for a moment. His ears tilted forward, instantly becoming ultra-sensitive to the slightest sound that might indicate an assailants’ presence.
….right now nothing would really surprise him.
“…Melody?” He asked quietly. His head moved side to side slowly as he surveyed the chamber. He took a step forward and called a little louder this time. “…Melody?”
Her reply was muffled by the rock wall that separated them. “Hang on just a second.”
Relief flooded through Balto as he heard her voice. He didn’t think he could take losing anyone else.
Balto shook his head, ridding himself of that horrible thought and sighed and his mind quickly shifted gears to the task at hand. “…just tell her what you told Dash.” He thought. “Give her the facts, but keep it vague. You can tell her more after you deal with it yourself.”
Balto heard Melody approaching and the words started forming in his mind.
Then she stepped out into the chamber and smiled at him. The words caught in his throat and then evaporated, leaving him speechless.
Balto’s gaze took on a surreal look and when he spoke his voice was so quiet that Melody could barely hear it; his tone flat and unemotional. “I’d forgotten how much you look like her.
Melody took a step forward and smiled. She asked him something, but Balto couldn’t make out the words as time slowed to a crawl. He could feel her blue eyes sucking him in; only he saw not the vibrant, happy eyes before him, but those wide with pain… clouded by death.
He saw himself and Shadow standing alongside the road. The memory was in a harsh black and white, except for the blood…. all the bright red spattered across the gory asphalt was glistening in the white moonlight. That and those blue eyes, eyes which had been so full of life and hope… now vacant and dead. The steadily falling snow added a certain surrealness to the horrifying scene. Balto looked at Shadow and saw his face blank, utterly emotionless.
He was still in shock.
Balto tried to shove what they were here to do out of his mind, but it wasn’t an easy task. Finally Balto turned to Shadow. “…help me.” He said dryly.
Shadow just nodded, the same unemotional stare on his face. Shadow hadn’t said a word since the accident this morning.
Balto and Shadow knelt down and each took one of her paws in their jaws. Balto looked and Shadow and nodded, then the two began to pull back, attempting to drag what was left of Aleu off the road. …but it was no use, Aleu didn’t budge. Finally Balto heard a sharp pop and a sickening wet tearing sound and Shadow stumbled backward. Balto looked down to see that Aleu’s foreleg was missing. Her freshly torn flank glistened in the pale moonlight and again Balto saw the bright red splash of blood contrasted by the eerie black and white scene
Balto turned to see Shadow staring at something on the ground and a look of complete horror and disbelief took over his features.
Shadow’s face was splattered with blood. Balto looked down and saw Aleu’s leg and most of her shoulder and flank laying in the pink mush that had recently been snow.
Shadow stood up, turned and bolted, heading back to the woods as fast as he could.
Balto stood up and started shaking. He closed his eyes and put his front paws on top of each other, willing them to stop shaking. After a few moments the shaking subsided a bit and he looked at the mangled, mashed up mess that had once been his daughter. Balto noticed something that he hadn’t before…
…she was smiling.
Balto was suddenly overcome with sickness and a harsh ringing started in his ears. He stumbled back a few steps and then to the side. He closed his eyes to try to get rid of it, but it persisted and Balto shook his head. Finally he was unable to stand it anymore and he threw op on the snow. Then he looked back up at those dull, lifeless eyes. “I’m sorry Aleu…” he said quietly. “…I don’t want to leave you like this but…”
Balto turned and ran, trying as hard as he could to catch up to Shadow. All he could see were those eyes…
All of this flashed before Balto’s eyes in scarcely a second; less than the time it took Melody to step forward. Balto started shaking and he stumbled forward. His legs finally gave out on him and he crashed to the floor.
Melody gasped and ran to her father’s side “…Dad!” She cried. “Dad, are you alright?!”
Balto said nothing, just lay there and shook, his eyes closed tightly as the event ran through his mind again and again. …those eyes…
“Hang on Dad!” Melody said, leaping to her paws. “I’m going to get Dash!”
As Melody turned to run from the chamber a chill ran down her spine. “He’s not too young anymore.” She thought. “What if he’s having a heart-attack or something?” She didn’t need to talk to Dash to know they were a good ways from a vet.
As Melody took the first few steps outside the chamber her father’s voice, choked by tears, stopped her. “Melody… come here.” He said.
Melody stopped and turned to see her father’s eyes open. Balto set up and Melody walked towards him. “What’s going on Dad?” She asked. Melody sat down in front of him. “You scared me half to death.” She said. “”I thought you were having a heart-attack or something. Heck, you almost gave me a heart-attack.”
Balto sighed. “…sorry Melody. I… I don’t know what came over me.” He lied.
Melody sighed. “Well we definitely need to talk.” She said. “…what’s up?”
Balto sighed and wiped the tears from his face with his paw. “Melody, you sister… Aleu is gone.”
“What?” Melody asked. “Where’d she go?”
Balto sighed. “When she, Shadow and I were in Nome…” Balto stopped and hung his head.
“What is it Dad?” Melody asked. “What happened, where is she?”
Balto closed his eyes and sighed. When he replied his voice cracked. “…she… she was hit by a car.”
Melody took a sharp breath. Though she knew by her father’s emotional state that the question wasn’t necessary. She asked it anyway. “Is… is she okay?”
Balto shook his head, closing his eyes even tighter as if that would help to disspell the gory images still flashing in front of them. “The… the car pulled her underneath it.” He said. Balto sighed and looked up at his daughter. She could see tears squeezing between the lids of his tightly shut eyes. Then he opened them. “She’s… she’s dead Melody.”
Melody shut her eyes and looked at the floor of the chamber. Balto stood and walked closer to her. She looked up at him, tears covering her face. “Oh Dad!” She said through her tears.
She leaned forward and rested her head on Balto’s shoulder. Balto sat down and let her cry on his shoulder for a moment. “It’s okay Melody.” Balto said. He put his paw on her shoulder and rested his head against her neck squeezing her gently as he started to tear up again and his voice cracked. “It’s okay…” Balto fell silent then, unable to say anymore and father and daughter sat there, mourning their fallen family member.
After a few minutes Melody picked up her head, pulled back from her father a bit, and looked at him. Melody wiped the tears from her eyes and sighe. “I… I can’t belive she’s gone…”
Balto nodded. “I know…” he said. “I’m not sure I believe it myself just yet.” He sighed. “..but… but Melody, there’s something else you should know.”
Melody sighed. “…what’s that dad?”
Balto put his paw on Melody’s shoulder. “I think Aleu… well, I can’t know for sure, but I think she saw the car.”
Melody looked up sharply. “What?” She asked. There was an unexpected edge in her tone. “What did you say?”
Balto sighed. “I think… I think she saw the car.”
Melody shrugged her father’s paw off her shoulder and stood up. She stared at her father for a moment and walked toward the wall.
Balto sighed. “…and…and Shadow gave up his position.”
“Who is going to replace him?” Melody asked softly. She stared at the cave wall.
“…Dash is.” Balto said.
Melody whirled around. “…what?”
Balto sighed again. “Shadow told Dash to take his place as leader of the teams, as well as temporary Alpha.”
“Well that’s just great!” Melody snapped. She turned away from her father and stamped her paw in anger. “…damn you Aleu.” She said. Tears sprang to her eyes and she shut them tightly. “…damn you.” She said quietly.
Balto looked confused. “…did I miss something?” He asked. “Melody, are you alright?”
Melody whirled around to face her father. “No Dad!” She yelled. “No I am not alright!”
Balto stepped forward. “Well… what’s wrong?” He asked.
Melody scoffed at her father.
"What's wrong?!" She screamed. "What's wrong?! I'll tell you what's wrong! Timbre was supposed to retire tomorrow!"
Balto still looked confused. "...I guess... I guess I'm not understanding... what does that have to do with anything?"
Melody glared at her father. "It has everything to do with everything!" She screamed. "I know things are still all cushy-cushy in good old Nome, but out here we have the real world to deal with!" She yelled. "In case you haven't noticed the Shadow Clan has declared war on everything Aniu stood for, and that means us, our clan! The fall of Aniu has left us without the support that's kept us alive so long, and our Alpha is freaking dead! War is imminent with the Shadow Clan and a lot of us are going to die if we even survive at all and my mate, the light of my life, is going to be leading the freaking charge! He was supposed to retire tomorrow and be out of danger... we have kids and lives of our own to think of now! Timbre leading the Third Unit was great, fine, until that happened! Then all I cared about was that my mate was protecting our way of life and I was so proud of him! ...but now I don't care about that anymore, damn the Talbourne to the depths of hell, all I care about is Timbre, about our family! ...and now, thanks to my stupid freaking sister going off and doing something so freaking stupid as killing herself, my brother is taking her mate's spot because he's too torn up over her stupidity to do anything, and that means that Ami is going to take his place, which means that there are no wolves eligible for promotion to Lieutenant left! That means that Timbre will be out in the middle of the
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comebacks some how I've got my fingers crossed