them. As I grew older I was able to begin to hunt and fend for myself. I had to learn to fight, and how to run away from a fight I couldn't win. I had to survive long enough to mature and give birth to a son who would become the great uniter, a leader among leaders.

A year passed quickly, and I was rapidly maturing into an attractive female. I had already chosen my mate, a strong wolf named Nilak. He was all black and was a natural leader, a good father for my destined son. Despite my hardships in adjusting to life as a mortal being, my plan was still in place, and Nilak seemed more than willing to accommodate my needs. The mating season was rapidly approaching and all was going as I predicted.

"But I could not have foreseen what was going to happen next," Aniu said quietly, as she paused in her storytelling.

"Mother? Are you all right?" Balto asked timidly and looked up at her.

Aniu smiled at him. "Yes, little one. Retelling this story rekindles emotions I have not felt since I was mortal as you are," she said wistfully. "Some are good and some are bad, but they are all worth feeling again."

Balto lay down again and nuzzled his mother's soft, snow white fur. She smelled clean, like the air in winter. He thought about how much he missed his mother, and he shut his eyes tightly as a tear ran down his face. Aniu lovingly licked the tear from his face and nuzzled him, and he began to tremble with sadness.

"It's all right, little one, " Aniu said softly. "I am with you always. You are my son, and I have never abandoned you." Her voice covered him like a warm blanket, and soon his trembling stopped. Aniu lay down and wrapped her tail around him, and continued to tell her story.

It was a day like most any other, and I had been assigned to hunt and bring back food for the pack. I strayed far from the pack in search of game, but I was distracted. The mating season was approaching and I was beginning to feel urges I had never felt before. Primal, base urges I knew I could not deny for much longer. My mortal form made me just as susceptible to those urges as any other creature on your world, and I could not resist them.

I saw movement in the corner of my eye and I focused my attention on it. I began to sneak towards the movement and I caught sight of a deer feeding on the leaves of a nearby shrub. I was concentrating but I was still too distracted. I stepped on a twig that snapped, and the deer bounded away. I cursed my lack of concentration and ran after the deer.

The deer was fast, but I was faster. I was catching up when we burst out of the forest and into an open plain. I was momentarily surprised by the sudden end of the forest, but I continued to chase the deer across the tundra. Suddenly I heard barking coming from my left, and I turned to see something I had never seen before in my time among mortals. It was a team of dogs pulling a sled, and a human standing on the back of the sled giving orders to the dogs. I was so surprised, I stopped chasing the deer and watched the dogs pull the sled past me.

I was mesmerized, watching the dogs work in unison to pull the sled. I thought about how that kind of unity was what I wanted for my wolves, a sense of united purpose among all my children. Then I looked at the lead dog and felt something I hadn't felt before. He was larger than the others, and was a beautiful combination of black and brown. He was powerful, so much power in that sleek husky body, and... I was drawn to him by a force beyond my control. I completely forgot about finding food, and I followed the sled at a distance to see where it was going. I followed it to a small town near the ocean not far away, and I watched from afar as they took the sled to a barn near the edge of town. I saw the human unhook the dogs from the sled, and they all went into the barn together.

I could not overcome my curiosity, nor could I deny the feelings I was experiencing at that moment. I quietly made my way to the barn and leapt atop some crates to look inside a window. Inside I saw the human petting the dogs and telling them how well they did, and he gave them all food and water. Again my focus drifted to the lead dog, who had finished eating and was lying on the floor near the back, preparing to sleep. I could not take my eyes away from him as my desire for him became so strong it was all I could do not to howl out loud.

In my mind, I knew this would undo everything I had planned. The new leader of the wolves, the one who was to unite all the wolf packs and become the bridge to the spirit world had to be pure wolf, and only I could give birth to such a leader. I had planned for so long and endured and lost so much to give this gift to my children, how could I abandon it now?

I had made a terrible mistake in my planning. I had not anticipated how fully and completely my mortal form would be subject to all the natural needs and desires that come with being a wolf. I had thought that I would be able to retain some control over myself and filter these feelings out in order to do what had to be done, but I was wrong. Now I was in the throes of my mating cycle, and my mind had all but relinquished control to my body's needs. I no longer wanted Nilak, and at that moment didn't even remember him at all. I could not force myself to leave the window, and I lost track of time as I sat there watching the lead dog sleep.

I don't know how long I sat there, but it was dark and all the dogs and humans were asleep as far as I could tell. I climbed down off the crates and moved silently towards the barn door. I nudged it open with my nose, and slipped inside quietly, not wanting to wake these dogs who would surely chase me off into the night. I was being foolish by even attempting to enter the barn, but the ability to make rational decisions had left me hours ago.

I approached the lead dog without waking any of the others, and I stood there in front of him, admiring his sleeping form. I made no sound as I gazed at him, but somehow he knew I was there. He woke slowly, and raised his head to look at me.

Suka the lead dog raised his head to see a beautiful, slender pure white wolf staring at him silently. "What–" he began to say, as Aniu quickly placed her paw over his muzzle.

"Please," she whispered. "Please don't wake the others. I don't mean you any harm. I just... I just wanted to..."

"Who - who are you?" Suka whispered in return. "Why are you here, what do you want?"

"I will tell you everything you wish to know, but not here. Will you follow me outside?" Aniu asked hopefully.

Suka studied her face and felt that she was speaking truthfully. She had risked her life just walking into that barn, and besides, Suka was bigger and stronger than she was. If it came to a fight, he would win. He followed her outside, and they walked together away from the barn and to a secluded area just outside of town. They stopped under a tree and Aniu sniffed the air to make sure they were alone. She turned back to look at Suka and smiled shyly.

"I'm here, I trusted you. Now will you tell me why you're here?" Suka asked somewhat impatiently.

"I - I suppose I should start by telling you my name. I am Aniu."

Suka visibly relaxed a bit at hearing her name. "Hello, Aniu. My humans call me Suka. They told me it's their native word for 'fast'." He smiled at her.

"Thank you for trusting me, Suka." Aniu said humbly. "I am sorry for appearing before you like that, but I didn't know what else to do." She sat down to face Suka and began to recount the events that had led her to this point.

"...and after I saw you, I couldn't stop thinking of you. I saw you enter the barn, and I watched through the window as you slept. And then I had no choice, I had to try to talk to you."

Suka's eyes widened with realization. "You're in - but that means - but you can't - we can't–"

Aniu lowered her head. "I know, Suka. This is as difficult for me as it must be for you, and it was certainly unexpected for me. My pack doesn't know I'm here, they don't even know where I am right now. I'm disobeying my Alpha and I didn't bring any food back to the pack. And worst of all, I'm failing in the one thing I was created to do." She shut her eyes and turned away. "But I can't deny what my heart and body are telling me. I am in love with you."

Suka just stared at her, noticing for the first time how the moonlight shone off her pure white coat and made her look as though she was imbued with spiritual energy. She lowered her head even more as a tear rolled down her cheek and fell into the snow below. "I'm sorry, Suka," she sniffed. "I know this can never be, but at the same time I cannot fight my own body and desires. I'm sorry to make you follow me out here for nothing."

"Aniu..." Suka whispered as he moved closer and licked the tears from her face. Aniu turned her head to nuzzle Suka, and she closed her eyes and took in his scent and felt his powerful body against her own. "You are as beautiful as the lights in the sky, and I am honored that you would choose me above any of your own kind. And the truth is..." he lowered his head. "I - I think I'm in love with you too. I started feeling this way the moment I saw you standing in front of me. You were so beautiful, I thought you were a great spirit come to see me in the flesh. I would have followed you anywhere."

Aniu raised her head to look into his eyes. "Suka..." she breathed, and kissed him.

When I finally arrived home the next day without any food for