FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The tour the next day had to happen at night, when there were few humans about, less distractions, and a safer cover for Balto.

The two males first showed Jenna several local buildings such as the butcher's, the post office, and town hall, before going on to the buildings that held more significance for dogs. Jenna was a bit surprised when she learned that a regular hangout spot for dogs was an old sawmill, known by the canine population as the Old Mill, and a secondary hangout spot was a boiler room. Balto stayed outside as Steele introduced Jenna to several other dogs.

When the tour ended, Jenna, after heading home with Balto, promised to meet up with the wolf-dog again soon. And so, for the next few months, she, Balto, and sometimes Steele would meet up in different places to talk and have fun.

Unfortunately, fate intervened, and Jenna's interactions with Balto had to become less frequent. Balto knew that it would happen, but he still felt saddened at it. Steele had been there to comfort him, reminding him that Jenna was still his friend, and he would be there for him as well.

So by the time it reached nineteen twenty-five, Balto was feeling just as lonely as he had before he met Jenna. But he didn't put any thought into that - Steele was nearing the finish line of the semi-annual dog sled race. Balto was silently cheering his friend on, until he noticed Jenna over in the corner of his eye.

The rust and cream husky was attached by a harness to a small, child-sized sled.

"Jenna!"

Jenna's seven-year-old owner, Rosy, ran up to her dog and hugged her, giggling. Jenna just yipped and barked in delight.

"Hold on. Come on, Steele!" Rosy said, waving her hat. A strong gust of wind caused the hat to be blown out of the girl's hand.

Balto noticed, before he looked over at Steele, who was fast approaching. As the sled team ran past, Balto, thinking quickly, ran after them.

"It's that stray dog!"

"He's gonna ruin the race!"

Boris squeezed himself out between two humans, and noticed what Balto was doing. He screamed.

Balto was catching up to Steele now. The malamute looked surprised.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he asked.

"Getting Rosy's hat before you trip on it," Balto replied.

"What?!" Steele asked.

"Concentrate on the path, you idiot," Balto said. Steele made to snap at him, but Balto dodged it and outran Steele, catching the hat and sliding to a safe point on the track, turning around as he did so to watch Steele and his team cross the finish line.

Boris breathed a sigh of relief, and shouted "When will you learn to stay on the side-lines?!" After he did that, the passing sled splattered snow over him. The goose gave an annoyed grunt, spitting some snow out.

The team, after being freed from their harnesses, started to follow Steele.

"Congratulations, dere, boss, dere. It was a pleasure running behind yous," a broad husky, Nikki, said. "Of course, the view got monotonous," he muttered to the other two huskies with him.

"You were the most amazing, exalted, the most pre-eminent, the top dog..." Kaltag began.

"You won!" Star interrupted. He laughed, until Kaltag punched him on his head, knocking him out.

Steele walked up to his musher, and a photographer.

"I don't know. Do you think, maybe, Steele's losing his edge?" the musher asked.

"Yeah, looks like just about any dog can outrun him," the photographer said.

Steele heard, and growled slightly, annoyed.

"Balto!"

Steele's attention snapped over to the sound.

Balto was trotting up to Rosy and Jenna, still holding the girl's hat.

"What a crazy thing to do. Just to show off to a pretty girl," Rosy said, taking that hat and grinning. Balto smiled at Jenna, who shyly smiled back. Rosy made to put the harness to her sled on Balto, saying, "I'm sure Jenna would love to have you on our team."

Rosy's father, however, quickly ran over to her, and pulled her away from the wolf-dog, telling her to stay away from him as he kicked snow in Balto's face.

"Dad!" Rosy complained.

"He might bite you, honey, he's part-wolf," her father said.

Balto heard, and walked off, his head lowered in shame.

"Well now you've heard his feelings!" Rosy said. Her father just picked up her sled and walked off.

Steele looked a bit crestfallen, and walked over to Jenna. But he was stopped by two dogs, a Pomeranian named Dixie, and an Afghan Hound called Sylvie.

"Congratulations, Steele!" Dixie said cheerily.

"Ladies," Steele said, walking past. Dixie shivered, falling on her stomach in excitement.

Steele walked over to Jenna.

"Hey, Jen," he said, smiling.

"Oh, hey, Steele," Jenna said in reply.

"Enjoy the race?" Steele asked.

"Yeah; probably not as much as you did," Jenna said.

"Thanks," Steele said.

Balto watched, feeling sad.

"Hey, Jenna, let's go celebrate. I know where all the bones are buried," Steele said, sounding suggestive.

"I don't know, Steele. Suddenly I lost my appetite," Jenna said.

"Oh," Steele said, flexing his muscles as Jenna made to walk away. "Well, I guess if I can't get to you, then Balto would have better chance - after all, it looks like you and I both have a taste that runs more toward...wolf."

Jenna turned around, feeling annoyed. She was glad that Steele understood her, though.

"Jenna! Come on, girl! We're going back home!" Rosy said.

"Sorry, Steele. My girl is calling me," Jenna said. She walked after Rosy and her family.

As Dixie went up to Steele, Balto walked down a street, with Boris in tow. The goose tried to comfort Balto, but when he failed, Balto just walked on.

"Jenna!"

The sound of Rosy's voice in the distance made Balto look up in hope, before he ran through a hole in a fence...

...And right into Jenna. Balto skidded to a stop, his nose touching hers. Jenna looked surprised, and Balto embarrassed.

"Jenna, I..." Balto began, before he gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"Jenna!" Rosy's father said.

"Jen! Come on!" Rosy added. Jenna looked over at them, before back at Balto. But the wolf-dog was gone, the only thing saying he was there being a set of footprints leading back.

Balto was walking down another alley.

"Balto. Balto, Balto. There are some things I cannot do. I'm goose, not Cupid," Boris said.

"Somebody's getting mopey."

Balto recognized the voice.

"And someone's getting egotistical," he said, turning to face Steele.

"Oh, I'm sorry for keeping up appearances," Steele said, sauntering up to Balto.

"Why don't you go fuck a bitch and vent it out?" Balto asked.

"I don't need to - if anyone needs to have a good fuck, it's you," Steele said. Balto blushed. Steele was referring to the fact that he was still a virgin. "Why won't you take up my offer?" Steele asked.

"Because I won't feel comfortable," Balto said. He made to go home.

"And yet you still let me fuck you," Steele said.

"You were being annoying, and kept going on about how you needed to mount something," Balto said.

"Yeah, well, my balls were aching, give me a break," Steele said. Balto just sighed as he made to walk home. "Just so you know, Balto, when you do find that special someone, the first time you do it will be amazing," Steele called after him.

"And why would that be? Because I'll be able to drain my balls then?" Balto asked sarcastically.

"And you'll be with the person you love the most," Steele said. He turned to walk back to his home. "And that time might be closer than you think," he said.

Balto looked confused. He turned to look at Boris.

"Do you have any idea what he means?" he asked. The Russian snow goose just shrugged, and they walked on.

As they neared the boat, Balto stopped for a second, and sniffed at the air. He turned to look at his left, and saw four wolves, one of which was a puppy, walking along a hill. The wolves spotted the wolf- dog, and one howled.

Ashamed, Balto laid his ears back, remaining silent. The wolves took one last look at him, before they walked on.

Balto walked onto the boat, and just went over to the cabin, ignoring Boris as the goose tried to engage him in conversation, or cheer him up. With a soft sigh, Balto laid down under his blanket, and reflected on the day's past experience. He got to see Jenna again, even if it was for a short time. Rosy again showed she didn't think of him as a monster, but her father... Balto stood up and glared at the town. Each and every denizen, apart from Jenna, Rosy, and Steele, had ridiculed and ostracized him.

All because he was half-wolf.

Sitting down, Balto turned his head just in time to see Muk and Luk, the two polar bear brothers, running up to him and Boris. Balto smiled as he watched the bears try to get the goose to play with them - they never seemed to learn about one thing Boris constantly reminded them...

"Personal space! Do I need to drill it in your heads?! Oy, oy, oy," Boris muttered.

A few hours passed, and Balto was sitting on the bow of the ship, looking over at the town. He sighed, until Boris went up to him and tried to get his attention, then convince him to go into the town to see Jenna. Although reluctant at first, Balto finally conceded and went to the town.

On the way, he tried to flatten the fur on his head, but the unruly hair just stubbornly stuck up. Deciding to ignore it for the time being, Balto, having spotted Jenna, went up to the window the rust and cream female was at.

"Jenna..." he began, feeling nervous. He cleared his throat and tried again, with a bit more confidence.

"Balto. Hi," Jenna said, turning to look at him.

"Look, I know it's a shot in the dark...but I was wondering if maybe you'd like to...chase a few sticks in the moonlight," Balto said. He chuckled weakly. Jenna had turned back to the window. Balto, concerned, joined her.

"Rosy's in there," Jenna said.

"In the hospital? Why?" Balto asked.

"She has a fever and she keeps coughing," Jenna said, as they watched the doctor inspecting Rosy. Jenna turned to Balto, asking, "Balto, what's wrong with her?"

"I don't know," Balto said with a frown. "But I know how to find out," he added.

They walked over to the boiler room, but it was locked. Balto looked at it, before at Jenna.

"I have the keys to the city," he said. He used his claws to push the hinge bolts out, and the door slid open. "After you," Balto said, holding out a paw. Jenna walked past, and noticed his paws.

"Balto," she said in surprised.

Balto nervously chuckled, "Big paws kinda fun in my family." He walked in, and Jenna followed. "Or, at least, one side of my family," Balto added.

He walked through a hatch in the wall, with Jenna following. As she brushed past him, Balto gave a small grin.

"Stay close," he said.

Jenna gave a dry laugh. "No problems there," she muttered, following Balto as he helped her through the under flooring of the buildings. "It's so gloomy down here," Jenna said. She seemed a bit distracted. "Not that I'm scared or anything." Ironically, she gasped in slight fright as she looked up at a large spider web before her.

"Gloomy?" Balto asked, using his tail to brush the web out the way. "Are you kidding? It's the most beautiful spot in the world." He ducked under a low floor beam. "Dogs travel for years just to come here."

"Here? I can't see why," Jenna said, also ducking. As she lifted her head, a rag was on her muzzle. Balto removed it.

"That's because you're looking at the bowl half empty," he said. He walked into a wider area, and went to a pile of broken glass bottles. "See this? The polar ice caps," he said. Jenna looked bemused.

"Balto, those are broken bottles. And they're not half empty, they're all empty," she said.

Balto looked at a grill in the floor above. Light was beaming down.

"The sun," he said in a fairly loud whisper.

"Oh, Balto," Jenna said, in a tone a mother would use on a child after giving up.

"And...to the north," Balto said, adjusting the bottles in the light. The light suddenly hit the bottles and causes rays of multi-coloured light to emit from them onto the wall in the form of the Aurora Borealis. Jenna looked surprised.

"The Northern Lights!" she gasped. "Oh, Balto, you were right. It is beautiful," she added. Balto was looking at her as she marvelled the spectacle.

"Yeah... Beautiful," he said. Jenna noticed he was looking at her. As they were about to touch noses, the light was suddenly cut off, alerting the two.

They heard the doctor telling Rosy to rest, and that he'll be right back, before walking into another room. Balto and Jenna followed, and listened under another floor grating as the doctor and Rosy's father discussed her condition.

"It looks like diphtheria. And I'm all out of anti-toxin," the doctor said with a sigh.

Jenna trembled in fight, before she fled.

"Jenna! Jenna, wait!" Balto said, running after her.

They stopped in the boiler room.

"Jenna...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." Balto began.

"No, no. It's okay, Balto. I'm glad you did," Jenna interrupted.

A loud crash made the two turn. Steele, with a string of sausages wrapped around his neck, was struggling to lift himself up from a pile of wooden planks that had landed on him. From the way he kept nervously looking around, it was obvious he had stolen the meat.

"Steele," Jenna said in surprise.

Steele sauntered up to them, trying to act dignified.

"Well, well, well, what's wrong with this picture?" he asked. He wrapped some of the sausages around Jenna's neck, saying, "Jenna, join me for dinner. You start at one end, I'll start at the other...and we we get to the middle, well," he chuckled, "you tell me."

"All right, Steele. What's gotten you to be such a jackass?" Balto asked, after trying and failing to snap at the meat.

"Can I help it? Besides, I heard that most girls like the 'bad boy' attitude," Steele said, grinning down at Jenna.

"And here I was under the impression that you knew who my heart really belongs to," Jenna said. She noticed that Steele was backing up to the boiler. But before she or Balto could warn him, Steele had managed to press his rump right on the hot metal. Smelling burning, Steele suddenly started howling in pain, spinning around as his rump stung. Balto and Jenna ran out the boiler room to avoid Steele's kicks, except the door closed. Steele crashed through to get to the cold air, accidently knocking Jenna and Balto over as well.

"What's going on over here?" a voice asked.

Balto and Jenna ran off. Steele saw a light in the distance. Thinking quickly, he flung the sausages off him as the light reached him.

Except the sausages wrapped around Balto's legs, knocking him over, just as the light reached him. Steele grimaced. Rosy's father and the butcher were there.

"Looks like Balto's found his way into your meat locker," Rosy's father said, as Balto squirmed out the sausage links. The butcher picked them up, before he gave them to Steele.

"It's a good thing Steele was here. Good job, boy. You've earned them. Besides, I can't do anything with them now that wild animal's touched them," he said.

Steele, after mentally scolding himself, just put on a fake smile as he started to chew, while inside he was feeling guilty and annoyed with himself - if only he aimed the sausages somewhere else.

"Go on, get out of here, you animal!" Rosy's father said, kicking snow at Balto and sending him scampering away.

He ran out the town, all the way to his boat, and whimpered as he dived under his blanket.