Okay… that took forever. So sorry to anyone who's following this, I've been very busy. Anyway, Balto is owned by Universal. Yadda, yadda, yadda, this is not a lemon.

Chapter 3

Three or four miles to the south, far beyond the outskirts Nome, there lay the wreck of what had once been a mighty fishing vessel.

For as long as anyone could remember it had been there and no one alive today could tell you how or when it had run aground.

All anybody knew about the old shipwreck was that it was the home of a hero and quite frankly that's all they really needed to know.

However, on this day the old crate would go done in history as the site of a certain fluffy predator's final and most bountiful hunt.

XXX

'Ooo, this is gonna be sooooo much fun!' thought Dixie as she scampered through the pure white snow; giggling like a giddy schoolgirl. 'Ready or not Poopsie, here comes Dixie!'

The pampered pom slowed her paced as she finally neared her destination. She would've been there a lot sooner, had she not been dragging about five feet of sausage links in her teeth. The effort had cost her a few precious minutes, but the wieners were essential to her plan. Like the old saying goes, the way to a dog's heart is through his stomach. Besides, she knew from personal experience that dogs with full tummies were just like little puppies; cute and totally helpless. This thought made the little puff ball want to squeal with delight, but fortunately she had enough sense in that fluffy head of hers to know when to keep quiet. This was a hunt after all, and ninety-five percent of hunting was maintaining the element of surprise.

With great grace and poise, the powder-puff-predator quietly walked up to the large hole the ship's hull that served as the wolf-dog's front door. Then she dropped the sausages on the ground and let out the cutest sounding yip she could muster; hoping that this would get her quarry's attention. And as luck would have it, her plan worked. A few minutes later, the noble half-breed emerged from his lair and into the light of day.

This was the first time Dixie had ever been this close to the silver husky, so she took a quick moment to properly examine all of his features. A sinful smile spread over her lips as her mind filled with thoughts of lust. Oh yes…. This was going to be so much fun!

"Um… hello…" a weathered voice said confusedly; effectively bringing the little powder-puff back down to earth.

Balto was staring at her; his face a mask of disillusion. Understandable, the noble half-breed was probably expecting his beloved Jenna. Poor thing, he looked so disappointed. Well, Dixie knew just how to put a smile back on that cute puppy-like face.

"Hey there!" the fluffy little temptress said sweetly. "Nice day isn't it?"

"Yeah… I suppose it is…" Balto replied awkwardly as he desperately tried to place this strange, yet admittedly lovely, dog's name. He had seen her around town many times, usual talking to Jenna, but he had never actually spoken to her. Heck, he didn't even know her name and yet there she was at his doorstep. This was most unusual. "Listen…um…"

"Dixie." The pampered pom finished cutely; sparing him any further embarrassment.

"Thanks." He said with a grateful smile before continuing. "Listen… Dixie… please don't take this the wrong way but… what are you doing here?"

"Oh… you know…" the little fluff-ball said casually. "I just figured that since you and Jenna are gettin' so serious, I should drop by and… get to know you better. I mean… what kind of dog would I be if I didn't even try to make friends with my best friend's new beau?"

Ever since she was a little pup, Dixie had always had a talent for charming the opposite sex and over the years she'd learned more than a few tricks to make that charm work for her. Case in point, she had learned long ago that in order for these things to go over smoothly you have to keep your true intensions a secret. You have to make it seem like it was completely unintentional. That way, if she had to, she could shift all of the blame on to someone else; say for example, a certain prudish husky.

"So… can I come in?" she asked innocently before pointing a paw at the sausages. "I brought lunch."

Now, from Balto's perspective, this all seemed rather peculiar. He wasn't used to having strange dogs dropping by his home unannounced; at least not with good intensions. But the little powder-puff sounded so sincere and she was one of Jenna's closest friends, so really he saw no harm in letting her come inside; at least for a little while.

"Alright, I mean… if you really want to." The wolf-dog said politely as stepped out of her way and pulled back the curtain. "After you…"

"Ooo… such a gentleman." Dixie replied with a playful giggle as she entered his humble abode.

The interior of the old vessel was nothing spectacular; in fact it was downright creepy. All dark and dusty; this was no way for a hero to live. Not that it really mattered anymore; once this was all over he'd be living in more comfortable surroundings.

"Nice place ya got here." The pampered pom said sweetly, though Balto could tell she was just being polite. "It's very… homey."

"Thanks." Replied Balto with an awkward chuckle; still not entirely comfortable with having such a lovely stranger in his home like this. "It's not much, but it's…" Before he could finish his statement, the noble wolf-dog let out a loud and pain filled yelp.

At first this caught Dixie off-guard, she very nearly jumped out of her fur. Fortunately she was able to regain her composure quickly. That's when she noticed the way he was standing; his right front paw was raised slightly off the ground. This gave the little powder-puff a very… interesting idea.

"Oh dear!" she said worriedly as she hurried toward him. "You poor thing, are you alright?"

"Yeah… I'm alright." the wolf-dog answered with a slight wince. "It's nothing."

"That doesn't sound like nothing to me." Dixie said as she gently nudged his injured paw with her nose. "Now come on, let Dixie see your boo-boo."

Balto wasn't quite sure why, but for some reason he felt compelled to obey her. So without any further resistance, the noble wolf-dog displayed his damaged foot to the pampered pom; earning a horrified gasp.

"Oh my goodness!" she shrieked as she gazed upon the nasty looking scratch on his padded heel. "You poor, poor baby, you shouldn't be walking on that. Go lay down over there."

"It really doesn't hurt that much. It's just a scratch."

"Oh honey, you don't have to act all tough around me." Dixie said sympathetically. "Now go relax over there and I'll go get the sausages."

Once again, Balto felt strangely powerless to refuse the little fluff-ball. So instead of arguing, he just did as instructed and laid down in a pile of nice soft snow.

Moments later Dixie scampered back in with a train of sausages trailing behind her.

"Alright sweetie," she said cutely as she positioned herself right beside the wolf-dog's head and plucked up one of the tantalizing links with her paws. "Now… open up."

'Okay… now this is getting too weird.' Balto thought to himself as he looked on at the other dog. It was one thing to let Dixie into his home for a friendly chat, but it was quite another to let her feed him like some kind of puppy; especially when Jenna was due to drop by any minute. He had to put a stop to this.

"Dixie… this really isn't…" he began, only to be cutoff by a succulent sausage being shoved into his unsuspecting maw. He tried to protest, but a quick swipe of Dixie's fluffy tail across his sensitive nose ended any resistance he might've given.

Dixie's scent was… intoxicating. It was like wild flowers mixed with milk and honey with just hint of something Balto couldn't identify. The very second the aroma struck his nostrils the noble wolf-dog's mind went into a deep haze. This was bliss… bliss and heaven.

Trapped in a mild delirium, Balto gladly accepted the tasty morsel; much to Dixie's delight.

Unfortunately for her, the noble wolf-dog quickly regained his senses. He slowly raised his head so that they were both at eyelevel. Then, in a polite yet firm tone, he asked her. "Why did you do that?"

Instantly Dixie's eyes began to water and a frown stretched across her muzzle. "I… I'm sorry…" she said with a small sniffle. "It's just… I can't stand to see someone in pain." Tears began streaming from her eyes. "When… whenever I see so… someone in pain I… I just have to take care of them… to make them feel better." By this point she was blubbering like a polar bear. "I… I… I just can't help myself! It's like a… like a… like a material instinct or something!"

As the pampered pom continued to sob, Balto's guilt threatened to overwhelm him. So, being the gentleman that he was, the noble wolf-dog raised his good paw and used it to wipe the tears from her streaming eyes.

"Listen… Dixie…" he said tentatively. "I'm really sorry. I swear I'm not mad at you."

"You… you're not?"

"No… of course not, it's just that… I'm not used to being fussed over like this. It makes me a little… uneasy."

"Oh… I see…" the little fluff-ball said sadly. "I didn't mean to make you feel uneasy… I was just trying to help." She turned around and slowly made her way towards the door. "But... if I make you uncomfortable I'll just get out of your way."

That last bit really made him feel like a heel. The little fluff-ball meant well, and she was one of Jenna's closest friends. So… he supposed there was no harm in indulging her a little.

"Wait…" he called to her before she could leave. "Please don't go. You said you wanted to get to know me better, so… why don't you stick around for a little while and we'll talk. At least until Jenna gets here. Sound good?"

Were it not for the fact that Dixie was facing the exit, Balto would've seen a devilish grin spread across the pampered pom's lips.

"Okay… if you insist."

XXX

"… and then there's my older sister Trixie. She's such a sweetheart." said Dixie as she continued to regale Balto with tales about her family. "Of course… she wasn't always like that. When we were little she was a total brat. Always making fun of me and getting her friends to tease me."

"You were teased?" the handsome half-breed asked skeptically.

"Oh yeah… she used to call me Bubble Head and Scatter Brain. Can you believe that?"

"No... Not at all…" Balto replied with a surprising amount of sincerity. "Some dogs can be so cruel."

"Yeah… but we were just kids. Me and Trixie are really close now." As she spoke, the little powder-puff reached for the next sausage, only to make a startling discovery. "Oopsie looks like we're all out."

"Really?" the noble wolf-dog asked jokingly. "I wonder how that happened."

At this the two dogs shared a nice lighthearted laugh.

It had been over an hour and a half since Dixie first arrived at his humble abode and so far Balto, much to his own surprise, was having a wonderful time. True, the little fluff-ball wasn't the brightest star in the sky, but there was just something about her that was just so… gosh darned wonderful. She was sweet, nurturing, funny, understanding, and had a laugh that was positively contagious; he could why she and Jenna were such good friends.

However, there was one thing that troubled him. Every so often, Balto would catch a whiff of Dixie's scent and… well, let's just say it was a little overwhelming. It was so much more potent than Jenna's and yet it was so sweet and… inviting. But fortunately, this wore off quickly; he would remind himself of Jenna and then he'd be back to his old self. Still, the noble wolf-dog had to wonder, why was he even having those kinds of thoughts in the first place?

"Um… Balto." the little powder-puff spoke up, regaining the handsome half-breed's attention. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you, but it's… kinda personal."

"I don't mind Dixie." He said to his newfound friend. "Ask away."

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to offend you or anything."

"Don't worry, I can take it. Go ahead."

"Okay…" Dixie paused for a moment, obviously trying to find the best way to word her question. "How come you and Jenna aren't living together?"

Well now… the old wolf-dog certainly wasn't expecting that one.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh… it's nothing." Replied Dixie innocently. "It's just that, in my opinion, when two dogs reach a certain point in their relationship they should… move in together, or at least not live so far away from each other. Long distance relationships just seem so… impersonal to me."

This question really threw Balto for a loop. Not just because it was completely unexpected, but also because it was one he thought about quite a bit. He had often fanaticized about being able live with his beloved Jenna; to be able to come home and find her there waiting for him… longingly. But of course he knew better than to dwell on the impossible. There were some dreams that weren't meant to come true.

"I'm sorry, is that a sore subject?" Dixie asked apologetically.

"No… it's fine…" Balto replied. "It's just… it's just too complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I could never ask Jenna to leave Rosie to come live out here and there's no way I'd ever be welcome in her home."

"Are you kiddin'? You're the town hero. Everyone loves you."

"Petting me on the head and giving me scraps in the street is one thing, but letting me live with them is something else entirely." The noble wolf-dog said with a melancholy sigh. "Let's face it; I'll always be part wolf and no matter what I do people will never want in their houses."

"Oh… you poor baby." The pampered pom said sympathetically. "You've been through so much. But people are more understanding then you think. Sometimes they just need a little push to get over these kinds of things."

"I don't know…"

"Well I do sweetie." Dixie answered affectionately. "Now… let's forget about all this gloomy talk. I know just the thing to cheer you up. Show me your belly."

"What?"

"Not like that, you silly-boo." She answered playfully. "I'm just gonna give your tummy a little rub to help ya digest all that sausage. There's nothing… promise-saurus about that is there?"

"I don't know…"

"Oh, come on… it'll make you feel better. I promise."

Balto thought about this for a few moments. Dixie's offer seemed harmless enough, but what would Jenna think if she saw them? How could he possibly explain this? But on the other paw, Jenna knew him and Dixie better than that. She knew they'd never do anything to betray her. So really, he couldn't think of a reason not to accept.

"Well… alright." the noble wolf-dog said begrudgingly as he slowly rolled over on his back; displaying his stomach. "Just promise me you won't do anything… weird. Okay?"

"Don't worry Honey, I'll be gentle." She said with a giggle as she began to work her Magic Paws on his helpless tummy.

Slowly her soft and delicate pads glided across his exposed underbelly; taking special care not to… overstimulate her prey. For you see, the key to forging a lasting intimate relationship with a guy is not to force yourself on him, but rather to get him to force himself on you.

"Havin' fun sweetie?" she asked slyly.

Balto's only response was a low, lustful moan.

Dixie couldn't help but smile at this. Her plan was working perfectly. The handsome half-breed was now completely under her spell. She didn't quite understand the science behind her methods, but she knew that something about the combination of a full stomach, her scent, and a well-timed tummy massage made guys go wild. Any minute now, the old wolf-dog's eyes would snap open, he'd rollover, get back up on his feet, rush over to her, and then the real fun would begin.

Dixie felt a slight bang of guilt for tricking Balto like this, but in the end he'd be much better off. Once this was all over he'd have a proper home, a nice soft bed, and a beautiful mate to tend to his every need; all of the things a true hero deserved. True Jenna might have a few objections to their new relation, but she'd get over it… probably.

The little fluff-ball's thoughts were suddenly derailed when she noticed Balto's were as wide as saucers.

He was now in a state of pure animal lust.

As the inebriated half-breed started to roll himself over, Dixie let out a squeal of girlish delight.

This hunt was about to come to a spectacular end.

End Notes: Well… I hope you all enjoyed this one. Next chapter will be the last one. Please leave a comment on your way out. Peace.