The Legacy of the Wolf
By Crimson Husky

Balto discusses the importance of accepting his wolf heritage

Note: Many of the characters and events and descriptions are from the movie, Balto, copyright 1995 and Balto 2: Wolf Quest copyright 2000 by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. The character Casey is copyright 2004 by Crimson Husky.

I am sure all of you know my story, the half wolf that rescued a lost sled team, and captured the hearts of Nome's citizens by saving its children after living a life of fear and pain. Well, there's more to the story than that. After Boris had found me as a frisky, blue-eyed pup, and took me back to Nome, life was not so bad. Although many of the other pups picked on me because of my big paws and my wolf background, I had a best friend. His name was Casey, he was a Dalmatian, and like me, he was different from his breed. Although a pure bred, he was born with a black patch on the left side of his head, and he too was picked on. We were always there to defend, protect, and support each other.

We were inseparable; he was always with me on my boat until his owner called him home. We loved to chase sticks and balls, go swimming, and play pranks on Boris. We used to sneak up on him as he was swabbing the deck, and tackle him. Oh did that ever anger Boris, he was always saying; "You crazy pupniks, if you two ever do that again, Uncle Boris will separate you both from your tails"; of course he was only kidding. Casey and I thought we'd be best friends forever, but then one day, the unthinkable happened. Casey's owner had received a new job in New York, and thus he would be moving away. I was devastated; I was losing my best friend. Casey left me with some words to help me feel better, "Balto, never forget who you are; you are my best friend, a husky with the noble heart of a wolf". His words helped, but the loss was too much for my heart to take; the abuse seemed to grow worse after the loss of Casey.

Without Casey, I began to dwell on my background; "Others hate me because I'm half wolf; oh how I wish I was never born to a wolf." Boris tried his best to help me to recognize and accept my noble heart and spirit, but I was too concerned with getting others to like me. I'm sure all of you thought when I went after little Rosy's hat that one day at the races, was an attempt to show off to Jenna, but it was to prove to the humans I was a nice dog. And that time I entered the race to help save Nome's children; well in addition to my desire to help Rosy, I was hoping I could win over some of the dogs in town with my impressive speed. However, I failed in every effort; all they could see was a potentially dangerous wolf dog; things could not have been worse for me.

After my rejection from the sled team the day of that race, I went into hiding; I was too depressed to show my face in public as my life had hit an all time low. I only came out at night for food, and to check on Rosy and Jenna at the local infirmary (where I nearly had my first kiss). On my way home one night, I overheard the other dogs talking about Steele (my biggest abuser) and his team being lost. I decided I had to do something; poor Rosy, the one human in town who trusted me was going to die. After all, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain in making this potentially dangerous quest; no one in town liked me besides Boris, Muk, and Luk (two polar bear cubs), (and maybe Jenna, I wasn't sure). I figured if anything happened to me, no one would miss me, and Boris could resume the life of a normal goose. However, it meant a lot to have the help of Boris, the cubs, and even Jenna as I set out on my quest. All of whom helped to save my life; Jenna by distracting a large grizzly, the cubs for pulling me out of the lake when I fell in, and Boris for helping me to regain consciousness. After that traumatic experience, I learned something about Jenna; she liked me for the wolf dog I was; it was almost as if she knew my inner wolf would help me to save the children of Nome. Just as I was about to leave on my own, Boris gave some advice to help me out, but I rejected it for my own reasons.

I found the team the following afternoon, and the welcome I received was not exactly inviting. Steele refused my help, and the others seemed to cheer him on as he tried to fight me. After awhile though, Steele's team began to see my good intentions, and denounced his actions. After Steele fell off a small cliff, the others put me in command, and I felt like I was on top of the world; after all I had marked the path, I knew how to get the team home. Unfortunately for me though (and the children), Steele had gotten ahead of me and sabotaged my marks. I ended up getting the team lost, and we all ended up teetering on the side a large cliff. Just then, the medicine fell off the sled; although I caught it, the side of the cliff did not hold; I along with the anti-toxin plummeted to the bottom of the chasm. After pulling myself out of the snow, I collapsed; there was nothing more myself, a mere dog could do. Moments later, I found myself face to face with a large, white wolf; I figured this would be the end. The wolf just looked at me and howled. As I turned away, the wolf disappeared into the blowing snow. I then began to think of my old friend Casey, and his words about my noble wolf heart. Next, as I looked up the side of the mountain, the wise of advice of my old friend, Boris came back to me, "Let me tell you something Balto. A dog cannot make this journey alone, but maybe a wolf can". I could deny my wolf heritage no longer as I thought about the words of Casey and Boris. My depression turned into determination. I picked myself up, placed my paw in one of the prints left by the wolf, and seeing no difference, I snarled, and howled like the wolf I was (the white wolf later returned and joined me). After calling forth my inner wolf, I took to the side of that mountain, and brought the medicine back up the hill to my waiting team as they cheered me on.

Using my wolf instincts, I led the team back home by the following evening. As I approached town, I noticed a display of the Northern Lights; my Jenna had left me a sign of her belief in me. I howled at the top of lungs to let her and the others know I was back with the medicine. I was greeted warmly by each of the town's citizens; I have to admit it was extremely overwhelming for me; never had I received so much positive attention. However, I felt good as I backed away from the celebration; "To think, it's all because I accepted my wolf lineage", I said softly to myself. After just a few milliseconds to catch my breath, Rosy's dad brought me into the hospital where a grateful little girl gave me a hug, as I smiled from ear to ear. Then Jenna beckoned to me; I ran to her as fast as I could and accepted her greeting and gratitude as she leapt up and down and later rubbed up against my neck.

However, there was more to this story than was actually told. Later that night, long after I had returned home to my boat for a well deserved rest, I awoke to the gentle nuzzle of my Jenna. I looked up at her and said "hi". She responded by saying something that simply shocked me. "Hi Balto, I'm sorry to wake you but there's something I really have to tell you and it just can't wait." And after a brief pause she announced, "Balto, I love you!" I could not believe it; I knew that I had gained a new friend, but this was not really something I was prepared for; so I listened to my heart and said the first thing that came to mind; "Jenna, I love you too!"

I took Jenna to be my bride a few weeks later, and despite the fact we continued to live in different places, our relationship and love for one another continued to grow. However, as I should've suspected after we wed, motherhood began to beckon my Jenna. The thought of having puppies with her brought back my feelings of insecurity about being half wolf; I feared my kids would feel and experience the same troubled puppy-hood and life that I had. We had numerous discussions about the issue with no progress made. Finally, Jenna decided to take matters into her own paws. Around mid-night on a lovely spring evening, Jenna climbed aboard my boat and after successfully sneaking past a sleeping Boris, approached me and nuzzled me with her nose. I opened my eyes only to see her sneak off. I decided to follow her into the night. After she saw me leave the boat, she motioned for me to follow, and made a mad dash toward the ocean. I lost sight of her momentarily in the darkness, but quickly located her using my strong eyesight, inherited from my mother, the white wolf. What a site; she had removed her bandanna, and was now standing next to the moonlit ocean. She batted her eyes at me, and looked at me seductively; we exchanged no words; she had successfully intoxicated me with a strong love and desire for her. That night my life would change forever; we made love for the first time by the light of the moon as the waves came crashing ashore. The next morning, as I sat there looking at Jenna still asleep, I reflected on how beautiful she was, and tried to come to terms with what had happened the night before. I began to think about our future as parents, and my fears about being half wolf; all I could do now was hope that our pups would be born looking like dogs, as I feared no human would ever want them should they look like a wolf.

Jenna awoke a few moments later and approached me as my focus had shifted toward the ocean. She then proceeded to bury her head in my neck, and say; "Thank you for last night, my dear Balto. I couldn't have imagined a more romantic evening." All I could do initially was smile; no words found their way to my mouth. "What's the matter, sweetheart? Didn't you enjoy last night?" She responded. "Oh Jenna," I said, "I am fearful about having puppies. As I have explained, I don't want my pups to have a childhood like mine; being different can be quite painful". Jenna explained to me that she would never let that happen; together we would make sure that each of our pups grew up being loved and that each would find their one true place in the world.

Well, our pups did grow up being loved; Jenna and I treasured each one of them and the time we spent together. I became especially attached to the one pup that looked different from the rest; her name was Aleu (her fur was an off brown, whereas her brothers and sisters had red coats just like their mother); she was my baby, my pride and joy. However, just as I had feared, no human wanted her on the day we tearfully gave our puppies away to good homes. I had decided I would raise Aleu myself until she found a home of her own, never once mentioning a word her of her wolf heritage; a mistake I would one day regret. Aleu looked just like a small wolf; she had no dominating husky characteristics what so ever. One day as she was playing in the woods, a hunter chose her as his target. Aleu, thinking he was harmless, began to approach him in the hopes of acquiring the human home she had longed desired. Arriving just in time, I, along with Boris, Muk, and Luk, successfully rescued her from that hunter's gun. When we returned home to the boat, I had to reveal to her the truth about being part wolf; she grew mad and ran off. When she did not return, I informed Jenna that I must go and find her; we both had to work together in order come to terms with our wolf heritage.

By following a raven that I had been seeing in my dreams, and after facing the many challenges of nature, I found her about two days later, and together we successfully overcame another grizzly (if I did not know any better, I'd swear I was a magnet for those things). I tried to take her back home, but only to have her inform me that she now was on a quest to find out who she was; I insisted on coming along, as this was also my chance to discover my true identity.

Along the way, we encountered a wolf pack, and we were both somehow drawn into a battle faced by this clan. These wolves, led by a wise old wolf named Nava, were facing starvation; he told us that the caribou had left, leaving no food source. In order to survive, the clan must be moved. He then told us the great white wolf, Aniu had informed him, and I quote, "The time to leave will come with the great breaking of the ice," and "we must be led by the one who is wolf, but does not know." Initially, Aleu and I both thought the prophecy was speaking about me, but I had no clue as to what to do; sure I had been having these strange dreams, but I did not know what they meant. Despite Nava's confidence in me, I was certain I did not want myself or my daughter to be a part of this battle. There was much resistance to this plan on the part of Niju, a young headstrong wolf determined to keep the clan on its home territory; this made my initial decision to go home all the more easier. However, I could not hold off the call of the wild, I was going to lead this wolf pack across the ice, and leave my old life behind me.

The next day, the ice broke and formed a bridge; I immediately developed a plan of action for guiding the pack across the ice; I then spoke a soft farewell to my Jenna. However, the destinies of me and Aleu would reveal themselves through a series of events. They began to unfold after Nava had gotten stranded on a piece of ice that had broken away; Aleu swam after it, and attempted to save Nava, now being attacked by Niju. Seeing my daughter in danger, I dove into the icy water and headed to her rescue. Aleu's destiny would then be revealed by the same raven that we had both been following; it seemed to point her toward the wolf clan now floating on an ice berg. As she looked out at the clan, she began to realize where she belonged; it was her destiny to lead them. She had fit the prophecy perfectly, as she was wolf, but did not know. After exchanging an emotional goodbye, I watched her swim to the clan, and all my cherished memories of our time together came flooding back. I felt proud of my baby as I watched her float away on the ice berg, howling beautifully toward the sunset.

It was tough, but Aleu had comes to terms with and had fully accepted her wolf heritage, and in a way, it helped me to feel better about being half wolf. After parting ways with Nava, the raven again approached me, and I frustratingly asked, "Now what," after all because of that raven, I had lost my daughter; I would likely never see her again. I then heard a soothing voice from my distant past coming from behind me. The voice spoke the following words in response to my question, "Only the journey home my son." It was Aniu, the great white wolf; she had come forward to reveal herself as my mother. All my fears had now come to an end; I was the son of a great wolf, and my daughter would now follow in her foot steps as a great leader. Also, Aleu had a paw in helping me come to terms with who I was. Before she left, she had told me my place was with her mother, and she was right; I realized that now was the time to settle down for good with Jenna and her family.

Jenna warmly welcomed me back to Nome, and Rosy and her family took me in as their own. It is going to take me some time to get used to this house dog life, but so far, it's not so bad. Rosy hugs me everyday, her mother provides me with good nourishment, and her dad takes me on a walk every morning; he has even arranged for me to lead Steele's old team for this coming sled dog season which should be a lot of fun. Oh yeah, the best part of all, I have my true love Jenna by my side twenty-four/seven. And great news, we are going to be parents again, but this time, worry I shall not; I am wolf and proud of it. Thank you Casey, Boris, Jenna, Aleu, and even you mother for helping me to find the one place I belong and more importantly, who I am; I've never been happier!

Dedicated to Balto, Togo, and all the sled dogs for your brave deed in saving Diphtheria stricken Nome, Alaska in the winter of 1925

March 25, 2004