Eu te amo.
Ma armastan sind.
Je vous aime.
Ich liebe dich.
Jeg elsker deg.
Я тебя люблю.
I love you.
Those three words. However you say them, those three words can either mean everything, or nothing. They can make you, or break you. And little did I know, I was going to find that out. How it meant everything, and how she meant everything to me.
—
Balto
"Jenna! Where are you?" I yelled. My voice echoed through the snow-covered forest. I panicked. No, no! She saved my life from… the bear! Don't tell me she's gone! "Jenna?" I poked around a corner when I heard whimpering by a tree. She cried, her leg was bleeding. A couple of scratches, at first glance, but the fear in her eyes told a different story.
"Are you okay?" we said simultaneously, making her chuckle a little. A brief respite from the pain.
"Balto, I can't walk!" tears rolled down her cheek, matting her beautiful red fur, "It's sprained… Where is everyone?" it broke my heart to see her crying and injured in the snow.
"They split up with me, with the bear chasing them. I don't know. It's just us" I looked at her orange kerchief.
"You have to cover the wound, do you mind?" she nodded, and gently held my paw, before letting go, "You sure you can tie a knot? Those big paws look a bit clunky-" I quickly fastened the kerchief around the wound, with just a bit of pressure. "I stand corrected" she chuckled weakly, and flashed a smile.
"Big paws doesn't mean I don't know how to use them," I laughed.
"Oh, you silly wolfdog!" she rolled her eyes and stared at me in pain.
"Make it home, Jen, I'll find the medicine" I whispered. She looked saddened.
"Rosy's running out of time. I'm scared" she shuffled away and started limping back home. "I need you. Rosy needs you. Nome needs you. Don't let us down. Don't let me down, Balto"
"I won't" I looked down, and it immediately felt colder as she left.
I tracked Steele's scent, to the edge of an icy hill, and hesitantly slid down. It went fast, uncomfortably fast. I barely managed to stop before the cliff edge. But the sled was up there. It was quiet. The musher was lying in the snow, cold and dead. I slowly walked up to the sled. I have to drag it alone? Suddenly, Steele came out of nowhere, and leaped out in front of me.
"This is my sled, mutt" he bared his teeth. I slowly walked around, unknowingly putting the cliff to my back. And then it happened. He lunged at me, bit at the scruff of my chest, and flew past. I yelped in pain as I felt the fur tear off, while he fell down the cliff. He was hit by trees and rocks alike on the way down. At the bottom, he stood and snarled, before running away.
One day later…
Jenna
Steele walked into town, with a clutch of fur in his jaw. He dropped it in front of me, and it felt like my heart was crushed. It was Balto's… Steele stared with those cold, unfeeling eyes.
"No!" I cried. No! No, he can't be… He's my only hope. Everyone watched as I cried.
"He… made me promise to take care of you, Jenna" Steele said, sadness tainting his voice. He tried to get close and nuzzle me, "Oh…" I almost believed him, even for just a fleeting moment. But no, Balto would do no such thing. He wouldn't say that to the dog that abuses him, to the dog that harasses me.
"You're lying" I was angry, "Steele's lying. Balto's alive, and he's coming home!" everyone gasped as I ran away, if I stayed for another minute I wouldn't contain myself.
Two days passed, two agonising days. I stuck by Rosy's bed, watching her grow sicker. Like she was being consumed from within. And that asshole Steele kept trying to get with me. But deep down, I knew I was meant for someone else. And I knew he felt the same way, how he looked at me.
I stood out in the cold street, watching the sunrise. I couldn't sleep, even if I tried. My ankle was still hurt, it hurt like hell. I could just about walk, especially since I had to trek across such a long distance alone to get back, on a limp. Thank God for Balto and those half-wolf paws scratching markers in the trees, or I wouldn't have made it back… Rosy was dying. And there was no sign of Balto. And I was left only with thoughts of simpler, better times.
"Good morning, Jenna! Ought to be a close race, don't you think? Maybe even neck, and… neck" she so 'subtly' hinted to her new collar.
"Say something about her new collar before she gets whiplash…" Sylvie whispered.
"Um…" I started awkwardly, "Dixie, what a pretty collar, is it new?" I feigned interest.
"What, this old thing? … Yeah. Do you think," she blushed, "Steele will notice?" Dixie said, to Sylvie's amusement. She rolled her eyes.
"I'm afraid the only way Steele notices anyone is if they're wearing a mirror…" I said with annoyance. We stood at the sidelines as Steele's team came in, making their way to the finish. Every single time, it's always that rude, smug little… People in the crowd spoke, and cheered, "Watch that corner, son… They're coming!" someone said.
Rosy found me, and gave me a happy hug. She laughed as I licked her face. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Balto smile at us. I felt so sorry for him. Whether it were humans or Steele and his team, he was verbally abused, and made an outcast. Just for being a wolfdog. And they always called him such mean names! Half-breed, mutt, and all these terrible things. But he's so much stronger, kinder and caring compared to them.
Rosy gave a heart-warming laugh, "Hold on… Come on, Steele! Oh, no! No!" a strong gust of wind blew her musher hat from her, landing near Balto, and close in Steele's path. "My hat!" she tried to grab it, but I quickly bit her sleeve to stop her. Anything for my girl's safety.
The moment Steele's team rushed past Balto, suddenly he sprang after them, and quickly, he passed every dog until he was side-by-side with Steele.
"It's that stray dog!" someone yelled, and I felt anger boil up. He's just so misunderstood… He's only ever shown me kindness, every single time we've met, "He'll ruin the race!" they said. Boris forced his way through the crowd and caught sight of Balto.
"Hey! Outta my way, lobo!" Steele yelled at Balto, but he ignored him. Balto kept his eye on the hat, and as Steele snapped at him, my heart sank, but he grabbed the hat and jumped off onto the curb with a thud. The sled kicked snow up, like a massive wave, and it all landed on him.
Meanwhile, Steele's teammates were complimenting him, mainly out of fear, I suspected. Balto handed Rosy the hat, his tail wagging.
"Balto! What a crazy thing to do! Just to show off to a pretty girl…" he looked at me, and I turned away. It was embarrassing, only because… I knew I liked him. Rosy laughed, "I'm sure Jenna would love to have you on our team" she said. I had to admit, it would be nice to have an excuse to spend more time with him, even if it was really only to entertain Rosy.
"Hey, hey, hey" Rosy's dad repeated in a panic, and kicked snow at Balto, "Rosy, stay away from him!" he said and grabbed her gently.
"Dad!" Rosy protested, as Balto slumped off, dejected.
"He might bite ya, honey, he's part wolf" he explained. But to me, I was never scared of him.
"Oh, now you hurt his feelings!" Rosy was upset.
"Come on now," her dad said.
Dixie ran over, "Congratulations and felicitations, Steele!" she said excitedly, but he brushed her off.
"Ladies…" Dixie fell over, "Hi there. Jenna… Enjoy the race?" he focused solely on me, with that creepy grin that send chills down my spine.
"Yeah, almost as much as you did" I said sarcastically. I saw Balto turn around a watch briefly.
"Thanks, Jenna, let's go celebrate. I know where all the bones are buried…" he still creeped me out.
"Ugh… I don't know, Steele. Suddenly, I've lost my appetite" I said hesitantly and walked away from him.
"Oh," he smirked, "Well, maybe your taste runs more toward… wolf" I stared blankly at him.
"Jenna, come on, girl! We're going back home!" Rosy said, receiving my full attention.
"Sorry, Steele. My girl's calling me" I left him, offended myself. I heard Dixie run up to him.
"On the other hand…" she paused and pawed at his collar, "My girl is away at boarding school" Steele stepped over her, and she fell over again.
Balto suddenly ran out of a secluded alley, and accidentally bumped into me.
"Oh," I yelped, but flashed him a smile. Our noses touched, and my heart skipped a beat.
"Heh… uhh," he said awkwardly, "Jenna, I… uhh," he smiled sheepishly, stumbling over his words.
"Jenna!" Rosy's father said my name.
"Jen, come on!" Rosie joined in.
I turned around to see that Balto had left, in his stead there were footprints leading back into the alley. I followed and sniffed at the ground. I just wanted him to… know that I didn't mind, or that I don't feel the same way the rest do. He's not a beast, or a stray. He's an outcast, and I know it feels bad. And I wanted him to… be happy, because he makes my girl happy, he makes me happy.
Rosy's dad called for me one last time, and I followed them.
Then, the next time we met. I was waiting outside the hospital. I barked outside, hearing Rosy inside the waiting room of the hospital, with a horrible cough. I tried to get her attention.
"Jenna? Jenna! Jenna!" She lit up, and ran to open the door. Rosy barely started playing with me, before she started coughing loudly. I nudged her in worry.
"Rosie! Rosie, come on! You're going to catch your death out here" her dad said and slipped a coat over her.
"Okay, dad" she looked down, saddened, and went inside.
"Come on, honey. The doctor's waiting" he closed the door, and I rushed over to look inside, and see her. I couldn't find her, so I walked around and looked through a window out back. I looked into the doctor's office.
He examined Rosy's throat, and he didn't look happy with what he saw.
"Jenna?" Balto walked over and cleared his throat, "Jenna" he sounded nervous. He looked like he'd fixed himself up a little. There was a part of my that couldn't help but wonder if he did it just for me…
"Balto… hi" I turned briefly, before returning to the doctor's office. I was worried sick for Rosy.
"Hi… Look, uh, just a long shot in the dark, but I was wondering if uh… I dunno, maybe you'd like to… go chase a few sticks by midnight," he chuckled, still nervous. He spotted I wasn't paying much attention, and came closer to me. He looked through the window alongside me, "Jenna?", he asked with concern.
"Rosy's in there" I said, my voice trembling. He deserved an explanation, after all, Rosy does love spending time with him so.
"In the hospital, why?" he got more worried.
"She feels warm, and has a terrible cough…" I looked at him, teary-eyed, "Balto, what's wrong with her?" he mulled over the question for a moment.
"Huh… I'm not sure, but I know how to find out," he walked away from the window, "Come on", he walked to a rackety old door, "… I have the keys to the city" he whispered and pulled on the bolts, opening the door. He gestured in front of him, "After you" I couldn't help but be fixated by his paws. They were… so much larger than mine.
"Balto," his name slipped out my mouth.
He laughed nervously, "Big paws kinda run in the family," we entered a boiler room, "at least, uh, one side of my family," he crawled through a small hole in the wall, and I followed hesitantly. "Stay close," he said.
"Haha, no problem there…" I looked around at the dirty, dark space. It was a great comfort to be around him, and the environments, even considering how much time I spend outside, they were so different to what I'm used to, as a pet. "It's so gloomy down here… Heh, not that I'm scared or anything" I said nervously. I knew he wouldn't be scared, he's part wolf, but I don't know why I, pathetically, and probably unconvincingly, tried to hide it from him. He'd understand…
I gasped as a spiderweb appeared in front of me. "Gloomy?" he asked, amusedly, and flicked his tail at the spiderweb, getting rid of it for me, "You kidding? It's the most beautiful spot in the world! Dogs travel for years, just to be right here" though I could tell he was obviously being sarcastic, there was some part in there that he did genuinely mean.
Rubble fell on my snout, "Here? I can't see why," some of the debris stayed. Balto took one of those big paws, and brushed it off of me, "That's 'cause you're looking at the bowl half empty," he gestured towards some broken bottles and glass shards lying around, "See this?", he rattled them around, "It's the polar ice caps," he said, and I looked at him questioningly. It was kind of amusing to see him explain, with his analogies, and those gestures of his…
"Balto… those are broken bottles. And they're not half empty, they're all empty" I explained, confusedly. Balto looked at a bright light shining from the ceiling, "The sun", he said.
"Ugh, Balto," I said impatiently, mainly out of worry about Rosy, not because I didn't want to listen to him.
"And… to the North," he stepped out of the way of the light, and it reflected off the bottles. It reflected off the bottles majestically, illuminating the wall with colourful light, I couldn't help but gasp in surprise, "The Northern Lights," I marvelled at it, "Oh, Balto. You're right – it's beautiful" I shouldn't have been so impatient. It was totally worth the wait. He stared at me, however, "Yeah… beautiful" I looked at him, and suddenly the light stopped shining as someone walked above us. It clicked for me, we were under the hospital. I looked through a vent cover in the floor, and heard a familiar voice.
"Good night, Rosy" the doctor said quietly.
"I'm so cold" she complained.
"I'm gonna have another blanket for you right here, you stay warm and get some rest" he said and left her room. Both Balto and I looked through a different vent, to see the doctor's office.
"Doctor? How is she?" Rosy's dad asked, concernedly.
"Exhausted from the coughing, and her fever's getting worse" I was extremely worried, and by the looks of it, so was Balto. My girl…"Looks like diphtheria," he felt around an empty spot where anti-toxin was kept. He defeatedly gave Rosy's dad a bottle of Aspirin, "She's the eighteenth case this week… and … I'm out of anti-toxin", by then, I was gone. The doctor's voice faded into the background as I walked off, upset.
"Jenna… Jenna, I'm sorry! Jenna, I-," we were back in the boiler room, "I didn't mean to upset you, I shouldn'ta taken you down there" he seemed genuinely remorseful, but it wasn't his fault.
"No… I'm glad you did," I said before there was a loud crash outside. We looked quickly, to see Steele under a pile of rubble, a link of sausages dangling out his mouth. He got up, kicked at the debris, and walked towards us menacingly.
"Steele…" I said. The sight of him only made me more upset, I almost wanted to tear him to shreds.
He cleared his throat, "Well, well. What's wrong with this picture?" he tossed the sausages at Balto aggressively, "Jenna, join me for dinner. You start at one end, I'll start at the other… and, when we get to the middle," he licked his lips, "heh, heh… you tell me" I leaned back, disgusted. Balto was annoyed, I could see it.
He bared his teeth, "Alright, Steele," he growled. I didn't know, for once, if that was a fight that Steele could actually win. A fight against what he calls a beast, a wolf.
"No… Balto" I acted as if I didn't want him to attack, but really, I had a different plan, a more painful one. I moved towards Steele, and gestured towards the heater, for Balto to smile mischievously.
"Gee, Steele, I have to admit the offer is very tempting," as much as I wanted to seem interested, I couldn't believe I even managed to say that to him.
"It is…" he replied. Steele backed up closer to the boiler, unknowingly, "But these days, I prefer my meat… cooked" I said menacingly.
Steele's tail burned and smoked on the furnace, and he howled in pain as I darted out the room with Balto.
A while later, there was a race. A crowd had gathered to watch. Many lives were in danger, and would almost certainly die without the anti-toxin. It was coming in by rail, but the line stopped in Nenana. They were going to assemble a team of dogs, to take a sled with the medicine up to Nome.
The dogs in line stood at attention as Steele walked past them, one by one.
"Just look at him. He's gonna save the entire town! He's positively magnesium!" Dixie said dreamily.
"It's not exactly a one-dog show, Dixie," I was annoyed. My girl was in danger, and she was joking and pining for this asshole, "They're racing to see who's going to be on the dog sled team" I explained with a sigh.
"What's with you, Jenna. Steele's a genuine hero!"
And, speaking of a genuine hero, I was pulled out of my thoughts by a sound. There was a howl in the distance.
"Balto's back!" Boris shouted excitedly.
"Jenna!" Balto yelled and howled. Everyone in the hospital heard it, and gathered in the window, as I saw out of the corner of my eyes.
"The medicine!" Rosy's father said happily.
The rest of the team Steele left with, however, was nowhere to be seen, perplexingly. Everyone turned their lights on, and peered out their windows to see the sight of Balto, alone, bringing the precious crate of medicine home. The serum run was over. The Nome Operator swung his door open in a hurry, and brings the lantern on, shining, just like the hope Balto brought along.
The townspeople rushed to the track, as Balto ran for the finish line. He stopped right in front of the hospital, and the doctor came out, laughing with joy.
"Steady, steady. Easy now, that's had a long journey!" the doctor said cheerily.
"How is it?" a man asked, as he opened the box, to see it in mint condition. All but one bottle of medicine was there. Then there was a rush, as they treated all the sick people, everyone celebrated and there was hope. The families wouldn't lose any of their children. Right outside the hospital, near everyone in town petted and cheered on Balto, smiling and appreciative.
Rosy's father led Balto in, to see Rosy. He looked at me for a moment, before heading inside. I stood and watched in the doorway as Rosy hugged Balto, thanking him for saving her life. I wasn't jealous, but I jokingly cleared my throat. Balto smiled, "Jenna!", he always seemed so happy to see me.
He ran over to me, and stopped just short. We were so close, our muzzles almost touched, and we looked at each other with warm smiles. Simultaneously, we both went in to nuzzle each other, comfortingly. The crowd applauded, and there was something about wanting to build a statue of him, and numerous compliments, referring to him as a hero. My hero. I leaned in, our noses touched, my heart fluttered.
I tiled my head to the side, and we shared our first kiss. Slow. Sweet. There was no rush, there was nothing else. Just me, him, and our special moment. To be honest, despite how much I loved him, and how safe he made me feel, I was worried about those wolf-like teeth of his, much larger than mine, and sharper, but he was gentle. And it almost felt empty, the moment we disconnected, but his sweet, loving self filled in the void, "I love you to bits, Jenna" he whispered, resting his head close to my ears.
"And I love you too, Balto, I love you so much" I whispered, quietly, though I didn't mind the attention from the crowd, I wanted a private moment with him.
Three hours later…
Balto
The excitement had finally worn off, and we went inside. I was invited to stay in Rosy's house, but she was unfortunately still in the hospital for just another night. Jenna laid down on a rug in the middle of a room, near a box, laundry basket and makeup table. A large window lit up the room, moonlight shone beautifully on her red fur. She looked so cute as she lay there.
"Well, are you coming?" she asked with a grin, "I won't bite," she chuckled under her breath.
"You sure you're scared I won't?" it came off as a joke, but it wasn't, deep down.
"You're half wolf, not half buffalo" she rolled her eyes and gestured for me to join her. I gently laid down by her, still keeping some distance, because I was scared. Scared to come across as forceful, scared to intrude on her space, because that's exactly what Steele did. And to think, he's the outcast now… He'd been permanently exiled.
I looked down, and saw she had a proper bandage on, and earlier I saw her put just a little weight on her leg. It made me really happy to see her getting better. Her signature orange kerchief had also been washed, and she was wearing it once again. She took a paw, and gently nudged me, encouraging me to come closer. I complied, and she buried her face in the fur of my chest.
"Ow…" I winced in pain, realising I had numerous bruises from where the harness was bound, since I towed the crate, and the body of the musher all by myself.
"Sorry!" she said quickly.
"It's alright. Just a bruise," I reassured her. Her injuries were worse than mine anyway.
"I just want a cuddle" she yawned, tired, but adorable. I held a paw around her waist, as she shut her eyes.
"Good night, Balto. I love you" she said and relaxed against me, wrapping her tail around me, as I did for her.
"Good night, Jen. I love you too" I stroked her ears once, before shutting my eyes.