The Hero II





**********

1868, Nome

The cold night air bristled with frost and Jenna could see her breath in the air in front of her nose. The husky pulled her coat up and a little tighter, over her shoulders. Nome’s nightlife wasn’t much to speak of, at least outside the red-light district where saloons kept busy into the morning hours and entertainment of the horizontal kind could be found. The town never truly slept, but it was never truly awake either. The boardwalks on the main street were mostly devoid of life, with storefronts shuttered for the night. Lamps and lanterns hanging on porches reflected in the snow, causing the streets and alleyways to glow with a low aurora. The air had a stillness that made Jenna feel as if she was walking through a vale. Yet, in the distance, the muted hum of piano music and the occasional whoop or holler told her the dance halls were doing their trade.

She paused, as she reached the line of railroad tracks, her head turning one way and then the other. The switch Steele had run through, breaking it, was freshly repaired, the clean painted iron standing out against the pristine white of the fallen snow. Not even the rail-heads were brushed of their dusting yet. It was the perfect time for this, away from prying eyes. Sylvie would be asleep, for running the branch of the miner’s local union forced her to live by the shift calls as well as put her in close proximity to the miners. Dixie would also be preoccupied doing her job in one of the dance-halls. No doubt entertaining on stage. As long as Steele didn’t see her…

Steele…Jenna’s muzzle scrunched up at the thought.

There was a low rumble in the earth that disrupted the husky’s thoughts. Explosives being used in the mines to break loose another seam. She barely noticed it during the day, but in the stillness of the night, it felt far more pronounced. Her boots softly crunched in the snow as she followed the tracks to the very edge of town. Leading past lines of jennies, the mine head-frames and their huge winding wheels slowly rotating in the night air.

The two-track engine house stood on the very outskirts of town. Away from the light and warmth of Nome’s heart, it stood in a clearing surrounded on all sides by forest while puddles and water runoff from the mines flowed around it. The wood structure had a roof with a swayback, which coupled with its twin smoke jacks and their guide-wires gave the structure a leaning lopsided look. It made Jenna think of a small boat washed up on a beach. A single oil lamp burned between two sets of massive double doors which the tracks led inside. One of the doors had a smaller one inset, for worker access while the track doors were closed. It was this door that the husky tried.

“Hello, is anyone home?” The air inside the engine house was warm, but still. A cool breeze ruffled Jenna’s fur as the cold air outside rushed around her into the cavernous interior.

Shutting the door behind her, Jenna walked between the two hulking masses of the locomotives, her snow boots crunching on the loose stone floor. Each steam locomotive sat facing inward, the Togo on the right, and the Texas on the left. With their fires banked and their boilers cooling, each locomotive sighed and wheezed like sleeping beasts. Looking up at them in the dimness of the engine house, Jenna felt very small against their great size and apparent strength.

A rustle of boots on gravel, and a figure swung around the pilot of the Texas, causing Jenna to turn her head. A light gasp came from her throat as she was so in awe of the iron horses in their stables, that the appearance of the figure startled her. “Oh! Balto…”

The wolf-dog stood with a wrench in his hand, his white cotton shirt buttoned tight enough that Jenna could see the definition of his shoulders and chest clearly under the light cloth. His brow shot up and his eyes grew wide as he stuttered; “J-Jenna? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, well.” Jenna stammered. “I came to retrieve Rosy’s hat. I saw it land on your engine.”

“Oh, of course.” Balto relaxed. He placed the wrench on the pilot beam of the Texas, and motioned for Jenna to follow him around the locomotive’s wedge-shaped pilot.  “I found it when I was putting the locomotives away.”  

“You put both away?” Jenna cast her eyes up upon the Togo, the silver gleaming in the low light. The two locomotives seemed completely opposite from each other, one black and silver, the other a muted brown and gold. “I didn’t think Steele would let anyone touch his pride and joy.”

Balto twisted his muzzle into a snort. “I don’t think Steele even knows how to oil his own charge. I have to handle everything. Well, myself and Boris. He’s the shop manager on top of handling the telegraphy office. I just sorta…live here.”

In the back of the engine house, up against the wall directly in front of the Texas, was a workbench.  Tools scattered across its top from where the wolf hybrid had been busying himself with some sort of mechanical project. Above the workbench hung a shelf full of dirty glass bottles, their oil drained long ago. A hallway ran off to one side, to what Jenna assumed must be the living quarters. Hanging against the wall, and leaning slightly to one side, was an old broken window with colored glass. A small hint of decoration in the gloomy atmosphere of the engine house.

“Don’t you get paid enough to have your own place?” Jenna asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Oh, I like it. It’s secluded, and I promise, it’s not as gloomy when Boris is around.” The hostler chuckled slightly. “It can turn into a real party at times.” 

Balto reached up to a set of hooks set into the wooden wall, and plucked the grease-cap off one. He brushed off the top, and held it out for Jenna to take. As the husky grasped the hat, she got a good look at Balto’s hands. They were larger than her own by a bit, but the lines of the fingers were heavy and wolf-like, as opposed to her slender and smooth canine digits.

“Balto….” Jenna murmured, admiring his wrists and hands.

He smiled. “Uh, yeah. Big hands and feet kind of run in my family. At least…one side of my family.”

The red furred husky smiled, the warm features of her face glowing in the dim light. Yet when she looked down at the hat, that smile faded slightly. “I’m sorry about that trick Steele pulled at the switch. He could have seriously hurt someone.”

Balto’s ears dipped back, and instantly Jenna wished she hadn’t brought it up.

“It’s alright,” Balto said quickly, sensing her sudden remorse. “It’s my fault as well. I shouldn’t have waited for so long on the mainline. I just saw you and Rosy, and I uh…” Jenna’s smile returned, and Balto stumbled over his words, trailing off. He brought his hand up to his muzzle and coughed. “Well, anyway. Got my tail chewed for it, and they made me repair the switch. But it’s alright. Just another day.”

He left out the part where Kaltag and Nikki heckled him from the sidelines while he made the repairs, or how when Steele returned later that afternoon, he had been made to clean up the mess of oil on the underside of the Togo’s pilot truck. The oil has been thrown up from a journal as the wheels banged over the closed switchblades.

“Steele can be such a glory hound.” Jenna rolled her eyes. “He has this town eating from his hand. But I know what he’s really like.”

“Aren’t you two…well…” Balto nervously stammered. “Together?”

“No.” was the firm answer. The red furred husky looked up at the hulking features of the two locomotives. They seemed so much larger inside the confines of the shed. “Are you alone here tonight?” 

“Yeah.” Balto shrugged, turning back to the workbench to put a few of the loose tools up. “Boris is down at the office. They have some gunpowder that got delayed thanks to that broken switch. So, he won't be back until morning.”

“You don't feel lonely?” Her head turned back to him. “It's so gloomy and lonesome back here. Not that I'm scared or anything.”

“Gloomy? You kiddin'? It's the most beautiful spot in the world.” Balto chuckled, looking over his shoulder at her. He swung around to lean his back against the workbench and waved a hand at the rafters. “Some travel for years, just to be right here.”

One of Jenna's eyebrows hiked, a thin black line set against her gentle features. “Really? I can't imagine why?”

“That's because you're looking at the bowl half empty. See this?” He motioned with his head back at the old windowpane with its line of bottles. “That's the mountain icecaps.”

“Balto, that's a broken window.” Jenna said, confused. “And those bottles are not half empty, they're all empty.”

The wolf leaped up onto the Texas's pilot beam, standing up with his head even with the big box style headlamp. He looked down at her, then back at the lamp. “This, well, it's the sun.”

Jenna rolled her eyes playfully, unsure of where he was going, but willing to follow along. She watched as he opened the side access door to the lamp and drew a match. “Oh, Balto...”

“And, to the north.” The match was struck to the lamp's wick, and suddenly a bright shaft of light erupted from the giant square headlamp of the locomotive. Balto stepped to the side, grinning from cheek to cheek, as Jenna gasped in surprise.

The shaft of light from the headlamp struck the bottles, and the old leaded glass window. The window's colored glass gave shades of red, purple, and yellow, while the curvature of the bottles gave form. The orange glow was abruptly twisted into vivid colors. Rivers of green and blue light were swirling between the smoke-boxes and stacks of the two iron horses as a perfect emulation of the aurora borealis cast across the engine-house walls.

“The Northern Lights!” The husky's eyes were wide and her mouth hung open in genuine shock at the display of luminescent majesty. She turned to Balto, just as he was stepping down off  Texas's cowcatcher. “Oh, Balto. You're right, it's absolutely beautiful...”

The wolf's eyes however, were glued to her, rather than the display that danced and weaved around them. Jenna's eyes softened, and as the distance closed between then, she reached a hand out to slip into his. Her light fingers intertwining with his.

“Yeah....beautiful,” Balto whispered, not quite referring to the lights.

Their muzzles were so close that she could feel the rush of his breath on the tip of her nose. Jenna felt a warmth and comfort in the wolf's deep yellow eyes. Something unlike anything she had ever felt before. She closed her eyes and with the slightest movement their lips connected, soft and moist, gently pressing together. Balto opened his mouth a little, his tongue exploring Jenna's bottom lip and a moment later she rolled her lip to feel his teeth with the tip of her tongue before he pulled back from her. Jenna opened her eyes, to see his looking into hers. Both canines were breathing heavy at the sudden surprise of sensations and emotions that flowed between them.

“Too fast?” He whispered.

“No...” Came the simple reply.
  
“I'm glad to hear it, because I think I'm becoming more than a little fond of you.”
	
A small grin formed on her lips, its lightness suggested mischief. “Just a little?”

Their lips found each other and this time she took the lead into another long, simmering kiss. Balto slipped his hand behind her head, pulling her close. This one had considerably more heat to it as Jenna willingly melted against his side, pressing her body and her breasts into his chest as their tongues dueled together. Mouth open and lips sliding as their tongues met, gently probing with sweet beautiful kisses that made Jenna's heart beat like a drum. She could feel Balto's own passion huffing into her mouth, his own breath hitching with excitement. When their lips parted both stood in each other's embrace, eyes locked and mouth gasping in deep huffing breaths.

“Jenna...maybe this is a shot in the dark,” Balto tilted his head in the direction of the hallway. “But perhaps you'd like to come back for a drink?”

She clutched his hand tightly. “I would enjoy that, yes.”

The tiny room at the end of the hallway was barely big enough for the old bedframe and mattress that sat against one wall. Balto turned up a Parapan lamp that stood atop the wardrobe, its flicking orange light casting the room in a warm and welcoming glow in comparison to the gloomy night or cavernous engine house. The sheets and blankets were patched and worn, but in their use, they seemed comfortable and warm with age rather than cast off as unusable. The old wardrobe was pinned against the other wall, above which was a window with its heavy curtains closed.

“Oh, this place is very cozy.”

“You think so?” Balto’s tail was wagging as he stood in the doorway, letting her inside before letting the door shut. The husky smiled, thinking about how cute his excitement was. “It’s not a little plain?”

“Sometimes, the plainer things are the nicest.” Jenna ran a hand over the wardrobe, her expression starting to wain slightly. “Worn in just the best ways. Nothing to hide and no embellishments or”

Balto looked at her. Jenna’s expression was one of sadness for a second, then she openly sighed.

“Is everything okay?” Balto asked.

“I don’t… I don’t know, forget it. I don’t want to burden you with my troubles.”

“It’s fine.” Balto quickly replied. “No trouble at all. You can talk to me, that is… if you want to. I understand I'm sort of the outcast in this town. But I'll listen! I'm good at keeping secrets.”

Jenna smiled, “You know, everyone… everyone has told me that you were… well, not good enough for me I guess, but you’re nice to me because of me, not… well, not the way I look, or the friends I have.”

“I know the others… well, I’m not all that popular with them.” Balto looked at the ground for a second. “… but I do like you. I like you a lot Jenna.”

Jenna smiled, feeling that warm glow in her chest from his comment. She opened her mouth to say something, but Balto cut her off, quickly looking back up.
	
“I’m serious Jenna, I really do like you, if it hadn’t been for Steele…”
	
“Well he doesn’t matter anymore…” This time it was Jenna who cut him off, looking straight into Balto’s brown eyes. “… you do.”
	
Balto smiled. “Really?”
	
Jenna laughed.“Of course really...now about that drink?”

“Boris keeps some hard liquor in the icebox out back,” The dark brown hybrid turned the handle of the door to leave the room. “I’ll be right back, uh…make yourself at home.”

Jenna removed her coat, letting it fall over the arm of a chair that was just behind the door. She looked up, her low-cut blouse bare, and orange bandanna wrapped around her shoulders. “Balto?”

Stopping with the door ajar, he turned his head and answered, "Yes?"

“Close the door.”

“When I've left the room, sure.”
                  
“No, don't leave the room but do close the door,” she giggled as he frowned with confusion, “You're so serious right now. And I'm glad.”

Closing the door, he crossed his arms over his chest, “Why are you glad?"

“I think I've decided that I don't need that drink. Because instead, I 'want to chase a few sticks by moonlight'. If you’re willing to provide.”

Jenna positioned herself over the bed, then tumbled back as the bed was much softer then it appeared. She cried out and he reached for her. Both of her legs splayed out, toes pointed at him, for a few seconds before she regained her balance.

“I'm not hurt, only a bit startled,” she says, rubbing her elbow. “Hit my funny bone on the bed frame.”

“Was it humorous?” Balto grinned. He had slipped one knee onto her bed, and wrapped an arm around her back originally to steady her. But now, he just held her.

“No, not in the slightest.” Jenna’s tail swished side to side across the bed sheets. She grinned, crossing her legs and leaning into his grasp. “But you are.”

Neither of them moved, lost in one another's eyes for a while, where the longer they stared the harder their respective hearts beat. Jenna placed a hand on Balto’s chest, slowly running down his stomach, until she reached the bottom hem of his cotton shirt. The husky grabbed it and when he let go of her, she tugged it up over his head with one smooth motion. As soon as he was topless, the wolf-dog looked down, watching her study his chest, her eyes flickering over his muscles like she hadn't ever seen a male nude before.

“I really like seeing you like this.” Jenna reached forward and touched his chest, her fingers raking in across his skin. Balto curled his hand at the base of her blouse, behind her back and just above her tail. The husky rolled her shoulders to loosen up her bandanna and let it fall to the bed-sheets behind her, then giggled. “I guess it's my turn.”

The hybrid gently tugged on it until it slid over her shoulder and down her arms. Jenna let go of him long enough to pluck it all the way down and toss it on the floor by the door. Balto’s yellow eyes widened and he let out a huff of air at seeing what she had on underneath.
	
Wrapping around her torso both above and below her chest, Jenna had bound two coils of black silk rope. The rope had been fed down over one shoulder, behind her back, back up the other shoulder, around her neck, and finally down crossing between her ample chest in a distinctive X-shape. The material tightly hugged her breasts above and below so that her cream toned mounds swelled around each successive coil. Her pink nipples were already hard, stiff with arousal as her arms framed either side and subtly squeezed her chest.
	
“God, you're stunning,” he gasped, his jaw slack and tail whipping, having not expected such an evocative display.

Jenna smiled nervously. “I'd hoped you'd like it. I know, it’s a little sudden, but well…” She cupped herself with both of her hands and squeezed.

“I love it,” Balto breathed, his eyes traveling over her body, tracing the ropes. Just below them was her tight and toned stomach, and he reached out to circle his arms around her waist. “Wrapped around you, it’s perfect.”

“Oh, Balto,” she whispered, closing her eyes and throwing her head back as his fingertips trailed along her fur. “The only thing I want wrapped around me, is you.”

“And I, you,” he said in return as his hand slipped under her skirt. “These next?”

Jenna nodded while she pushed her hips closer to him, giving him silent permission to proceed. She crossed her ankles and tucked one foot under the other, kicking a snow boot off to land on the floor with a thud, then the other. He quickly found the brass button set within the green fabric and undid it, moving his hands to the outer edges and pulling her skirt down her red thighs and long, cream legs. The husky moaned as his knuckles brushed against her calves, giving her body a little shake to make sure the skirt hit the floor. Balto’s ears perked. Underneath the skirt, the russet toned canine was bare. Her curving thighs, well-shaped legs, and gentle mound were presented to him. Save for the black rope around her torso, Jenna was completely nude.

“Do you want the rope off too?” Her ears slipped back, anxiously.

“No,” came the answer, with the shyest of smiles. “Just wasn’t expecting it, or your lack of undergarments. But I can get used to that.”

He nodded, making quick work of the button and zipper until he was able to pull his trousers down his legs. His undershorts went with it, and Jenna exhaled sharply as soon as his erection flopped out. Her eyes glazed over as she looked at him, licking her lips with unspoken desire.
	
“Oh, Balto…” Jenna whispered as her eyes flickered between his cock and his face. His hands and paws weren’t the only things that were big. “This must be your wolf side?”

Balto smiled. It wasn't like he was particularly large for a wolf but he understood that for a dog, she was probably pretty nervous. “That also runs in the family. I'll be gentle, I promise.”

“Then promise me this,” Jenna nodded and smiled at him. She moved around and crawled into his bed, sitting on her knees with her legs tucked under her bottom “Don’t be gentle. You’re the only person in the entire world I want to do this with.”

He pulled her nude form closer, and placed a kiss between her breasts where the rope split. Jenna moaned at the contact, and much to his surprise, he felt her fingers give a tentative grasp to his cock.

“Oh, Balto, it's so hard. It's so hot too,” she said while giving him several brief strokes, pursing her lips. "It's rather intimidating.”

Balto chuckled at her commentary before their lips came together in a hard kiss, tongues dancing with each other, His hand caressed her hip, gliding up her waist before tracing over the rope to find her soft-but-firm breast and squeeze gently. Balto broke the kiss and moved his lips down Jenna’s chin, throat, and chest; he kissed her cleavage and pushed his muzzle between her tits and across the knots. His lips pursed and he sucked her skin gently before kissing her other breast. Jenna’s breathing became deep gasps as he set to tonguing around the pinkness of her nipple, the little knob hard between his lips.

“Oh...B-Balto!”

Her fingers tightened around his pulsing shaft. Balto hissed into the fur of her bosom; “Ohhh, gentle, please.”

“S-sorry.” Jenna shivered.

“Don't be.” And his lips moved back to her other breast, lavishing it with attention, all while her fingers gently trailed all over his shaft. “You're so lovely. I’m not going to last long”

Jenna moved in response, gently pushing Balto back before crawling to the middle of the bed and turning around. Her legs spread to each side of him as soon as she was ready, and never was there a more inviting sight than those cream furred legs spread only for him. The husky lay on her back with her head on the pillow, the sheets wet where her legs had been folded under her. She raised her arms over her head, wrists crossed just above the roof of her head

Balto nodded and crawled between her legs before sliding his arms underneath her back. He lowered his head and gave her tits further tender attention, then down her belly, skipping her sex and kissing her bare thigh, earning a sigh of approval from her at the treatment. Learning her body was an experience in its own, and Jenna wasn't too difficult to figure out. Not one to neglect any part of her, he pressed the same kiss against her opposite thigh, and from that moment on, he started to tease his way back north, kissing and trailing his tongue along her stomach just under her belly button. Jenna closed her eyes and moaned while he teased her, biting her lip whenever his tongue drifted across her labia for the first time. She tensed at the contact, his arms wrapped behind her back, hands firmly squeezing her bum cheeks.

“Oh, fuck, that feels so nice,” The husky arched her back, her breasts being compressed in a comfortable way by the harness. “Oh, Balto!”

She brought a hand down to rest against the back of his head as he snaked his tongue along the outer edge of her lips. Only once her moaning seemed to increase in pitch did he slip it inside.  He repeated the same movements that earned hearty moans and teased the parts of her that made her wiggle. Thankfully, Jenna's moans guided him to her most pleasurable spots, and soon her hips were rolling in a steady motion as Balto teased and tongued his way to her orgasm.

Jenna cupped her own bosom after his tongue had moved to her pussy and started to play with her own nipples, gently pinching them and rolling her breasts against the tight bondage around them. By way of constraint, the feeling of the rope against Balto's teasing was quite intoxicating. The feeling of being bound and squeezed tightly atop Balto’s attention tipped her so that she couldn't control her words, her back arching and hips thrusting in pleasure.

“Right there, right there, right there. Keep up what you're...yes, oh, my...Balto, please.” Jenna muttered quickly, her eyes closed as he sucked her clit into his mouth.

Balto flattened his tongue over her, moving it about as if it were his fingers, pushing deep into her, her hands suddenly gripping the sheets and pulling them. Jenna raised her bottom and Balto gripped her buttocks harder, mashing his face into her, breathing hard and openly kissing her sex, his thick canine tongue moving over her sweet little pleasure nub and pressing harder and harder. Between his legs, his manhood was slinging back and forth as his body wiggled.

Jenna's sighs and squeals turned into open pants. Faster and louder they grew, until moments later she groaned and stopped moving altogether. Her hand came to rest on her wolven lover's head between his ears, pushing him into her, her thighs holding his cranium in place. Between her hips, Balto could feel her twitching and throbbing in slow waves of pleasure. He grinned around her folds

“You're going to ruin me for all other men, you know that?” Jenna's legs hiked back and her paws splayed.

“It's not that hard when you pay attention,” he said with a chuckle. “Your body told me all the right places to go. I just had to listen.”

“Oh, Balto...” Jenna's eyes fluttered open, and she whispered, “Please. I want to feel what you're like when you make proper love to me.”

“But we...are you sure?”

“I'm sure,” She smiled. “I want to be with you and only you.”

Slowly, Balto climbed up her body, moving slowly between her legs and kissing her soft stomach, sweat glistening on her brow and her tied tits still wet from his attention. Jenna's breath caught in her throat as soon as his body was fully on top of hers, her bound breasts crushed against his chest and his cock pressing against her thigh. The two canines shared a soft kiss at first, that quickly morphed into harder kisses, until their muzzles turned to match, fitting into one another like two puzzle pieces. When their lips parted, trails of saliva briefly bridged their muzzles before snapping away to nothing.  

Balto reached up to caress her face, while Jenna raised her arms over her head and wrapped her legs around his hips. He smiled and moved his cock so that the tip was placed just against her opening. Jenna gasped as soon as she felt the presence. With one hand, he reached above her head, enclosing his fingers with hers, while his other arm slipped behind her and gripped the back of the rope harness, holding her close. “Squeeze my hand if you need to stop, okay?”

Jenna nodded and bit her lip. “I'm ready.”

He could already feel the wet warmth against the tip of his shaft, inviting him to slide deeper. Balto carefully pushed past her initial resistance until his cock spread her folds and sank inside. He stopped once the bell was in, cupped by the husky’s lotus, then slowly pulled back to leave just the tip inside her before he pressed forward with another thrust. Jenna only gave a slight reaction to the initial penetration, but on the next thrust deeper, she closed her eyes and shuddered. He kept pressing further inside her, aided by the generous amounts of lubrication from her arousal. Soon, he was completely inside, his balls pressed up against her ass.

He squeezed her hand in response as he drew back his hips, creating a smooth, slow rhythm to start with. After the first few plunges, Jenna started to counter-thrust in return, meeting his penetrations. Balto’s ears tipped back and he began to roll his hips. He spread his legs slightly to get better purchase as the sounds of their hips meeting filled the room. Jenna’s arms slipped around his back and held him tightly against her, her moans low and intense. He watched the red and cream-colored woman writhe under him. His thrusting had the added effect of causing her to shift and rock back and forth in the bed, the headboard hitting the wall with a hard "thunk" in time to her vocalizations. One of her legs rose straight up, the paw pointed to the ceiling. She tucked her head against the side of his, muzzle pressed into the crook of his neck.

She was no stranger to sex. The strength of it was what attracted her to Steele. To give control over and be exposed for such leisurely pleasure. The gradual building of arousal and exploring each other deeply, sometimes not so gradual or gentle, followed inevitably by release. But this was unique. This was passion, love, and gentle care. At that moment, she realized that she never wanted to love anyone else but Balto. No one act of restraint matching the emotional intensity of the love they now committed.

Looking into those yellow eyes, there was no doubt he was feeling the same way. Tipping her muzzle forward, she pressed her lips against his once again.

“Oh, Balto, I love how you feel,” she cooed against him between kisses. When they weren't kissing, she would stare into his eyes as they moved together, an intensely emotional connection that neither dog couldn't get enough of. “This is so intense.”

“Yes, it is," he panted, his hips thrusting with full force now. The inner flesh, now very slick, closed and messaged the head of his dick on each pass. “You're just amazing!”

Jenna grinned and then kissed him. “No, we're just amazing, together,” she whispered.

The husky glowed, feeling him deep inside her triggering the first tinges of orgasm. Jenna sensed that he too wasn’t bound to last much longer. Instinctively she reached down to pull against his lower back while her paws pressed against his ass. Giving him the message right away.

“Not long,” he panted.

“Inside me,” Jenna breathed, thrusting back hard with her own hips. The rope around her breasts creaked with the effort to contain her shuddering torso. Her voice reached a crescendo as with one hard thrust he buried his hips into the swell of her own, and the head of his shaft punched through the cervix opening and into her womb.

Balto wrinkled his muzzle and grit his teeth. Pressing himself all the way inside her, he let loose as his wolf essence filled her womb. Jenna shrieked loudly as she felt the sudden onrush, clamping down on his body tightly with her limbs and lips. Her vision swam as she let out a long-winded whine, surrendering herself to climax. Her back arched as it overtook her, and she gasped into his shoulder. 

As Jenna clung to Balto’s body to ensure every drop landed inside, he came to a rest on top of her, his weight supported on his elbows. Balto snuggled up closely, and Jenna curled her legs over his, making sure every part of their bodies touched. Everything felt so right, so natural, and there was no doubt in her mind as to what flowed.

It was love.

				
					***********



The snow had finally stopped falling, although the powder was fresh enough that Balto and Jenna’s footprints could clearly be seen trailing from the old engine-house though town, and towards the home that the husky shared with Rosy’s family. They walked in the glow of the oil lamps hanging on the storefronts, Jenna’s arm hooked through Balto’s. His bushy tail was caught around her hooked one, and as they walked, the two appendages swayed and rolled in motion with each press of their hips against each other. Their conversation was light and comfortable.

“Next year Rosy will be eligible for boarding school,” Jenna sighed. “I’ll miss her. I’ve come to grow rather fond of her.”

“How long have you been her governess?” Balto asked, ears pointed forward.

“This time two years ago. I came to Nome to answer their ad for work.” She looked up at him, beautiful brown eyes twinkling in the lamp light. “How about you? Have you always been in Nome?”

The hybrid chuckled. “All my life. My father died in the mines, and I never met my mom. Boris took me in, and well, after being raised by a goose it’s a wonder I don’t honk instead of bark.”

“Have you thought of leaving?” There was a slight hint of hope in that question.

“Well, sure. But with the war, I didn’t want to leave the mining company. That job kept me from getting drafted.”

Much like Steele, Jenna thought, recalling hearing how his job as an engineer was what kept the malamute from going to the army. “But now that the war is over…?”

Balto tilted his head. “I would like to find another railroad. A real railroad. I think I could do good for myself.”

“I think so too…” the husky whispered. “What about the one that the Texas came from? Eventually that locomotive has to go back. Maybe you should go with it.”

The hybrid smiled. “You’re starting to sound like Boris. He really wants me to spread my wings…no pun intended.”

Jenna chuckled. “Oh, you are humorous.”

“And you’re crazy.” Balto shared her laugh. “I wasn’t expecting the rope. That was a nice touch.”

Jenna’s cheeks blushed the same tone as her own red fur and she looked away sheepishly. “Can’t be afraid to be who you are.”

Balto's ears tipped back. “Boris told me once that we don't get to choose how we start in this life. Real greatness is what you do with the hand you're dealt.”

“Boris is very wise...”

A sudden crash and clatter from behind cause both canines to swing around. Their tails instantly unfurling as they were pulled apart. Balto instantly felt the fur on the back of his neck rise as a figure stepped into the light cast from one of the oil lamps. The long coat that practically dragged over the fresh snow, and the heavy boots that clunked on the boardwalk only helped accentuate the malamute's size, as well as his cold eyes and devilish grin.

“Steele...” Jenna's voice was low, and her ears pinned back.

“Well, well. What's wrong with this picture?” Steele said from around the blunt end of a cigarette as he stepped down into the empty street. His eyes quickly darted between the two. “Jenna, just the dog I've been looking for. Why don't join me for dinner? You can be the appetizer, and I'll provide the main course.”

Balto felt a growl rise in his throat, and he moved to step in front of Jenna. “That's enough, Steele...”

“No, Balto...” Jenna quickly side stepped back and front of the hybrid, and approached the malamute. She held her head high, and allowed a seductive smile to split her maw. Each step rolled her hips and her eyelashes fluttered, suggesting mischief. “Gee, Steele...I have to admit, your offer sounds very tempting.”

“It is...” Steele growled as he reached a hand out to cup Jenna's chin, thumbing the side of her muzzle. Balto stood confused, even a little dejected for a moment. That was, until he caught the subtle dart of the husky's eyes back at him, and noticed that she was backing the malamute onto the boardwalk and towards the storefront – and one of the burning lanterns. Steele seemed to be so focused on her, that he didn't notice. “I'm thinking about the bit-gag tonight. You always look good in leather.”

“Oh, I agree...” Jenna whispered, her hands rising to her chest, just below the orange bandanna, where her fingers slipped between the folds of her blouse. “Only one problem...I'm already bound by someone else.”

Steele's face twisted and his eyes narrowed as Jenna pulled the blouse open, and bared her cleavage. The silk black rope between her bosom standing out in sharp relief against the cream fur, topped by a hicky around one nipple. The cigarette dropped from his mouth, and the husky took advantage of his momentary distraction and hiked her knee. Balto winced as the sound of Jenna's kneecap striking home between Steele's legs reached his ears and the malamute let out an intense wail. At that exact moment, the high-pitched steam whistle signaled a shift change at the mine.

Balto grabbed Jenna by the hand and tugged her off the boardwalk just as the roaring dog staggered into the lantern and wailed again from the hot kerosene that poured down onto the back of his coat. Suddenly, the boardwalk was lit with a flaming glow as the fur lined collar of Steele's coat was set alight.

“C'mon! Let's go!” Balto cried, as Steele roared and batted at the flames now flickering on the back of his neck.

Jenna followed his hand, and with one final look as Steele tore the coat off and tossed it into the snow to sizzle, the two lovers leaped into the night. The snow kicked up around their feet as lights turned on in adjacent buildings and Steele’s angry tone could be heard behind them. Just far enough away for them to not understand exactly what he was saying.  A shortcut down a darkened alleyway to try and put distance between them and the raging beast sent them back towards the boiler-houses.

“I didn’t know you were still dating him.” Balto cried out. Their tails tailing in the wind like banners at the stern of ships, and two parallel trenches of disturbed snow being left in their wake. “I thought you said you were through?”

“I'm not with him! At least, I haven't been for a while...” Jenna replied. “I'm just sorta...well...”

“Sharing his bed?”

“More like his ropes. It was complicated.” Came the rushed reply as the husky looked over her shoulder. Jenna didn't see the malamute, but a clammier of voices back towards the main street made it clear that their actions did not go unnoticed. She hoped that the chance to be fawned over by a sympathetic crowd would overwhelm Steele's desire to break character and give chase.

“I think I like things simple.” Balto hissed, stopping for a second to backtrack down another alleyway. While he couldn't see him, he had a feeling that Steele wouldn't be too far behind once he put out the flames. Unlike Jenna, he figured that Steele's anger would far outstrip the reputation of being a scorned lover.

“Well, we just broke up!”

“Yeah? I think you broke something back there!”

They had cut through the side-alley, across the street towards the boiler house, then turned around and ran back the way they came. Another cut across the street, and Balto and Jenna started the climb uphill towards where the more established residence of the town lived. Their panting breaths coming out of those noses and mouths in stark white clouds that reminded the hybrid of steam locomotives laboring uphill.

Looking around, the hybrid found himself on an avenue of large multistorey wooden and brick homes. In any other town, they might have not stolen a second glance, but in Nome they were practically palaces. He suddenly felt very out of place.

Slowing down, Jenna huffed; “Oh, he's going to be a mean asshole now!”

“What was he before?” Balto chuckled, stopping to catch his breath. “I think we outran him. That was a hell of a kick you did.”

“He had it coming for some time.” The husky smiled. “I should have done it sooner.”

“How did you end up with him?” Balto’s ears snapped back. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

Jenna sighed. “When I first arrived in town, he set about courting me. He was very insistent, and I saw a strong engineer. It was only later that his true colors started to show.”

“Why did you stick around?”

“It was easy at first to enjoy the pleasure, and ignore the personality. But I can’t do that anymore.”    

Jenna led him towards one house in particular, with twin bay windows and hanging gingerbread from its porch. Smoke hung in the air from its fireplace, and shafts of light erupted from its tall, wide windows into the street.

“I've never been in this part of town...” Balto's tone was hushed, and his tail flicked uneasily. “The family you work for must be well off.”

“Rosy's father is a stake owner in the mine.” Jenna replied, her ears tipping back. “We better split up here. I'll be safe at home.”

“You sure?” Balto asked in a concerned whisper. “Steele won't come looking for you?”

“Oh, he will. But it won't matter as long as Rosy’s father is around. The worst he can do is ruin his carefully crafted reputation.” The husky's confident smile at the declaration waned slightly. “But he might come after you.”

Balto shrugged. “I'll be fine. As long as I know I'll see you again.”

“Count on it.” Jenna's smile was back, and the way her eyes sparkled in the cool night air made Balto's heart leap with a confidence he had never felt before. “Goodnight, Balto.”

“Goodnight, Jenna.”

He waited for her to slip into the house before darting off into the night. Taking a long way around the outskirts of the town to reach the engine house.

 


					***********

The snow had finally stopped and the skies had cleared to a brilliant blue the next morning, but the chill in the air meant that thick clouds of smoke and steam drifted in highly visible plumes from the boiler house of the mine, and the two steam locomotives. After a week of snowstorms and gray clouds, the sun was a welcome sight. The Togo stood outside the yard, where the tracks narrowed from three to one and headed towards the engine house. The polished boiler jacket of the iron horse reflecting the blue sky in its mirror-like finish, and silver glinting like crystal. A crowd was starting to gather at the post office, some clutching tickets aboard the weekly mail train out of town, while others checked in small amounts of freight bound for destinations outside the valley. Still others stood in lines behind roped off boardwalks, just to watch the departure of the train.  

It was said a locomotive could easily mimic its engineer’s mood. And that morning, the Togo seemed to be proving the idiom correct. Now and again, the safety valves would sputter and pop. Inside the cab, the little husky fireman was working to cool the boiler down. Star’s hands gripped the heavy handle, flinging it back and forth, opening and closing the injector to cool the boiler and stop the steam pressure from rising, all while Steele glared at him from the ground. For whatever reason, the sterling pride of the company was throwing fits that morning. From the very second Balto had turned her over, Steele had found himself fighting the engine’s sudden onslaught of quirks and ideocracies. At first the needle on the pressure gauge was plummeting as she struggled to build steam, now she couldn’t seem to stop and those safeties kept burbling and sputtering.

Ahead of the Togo the mail train was being put together. Balto and Texas slowly added one car after another from their end of the yard. Once the train was ready, Steele would run his locomotive on the center track, between the mail train and a line of boxcars. At the far end of the yard, in the middle of town, he would run onto the main track, and back onto his train. Already, the malamute was thinking about how grand he would look, astride his polished steed trotting through the town. Especially as he saw a spot of red among the crowd.

			
					***********

Jenna sat atop a wooden crate, tucked along the boardwalk. She had folded her legs to one side so that they tucked fully into her long felt skirt. Both her hands lay in her lap, while the tip of her curly tail flicked back and forth, tapping the wood of the box. The end of her mouth tipped up a small comfortable smile.

“Well, look at you Jenna!” Came Dixie’s shrill voice. “You’re practically glowing today!”  

Jenna turned her head to see the Pomeranian settling down atop a barrel. The dog’s legs were short enough that when she was fully seated, her heeled boots dangled just off the boardwalk. “Good morning to you too, Dixie.”

“Not that I could blame you.” Dixie chuckled, placing a folded hand under her chin and tipped her head in the direction of the Togo. “Just look at him. He's positively... magnesium! I’ll say it, I’m jealous!”

The husky rolled her eyes, “It's not exactly a one-dog show, Dixie. And Steele is most definitely not the star.”

“That’s something for you to be saying,” The Pomeranian’s eyes narrowed and she smiled slyly. “There’s a story going around, about a certain young lady being seen in the window over the saloon.”

Jenna tipped her head up and averted her gaze, her cheeks instantly going red.

“So, it is true!” Dixie squealed. “Goodness, Jen. From a governess no less! You’re such a kinky girl! Tell me about it!”

“I don’t have anything to say,” the snappy retort was spoken with closed eyes and pinned back ears.

“That's because Jenna is also running with Balto.” Jenna’s eyes snapped opened and she twisted her body to the side as the afghan hound slipped up between the two and leaned against Dixie’s barrel. Sylvie rolled a shoulder blade to toss one of her long blonde ears back over her shoulder. “That is, on top of being seen in the bare fur in that window…in Steele’s bedroom.”

“No!!!” Dixie’s eyes were wide and she openly stared at the grimacing husky.

“She was seen in the engine house the other night with Balto, after leaving Steele. They went in together and they left together.” The hound drew out each word as if she was openly accusing of some crime, “I heard it all from a very reliable source so don't bother to deny either!”

“Well…” Jenna shrugged, her stance relaxing and a light tone in her voice. “Then I won’t.”

Both of her companions stared at her, the calmness of her answer and lack of any rebuttal to the contrary taking them both by surprise.

“I’m speechless…” Sylvie stated.

“Great,” Jenna calmly replied, “Maybe now you’ll both shut up.”

	
					***********
	
Balto eased the Texas to a stop, with the mail train put together his job was now over. The snorting iron horse now stood on the track directly behind the line of boxcars, giving a clear track for Steele to roll down between himself and the mail train, hidden from the rest of the crowd who were on the opposite side of the mail train’s cars.

The wolf-dog slipped down from the cab, tallow can in hand, and started the laborious task of oiling his locomotive. Diligently, he moved down the engine's side, filling each of the brass drain cups with oil before running a heavy hand, palms flat, over the rods. Feeling for any slop or heat. His bushy tail wagged as he slightly bent over to examine the crosshead bar, which was a long sliding bar that connected between the piston and main rod. His mind was thinking about running the Texas over to the water tank to replenish the supply once he was finished oiling.

Both of Balto’s ears snapped forward when he heard the approaching sound of snow crunching underfoot. He didn’t have to look up to know who it was, the intense shadow that fell over him was enough.
 
“Well, if it isn’t Bingo…” Balto set the oil cab on the crosshead and rose and turned around to see Steele, flanked by Kaltag and Nikki. However, the Nordic wore a deep nervous frown and the brown chow held his bowler hat low, both were averting their gaze.

“Bingo the half-breed,” Steele took a step forward, forcing Balto to stand back and lift himself into the long flat crosshead guide, cornered against his own engine. The malamute reached a hand up and knocked a fist against the cylinder chest. “A third-rate hostler on a stolen locomotive.”	

“What do you want, Steele?” Balto’s voice was low, matching his furrowed brow. His tail flicked apprehensively against the iron crosshead guides.

“Oh, I just think you might be running out of tallow, is all.” The malamute spun around hard enough that his tail whacked the can and sent it tumbling off the crosshead and into the snow, where its contents quickly started to stain the powder a dirty brown. He looked back over his shoulder, eyes smoldering, “Hopefully, you have enough kerosene…”

“I don’t want any of your trouble…”

“Oh, my trouble?” Steele spun back around to face the gray dog, a wide toothy grin splitting his sharp muzzle. “Should have thought of that before you went sniffing around above your station.”

“The whole town knows Jenna is Steele’s girl.” Kaltag chimed in a little apprehensively. “C’mon Balto, you must know that playing around with her is the foolhardiest, the most stupid, a-and the most”

“Jenna belongs to me!” Steele growled, cutting Kaltag off with an edge in his voice so sharp, the blonde swallowed hard and looked down at the snow. “I worked hard to get here. I courted her when I was just a welp kicking cars around this yard! Just like I earned the right to stand at that throttle. And if you think any upstart homeless mutt is going to change that--!”

“Jenna doesn’t ‘belong’ to anyone!” Balto snapped, cutting the malamute off.

“Do you even know what she’s like, what she loves and desires?” Steele thumbed at his chest. “I know every curve and crease on that woman!”

“Not well enough to see she was leaving you!”  

“Oh yeah? And what makes you think that anyone, let alone a woman like Jenna would be interested in a lowly hostler like you,” Steele snarled. “You must be more mixed up than I thought.”

“Steele!” Balto and Steele’s heads turned in unison toward the source of the stern call. Jenna stood with her arms crossed. A fight probably would have broken out had she not stomped over the rails and trudged through the snow, ears folded back and eyes narrowed. “You leave him alone!”

“Jenna.” The malamute growled low, but he was silenced by the hard glare she gave him. Kaltag and Nikki both backed off, falling into the shadows from the rail cars.

“I don’t belong to you, as I made abundantly clear last night…” Balto didn’t fail to notice the twitch on the malamute’s face. “You’ve changed into something ugly. I’m not some trophy you’re awarded, so stop being such a glory hound!”  

Steele’s ears dipped back. “Jenna, I’m just protecting you. He’s part wolf! He could turn on you!”

“And you’re all jackass!” The woman’s voice was echoed by the hissing check valves on the Texas, matching her simmering energy. “In case the message last night wasn’t clear enough, consider whatever it was we had, over!”

Steele took a step back and looked like he had been punched in the gut. For a brief second, the visible pain in the malamute’s eyes was even worse than when Jenna had sunk her kneecap between his legs. But just as soon as it struck him, it vanished. Steele’s eyes narrowed and his lips rippled in the beginning stages of a snarl. He kept his voice low enough to be contained in the private valley between the trains.

“You bitch…he can never do the things I can, the things you love.” Balto felt his heart leap into his throat as Steele approached Jenna, reaching out to slip a hand under her chin, only for her to bat it away. “You’ll always be left wanting.”

“That’s enough, Steele!” Balto jumped in, standing next to Jenna. His own hands were balled tightly into fists, and his tail was hiked defensively. “I think you have a train to catch.”

“Eh, Boss,” Nikki’s voice stammered, a hint of concern in the tone. He and Kaltag had stepped clean out of the circle, and both seemed very put out by what they were witnessing. Nikki held a pocket watch in one hand. “Doncha think we should be getting ready? We’re leaving in a few moments.”  

Steele turned up the fur collar on his coat, the back of it singed black. His eyes landed first on Jenna, his voice low enough for only her and Balto to hear; “Alright, but we’re not through here. When I get back, I’ll have you hanging from your ankles with your lips wrapped around my cock…” Then, his gaze darted to Balto; “And I will fold you five ways, and leave you for a sewing kit.”

Balto felt Jenna grab onto his wrist and hold on to keep him from throwing the punch. His eyes were narrowed and for a second, they clouded over with rage. It didn’t matter that Steele was twice his size, and could wipe the floor with him. Had Jenna not held back, a fight would have erupted. Both dogs watched as Steele marched towards his own locomotive, their breathing heavy and blood racing.

Jenna ran her hand over Balto’s wrist and laced her fingers into his.

	

					***********



Steele was still fuming when he yanked on the Togo’s whistle cord twice. Steam rushed from the cylinder cocks as he began to ease her forwards. Star stood in the gangway between the cab and the tender and leaned out, ready to drop down and align the switch to back onto the waiting cars. The scowl on Steele’s face matched the businesslike barks of the exhaust from the big balloon stack, spewing smoke speckled with ash and sparks. As he rolled in between the standing Texas and the mail train, he spotted Balto and Jenna, standing next to the pilot beam of the Texas. The snarl that rolled from the malamute’s throat started Star, who looked over with unease just in time to see Steele whip the throttle wide open before slamming it shut.

The sudden updraft as the throttle valve was waved caused a rush of hot ash, smoke, and cinder to burst from the stack. Balto found himself slapping sparks that tried to burn holes in his gray shirt from the sudden rain of hot cinder. Next to him, Jenna held an arm up to shield herself from the downfall. Alongside them and all the way past the Texas and the boxcars in front of idling iron horse, the snow was be-speckled with black spots.

As the Togo shuddered to a stop on the other side of the switch, Steele smiled proudly to himself. Having made his message clear. Star swung down and was busy throwing the switch when a murmur went up from the crowd gathered. The first sign that something was amiss came when Steele started to reverse the Togo off the main track and towards the mail train. His ears perked as he picked up a shriek that had to have come from Dixie.

Balto heard the same cry, and he looked up from batting off his shirt to see the reason for such alarm. Smoke was rolling out from between the two boxcars sitting in front of the Texas. There had been some straw used as packing, and blades of it were sticking out between boards on the end of the first car. These had started to smolder and the dry wood of the boxcar was set alight.

Wavering the smoke away, Balto stumbled towards the source of the fire, where he met Star. Both scooped up snow and started to throw it where the smoke and flames rolled out. But the fire was now inside the car, and eating up the boards from both sides. The straw fed it, and it wasn’t long before orange flames licked up the whole backside.

Breathing heavy, Balto looked around for water. None. He looked around for sand! Still, none. Steele had swung down from his locomotive, and his eyes were wide at the sight, his tail dropping to hang between his legs. Nikki and Kaltag were also now aware of the situation too. Boris stuck his head out of the Office door and spied the burning cars. Knowing exactly what they contained, his beak dropped.

“Damn cars are full of gunpowder!”  The goose barked, his derby hat tumbling into the snow behind him as he skipped across the tracks. “Get away from them before they blow!”

“Gunpowder?” Dixie echoed in a shrill voice. “In the middle of the town!”

“The whole thing will blow!” Sylvie echoed.

The crowd that was waiting on the mail train panicked. There were shouts and exclamations as doors on storefronts and windows opened. Kaltag leapt up onto a box and waved to the crowd to take an alleyway behind the row of buildings, putting the structures between them and the blast. Smoke was now billowing thick and heavy from between the two boxcars, and the whole town suddenly seemed aware of an impending disaster. An alarm bell started ringing at the mine’s boiler house.

Balto spied Steele standing alongside the Togo, his own eyes rooted on the burning boxcar. Now the hungry flames ate deeper and deeper into the wooden frames of both cars. His gaze met Balto’s for a brief second, then bounced between Balto and the mine’s office…right before the malamute took off. Diving underneath the drive wheels of his own locomotive. Balto’s heart suddenly sank as he caught onto Steele’s realization.

The mine office and pharmaceutical office were right next to the burning cars. It was inside the pharmaceutical office where the nitroglycerin was mixed and stored from their company’s experiments, testing the substance in the mines. When the gunpowder went off, it would set off the stores. Wide brown eyes darted back to Jenna, to Boris, Dixie, Sylvie…His mind’s eye adding Rosy and her family to the list, as well as countless others. His ears pinned flat against his head as reality sunk home.

The whole town of Nome would be wiped off the face of the earth in one split second of hellish fire.

“Jenna, find cover!” The wolf-dog said with steely determination as he darted past her and swung into the cab of the Texas. Easing the throttle open, he nosed the pilot up against the rear of the two burning cars. Star, releasing what was happening, quickly scampered up the end ladder of the rearmost car, and released the handbrake.

“What are you doing?”  Jenna cried. 

“No time, just find cover! You too Star!” 

Star made a running leap from the car roof, landing in a pile of snow next to the tracks, legs peddling as he worked to put as much space between him and the now blazing railcars as he could. With the brakes now released and the two boxcars balanced on the front coupler bar of the locomotive, Balto eased the throttle open once again. The big crimson drive wheels slipped for a second, then bit the rails and dug in. The boxcars thrust forward, drawheads clattering gleefully. The Togo was off to the side out of the way, but the switch had just been thrown over when the fire had started.

“The switch!” The engineer called out the window, motioning with his arm. The heavy locomotive would make it, but not the lighter boxcars. They would derail.

There was a flash of red alongside the train as Jenna raced to get ahead. With her tail fluttering like a crimson banner, she charged for the switch stand and leaped onto the handle, throwing her weight into the large lever that was about as tall as her body. With a soft grunt from her throat the switch blades clinked into position just as the lead wheel of the first boxcar reached them.

“Where are you going?” Jenna cried, jogging alongside the steam engine as it slid past.

“Out of town!” Came the response from the cab. “Just far enough!”

She grabbed the handrailing on each side of the cab and started to pull herself aboard, climbing up to stand on the lowest rung of the stirrup. “I’m coming with you!”

“You’re needed more here.” Balto interjected softly.

“You're going on alone?”
	
“Won't be the first time.” Balto smiled. “Hey, I'm coming back. I promise, Jenna.”

With wide eyes glistening, the husky slipped a hand under the knots of her bandanna, and yanked it off. With one hand, she slung it around his neck and forcefully pulled him down towards her. Their lips met, and Balto’s eyes went wide from the sensation. Separating, Jenna let go of the bandanna, leaving it around his neck. 

“Come back to me.” Her voice was strained. 

“I will”

She let go of the handrails, stepped back off the rung, and felt the iron horse slip from her fingers. She stood, arms hanging limp at her side as the train picked up speed and quickly left her behind, her fur and the collar of her coat fluttering in the slipstream and falling smoke from the stack.

			*************

The push of the cars against the Texas had the jostle of charging bison. The clean ‘snip-snip’ of the wheels clattering over rail joints was like rippling ironic laughter at the sudden turn of events. Balto was finally out on the open road! But with a train of absolute destruction. He had to hold a rag to his face, as the cab was full of thick smoke blown back across the cars and alongside the charging locomotive. They were going uphill, and the grade was keeping the two cars pressed against the Texas.

Grabbing log after log of cordwood, Balto swung the firebox door open and with a deft twist, tossed each chunk of timber inside. He tried to ignore the burning sensation in his lungs from the smoke, or the thick coughing that was becoming uncontrollable. They left the town of Nome and the alarm bells, until all was silent outside the rocking cab and the snow-clad forest started to close in on each side. Each revolution of the drive wheels took them further and further from the danger of the nitroglycerin lab, and away from Nome’s heart.

But the gunpowder would still cause great harm, and how big the blast would be was unknown.  

Slamming the fire-door shut, Balto felt an unearthly pain from his tail. Sparks from the fire had set the fur alight, and he found himself batting the end of his bushy tail against the side of the cab to put out the wisps of flame. Flames licked and swirled along the undersides and between the boxcars, twirling along the spinning axles and between the truck frames. While he couldn’t see it through the smoke and fire, Balto was sure that inside the walls the fire had taken root. It wouldn’t be long before the kegs of gunpowder felt the lick of flame and the hourglass ran out of sand.

Onward the train charged, around a set of curves just outside of town and under the brooding mountains. The burning train was indifferently casting the roar of its mad flight upon the snowy landscape. Smoke was pouring from the stack and the drive rods flashed into a blur. Balto, holding desperately with one hand, poked his head out from between the cab and the tender and tried to peer through the sparks and flame ahead. The pin had not been inserted in the old link and pin style coupler. So, all he would have to do was stop the Texas, and let the cars roll on ahead of him.

But it was a steady upgrade all the way out of Nome. If he tried that trick here, they would just roll back onto him…and back towards town.

The throttle was pulled out all the way to its stops on the quadrant. As flames from the burning boxcars lapped up both sides of the locomotive’s boiler, Balto grit his teeth and held on. Looking down at the racing snow and the rolling landscape, he thought about making a jump and leaving the train unmanned. The speed quickly dashed those thoughts, as any jump would leave him with broken bones…if not dead. Plus, if Texas ran out of steam before the boxcars blew, the whole thing could roll back into town.

He remembered that there was a short tunnel only a mile or so outside of the town. The track leveled out in it. If he could reach it in time, he could kick both of the cars inside and hopefully back away and let the tunnel shelter him from the blast. It was a risky move, but it just might work.


			*************

Jenna stood alongside the track, head tilted in disbelief and arms and tail hanging limply. She watched, ear tipped to each side as the smoke plume from the train vanished around a curve and into the woods. The sound of clattering wheels and a charging locomotive’s rushing breath fading into the distance. So was so engrossed in witnessing the passing of the burning powder train, that she barely noticed the rotund goose stumbling up next to her.

“Did he…he didn’t! Please, tell me he didn’t!”

“He did.” There was a hoarseness to Jenna’s voice. “He took it out of the town.”

“That fool! He will die like a dog! Oh…” Boris looked up at Jenna, suddenly aware of who he was in the presence of. “No offense.”

“He said he would be back…”

Boris gripped the edges of his derby and pulled it tight against his head in frustration. “He’s an idiot. He’ll be blown to bits!”

“C’mon Balto…” The husky whispered, wringing her hands. Behind her, she could hear the crunch of snow as a few other curious souls wandered out to the edge of town. Word had spread fast, and the whole town was abuzz with news of an event happening by the railroad. The saloon was emptying out and heads and torsos were sticking out of windows and doors. All eyes seemingly aimed in the direction of the railroad.

It was then they heard the blast.

			*************

Balto could see the tunnel just ahead around the curve. Its jet-black portal stood out against the white forest that surrounded it. His experience switching and kicking cars around the yard came in handy, and as soon as he judged it was close enough, he jammed the throttle shut and whipped the reverse lever so far over that the handle stuck out the backside of the cab. That done, the throttle was thrown open, and the race began to find shelter.

Texas’s drive wheels screamed as they spun in reverse on the icy rails, carried forward by the locomotive’s own great momentum. The draw head on the burning boxcar clattered as it parted company with the big wooden pilot. For a few seconds, it appeared the iron horse was going to skid into the tunnel right behind the two burning freight cars. Balto looked forward in time to see the unholy image of the inside of the tunnel lit up by the flames; the rock walls and ceiling were highlighted in hellish bursts of orange and red.

It took all of his cool judgment to clamber over the stacks of cordwood in the tender and onto the rear deck. The drive wheels bit the rails with a shower of sparks and Texas started to shudder in reverse, away from the tunnel face. The end couldn’t be far away. The echo of screeching wheels in the tunnel was soon overwhelmed by the barks of the exhaust.  

With the thunder of his own blood roaring in his ears, the wolf-dog slipped over the back of the tender and dropped down the very rear of the tank. Holding his arms to grab the edge of the flair, his torso spread over the steam engine’s name painted in big yellow letters across its hide, Balto planted his feet on the little iron ledge at the bottom. With the locomotive rocking in reverse he now faced the direction of travel, the iron rails slithering underneath him. He clamped his eyes shut and felt more then heard the blast as the face of the mountain blew out in a pillar of smoke, fire, and debris.  


			*************


It was muffled at first, somewhere deep in the distance like the roll of thunder. But then the crack hit them as the sound wave reached the town. Jenna grunted at the hard thud that echoed into her chest. Behind her she heard a number of gasps and shouts. She shut her eyes and felt her heart rupture. Her mouth moved, and a barely perceptible sound came from her. 

Boris stood wide-eyed, looking down the track. Like Jenna, his feet seemed rooted in the snow at the ends of the wooden crossties. There was silence for a few moments, as what had just transpired sank in. Jenna could barely hear his voice, so low was his whisper;

“Well, yah did it, kiddo.”

The wail that came from Jenna’s throat might have matched the faded roar of the explosion. The red husky rounding back into the town in a fury. She bolted towards the post office, where Dixie and Sylvia both stood recovering from what they had just witnessed. When Jenna’s declaration reached their ears, it came with an even harder intensity then probably even the heartbroken husky intended.

“You did this!” croaked Jenna, her eyes burning with fire as she marched towards the malamute, who himself had stood silent between his own hissing locomotive and the boardwalk. She pointed out the singe marks on her collar. “I left your sorry hide for Balto, and you shower us in sparks in return! You started that fire!”

Jenna started to step backward, instantly so enraged at Steele she could hardly see straight. Steele found himself suddenly surrounded by nasty glares and deep frowns. His muzzle wrinkled and his eyebrows arched as he held his hands in front of him in defense. “It-it was…an accident?”  

There was silence for a few seconds, as this admission of guilt sank in on the crowd. Silence, that was soon broken by the Pomeranian in the fur coat, and backed up by a flurry of other raised and angry voices.

“Steele, you are positively dis-POSABLE!” The Malamute ducked as a gilded locket was tossed at him, itself bouncing off the wooden storefront behind him. His heart started to thunder and panic set in as saw the stern frowns and accusing eyes riveted to him. 

“Throws a tantrum and the whole town nearly goes up.” 

“Some engineer he is!” 

“What a downright dirty trick.” 

Steele’s ears dipped back and his shoulders dropped. Jenna saw for the first time since she had met him a wide-eyed look of vulnerability. The crowd started to form a half circle around him, as the engineer took small steps defensively backwards. He looked for just a moment at Jenna, yet her eyes burned holes into his head until a sudden sadness overwhelmed her, and this time it was he who had to look away. 

“Okay, okay.” Steele said, taking a step back towards the wooden sidewalk. “I can explain. See, uh, you guys weren't there, so you don't...wait, uh, guys. Wait just a second. . .please!”

The voices grew sharper, with someone calling out; “It's that hostler that should be running the mail train. Didn't see him run and hide!”

Steele snapped his jaws at that comment and whipped his head side to side. Nikki leaned over to Kaltag. “Better get 'im outta dere, boss, 'fore somebody lays their hands on him.”

“The mining office'll want a word with that mongrel.” Sylvie shouted. “We don't want him skipping town before he gets his just reward for that stunt."

“Mongrel!” Steele cried, the word had cut through like a hot knife. 

“Now, just settle down, just stay calm, just…everyone hold back.” Kaltag took a step between the crowd and Steele. While his expression held no sympathy for the malamute, he was still the only deputy. Whatever was to happen to Steele now that his true colors were seen, he would see that it would be under the eye of the law. 
	 
Jenna looked at the snow and felt the world spin around her. Just when she thought she might faint, a shrill note reached her ears, and anchored her back to reality. 

At that moment, a hoarse steam whistle cried out in the distance. The tone was raspy and choked, but there was no doubt of what it was. The whole atmosphere changed rapidly as a blast of optimistic energy flowed through the crowd as heads turned. 

“Balto!” Boris cried out, his beak split wide by a smile, and his feathery fingers pointed towards the track. The whistle again sounded. “Balto’s back!”

Jenna felt her heart leap with unparalleled joy and, in that moment, the whistle could have carried the tone of an angel’s harp. She ran towards the track, almost knocking the goose out of the way. When she looked up at the approaching train, there were tears in her eyes. 

With a clatter of iron and the hoarse wheezing of steam, the Texas rolled backwards into Nome, the whistle sounding off with a white feather of steam. The locomotive looked nothing less than a wreck. Steam leaked from every boiler band and seam, and around the cylinders. There was a clatter and clank from between the frames where the valve gear had been twisted. The entire front pilot was gone, the bare frames that once held the wooden pilot beam and cowcatcher sticking out like the prongs of a fork. Headlamp, bell, dome covers…all the ornamentation was gone.

And yet, she steamed.

Balto stood at the throttle. His fur blacked and clothing torn at the edges. Jenna’s bandanna around his neck stood out against the soot. He had to stand, for there wasn’t much left of the cab. The roof and sides blown away leaving the locomotive looking like a snail without its shell. Everyone in the town had come out now, to welcome the returning hero. Balto smiled weakly as he guided the broken yet triumphant iron horse.
	
“Steady there, steady.” Nikki guided, running up alongside the locomotive. “Easy now, that's had a hell of a journey.”
	
Using the bent reverse lever Balto eased the engine to a stop. With the lopsided valve gear, Texas could only go in reverse and once stopped the crossheads left their mounts to clatter to the snow. Not far behind them, the gray dog also stumbled out of the cab and to the ground. The townspeople circled around to examine the injured engineer. His fur was singed, and there was a trail of dried blood coming from his nose, yet still he smiled faintly and waved away those who gathered close away.
	
“How is he?” Dixie asked, pushing her way to the front. “Should someone go fetch a doctor?” 
	
“I’m fine, really!” Balto wheezed. “Just need to catch my breath, is all. Nothing broken.”
	
He stumbled forward, catching himself, then clutched at his side at what was probably a broken rib. Boris rushed forward and gently grabbed Balto by an arm.
	
“Not dog! Not wolf!” The goose laughed. “You're a hero!”

Balto scanned the crowd, noticing Steele for the first time. Kaltag motioned at the malamute with his head, arms crossed, down the main street, and away from town. The meaning was clear; take this moment and leave, or else. Steele’s shoulders slumped and his eyes met Balto’s, and for a second the hybrid felt a sense of pity. In another world, he might have reached out to the broken soul that stared back. But the fire that was in Steele’s eyes instantly flared, and the last thing Balto saw of him was a raised lip and a silent snarl as Steele slinked past the blonde chinook and vanished into the darkness of an ally.  

Balto sighed, the threat of the malamute was gone, and he had little interest in pursuing it any further. Not when there were far more important things on his mind. Stepping through the crowd, his singed tail started to twitch as his eyes fell upon Jenna, who stood on the boardwalk, smiling.
	
He ran to her as she ran towards him. Both skidding to a halt right as their noses touched. Balto hesitated, feeling a slight twinge of pain from his side. Jenna took a step forward and gently wrapped her arms around him, then laid her head on his shoulder and nuzzled him.
	
Balto could only grin at her, at a loss for words. He turned to see Nikki, Kaltag, Star and all the other dogs, cheering for him, as well as everyone in the town.

“Way to go Balto!” Star yelled. “He saved the whole town!”
	
Yet again Kaltag started in. “He has the most endurance, the most fidelity, the most intelligence…”
	
“They should build a statue of him!” Star interrupted him, before looking back at Kaltag, and shrinking back upon the glare cast down at him from his friend.
	
Yet, Kaltag only playfully punched him in the shoulder. “You said it.”
	
“I did?” Star said, unable to believe what he’d just heard.

“At least now things will be different,” Balto sighed, as he looked out over the cheering crowd. He turned his head to the side and looked at Jenna, who was standing beside him. 
	
“Yes, things will definitely be different.”  Jenna reached a hand up to brush away some of the dried blood and soot from Balto’s nose. “Mr. Engineer.”   

“I love you Jenna.”

“I love you too Balto.”

He smiled as the two then walked down toward the crowd, and the two hissing iron horses. At that second, Texas’s bent whistle valve slipped open and the single note began to sound on its own. Baying like a cheering animal, or a howling wolf. 	
	


			*************
	

1893, Marceline 

“After the explosion, the Texas was sent home to our shops, where she was rebuilt and made fit for service again. My predecessor also took the chance to convert her to coal, and made many upgrades. The locomotive that rolled out from the shops was far better than the one that arrived.”

Aleu brought a cigarette to her mouth and took a drag from what was left. The sun was starting to set, casting long dark shadows across her body and outlining the curves and folds of her clothing in deep jagged shadows. Over the course of her story, the she-wolf had slipped onto her back across Tod's lap, her hair fanning out against his leg while her own legs dangled over the edge of the crate.

“So, what happened to you parents, did they stay in Nome for much longer?” Tod leaned against the brick wall of the shop, one arm having drifted over Aleu's shoulders. “And Steele, he didn’t return, did he?”

“I don’t know about Steele,” Aleu shrugged, holding the cigarette between two fingers and motioning with her hand. “But I suspect he made himself scarce after that. Certainly, mother never went looking for him. She and papa left Nome alongside the Texas. In fact, many left Nome after that and came south. The mines played out at the end of the year, and the town started to dry up. The railroad was abandoned and today I believe that Nome is but a ghost town…although I heard somewhere that there’s a mining camp in Alaska named after it.”

“So, after all that, Balto really did end up running a railroad. Golly, what a story.”

“Well, he had a lot of support from his mate.” Aleu chuckled. “And his children.”

“I sort of want to meet him now.”

“Well, to do that you need to stick around this railroad. He shows up now and again.” Aleu snorted. “Usually when I least want him.”

Tod looked around the empty shop complex. It seemed they were the only ones there this late in the evening. The shop had closed around them. “What happened to the Togo?”

“The W&A demanded compensation for the damaged Texas, and the mines couldn’t afford it. So, they gave the W&A the Togo for the value of the Texas.” Aleu laughed. Her tail swished to the side to tumble over the edge of the box.  “She was renamed and repainted, and looks nothing like she did when Steele handled the throttle. But don’t ask me to tell you which locomotive she became.”

“Oh, I don’t buy that for a second. I’m sure you know.” Tod playfully batted at Aleu’s ears.

“The point is,” the wolf said as she pushed herself up onto her elbows to look at him, her ears perked forward. “We don't get to choose how we start in this life. Real greatness is what you do with the hand you're dealt. As my Uncle Boris would say.”

Those black tipped ears flattened out and the fox looked away sheepishly, “Gee, I suppose that means I oughta stick with the craft, huh?”

“That’s up to you to decide,” Aleu kindly nudged his shoulder with her own before snuffing the cigarette out on the side of the crate. Standing up out of his lap, she raised her arms and stretched, eyes closed and ears tipped forward. “But I think for now, we’ll keep calling you a railroad man.”

Tod gave her a goofy smile. “Well, if that’s what you want to call me, then I suppose it’s what I am.”

“Then it’s settled,” Aleu brought her arms down and rolled her shoulder blades, which gave her bust a little bounce. “You better check the callboard before you leave, I have a feeling you’ve been marked up for another fireman position.”

Tod nodded and started to walk across the tracks towards the depot, carefully stepping over the rails. He looked back at Aleu and gave her nod and a warm smile before vanishing into the twilight haze. She had given him a lot to think about, and the she-wolf was sure that no matter what, Mr. Tweed would be sticking around the yard for the foreseeable future. 

Aleu chuckled to herself at that bit of satisfaction, before walking towards the half-disassembled locomotive sitting outside the shop doors. She tilted her head back and looked up at its iron hide, her hands on her hips. The smile on her lips slowly faded as her soft blue eyes drifted across the mass of iron and steel. Bare of fittings and paint and missing the majority of its mechanical features, the Texas seemed far away from the image of a powerful iron horse. To an outsider, it might as well have been nothing more than piping and plating. 

But to Aleu the locomotive was only asleep. It wouldn't be long before the fires were lit and life returned to the machine that her father saved Nome with. She reached a hand out and placed it palms flat against the cold barrel of the boiler.

“I wonder what stories you could tell?” Her voice was low, almost a whisper, but that sly smile returned. “You know, Papa is pretty private with some of his matters, but he can’t hide my birthday and I know by your records when that explosion happened.”

There was silence, but she could hear in her mind the answer she already knew. As if the Texas was confirming with her in some ethereal voice that only she could hear. She shook her head at the thought, a railroader's daughter… conceived in an engine-house.

“Yeah, I thought so, too.” Aleu patted the iron flank before letting her arm fall back to her side. A gentle breeze rustled her hair and the fur of her tail.

For a few more moments, she stood there, the tip of her tail whipping side to side, before she felt a shift in the air. The gentle feeling that a wolf's sixth sense provided told her she was not alone. Turning her head, she called loudly towards the shop; “Come on out Chief. I know you’re there, you old codger.”

The she-wolf turned around to see the road foreman step out from the doorway of the shop, his arms crossed over his chest. The fur on his muzzle bristled as he cocked his mouth side to side in perplexion. “I can’t believe you’re still telling that old cockamamie story.”

“It’s all true,” 

“Aleutian Cherburt, I swear you’re so full of crap your eyes are brown.”

“They are not, they are a bright sparkling blue, and you love them.”

“Ain't the way your old man tells it, you know. What d'you think he'd say to you puffing up his good name?”

“What do you say we ask him? Care to place a bet?”
	
“Oh no, I ain't gamblin' with you, missy.”
	
“Really? I seem to recall a few risky plays you've made recently that might beg to differ.”

“That's different!” Chief's fur bristled in annoyance. “Telling embellished hero stories like that, how is it that our chief mechanical engineer is such a mother goose?”

Aleu practically pranced across the shop track towards him, a triumphant smile on her muzzle. As she walked past him, her tail curled to the side to brush against one of his thighs. “Oh, come on. Kid needed a good pick me up. Especially after you made him dance in the office.”

“Gonna take a lot more than some fairy tale to knock some sense into that whippersnapper’s head.” Chief snorted, batting the she-wolf’s tail away. “God bless, why do you do that?”

“Because it annoys you.” There was a playfulness in the woman’s tone. “And I know what sort of prizes that wins me.”

One of Chief's eyebrows rose. “Keep it up and I might just find me a new fishing spot.”

Aleu paused and glanced over her shoulder, a smirk on her face. “And miss out on the view? I thought you picked that spot for a reason. Besides, who else will you practice your biting remarks on?”

“Keep flapping that mouth Missy, and it'll be more than my words that'll bite.”

He didn't miss the little shiver in her tail as she walked around the hound and paused in the big open doorway. “Ooh, don't tempt me with a good time.”

“I got enough problems to tend to.” The hound wrinkled his muzzle and turned around to walk into the shop, shaking his head softly. “Without having to deal with the likes of Balto's little lady.”

“Well fine, then I’m heading down to the creek for a swim. After dealing with you, I feel like I need a bath.” Aleu's laughter fluttered like wind chimes as she watched the hound vanish into the darkness of the machine shop. “I’ll be back before the night shift starts. But you're welcome to join me!”  

There was a pause, before the echo of Chief's voice returned with a final answer to her invitation: “You need a cleanin’ alright. Starting with the space between the ears…”

Aleu couldn't hold back the soft chuckle, yet as she started to walk into the shop, something caused her to pause. She looked over her shoulder at the Texas. The setting sun was starting to cast shadows that etched across its frame in the autumn evening. The she-wolf rolled a shoulder blade to toss a lock of her hair back, before making a gentle deceleration, in a tone low enough that only she could hear:

“Don't worry papa, I'll have her in steam soon. Least I can do for you, mom, and all of Nome...”  


END

*********


Reach for the light
You might touch the sky
Stand on the mountaintop
And see yourself flying

Reach for the light
To capture a star
Come out of the darkness
And find out who you are