Chapter 7

We made it back uphill where the fighting all began. Balto was still on the ground next to the rock where his back took the landing damage. He was still bleeding from the biting he took from Axel, his marks from earlier resided bleeding and left blood and mud on his fur. Kodi hurried over to his father side and I had bandages in my bag that could help stop the bleeding. Balto was breathing weakly slow, he also had an attempt to try to stand up, despite me and Kodi tried to have him rest. He managed to stand up for a few seconds, before his legs were too weak to stand that he fell back onto the grassy, snowy, dirty ground.

Kodi tried to talk to him for an attempt to have his father remain conscious, as I was trying to clean and bandaged the biting wound from Axel as a bear, including leftover. I started to pet him slowly, only to feel his body was cold as he was shivering. I remembered that the fur coat I gave him wasn't there when he joined my aid to defeat Axel. After I covered his wounds as much as I could, I mad-dash to the pond where he was being tied up to the water. I managed to find the fur coat and dashed back to find Kodi was keeping his father warm.

"How is he doing?" I asked Kodi as he came over to me.

"My father is not responding much." he answered.

"We'll try again to see if he can." I told him.

We came over and wrapped Balto again like I did before to keep him warm. He started to grunt and groan to regain life that he has left. Kodi and I gave some space to breathe, as he was waking up. Kodi felt and let out a relief that his father was waking up. He even started muzzling and laid next to his broken father.

Kodi started calling him in effort to wake him more.

Balto's eyes opened slowly and saw his son first, as Kodi muzzled him again.

I came over and knelt on the ground and rubbed his back.

"I realized that I let you both and everyone else down." Balto said with less hope on himself.

"Don't say things like that Dad… we made a great team." Kodi cheers his father up.

"I'm sure getting too old to fight nevertheless." he added.

"You can never be too old to stand up what is right and helping someone like you did for me." I stated.

"Even saving Nome." his son added.

Balto smiled at the both of us. "I'm sure you both are the new heroes of Nome."

I was never called a "hero", but it hit me hard because I was being called a hero from another hero.

"There's a hero in everyone one of us." I said. "I could say you are one of them."

Balto pointed his ears up from this statement and lifted his head up a bit as he felt pain from raising his head.

"You helped me recover, regain back on my feet, saved my life from near deaths from Axel and from freezing to death, and lastly, helping me to be a better man I need to be." I said.

"I know as well that you'll be able to find yourself again." Balto said to me with a smiled.

"You are more like an older brother and a second father that I never had…" I sadly said as I started to sob. He placed his paw on my knee and I picked it up. I begin to hold to his paw like a child with a stuff animal.

"We'll get you back into town and patch you up." I said. Balto smiled and nodded in disagreement.

"I'm finished… don't worry about me… two needed to get back to Nome." he said.

Kodi was too shocked to comply… "Dad, we're not leaving you out here to die, you can't just give up."

"Son… I'm only concerned with the both of you returning home and tell your mother and everybody else not to worry." he told his son.

"We're going to wait with you… we're not leaving." I disagreed with Balto. "If your son is not going to leave… we'll stay."

"I know you both, Jenna, and everyone I hold dear to gave me so much joy…" Balto started saying his final words very weak, as he felt like his time will soon come.

"Kodi… I love you, your mother and your siblings… wholeheartedly." his last words to his son and his head fell back onto the snow. He let out his last breath with his eyes closed and succumbs.

Kodi tried to shake his lifeless father to wake up as he realizes that his father is gone. As he whimpers to his father, I only turned away and sniveled without showing tears to Kodi. I looked down on my right palm was the crucifixion cross. The only tattoo that I had, there's still a mystery what it holds. I looked back to see Balto's lifeless body drenched in snow and blood. Deciding to have a small risk, I thought I could try to figure out what my last power stores.

I only looked up to the sky while placing my right hand onto Balto. For the first time in long years, I prayed to help me with a miracle. After three minutes, nothing happens and I begin to bawl, as I buried my face on his back and cried. Even when I was crying, I wasn't even mad, except I know that I lost someone dearly to me since my family's death. I even prayed desperately with a howl to ask God, in need to bring my dear friend back. Kodi only came to muzzle me and we both just laid next to Balto, as long we needed to.

My sorrows had my tears fell onto his fur and thought hope was lost.

"Eli look!" Kodi observed my hand after he gasped.

I removed my tears and saw my right hand glowing with light. I turned my hand over to see the crucifixion cross tattoo was glowing.

Your cross ability however, is something you need to find on your own. I recalled when Nava told me about my tattoo's ability must have to come from me.

Decided to put my faith into God's hands and trust in His son, Jesus. I prayed for the second time in tranquility, with confidence. I remembered seeing my tear falling down on my right hand. My eyes were closed again and I started took a few spaces back to pray again. Afterwards, I looked back and saw that Balto wasn't up and still lifeless. With no words, I just bury my head and still waited.

I started to feel an animal's fur muzzling my right side. Firstly, I could only blindly notice with my eyes close, I was hugging Kodi.

"I'm sorry I let you down Kodi, your father was a best friend to me and I loved him." I apologized with remembrance of a great friend I never had.

"Your mine best friend too and love you too." I opened my eyes and felt confused as if I was talking to an older dog, but I saw a grey fur that there were no scars, the bandanna is back to it's original color and not torn. The dog turned his head to see it was Balto!

"Balto! You're alive! Kodi, quickly your father is alive!" I shouted with joy. Kodi turned around and saw that his father is in great shape. He hurried over towards him and started muzzling and kissing him.

All three of us embraced each other in a group hug. I looked at the palm of my right hand.

I could only thank God for giving us a miracle and helping me in a time of need. We'll decided to head back to Nome!