occurred to him that him and Aleu had never been formally introduced; it’s not something one dwells on when staring into the eyes of a rival. It didn’t matter now anyways. He knew her name, and that was all he needed now. “Aleu…?” He croaked slightly, the smoke, water and lack of oxygen over the past hours was evident.  

She blinked and shifted weakly. Definitely not dead. At this point he didn’t care to argue if that was good or bad. She would still continue to be useless to him either way. She looked confused, but neither of them even tried to make movements towards getting up. It wasn’t as if they could. 

“Wh-where are we..?” Her voice didn’t fare much better than his against the elements.

“ I don’t know, maybe… Maybe the northern river fork.” He glanced dazedly at a tree burned beyond recognition. Wherever they were, they were far from where they wanted to be or needed to be. He had no energy left for hostility, it almost felt pointless now anyways. He didn’t even feel weak in his current position in front of his rival… enemy… whatever she was now. 

“ Could Nava have survi-“ She began to ask, weakly optimistic, before he cut her off. “No. Nava is gone. There was no chance for him.” He stared blankly ahead.

“ You didn’t kill him.” She admitted plain and simple her pervious suspicions. The escape from the fire and nea -drowning had seemed to give them an air of seniority over their previous moods. No more snarky- hostile words, they were past that energy level. Nothing left but blatant honesty.

“No. I didn’t.” His voice flat.  He thought of what befell Nava-either illness or suffocation, he hoped it was the former. Niju hoped his old leader had died in his sleep before the fire, quick, easy and painless.  He drew a large breath and slowly released it. “We stayed a pack until the end.”

A wave of guilt passed over Aleu, as much as her extreme fatigue would allow. Her body felt weightless yet unmovable, as if she literally had no muscles. All pride in her was gone. Her fur was matted and slightly singed in paces, her face held a few shallow cuts that the stream had cleaned of blood, and her body was splayed out into his. Their back feet were touching, but they felt nothing now. A runner’s high to put all others to shame was upon them, after passing out their bodies flooded with endorphins. Staring at each other, they were in a trance. Come what may, they weren’t getting up.

A lengthy hesitation passed.  “I- I’m sorry.” The words came surprisingly easily from her formally sour mouth. The apology was a vague one. He didn’t seem to notice its possible double meanings, one for her transgressions, or for Nava or maybe -all of the above.

“ Yes. He was a wise leader, a patient teacher, and a caring friend. He was as empathetic as he was forgiving. It’s going to be difficult without his guidance.” Niju admitted without difficulty. He sounded more ‘real’ to Aleu now- remorseful even. He sounded like he had a voice that served to do more than threaten or challenge her. She knew he was exhausted; she didn’t even have the energy or collected thoughts to worry about him trying to kill her for leadership.

“You know, I’ve had dreams where those who have joined Aniu come back to guide me.” Aleu spoke without arrogance in her tone, changing what could have been a brag into an honest confession.

“Must be nice.” Niju sounded somehow colder.

She explained, “ My dad never had dream visions that were very clear, but him and I were guided by a raven. That’s how we found the clan. I think it can happen to anyone, when the spirits really need you to listen.”

 She knew her father was plagued by bad dreams all while she had known him, but none of them were explicitly clear like hers had been. Balto’s dreams seemed to warn him, but they never told him when, where or what to do next. Aleu’s dreams often involved her talking with mysterious spirits- and they instructed her on what was to happen and what her and the clan should do.

“Why are you here, why didn’t your precious dreams warn you of this?” It was clear she didn’t see the fire coming.  They could have died countless times over.

His words stung, in a way he couldn’t have predicted. “I-I don’t know… They never mentioned it.” Her pretty blues looked a little vacant. Her answer wasn’t enough, even in this state.

“No, why are you here?” Her pride seemed to return as she avoided his gaze as best she could. Granted- it was difficult when her lashes nearly touched his. “I-“

“Answer me.” Niju’s voice was demanded, but in a softer manner than usual. It wasn’t laced with a threat. He felt compelled to know why she would just leave the clan behind- and be so blind to the fire, and possible even more dangers before. He remembered coming across her unconscious form that morning. God. She was having a rough day. She must have made the crossing with almost no ice floes; in the summer only the great big ones remained.

“ I-..Aniu…It’s just that…” Her brows knitted together, exhaustion and an endorphin spike were clouding her thoughts. Her confession sprang forth like a ground-well. There was no going back.

“ The clan isn’t getting along so well- I mean everyone is still arguing. It seemed great when we got to the new lands, but…But now they are still divided. Summer is upon us and all the caribou are so strong now…and..and” She hit a small roadblock in her thought train. “Idon’tknowhowtohuntthem.” Came out as a single phrase. “No one knows about that, I just disappear during the hunts, I pray no one sees me. They’d know I wasn’t right to lead but- I can’t let them all down. Some of them are so cold towards me, it’s like they know it. They don’t fight with me, they fight with each other.”

In all of the days horrors, she still had the strength to start breathing hard once more. “We’re going to starve- the pack needs to be strongest now, with the caribou being so strong. But it’s falling apart; no one is listening to each other. The strong take what they can kill- the weak get nothing. I don’t get..I can’t- I can’t kill. I’m forced to take what others don’t when everyone is arguing. I can’t ask for help- I should be giving it!” Her beautiful eyes seemed to water around the edges. So drained, yet her soul could still cry from inside her. “ Nava always brought them all together…somehow… I heard some whispering one night; they don’t think I can live up to it. It’s not just a few rebels, it’s like…like…”

Her voice drew into a throaty whisper. As if no one in this world or the next should hear her. “Everyone. They’ll be right behind me one minute, yet just waiting for me to mess things up the next. I have no one to confide in completely. I can’t trust anyone with a secret without a risk of…judgment. I’m sure there are some who want to overthrow me, but without a clear leader it would be chaos…” Suddenly remembering where she was and who she was talking to, she silently shook.

Her pride had committed suicide. She had opened everything, but she didn’t open it for him- she was admitting it to herself. She hid her face from him, he just couldn’t see her cry. She had to be better than this. “ We can’t cooperate as a group- we can’t take down caribou.”

Her voice finally cracked in her whisper. She couldn’t feel her paws, but brought them up to hide her face further.  She repeated, “We’re going to starve…what canwedowe’regoingto starve.” As if it were a one worded mantra. Her voice faded into an indistinguishable squeak.

A lengthy time passed before he finally spoke, “I thought Aniu would guide you.”

Her voice shuddered in a drawn out sigh, she wasn’t sobbing but was near to it. “I haven’t ever seen her in a dream. I always see a dark shape in the shadows, but it turns away from me before I can call out to it. That’s all I’ve been dreaming of lately. Again and again and again until I’m just…Just so tired.” Behind her paws her eyes grew wide.

“Ohno…I’ve become Papa. I’m not in place-just like him. The dream plagues me over and over, but I can’t fix t. I can’t just turn away.” She squeaked in a tortured whisper. “I haven’t even seen Muru in months. I need to ask him why he sent me the wrong way. I…” Her breathing began to slow down.

“I need Nava.” She finished.

She wasn’t inviting Niju to attack, or take charge but she assumed he would start asserting his superiority right away. She walked right into it, but Aleu was so tired it didn’t really matter to her anymore.

“You shouldn’t be here. The clan can’t survive without having a defined leader.” His voice was flat, but notably void of condescension.

“I told them I was going on a journey. No one asked me any questions. It’s up to them whether or not they have enough faith in me to hold it together until I come back.” She sniffed- catching a whiff of the smoky dampness of the river and the charred surrounds and the musk of her counterpart.

“ I should go home. I