Quickly edited, then uploaded this because I need to know how everyone feels before I continue typing. And also because I might, once again, be without the ability to write for another day or two, so I am sorry for my inconstancy. In the meantime, check out my other story, Balto enters: The Walking dead. Or, if you like CSI/Horror stuff, and don't like The Walking Dead, I am working on another story: Hive Mind.

Don't worry though, This story is still my main priotity. I'm having THAT much fun writing it LOL.

Kanai and Saba

Night had already overtaken the two traveling canines, and one thing was certain. They both needed their rest. But another problem wouldn't leave, and that was of hunger. Saba was raised in a loving, aring – well for the most part – household. She was fed all her meals, and never once starved. Kanai was almost the same, having been raised by the alpha of his pack, his meals were given to him by his mother. He was simply too young to learn to hunt…

So what would the two do for food? Saba had to at least try to hunt, after all, she had wolf genes in her…

After the whole Aleu fiasco, Balto had revealed to the rest of his children the truth behind their heritage, and surprisingly, they all took it well. Kodi even embraced it, and told the entire town that their lead dog had wolf in him. Saba was no exemption. She embraced her part wolf, and thought fondly of it. If anything… It would help right now if she somehow had a secret instinct to hunt buried deep inside of her.

Soon the two found a fallen tree, one that might have been the victim of a lightning strike sometime in the past, was now a new home for the two to share for the night. Saba and Kanai climbed under the log and fell asleep almost instantly. Saba felt a new love for the little guy, and slowly but surely, snuggled herself around the pup. He was protected fully, and kept warm as Saba covered him with her long bushy tail like a blanket. The two would sleep well tonight, but that can't be said for everyone who shared this night together.

Lost without a cause.

Hold true to those who love you… For they have never left.

Running and running… All he could do. All he knew, all he wanted to do. What he was running for... Or from... He didn't care. Right now he wanted to run. With only a single sliver remnant of a tear down his cheek, he pressed on, not caring where he'd end up, or whether he would run himself to death.

Something tore apart this guy, something nobody on earth could relate to, something… He hoped, and prayed that nobody would have to endure were it to happen the same way.

That was nearly two years ago… An eternity for the broken soul, let alone a canine soul, who, if you believe in that whole dog years crap, would have suffered for 14 years at this point.

Today he was running, but not without reason like he did all that time ago, he was running from a group of hunters, that he unfortunately had the stupid choice of having to deal with. They hated him for no reason… Didn't know, or cared what he thought, felt, what he did, who he loved, who loved him… It didn't matter to these humans. All he was, was a wolf… And not even a pure wolf…

A wolf dingo mix… An interesting tainted mesh of Dingo and Wolf genetics, one, whom to every one of both species, would be an outcast forever. Not that it mattered to him though… He only cared about one thing.

And that one thing did not care for him back.

His name was even confusing to him. For the past two years he didn't even refer to himself as a name. He did not think it worthy in the least bit of sense. Like he did not deserve a name…

One from his past would call him Aubrey… But that name was dead to him now. Dead for nearly two years… Killed that night… That night he abandoned who gave him the very same name.

Today, he'd probably react to Rusty. Maybe he embraced the name a bit… It fit him. His fur color alone could be described as rusty. Equal tainting from both, his wolf side, and dingo sides, caused his fur to be a constant sandy color, and of course had the markings a typical dingo had, though they were filtered a bit by the ever-fighting wolf side.

Eventually, he outran the hunters. Not that it was a problem… He has run into hunters before, and even more experience he had...

With Humans.

"How odd, a human's trust. It was so hard to get, harder to keep, yet so easy to break." A wise writer once said, and he's held this quote to heart. For it was one he felt was true in every aspect.

He did keep a little beacon of hope from the days he shared with a humans' love. It was a necklace… Maybe it was bronze, maybe it was silver. The only thing that mattered to him was that it was 'hers'. It belonged to the one human he could trust… He could love… One, who he'd die a thousand deaths to protect.

Rusty shook his head at the thoughts… That was all in the past. That was all just nonsense. He was no longer Aubrey… He was Rusty, a lone wolf, and nothing more. Surely he'd join another wolf pack? Maybe find love again someday, a place he belonged… But that was not going to happen.

He did encounter a wolf pack… Months ago. They taunted him and called him names, kept him as an outcast, and nearly every single one of them wanted him dead… Except for its Alpha. He saw hope in the wolf-dingo, and allowed him safe passage through the territory.

"Black Eye"… Rusty thought.

It was a name that he could, should, but would not register as 'friend'. Black Eye was nothing more but a weak soul. Even though he helped Rusty, he still hated the wolf. Taking pity on him… Ha. As if… Had Rusty not been so kind and lighthearted that day, he would have killed the alpha… But that was not him, was it? Had his past with humans turned him into a heartless killing machine? Perhaps the heartless part… But he was not a killer.

He followed a simple motto: Savage or Survivor.

He'd think of himself as a survivor. And anyone else had to either live by those two rules.

He was lost deep in thoughts… Thoughts of the past? No. He did not care about his past. That's all it was… His past. And a good soul once told him not to think of a dark past, and hope for a brighter future. What did Rusty have to hope for in his future? What, that he'd find another human who loved him, one that he could love back? No. Never. He had a human… And he lost that love. He was never going to let another be lost.

Perhaps he was lost too deeply in his thoughts, because he seemed to not notice the two figures sleeping under the very same tree he would sleep under for the past few months.

"Great, a dog and a wolf pup had found my tree… Better not wake them, I'll soon be many miles from here." He thought.

Without even a second eye to the two sleeping canines, he quickly ran off… But something stopped him. A scent ripped across his nose and nearly caused him to fall flat.

A grizzly.

He was even mad at the fact alone that this grizzly chose to try and pick a fight with him… But a slight bliss seemed to leak out of his inner mind. It could have been the end. It could have… The bear would end his life, yes, and maybe, finally, he'd be at peace.

But not today.

Without time to react yet again, a sliver of Red and White jumped across his view and latched onto the bear as it let out a deafening cry of pain.

Rusty growled and jumped into action, not really caring about the outcome, but now another being was involved, and he held his moral code to help anyone he came across… No matter how filtered and ignored that has gone the past two years.

He bit the bears ankle, causing it to fall onto it's back, then he jumped it's neck, and quickly ended it's life. He had taken down a full grizzly! But… He'd be lying if he said he did it alone.

Rusty turned to see the red and white dog smiling back at him.

"Thanks for the help sir." Saba said to him.

Was she crazy? The bear was attacking HIM! Not her… Right?

He looked again, and saw that the bear was indeed aiming to attack her and the pup while they were sleeping… He snapped at himself in anger. While he was sitting there, ready for the bear to kill him off, he selfishly thought of nobody but himself. And in his moment of weakness, the bear had ignored him, and went off to target the two sleeping canines behind him.

"It was nothing, now leave. This is my home." Rusty coldly spoke.
"Oh, I see. I am sorry… And we'll leave you to yourself."
"It is for the best."

Saba nodded and grabbed the white puppy, still sleeping, then trotted off.

Rusty grew angrier with himself every moment that he spent watching the two leave… Every step they took shook him the wrong way. Saba was a dog… And the pup was well… A pup. Surely they could not fend for themselves…

"Wait!" Rusty called after them.

This alone caused something deep inside of him to stab his heart with a million needles. It had grown a protective shell over it to fend off anymore harm… Anymore loss of the love, trust, anything he could see.

But a feeling washed over him… The pup really, was the only thing he seemed to care about. Saba was just an add-on… Or was she? For some odd reason he felt like he knew her from somewhere… Yes, yes… It was that dog… Back at-

No. He would not ever think of that damned place… With those damned humans…

He never broke his stare with the red and white dog as she ran back to his call with a slight smile on her face.

"You called?"
"Yes. It would be vile of me to send you out into the wild without making sure you can handle yourselves. Do either of you know how to hunt?"
"Uh… I'm afraid not. I'm only helping this pup return home… He's lost his entire pack to humans…"
"Sounds familiar…"
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing… But I thought I'd help you for now, as it is against my code to abandon a pup in need."
"Sure is Nobel of you. You strike me as someone who could save a town or something."
"What is that supposed to mean…"
"Oh, it's just… An old saying. My father saved a town once, Nome… The kids were sick and-"

At this point Rusty had completely lost his mind at her words. He saw her mouth moving, and she was telling a story… But he already knew the story. He knew everything. Thoughts popped back up, and the event nearly caused him to faint. He knew who she was, yes he did. She was the daughter of Jenna and Balto, and Balto was the famous wolfdog, one that he secretly admired for the longest time. Because he did one thing… Did something he could not. Save the town from a sickness, save his human…

Saba had unlocked memories that he had turned away and resented. Memories he had locked up in a vault, and tossed into a river, then hauled the river into space… Memories of Nome, and it's humans.

"Stop right there!" He yelled.
"What, wait, what's wrong?
"Stop talking right now! That's what's wrong!"
"Okay… Uh… We will just go-"
"No… No…"

He shook his head more, shaking the thoughts away slowly, and he looked back up at Saba.

"No… Don't leave. You and your pup return to sleep. I will have food ready for you when you awaken…"

Saba looked at him confused… What did this character have hidden? Did the mere story of Nome cause him to shout like that? Perhaps it was something else… Something deep down that she had unlocked. But who was she to pry…

For now, she was grateful. He had saved her from death, and now he was saving them again by bringing food. She slowly walked back to the fallen tree for shelter and curled around Kanai once again. The little white wolf pup had not even awaken from any of the events that just unfolded, and she would not tell him of the attack, for he had lost enough in his short life…

She was about to sleep… But something was preventing her. She was being watched.

Saba looked over her shoulder to see Rusty still staring at her… For a reason she could not understand.

"Oh… Uh… Forgive me Saba… For the outburst back there, and for staring at you now. I did not mean anything of it, and I will soon be off."

Saba nodded to him with a smile, and he did the same, minus the smile, then ran off beyond the forest.

She smiled as she curled her head back around the wolf pup, and ignored the thoughts that ravaged her mind… One above all. How on earth did Rusty know her name?

I'd like to thank Amari412 for letting me use Rusty. Hope I did well with him! I'd also like to thank Soulfireflame for proposing this story idea to me, because I really am having fun writing it, and I hope everyone has as much fun reading it as I did.

P.S, I 'borrowed' Amari412's way of formatting dialogue, I kinda like it lol.