DISCLAIMER: I own this story. All characters and certain elements are the property of their respective owners.

Speechless

"Balto! You know what happened the last time you went into town during the day! Do you want that to happen again?"

Balto simply chuckled at his feathered friend in response. "Boris, I have the high ground now. Literally! Those other dogs can't get to me anymore." He jumped up onto the bow of the ship, tail wagging and panting in excitement for his journey back into town. Three months ago, Balto let his hunger and desire for fresh meats tempt him to go there during the day. He had the best meal of his life, but he paid dearly for it by getting a nasty bite from Steele, the most popular dog in Nome. Thanks to the tender care of Boris, Balto made a full recovery; the only signs of his injury being a scar that was hidden behind his thick scruffy fur. During that time, Balto came up with a brilliant idea on how to be in town without dogs and humans noticing him.

He discovered that he could climb up onto the roofs of the buildings, giving him a critical advantage. Cold winter storms and the cover of darkness allowed him to quickly finesse his agility and reflexes, as most dogs were either in the boiler room keeping warm or with their humans. He felt that he would now be able to effectively do this in broad daylight, and so now all that he needed to do was put his plan into action.

"Boychik, listen to me! I admire your confidence, but if those dogs figure out your new routine, they'll surely tear you to shreds!" Boris turned away from Balto and crossed his wings. "And I won't be there to patch you up!" Balto sighed. He knew Boris was right. If his new way of getting around town did fail, he would end up dead. Steele's words echoed in his head. "Let this be a warning to you, Balto. Stay out of my town. If I see you around again, that bite on your shoulder is going to be nothing compared to what I'll do to you."

"Boris, I'm just going to go and see how it goes. Nothing else. I won't be gone long. Two hours tops." Boris sighed and wandered off to mop the deck, knowing that he couldn't stop him now. Balto turned and trotted down the plank of the trawler, and made his way towards town. "This is it. No turning back now," he said.

The sun was at its peak in the sky as Balto reached the edge of Nome. He was careful to remain undetected on his approach through the open snowy plains. He made his way behind the telegraph office, and skillfully scaled the crates along the building to get on the roof. "Freedom at last!" he thought.

The wind gently caressed his fur as he made his way from building to building. He was careful to stay away from the edges, in case a dog or human saw him, or if he slipped. After a few minutes, he reached the hospital, one of the largest buildings in town. The view was amazing, and Balto sat down just behind the crest of the roof to take in the view. To the south was the ocean, reflecting the clear blue sky and gleaming as the rays of the sun hit it. To the north were the mountains. The peaks were hidden behind a a layer of clouds that looked as soft as silk. Balto could only imagine what they felt like. "Wouldn't it be something to be able to fly up there like a bird?" His imagination started to run wild.

Balto would have stayed there the rest of the afternoon, but remembered he told Boris he would only be out for a couple hours. His new strategy was a complete success. No one knew he was there. He could now come into town whenever he wanted. "You can catch some pretty decent herring, Boris... but I like the taste of meat better," Balto chuckled to himself. He stood up, stretched, and began walking along the top of the hospital. Right before stepping over to the next roof, he heard a loud bang followed by the painful cry of a young child. He stopped in his tracks, ears straight up. He heard crying. Balto took off in the direction it was coming from. A few buildings down, he could hear someone sobbing beneath him under a porch in the alley. He quickly scanned the area and saw some barrels and crates that he could jump down from. With ease, he was on the ground and snaking his way between the buildings. Finally, he rounded a corner and his heart swelled at the sight before him. There was a girl sitting there holding her hand in pain. She was a toddler, and was wearing a thick black coat with a matching hat. She was sniffling and nursing a graze on her hand. Balto executed a silent approach toward the girl. He quickly found himself standing at an opening to the yard adjacent to where she was. She happened to look up and met his eyes. Balto froze in fear. Any second now, this girl would scream for help because there was a 'wolf' there. But what she did next was surprising. She held out her uninjured hand, which was visibly trembling due to pain.

"Hey, boy. You must *sniff* be a stray. It's ok, I'm not going to hurt you. Come *sniff* here..." Her words were soothing and inviting. Balto was afraid to approach, but her tone of voice told him she was being honest. Despite having just seen her for the first time, he felt a connection to her that he could not describe. He slowly walked towards her, ears low and tail between his legs. Once he was an arms reach away from her, she cautiously reached out and gave him a soft pat on the head. He perked his ears and started to wag his tail. She smiled, and eventually started scratching his head and behind his ears. Balto sighed, and melted in front of her. This felt... amazing! The girl continued to scratch him until she felt comfortable enough to scoot closer to him and give him a hug. Balto leaned into her, and folded his chin in against her back. The girl hugged him even tighter in response to this.

After a few minutes, the girl released him and went back to looking at her hand. Balto wanted this human to like him, because if she didn't, no one would. So, he leaned over and gently licked her injured hand, trying not to hurt her with his coarse tongue. "Aww, that's very sweet of you! You must be Balto, right? I'm Rosy! My dad has seen you around town before. You're nothing like he said you were. You're not dangerous..." Balto put on a sad expression. If one person thought he was a threat, then countless others would as well. Rosy noticed his change in posture and wrapped her arm around Balto, hoping it would make him feel better. It did, more than she would ever know.

After a few minutes, Rosy stood up and beckoned for Balto to follow her. "Come on, boy! There's someone I want you to meet! It's ok, you will be safe with me!" Balto rose and hesitantly followed the girl. Trust was one thing he was not good at. But his gut told him to go with her, and so he took a chance. Rosy led him through alleys until they reached a small home on the west side of town. "Wait here," she instructed him. Balto watched as Rosy entered into the house and closed the door silently. Now, he waited. What would happen next? "Maybe shes getting her parents.." Balto thought. "Or maybe she lured me here? After all, I'm not exactly liked around this pla-"

"There! Come on Jen!"

Balto whipped around to see Rosy walking out the door. What he saw following her rendered him absolutely and unequivocally speechless.

A red and white husky walked out, a slight breeze rustling her gleaming bushy coat. A silk orange bandana was neatly tied around her neck. Based on her physique, Balto guessed that she was around his age. She was beautiful, and Balto couldn't help but stare. As soon as she caught his eyes, he looked down and stuck his tail between his legs. Rosy walked up to him and gave him a comforting pat on his back, before saying, "Balto, this is my dog, Jenna! Jenna, this is Balto! He is the one who found me when I hurt my hand!"

Balto forced himself to look up. He met Jenna's curious gaze as she studied him. His heart stopped when she looked away shyly. Rosy watched the silent interaction between the two. Balto was regarded as a pest in town by almost everyone, but Rosy had always remained adamant that he just needed someone to love and care for him. "That's all every dog wants, right?" she thought. Balto and Jenna kept sneaking glances at each other, but no words were spoken between them. Rosy saw that Jenna was starting to shiver a bit, and walked over and gave her a hug to warm her up. She whispered something to her, and Jenna slowly turned to walk back into the house. Balto's eyes were glued to her as she walked. Before stepping through the door, she turned one last time to look at Balto. This time, he didn't look away. She displayed the slightest smile on her muzzle, and then disappeared into the house. Balto had a warm feeling come over him. "She smiled at me!" he thought. No dog had ever smiled at him before, especially like that.

Rosy then came and gave Balto a big hug. He closed his eyes and smiled. "And nobody as ever given me a hug like this before, either..." She released him, and he sat down patiently in front of her waiting to see what she would do next. "You want a treat, Balto?" she excitedly asked. Balto wagged his tail and nodded his head. Rosy turned and walked into the house. A second after she did, he picked up a scent and froze in fear.

Steele.

Without hesitation, Balto took off running towards his trawler. His adrenaline was rushing, and the cold had no affect on him at all. He didn't start panting until he was halfway outside of the town. He stopped to catch his breath and looked behind him. Nobody was following. He then remembered that he left Rosy there, who probably was wondering where he went. Balto silently hoped that Steele would be there, and that Rosy would put the pieces together. And then, he thought about Jenna... Oh, sweet Jenna. Balto hadn't even talked to her, but he already liked her. He hoped that he would see her again soon. She never once displayed any fear about him being there, which gave him hope that not every dog hated him. Balto then continued on to the trawler. Boris would be worried sick about him. "Time flies when you're having fun," Balto said to himself.

But as Balto recounted the day's events in his head, he could not contain his joy, and laughed. He made new friends today. Friends that cared about him and were not afraid of him.

"Actually, today was more than fun... it was.. it.. was.. just what I needed."

A/N: I would have had this story out sooner but I got writer's block. And school has been taking up a lot of my time. Had a lot of difficulty coming up with a good ending, and finally settled with this one. Hope you enjoy this one!