Winter Moon (a Balto 2 fic)

Disc.: Only in my fantasies is Balto 2 mine officially, but in reality all I own is the mind that supplies these chapters to everyone who reads them.

A/N: Well, this is the final scene for our favorite wolf-dog family…but only in this fic, for the end is here! I just wanna say thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed the story this chapter will help wrap up. Therefore, I will give u guys an ending that you'll love and wanna read over again as many times as you want!

Ch.9- Homecoming

Balto and Nava had both made it back to the beach, the wolf-dog's heart was still breaking over the reality that the pup he'd raised for so long was never coming home with him. The hardest part would be telling Steele of what happened and hoping that he wouldn't be too broken up about it. Nava sensed the other male's distress and smiled fondly at him, his heart had also become heavy with sorrow at seeing the two say goodbye to each other.

"She will be a great leader, that much I can promise you Balto. But now, it is time for you to go home to the one who loves you."

The wolf-dog looked at Nava worriedly, what would happen to him now that he was pretty much alone?

"And what about you? Where will you go, now that your pack is pretty much gone Nava?"

"I will go and find Niju, after all we are still a pack…more importantly, we are mates, and cannot be whole without each other. We made a promise that no matter what happened we would never leave one without their beloved, and I intend to keep that promise. I'm sure you have a mate waiting for your return, so you should go to them…goodbye, my brother." Nava said as he walked off, leaving Balto standing on the cold and wet sand all alone. As he turned to leave, Balto saw the raven he'd followed to find his daughter caw at him before it disappeared.

"Ugh…now what?"

"Only the journey home, my son."

Balto's eyes widened when he heard a voice behind him, a voice he knew all too well. He turned around to find the source and was shocked, for this was the second time he'd seen her…a white wolf with eyes as blue as the ice cold waters that made one shiver when they touched them, the pupils rimmed with molten gold and overflowing with wisdom. Balto felt his heart warm up with the all too familiar feeling of love that a child has for their parent, even if said parent was gone forever (Three Days Grace reference, lol).

"Anieu? But you're-"

The white she-wolf howled only once before she disappeared in a flurry of white mist, almost like she was never there to begin with as Balto looked up to the darkening sky and smiled happily at seeing her for quite possibly the last time.

"Well, goodbye to you too…mother."

Balto stared at the sky for a few more minutes, his tears that had been falling without him knowing were wiped away by a gentle zephyr that felt like his mother's loving paw before he turned and began the long journey home to his mate…his heart uplifting with the love that his mother had given him before she left for good.

(With Niju and Nava)

Niju was shivering from the freezing cold water that'd soaked into his fur, his heart wishing for his mate to be with him and keep him warm like they'd done together in their youth. He knew that he'd perhaps done more harm than good by refusing his precious mate the pups he wanted for such a long time, but all that Niju cared about was staying true to his beloved one and not hurting him by bedding with another.

As his breaths came out in short, chattering puffs of air, he could vaguely see the outline of another wolf. Niju was ready to get up and fend them off but stayed on the ground when his blurred vision made out the all too familiar sandy coat of his beautiful mate, a smile coming to rest on his cold face.

Nava had come back, and now he wouldn't be alone as he felt his life being taken from him by the coldness creeping throughout his whole body.

"N-nava…you came back to me, but why?"

"Because, you are my mate and I will never leave you alone."

"But I was so cruel to you, I hurt you and fought with you…I doubted you, and refused your most treasured wish. Why would you stay with me when I've been nothing but horrible to you?"

"Niju…you may have hurt me so many times, too many to count, but that doesn't change the fact that you are my mate and I love you no matter what happened between us. And I admit, maybe I was too pushy about wanting puppies. None of that matters to me anymore, all that matters is that we're together until death and perhaps even into the next life. Will you let me stay with you, my beloved Niju?"

"Of course, my dearest Nava…I love you, forever and always, no matter what."

The two wolves shared a kiss before they faded in a flash of light, their souls going to the next world together and never being apart again.

(5 days later)

Steele was once again sitting on top of the houseboat, his cobalt orbs staring out at the forest. His heart was longing to see his two precious ones again, his mate and his daughter. He had kept doing this for almost 20 days, each day seemed to be a year's worth of waiting as he waited for them to come home.

As the Malamute saw the sun sinking down and beginning to change the clouds orange, he knew that it would be another day that his family wouldn't be coming back to him just yet. Steele was about to go home to Rosie when he heard the voice of his mate, his heart immediately hoping it wasn't an illusion or a dream, but it seemed that this was real.

Balto was standing in the entrance to the forest, smiling at him. Steele ran up to the wolf-dog and tackled him to the ground, the two sharing a deep kiss that soon became passionate as they let their tongues play together until they needed to breathe. As they took in massive breaths of air to resupply their lungs with oxygen, Steele laid down beside his mate and proceeded to ask him what all had happened in the 18 days they'd been gone.

As Balto recounted the whole story, Steele was shocked and also saddened. But at the same time, he was happy…if Aleu was really happy being the leader of a wolf pack, then he could sleep peacefully at night knowing that she was safe and where she truly belonged.

"Steele, I'm sorry that I couldn't bring her home."

The Malamute ruffled his mate's short hair with his paw playfully, a laugh coming from his throat.

"Don't be silly, Balto… she's happy isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is."

"Then you've already brought her home."

Balto realized that his mate was right, if she was happy then he knew that she was already home.

In their hearts, for that was where home really did lie. The two mates got up from the ground and headed back to Rosie's house, their tails intertwining and the sadness that'd settled over them long gone.

Balto had also realized something else…anywhere that Steele lived was his home as the town of Nome greeted their sight, as well as many more years together under the starlit sky.

Wow, such a sad ending but also a happy one…I'm so grateful to everyone who read and/or reviewed this story. Unfortunately, I'm not gonna do the third movie for I have not seen it enough times to remember the whole storyline, and I really don't wanna separate our favorite yaoi pairing by having Balto fly away from Nome with a human and leave Steele at the mercy of any other Husky bitches like Jenna. So if u want another Balto/Steele story from me, it'll have to be one that's very different from this one…message me with suggestions if u do want one that's not a sequel to this one, until then thanks again and see ya'll around!