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Description
Balto 3 is criminally underrated, so I've decided to fill the void with some Balto 3 art featuring the scene at the end where Kodi has a change of heart and helps Balto... and basically, how I would have liked the scene to go. and yes please ignore the mountains, I know they're abhorrent.

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  Still panting profusely and trying to ignore the sensation of his heart attempting to break through his ribcage, Kodi's eyes darted towards his teammates and best friends, Dusty, Ralph, and Kirby, as they helped drag Duke the pilot up the ledge and bring him to safety. He then glanced at his father, whose life he had quite literally just saved.

  At first, Kodi had refused to go with Balto to rescue Duke, whose plane had crashed somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness. Kodi had seen Duke as the enemy, as a human who wanted nothing more than to steal what was so near and dear to his heart. But thankfully, he had come around to realize Duke was no enemy at all -- he was simply trying to help the town. And so Kodi and his friends headed off to help Balto find the missing pilot, and it was clear that they had come right in the nick of time, for if they had arrived even a second later, Balto would have slipped off the cliff and plummeted to his death.

  The thought of Balto almost dying shook Kodi to his core, as it made him realize that in the blink of an eye, his father could have been gone forever. And what would their last words have been? An argument, topped off with some nasty words said to Balto. If those were the last words Kodi had ever said to his father, he would have lived the rest of his life with the guilt of knowing his father died thinking Kodi viewed him as a traitor, and not the hero Kodi really saw him as. A chill ran down Kodi's spine, and he tentatively took a step towards his father, knowing what he had to do.

"Dad?" Kodi said quietly. "I... I'm sorry." A warm look came to Balto's eyes, signifying that the older wolfdog understood, but Kodi continued anyway. "I shouldn't have called you a traitor. You're anything but. You were just trying to help Duke..." He paused hesitantly and heaved a shaky sigh. "Oh, Dad, I don't know what I would do if you..." he couldn't bring himself to continue, because he knew his voice would falter too much, so he just looked downward, his head hanging low.

However, he felt his head gently being lifted up, and he saw Balto's paw was under his chin. "Hey," Balto said gently, in that warm voice he had used whenever Kodi was a pup and was sad about not being as fast as his siblings. "I get it. We all make mistakes, son. It's how we learn from them that matters." Balto then turned and looked out at Kodi's young friends, who had successfully gotten Duke back on his feet. "I think you've learned your lesson, son," Balto said with a twinkle in his eye, "and I couldn't be prouder."

A huge grin formed on Kodi's face, and his tail began to wag happily. "Thank you, Dad," he said sincerely. "I love you."

"And I love you," Balto replied, giving Kodi a quick nuzzle.

Kodi exhaled noisily, and looked back at his small makeshift team. "Well, Dad, I guess you'd better lead us home."

Balto shook his head. "I've had my fair share of leading teams," he quipped. "I think it's time you take the reins, son."

Kodi's eyes lit up, and his tail wagged softly as Balto slipped out of the rope tied around his neck and placed it around Kodi. He was finally lead dog, just like he had always wanted to be. He never imagined it would happen in a situation like this, but being assigned lead dog by his own father, his greatest role model, was really something special.

Kodi grinned and looked over his shoulder, watching as Balto and the mail dogs rallied around Duke, ready to head home. This was his team, and he couldn't have asked for a better group of dogs to lead. He then turned back around and placed one paw forward, and watched as his paw landed in a footprint Balto had made in the snow earlier. He smiled when he realized how perfectly his paw fit in his father's mark.

He then bent down slightly and got into position, and sensed his team do the same. And after quickly bracing himself, Kodi yelled out, "Mush!" and before they knew it, the team was off to Nome.

---

Balto, Kodi, Kirby, Dusty, Ralph, Duke (c) Universal
art by me

Description
Balto 3 is criminally underrated, so I've decided to fill the void with some Balto 3 art featuring the scene at the end where Kodi has a change of heart and helps Balto... and basically, how I would have liked the scene to go. and yes please ignore the mountains, I know they're abhorrent.

---

  Still panting profusely and trying to ignore the sensation of his heart attempting to break through his ribcage, Kodi's eyes darted towards his teammates and best friends, Dusty, Ralph, and Kirby, as they helped drag Duke the pilot up the ledge and bring him to safety. He then glanced at his father, whose life he had quite literally just saved.

  At first, Kodi had refused to go with Balto to rescue Duke, whose plane had crashed somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness. Kodi had seen Duke as the enemy, as a human who wanted nothing more than to steal what was so near and dear to his heart. But thankfully, he had come around to realize Duke was no enemy at all -- he was simply trying to help the town. And so Kodi and his friends headed off to help Balto find the missing pilot, and it was clear that they had come right in the nick of time, for if they had arrived even a second later, Balto would have slipped off the cliff and plummeted to his death.

  The thought of Balto almost dying shook Kodi to his core, as it made him realize that in the blink of an eye, his father could have been gone forever. And what would their last words have been? An argument, topped off with some nasty words said to Balto. If those were the last words Kodi had ever said to his father, he would have lived the rest of his life with the guilt of knowing his father died thinking Kodi viewed him as a traitor, and not the hero Kodi really saw him as. A chill ran down Kodi's spine, and he tentatively took a step towards his father, knowing what he had to do.

"Dad?" Kodi said quietly. "I... I'm sorry." A warm look came to Balto's eyes, signifying that the older wolfdog understood, but Kodi continued anyway. "I shouldn't have called you a traitor. You're anything but. You were just trying to help Duke..." He paused hesitantly and heaved a shaky sigh. "Oh, Dad, I don't know what I would do if you..." he couldn't bring himself to continue, because he knew his voice would falter too much, so he just looked downward, his head hanging low.

However, he felt his head gently being lifted up, and he saw Balto's paw was under his chin. "Hey," Balto said gently, in that warm voice he had used whenever Kodi was a pup and was sad about not being as fast as his siblings. "I get it. We all make mistakes, son. It's how we learn from them that matters." Balto then turned and looked out at Kodi's young friends, who had successfully gotten Duke back on his feet. "I think you've learned your lesson, son," Balto said with a twinkle in his eye, "and I couldn't be prouder."

A huge grin formed on Kodi's face, and his tail began to wag happily. "Thank you, Dad," he said sincerely. "I love you."

"And I love you," Balto replied, giving Kodi a quick nuzzle.

Kodi exhaled noisily, and looked back at his small makeshift team. "Well, Dad, I guess you'd better lead us home."

Balto shook his head. "I've had my fair share of leading teams," he quipped. "I think it's time you take the reins, son."

Kodi's eyes lit up, and his tail wagged softly as Balto slipped out of the rope tied around his neck and placed it around Kodi. He was finally lead dog, just like he had always wanted to be. He never imagined it would happen in a situation like this, but being assigned lead dog by his own father, his greatest role model, was really something special.

Kodi grinned and looked over his shoulder, watching as Balto and the mail dogs rallied around Duke, ready to head home. This was his team, and he couldn't have asked for a better group of dogs to lead. He then turned back around and placed one paw forward, and watched as his paw landed in a footprint Balto had made in the snow earlier. He smiled when he realized how perfectly his paw fit in his father's mark.

He then bent down slightly and got into position, and sensed his team do the same. And after quickly bracing himself, Kodi yelled out, "Mush!" and before they knew it, the team was off to Nome.

---

Balto, Kodi, Kirby, Dusty, Ralph, Duke (c) Universal
art by me