Name: Balto Jr.

Nickname: BJ (by everyone)

Age: About three years younger than Aleu

Species: 5/8 Wolf, 3/8 Siberian Husky 

Parents: Aleu and Yakone

Siblings: Hotah, Galena, Qiviut, Shila

Mate: Qannik

Pups: Aleutia, Kobuk, Shianna, Nilak

Personality: BJ not only takes after his grandfather in the looks department, but in the personality department as well. He’s brave, tenderhearted, and a strong leader who has a good sense of righteousness. He often feels pressured to live up to his grandfather, since Balto is his namesake, and he tries (often in vain attempts) to imitate his grandfather a lot. He loves fantasizing about what a dog’s life is like and often daydreams about living in Nome. He’s a bit of a dreamer and is often deep in thought about things. He’s very intelligent and cunning.

Likes: People, hearing and telling stories, civilization, snow, winter, running, the beach

Dislikes: Hunting, being confined, not being understood 

History: BJ was the last pup born to Aleu and Yakone’s litter. He was named Balto Jr. after his grandfather Balto, whom he bared a striking resemblance to. Growing up, he heard stories about his namesake saving an entire town, and he began to really look up to his grandfather. However, sometimes he felt pressured to be like Balto as well, so that he could live up to his grandfather’s name.

    As he got older and had to take on duties as a member of his mothers’ pack, BJ felt that there wasn’t really anything he excelled at. He wasn’t  a stellar hunter, and wasn’t great at keeping guard. He was greatly discouraged and felt he wasn’t really good at anything. His parents tried to convince him that he would find something he was good at if he kept trying, but BJ just felt as if he didn’t have a place in the pack. Aleu knew this feeling all to well; back in Nome, she felt that there wasn’t anywhere she belonged, either. 

    One day, while BJ was attempting to guard the pack, he got distracted when he saw a sled team running through the woods, lead by the most beautiful dog he had ever seen. He was enamored, and daydreamed for the rest of the day about what it must have been like to run with that team. He told his mother about his feelings, and she knew it was probably best for BJ to not be a part of a wolf pack, but rather live amongst the humans. Yakone was hesitant; he had always been leery about humans ever since his parents were shot by hunters. But Aleu let BJ go on a journey to find himself, just as she did when she was his age. BJ decided to set off to Nome, where he knew his mother’s family lived.

    BJ arrived in Nome and was able to find the sled team he had spotted in the woods. He met the lead dog, whose name was Qannik, and he told her of his desire to be a sled dog. Qannik said the best way to get on the team would be to get the musher’s attention, so BJ went up to the musher with a harness in his mouth and ran as fast as he could. Seeing BJ was a fast runner (thanks to his wolfdog genes), the musher put him on the team. But things weren’t as great as they seemed. Although BJ felt more in tune with his dog side, he also loved the sense of freedom that came with being a wolf, and thus hated wearing a harness. He got aggressive not only to the musher but to some of the other dogs on the team, and was instantly kicked off on day one. Even Qannik was angry with him, seeing him as a threat. BJ was mortified and devastated; he didn’t belong with the wolves, and apparently he didn’t belong with the dogs either.

    BJ was depressed, feeling as though he didn’t belong anywhere. Balto noticed his grandson wasn’t his chipper self and decided to talk to BJ. BJ spilled everything to his grandfather, about how he couldn’t do anything right in the wolf pack, and how he got kicked off the sled team after a day. Balto told BJ that he didn’t need to do some amazing feat, like be a sled dog or a hunter, to be worthy. He could just be a good person, and that was all that mattered. BJ was surprised to hear his grandfather say these words, as Balto himself had performed the most heroic feat out of anyone he knew. But, he took his grandfather’s words to heart. Even better, Balto offered to take BJ to his owner’s house and see if maybe he could have BJ live there, too. Balto’s owner, a pilot named Duke, was more than happy to bring BJ in, and BJ was overjoyed to have an owner. Being mostly wolf, he wasn’t as much of a house pet like Balto was; he would often spend days outside and would sleep around town and in the forest, but would also spend nights in the house and was extremely loyal to Duke. He would also pay visits to his immediate family in the wild, and Aleu was proud that he was able to find his place in the world. Plus, BJ apologized to Qannik, explaining that he just wasn’t cut out to be a sled dog due to his primitive upbringing. She forgave him, and the two became friends, and eventually something more. With all that was happening in his life, BJ couldn’t be happier; he felt like he finally found where he belonged.

Relation to Balto: Balto’s grandson (Aleu’s son)

** inspired by Aaronmcloud (on DeviantArt) 's character BJ