I do deeply apologize for letting this story go so long without an update. I got sidetracked for a while with other fandoms and stories.
Anyway, this has been sitting on my laptop for ages, so I wanted to finally get this finished and posted. If people are still interested, I take back what I said about just doing requests, and I'll do the whole movie. Let me know if you'd prefer me just doing requests, or going through the whole movie.
Anyway, a huge thank you to those who reviewed and left me encouragement whenever I look back at this story. :) It truly means a lot!
Okay now, on to the chapter!
God Bless and Good Day!
~The Lupine Sojourner
[Nome, Alaska, Two Years Later]
"Balto, slow down!" I cry, frantically trying to keep pace with my little brother figure/dog/friend over the rooftops of Nome. He didn't obey. "How are you keeping up with him?" I ask Boris breathlessly, climbing over the rafter after my two best friends.
"Is no easy task, Naomi." Boris replies, sending a sour look toward the wolfdog, even as Balto halts, leaps up onto another roof, and turns, grabbing my sleeve and giving it a mighty tug.
Unfortunately, it caused both me and Balto to overbalance and tumble over the roof.
Fortunately, it had just snowed- -again!- -and we landed on a freshly plowed snowdrift. The pair of us were laughing as we came back up, me shaking myself and ruffling Balto's head to get the snow off.
"Thanks for trying, Balto." I chuckle.
He grins at me. "Sorry." He then bolts up and remembers our destination; the race. I stand, dust myself off real quick and Boris hitches a ride on my shoulder as I race after Balto.
"Crazy dog's gonna get hurt if he keeps sprinting around like that." I muse, smiling as I watch my friend/son/dog continue down the alley.
Boris nods. "Is like talking to a wall, when he's like this." He muses.
I laugh and come up the alleyway to find Balto waiting impatiently.
"We're gonna miss it!" He calls, taking off again.
I roll my eyes.
"Every time there's a race, you run around like you're in it!" Boris protests before I can.
"Maybe one day, I will be." Balto retorts. I shake my head fondly at him, but don't have the heart to shoot him down. I ruffle his head instead and feel my heart shatter a little when he grins up at me. "And you'll be my musher!" He adds.
I laugh, hugging him to me and sitting down for a second. "Yeah, well, stranger things have happened, I suppose." I mumble half-heartedly, mercifully distracted as Balto races up another alley as the two-mile flare goes up.
"Come on!" He calls. "We don't want to miss the finish!"
"Oh, that would be a tragedy." Boris laments sarcastically, wheezing slightly as Balto halts for a second. Balto seems to take that literally and yanks me and him around and up the alley, leaving Boris spinning and drilling himself into the snow. "I was being sarcastic." He mumbles, voice muffled by the snow. As we near the end of the alley, I dig my heels in.
"Balto, you need to wait a second!" I rasp, completely out of breath. "I can't keep up and we left Boris behind."
Balto looks sheepishly up at me. "Sorry, Mi-mi.' He mumbles.
I grin. "It's alright. Here he comes now." I reply. "Now, come on. Let's sneak in the back way." I call, already crawling under a net thrown over a stack of boxes and into an unused back alley.
"Jenna. Stay, girl!" We hear Rosy say as we get through and in position to watch the end of the race.
I grin. "Hey, Rosy!" I greet and the young girl races up to me.
"Naomi!" She squeals, hugging me excitedly. I hug her back. "I missed you!"
I smile, hugging her back. "Sorry. I was repairing the boat. Again. I swear, if I had any money, I'd pay someone to properly sink that thing." I grumble playfully, ignoring my pang of guilt at the lie.
Rosy laughs.
"Oh! There's Balto, too!" She notes, ruffling Balto's head.
He grins. "Hey, Rosy!" He says, knowing she'll only hear happy barking. Then, from around the corner, comes the dog sled team. Steele's as usual. Ugh.
"Better get back to Jenna, Rosy. She might wander off." I prompt and away the little girl goes. I haven't the heart to tell her, but her father essentially banned me from their house because I refused to 'give up those childish fantasies of understanding animals'. So I sent her away before her father could hear or see us and make a scene. Then, as Rosy takes off her cap to wave Steele on, the wind kicks up and blows away Rosy's musher's hat.
"Oh, no!" Rosy cries, trying in vain to snatch it back. "My hat!" It lands square in the middle of the track. With Steele not twenty feet away.
I sigh. "Come on!" I call, taking off and ducking under the sidelines, racing alongside the team with Balto providing a buffer between me and the dogs.
"It's that stray girl and her mutt!" I hear a man call, pointing at us. "They're gonna ruin the race!" I narrow my eyes and run harder til I can't hear the murmurs.
"Outta my way, lobos!" Steele growls.
"Not a chance!" I snap back, sprinting harder.
This seems to really tick Steele off and he snaps at me and Balto, causing us to leap out of the way, my feet barely touching the ground before I leap again, barely snatching the cap and dodging the dogs.
"When will you learn to stay on the sidelines?!" I hear Boris screech from the other side of the track.
"When you learn to fly south!" I call back teasingly. He predictably growls in Russian and stalks toward us. I laugh and lead Balto over to Jenna and Rosy as Steele's team showers their leader with false praises.
"Balto! Naomi!" Rosy laughs as I hand her her hat back. "What a crazy thing to do, just so Balto could show off for a pretty girl." She teases, and the pair of dogs exchange soft smiles. Rosy then picks up the leather dog straps on her sled (birthday gift, obviously) and holds it out for Balto. "I'm sure Jenna would love to have you on our team." She offers sweetly, but just then I notice her father approaching hurriedly.
"That sounds- -" But then, her father arrives and I put myself between him and Balto.
"Get a leash for that wolfdog!" He growls, drawing Rosy and Jenna away.
I scowl. "No need."
"He might bite her! He's part wolf!" I growl and stalk forward, rage slamming behind my eyes and slightly clouding my judgement.
"He's never bitten anyone and he can understand everything you're saying!" I snap.
"You stay away from him, Rosy." John instructs severely, kicking stray snow at us. Balto shrinks back at those words.
"Mr. Garber, I swear, he won't hurt her! I've lived with him since I found him, and in all that time, he's never hurt anyone."
"Dad! Now you've hurt his feelings!" Rosy whines as she's led away. "Please let me stay with Naomi. I never see her anymore."
I give Mr. Garber a challenging stare, but he merely continues on his way.
I then turn to Balto, shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Come on, buddy. Let's get home." I say with a heavy sigh, then notice that Steele's cornered Jenna again. I roll my eyes, but wince when Balto's face becomes crest-fallen. "It's not like that." I assure him. "He approaches her. She hates him." He doesn't seem convinced. I look back and it seems Jenna's escaped. Good.
I sigh and keep walking. Neither Boris nor I have any idea how to talk to Balto right now, so we give up. Then, Balto and I hear Rosy call Jenna just up ahead. However, he seems to have miscalculated just how close Jenna was and ends up, in his elation and rush to get to her, nose-and-nose with her, and if they were human, they would be blushing scarlet right now. I restrain a laugh and just watch.
"Jenna, I, uh- -"
"Naomi, what did I tell you?! Leash that animal!" Mr. Garber calls.
I scowl. "You told me literally a minute ago, Mr. Garber! I can't rustle up a collar and leash in that time, even if I wanted to!" I call back as Rosy orders Jenna back to them. I take the momentary distraction to yank Balto away and leave before any more of a scene is made. We hide under a nearby overturned boat propped on more crates and wait for the Garbers to leave. I slump down and sigh, but then move out with Balto and rejoin Boris in the alley.
"Where were you?" Balto asks curiously.
Boris shrugs. "Balto, there are some things, I cannot do for you." He says.
Balto sighs. "Yeah, yeah."
"I am goose, not cupid."
I laugh. "Though, you would make a hilarious cupid." I muse.
Then, as if more drama were needed today, I hear Steele's voice at the head of the alley.
"Didn't make the team, Bingo?" He mocks. "You and your lobo owner?" I halt, tensing. Balto does, too, teeth baring in a snarl.
"Balto, breathe...it's not worth it." I whisper.
"Don't look at him. Don't listen to him. Live a long life." Boris adds.
Balto merely turns to face Steele. "My name's Balto, and you will never insult Naomi again!" He growls.
"Balto, let's just go. It's really not worth it." I try again.
"Oh, sorry, Balto." Steele says in an utterly unapologetic tone. "Your girl's an orphan and a street rat. Hey, she's another half-breed." He snarks nastily as he and his posse laugh at the head of the alley.
I roll my eyes. "Oh, gee, Steele. Such a burn." I growl sarcastically, crossing my arms.
Steele ignores me and heads to Boris. "Hey, old goose, you a half-breed, too, huh?" He taunts cruelly, "Part turkey?" He then clanks his nose under Boris' jaw, knocking him into an abandoned serving platter with the lid clanking over top of my friend.
"Hey!" I bark, heading over.
"You are the wittiest, the quickest! You are the drollest, the cleverest, the sharpest, the most hilarious- -" Kaltag praises.
"You crack me up!" Star interjects, cackling insanely before Kaltag knocks him senseless. I scoff. Typical. No wonder Star is so scatter-brained. He gets creamed every time he speaks!
"Steele, leave them out of this!" Balto snaps testily, standing in front of Boris and I protectively as I retrieve the goose. Steele just flicks Balto's face with his tail.
"Oh, Balto, I've got a message for your mother." He taunts, sauntering over to his posse and mockingly imitating a wolf's howl. I turn livid with rage, even as Balto tenses beside me. The quartet laugh and continue mocking wolves.
"Hi, mom!" Nikki cackles.
"Hey, Balto! Translate this for me, will yah?" Kaltag sneers, howling again.
"What's wolf for 'go chase your tail'?" Star adds, cackling even harder at his own sick joke.
Balto stalks in outrage toward them.
"Stop, all of you!" I growl. "This is pointless!" I try to stand in front of Balto, but he shoves me aside with his broad shoulders.
"Not this time, Naomi." He growls. "This time, he gets it." I try to grab Balto's fur (suddenly cursing myself for never getting Balto at least a collar), but he slips right through my fingers and it's already too late.
"Steele, enough!" I order sharply, drawing myself up to seem bigger as I storm over. The effect is nonexistent.
"Get him." Steele growls, his trio of thugs stand in front of Steele and bark at Balto and I. "Get outta here, Lobos. Get back to your pack!" Steele leapt at me and Balto was somehow fast enough to yank me just out of his reach. I couldn't tell what he'd meant to do, but I knew we had to leave. This wasn't the time or place to confront Steele.
"Maybe it's the unrelenting fear talking, but I'm seeing visdom in this advice." Boris replies, trying to push Balto down the alley. I glare at Steele even as I grab Balto's scruff.
"C'mon, Balto." I grumble. "They're not worth it." Snow comes flying at us and I have to make myself keep moving.
Then, somehow, a rock hit Balto's head, doing nothing but startling him. Balto gave in to his gut reaction and ran down the alley. I went after him, and we ran out of town, feeling humiliated and down on our luck. With Mr. Garber refusing to let me stay with them any more, I had to live in the boat practically full time, as Steele always ran me out of the sled dog lodge.
Along the way, we stopped when Balto sniffed the wind and, looking around, spotted a few wolves at the top of a nearby hill.
Balto was in no mood to try to talk to them, so we continued on, as dejected as when we left Nome.
"Not a dog, not a wolf…" Boris notes sadly, watching Balto with concern and empathy in his eyes. "All he knows is what he is not." I nod, sighing.
"I don't know how to tell him what he is." I reply.
Boris suddenly perked up, ran into the boat, and grabbed a bone I'd found earlier that day for my friend.
Balto paid no attention as Boris tried to get his mind off his gloomy thoughts.
"Balto, you need to eat something." I say, trying to be firm but empathetic. Again, it was as if Balto couldn't hear anything. "At least drink something." I prompt, even as Boris slops up a bit of water to encourage his friend. I grab the canteen I used and swigged a bit, but Balto merely continued walking toward the top, where we slept.
There, he burrowed under a tattered, weather-worn blanket and appeared to want to sleep.
Boris sent Balto's old toy, one we'd played with so much as Balto was growing up, across Balto's field of vision. Balto watched it, but made no move to play.
The last thing Boris tried was dancing, and though it made me smile a little as I joined Balto beneath the blanket, Balto might as well have not seen it.
Giving up, the goose finally joined us.
It was a rather depressing scene, the three of us huddled under a blanket that was not warm enough to ward off all the cold, all of us looking glum and sullen.
After maybe a few minutes, we see geese flying to warmer weather. Balto smirks, cheering up a little at the ready teasing material.
"Homesick, Boris?" He asks. I chuckle. "You ever think about going back?" Balto continues.
Boris stands, a business-like air about him as he grabs a mop.
"Don't fret, Fido." Boris retorts, patting Balto's head. "I'm sticking right here until I am sure you and Naomi can stand on own feet." He promises.
"You're taking care of Naomi and me?" Balto asks, almost incredulous at the notion.
"Don't thank me." Boris sniffs, continuing to mop.
I sigh. "I should probably go and see if I can rustle up some dinner for us." I muse, stretching a bit and standing. I had some fishing spots that I'd check before sneaking down to Nome to see if I could cook the fish anywhere.
"Good idea." Balto replies, sniffing the air. "I smell...herring."
"The herring are flying south, too." Boris retorts sarcastically. Balto and I spot a pair of white blobs heading our way and instantly we know who's coming.
"Must be Muck and luck!" Balto cheers.
"Good news." Boris grumbles, not believing Balto.
Sure enough, I hear a distant cheer of 'Uncle Boris'.
Ah, Muck and Luck, the polar bears. They loved us, calling me Aunty Naomi and Boris Uncle Boris. It always cheered Balto up, seeing the lovable bears.
Boris, on the other hand, was always resistant to their charms, preferring not to have them stick around too long. He grabs the mop and uses it like a lance to ward off the approaching bears.
"Oh no." He whimpers.
"Oh, come on. They're not that bad." I snicker, but Boris doesn't hear me, trembling as Muck barrels toward us over the deck.
"No hugging! No licking!" Boris cries, hoisting the mop bucket as a shield.
Muck stops with the end of the mop lightly against his chest. Luck, on the other hand, went behind Boris, who relaxes when he sees Muck maintaining distance.
When the goose leans back, however, he feels Luck's warm, thick fur and his eyes go wide even as he's pulled into the larger bear's embrace. I willingly let Muck jump into my arms as I leave the blanket. Polar bears were warmer than blankets, anyway. I was freezing!
"He says he's been dying to see you guys!" Muck translates Luck's happy murmurs as he cuddles Boris, licking him as Boris squirms and tries to escape. "We love you, Uncle Boris! And, of course, Aunty Naomi!" Muck cuddles into my chest and gives my cheek a lick.
Muck then looks dismally at the piteous blanket Balto, Boris and I had just been under. "Don't tell me you've been sleeping out here all this time!" He squeaks worriedly.
"I…" I sigh. Muck was always so concerned about my living in the boat.
"N'omi, you know we'd welcome you any time." Muck says. I ruffle his head fondly.
"I know, Muck. I'm fine. I can find a warm corner and cuddle with Balto. That helps a lot." I explain.
"...If you says so." Muck replies, eyes still furrowed with concern.
While we'd been talking, Boris had escaped Luck's grip and was putting the feathers that had come off back where they belonged, snatching a wing feather from Luck grumpily.
Luck, saddened by Boris' rejection of his hug and assistance gathering the feathers, began whimpering. I couldn't quite understand, but it was clear the bear was upset, so I give him a hug, relishing the fuzzy warm arms around me and the furry head nuzzling me, warming me up nicely.
"Now, now, Luck. 'Member what Auny N'omi said? They're always happy seeing us. They love us...don't you Aunty?"
Boris, still sourly adjusting the feather in his wing, feels more than sees Balto and I's look of 'what do you say to that?', caves with a few grumbles under his breath.
"Oi, boychiks!" Boris calls with as much patience and good grace as he can. "Let's play a game."
Instantly, the bears cheer up, eager to play with 'Uncle Boris', cheering wildly in anticipation.
"Race you to the shore! One, two, three, go!" Just like that, the bears take off, running eagerly toward the shore not far off. "They win." Boris notes, leaning against the ship nonchalantly as the bears run off. I watch them get to the shore, then behind a rock and out of my sight.
I hear a splash and the cries and whines of the bears, meaning they'd gone deeper than they meant and thought they were drowning.
I laugh and run over with Balto and Boris to see them floundering in the shallow low tide water.
"Bears!" Boris calls, to no avail. "Bears! Fellas!" Growing irritated, he tries again. "Idiot balls of fluff!"
"Easy, Boris." Balto cautions. "You know how they are."
"Muk! Luk! Relax!" I call and it finally seems to get Muk, at least, to calm enough that he could see the water was very shallow.
"She's right! You're ok! You're not drowning!" Balto adds and Muk sits up.
"He has point, bears." Boris notes as the boys calm down. "You are not drowning because, if you pause one moment, you will observe, perhaps...tide is out!" Boris grumpily rejoins Balto and I on the shore.
Luk mumurs to Muk and Boris turns back.
"He said what?"
Muk looks at the ground, a little shame-faced. "Oh, the shame of the polar bear who fears the water." He recites. I know there's no way Luk could have actually said that much with that one groan, but I don't say anything. "No wonder we are shunned by our fellow bear. Woe is us…" Muk then points a claw at Luk as if we doubted what the bigger bear had said. "It's what he said. Kinda pathetic, really."
"Oh come on. It's not that bad. We've got plenty of space on the boat for more misfits." I say.
"Thanks, Aunty."
"Always with the whimpering." Boris says sarcastically. "Between you and Balto, is like Dostoyevsky novel around here."
"You know how to read?" I ask coyly.
"Oi! Little girl, you play dangerous game!" Boris retorts playfully, pretending to be mad and charge at me, and I run back to the boat, laughing.
Yeah, we may get down in the dumps sometimes, but we are always there to try to help each other out again.