Balto and Jenna's age is around 5-7 months old thus beginning their first encounter. For further information check my profile for answers and news.
The juvenile wolf pup laid upon a large rock overlooking the valley below. Immersed in fantasy dreams of his father he ignored the tell tale signs of his mother standing mere inches behind him.
She took a deep breath as she laid a freshly killed fawn upon the rock. He had barely eaten any meals since his father had left to a mysterious land. "Balto you need to eat." She cautioned lightly.
He huffed turning to look at her with hope flickering in his eyes. "He has to come back. I'm not a wolf." He whispered with tears streaming down his eyes. The young wolf pup peered down below stealing glances from his brothers playing in a stream.
Much to her dismay he looked more dog than wolf. His brothers had inherited blue and yellow eyes similar to crystals. During the cold months he had to remain snuggled against his mother to remain warm due to the lack of a proper coat.
"Why don't I look like them? He asked confused in a heartbroken tone. The more he had thought about it the more he had felt like an outcast. In daring moments alone his brothers would chastise him for not looking wild enough.
She took a deep breath unsure what to say. "Balto honey," She spoke laying upon her spawn. "you're more wolf that you'll ever know. You see these paws." She questioned in a soothing tone. "They're great for running long distances and pouncing on prey."
He lowered his ears disheartened at a smell in the air. Balto whimpered at the burning stare he felt in the side of his head. The mighty wolf perked her ears sensing an off putting smell in the trees.
She pulled back her snout in a vicious display that may even scare John. "Balto get behind me." She snarled showing no sign of fear or compassion. Her fur stood up on end. Upon seeing their mother in a state of must Zeus and Roscoe bolted to the treeline near the banks of the stream.
"What do you want Daku," Aniu questioned with disgust. Balto flattened his ears and tucked his tail between his legs upon seeing a massive white wolf with a yellow eye in the left and blue in the other.
Balto trembled as the wolf neared him. He sniffed the wolf pup. He let out a whine inching himself away. His evasiveness aroused his curiosity.
"Part dog? He questioned with a smirk. He locked eyes with the pup. To his surprise Balto looked around freely with his ears perked high unafraid any longer.
"Future alpha I see?" The white wolf sneered at the threat of insubordination. He felt his status as Alpha diminishing. All caused by a pup. He thought as he eyed Balto's mother. Who was none too kind at his presence.
He jumped off the rock running into the forest. Everything around him went to a blur. The soft feminine whimpers echoed away.
Fear run rampant in his veins at the silence. "Where'd she go?" He whispered in awe. He gazed upon the trees and shrubs awaiting another sign.
Minutes seemingly turned into hours as he stood there in the lul. He turned away heading back to his mother. Right there and then he heard a snap of a twig.
His ears flicked up angling them at the sound. Instantly he made a mad dash passing his brothers shivering in fright near two wolves.
His eyes shot open at the scene. There lay a red husky juvenile pup pinned by a wolf. She tightly held her eyes closed dreading what's to come.
He snapped at her only to miss her by nanometers. Confused over the grey blur that knocked him over he came face to face with the juvenile wolf pup.
"Careful where you tread young one." He informed wisely with a smirk. Unhindered by this wise wolf he stood his ground.
He circled the pup for weak links in his demeanor. He pounced at Balto latching onto a forepaw. The young wolf snarled at his elder with death in his eyes.
In seconds he let his grip go seeing a white and black wolves near the trees. They bared their teeth revealing the sharpest teeth he had ever seen that even a knifemaker would envy.
He lowered his head and flattened his ears slowly backing away. The red husky turned her head watching the black wolf shift from the color black to grey then white. She gasped as they vanished into the trees.
"Ar- are you okay?" Balto questioned the husky not feeling the pain settle in. She trembled at the sight of his wound. "I'm Balto son of Aniu and Zodiac." He announced with a smile.
"I- I'm Jenna," The husky replied timidly with her ears folded back. He approached her only to fall on her lower body.
Balto winced at the pain and the feeling of being wet under his jaw and neck. "Blood?" He muttered clueless to himself just as she kicked him off. She shoved her paw in his face in offense of the unwarranted contact.
"Oh no," He said thoroughly alarmed. "you're not hurt are you?" he questioned sadly as he cocked his head to the side.
"No I'm just fine." The husky snapped back as she shook off the dust and dirt from her coat. "It- its nothing." She spoke as she circled around him unscathed. He looked on at her peculiar behavior. "You're acting kinda weird." He commented with a grin and tear filled eyes.
Why am I circling him? She thought in a hurry only to come to an abrupt stop. "Right umm- I'm just trying to encourage you to walk.." She trailed off unsure what to say to this stranger. Unaware she unconsciously courted him.
"Balto!" His mother cried out in the distance. It was soon followed by a howl. His ears perked up unsure what to do. "Are you lost?" He asked quickly in an anxious way.
She nodded hesitantly upon hearing the howl of a wolf. "Quick help me up." He squeaked in a hurry before looking back in fear.
She nudged up with her snout whimpering in fear of what's to come. "Take me to the stream." He ordered in pain.
Slowly but surely the two had walked for what seemed like hours in their feeble minds. He panted at the sound of steady water flowing nearby.
"We have to lose out scents." He informed to an unwilling Jenna. She shook head in defiance. The uneasy feeling of being watching from the foliage unnerved them both. "Okay I'm in." She desperately said as she heard a growl from the forest.
They splashed around in the freezing stream glancing around in all directions for a threat.
His heart churned in fear. He looked around trying to find the source of his contempt. The beating of his heart pounded in his ears. "Run!" Jenna shouted as she jumped further downstream.
He bolted after her running in fear of being alone. Never had he felt a connection so strong and vibrant. He smiled at her running in fear for no reason at all.
It must have been hours as they reached a rocky quarry with a pond within it. Nightfall soon approached.
She turned to look at her newfound friend. "It's getting late." She obviously said aloud taking in the start of dusk. She shivered and whimpered in the unforgiving cold.
"Come on," Balto whispered gently despite the freezing temperatures. He lead to a small cave barely enough room for one.
She laid inside burying her face in his slightly thicker coat of fur. He shivered relentlessly as he blocked most of the breeze.
"How'd you get lost?" Balto asked stiffening his body from the sheer cold. She let out a whine while her stomach grumbled. "You're hungry." He said almost inaudible.
He sat there in silence suffering for the one that gave him hope. An hour or two must've past as she was now asleep. Balto slowly but steadily broke away from her embrace.
He watched as she pouted at the sudden loss of contact. He couldn't help but smile. Right. He thought. What do dogs eat? He wondered as he walked away from her..
Hours have gone by as she shivered relentlessly. The foreign pain settled deep into her bones. She whined in pain only to be shook out of it by a fairly sizeable steaming piece of meat laid out in front of her.
The overpowering aroma hit her senses. She wagged her tail at the gifted scent of seasoned deer meat. Jenna looked around only to see Balto whining in pain meters away. He hoped the wind drowned out his sorrows.
She quickly nuzzled him causing him to flinch at the sudden touch. "Thank you Balto." She said shivering quickly retreating to the cave.
"Your welcome Jenna. I knew you wouldn't eat wabbits." He spoke with a swollen tongue obviously burnt from his gesture of food.
He watched her sink her teeth deep into the juicy meat. Balto allowed himself to collapse as he watched her in awe.
She blushed unbeknownst to him due to her fur. She cocked her head to one side in a mix of confusion and embarrassment.
Like a majestic bird he watched her strip the flesh from bone. Hit with cupid's arrow he had fallen in love. He sighed at knowing what he couldn't have.
Who wants to be with a half-breed. He thought negatively to himself. I'm sure she knows I'm half wolf..
"Where you from?" He questioned in awe watching her eat from start to finish. "Nome." Came the response almost in a whimper.
"My owner John lived there." He fibbed with a knowing face. "I can lead you back." He said uneasy with the fear of being denied hung over him.
She perked her ears with joy as she rose to nuzzle him. "Thank you Balto." Jenna spoke with a timid smile. "Who's your owner?" She questioned laying her body onto his in an effort to keep him warm.
"John." He spoke shortly, " He went off to fight a threat somewhere far from here." Balto spoke as he began to fall asleep. "Get some rest Jenna we leave at dawn." She nodded against him as she watched him doze asleep.
The night had passed fairly quickly. He opened his eyes only to find his light brown ones locked with her amber ones. He tried to ignore he only for her to nudge it fully awake.
"What?" He asked rather annoyed by the lack of sleep. "Is it dawn already?" He asked yawning himself to a more alert stage.
"Shush," Jenna commanded in a whisper. To his relief she wasn't troubled by his way of being direct. She perked her ears as did he.
A sound of something being scraped against the rocky walls. He peered over his body only to see faint figures walking away.
The way the scraping sound emanated from the darkness. Theirs eyes narrowed at the intensity of the sound. It was almost as if the originator wanted to ensure his audience was paying attention.
A silhouette of what looked like to be a fairly large dog. He seemed lost and disoriented. They watched him disappear into the darkness of the forest.
"Maybe he can help?" Jenna spoke excitedly ready to leave. "I don't," replied Balto in uncertainty. "he's walking the wrong way to the settlement."
She furrowed a brow in contest. "You're lying." She growled revealing her teeth. The cold and wilderness had finally hit its peak. The husky couldn't brave the elements any longer.
"He's heading East." The wolf pup announced to a rather pissed off husky.
"How do you know?" She questioned him in a mocking tone.
"The sun rises in the East and sets in the West." He replied in fear of being alone. Balto moved offering her the chance.
"Right," She said calmly in an apologetic tone. "Let's get a move on." She declared
Note: Chapters will begin to be longer after the end of this chapter. Updates maybe limited to one update a week, two if I'm lucky. -RWP2