Chapter Text
Nome, Alaska was bustling with life on a Tuesday morning. Winter was in full swing, a blanket of snow still covering most of the earth, gathering on the feet of travelers. Adults were either hard at work for a good day's pay, taking proper care of their abodes, enjoying a day off or a retirement, or anything in between. The children were in school for the first time in a while, eager to attend for once. Or, those too young for it were under the watchful eyes of their caretakers. Dogs were scattered throughout, either with owners or roaming freely, socializing or wandering on their own. All in all, the town had rarely seen a more joyous time in its existence.
There was a reason for that. It was three weeks after the famous Nome serum run. The town's children had fallen ill to a terrible disease known as diphtheria, but beyond all hope, the sled team delivering a live-saving antitoxin had returned home despite being all but presumed dead. Soon after that, the children had pretty much fully recovered, and couldn't have been happier to be safe and healthy once more. That was to say nothing of how the parents felt about it, or the dogs. Yesterday had been their first day back to school after recovering, and seeing them return to their stable schedules seemed to cement in the minds of the citizens that the nightmare had truly passed.
One of Nome's resident dogs making her way through the town was a beautiful Siberian husky named Jenna. Her dark red fur contrasted brightly with her white underside. She carried herself with such grace and gentleness, with her long, slender legs, thick flowing tail, and gorgeous brown eyes. It was all topped off with a bright orange bandana that was tied around her neck, perfectly complimenting her appearance. It was a mystery to none why almost every male dog in town was enamored with her. Unfortunately for them, however, there was only one creature that she longed for: a brown wolf-dog hybrid named Balto.
Jenna had been acquainted with Balto a few months before the serum run occurred. She first met him on a walk with her owner Rosy, when the two came across him searching around town for a meal. Rosy offered Balto a bit of food, and Jenna observed how friendly the canine was with her girl and how fond the two seemed to be of each other. She grew interested in getting to know him better, and in the weeks that followed, she did just that. The two crossed paths every once in a while and got to know each other as best as they could. These meetings were usually short-lived, sadly, as more often than not something or someone would come and force Balto to flee, or her owners would call her away where he couldn't follow. Jenna was always let down when this happened, having enjoyed her time with him when she could get it. The wolfdog quickly proved himself to be kind, charming, smart, fun-loving, and dependable in each of their interactions. Add on how devilishly handsome she found him, and Jenna couldn't deny it when she found herself with a growing crush on her half-wolf friend.
Thankfully, when Balto returned with the medicine that saved Nome's children, a large amount of the stigma against him finally went away. This allowed him and Jenna to spend much more time together than they ever could before, starting with a first date just a couple of days later. They could finally interact and grow closer without being separated, and considering how they'd both been pining for each other for a while, it naturally took very little time for them to officially become a couple.
Now, three weeks after they began dating, Jenna was making her way out of town to the old, abandoned boat that Balto called his home. Even though he was the new hero of Nome, Balto was still an unadopted stray. No one had seemed to want to take him in, though Jenna dearly wished that Rosy's parents would do so. Regardless, the two of them had made plans to spend the day together, something that would have been impossible less than a month ago. She was currently on the outskirts of town, and could see the boat in question in the distance. The husky picked up her pace slightly, a light spring in her step, eager to see the wolfdog she had grown so fond of.
As she got closer to her destination, Jenna was able to spot a lone figure perched on the ship's bow. Surely enough, it was Balto himself, waiting for his rust-colored companion. He seemed to notice her as well, as she saw him rise to his feet and stand up. Between the gentle smile that he wore, his sleek build that was more prominent now that he stood, and the way his thick, scruffy fur was being blown in the light breeze, Jenna felt her heart flutter at the dashing sight before her.
Balto, in turn, couldn't stop the wide grin that formed when he saw Jenna approaching. When he had befriended Rosy that day, Jenna was quick to follow. She was the only dog to ever show him compassion or kindness, and what little of her he saw went a long way to keep him going through the harshest of days. He admired her in every way. She was stunningly beautiful, of course, but she was also the kindest dog he had ever met, loyal, intelligent, and willing to stick up for what she believed in regardless of what others thought of her. There was no denying that she was the girl of his dreams, and for her to be with him, to see her willingly come out here to see him, was the luckiest thing he could have ever imagined happening.
The wolfdog jumped off of his perch, landing on all fours effortlessly. Jenna, in turn, started quickening her pace. The two finally reached each other and exchanged a heartfelt nuzzle, Jenna's face pressed into Balto's neck, and his nose brushed the back of her own neck.
"Hey Jen," Balto's deep, gentle voice crooned into Jenna's ear, causing more of those flutters. She pulled away to look into his eyes. "Hey, you," she responded, her voice similarly soft.
The two happy canines spent the next several hours together. They ran down the shoreline and chased each other. They chatted about anything in particular and laughed at each other's jokes. Balto showed Jenna around the more untouched parts of Nome that he'd grown up in. Boris, Muk, and Luk showed up for a bit of time, and the group had fun playing around with them (as much as Boris would deny it).
And now the lovebirds were sitting on the edge of a snow-covered cliff, watching the sun set over the landscape. Jenna had nestled herself comfortably into Balto's warm side, her head on his shoulder as Balto rested his head on her head. He breathed in her sweet, soothing scent that he was beginning to know like his own. Never before could he remember feeling this at peace.
"So I take it that Rosy's gone back to school?" Balto asked.
"Mmm hmm," Jenna responded. "She's really happy to be hanging out with her friends again. After everything those kids went through, it's just so nice to see them in top form again."
"Heh, yeah, that kid's got a lot of energy, all right. I think that we played fetch for an hour the other day." Balto was referring to one of the many visits he would take to Jenna's home, during which time he would also get to play with Rosy. The bond the two shared unsurprisingly strengthened immensely since the epidemic, with Rosy constantly begging her parents to adopt Balto. They didn't seem quite ready for that yet, but they were still on good terms with the half-breed who saved their daughter.
"Can you blame her? Not every kid gets to spend as much time with their hero," Jenna said in earnest. And not every girl gets to date hers, a small part of her thought.
Balto felt his ears pull back sheepishly, clearly still not used to being revered as a hero. Jenna noticed her companion's shyness, and mischievously raised her head up to give him a gentle lick on the cheek. This never failed to get Balto flustered; how could it not when the greatest female in town gave him such a gesture? Jenna, in turn, giggled lightly at this endearing trait of his.
"Is someone a little shy?" she teased.
Balto snapped out of his little trance at this, recognizing the playful banter that they would share even before their romance began. He backed away a bit and got into a crouch. "Oh, you wanna play it like that, huh? Come here!"
Jenna let out a squeal as her companion launched up at her, barely sidestepping him as he stood empty-pawed. A smirk formed on her face as she then went and pushed the halfbreed's side, sending him into the snow. She stood over him triumphantly, but Balto just wrapped his forelegs around her and pulled her down into his thick chest fur. Jenna couldn't stop the giggling fit that emerged when he began smothering her cheek with kisses, as if trying to best her in showing affection.
The two canines laughed at their bit of silliness. They then just stared at each other, taking in how attractive the other looked against the sunset. Between them was a sense of security and tenderness that grew stronger each day. Balto gently pulled the red husky closer to him and nuzzled her. Jenna buried her face deeper in his cozy chest, and the two just sat there in the soft snow in blissful silence, both wondering how they had gotten so lucky to have each other.
They were unaware, however, of a figure that was observing them from a distance. It was hidden behind the trunk of a thick tree, barely peering out from behind. It was far enough away that neither of them could pick up its scent. This figure didn't plan to strike at this very moment; it was waiting, waiting for just the right time to make its move without interference. Eager to swoop in and take what he believed to be rightfully his.
That night, Jenna had made plans to meet up with her friends Dixie and Sylvie before heading home. Balto offered to walk her back into town, which she gratefully accepted. The two strolled in practically joined at the hip, their tails lightly brushing against each other.
They soon arrived at where Jenna had planned to meet her friends. She turned to Balto and touched her nose to his.
"Thank you for a great day, Balto," she nearly whispered to him. Balto smiled and returned the soft nuzzle. "Anytime. You'll still be at the boiler room tomorrow afternoon?" Jenna pulled away and nodded.
Balto smiled warmly. "Alright, well I guess I'll see you then." And with that, the wolfdog turned to head back. He gazed back at her one last time, adoration shining in his brown eyes. "Goodnight, Jen," he said.
"Goodnight," the husky responded with equal affection in her own eyes. She watched him as he padded off back home, eventually sprinting into the early night.
And so Jenna now sat there waiting for her friends, lounging on top of a tall barrel nearby. She thought more about how things were between her and Balto. She had acquired feelings for him before the serum run occurred, but now that they were together and seeing each other regularly, those feelings were escalating faster than she could have imagined. She lay her head down on the barrel, a content sigh escaping her lips.
Suddenly, however, the husky's ears picked up a feint rustling sound a few meters away from her. She perked her head up and looked in its direction.
"Dixie? Sylvie? Is that you?" she asked out.
After giving it a few seconds, not a sound responded to her call. "Guys? You there?" she asked again. Still no response.
Curious, Jenna got up and jumped off her barrel, landing on the ground with ease. She lifted her nose to sniff around, and could make out a slight whiff of a scent. It seemed unsettling, yet somehow familiar. But she couldn't quite place how.
Out of the corner of her eye, the red female caught a glimpse what appeared to be a waving shadow, possibly of a tail. It quickly disappeared behind the shadow of a building next to her. Jenna tilted her head with her brow furrowed, and very slowly padded over to the corner of the building. Exercising caution, Jenna slowly brought her head out to peer around the corner just enough to stay out of sight, wanting to see what creature was around without alerting it to her presence. Before her was a dark, long alley, dimly lit only by the streetlights on the main roads.
Before she could even get a longer look, something came out of nowhere and sharply pulled on her bandana. Jenna cried out in shock, and as a result the thick knot of the orange fabric wound up jammed into her mouth, while the unknown entity still continued to yank her back by it.
"Wrrrnddhhmmm?!" Jenna screamed through her stuffed mouth. She winced as she felt her bandana dig into the corners of her lips and get wedged deep in the back of her throat, creating a sort of gagging sensation. Jenna tried to get a look at who or what was grabbing her, but the force just kept pulling her back, eventually bringing her into the empty alley, hidden from the streets. She thrashed and twisted her head violently, snarling into the bandana, but this just resulted in her being dragged more violently.
Before she could be pulled any further, she dug her four small paws into the ground and resisted with all her might. The being kept pulling her by her mouth, continuing to send aches through her jaws, but the husky wasn't moving. As she continuously moaned into the material, Jenna was able to tilt her eyes back and get a glance at who or what was doing this.
And in doing so, the worst nightmare she could imagine became cruel reality. Her eyes widened to saucers at the sight of a large male dog with her bandana firmly in his jaws. But it wasn't just any dog. It was a black and white, muscular Malamute with an evil glint in his piercing blue eyes. It was a dog she knew all too well, one that she hated with all of her heart, and one that she had hoped to never see again.
Steele!!
"Mmmrrr!!"
Steele seemed all too thrilled by Jenna's visible shock. But he didn't lose focus, yanking as hard as he could, using his powerful legs to try and get momentum. But Jenna was resilient, and dug even deeper into the snow-blanketed dirt. She stood firmly on all fours, her claws all fully extended in her desperate struggle. She was smaller and less muscled than the evil male, but held her ground.
"Mmmmrnngg! Rrrrhhnn!!" Jenna cried.
Unfortunately, Steele was finally gaining ground, and Jenna began to feel her paws skid back again. NO!! Desperate, the female husky lifted one of her back legs and kicked her attacker in the throat with as much power and fury as she could muster. This resulted in Steele screaming in pain, letting her bandana go. Taking advantage of this, Jenna turned around and raised a front paw to strike Steele in the face, her claws leaving many marks on him. He let out another yell, bringing immense satisfaction to Jenna, who wanted to see this monster in as much pain as possible.
Jenna prepared to strike again. However, she then felt another sudden, smaller force land on her back. Her bandana was swiftly grabbed and the knot was jammed back behind her teeth. This time, however, it was pulled forcefully, tightening the orange material around her head with the knot stuck deep in her mouth. All this while Jenna barely had any time to react.
"HHRRMMM!!!"
The small mass jumped off of Jenna, and she saw that it was a Russian snow goose, the same species as Boris. Except this one's wings appeared to be damaged in some way. She didn't mull this over, however, as Steele had recovered from her blows and was approaching her again, the same menacing gait he usually had. The goose shrank off into the corner, now simply an observer.
"Well, well, Jenna," he said. "Fancy meeting you here tonight. I was beginning to think I could never get you alone with all your constant rejections. Well, you can't exactly say no to me now, can you?"
Jenna's ears were pressed flatly against her head. She turned her head to see an opening at the other end of the alley, and hastily decided to make a run for it. She didn't get far, however, before Steele grabbed her scruff and pulled her back with much more force than before. She flew back a bit and hit the side of a building, a pained grunt seeping through the makeshift gag.
"Now, now, you're not going anywhere. We have some … business to discuss," Steele chuckled.
Jenna got back onto all fours. She pawed and tugged at the gag, but it was tied on too tightly to get loose without undoing the knot. She was more terrified for herself than she could ever remember, but tried to mask her fear with anger and defiance. She spread her four legs out into a defensive stance, growling as much as she could with her mouth stuffed.
Such resilience was of little use, however. Of the two canines, Steele was the stronger, faster, and more capable in a fight, largely thanks to his years of sled training. Jenna tried to maneuver around him and attack, and even managed to get in a few hits. But it took less than thirty seconds for him to pin her down on her back. The female husky kicked, squirmed, slashed, and gnashed her teeth into the bandana with all her might, but the large dog was able to keep her pinned. But not without a few more aches and deep cuts courtesy of her, the pain from which he was failing to hide.
"Lmmmmgnn!! Ynngrrdnn, ghmmphnnnng grrrhnnnd!!" Jenna was screaming hysterically at Steele, muffled and garbled by the bandana gag. She had never experienced anything like this before in her entire life, and fought like mad to get away from this psychotic dog.
"Hush now, Jen! You'll get the whole town to hear us!" the black-and-white dog whispered mockingly to her.
Yeah, kind of what I'm hoping for, you freak! Jenna thought. She yelled out as loudly as she could. "HMMM!!! SRRWNNN, HMMPHMM!!! MMMM-GGPH!!!" her attempts to scream were cut off as Steele slammed a paw on her head, pinning it to the ground as well. The terrified husky struggled like she never had before, trembling with fear as she tried anything she could to get loose. But she was trapped.
Help! Balto! Anyone!! PLEASE!! She tried and failed to yell once more, desperate for someone to see this crime and help her.
Her eyes darted around, and through her limited field of vision, she could see the mysterious snow goose approaching her again, this time with sturdy-looking brown ropes. His body was riddled with apprehension and reluctance at the sight before him, but he made his way over to Steele's side.
"Alright, birdie," Steele sneered. "You know what to do."
Jenna's eyes moved to the ropes in the bird's grasp.
… Oh no.