Chapter 1

The cloudy sky hid the bright light of the sun from shining down upon the earth. Three figures stalked silently through the snow covered forest, their breaths coming out in steamy clouds in front of their faces. These three Native American men were on the hunt, checking their traps as well as keeping watch for any other potential prey.

All three had animal fur and skins wrapped around them. Even though it was day, the temperature was still well below freezing. Each of the men had a rifle, something they'd traded the white men for. They also had water, rope, and a lamp in case they were stuck out after dark. The lead man, designated by the two black marks he had under his eyes, pointed at the hill in front of him.

All three stopped to listen. Beyond the hill, the men could hear the pained cries of a wolf, which meant that their traps had indeed caught something. Wolf skins were highly valuable to the white men, and could bring a lot of much needed food to the native men's village. The leader crept over the hill as silently as possible, staring down into the small valley which led to a nearly frozen stream. Down there, a white wolf was stuck in the trap, its left foreleg caught in the device and its blood staining the snow around it.

The she-wolfs ears perked up, and her head whipped around, yellow eyes staring at the three men. She didn't show any fear, simply watching them as they moved closer. The three men fanned out into a line, because despite how laid back the wolf was acting, they knew that could change in seconds. One man approached the wolf with his rifle in front of him. She still didn't make any movements.

Then suddenly, she snapped. The man lashed out, the wooden stock of his rifle connecting with the side of the wolfs head, knocking her out cold. The other two men rushed forward, freeing her leg of the trap and then tying her legs tight. They also made sure to muzzle her, in case she woke on the way back to the village.

When this was accomplished, the three men held their prize in the air triumphantly. A white wolf would surely bring them a lot of compliments and prizes.

...

So there have been many stories about where Balto came from. This story is my attempt at explaining this as well. I was originally going to wait, but since I'm not sure how to finish my other story, I might leave that one as is for now and work on this.