Chapter 7
The next morning Balto awoke early and stepped out of the helm of the boat to look at the sky. The sky looked down on him like a dark and ruffled blanket heavy with snow. From the north blew a cold and bitter wind carrying the first few flakes. In Balto's sudden exultation at being accepted by Jenna's father, he had forgotten about the storm coming in.
Behind Balto came a long yawn. "Oh … what are you doing up so early? I thought you hated morning?" Boris asked. His eye's drifted towards the sky. "And I don't know what you would be doing up on a day like today. It looks terrible." Boris suddenly turned. "I'm going back to sleep."
"Boris." Balto called after him. "I need to go talk with Benson this morning. We agreed to go on a walk, but I forgot about the weather."
"Yeah yeah," Boris stretched his wings up, yawned and lay down against Muk's side. "I'll remember."
Balto quickly walked off the boat and aimed towards town. It wouldn't take more than a moment to reschedule the whole thing. In fact Balto figured Benson had already decided it would be better to go another day.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Balto asked in disbelief.
"Oh of course." Benson smiled. "I love the winter weather. It makes me feel young again." He grinned.
Balto felt unsure about the whole thing. This wasn't just some passing storm; this was the first storm of winter. It would be brutal, with winds blasting in the mountains at well over a hundred miles an hour, snow falling so fast tracks could get lost in seconds, and deep heat-killing cold. No, this didn't seem like a wise idea at all.
"I don't know Benson."
Benson's eye's narrowed. "What? Are you afraid?"
Balto scowled. "Not so much for me, as for you. I'd hate to get out there and-"
"You don't think I can handle myself?" Benson growled, clearly upset. "I'll have you know that I'm in my peak, my prime. I can do anything you can do."
Balto thought about it. He still didn't like it.
"And nothing says we have to go all the way to the falls. We can just go a ways, get out in the snow to chat amongst ourselves. Just enough walking and talking to let me get to know my daughters life-mate … and call him son." Benson nearly vomited as the word left his mouth.
Balto still didn't like it. The storm could really get going, start driving down the valley like a freight train. They could end up in a bad position really quick. But on the other hand, it could be exhilarating and wonderful. Both of them out in the wilderness, a sense of danger looming, a father and his son-in-law bonding. Balto also knew it would be great to be called son.
"I guess that would be alright. I'd like to tell Jenna what we're doing though just in case something happens."
"No need." Benson smiled. "I told her you and me were going to go this morning. After I saw how bad the weather was I knew I had to tell her. We couldn't just up and vanish, it would be frightening."
"You're sure she knows where we're going?" Balto asked.
"Of course she does. I made sure of everything. Now come on, let's get going. I've been sitting around here long enough." Benson stood up, turned, and strolled down the alley towards the hills.
Balto still didn't like it. He always personally told Jenna where he was going out into the mountains, and when he planned to get back. But then again, Benson was Jenna's father. Why should he doubt him? After all, Benson had done a complete turn around on how he viewed Balto.
"You coming Balto, or what?" Benson called back over his shoulder.
"Yeah, coming." Balto replied, and ran to catch up.
Somewhere behind Balto a shadow moved away and down the street.
They crested the top of the first hill as the first real flakes began to pelt them. Balto looked back towards the town. He could still see the dim outline of the buildings from two miles out. So the storm wasn't coming as fast as he though, although the wind and cold at the crest of the hill were almost unbearable and said otherwise. But Bensons seemed to be taking it well enough, so Balto bit his lip, and kept walking.
"So Benson." Balto yelled into the wind. "What made you change your mind about me?"
"Jenna did." Benson yelled back over his shoulder. He paused and breathed hard as Balto caught up to him. "I figured, if she could love you, and have children with you, then there must be something about you … something good inside you." Benson and Balto resumed walking shoulder to shoulder. "So I figured I should get to find out what that is." Benson looked over at Balto. "So what's so special about you? What does my Jenna see?"
Balto shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I guess she sees past what I am on the outside. She always did, even when we were young?"
"You knew Jenna when she was a pup?" Benson asked peacefully. But internally he gritted and cracked his teeth with rage.
"Yeah. She was the first dog I met in town. Well, I met others, but they couldn't see past the wolf thing, and would always try and pick fights with me and call me names. Jenna saw who I truly was though."
"I see." Benson smiled.
"But she was wonderful. I loved her then, like I love her now." Balto finished with a dreamy appreciation in his eye's.
"What about the other dogs who tried to pick fights with you because of your being a wolf? You must have become a good brawler?" Benson smirked. "Taken a few of them down, right?"
Balto shook his head. "No, I never got into a fight over my wolf heritage. I wouldn't have been around to long if I was always beating up the best sled-dogs in Nome. So I never became a very good fighter. I became a good fighter with my wits and my paws though." Balto grinned and chuckled at his own joke, but Benson didn't.
Benson raised his eyebrow. "So you weren't much of a fighter then?"
Balto shook his head again, a little glummer this time. "No."
They crossed over to the other side of the hill and looked down into the Nome river valley. Snow stuck to the grass and blew about them in a frenzy. Ahead they could see the river snaking back and forth with bare tree's clumped together along its flank.
Benson peered straight ahead, as if looking for something out in the snow near the river. "What say we pick up the pace? I need to get these old joints moving." Benson lurched ahead and dashed down the hill, kicking up a flurry of flakes.
Balto followed in suit.
Jenna felt the paw gently prodding her ribs and she rolled over with a groan towards the fire. "Just another minute." She begged through her eyelids as she began to drift off again.
"Jenna wake up." Cleo pleaded, prodding her again.
Jenna opened her eyes and slowly rolled back over. She stared up at her mother and sleepily smiled. "What is it mom?" She yawned.
"You haven't seen Benson this morning, have you?" Cleo asked quietly.
Jenna watched her mothers face for a moment. It'd been a long time since Jenna had seen her up close. She forgot the eloquent way her mother expressed fear. But it kicked in and Jenna sat up, a little more awake. "No mom, I haven't, why?"
"He wasn't here when I woke up this morning. I searched all over the house. I thought he might have gone out before I got up. But I don't think he came back."
Jenna watched her mothers eye's as she told the account. She could sense her mothers fear by the way her eyes darted around. "How long has it been?" Jenna asked.
Cleo shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think he came back last night."
Jenna's eye's opened wide. "You mean he's been out all night?"
"I don't know how he got out. The last time I saw him he went upstairs after going and meeting Balto. I thought at first he might still be up there, but he wasn't." Cleo's lip trembled and her eye's fell to the floor. "I'm afraid he might try and do something."
Jenna's ears and eye's shot up. "Balto!"
Steel watched them coming from nearly a mile off. Snow swirled around them, so they looked like shadows moving across the snowy land. Steel knew to them he looked like nothing more than an extension of the rock he sat on, and with the snow, Balto probably wouldn't see him until it was to late.
Steel grinned and felt a thrill rush from his stomach to his paws. Today would be his day for glory. After today he would be able to get his rightful life back, the life Balto stole.
His mind drifted into what he would do after it all went down. First he'd wash Balto's blood off in the ocean to the west of Nome. Then he'd spend some time cleaning his fur up and making himself look like the dog he one was. Then he'd go with Benson to his house and say they had met the night before and had spent the day out together.
"I'm sorry Jenna, I haven't seen Balto in months." Steel would reply to Jenna.
Of course nothing would ever be found of that wolf-dog. He'd just simply vanish, as if taken away by the river.
Steel started to chuckle.
"What's so funny Steel?" Roller, a large and brutish pit-bull asked. His body shook and shivered with cold as snow built up on his back. He didn't have a nice fur coat, but he had teeth and an appetite to kill.
"Nothing." Steel replied sternly. "Tell the others they're almost here. Catch and subdue the wolf, don't kill him. That pleasure is for me."
Balto guessed they had been gone for nearly two hours and had traveled roughly eight miles from town. And in that time Benson hardly said more than a hundred words to Balto. He was tight lipped, unwilling to go into detail about anything. Balto tried to pry at him with a few questions, but always got rebuffed and asked about Jenna, or the boat he lived on, or some other quandary to change the topic.
Fortunately the weather had held up so far. But Balto knew it wouldn't last much longer. Already he could see the black clouds flexing down out of the mountains, pushing a blanket of icy wind and snow in front of it. They would be coming up on the boulder forest soon, which would probably be as close as they got to the falls.
"Benson?" Balto said turning his head to him.
Benson looked sidelong at Balto. "What?"
"I think we should get going home soon. The storms getting worse. If we go much further we'll get caught in the blizzard."
"Fine." Benson replied. "But let's get to the boulder forest at least. Give me a minute to rest my feet. Jenna told me all about the boulder forest, said it was a nice place to rest."
They walked on towards the boulder forest shoulder to shoulder. But as they did, Balto began to wonder; how did Benson know about the boulder forest? Jenna had never been there, they never stopped when they passed this way. They always went by it because they wanted to get to the falls and back before nightfall. Something didn't smell right about the whole thing.
Jenna sprinted to the boat and up the gangplank where she stopped breathlessly. "Balto?" She called out. But she didn't wait for a response as she ran to the helm of the boat and looked in. Boris lay on his side cuddled up next to a polar bear. "Boris, have you seen Balto?"
Boris rolled slowly over and stretched in a long way, working from his feet all the way to the tip of his wings. He looked over at Jenna. "No, not recently. Why?"
"Did he say where he was going?" Jenna begged.
Boris realized something was up by the way Jenna acted. "Is something wrong?"
"I need to find Balto. I think my father might be trying to kill him." Jenna replied. "Now can you tell me where he is?"
"Yeah." Boris jumped to his feet with the realization of what was going on. "He said he was going to go see someone named Benson. He said he needed to tell him something." Boris looked at the grey sky and blowing flakes of snow. "But that was hours ago already."
"He didn't say where he was going though?" Jenna said sharply.
"No."
Jenna turned and dashed down the gangplank and back towards the town.
The boulders loomed around Balto and Benson like the walls of a castle, carefully guiding them in one direction. They strolled along, Balto in front with Benson bringing up the rear. Snow fell gently down, like confetti on a parade of heroes. There was no wind in between the rocks, so it felt much warmer.
Benson looked up above him and noticed the ears of a dog sticking out over the edge of a boulder. Then a little further on a tuft of snow fell in front of Benson's nose. Benson smiled. "You know Balto, it's going to be hard on Jenna." Benson said out of nowhere.
"What is?" Balto asked.
"You're death." Benson replied simply.
Balto stopped and turned slowly around in the enclosed space. He looked at Benson for a long while. "So you haven't changed your opinions of me." Balto replied simply. "I thought you hadn't."
"No, I'm afraid I can't Balto. You see, I have a vendetta against your kind. I can't have you messing things up anymore with Jenna."
"So you'd break her heart to fulfill your vendetta?" Balto realized there were others listening in on the conversation all around him.
"Her heart will heal in time. She will eventually fall for the right dog."
"Like me." Steel replied from behind Balto.
Balto turned and faced Steel as he stood nonchalantly in the path. "I should have known you would be part of this."
"Don't look so surprised Balto. You knew that one day I would get you back."
Balto growled as something moved in the upper corner of his vision. Above him he could see six or seven dogs looking down on him, smiling like they were hungry and about to be fed. Balto knew most of them, half of them by name. "And what would you be getting me back for? Being a terrible leader who almost caused the death of every child in Nome?
"Enough talk!" Steel barked. "Get him!"
All at once the six dogs above Balto flew down from their perch, snarling and growling in a terrible way. Balto braced down as they landed around him, righted themselves from the fall, and turned towards him.
Balto pushed against the ground with all his strength and leapt up over Steel. Steel leapt up to meet Balto, but Balto flew over him – while his back legs made solid contact with Steels jaws and face, knocking Steel on his back. Balto sped away from them as the dogs turned and bolted over Steel after Balto.
"Get him!" Benson screamed out. "Don't let him live."
Jenna nearly slipped and fell on the slick snow in front of Mr. Simpsons house. Kodi, Kirby, Ralph, and Dusty all jumped out of their doghouses and looked at Jenna as she righted her feet under her. "Kodi, guys, I need your help."
Kodi, recognizing the distressed face on his mother, raced to her. "Mom, what is it?"
"Yeah Jenna?" Dusty said as she jumped up from her doghouse and came running.
"It's Benson, and Balto … I think my dad's trying to kill Balto."
"Kill him?" Kirby's eye's expanded.
"What's killing who?" Ralph chimed in last.
"Listen!" Jenna barked. "I need your help. I need to find Balto or Benson." Everyone stopped and looked at Jenna with rapt attention. "Now we need to split up and search all of town for him. Then we need to expand from there. Everyone needs to take a different part of town, and then meet up back here. Got it?"
"I'll take the east side." Dusty turned and raced towards the river.
"I got South." Kirby said running past Jenna.
"West." Ralph bolted.
Kodi looked at Jenna. "I guess that leaves North for me."
"I'll come with you." Jenna said as she turned and ran up the street. Kodi followed slightly behind her.
Balto dashed across a shallow spot in the open river, spraying up water to match the snow falling down, when suddenly he fell into a hole and went in over his head. Quickly Balto swam to the edge and crawled out and ran up the bank. Not more than a dozen feet behind him six dogs, followed closely by Steel – and further on by Benson, bolted through a different part of the river, only getting their feet wet. They lunged up the riverbank on Balto's heels.
Balto raced through the trees like an obstacle course. He dove over fallen trees and sped down game trails trying not to loose his footing on the slick snow. Finally he broke free of the trees next to the river and raced straight up a rocky slope. Instantly his strength began to fail him, but fortunately his pursuers also lost their zip. Now it was an endurance contest.
Balto moved steadily up the slope, trying not to push himself so hard he would loose his strength and have to stop completely. Up and up he went, climbing higher and higher above the river into the clouds and the snow rushing down until he couldn't see the river below any longer. The snow got thicker and more substantial at his feet as he climbed. The sound of the dogs below him trailed off, but they still remained.
Finally Balto felt he had to stop and rest for just a moment. He stopped and turned and looked down the hill. Below him he could see his tracks leading down into a cloud of blowing snow. He could hear his pursuers steadily marching on not far off. He knew he didn't have more than a minute before they were upon him again. The fur on Balto's neck and back was beginning to freeze solid.
Balto turned and bolted across the hill to a group of tree's barely visible through the snow. Under the trees the snow wasn't as deep as the slope. Quickly Balto dashed up the hill through the trees. He knew he had to lose them as quickly as possible.
Kodi and Jenna sprinted through the street yelling. "Balto!" They crossed down one alley, then shot out onto a street just in front of a man walking along before blasting into another alley. "Balto!"
Suddenly Jenna and Kodi saw someone walking down the street towards them. He turned broadside and indicated he wanted them to stop. Jenna and Kodi stopped in front of the red and cream colored husky with large feet.
"Dakota," Jenna started. "I don't have time to deal with you right now. I need to find Balto." She stepped around him before he could open his mouth.
"But I know where he is." Dakota swiftly replied.
Jenna turned on the double and faced Dakota. "What? Where?"
Dakota spoke calm and soft. "Last night I was coming to tell you why I wasn't in the boiler room to meet Quin. My owner was sick and I had to stay with him until he fell asleep. I was coming around the corner into this alley when I heard dad talking to someone, making plans to go out and have some 'bonding' time. They agreed to meet there this morning. So I went back and watched them leave."
"Where were they going?" Jenna nearly screamed.
Dakota looked shocked and unsure. "Well… er, they said they were going to the falls on the river… but they didn't think they would make it all the way."
Jenna looked at Kodi in a way which made his face turn sour. "We need to get out there."
Balto hobbled along through the trees and rocky outcroppings, trying to stay on the tufts of pine needles and bare rocks to conceal his tracks. The snow fell thick and the wind out the mountains bit to the bone. He knew he was getting into a bad place by climbing the mountain; avalanches, freezing wind, and blind cliffs - not to mention he was wet. But if he could only loose the dogs for a while and sneak back down the mountain he could get home before they realized it and he froze to death.
Balto trotted steadily on, but he knew his strength was beginning to falter badly. His chest heaved, his heart raced, and his head felt light and throbbed with his pulse. His feet began to grown numb. He knew he couldn't keep this up for very long.
Behind him Balto no longer heard the dogs. They had split up shortly after coming to the trees he first entered. At the same time they became very quiet. Now Balto didn't know how far behind him they might be, so he pushed steadily on, leaping from rock to rock, climbing higher.
Up and up he climbed. And then suddenly, he realized there were no more trees and no more up. Balto looked around and saw he had come up the side of a pointed vista. To either side of him sunk deep cliffy valley's filled with snow; prime avalanche territory. Above and before him stretched a field of snow to the very peak of the mountain hidden somewhere above the clouds. Balto knew he would have to risk crossing one of the fields to the left or right. Neither one of them looked particularly safe, so Balto picked the one closer to Nome.
Quickly he jumped down the few rocks and ran through the trees to the valley. Coming out on the edge of the avalanche field which sunk like a funnel, Balto paused. He studied the way ahead. It looked to be about a hundred yard across, the snow looked new, therefore not prone to avalanche. But Balto couldn't be sure of this. There could be a base layer of ice. It could be bad, very bad. Then Balto heard something behind him, someone moving through the trees and rocks close by.
Balto had no other choice. He closed his eye's, "Please Aniu, help me." Then Balto raced forwards.
Benson knew they were close, he could feel it in his bones. A lifetime of hunting like this had made him attune to the fear of fleeing wolves at the moment of capture. He could sense Balto wasn't far now, maybe a couple hundred feet.
"Keep your eye's open." Benson yelled a whisper to the seven dogs fifty feet in front of him. None of them seemed to notice. "He's around here. I can feel it. Make sure he isn't going to come down our flank."
Benson was already at his limit, his hips felt like they were on fire. If this had been a hunt with his master he would have long ago sat down and given up. But he knew he couldn't. Besides, it was only one last hunt. This one was for his daughters pride in the community. He would survive.
They moved in line up the spire. Rocks and trees began to block the path. But Balto's trail still ran true.
"I smell him." One of the dogs yelled out.
"I hear him moving, he's not far."
"There!" Steel growled.
Suddenly the dogs broke into a sprint around the edge of the hill, boulder hopping and scraping through the trees. That is, all except Benson who kept plodding along at the same pace. "Alright boys. Get him!" He yelled in encouragement.
Balto felt as light as a feather. He crossed the expanse of snow – seemingly - without touching his feet down once. Balto stopped in the group of trees on the other side and looked back. Steel stood on the edge of the snow looking across at him. Six other dogs rallied around him. Balto could hear them talking and making plans amongst each other in a frantic way.
Suddenly a commotion broke out, two voices argued. They were yelling at each other. Then Steel and the six dogs bolted back into the trees, heading downhill. Balto knew they were going to find a safer place to cross. Balto was about to turn and run when he noticed a single dog walking towards him across the snow. It was Benson.
Balto waited. He knew he could have run and put more distance between his pursuers and him, but something stopped him. He couldn't just run away and not help him if he fell, could he?
Benson growled bitterly as he started crossing the gorge. Steel was too much of a coward to go out on the snow; they were all cowards to do it. Benson growled as he watched his feet move under him. He thought about how far the others were going to fall behind because of their trepidation. "If you need something done, you just have to do it yourself." He whispered to himself.
Benson looked up at the far edge of the little gully, and was shocked to see Balto standing on the edge of the snow watching him. I guess the boy's got the gall to fight me. So be it? Benson pushed his feet a little faster.
Then suddenly his back paws slipped and fell downhill, dragging the rest of him towards the steep part of the gorge. Benson dug his front paws into the soft snow and kicked with his back paws, managing to stop his decent. Benson looked up, and to his horror, he saw Balto rushing out to him. "Kill an old dog when he's down. Sounds like something a wolf would do."
"I don't want to kill you." Balto replied stopping a dozen feet from Benson.
"Sure you do. It's what you wolves do." Benson kicked furiously with his back legs, but found no purchase. "Don't tell me these lies you coward."
"Benson, I don't want to kill you." Balto reiterated.
Benson kicked again and again, and then found purchase. Toiling hard with his legs he pulled himself up towards Balto. "I'll kill you lobo." He growled as he managed to regain where he had been.
Balto backed up, hesitated as Benson slipped a little, then spoke "Benson, I don't want us to be this way." His eye's turned downhill to a flatter area of snow a hundred and fifty yards downhill. He could barely see Steel and the others through the snow. But he knew it was them and they had found a safer place to cross.
Benson pulled himself up from the fall and crouched there, resting. "It may kill me, but I'll kill you, Balto."
Balto turned and trotted towards the far side. "Benson, don't do this. Let's make amends."
Benson breathed and stood, then began walking towards Balto again.
Balto dashed to the trees, and vanished.
Jenna, Kodi, Kirby, Ralph, Dusty, and Dakota walked in a line to the top of the hill north of town. Dakota stopped as they reached the top of the first hill to catch his breath. The snow blasted his fur and swept his breath away. It was late in the day, and he wondered if he would be back by nightfall, or would they get stuck out in the snow. Dakota turned, and watching Dusty's form vanish into the swirling snow, he rushed to catch up.
Benson ran through the trees. Below him he could see Balto's tracks in the snow and the pine needles. It was up to him now; the others were too far behind to catch up. He would have to do everything. He growled and felt rage building. He'd bath in Balto's blood.
Balto knew Bensons wasn't far behind him. He wished he could have stopped to rest, his feet were freezing and his body ached from the strain and his frozen fur. But Balto knew there would be no chance of rest until he reached Nome. Don't worry Balto. Balto said internally. Every step you take is a step closer to home. Before you know it you'll be with Jenna. Just keep going.
Balto turned around an outcropping of rocks and could see the edge of a cliff sticking out of the snow. He slid to a stop and turned to the left and began making his way down a series of steep rocky steps.
But behind Balto, in the trees where he had changed direction, a dark form appeared. Suddenly the wind blew and erased the tracks Balto made when he slid to a stop. Then a black wolf paw stepped out onto the trail, and turned towards the cliff.
Benson followed the tracks closely with his nose, looking up occasionally to see if he could see Balto. He knew he wasn't far from him now. He'd catch up to him any moment.
Benson turned around a rock outcropping. The wind blew suddenly and violently in his face, momentarily blinding him and causing him to slow. Benson looked up, blinked his eyes quickly, and clearly saw Balto's form sitting on the edge of the trail not more than ten feet in front of him. Without hesitating Benson bolted. "I'll kill you Balto."
The wolf silhouette stood, turned, and ran down the trail.
Benson quickly caught up to Balto, and was about to leap upon his back and have him when the wolf disappeared from in front of his nose, and so did the ground he ran on.
Balto heard the scream coming from high above him and to the right. The scream then moved from above him to down below him in a second where it stopped with a solid thud. Balto picked up the pace; he knew Benson had run off the cliff, taking a tumble of a hundred feet or more.
Steel followed the tracks closely. He could clearly see the wolf ones next to the dog ones. They both looked to be tired. Then Steel, followed by the six dogs, came around a bend in the trail, and there in front of them, was a cliff.
Carefully Steel followed the tracks to the edge of the cliff, making sure they didn't deviate at the last moment. He swept far to the left and to the right to be sure Balto hadn't jumped to the side at the last moment. Sure enough the tracks led where he thought they would, over the cliff. Slowly Steel made his way to the edge and peered out as the wind ruffled his fur. The snow fell so hard he couldn't see the ground, but he was sure of what had happened, the tracks didn't lie.
"Well… what do you see?" Roller said shivering.
Steel turned and strode through the waiting dogs. "All I need to. Let's get back to Nome."
Benson opened his eyes and was surprised he didn't feel any pain. Everything felt light and far away. Yet the fear, and the knowledge of what had just happened, scared Benson, and he began to cry. He tried to move his legs, but they didn't respond. He tasted blood in his mouth and could feel it running out of his nose.
For a moment Benson thought he would pass out again as everything became blurred and indistinct. But then something moved just in front of his vision. It was fuzzy and vague. It could have been a tree shaking in the wind, but Benson soon realized who it was.
"You!!" Benson said in fear. "But, but… this can't be."
The black she-wolf stopped walking and sat down in front of Benson's face. "Don't worry Benson." She smiled.
"No!" Benson growled in fear.
"I've come to take you Benson. I told you one day I would come and get you." The black wolf replied simply and without emotion.
"What? Where are you going to take me?" Benson quivered. "I don't want to leave."
"I've come to take you to the happy hunting grounds." She smiled, and Benson got the feeling she were telling the truth. "I said there were no winners, there were only losers … at least on this plane of life."
"But, but… I don't want to …die." Benson gasped.
"We all die Benson. Did you think you would escape it? All these years your joints were getting stiffer, and it became harder for you to run. You were getting old Benson. You were getting ready to die. Besides, your sister Jenna has been waiting a long time for you."
Benson's eye's perked. "My…sister?"
"Yes. You will see her soon enough. But right now, I'm going to give you some time to do what's right." The she wolf dissipated as if she had been nothing more than a vapor.
Bensons' eye's lowered to a distant tree where a grey wolfdog ran out and towards him. "Benson?" He called as he stopped in front of him. The shock in Balto's eye's betrayed the horror of the accident better than words could.
"Balto." Benson said weakly.
"Don't worry Benson. Don't try and speak. Everything's going to be alright." Balto said as he looked for something he could do, but it all seemed so futile. "Come on, I'll drag you out of this snow, get you into a warm place."
Balto looked around. The only place he could see was the tree he had run out from under. The snow hadn't yet piled up underneath it. It wouldn't be as warm and secure as a den, but it would have to do.
Quickly Balto took hold of the scruff on the back of Bensons neck and drug him across the snow, leaving a deep line of blood in the snow behind him. But the snow fell quickly enough that by the time Balto got Benson under the tree on the dry needles, the blood where he had first lay was covered over and dim.
Balto lay down next to Benson, trying to give him some of his heat, even though he hardly had enough for himself. Benson breathed hard and labored, but he still breathed.
"Balto." Benson finally said.
"What is it? What can I do?"
A single tear ran out of Bensons eye. "I wan… I want you to… be good to, to Jenna."
"I am." Balto replied. "I would die for her."
Benson smiled. "So would …I." Bensons swallowed and breathed hard. "I didn't want to hur… hurt Jenna…. I just, wanted her to be… happy." Bensons' turned his head and looked at Balto. "Now… I se…see, that's what… you wan…want for her, as well." Benson let his head rest again.
"Thank you Benson." Balto replied as a tear graced his cheek.
"Balto, I'm not…not going to, kid you… I'm …dying." Benson breathed hard. He realized out across the snow near another, more distant tree, a black wolf was standing, watching. "I'm sorry… Balto, for ever…everything." Benson realized someone was running across the snow towards him. He couldn't mistake who it was at first. Then it came to him, it was his long dead sister, Jenna. She looked so happy to see him, as if he had been gone for a long time and was about to come home. Benson closed his eyes and turned his head back around towards Balto. "I … want to, tell you some…something Balto… I want to say… I'd, I'd….I'd be… happy to call, you … call you son." Bensons' head fell again and he continued breathing.
Balto began to feel the tears running down his cheeks. They were hot like fire as they left his yellow eyes, but gradually grew cold and frozen as they went down the frozen fur on his cheek. "Don't… don't worry Benson, it's not… I won't let you…" But Balto had nothing to say.
"Its… it's okay, Balto." Benson watched as Jenna grew closer. Soon she stood just a dozen feet from him, waving her paw, indicating him to come on, to go play. Behind her stood the black wolf smiling and patiently waiting. Benson knew he could jump out of his body and go to his sister in an instant, but he had one last thing to say as more tears left his eyes. He smiled. "Tell… tell Jenna, and Cleo, that I love them both, with all my heart."
"I will Benson." Balto sobbed.
"Than…thank you… son."
"It's alright Benson. We'll get you home, we'll get the doctor… and, and, and…" Then Balto felt the cold sweep of death wash over Benson's body. His breath slowly exhaled from his body and did not return.
Balto picked his head up and looked at Bensons face. His eyes were still open, and a giant smile graced his face. But Balto knew he was no longer there. He had gone to the happy hunting grounds. "No!" Balto bit his lips and yelled into Benson's side. "No!"