pulled a small bag out of her bandana. “Since you gave me a present, I think it’s only fitting that I give you one.”
“Oh, Jenna, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Balto argued, not making any motion to accept the gift.
“Go ahead,” Jenna persisted. “Take it. Look inside.”
Balto ripped off the wrapping with his claws and looked at the gift. It was a small heart-shaped locket, made out of gold. He felt around it with his paws, found the release button, and pushed it. As the top came off the bottom, he saw a picture. It was of him and his pups, playing on the beach when they were less than eight weeks old.
“Oh, Jenna,” Balto exclaimed in a whisper. “I’m...speechless. Th...this is the best gift I could ever hope to have.” He looked back at her. “Thank you.”
Jenna smiled. “You’re welcome.” Then she wrapped her neck around his. He returned the hug, a huge smile on his face.

The fun and games continued. The party went on until well after midnight. By that time, everyone was beginning to get sleepy, so they decided to draw it to a close.
Boris stood up on a chair and called for a toast. “It is my privilege...no, my honor...to announce that this party was a success,” he said. “And I would like to thank Muk and Luk for helping me put this whole thing together.”
Saba spoke up. “You mean, you’re thanking them for not tearing you apart today?” she corrected.
Boris was silent for a few seconds. “Well...” He cleared his throat. “If all of you would please ignore that statement from Yetala—”
“Saba!” Saba corrected.
“Whatever,” Boris said, once again clearing his throat. After the subsequent laughter stopped, he continued, “And I would like to thank all of you for coming. I believe that this was the best party that we’ve ever had...thanks in no small part to me, Tydye.” Tydye only blushed. “And now, I would like to ask for all of you to—”
The door suddenly burst open, and the gust of wind and snow that followed carried Boris’s voice away. The lights all flickered out, so it was impossible to see who it was that was standing in the door. It was a dog, for sure...or was it a wolf? The figure walked inside, shut the door behind itself, and walked a little further inside.
Balto’s wolf eyes adjusted to the darkness before all the others. He still had to squint to see the figure. Then his eyes widened as he realized who it was. “It...It can’t be!” The figure suddenly stopped. “Is...is it you?” Balto dared to ask.
“Aleu?”
Boris lit a match and turned on a lantern. As the light flickered across the room, all eyes turned to the figure.
Aleu stood in the doorway. Her fur was covered in snow and ice, her form far skinnier than when she had last been seen, and her appearance less of a dog and more of a wolf. But her smile, and the gleam in her eyes, was the same.
“Hello, Papa.”
Balto suddenly felt very faint, but even more excited and awed. “Aleu!” he shouted, running at her. All the others followed him, wanting to embrace their long-lost family member.
“This must be a dream,” Tydye said when they all settled down. “Pop told us you were going off to lead a wolf pack. How did you come back?”
“It’s a long story,” Aleu replied, and her voice betrayed her weariness. “But I am back, and I will never leave any of you ever again.”
Jenna was in tears. “I can’t believe this!” she exclaimed. Then she embraced her daughter again. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Aleu hugged her mother in return. “It’s all right, Mom,” she said, tears in her own eyes. “My home is here now.”
Boris, standing back on his chair, called out, “Let’s extend the party! Dingo, you run into town and get all the dogs you can find. We’ll turn this Christmas party into a ‘Welcome Home, Aleu’ party!”
Dingo, a grin on his face, obediently ran out of the ship, barking the whole way into town. Within ten minutes, the whole dog population of Nome was in Balto’s ship, celebrating Aleu’s return.
In essence, this party was simply an extension of the old one, only with more joy and happiness. But Balto wasn’t celebrating. He was standing in a back corner of the boat, away from all the games and activities. His breathing was laborious; Aleu’s arrival had taken it away.
Aleu seemed to notice this, and walked up to him. “Is something wrong, Papa?” she asked. “You don’t seem as alive as you did when I last saw you.”
Balto smiled. He felt a part of his chest start to be lifted up upon hearing her voice. Her voice...it hadn’t changed at all in the past few years; she still sounded like a kid, just like when she had left. “I’m three years older. That’ll age a dog faster than anything else.” His smile vanished. “It’s just...so hard to grasp that you’re back. I keep thinking that this is a dream, and when I wake up you’ll be gone.”
Aleu slowly put her paw on his bandaged front foot, which she then pressed against her chest. “When I left, a huge hole came to live in my heart. Now feel: no hole.” She smiled, a tear in her eye. “I suspect that the same has happened to you.”
Balto nodded, remembering a very recent conversation he had, where he had used almost the exact same words. He gently pulled his paw away from Aleu’s chest, reached behind him, and brought out a wrapped present. “And this one is for you.”
Aleu just stared at him. “But...you didn’t even know I would be here. Why did you get me a Christmas present?”
Balto smiled. “Because, regardless of how far away you are, you are still my daughter. To tell you the truth, I got that for you the year you left, and I just couldn’t bring myself to give it away.”
Aleu smiled, and then wrapped her neck around his. “I am still your baby, right?” she asked.
Balto sniffed. “You will always be my baby,” he replied in a whisper. This time, the tears they felt on each other’s fur were tears of joy.
The partying finally ended a few hours later. After everybody went home, Balto found that Aleu was still there, walking around aimlessly. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Aleu looked at him, a bashful look on her face. “I don’t know where to go next,” she replied. “I mean, I’m home now—but where, exactly, is home?”
Balto smiled. “Hey, your home is always with me,” he said. He motioned around the room. “You’re going to live here, with me, just like you did before you left.”
Aleu smiled. “I’d...I’d like that.” Then she turned and looked at the windows...or lack thereof. “What did you do with the windows?” she asked.
Balto chuckled. “Well, Aleu, that is a long story...not too much unlike yours.” He raised an eyebrow. “Speaking of which, why did you leave the wolf pack to begin with?”
Aleu froze, suddenly at a loss for words. When she finally found them again, all she could say was, “I didn’t leave…”

The black wolf sat on his perch, overlooking the ocean. He had missed the ice bridge by a mere day, and now his chance of going back to the mainland would have to wait for another whole year.
So much time had been wasted on this, and yet so much had been learned. He could not help but feel satisfied. Besides, what was one more year, when the end result of his ultimate plan would be felt for generations hence?
He felt the earth beneath him tremble, ever so slightly. Knowing it was an approaching wolf, he called, “Who is it?”
The wolf stopped where he was. “It’s Shadow, sir,” was the response.
“Please tell me it’s good news,” the black wolf demanded. He turned around to stare Shadow in the face. “I’m not interested in bad news right now.”
Shadow gulped under the stare of his leader. “One of the survivors has finally talked.”
Pleased by this, the black wolf nodded, letting Shadow know he could continue.
“He was unable to remember the name of the leader’s father, but he did recall where Aleu was from.” Shadow looked out over the water, toward the direction where mainland lay. “They’re from Nome. And it’s likely her father is still alive.”
The black wolf smiled, returning to his gaze. “At last, we are getting results,” he whispered. Speaking louder, he ordered, “Tell the others to let the survivors go; they are no longer our concern.”
“What is our concern, sir?” Shadow asked.
“Our concern,” the black wolf responded, “is to wait until next year. The instant the ice bridge forms, we head over and find Aleu’s father. You know what happens then, brown wolf.”
Though he couldn’t see it, the black wolf knew Shadow nodded and began backing away. “Your wish is our command, Leader Ivy.”