Time had passed since Balto was prevented from becoming a sled dog and it still hurt him. He knew well what misery was bestowed upon him, but he had an unlikely company who could make him happy. As much as he was disliked in the town, be it by humans or other dogs, he was not entirely unloved. Some dogs proved him what he meant to them!

"Come on, Balto! There is still something that can make you happy! Like fishing with us!" Muk tried to make his wolf-dog friend cheerful when he and Luk were around the old boat again, hoping to catch some fish now that the tide was out. Balto was still reminded how Max and Molly, even Audrey, were having their first delivery soon.

"I know what you two, Muk and Luk, are doing. I know that you want me to forget my worries, but it was something I had been hoping to become one day!" Balto told them when they were reaching the shallows soon. Muk already smelled the air and happily mumbled something before he started making a run for it, catching some fish frolicking in there.

"Just look how Luk and I go fish when there isn't too much water! It makes us very happy! Though if there's too much, then we can't hunt… because we can't swim!" The smaller polar bear cub complained to his friend as he went from cheerful to somber in the matter of the seconds. Balto looked at him to ask: "Then why don't you both learn to swim one day?"

"Oh we would, but we're always so afraid that the water will swallow us one day and that we would never ever resurface!" Muk held his head in fear, being afraid of what kind of monstrosities the deep water held. For the waters of Norton Sound, they were actually quite shallow compared to the vast ocean stretching to the south and west.

"There can't be anything scary down there, you two! Sure, there are some possible strange animals living down there, but they wouldn't eat you. Besides, they're more afraid of you because of how you hunt them down!" Balto let them know why their fear of swimming was something they should get over very soon and for very good reasons.

Luk, who held a fish in his mouth, managed to mumble something that Muk translated to: "He says that if they are more afraid of us than we are of them, does that mean that the fish is much more yummy than this one?" This wasn't some kind of brain scratcher for Balto because he answered: "Why don't you try and see it for yourselves?"

Muk and Luk just sat there and looked at one another, trying to figure out what was their solution. Watching them sit in the shallow saltwater, Balto was hoping there'd be some kind of progress in their aquaphobia. Sadly, when Luk mumbled something, Muk translated it to: "I don't think we're still ready to dwell into deeper waters! It looks so scary!"

"Well, when you two grow up one day, just picture yourselves with other polar bears. They won't take it too kindly when they see you being afraid of water." Balto finally decided not to persuade them into this, thinking how it was now more likely that the tree was going to be a better listener than they were.

Just then, one fish frolicked in the shallow and jumped high from the water. Balto just saw that and feeling challenged, rushed to hunt down that fish all while Muk and Luk watched him do so with awed expressions! The fish was gracefully avoiding wolf-dog's jaws of death as it was orientated farther from the coast.

"Balto! Don't go too far!" Muk yelled, hoping that the "deep and scary" sea wasn't going to swallow their friend! With the splash of the water, he was gone from their sight, under the sea. They were standing there, petrified. Did Balto just… no, that couldn't be right! He just couldn't…

Then, the water splashed a few more times and thankfully Balto resurfaced, all wet from his ears to his tail. Still, he was victorious, holding that big fish dead in his jaws and smiling triumphantly! He came closer to them, asking: "See, it isn't that hard! One day you'll find much more delicious fish in the depths, like how I did!"

Watching him go back to the surface and shaking off the saltwater off his wet fur, Luk mumbled one more thing to Muk, to which he answered: "I guess he is right. One day we will learn to swim!" Even if his words were strong, their will wasn't. All they could do was to get out of the water and eat what Luk had caught earlier.

The next morning, Balto was pretty early on his paws than usual. He was gazing at the town, clearly indicating that there was something bound to happen. Yesterday, after he had his fishy meal and had himself dried to the last piece of fur, he had headed to the town in secret just so he could see if either Jenna, Max or Molly were available.

Jenna wasn't, much to Balto's disappointment. Out of these three canine friends he had, she was the one he saw as his best friend, also being the first one he had met. As for Max and even Molly, he only got to see them briefly. They were courteous to tell him that tomorrow was their first mail delivery and told him to come to the town once they were back from their delivery.

The sole thought of him not being a sled dog all while two of his three friends were, especially how they were doing their very first delivery… it really made him feel hurt. That way or another he'd show the speed that other dogs could dream of, he'd get to visit other towns and make sure he was never alone in those new places.

"Balto, you sure are pretty early today?" Boris walked close to him, yawning and stretching himself. Balto looked at him and trying to remain absolutely fine, he told him: "Well, Boris, I'll get to see two of my friends having their very first mail delivery today. I will be watching them from here."

"Don't tell me you're still biting yourself for not making it into the team, boychick!" Boris really couldn't see the end of Balto's problems. Then again, it was Balto's pet peeve even to this day, but he could tell him without thinking otherwise: "Boris, I am still young. Who knows, maybe one day the humans will see me as a potential sled dog!"

"Or a sled wolf-dog for your matter. You could be historically the first wolf-dog in the mail delivery!" Boris didn't say that to point out what breed Balto was, but to tell him that even he could be someone special. Then, the barks were heard echoing in the town of Nome and Balto leaned closer to the edge to have a better look at the team that was leaving the town.

His dream to become one of them was now shattered, but there was still that glimmer of hope in his life that one day someone would take the glue and stick all those pieces of shattered dreams into something promising and grandiose. Whether that was in the near or far future, Balto had to wait for his call.

"Alright, I will go later to the town to meet with them and see how their mail delivery went!" Balto let him know what he had in mind later on. Boris insisted nonetheless: "Do you want me to come with you or are you going to be fine on your own?" It was clear that in his voice he didn't want to let him out of the sight, yet Balto insisted on going on his own.

Boris respected his opinion when hours later, around noon or a bit later, Balto was once again back in town. Max's team was coming sometime early afternoon, Jenna was most likely home. Balto was only hoping that he'd not have to deal with Steele and his trio of cronies, Nikki, Kaltag and Star. For so, he had decided to keep a low profile by hiding in the shadows and below those wooden ramps.

Quite coincidentally, Balto's walk below those ramps eventually led him to a small group of dogs whom they could not see him sneaking. He had to take a better look and it was a relief for him that none of these dogs were his bullies. He noticed some of the huskies and malamutes and one St. Bernard dog, male and in his middle ages presumably.

That St. Bernand dog had brown eyes and had a majorly brown fur, only some parts were either light brown or tan for the matter. This seemed like some kind of important gathering for these males and females and eventually the St. Bernand dog broke their babbling by asking them: "So, I have heard some stories and rumors about the wolf-dog by the name Balto living not far from this town, right?"

"You bet, Doc! Steele told us about that rugged wolf-dog!" One of the female huskies, whom Balto didn't know from before, because it couldn't be either Jenna or Molly and surprisingly, it wasn't Audrey either. Though, she seemed like one of those Steele's admirers when she continued: "Have you seen that hunger and fury in his eyes?"

"Now, now, calm down, young one! Are you sure he looks like one? I haven't seen him before, but I am sure he isn't that dangerous. Sure, he may be half-wolf, but he doesn't seem like a harmful fellow to me." Doc raised his eyebrow when he questioned those female's words. Hearing this middle-aged dog, Balto wondered if he was… protecting him?

"I don't know, Doc. He once barred teeth at one of Steele's buddies and he was pretty startled by that move." One of the males told him what he heard and while others whispered to one another, thinking how a wolf-dog in the town could not be welcomed, Doc contradicted: "Was it something you have seen with your own eyes or you only heard of it?"

That one looked around other dogs and didn't answer him, clearly being caught in the web, to which Doc disappointedly told him: "Look, seeing for yourself is one thing. Hearing from others is another! I can't honestly rely on you spreading rumors, kids. If one of you has a concrete proof, then I would have trusted you, but this makes me question how reliable you are."

This seemed like they were all silenced by Doc's wisdom. Balto, who had overheard what was going on, had that urge to come out of his cover and thank the middle aged St. Bernand dog for actually standing up for him. At the same time, he also refused to leave his cover, thinking how foolish it could look to rely on someone he didn't know of up until then.

"Whatever, Doc, but one day, I'm telling you, when I see him baring his teeth at me, I'll prove you right, okay?" One of the male malamutes let him know what he considered as a possible future event to come true. As he moved on, so did the others, but not before that female let him know: "That way or another you'll have to believe us what we had said. We may think how crazy you could be, like those two dogs Max and Molly!"

That really hurt to hear, even if Max and Molly were on their way home. Balto didn't like how she had spoken ill of them and when they had all left, save for Doc, he looked down in the snow and sighed, thinking how the youth had turned decadent based on rumors and gossip lately. When he was leaving the place this "meeting" had occurred, it made him think how when he was their age, gossip was more of a dishonorable act.

Once Balto was alone again, he was wondering, what was going to happen should he ever come across this St. Bernard named Doc again and met him? Would he really be accepted by the middle-aged dog or was this all an illusion of this kindness and for so, he'd treat him like the majority of the town dogs? There were some questions that Balto couldn't find an answer for right now.

He glanced at the rooftops of Nome and thinking how he could try to remain unnoticed by unfriendly faces in this town, Balto had the desire to climb on them and test his balance skills on them. He found some crates and a balcony that helped him climb high enough and reach the house's roof all at the same time he was being unnoticed.

Then he had to make sure he kept his balance on those snowy wooden rooftops all while he noticed what view he had on the town. He never really thought that he'd have a magnificent view of this town and its surroundings. It didn't look like a big town, but in his eyes, it was possibly the biggest one he'd ever been to and also the only one.

Suddenly, a group of barking dogs echoed in the distance. Balto perked his ears towards the source of barking and realizing it wasn't anywhere in this town, it could mean one thing - Max and his team were returning to the town! Looking eastwards where the barking came from, he had to pay attention where they were going to pull over.

He didn't have to bother searching them in the distance thanks to his sight, which was even more advanced than any other canine in this town. His secret wasn't really a secret all because of his wolf blood. He saw the team running and barking back to the town, with each bark looking as if they were closer to their hometown.

In fact, it did not take them too much to pull over at the place in the Main Street and there he could notice their master grabbing something from the sled and carrying it in one house. He wondered, how long would it take for their master to return? All because he had no intention to be anywhere near him after taunting him for being a half-breed the other day.

Soon he noticed him coming outside and the next thing he noticed was Max's master unleashing them from their harnesses, the entire team and of course, they had to follow their master. Balto made his move, knowing that if they had something to tell him today, he had to make it quick or else he could miss his chance.

As for Max and Molly…

"Audrey, are you going to come pay a tribute at least today? I know that he inspired you too, like both of us, to become sled dogs!" Max asked his younger sister as she was going after her master. Unlike her, Max and Molly had in mind to stay outside longer and meet up with their wolf-dog friend soon enough. Audrey looked at him, surprisingly it wasn't an annoyed one.

"Look, just relax, okay? It is just half of the day and I have still a lot ahead of me today to do, but I shall be there nonetheless." Audrey let her older brother know before she finally moved on. She had that something in her eyes that she couldn't disrespect one way or another, despite her personality. Watching her leave, Molly let her friend know: "I just hope that she will hold up to her word, Max."

"Maybe so, Molly. Come on, we have to find Balto and show him the place today!" Max beckoned with his head the other way and Molly followed. Their search for their friend was a piece of cake when he landed from one of the crates to the ground after he jumped from rooftops all the way to the Main Street. There he asked them: "I was wondering if you'd look for me!"

"Balto, you almost got me scared for a moment here! How did you learn to climb on those rooftops before?" Molly kinda backed down when she unexpectedly noticed her wolf-dog friend descend from above. Max found it funny when she did and judging by her reaction, she decided not to take it personally. He let him know: "Good thing that you made it. We have to show you one place in the town."

"Oh yeah? What is there?" Balto tilted his head curiously when he heard where they were going. Molly sighed there, knowing what day in month was to tell him: "Today is 26th in month, Balto. Max, Audrey and I go to that place every month on that same day. Only that she will go there later."

"Alright…?" Balto still didn't know what to say, hearing all about "place", but nothing what it was exactly. Seeing how silent they were, he thought about asking them about Doc if they knew who he was. For some reason, it didn't really seem like bad timing for him to ask: "Max, Molly, when I was coming to meet up with you, I've overheard a talk of some dogs… one of them looked different from others, older and his name is if I recall correctly - Doc."

"Doc, you say?" Max didn't slow his pace, but he looked delighted when he looked at Balto to answer him. He let out a small chuckle, followed with his answer: "Oh, we know him well. He's that wise dog in the town and if you have to know, he always wants proof of something that happened for real!"

"Like what?" Balto wondered, hoping that if Doc wasn't going to fall for rumors that easily, this could be something positive. Molly simply answered: "Well, we heard how Steele tells everyone you attack the others because of your wolf blood, but no one ever saw you do so! That way, as long as Doc doesn't see that you did something like that, he might not have any hard feelings towards you."

"So, if I come across him, then he won't belittle me like the others?" Balto asked, getting his answer in the form of Molly's warm smile on her bright gray face. Then Max stopped at last, his voice now sounding a little bit heavy: "Well, we are here… Balto, this is the place we wanted to show you, where we go every 26th day of the month."

Balto looked in front of himself and on the wall of the house he faced a wooden cross nailed to the wall. Balto didn't understand the meaning of this cross when he looked at it from both sides then from above. He asked them: "What is this place? Why haven't I seen this before?" There was always some room and time to explain.

"Well, that you see is the cross. It is a monument to someone who is deceased." Molly told him and hearing that word made Balto feel slightly unnerved. Did he just hear it right, that word being related to death? He asked them, although a little bit silent: "So… this is placed here because on this place, there's someone who is… dead?"

"Exactly, it is a sled dog Molly and I, even Audrey, looked up to when we were puppies… but he died in a snowstorm…" Max's voice was a bit soared up when he was saying this, being close to tear up, but he remained confident to tell his further: "His name was Beringo, and he was our parents' close friend, along with their friend who stayed longer until he joined them in an another town…"

"Beringo? Steele told me about him, how they found him frozen to death and that he was… actually killed?" Balto recalled that name from before, being unaware about having any relations with Beringo. Max raised his voice: "That is a lie! Beringo wasn't killed by a wild animal, he was severely wounded in the fall!"

This made Balto feel startled a little bit when Max raised his voice, but knowing that Balto wasn't sure about what happened to Beringo either, he told him: "Look, Balto… sorry that I snapped over here. I just won't accept the gossip of the sled dog I looked up to was murdered… because he wasn't."

"I shouldn't have mentioned what Steele said, it's my fault!" Balto said, knowing how unreliable his enemy's words were. Molly warmly reassured him: "Balto, just don't blame yourself for that, alright? Let Steele whatever he wants to say because he's pretty transparent with his lies at this point!"

Balto nodded, knowing whose words he should listen more properly to next time. He watched his friends bow their heads down, out of respect for their fallen hero. Feeling that it was something he could do himself, Balto bowed his head down to show his respect for the fallen sled dog, completely unaware who Beringo was to him.

Watching them raise their heads, he followed their example and before doing anything else new, Max reminded him: "We usually howl out of respect after that and before we leave this site. That way we want to make sure that we care for him." Molly also added: "Our parents used to come here every day until they moved out with their master after we were adopted."

Listening to their words, he noticed Max stretching his neck to the sky and letting out a melancholic howl. Next to him was Molly, whose howl coming from her stretched neck also revealed the melancholy. At last Balto had that urge and as soon as these two noticed, Balto had his neck stretched towards the zenith and let out his howl.

It was very different from theirs. Sure, it was melancholic as well, but he sounded more powerful and outbreaching. Max was wondering at this point - his best friend was a wolf-dog, one who only had a memory of his mother, but none if he had a father or any siblings. Beringo was put on his eternal rest and both were caught in a snowstorm.

Could it be that Balto was related to Beringo in any way possible? Maybe, but Balto didn't indicate in any way possible he related to him. He even spoke his name as if Beringo was some casual dog to him, not his family or relative. If it was a chance that they were related, would it be a good idea if they asked him about Beringo?

Perhaps not, because if they bring this up and reveal that these two were related, Balto would have been crushed by grief and hopelessness. Max and Molly thought that it was for the best if they weren't to mention to Balto any of these. They only let him know: "Well, Balto, if you want to, maybe you can attend the tribute meetings with us just like we had this one?"

"I think I will do so. I may not have known him, but I think if he needs someone to pay a tribute to him, I don't see anything bad in that!" Balto accepted that offer and the next thing he was doing was that he followed Molly and Max elsewhere. Little did he know that his tribute to Beringo was the most honorable one of them three, or four.

As they were leaving, none of them was even aware of the silhouette of a gray husky behind them, The silhouette was transparent, but those blue eyes were noticeable, that wound on his torso was still present, but the warm smile on his face said it all: "Thank you for bringing him with yourself, you two…" Before anyone else could come, the silhouette faded into thin air.