Chapter 5

When we arrived to town, I moved Balto, by using a stick with bushes, towards a small hospital. As I left him there, I walked towards the door and scratched while barking. A doctor opened the door and try to have me leave. However, I barked and jumped until, I showed him Balto.

"Why... that's Balto! He's hurt!" The doctor exclaimed.

I barked in plea for help. The doctor inspect Balto's wounds and saw the scratches and bite marks.

"He was attacked from a small wolf pack. I'll get him inside to help him." The doctor picked up Balto and carried him inside.

As the door closed, I tried to follow the doctor from observing through windows until I saw them in a checkup room.

Please be okay. I thought to myself worrying about Balto.

"That was a brave rescue you did my dear boy." a mysterious feminine voice.

I turned and looked around. "Who said that?"

From the shadows, a white wolf emerged. I was in awe encountering a white wolf. Even for myself as another wolfdog. Also, standing back in case she may try to attack me.

"I did. And I mean you no harm" she answered.

"Who.. who are you?" I asked while stuttering.

"I'm his mother." she answered.

"Balto's mother?" I asked in shock.

She nodded. I looked back to see Balto was still being recovered.

"But... you didn't answer my question in full, who are you though I like to ask." I tried to seek clarification.

"I'm Aniu. I look after the wolves and also wolfdogs." she answered.

My eyebrows went from straight to middle with blank expression. "Why are you thanking me? I'm not been much goodness in myself."

"True of course." She continues while walking towards me. "Your actions and importantly goodness comes from here." She added while placing her paw on my chest.

I still wasn't sure. She knew my emotion still wasn't assuring. "There are ways to be good again. You just have to believe." She said and looks up to the nightly sky.

I looked up and I knew inside that there's forgiveness especially from God. As I look down, the white wolf vanishes into white mists. I looked around and even sniffed.

"Disappeared like she was never here." I added. Starting to yawn, I became tired from a long day. I stayed outside to keep on post to see how Balto was doing. My eyes began to blank and I fell asleep.


I started to feel a lick following a sniff. My eyes began to open to see it was Balto with smile.

"Good morning." he added.

"You're alright." As I tried to get up, I felt like I was sitting like a human being. I gazed at my hands and than my feet.

"I guess you're human again." he added.

I looked back at him in shock. "How could we speak if I'm human?"

He became clueless. "Well... I guess..."

I began to laugh. "Sorry."

"You sounded different, are you okay?" he asked.

"I don't know I felt like something changed." I added.

"You look and sound a lot better than a wolfdog yesterday." He joked.

"Hey!" I added while chuckled.

We both began to laugh loudly. Suddenly, two strangers: a man and a woman stared at us with blank expressions made us stop laughing. "Who are you talking to?" the man asked.

I turned at Balto and turned his head. My right brow went up. "Uhhhh... Balto."

"Is it strange enough having a young girl and some of the town people talking to a animal that is a part-wolf." he asked.

"We need to do something about it." the woman said to the man. "And you young man... you're odd."

They both walked off. Balto and I turned at each other and chuckled quietly. He than sighed. "I'm not so sure they could stop and accept who I'm."

"I do." I added. He turned towards me and started to smile. "Thanks."

"I suppose we should try to head back for home and I needed to talk to you about something." I said.

We both agreed. I hopped from a unopened, frosted barrel and we both headed back towards his fishing boat. Minutes on as we approached the boat, a red husky hurried over towards our path.

"Balto!" she yelled. "I heard what had happened."

She nuzzled him with relief.

"It's alright... I was attacked-" Balto said.

"Wait." I interrupted. She turned towards me with shock.

"Did you just speak?" she asked.

I smiled. "Jenna this is... what's your name?"

I laughed surprisingly because I never told him my name as well.

"Bret. My name is Bret." I stretched my hand to shake for greeting. She walked towards me slowly and sniffed my hand. I than petted her head and her tail wagged in delight.

"I never met with a human that could understood me." she added.

"I think we needed to go through the whole story." I added.

Back at Balto's home, I retold her what had happened to myself and Balto saving me from a pack of wolves. I than told her how I became a wolfdog like her mate. Jenna became confused.

"So you're a human that turned into a part wolf and than turned to a human?" she asked.

"It was a curse from my actions that I done." I answered.

"All it matters that you two are safe." she added while nuzzling her mate's fur. I could only smile to see the joy they have each other. I felt that I had never had an experience that I had.

"Well... I leave you two be." I said before deciding to leave. Balto only looked back towards me to see that the happiness in me was still missing.


When I was heading back into town a voice called for me. "Bret!"

A man was waving at me and I decided to head over to him. "Bret!"

The man continued to shout and I tried to hurry over to see it was Mr. Conner. I made just in time before he started to open.

"Bret, where were you for the last two days?" he asked.

"Well..." I tried to think for a explanation.

"Aw don't worry about it... it wasn't busy while you're gone. The sled dog team has been gone for a bit going to Anchorage."

"Why there?"

"They had to grab a special delivery from White Mountain to there from delay." Mr. Conner answered.

"Oh... well I was sick, but I'm better." I came up with a excuse and started back into work. It was many packages, but so afterwards I just sweep the post office to make it spotless and clean.

Hours after working and closing, I decided to head towards Balto's home to see if he was up. The sun began to set as the time was still early in the winter. I climbed up the plank to see Balto staring at the ocean view.

"Gazing at the ocean?" I asked. He turned around and surprised.

"You could say. I was thinking about someone."

"Who?"

"My daughter... Aleu is a leader of a wolf pack and since she left, I can't stop thinking about her sometimes." He explained with his ears lowering down.

"I could relate it to myself. I used to live in Anchorage throughout my life, with a wonderful family, until something happened and I can't remember."

"You can't remember your past?" Balto asked.

I nodded. "You know I never really thank you for saving my life twice."

Balto smiled. "Well I never thank you for saving my and not leaving me to a pack of hostile wolves."

We both chuckled. A noise came from the distance, it was two polar bears and a goose.

"Those two polar bears are Muk and Luk and the goose is Boris, who raised me." Balto said.

I looked at him and thought to myself. A goose looking after a wolf hybrid.

"It's a good thing that some dogs no longer make fun of me because I'm half wolf. Even after saving Nome, some dogs still tease me." Balto changed the subject.

"For your situation, it is better than myself. People see me as the odd man or mysterious man." I said with disappointment.

Balto chuckled. "I guess where you came from had similar views like the dogs here in Nome. Your people are just terrible." We both laughed.

"I heard about Kodi and his team are in Anchorage for delay from packaging. Since Mr. Conner brought up Anchorage I felt like I was homesick." I said with bitter.

Balto could tell I was homesick since he had traveled from different hero tours. "What if we try to run away?"

"Where?" I asked.

"Let's get Jenna and I'll show you."

We both got off the boat and headed to Jenna's place. I stood away while Balto was getting Jenna. While watching, she look hesitant, but decided to tag along with us. She first left and grabbed a bag with something in there.

"You're ready?" Balto asked, while Jenna smiled.