me.''

''Sadly, no...'' Balto said. ''He thought that you were a wild animal.''

''ME? A wild animal?! How?'' Aleu asked her father, upset.

''Your mother is a purebred husky, and I'm the one in the family who's part wolf.'' Balto answered.

''My mother was the wolf. I don't remember her well. All I remember of her is that she was white as snow and she had a voice that'd be warm.'' Balto continued.

''Why didn't tell you me that before?! Do my brothers and sisters know about their wolf heritage?!'' Aleu asked even more upset.

''I just wanted to protect you.'' Balto said.

''Protect me from what?! For being a freak in this family?! I hate you!'' Aleu yelled upset.

''Aleu...'' Balto said, but he was interrupted by Aleu: ''Leave me alone!'' as she ran away, crying.

It was really hard for Balto to admit his unique daughter the truth. She ran towards the ominous direction. Balto thought to himself that she'd return soon or later.

Later that night, he had the same dream again and again, but his time, he saw caribous crossing the ice bridge. He had no idea what was going on.

As he woke up, he noticed that Aleu hadn't returned. He headed towards Jenna's house, thinking if Aleu'd be there.

''Jenna!'' Balto whispered to Jenna.

''What is it, Balto?'' Jenna asked as she went outside.

''Is Aleu in there with you maybe?'' Balto asked.

''No.'' Jenna asked as she began worrying. ''Why?''

''I told her the truth after the hunter tried to kill her.'' Balto said. ''She ran into an unknown direction. I'm going after her.''

''I'm going with you too.'' Jenna said, worried about her daughter.

''No, Jenna.'' Balto said. ''I have to do it myself. It's between me and her. I'll try to bring her home.''

Jenna looked at him sadly. Then she said: ''Good luck, Balto.''

Then Balto returned to the beach and followed her scent. Soon enough, he was in the wilderness.

As deeeper as he was heading into the wild, he was more and more worried about the fact that Aleu was further than he thought.

On his way, he encountered some wild animals. First, he saw a tied fox on a log that served as a bridge.

''Who are you going after?'' The cunning fox asked Balto.

''I'm going after my daughter.'' Balto answered. ''Have you seen her?''

''Yes, I have. Just untie me and I'll show you the way.'' The fox said.

But as he untied the fox, the fox pushed him off the log, causing him to fall into the wild river.

Later, he woke up on a coast of the river. He heard a voices, yelling for him. He had no idea who it was. Suddenly, he caught a scent. It belonged to Aleu.

''Aleu!'' Balto yelled as he got on all his fours and followed the scent. Unknown to him, more voices were yelling for him.

As the forest was getting thinner, he saw The Raven he had seen in his dreams. He followed The Raven.

When he left the forest, the entered the rocky area. Suddenly, he was ambushed by three wolf-like creatures.

''Stop following the raven!'' One of the menacingly said.

Balto was cornered be the wolverines, afraid. But he couldn't let go The Raven, nor Aleu.

''I'm NOT afraid of you!'' Balto yelled angrily. Suddenly, the wolverines disappeared in the air. Balto continued his journey.

He kept following The Raven. Suddenly, in the distance, he saw a grizzly bear, going in the same direction where the Aleu's scent was.

Balto ran towards the bear. Suddenly, he heard a familiar scream. It was Aleu! Balto attacked the bear, much to Aleu's surprise.

''Papa? What're you doing here?'' Aleu asked.

''Saving you, of course!'' Balto answered. But, the bear was too strong for two wolf-dogs.

Suddenly, Aleu said: ''Papa! We have to jump down!'' as she pointed down the cliff.

''But we're going to die if we do so!'' Balto said, fighting with the bear.

''We will if we don't jump!'' Aleu said.

Knowing that they couldn't defeat the bear, they jumped for it. Soon enough, they landed on sand area.

''Look! The sea!'' Aleu said excitedly. They both headed towards the rock above the water.

''Who goes there?!'' A voice yelled, causing the wolf-dogs to turn around. They saw four wolves cornering them.

''What's this?! Wolf-dogs?!'' A dark-blue asked. ''What do they think they're doing here? Finish 'em off, boys!''

''We got problem, Aleu.'' Balto whispered to Aleu as they stood in fighting stances.

As if it was about to get thicker...

''Niju! Don't do anything harmful!'' A voice yelled. They all turned around and saw more wolves. In front of all of the wolves was one old, dull-gray wolf.

''You can not always stop me, Nava!'' Niju yelled. ''Fine, I'll leave the wolf-dogs alone this time. Come on, you three!''

As the four wolves left, Nava turned to the wolf-dogs.

''What's going on in there, Nava?'' Balto asked. He was even more confused.

''We wolves hunt caribous. They're going to pass the ice bridge across the sea. But my leadership is challenged. Niju claims that stealing from the other wolf packs will do better, but it won't.'' Nava said.

''What does that have to do with us?'' Aleu asked.

''I've seen in my thoughts... I'm going to step down of my leadership beacuse my successor would be wolf. Someone who's wolf but doesn't know that.'' Nava said.

Balto was now lost in the confusion. He said to Aleu: ''Aleu, I can't take any of this. The winter is coming, tomorrow we're going home. Your mother is worried sick.''

''But, papa, somebody needs to take them across the sea. There must be something...'' Aleu said.

''Aleu, there's nothing we can do. We're leaving tomorrow.'' Balto said.

The wolf-dogs slept among the wolf pack. But as they were sleeping, Balto had a dream: This time he saw that if they leave, it'd cause disaster in the pack.

Later, as everyone woke up, Niju was convincing the pack that they should do as he said. But he was interrupted by Balto.

''We must get across the sea if the pack is going to survive.'' Balto said.

''He's right!'' A green-eyed brown wolf exclaimed. ''We should go with him!''

''No!'' Niju yelled in despair, refusing to leave the area.

As the ice bridge formed, caribous had gotten across the sea, and it was all now on Balto.

''Aleu. You go home and tell your mother and your siblings that I loved them.'' Balto said, depressed.
''Papa! It's Niju! He attacked Nava!'' Aleu yelled as she headed towards the ice where Niju was attacking Nava.

But as soon as she came to aid him, Niju attacked Aleu. Balto looked in horror, then he jumped into the water and headed to the ice where his daughter was.

''Niju! Leave her alone! If you want to lead the pack, go ahead! They're waiting for you to get across the sea!''

''Never!'' Niju yelled as he jumped into the water. Then he swam to the coast and ran towards the ominous direction.

Nava got on all of his fours and said to Balto: ''Balto, I thought that you are going to be the one to lead the pack towards there better place. I was wrong. It's your daughter, Aleu, who can save them.''

Balto and Aleu looked at each other in sadness. Aleu was going away, and yet, she didn't say goodbye to anyone in her family. She only could say goodbye to her father.

''But... I thought that I belong here...'' Balto said.

''No, you don't belong here. You belong home, with my mother. But I do belong here. It's my destiny.'' Aleu said.

Balto watched his daughter in sadness. Then he said: ''You're always going to be my baby...''

They nuzzled each other and she said: ''Goodbye, papa...'' Then she swan towards the wolf pack on the iceberg, climbed up, howled to her father and disappeared in the sea.

Balto got onto the coast, where Nava was standing. Then he asked him: ''Nava, what're you going to do now?''

''I'm going with Niju.'' Nava said: ''We're the members of the pack, we live together. Balto, I wish you all the best on your journey home. Goodbye, brother...'' Then he headed towards the direction where Niju had run.

Balto saw The Raven cawing. ''What do you want now?'' He asked The Raven without looking at it.

"Follow the journey home, my son." A voice said. Balto turned around and saw a White Wolf on the place where The Raven was.

"Aniu? You're my..." Balto asked surprised seeing his mother after a while. Then Aniu howled and disappeared.

"Goodbye to you too...Mother." Balto said as he headed back home.

When Balto reached the cave where the bear had been, he looked once more at the sea where Aleu had left.

''Aleu, never forget us.'' Balto said in a sad voice. ''I hope we shall see you again.''

Then he turned around for the last time and went home.

Chapter 13: The