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Introduction: A Second Chance

This is the intro to a series about Balto and Jenna’s second litter.

Jenna lay in the hospital, the pains in her belly getting worse and worse, seeming to take her over. She tried to cry out, but the pain was too great. It was like a red hot demon, punching and stretching her sides. It roared through her, flashes of fiery hurt snapping inside her, and all Jenna could do was close her eyes and push. Her body writhed on the table.
Push. Pain. Push. Pain. It was almost there, she could feel it. Jenna could hear Balto’s voice in her head.
"C’mon, Jenna, c’mon."
She could hear Rosy’s voice.
"C’mon, Jenna. C’mon girl."
Subconsciously, Jenna pushed once more, and a puppy emerged. It was slimy and alien, wet and strange. One of the doctors let out a cry of triumph. Jenna felt a surge of pride. But the fiery torture raged on.
Jenna pushed some more, gritting her teeth. The little demons inside her seemed to quiver and vibrate, sending ripples that shot through Jenna’s body. Pain, excruciating pain. Jenna managed to cry out, and another puppy came. But the little demons were still there.
Jenna battled with the ripping, tearing agony, not giving in to the exhaustion clouding her mind. Push. Push. Days seemed to have passed, maybe weeks.
Push. Another puppy. And another.
Finally, it was done.
Jenna lay panting on the birthing table, just glad to have made it. And, finally, the demons were gone. The pain was gone.
Jenna could feel her eyelids closing. Slowly, slowly. The last thing she heard before falling into a deep, dark, exhausted sleep was the squealing of her four new puppies. Three looked like huskies. And the fourth…looked like Balto.
Balto stood outside the hospital, waiting for Jenna to come out. He was extremely nervous, but excited as well. He would finally be able to see their puppies! Balto went up to the door for the fifth time that hour. He scratched on it, whining just a little, when it opened and out came an exhausted Jenna, Rosy, and Rosy’s father. He carried a small basket that from within came tiny squeals and whimperings.
Balto tripped over to Jenna and licked her on the nose.
"How was it?" he asked, noticing Jenna’s tired, glassy eyes.
"Exhausting," she replied, licking him back, "I haven’t felt anything like that since I had Aleu, Kodi, and the other pups." She gave a small shudder, remembering the pain, then looked up at the basket that Rosy’s father held in his arms. "But it was worth it."
Balto followed her gaze, and watched as 7 year old Rosy danced around her father.
"Jenna had more puppies! Jenna had more puppies!" the girl shouted, peeking into the basket again and again. Rosy’s father shook his head, then started down the street, calling to the two dogs, "C’mon, you two! Let’s get home so you can meet your puppies properly!"
Balto and Jenna followed, Balto anxious, Jenna yawning, with Rosy laughing and running behind them.
Safe at home, out of the Alaskan weather, Balto nervously pawed the air again and again. Jenna dragged her blue cushion over to Balto and lay down on it. She was still tired from the birth. Rosy’s father set the basket down in front of them, saying as he did so, "Careful with the third one. She’s very fragile."
Balto and Jenna both eagerly looked down at their second litter as Rosy’s father left the room. There were four puppies, all snug inside all the blanket layers. Both canine parents looked intently at the litter.
The first-born was colored like Balto, brown and grey and darker grey fur. She looked much like the other puppies now, except for fur color, but later on the big paws and thinner face of a wolf would emerge and make her different. Balto half-smiled.
"Another Aleu?" Jenna asked, nodding to the pup. Balto sighed, remembering his wolf-dog daughter, now the leader of a wolf pack.
"I hope not," he replied. Jenna fell silent, thinking.
The next pup was like Jenna. He had cream-colored fur, and bright copper-colored patches on his ears, back, and legs. Jenna smiled as the puppy rolled over on his back, wrestling with the blanket corner. Balto looked at the puppy, a faint smile dancing on his lips.
"Another Kodi?" he asked in a teasing voice. Jenna smiled and shook her head.
The next puppy had ruby red fur with white patches. She was the tiniest, even though she wasn’t the youngest.
"Balto."
Jenna’s voice was suddenly anxious, even a little frightened. Balto saw she was staring fixedly at the young girl puppy. He looked again, and gazed sadly at what he saw.
The pup’s left back leg was as twisted and gnarled as an old tree root. It was weak and withered. Balto realized this pup, his girl, would never run. The two dogs were silent as they both thought their own worried thoughts about this new discovery. Finally, Jenna broke the silence.
"She’ll be fine."
Balto nodded wordlessly, then slowly tore his gaze away from his youngest daughter to rest on the last pup. He was twitching and whimpering softly. His fur looked like snow with a thin layer of red dust sprinkled on top. Balto looked at him for awhile and said, " Well, I think this one is in a category all his own. I can’t think of any brothers or sisters, or any family members that he looks like, and might be like because of that."
"He’s unique," Jenna concluded, nuzzling her mate, "Just like his father." Balto grinned sheepishly.
Then Jenna proceeded to name them.
"Dusty," Jenna said about the youngest. Balto nodded. It suited the pup.
"Copper," Jenna decided for the second-oldest pup. Balto nodded again.
"Kaila," Jenna said for the wolf-like one, and hesitated before saying, "...and Chase."
"Chase?" Balto said in bewilderment, looking back at the crippled one. How could they name her Chase if she couldn’t run?
"She will run," Jenna said fiercely, as if reading his thoughts, or trying to convince herself that it was true. "One day. You’ll see."
Balto shrugged. "Okay, we’ll call her Chase." That settled, Balto gazed at his new family, at four new creations that he would teach, care for, and love. At least, Balto thought, I’ve been given a second chance. A chance to be a good dad. He still hadn’t quite forgiven himself for what had happened with Aleu. Now he had another chance to do better.
Still, when he looked back at the wolf-dog pup, worry filled his eyes and sadness flooded his heart. What would become of Kaila? Would he deal with her wrong, like Aleu, or finally have a pup that accepted her wolf heritage? His gaze shifted to the crippled one. She was so tiny and frail. What would become of Chase? Would that leg drag her down her whole life?
Questions, Balto thought, unanswerable questions. And too many.
To Be Continued In A NEW SERIES…



Kaila, Copper, Chase, and Dusty are copyright to redwolf03.

Balto, Jenna, Rosie, and Rosie’s father are copyright to Universal Studios.

Author’s Note: This is my first Balto fan fic, so I hope I did a good job! A new series will come out of this, so watch for more stories coming from me! Good reading everybody!