Balto was, once again, walking in the streets of Nome, trying to remain mainly unseen from other dogs and humans. A town where he'd hoped to seek solace and happiness was rather opposite from what he'd expected. Dogs shunned him, or worse, bullied him if they blindly listened to Steele's words. Humans taunted him for being a half-breed.
It certainly wasn't easy, but it was a burden he had to carry by himself, without even having a chance to part away from it. If he had to, he'd have to carry it throughout his life. He only had three canine friends in this town, and if one were to include that St. Bernard by the name Doc, then that was four. The thing was, these two had not met yet before.
"Psst! Psst, Balto! Over here!" He heard a rather familiar female voice and turning his head, he noticed Molly beckoning him to come to the alley she was in. He walked over there, asking: "Molly? Why are you so silent?" She looked around herself and from where Balto'd come, letting him know: "What do you think? I don't think it is wise to be exposed on the street if you don't want to have Steele catch you!"
"Sorry, I wasn't thinking about that! As if I… hey, wait… you are usually with Max, right?" Balto noticed how when he was talking to Molly, his friend and a brother figure wasn't around. Molly sighed while gazing down in the snowy ground, explaining: "When Max comes any minute soon, can I trust you that you won't mention Audrey to him?"
It was clear that Balto had no good opinion of Max's sister, but then again, he kept it for himself. He agreed: "Okay, I'll bite. Did something go wrong with them?" Molly glanced at him as if he'd spoken something very obvious, but remained firm to say: "I can say that this morning Max and Audrey had a pretty heated fight."
"Oh my, why?" Balto backed up a little bit when he heard what had happened, worrying what could happen later when Max would arrive. Molly sighed again, grudgingly forcing herself to recall what happened: "Ever since you were with us to give a tribute on Beringo's grave, Audrey started to think that we're forcingly replacing her with you and that Max told others that Audrey doesn't care for Beringo anymore."
"But that can't be true!" Balto denied that this had happened. He knew Max quite well at this point and unlike Steele and his cronies, Max was not a gossip. Molly brought it up: "Because it isn't, Balto! We've tried to talk Audrey through to stop in antagonizing you, but she's so thick-headed to face the truth and would rather have Steele…!"
"Uh, Molly…?" Balto stopped her right here when he saw how Molly was already fuming at her teammate's incompetent and turncoat like demeanor lately. Molly didn't even finish what she started, thinking how foul-mouthed her words would be like so she apologized: "I'm sorry that you almost heard me say it. It is just that I'm pretty mad at her too!"
"I don't blame you, but what can I do in that case?" Balto asked her, to which Molly had no answer right now. If Audrey was going to be this thick-headed, then they could only wait for that to backfire. It was for better to change the topic when Molly glanced aside and noticed the familiar figure approaching, to which she spoke: "Okay, Max's coming! Remember, not a word!"
"Not going to say anything about her, don't worry." Balto whispered to her and as soon as Max was closer to them, he spoke: "Balto, Molly, hey! How are you doing today?" One could hear in his voice how he tried to conceal his anger and frustration with the false impression of being just fine that day.
"You know me, classic." Molly replied, acting that this was all casual to her, knowing that she should not bring up anything about the events of that morning. Balto spoke: "Well, I'm doing better than I had hoped for. How about you?" Of course, Max spoke with his voice that falsified his calm tone: "I am alright for today. Just running a bit late."
"For a race?" Balto tried to sound like he had no idea what he was talking about so he tried to compensate for the situation with some humor. Surprisingly, Max took the joke: "Close enough, my friend. Our race is tomorrow!" He proceeded to laugh in this usual tone, although Molly and Balto knew that his laughter wasn't really genuine. Then again, they were staying out of this.
"So, Balto? What are you doing today in town?" Molly asked him, wondering if they would have to cover him from Steele today. For starters, her question was answered, somehow: "Well, trying to stay alive and hoping to see Jenna. There was something she'd told me when we first met, times ago."
"Oh yeah, and that'd be…?" Molly asked him. Balto recalled that very first day when he'd met Jenna and in his head, he heard those sweet words speaking: "Yeah, they're very sweet and their little one is a very cute girl! One day, when it comes, I'll lead you to them! Who knows, they may like you!" He replied to them: "She told me about her owners."
Max and Molly's reaction to him mentioning Jenna's owners brought them smiles on their faces, even to Max who had gone through a very bad morning. He even spoke in a genuinely nice tone: "Did she? If they do see you, I think that they are going to like you! Especially Rosy!"
When he heard that name, he was about to ask if "Rosy" was that "very cute girl" Jenna had mentioned, but Molly offered him the answer: "Rosy is Jenna's young girl owner and Max and I got to meet her! She must be the sweetest human I've ever met! I can already imagine how kind she will be to you, Balto!"
"I suppose that you've already met her?" Balto wondered, hearing their opinions on Jenna's girl. What was easy to notice was how Max actually started feeling better than he was before with the mention of "Rosy". In fact, he suggested: "Why don't you go and see Jenna now? I mean, that way you get to talk to one another about meeting her girl!"
Balto had given a thought to that and seeing that his "wise" thinking didn't really need that much to give his answer, he told them: "You know what? You're right, as long as I don't come across the certain one, if you know what I mean." They knew that he was referring to their enemy, certain black Alaskan malamute.
"If you want to, we'll keep you accompanied." Molly suggested that there should be safety first in here and he didn't object. "Right, let's get going. Let's just go take the alley route, I really don't think that I want humans to see me either." They honestly couldn't argue with that issue so Max beckoned them to follow him to Jenna's.
Walking in those snow-covered ground areas, Balto looked how these two were his modest escort. For someone like him, Steele would have to be afraid, but it wasn't that way. He enjoyed tormenting him for being a half-wolf all on the behalf of the sled dog who'd been found dead long time ago, to someone Balto had paid tribute not long ago.
In front of him was Max, knowing where to go as he was pretty much familiar with this town. Molly was behind him and if it were the other way around, they'd still show him the right way. The smell of disposed food was strong and attractive, but it was not the time for Balto to eat that food. There was still enough time for snack alter on. Just then, Max stopped in his tracks.
"What happened?" Balto asked his friends back and forth and one large figure emerged from the side. It was larger than Steele in his body build and by age, a bit older. Just as the dog emerged from the side, he spotted the young dark brown canine, the latter he greeted: "Hello, young Max! Are you staying in shape for a sled dog?"
"Good afternoon, Doc! Well, that's my daily duty and we're kind of in the middle of somewhere now." Max greeted the St. Bernard dog and since neither him nor Molly showed a lot of anxiety now that Balto was with them, even he felt that nothing bad could go wrong when Doc noticed the wolf-dog among them.
"Well, is that the wolf-dog this town has been talking for months, claiming to be dangerous?" Doc raised his eyebrow when he was near Balto, who had no idea what to say, or at least do. Molly stepped in: "That is him, Doc. His name is Balto and we're his friends." She didn't slow down in saying that or had any issues speaking that out loud. She clearly wanted to show what she meant of him.
He kept walking around him and gave a comment: "Very interesting as you say, young Molly." Balto had that feeling to speak again and the first thing he spoke was: "Excuse me, but you… aren't afraid of me?" He didn't know what else he could say, being confused how there was one other dog in this town who didn't jump into prejudices.
Of course, he overheard that talk of Doc and other dogs times ago, but had to pretend he'd never been there. Doc told him: "Why do I have to be afraid of you? You may look wild, but does it make you dangerous? I think not!" This was certainly a relief, hearing from a dog who wasn't just going to taunt him, hurt him or be spiteful towards him in general.
"Besides, I've heard lots of talk from many dogs about how you're so-called dangerous and that you attack anyone in sight. I don't think that's true either!" Doc gave him an honest opinion, showing his doubt about gossiping in town. He even had the courage to ask him: "But... uhm, Doc? But… how come?"
"The reason why I don't see you as dangerous is because if I don't see it with my eyes that you attack someone out of your own pleasure, then I know what the truth is. You seem like someone who'd only attack in self-defense, but that Steele always exaggerates into making you look like a dangerous beast. Nonsense, I say." Doc further explained his opinion on why he didn't side with Steele for the matter.
"Doc, can we count on you then?" Max asked the older dog, feeling encouraged by what the St. Bernard thought of their hybrid friend. Though, he could have taken it easy with his excitement when Doc told him: "I can't always be there to protect him, Max. But I can take sure that your friend Balto doesn't get this harshly treated when I'm around."
"So, you're willing to help us somehow?" Molly asked, hoping that her question would actually align with Doc's opinions. It did, thankfully, when he told her: "If you think that I care what Steele says, I don't. What he does to himself is inflating his own ego, but once a small tremor smashes it like a glass, you'll see for yourself how he'll collect the shards!"
This made all three of them genuinely laugh a little bit and Doc looked like he enjoyed his own joke before telling them: "I shall be going now. Remember my words, as long as I keep hearing rumors and gossip from other town dogs, you can count on me!" Before they parted ways, Max politely let him know: "Don't worry, Doc, with all pleasure!"
Doc nodded when he saw these three friends continuing their path through the alleys. Once they were deep inside one of them, Molly rushed to Balto to tell him: "See, what did we tell you?! Doc is one of very few dogs in town whom you can trust!" She wasn't wrong, this entire meeting had Balto still stunned. Now if the middle-aged dog like him was going to be on their side, then it was even better!
"Well, let's get going. I hope that Jenna is at home or else we will have to come some other time for you to meet little Rosy, Balto." Molly beckoned her friend to move. Even if Nome wasn't a big town to begin with, from the dog's perspective walking from one side of the town to another actually seemed challenging in one paw.
"I have to ask you something, you two. When Jenna is not around you, then she'd be with her owners, right? Is there someone else in this town she's usually with? I must have forgotten that." Balto asked them, recalling how the other day, when he hysterically ran away from the training course, he'd seen two unusual looking females on his way.
"Actually, if she isn't with us or with her owners, she's usually with those two females Sylvie and Dixie. They're even classier dogs than Jenna is, but I'm not really interested in a company like that." Molly let him know what she had thought of the Afghan hound and the Pomerian. Max's answer was more or less the same: "Not to mention, they're good with Audrey and you may guess who these three like?"
"I don't have to guess twice." Balto already got the hint when Max mentioned it. Once they were out in the open, Balto only hoped that other humans wouldn't notice him, having accepted his status as an outcast. Then, Max stopped and perked with his right ear in the distance, to which Balto asked him: "Max? What's going on?"
"I think I can hear Jenna, but she's not alone. Oh, I should have known!" Max let them know that Jenna wasn't alone. Balto started lowering his head as the dark thoughts embroiled in his head. She was with Steele, wasn't she? Thankfully, his gloom was fading away when Molly had a better lookout: "Yeah, I see she's with her classy friends, again."
Balto rose his head, noticing his best friend in the distance, accompanied by Sylvie on her left side and Dixie on her right side, talking about their dreams and hopes that most likely included Steele. Even he noticed from this distance how Jenna was not interested in their topic, but seemed too polite to tell them that.
"We'll get her out of there. Jenna!" Max figured out what to do, starting with him calling for their friend. Jenna's rather uninterested look coming from her classy friend brightened when she saw the incoming dogs: "Max, Balto, Molly! Hey, you three!" As she moved in front to greet them, Sylvie and Dixie weren't frankly amused, least with Balto in their sight.
"Jenna! Hey…!" Balto nervously greeted her, making Jenna amused how he was still nervous around her. She wasn't aware how much Balto couldn't stop thinking of her actually. She asked them away: "What's new? I was rather busy these days with my girl so I'm sorry that I haven't been around with you."
"It's alright, Jenna. We've just wondered if it was time that you would have Balto meet young Rosy?" Molly spoke of it. Truth to be said, Jenna had that in mind for some time, but it was something she'd put aside for a good while. She looked at her wolf-dog friend and sweetly asked him: "Are you ready to meet her at last?"
"Am… am I? Yeah!" Balto anxiously answered, hoping that if he were to meet Jenna's young owner, then their friendship would ascend one step ahead! Jenna turned around to tell her other two friends: "I'm sorry, girls, but I'll be leaving you here. I have a favor for Balto to do!" This seemed like a relief for Jenna, who seemed to have grown very tired of "Steele, Steele, Steele."
"Jenna, you're going to miss a lot of what we have to say about Steele!" Sylvie told her, hoping to change Jenna's mind. Dixie hopped in: "We were just getting to the best part! I don't think it'd matter to your other friends here!" That was a rather poor choice of words coming from her, with Max and Molly sharing that disappointed look on their faces.
"Excuse me, Dixie, and you too, Sylvie, but I have other things to do now." Jenna's tone went a little bit cold when she heard what the Pomerian had just said. Jenna turned around and was facing the part she'd come from, beckoning Balto: "Come on, Balto! If Max and Molly could have met Rosy by now, why wouldn't you?"
Balto chuckled to remove that embarrassing feeling. He answered his scarlett red friend: "Sorry if I acted a bit too nervous, Jenna. It's just that no human was ever nice to me!" Little did he know how that was going to change when he was going to see Jenna's young owner any minute soon!
As for Sylvie and Dixie, who were gazing at their Siberian husky friend in disbelief, Dixie hopped around to gain Sylvie's attention by saying: "Can you believe it how Jenna dumps us on the streets with those two undesirable dogs and that wild wolf-dog?!" Sylvie's response came in a lazy tone: "Eh, at least we get to have more of Steele for ourselves! Let's go, Dixie, before the undesirable's sister is there first!" That being said, they just pretended that Jenna wasn't with them all this time.
Meanwhile, Jenna led her wolf-dog friend to her place, Max and Molly closely following and providing him the protection in case of undesirable canines in this town. Once they'd made it to the wider part of the town, where those houses were noticeably more apart from one another, Jenna stood in front of one particular house.
"Here we are! Balto, I'd suggest you to stand next to the porch and hopefully Rosy will be there with me. Max, Molly, I'm sure that you'd tag along in seeing Rosy again?" Jenna instructed them. Balto was genuinely excited to see that young Rosy as they'd spoken of before, Max and Molly were happy to get free cuddles from the young human child again.
"Go get her, Jenna! No one else gives that soft cuddles like Rosy does!" Molly let her know, giving Jenna a sign that they were eagerly anticipating her back with the human child. Balto walked next to the house in a relatively obscure site, just below the porch. His friends were waiting for Jenna's sweet human to come outside.
As for Balto, he was still somewhat anxious about this meeting. All this time he'd known his friends, he'd been living in obscurity from humans in the shadows and if there were some who acknowledged his presence, they weren't any friendly to him. Max noticed that anxiety in his eyes, whispering: "Don't worry, she is not going to hurt you, my friend!"
That was easy for someone like him to say, even going to answer him: "But what if it happens to be opposite? What if…?" He didn't finish his question all because he heard a child's voice, very sweet and very innocent one speaking: "Molly, hey there, girl! I see you too again, Max!" She proceeded to cuddle both of the huskies she'd seen before, mainly how they were friends to her husky, which they'd graciously accepted. Then… "Wow, who are you...?"
Balto gazed upon on the porch where Jenna was, not alone anymore. She was accompanied with the sweet-looking scarlett red haired short human girl with bright green eyes and a pale white skin. She had a smile on her rosy cheeks upon noticing two familiar huskies, the one that did not fade when she saw him! Judging by her size, she might have been at least three or four by now.
"Balto, I'd love to introduce you to my little girl named Rosy!" Jenna proudly told her wolf-dog friend who was this with him. Little Rosy, instead of backing away in fear and screaming to alert her parents about the unknown wild animal being in front of her, she just reached for his forehead and with her soft touch, patted him by his head.
Feeling the touch of this young human, not only Balto felt something warm in his veins, but it was also something incredible. No human had ever been this kind to him, least someone like Rosy whose fear never even surfaced, even less when she said: "You're a pretty good boy! Here, have this small left-over bone!"
She reached in the pocket of her black furred coat and pulled a rather small bone, originally meant for Jenna. Since this was a gift for him, mainly because Jenna received these from Rosy almost every day, unless she'd give it to Max or even Molly for the matter, he shyly accepted the bone she had to give to him, trying not to expose his teeth to the little one.
"Wow, you have big teeth! Are you that Balto everyone speaks of?" Rosy was wondering about this owner-less canine below the porch she was standing on. For someone of her age, she was pretty bright and Jenna felt in her voice how Rosy meant nothing bad towards him so that was why she had licked little Rosy in the cheek, who laughed cutely because of so.
"Rosy! Lunch is almost ready!" A voice, belonging to a man, was heard coming from the doors when he looked on the porch, revealing to be Rosy's dad. He noticed how she was with Jenna on the porch and that there were two other huskies as well. Balto, once he heard his voice from the doors, out of the instinct, had hidden himself behind the corner.
"Oh, those are Leonhard's dogs, Max and Molly! Rosy, be a good girl and give these bones to them, alright?" Her father, pale skinned, brown haired, along with brown sideburns, beard and moustache, smiled and then gently gave her a plastic and a greasy bag of those small bones she'd given to Balto before. She kindly replied: "I will, daddy!"
Her father kindly smiled to his only child in the family before he returned inside to help his wife, also Rosy's mother, in finishing their lunch. All other dogs noticed where Balto was, to which Molly told him: "Balto, it's alright, you can come out!" He hesitated at first, not knowing if he'd return or not, only for Jenna to call him: "Balto, my master is inside now, everything is fine!"
Balto shyly came out of his cover, with Rosy speaking: "What's the matter, boy? Are you afraid of other humans?" Balto kept his distance with his ears lowered down. Rosy ducked to reach for Balto's forehead to pat him sweetly, with her answering: "Don't worry, if you want to, I can be your only human friend in town! How's that for a deal?"
He looked at this precious innocent red haired, green eyed, little girl and his answer was to let her fingers scratch his ear and have him tilt his head on that side, that way giving little Rosy an answer as "yes." Then, another voice, coming from the house, belonged to her mother and said: "Rosy, come wash your hands and let's eat our lunch!"
"I'm coming, mommy! Max, Molly, it was nice seeing you again!" Rosy spoke, patting two of her other favorite huskies in town. She patted Balto lightly to tell him: "And it was nice to meet you, Balto! I hope to see you again!" Then she turned around and with the front door slightly opened, Rosy got inside to have lunch with her parents. Jenna remained a bit longer.
"You know, Jenna, if our master's child met your child, I think they'd be pretty good friends." Molly commented, always noticing how sweet little Rosy was. Jenna chuckled when she heard her say that. As for Max, who had a pretty rough morning, related to Audrey, he didn't say much: "Even better, if Balto had an owner!"
To think about it, no human until that day showed any kindness to him. Rosy was possibly the first one to do so and likely, the only one. He told them: "If they are really going to accept me for who I am, then I'd settle with having a human." He was quite insecure about the life in the house and having a human who'd look after him, feed him and take him out for walks.
"At least you have Rosy as your human friend now! I mean, that's a good sign!" Jenna let him know that his future wasn't entirely bleak anymore. Even if he couldn't be a sled dog, which would make him happier in his life, he had someone else who cared for him and it wasn't an animal. He looked at his only canine friends from this town and smiling, told them all: "All three of you, thank you so much for introducing me to Rosy!"
"With all due pleasure, my friend!" Max answered him and now that he happened to be between the dark brown male and gray female, they pressed against their friend for a nuzzle in a friendly or sibling way, Molly answering: "We may not have a solution for every problem, Balto, but we can try to make you feel welcome, alright?"
"Yeah, thanks." Balto spoke when they let him go and then they heard Rosy's voice from inside: "Jenna, come on! We left some for you!" Now Jenna had to leave, as she only was meant to remain a minute or two longer, but not before greeting them: "I'll see you around! It was nice of you to come see Rosy today, and meet her as well!"
The second part she spoke was when she looked at her wolf-dog friend and with them greeting her, Jenna retreated into her house. Now that there was a whole day in front of them, he asked: "So, what else do you two have in mind today?" Molly decided to take over this one so Max would have some time to relax: "Aside from having to prepare for the mail delivery tomorrow, nothing much else." This seemed like a normal day, hiding in shadows and alleys with his friend, for Balto.