Chapter 15 Junkyard Blues
Swartz Auto Junkyard April 8, 1929
By the time Balto had come to, the full moon had now come up to the apex of its height in the sky. He took in his surroundings. What he had spent the night in was nothing more than a metal box with a mattress inside. The outside of the box was not much better. All he could see was row after row of old, ramshackle cars and discarded appliances. Behind the sea of junk, the tips of trees crested over and in the distance, the hazy city loomed over the whole landscape. The one of the dogs that rescued him saw him return to the land of the living. The dog approached and Balto saw something familiar, piercing yellow eyes.
"Feeling better? You were a mess a few hours ago, but it seems the bites are healing quickly."
"Who are you again?" Balto asked.
"Bismarck." The dog answered in a taciturn manner, the subtle slant of his accent was still there.
"Where am I?" Balto asked, still seeming in a daze.
"Give or take fifty miles north of the city, not the metropolis of Chicago but-" Bismarck noticed Balto was not following, "What do you remember, exactly?"
"A bunch of rats, a fight, then, wait where are my friends?" Balto began to get up but Bismarck put a paw down on him.
"Easy, they are safe and sound. Steele and Boris filled me in on most of what happened. I'm sorry this happened to you."
"Well, we survived, I guess that means something." Balto responded half jokingly.
"Just be glad you didn't end up with rabies, these rats are filthy." Balto looked himself over, he could see dozens of tiny cuts that had done a good job of healing themselves and the pain had also lessened, albeit only by a small margin.
"Well, I guess my luck is finally changing." He said trying not laugh.
"Let us hope it is for the better. You and your friends are welcome to stay here as long as you wish. We don't have much, but, we will never turn away those in need."
"Thank you, really, thank you. Balto had never seen such compassion out of a dog before, by now most would either cringe in fear or threaten him.
"Not at all, it was my pleasure." Another shepherd came in, not knowing that Balto was up.
"Father, we are almost out of food for the dens, again-" He now saw that Balto was in fact awake. "Oh, my apologies, I am Lucas, good to see you are up." Bismarck looked at him and said
"Alright, I will talk with you about it after I bring our new friend here up to speed. Do me a favor and fetch your mother if you would."
"Will do." The dog turned and left in the same direction that he came.
"So Bismarck, what is your story?"
"There isn't much of one, I was brought here as a pup with the family from Germany to be a guard dog for this scrap metal. I couldn't fathom how my fellow canine lived on the other side of the river. City dogs, strays, pick a name, at the end of the day they are all the same, lost. When I did see that world, I just had to do something."
"What did you do?"
"What was necessary?" Bismarck said as if it were obvious.
Near Chicago, August 7, 1927
The truck rattled around on the dirt road and Bismarck felt like losing more than his pride on the bed of the vehicle. He hated going into town. The first time he did he was just a pup. That ended with the sticking of multiple needles into his neck, legs and hindquarters. Not his favorite experience to say the least, coupled with the motion sickness, he was enduring his own private torture. He laid down on the metal bed of the truck and closed his eyes. He didn't open them until the truck finally came to a stop and he felt as if he could kiss the ground. His owner got out of the truck holding a long leather leash. He hooked it into Bismarck's matching collar and tied him off to a post.
"I'll be right back, stay here boy." He scratched Bismarck's ears and walked through a door. Bismarck sat down and took in the towers and structures around him. The glistening tops of the skyscrapers cut into the air the windows flashed the light in all directions. What was below them was not quite as beautiful, most of the other buildings were rather dull and brown. Between them the alleys, a seeming funnel for all of the dirt and debris. The last thing he expected to see was in front of him. Another shepherd like himself, wandering the side streets. Bismarck could tell she was malnourished as her ribs shown through and her stride was broken and awkward. She tripped on a grate and fell. At the seeing of this Bismarck strained on his leash and pulled out to its extent. She was not getting up and looked as if she would not make it. Bismarck tried to get off of the leash to no avail, thinking quickly, he noticed the poor knot his master had tied around the post. Bismarck went to work on it; he grabbed hold of the loosest part and yanked on it. The knot slowly but surely surrendered and he was free. Checking the street for any hazards, he sprinted across. The other shepherd was in a bad way. She was even more emaciated than he could think was possible and live. He gave her a nudge with his nose and her eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of amber jewels staring back at him.
"Who are you?" she said weakly "Am I dead?"
"Bismarck, and not yet. Do you have a name?" Her eyes widened and glassed over, she appeared to be crying, out of pain or sadness, Bismarck was at a loss.
"Ripley." She said back to him in a small and weak voice.
"Alright Ripley, can you stand?"
"Please, you have to help me, they're after me!" Bismarck instinctively poked his head up and surveyed the area. Nothing was around them and there was no sound other than the roar of the cars as they passed, too quiet. Ripley attempted to stand and fell back down; Bismarck caught her on the way down and helped her up.
"Nice reflexes." She said, trying to distract herself.
"Thanks, let's get you out of here, yes?"
"Yes, let's get going. Where exactly?"
"Across the street, my master has a truck; we can get you to safety and a meal for you." At the sound of possible food, a new spring appeared in her stride. A bottle broke behind them. They both turned and Ripley let out a frightened noise. A dozen large black rats were at their rear. One stood and stared at Bismarck.
"You there, what do you think you are doing?"
"I'm helping her, what does it look like?" Bismarck shot back.
"No, you will leave her and go back where you came from, she is ours, my family is hungry." Ripley's eyes widened glassed over again. This was enough to bring Bismarck to a point of rage.
"Over my dead body." he said in a thunderous calmness.
"That can be arranged, let it be known that Claudius killed two dogs today." The rat charged and his compatriots followed after their leader. Bismarck dropped Ripley and prepared for the onslaught. He batted one rat away with a paw, sending it end over end. He caught another in his mouth and broke its neck. Next came Claudius, Bismarck swatted him with a clawed paw, hitting him in the face and tearing into it. Claudius flew off to the side and Bismarck concentrated on the others. He quickly dispatched another four. The rest of the rats broke their assault and ran. Claudius among them.
"Let it be known that Claudius ran away with his tail between his legs!" Bismarck shouted after them. With the rats now gone. He turned his attention to Ripley, who had a dead rat in her mouth; it was likely the first thing in her mouth in days. "Are you going to be alright?"
"I think so." She spat the rodent out. "Eah, these things are disgusting."
"Right, let's go across and get in. Hold on to me and don't stop." She grabbed hold of the leash that was still attached to him and held on as he told her. They dodged cars and did a wonderful job of stopping traffic as they crossed. A few impatient motorists honked on them as they ran by. Bismarck led her back to the truck and she collapsed in front of him.
"I'm just going to take a quick nap." She said half out of it. The second she finished talking, she passed out.
"Ripley! Can you hear me? Ripley!" Bismarck's owner came out of the store holding two large bags full of groceries and peaked over them and saw the scene. He tossed the bags into the truck and ran over to Ripley. He looked at Bismarck and back at her. He seemed to read Bismarck's mind and picked Ripley up and gently placed her in the back of the truck. Bismarck bounded up next to her and the truck sped off down the road.
"So Bismarck, I have to ask, did she make it?" Balto asked as Bismarck finished.
"Well I hope so; either that or I am a very convincing ghost." A feminine voice said from outside the metal box that Balto was residing in. The voice was now matched by a face. Another German shepherd that came in and nuzzled Bismarck.
"Hello dear." Bismarck was putty in her paws. Balto wondered if anyone thought that when they saw he and Jenna together.
"I take it you are the ones that Claudius went after this time? Bastard rat, I'd like to give him a taste of his own medicine. Unfortunately he is his own medicine, and I know from experience rat is disgusting." Ripley said with a witty smile. Balto took a look at her, she seemed to be at the peak of health, and that she had a curious circular marking all the way around her neck. The evidence of a chain.
"So does that mean that Lukas and Katja are your-"
"First-borns. They were the only two I had my first time round and they were inseparable. No one came to buy them, so they stay here with us." Ripley said. "We make this the most well protected scrap for a hundred miles"
"Then who is everybody else?" Balto asked. Bismarck stood and motioned for Balto and Ripley to follow.
"They are the Pack, a group of strays and wayward dogs that I have found and helped over the years. We need to keep them out here, away from the house and street to avoid animal control. It has not been easy finding enough food for them, but we manage. Only lately has it become exceptionally hard. The rats horde everything, for months we fought over it and came up with nothing. Finally, Claudius and I declared territories and the fighting were supposed to stop," Bismarck shook his head. "But he violates it constantly."
Balto noticed their surroundings and noticed a flaw in this.
"Did you ever consider hunting in the woods?"
"We have tried in the past; to make a long short, we failed miserably. We are simply not good hunters; many of us are not powerful enough to take down anything much larger than a rabbit anyway. The few of us that rescued you were the only ones currently capable among us. The others, they are too young, too old, or too preoccupied to hunt."
"Wait, how many of you are there?" Balto only saw no more than ten in front of him. Bismarck motioned to a panel of metal siding. He lifted it up revealing a large space in the junk-pile. Inside Balto saw three females, each with a gaggle of pups huddled around them. "It is spring. And well, you know. We are called the Pack for a reason."
"I guess that is what you meant by preoccupied. Maybe I can help you folks with this. Call it repayment for saving us." Bismarck cocked his head and looked as if he didn't understand.
"Hunting? What would you know about that?"
"You might say it is in my family."
"In your family?"
"Don't spread this around, my mother was a wolf." Bismarck's eyes widened and he really looked Balto over for the first time, noting his features. Now observing Balto's stature and build it was obvious what he was. By now most that noticed either ran away or got aggressive and told him to take a hike, but Bismarck only said.
"I'll be damned, you are half wolf. Don't worry friend, I couldn't care what you are, just as long as you are who I think you are." Balto smiled and continued on his former point.
"Anyway, I think I can help you out here; and my buddy, Steele, he managed to survive for months in the Alaskan wilderness in winter, alone."
"Did you leave the part about how I would have died if I wasn't rescued?" Steele asked from behind them.
"How long have you been there?"
"About thirty seconds. So Howler, you want to help them with food? I mean I'm grateful for all you and your family have done for us Bismarck, you literally saved our necks, and you have given us all this hospitality but-, ah hell, I talked myself into it. Okay, I'll be glad to help out." Bismarck had a glint in his eye and nodded his head slightly.
"Excellent, we can begin tomorrow at dawn. The sooner you two can teach us to survive out here, the sooner we can teach you how to survive the city and get home.
"Sounds like a deal." Balto answered cheerfully.
"I will let you go and rest for now. I imagine you four have had quite the last few days" Bismarck left them and rejoined Ripley, both slipped around a corner of junk and made for the home on the other side of the yard.
Balto turned and followed Steele back to Loki and Suki, both of which were passed out over each other. "This is so hard on them." Balto said softly.
"They're good kids, they'll be fine." Steele said to him.
"Have you told Loki the truth yet?"
"No, I don't know how he'll take it. Every time I think about telling him, I think about you and Aleu and the train-wreck that followed." Steele looked into the ground; he knew it may have just as well been a minefield.
"Don't remind me, Jenna still hasn't gotten completely over it." Balto said solemnly.
"Did you?" Steele asked, turning his head back towards him.
"Accept what my daughter was and what she has chosen? Yes. Do I miss her? Always." Balto returned.
"But would you do anything differently, changed something?"
"All things considered, no. Sometimes, these things are out of our paws, some things just have to happen, it doesn't mean we have to like it though. If I had, the entire wolf clan she is leading now would be dead; I could not live with that on my conscience." Steele thought about what Balto said and came to a conclusion.
"When you put it that way, maybe I should talk to him about it, it's time I stopped lying to him." Steele sighed and curled up around the pups to keep them warm. "Doesn't mean this is going to be easier."