long as Jenna is safe, which Balto will most certainly keep it. She left when Kirdo awake.

Balto tilted his head, telling Kirdo to eat the meat on the deck, and he watched as he finished the meat, not really quick, in silence. When the meat was finished, Kirdo tried to sit up but failed, he gave Balto a defeated smile. “Well, maybe I am not going to sit up yet, but I’m sure I can talk much now, I’m feeling stronger” and without giving Balto a chance to speak, he continued “I can tell by your face that you have much to ask, so let’s don’t keep your questions waiting.”

Balto thought of what is more important and what to ask first, and after a long pause, “What is the connection between us?” he asked.

Rising one side of his eyebrow, Kirdo asked, “Don’t you remember anything? My body? My name?”

Balto shook his head “I only feel that you are somewhat familiar, and that I must’ve met you in my past, perhaps my puppyhood, my memory of that time had turned to tiny little fragments over time.” He chuckled and continued “Maybe it’s because once I reach Nome, where Boris the goose brought me, everyday is all about survival, so I have no time to think about my past and eventually forget it all. It might not be really nasty but it was hard enough to steal as a puppy, not to mention one with lots of dogs just want to stand in your way just because you’re half wolf.”

“But at least you could guess, isn’t it obvious enough?” Kirdo suddenly had the strength to sit up; he looked directly into Balto’s eyes “I am your brother.”

Chapter 6: Stories of the Past

Brother? Brother? Balto wasn’t sure what to say, or if his ears were working at all. Here was someone Balto had just rescue from the forest, they shared only a handful of conversation, and yet he called him his brother! But to think back, this could solve the reason of their striking resemblance, in fact this was the only explanation.

Kirdo guessed Balto’s thought easily, he said “Look into your heart, brother, you know I speak the truth.”

As Balto was ready to argue, a few pieces of his faded memory flowed back, he remember when he was a pup, before he got lost and found by Boris, when he was still with his mother. He remembered her mother always said he is the living mirror of his brother… And now, before him sat a living mirror of his! Balto was, however, not fully convinced, until he recalled yet another piece of memory, memory of his younger days, playing with someone looked just like him… and then their mother called them to go back… his name was Kirdo!

“Alright,” Balto finally gave in, “what happened then? How did we get separated?”

Kirdo smiled broadly, “Thanks for acknowledging me, brother, you don’t know how much it meant to me. Well, I can answer your question and tell you some extras, too. But please note that I don’t remember my past better then you do, my knowledge of my past came from the leader of my pack. So should I proceed?”

“Is what your pack leader told you reliable?”

“I think so, he never lied to his pack member, if he thinks one should not own the knowledge he’ll just keep his silence and the other will get the message.”

Balto nodded, and Kirdo started the story.

“Our mother, started out as a lone wolf. But unlike the other of her kin, she didn’t focus all of her mind on mating and searching for territory. She’s more anxious about what’s beyond the forest. One night, she can hold her curiosity no longer and she approached a human encampment. But before she can get any closer, a dog caught her, our mother tried to fight back but that dog was no lousy fighter so they came to a draw, but then the dog got distracted and our mother took the chance and escape. She ran to a cave nearby in the woods and nursed her wounds; the wounds are deep, though not fatal. Those wound weakened her greatly and she can’t even go for a hunt.”

Kirdo paused, but Balto urged him to continue “What happened then?”

“Our mother thought it must be her time, since she can’t hunt and there’s a great chance the dog would come and finished the job. The dog did turn up, and our mother told him to finish her quick. But instead of doing what he wished, the dog told her that it was his responsibility to keep his owner safe, and that means to chase of any danger, including wolf. But since he had wounded out mother more serious than he would wanted, it had became his responsibility to nurse her back to health. Our mother couldn’t do anything, so she just allowed him. For the next three days, the dog took care of our mother; he brought her food kept off the danger, such as leading the hunters away from the cave. They eventually fall in love, and gave birth to three pups, that’s how we came into this world.”

“Who’s the other pup?” asked Balto, even more startled.

“Oh, Zona. She is our sister, she doesn’t look like us and possessed the white coat of our mother. She went off and is currently living with dogs in a town, of which I don’t know, my pack leader didn’t wanted to share more.”

“So where’s our father?” asked Balto, but unsure that he would like the answer.

“Just let me finish telling the story and you’ll know.” Kirdo said calmly, “As we were borned, our parents decided that it’s best that we stay in the woods with our mother due to our wolf-like appearance, but Zona went living with our father, as she looked more a dog than a wolf. Not long after that, our father’s owner moved to another town, taking our father and Zona with him. We tried to follow, but it took us into the territory of a pack of wolf led by a highly ill-tempered alpha male. He said we are trespasser and must leave at once before he kills us. However, there’s no other road that leads to that human town we’re heading. So our mother begged the alpha to let us pass through without causing any trouble, but he refused, he told us that there’s another route, but highly dangerous, then he demanded we leave his territory.

“Our mother, seeing there’s no other choice, agree. That route the alpha mentioned was treacherous, it was just beside a cliff and the road is narrow. Worse still, a blizzard was messing with us, disturb our sight. Suddenly the snow below me fell and I fell down the cliff, the snow cushioned the impact and I found no way to get back where I fell. I was afraid that my live ends there, but a wolf found me and brought me back to him pack, where the leader adopted me. When I was big enough and my memories of the past was almost all gone, he told me the stories I’m telling you now, but I am sure he kept a lot of things without telling me, ‘Sometimes you have to learn the unspoken yourself’ he said to me. So that’s all I’ve got.” He gave out a long sigh, tired for talking so long.

“It’s kind of hard to put it altogether…” said Balto slowly, struggled to digest the information he had just gained. “I found that you never speak of our parent’s name throughout you tale, why?”

Kirdo shrugged “My pack leader never told me, he said if I’m going to find out who they are? I must start out from my siblings.”

Balto nodded, “Now you’ve found me, but as you know I own no more information than that you gave me, what are you going to do now?”

“Not sure,” Kirdo sighed, “I have my duties to mind other than my quest of family.”

“And what would they be?”

Kirdo suddenly looked very weary, as it the memories he recalled cast weight upon him, “I guess there’s no need concealing them… You see, I was running, or rather, escaping. My pack was eliminated; its leader is dead, all because of a fight for a piece of territory. But five of us, me included, escaping from the onslaught, and has run toward the same direction, west. So it is my duty to find and reunite with them so that we can discuss what we could do… as remnants of a fallen pack.” He looked at the clouded sky, and said “I should be able to get up by tomorrow, by then I shall start searching for them.”

“If you are able to stand and walk, I guess there’s no stopping you,” said Balto thoughtfully, then he suddenly asked, “But mind if I tag along? You can use an extra pair of eyes, as well as someone to watch over you, ‘cause you have yet fully recovered.”

 “Nice,” said Kirdo with a sly smile, “Time for some brother work, eh? And then we can see what the dogs had taught you in all these year!”

“We shall see.” Said Balto before they both fell asleep.

Chapter 7: The Shadow of Shadowfang

The next day was a very good day in winter. Balto brought some more food for Kirdo and him from the town; it has become very easy to do that lately, with so many children in Nome owed their lives to him.

 “Don’t stay too long in the woods, got it? Else you might lose yourself in it, and Jenna will be heartbroken.” Said Boris with a laughter he tried to conceal with a cough, but failed completely.

“C’mon Boris, I’m not going into the forest for the first time, you need not exaggerate it, and I see no point it can be, too.” Balto answered, and he turned to Kirdo, who was stretching him body after two days of lying still on a hard deck, “You’re