! Come on!" Boris says
"Are they gonna be okay? Are they gonna be okay? 'Cause they're not breathing. They don't look very well. Stop hitting Balto, Uncle Boris!" Muk says
Boris continued shaking Balto's head and soon enough, the wolf-dog opened his eyes, much to Boris' relief.
"Oh, Balto. I was so scared I got people bumps." Boris says
Balto coughs as he rose up on his front paws.
"Boris... I know you think this trip is crazy, but... I'm glad you came." Balto coughs
"Who else you should bring on a wild goose chase but a goose, hmm?" Boris chuckles
"Devon!" Jenna exclaims
Balto, Boris, Muk and Luk look over towards Jenna as she stood next to Devon's right-side as he laid in the snow.
"Is he okay?" Balto asks
"He's not breathing!" Jenna exclaims
Jenna places her forepaws down on Devon's chest and pushes down on him three times to try and perform CPR.
"Come on, Devon! Breathe!" Jenna says panicking
After three more pushes from Jenna, Devon regains consciousness and he coughs out water from his mouth. Jenna steps off of Devon as he rolls over to his right onto his knees and stands on all fours, coughing and gagging out more water. The young teen pants heavily for air, then looks over at Jenna on his left.
"Jenna... You... You saved my life... Thanks..." Devon says smiling with heavy breaths
Devon slides himself over to a log and leans his back against it, holding himself with his arms to warm himself up. Balto walks over to Devon and joins him so they could try and warm themselves up together as they shivered from the cold. Jenna huddled up to the Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog and offered her warm body to help them.
"A message came through. We have to take the mountain trail." Jenna says
"But if we take Eagle Pass, it'll save us half a day." Balto says
"It's blocked. The mountain trail is dangerous, but we can do it." Jenna says
"I'm beginning to see there isn't anything you can't do." Balto says smiling
Boris notices the romantic moment that Balto and Jenna were having and he smiled with his right-wing on his beaked chin.
"I'm seeing a few things too, and it's making the ice melt." Boris says smiling
Luk shakes himself from the water, causing Boris to cover himself and getting him all wet.
"I hate bears!" Boris yells
"You two guys oughta learn how to swim someday. You'd be very good at it." Balto says
Luk looks at Muk and whimpers, making swimming motions with his arms.
"Yes, well, of course we were. We were in the water, we were moving, we got wet, didn't we? We were-" Muk says
At that moment, realization hit Muk and he froze mid-sentence.
"Luk! We were swimming!" Muk exclaims surprisingly
Luk nods his head with a smile while Devon and Balto chuckle. Jenna tries to walk, but her right-paw was hurt and she collapses onto the snow. She was injured from the fight with the bear. The young teen and wolf-dog noticed this and they rushed over to her side.
"Ohh! Clumsy." Jenna says
"Jenna! You're hurt!" Devon exclaims
"I'm fine." Jenna says
Jenna makes another attempt to walk, but she falls back down.
"Oww!" Jenna cries out in pain
Devon kneels down to the injured husky and places his right-hand on her back in comfort. Jenna sighs, admitting her injury.
"Maybe I'm not so fine. You should all go ahead without me." Jenna says
"Jenna..." Balto says
"No! No, I'll be slowing everyone down. Rosy can't hold out much longer." Jenna says
Balto hung his head low and Devon frowned. They felt bad for Jenna and how she had gotten hurt. As much as they both wanted her to join them on their mission for the medicine, they couldn't risk her getting hurt more. They just couldn't take that chance. And so, they felt it was best that she returned back to Nome. But not before something was done about her injured paw. That's when Devon came up with an idea. He had incredible healing powers and now was the time to put them to use.
"Here. Let me see your paw, Jenna." Devon says
Devon sat down on his knees and takes hold of Jenna's injured paw in his hands, lifting it up. Focusing on channeling the light in him and using his healing powers, the young teen closes his eyes in concentration. He focuses his light into his hands, causing them to glow with a blue light. The same light envelopes Jenna's paw and sparkling wisps of light appear around her and Devon. Balto, Jenna, Boris, Muk and Luk watch in amazement as Devon did his magic. The process lasted for at least a minute before the healing magic began it's work. The pain in Jenna's paw started to leave and fade away until it was fully recovered. Soon, the healing process was complete and the light enveloping both Devon and Jenna faded away. Devon opens his eyes, letting out a small sigh, then sets down Jenna's paw gently in the snow. Jenna lifts up her paw and glances down at it with a surprised expression.
"What?" Jenna says astonished
"There you go. That should fix your paw up, Jenna, but you should still let it rest for a bit." Devon says
"Thank you, Devon. But... how did you do that?" Jenna says
"It's a bit of a long story, Jenna. A really long story." Balto says
Jenna looks over at Balto in surprise.
"Balto?" Jenna says
"Devon's no ordinary human, Jenna. He's an amazing person." Balto says
"I wish we had more time to tell you more, Jenna, but I'll explain some other time. But just to shorten it up, I'm a Keyblade Wielder, a Guardian of Light, and a warrior capable of magic." Devon says
"That sounds amazing." Jenna says
"Jenna, listen. We appreciate you coming out here to help us, but you're need to get back to Nome. It's too dangerous for you out here. Rosy needs you more than us right now. You need to be there for her. Could you do that? For us?" Devon says
Jenna stares at Devon with a surprised expression. She wanted to do more than just sit around and do nothing, but she soon sighs in defeat. As much as she hated to admit it, Devon was right. She had to be there for Rosy. It was the least she could do for her girl.
"You're... You're right. I'll head back." Jenna says looking down
Devon noticed the sad expression forming on Jenna's face, but he gently pats her back with his right-hand, offering her comfort. Jenna looks up at Devon and smiles at him while he smiles back. Balto smiles as well. He was glad Jenna understood. The wolf-dog turns to Muk and Luk and speaks to them.
"Muk, you and Luk carry Jenna back to town on this." Balto says
Balto goes over to a broken tree branch, which still had some leaves on it, and grabs it with his mouth. The branch was large enough for Jenna to rest on and the leaves would be soft for her to be comfortable . It was perfect for the task of bringing her back to Nome. Balto drags the branch over to Jenna, Muk and Luk.
"And this time don't take time out for a swim." Boris laughs
"You can make sure of that, Boris. You're gonna lead them home." Balto says
Boris looks over at Balto with a shocked expression, then he facepalms himself with his left-wing.
"Oy!" Boris says
"Just follow our marks." Balto says
Jenna looks over at Balto in disbelief.
"You're going on alone?" Jenna asks
"He won't. I'll be with him." Devon says
Jenna takes off her red bandana and gives it to Balto as he slips it onto his neck.
"Here, Balto. I'm afraid it won't keep you very warm." Jenna says
"Yes it will." Balto says
Balto and Jenna rubbed their heads together in a hug. Their romantic moment was soon interrupted by Luk, who sobbed.
"Well, of course Balto and Devon will come back. They're Balto and Devon, aren't they?" Muk says
"Hey, don't worry. We'll be coming back with the medicine." Devon says
Devon and Balto look back at Jenna.
"I promise, Jenna." Balto says
"So do I. And Jenna, I'd like you to hold onto this." Devon says
Devon takes off his Kingdom Hearts necklace, pulling it over his head, and holds it in his right-hand.
"This necklace belonged to my mother. She gave it to me when I was very young before she died. It's something very special to me. I'd feel much better if you were holding onto it." Devon says
The Keyblade Wielder slips his necklace over Jenna's head.
"Are you sure?" Jenna asks
"Heh. Trust me. I lose it out here in the snow, forget it, it's a goner. And right now, you need it more than I do. You can look after it for me until we get back." Devon says
Devon rubs Jenna's head with his right-hand.
"Just remember, Jenna, never give up hope. No matter what." Devon says
Jenna smiles and nods her head.
"I promise I'll take care of it." Jenna says
Jenna lays down on the branch and she was ready for the trip back to Nome.
"Go ahead, guys. Take her home." Balto says
Devon and Balto were about to head off when Boris followed them.
"Balto, I do not like leaving you and Devon out here alone. Who's gonna tell you how cold you are?" Boris says
"Boris." Balto says
Balto pushes Boris back and looks over at Jenna, Muk and Luk.
"They need you even more than I do." Balto says
Boris looks at Balto for a moment, but soon agrees to the task. He starts walking toward the female husky and two polar bears, but not before he stops and gives Balto some piece of advice.
"Let me tell you something, Balto. A dog cannot make this journey alone. But maybe a wolf can." Boris says
Boris looks over at Devon next with a request.
"You make sure you take care of Balto. You hear, Devon?" Boris says
Devon smiles and gave Boris a thumbs up with his right-hand.
"You got it, Boris." Devon says
Boris smiles and he turns and walks over to Muk and Luk as Jenna laid down on the tree branch.
"Right! You two balls of fluff! Let's move!" Boris says
Muk and Luk gave Boris a soldier's salute and the trio began dragging Jenna back to Nome. Devon and Balto watched them go, then turned and looked out into the wilderness.
"You ready, Balto?" Devon asks glancing down at Balto on his right
"As I'll ever be." Balto says looking up at Devon on his left
Devon looks back out at the open wilderness and pulls down on his winter gloves, slipping them tighter onto his hands. He then puts on a determined look on his face.
"Alright. Let's go!" Devon says
And with that, the Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog ran off to continue their mission.
Back in Nome, the town sent out another request for another batch of antitoxin, but the telegraph office receives a message from Anchorage.
"Nome, stop. Cannot send more antitoxin. Stop. Weather too severe. Stop. Lost sled team only hope. Stop. Our prayers are with them. Stop. Anchorage. Stop." The operator reads
Out in the wilderness, snow was falling more and the winds whipped up as Devon and Balto braved the blizzard. They were closing in on Steele and his team and they knew it. The two heroes marked more trees with Balto's claws and Devon's Keyblade and pushed on. The snow and wind got more and more intense as the blizzard raged on. Devon shielded himself from the snow and wind with his right-arm as he and Balto fought against the storm, trudging through snow which was inches deep beneath their feet. Then, Balto stopped and sniffed the air.
"You got something?" Devon asks
"Steele. They're close." Balto says
Balto ran up ahead with Devon following him up onto a hill. When they reach the top, they look down and saw Steele and his team stranded at the bottom of the slope at the edge of the large ravine. Their musher was still out cold and they were all covered in snow. The lamp light on top of the crate was still burning.
"There they are!" Devon exclaims
Relieved that they had found the team, Devon and Balto began their descent down the slope. Their feet and paws slip on a patch of ice like Steele and his team had done earlier, but they were able to maintain their balance and they slide down the slope. Star looks over on his right and he saw the Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog arrive to their aid.
"Balto! Devon!" Star exclaims
Nikki and Kaltag emerge from piles of snow and they too notice Devon and Balto.
"Is that Balto? And Devon?" Nikki asks
"How did you find us?" Kaltag asks
Devon and Balto slide to a stop infront of the dogs.
"Are you guys alright?" Devon asks
"Is anyone hurt?" Balto asks
Steele sat by himself with his back away from Devon, Balto, and the other dogs, too prideful to admit his failure.
"Everyone is fine." Steele growls
"Yeah, but our musher hit his head and he didn't get up." Star says
"And he's not movin'." Kaltag says
Star nudges his musher's right-arm, lifting it up a bit with his snout before it falls back down. Devon rushes over to the fallen musher and kneels down to him. He takes off his right-glove and feels the musher's neck for a pulse and was relieved that he was alive.
"He's still alive, but he's out cold. Man, you guys must've had a nasty fall." Devon says slipping his glove back on and rising back onto his feet
Balto walks over and grabs the reigns of the sled.
"All right, follow us. We can lead you home." Balto says
As Balto picks up the reigns, Steele slams his right-paw down on it, jerking him back.
"We don't need your help." Steele says
"M-maybe we should listen to them!" Star stammers
Steele looks over at Star and snarls at him, causing the husky to gasp and drop down and hide his head under his paws.
"Well, how would youse get us home?" Nikki asks
"We marked a trail leading back to Nome. Easy to follow." Devon says
"Like this." Balto says
Balto walks over to a bent tree and scratches off the bark with his claws as a demonstration. Steele jumps onto the tree and broke it, turning to Devon and Balto as they backed away from him.
"I'll get us back! I'm the lead dog! I'm in charge!" Steele snarls
"And how's that been working out for you, Steele? Because it seems like you've just been sitting out here freezing your tails off, lost and stranded in the snow for days without a clue." Devon says
"At least let us take back the medicine. The kids are getting sicker." Balto says
Devon and Balto walked towards the sled, which had the medicine still on it, but Steele jumps infront of it, blocking their path.
"Touch that box and I'll tear you both apart." Steele snarls
Nikki and Kaltag and the other dogs watched with interest.
"Two bones says Steele takes 'em." Nikki says
"You're on." Kaltag says
The dogs circled the three as they confronted Steele.
"Steele, we're not leaving without that medicine." Balto says
Balto moves around Steele and goes for the medicine again, but Steele pushes him away with his paws.
"Steele, what the heck?!" Devon yells
"Who do you think you are?" Steele says
Nikki leans closer to Kaltag on his left.
"Hey, this is gonna be good." Nikki says
Balto gets back up on his feet.
"Since... since when do you need a pedigree to help someone?" Balto says
The wolf-dog walks toward the medicine again, only for Steele to jump in and block his path again.
"Steele, let us help you." Balto says
Steele stares at the two heroes with an angry look on his face with his right-eye twitching.
"Look at his eyes. Look at his eyes." Kaltag chuckles in awe
Devon tries to slip around past Steele, but the Alaskan Malamute noticed his movements and charges into Devon, ramming his head hard into his stomach, knocking him into the snow. Devon winces his eyes and groans in pain, clutching his stomach. Balto gasps in shock.
"Ohh! He'll feel that tomorrow." Kaltag says
"I think he's feeling it now." Nikki says
"Ouch!" Kaltag says
Balto runs over to Devon as he rolls over onto his knees. The Keyblade Wielder slowly got up on his feet with Balto's support as he helped him up. The wolf-dog then turns back towards Steele and walks toward the sled.
"I don't want to fight." Balto says with a stern voice
Steele looks at Balto in surprise, then growls. Just as Balto came close to the sled, Steele bites down on the back of his neck with a strong bite and threw him away. Devon and the dogs gasped in shock.
"That can't be legal!" Kaltag exclaims
"Yeah!" Nikki says in agreement
Steele panted heavily with a smile, but was surprised yet again when he saw Balto rise up and walk toward the sled again. Growling in anger, Steele jumps infront of Balto, not paying attention to the sled as he knocked it over on it's left-side. The bottles inside the crate rattled noisily. Devon, Balto, and the other dogs gasp in shock.
"Hey, that stuff is fragile, there!" Nikki exclaims
"What's with Steele? All Balto and Devon want to do is help." Star says
Catching him off-guard, Steele grabs Balto by his tail and throws him into a large rock by the cliff face, knocking him out for a moment. Steele pants heavily and chuckles maniacally, believing Balto to finally be out for the count. Devon, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, and the other dogs look on with shocked expressions.
"Balto!" Devon exclaims in horror
The Keyblade Wielder runs over to Balto and kneels down to him, placing his hands on the poor wolf-dog. He stares down at Balto for a moment, then clenches his right-hand into a fist, glancing back at Steele with an angry expression.
"That's enough, Steele! What do you think you're doing?!" Devon yells
"I'm making sure you freaks don't steal everything from me! As I said before, I'm the top dog, which means I deserve the spotlight! And I intend to keep it that way!" Steele snarls
"That's what this is about? Glory? Being famous? Oh, my... Are you serious?! There are bigger things happening right now! There are kids back at Nome! Young kids who are dying. They really need this medicine. Are you really gonna deny them their only cure just for glory?" Devon says
"I could care less about those whiny, worthless brats! As long as I come out on top, that's all that matters." Steele says
Just then, Star gasps as he notices something.
"Look!" Star says
Balto lets out a groan as he starts to come around, drawing Devon's attention.
"Balto!" Devon exclaims
The wolf-dog slowly pushes himself onto his feet with Devon helping him up.
"Come on, buddy! Come on! You're alright!" Devon says
Balto tries to stand up, but he slumps over and nearly falls back down. The Keyblade Wielder catches him and wraps his left-arm over Balto's back while lifting him up from underneath with his right-hand, holding onto the wolf-dog's chest.
"I gotcha, Balto. On your feet. Come on. Come on. There you go." Devon says
As Devon helped Balto up, Steele stared with surprised and shocked expression. Balto just wouldn't give up. No matter how much pain he inflicted on the wolf-dog, he kept getting back up. There was only one way he would be able to keep his glory intact. He would have to kill Devon and Balto. And so, Steele growled and leapt toward the two heroes for another attack. Balto noticed this and gasped.
"Devon, watch out!" Balto exclaims
Reacting quickly, Balto pushes Devon away with his body just as Steele goes to bite him. Instead, he grabs hold of Jenna's bandana around Balto's neck and pulls the wolf-dog towards him. Growling in anger, Steele pulls with all his might, intent on sending Balto over the edge. The bandana soon unties itself, causing Steele to rise up on his hindlegs. He tries to maintain his balance, but he soon falls backwards and plunges several feet off the cliff, screaming as he falls down into the ravine. Steele smashes into the side of the cliff several times on the way down, hitting rocks and breaking tree branches until he finally reaches the bottom. The Alaskan Malamute tries to get back up, but he grunts and groans in pain from the fall. Devon and Balto look down as they saw Steele in the ravine.
"Is he alright?" Devon asks
"Yeah. He's fine." Balto says
"Steele can stay here if he wants, but we've got to get this medicine back to Nome. Let's get going." Devon says
"Right." Balto says
With Steele now out of the way, Devon and Balto walk over to the sled and help set it back up straight. Once that was done, Devon rolls the musher over on his back, drags him over to the sled, and lifts him up onto it with some help from Nikki, Kaltag, and Star. The Keyblade Wielder takes a brown blanket onboard and covers the musher to keep him warm. Next, Devon checks on the medicine. He examines the ropes holding the box down and tightens them more to ensure it wouldn't move around as much. The other dogs slip back into their harnesses and Devon helps clips them back onto the sled. Devon soon reaches the front where there was an empty harness laying in the snow.
"Hey, Balto." Devon calls
Balto looks over at Devon as he held up the harness in his hands.
"It's time you became the lead dog." Devon says
Balto nods his head and Devon slips on the harness to his body. The wolf-dog looks up at Devon and smiles while he smiles back. The young teen rises up onto his feet and walks over to the back of the sled where he takes the position as musher for the dogs. Devon ran his hands along the handle bars of the sled in awe. He was actually gonna be the musher of a sled dog team. The young teen felt excited. Focusing back on the task at hand, Devon takes hold of the middle handle bar of the sled, and puts on a determined expression.
"Alright. Let's go! Mush!" Devon says
And so, Devon, Balto, and the team began their journey back to Nome. Steele managed to climb his way back up to the top of the cliff and he saw them heading back up the hill, leaving him behind.
"Go ahead, wolf-dog! You'll never get home! I'll make sure of that." Steele says
With Jenna's bandana still in his jaws, Steele runs off into the forest as he came up with an idea.
Steele remembered that Balto showed how he marked the trail back to Nome. He would use that for his evil scheme and trick him and the team. He stood in an area of the forest and saw a tree with Balto and Devon's mark on it.
"I'll show 'em." Steele says
The Alaskan Malamute runs over to the left and slides to a stop.
"Why not this way?" Steele says
Steele glances over at a tree on his right and goes up to it.
"How about over here?" Steele says
Steele stands up on his hindlegs and scratches the bark off the tree with his claws, making a mark like Balto.
"Oops. Wrong way." Steele says
Steele chuckles in a sinister voice and he goes to mark more trees in hopes of leading Devon, Balto, and the team astray. He would see to it that they'd stay lost and never reach Nome. If he couldn't have the glory of being the hero, then nobody will.
The mission that Devon and Balto began together was now in it's final stage. They had found the medicine and rescued the dog sled team. Now, they just had to make their way back to Nome using the trail they marked. But that was easier said than done as the terrible blizzard continued it's onslaught. And it only got worse when they arrived in an area of the forest. The Keyblade Wielder and wolf-dog gasped in shock by what they saw.
"Oh, no." Balto gasps
All around them were trees that had marks. Infront of them was a fork in the road with three paths leading into different parts of the forest, but they couldn't remember which one led back to Nome. The trees were so scratched up that not even Devon's 'X'-shaped mark, which he made with his Keyblade, was no longer visible. Thanks to Steele's tampering, they were now lost and confused.
"Which way, Balto? Which way?" Star asks
"Uh... This way." Balto says
The team takes the path to the left and heads further into the forest. As they ran through the freezing cold weather, Devon forced the team to stop.
"Whoa! Whoa! Stop! Stop!" Devon says
Devon slammed on the brakes of the sled with his right-foot and the team stops in another area in the forest, which looked almost exactly like the spot they were just at. Nikki, Kaltag, Star, and the other dogs were all sandwiched into each other as Balto slid to a stop.
"Balto, why are you and Devon taking us in circles?" Kaltag asks
"We're not! I mean, I don't know." Balto says
Balto and Devon soon realized that this was Steele's work. He must've gotten ahead of them somehow and marked trees to keep them and the team lost.
"It's Steele." Balto says
"Yeah. This is Steele alright. It's got his name all over it. But how did he even get ahead of us?" Devon says
"Maybe we was better off with him there." Nikki says
"No! Come on! Mush!" Balto says
Balto runs off again, going even faster than before. He was going so fast that the other dogs were having trouble keeping up with him.
"Balto! Slow down!" Star says
Devon and Balto got more and more nervous by the second. Every tree they pass had Steele's marking on them. The wolf-dog picked up his speed, going faster and faster.
"Hey! Hey! Goin' too fast!" Kaltag says
Eventually, Devon, Balto, and the team exit the patch of woods, only to be met with the edge of a hill that led to sheer drop down to a gorge. Balto gasped and slides to a stop. Devon gasped as well and he slammed his right-foot on the brakes of the sled, but their combined speed and the steepness of the hill caused them all to slide down at an incredible velocity. The unconscious musher falls off the sled and slides down along with them. Devon jumps from the sled and grabs the musher by the back of his coat with his left-hand. He then summons Soul Calibur into his right-hand and drives it into the slope, which screeches loudly, slowing their slide until they stop completely. Balto and the dogs also stop dangerously close to the edge. The sled was now leaning against large rock near the edge of the cliff. but that quickly changed when the sled started falling over on it's left-side.
"Look out!" Nikki exclaims
The rope binding the medicine onto the sled snapped off and the box was in danger of going over. Devon, Balto, and the dogs saw the crate about to fall and they gasp in shock.
"No!" Devon exclaims
Reacting quickly, Balto leaps out of his harness and jumps after the medicine. Devon quickly gets up and leaps after the crate as well. Both of them grab hold of the rope with Balto holding one rope with his teeth while Devon wraps his left-arm around another rope and drives Soul Calibur into the ground as an anchor. Their quick actions saved the crate from falling over the edge.
"All right! Good catch, guys!" Star says
Just when everyone thought the scare was over, the ground beneath Devon and Balto crumbled and broke away, sending both the young teen and wolf-dog plummeting down into the gorge along with the medicine. Nikki, Kaltag, Star and the other dogs could only watch helplessly as the two heroes were sent to their doom.
"Aaaah!" Devon and Balto screamed
Devon and Balto tumbled into the gorge as a large ton of snow came down on them. Soon, their world and their vision were spinning until everything finally went black.
Author's Note: Devon and Balto have finally gotten the medicine! After intense fighting with a monstrous bear and Steele, the ego-maniac mutt, our heroes are now on the process of completing their quest to save Nome. But now, thanks to Steele, Devon and Balto are lost in the wilderness and they've fallen into a deep gorge! Can they escape from their frozen tomb, or will the Dark Echo succeed in claiming the souls of the town's children? Will they make it back to Nome in time? Is there any hope left for the ill-stricken children? The conclusion to Devon and Balto's adventure awaits us in the next chapter. Let me know what you guys think. No flames please. Hope you guys like and don't forget to review!