and told her about his dream, how he felt so good leading the sled team and how right it felt, and how the raven appeared and he crashed into the snowdrift and saw that pup staring at him.

"It surprised me so much that I couldn't catch my breath when I woke up. What is my mother trying to tell me? And why would there be a pup... in the snow..."

Balto's face went pale as he realized what his mother had shown him. "Jenna... it was me. That was me in the snow."

Jenna gasped. "You? She showed you as a pup after she abandoned you? Why would she show you that, what does it mean?

He shook his head. "I don't know. And he... I... was looking right at me. It looked like he wanted my help. But that doesn't make any sense, does it?" Balto sighed and lay down at Jenna's feet. "I never was any good at interpreting my dreams."

Jenna leaned down to kiss Balto on the head. "If it really was Aniu appearing to you in your dream to show you that, then she must have had a good reason, right?"

"Yeah, but what? Wait... I recognized that area outside town, we've been by there plenty of times. Let's go check it out." Jenna nodded, and the two of them went outside. "It was this way," Balto said as he took off towards the outside of town.

Balto recognized the signpost he had seen in his dream, and walked past it to find the snowdrift, but there was none to be found. The landscape had changed in the years since he was abandoned here, but Balto still knew where it had been.

"It was here", he said. "I was right here." Jenna looked at the patch of ground at Balto's feet. "This is where your mother left you?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. At least if what I saw in the dream was true. I don't remember it myself, and Boris never told me exactly where he found me." Balto sat down and hung his head. "Jenna, why would she do this to me? I had almost forgotten about being abandoned, my life is so good now. I'm in love with the most beautiful girl in the world and I have six beautiful children. Why would she show this to me now?"

Jenna smiled at Balto's compliment, and she leaned forward to kiss him. "I don't know, my love. From what we've seen so far though, there is always a reason behind the dreams that come from Aniu. There's no reason to assume that this is any different, right?"

Balto looked up at Jenna and smiled. "What would I do without you, Jenna?"

"You'd be lost without me," Jenna said with a grin.

"You're right, I would be," Balto said as he sat up again. "Let's go home."

The two of them walked back to Jenna's home lost in thought. They lay down next to each other in front of the large iron stove that was keeping the shed warm, and Balto put his head on Jenna's shoulder. Jenna turned and nuzzled his face lovingly.

"Oh, Jenna," Balto said. "I don't know what to think. I haven't seen a raven outside today so I don't think I'm supposed to go anywhere. Maybe she just wanted to show me that spot so I could have some closure? I don't know. I'm already happy with my life, I don't think I need closure."

"If she's really trying to tell you something, you'll figure it out. I do wonder what she's trying to say, though, "Jenna said.

"Me too," Balto agreed. After they lay together for a while, Balto decided he should be getting back to his boat. "I should be getting back, Boris is probably wondering why I haven't rescued him yet."

Jenna chuckled. "All right, my love. I'm always here for you if you want to talk about the dream some more."

Balto smiled and got up, stretching his legs. "If you see Dingo or Kodi, will you send them out to the boat?"

Jenna nodded in response. "They should spend some time with Uncle Boris and the bears anyway, it's been a while." She stood up and kissed Balto deeply. "I love you, Balto."

Balto returned her kiss. "I love you too, Jenna," he said as they pulled apart. They had been mates for over two years, and still her beauty never failed to leave him speechless. As the light from the window filtered into the shed, he took in the view in front of him and smiled. His love for her was still as pure as it was the first time he told her he loved her, and it always would be.

Jenna looked away shyly and smiled, seeing Balto staring at her again. "You are the most gorgeous creature I have ever seen," he said, unable to tear his eyes away.

Jenna blushed. "Oh, Balto..." She kissed him and gently pushed him down onto his back. "You always know just what to say to a girl, don't you?" she asked, smiling down at him.

"It's the truth, Jenna," he said as he looked up into her deep brown eyes. She looked down at him adoringly, and her smile faded as she lowered her muzzle to kiss him passionately.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered. "I love you..."

###

Balto's legs twitched under his blanket. He was leading his team again, through the mountain pass and into the forest, dodging tree stumps and boulders, going faster and faster until they broke out into the open, and Balto once again began to run so fast that the scenery blurred and he could feel his powerful wolf heritage coming to the surface as he howled, fueling his strength and endurance.

Just as he hit the home stretch into Nome, he saw a dark shadow overtake him. He looked up to see the raven circling overhead, then instinctively looked for the snowdrift he had seen last time he had this dream. And just as before, time began to slow down and stopped just as Balto caught sight of himself behind the snowdrift.

"My son." The voice echoed across the entire landscape, sounding both distant and close at once. Shocked, Balto looked around as time stayed frozen around him, and the sled and the other dogs disappeared. Two-month-old Balto continued to stare at present-day Balto. He looked up into the sky expecting to see the raven, but instead was met by Aniu's gaze, looming above him as part of the great expanse of the heavens.

"It is time you knew the truth, my son," she spoke as her voice carried across the landscape, a warm blanket of sound that wrapped Balto in its embrace.

"M-mother?" Balto asked, both surprised at what he was hearing and grateful for this chance to speak with his mother. "What truth?"

"The truth behind your origin, little one. The reason you are here... and my own failure as your mother." Aniu's voice had a hint of sadness as it seemed to embrace him. He sat on the snowy landscape, stunned by what he was hearing.

"Your failure...? Mother, I don't understand."

Aniu drifted down from the sky and took shape as a large white wolf in front of Balto. She nuzzled him softly and he lay down and curled up against her.

"Then listen, my dear one," Aniu continued, "and I will tell you the story of what was meant to be, and what came to be." Her voice surrounded him and made him feel like a pup again, safe against his mother's body, and he closed his eyes to listen.

###

Chapter 2: Love Over Destiny

Long ago, before time itself existed, I created your kind, my son. I shaped their essences and formed them in my image, giving them swift, powerful bodies and the ruggedness to withstand the harsh conditions on this world. I called them wolves, a name of power drawn from within me. I gave them my own strength and intelligence, and part of my essence is in all of them. They were destined to become one of the greatest species on the material plane, but somehow that was not enough for me. I wanted more for them, more than I could give them simply by divine creation.

This world and the harsh environment would cause my children to be separated, and split up into smaller packs. I had underestimated how even basic survival could cause rifts among them, even causing them to fight against one another at times. They had lost their way and had no one to guide them back to the path.

I had foreseen the need for a guide among them and was prepared to give them a gift the likes of which a spirit had never given her creations before. I would become mortal and give them a son born of this earth, one who would form a bridge between this realm and the spirit realm, and who could unite and lead all the wolves down the path they were destined to walk.

Balto gasped in shock. "You - I - That was me? Or supposed to be me?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, my son," Aniu said calmly. "But I was not prepared for what awaited me in my mortal form."

To become mortal, it was necessary for me to start at the beginning, as an unborn pup in my mother's womb. My birth was difficult and I did not realize how harsh the conditions would be in this mortal realm. Spirits do not know such things as pain, heat, cold, hunger, even though we know they exist. To experience them myself was almost too much for me, and I very nearly gave up, but I was determined. I was born an only child, a pure white cub from parents who were colored dark and light brown. They saw me as a miracle, and they named me Aniu, as I was destined to be named.

I grew quickly as all wolf cubs do, and I had a lot to learn. The range of emotions I felt overwhelmed me. Happiness, fear, sadness, anger, all of them were new to me and I didn't know how to control them. As young as I was, I had no choice but to continue growing and learn to accept them. As I grew