the middle of the battle when he should be here safe with me and our kids! Don't you freaking see?! I mean, do you know what it's like to have your mate go out there, knowing that he's facing death at every turn and staying back here?! Do you know what it feels like to be among all the other females standing in the entrance to the cave just wondering if he's coming back?!"
Balto's face took on a surprised expression and he stumbled back a few steps. He started to speak, but the words failed him and he remained silent.
Melody sighed and hung her head as tears sprung to her eyes again. "Dad..." ...but there was nothing she could say and she stopped.
Balto just stared at her. He'd never seen his daughter get this upset before. Melody was usually so mild tempered. "I... I thought that issue had been handled." He said.
Melody sighed. "It was... well... I was okay with it, but..." She sighed again. "About a month ago Timbre brought it up again. He volunteered... apparently that's the way he feels now too... I don't know... I guess I'd gotten used to the idea. I mean... I don't know..." She sighed again and looked down for a moment, then back up at her father. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's... it's not your fault, you couldn't have done anything to change it... I was out of line."
Balto nodded. "Well, it's alright Melody." He said. "If you feel something that strongly then you should get it out. It's not good to hold things like that in."
"I know..." Melody said. "...but still..."
It was quiet for a moment before Balto spoke again. "I know that Timbre's job is dangerous, but... but it's also very important. He keeps all the wolves in this cave safe. He is one of the leaders of the finest fighting force in the wolf world. You should be very proud of him, of the sacrifices he makes."
Melody sighed deeply. "Dad, every time they go out we meet them on their return, and every time I go running to him, but there's always those that don't find their mates among those that are left, every time I see females that have lost the only ones they cared about, every time I see them and I feel sorry for them... but inside I'm just thinking about how glad I am that it's not Timbre, that he's okay... but you can only cheat death so many times Dad... if he keeps going out there... one of these times he's going to lose the gamble. One of these times it's going to be me standing there in tears. One of these times he's not going to come back..."
Balto walked over to his daughter and put his paw on her shoulder. "Melody, I know it's hard. ...and I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you planned... but you shouldn't blame your sister for this. There's no way she did this to hurt you."
"...but she did." Melody said. "...she hurt all of us."
Balto sighed. "I know sweetie, and... and I'm not sure why she did it, but..." Balto sighed. "Time to get this out of your system buddy." He thought. "....but once she grew up Aleu was never selfish. She always put others ahead of herself."
"How could she be thinking of others with this?" Melody said. "...suicide is the most selfish action anyone could ever take. It hurts everyone around you."
Balto sighed. "Melody... Shadow and I... we went back before we came here."
Now it was Melody's turn to look confused. "...went back where?"
Balto sighed again. "To... to the road just outside town... where... where she was hit. We..." Balto stopped as tears came to his eyes again. "...we tried to drag her off the road... but... well, more of her stayed there than came with us." He fell silent.
"...oh God..." Melody said. "...Dad... I'm... I'm sorry."
Balto swallowed hard and sighed. "Yeah... well... yeah... but... but that's not the important thing, the important thing is... well, she was smiling."
Melody still looked confused. "...smiling?" She asked. "Why... why would she be smiling?"
Balto sighed. "Melody, your sister had a great understanding of the world beyond our own, of the spiritual world. I think... well her last words to Shadow were "I'm sorry, I can't fail you"... I think... well, Lytion said that Aniu using the origin and being killed would send her to hell."
"The fall of Aniu, of course." Melody said. "That's why we're so weak now... why Shade actually stands a chance at winning."
Balto nodded. "...and that's why Aleu... why she killed herself." He said. "At first... at first I thought that she was just depressed... but... but that doesn't make any sense. Aleu wouldn't kill herself."
"...but she did Dad." Melody said.
Balto sighed. “I refuse to believe that Aleu would kill herself without a good reason.”
“Oh, and what would be a good reason?” Melody asked.
“I don’t know.” Balto said. “…I don’t know… but there has to be one. Aleu always, always had a plan… she wasn’t one to give up like that.”
Melody shook her head. “I’m sorry Dad,” She said. “…but I think you’re letting your grief override your sense of reason. You’re searching for a way to justify an action that cannot be justified.”
Balto sighed. “…I hope you’re wrong Melody.”
Melody sighed. “Dad… if she killed herself… it was for herself, no one else. You saw how she was… she was despondent, distanced… she killed herself because she couldn’t deal with her guilt… what could she possibly accomplish by doing something like that?”
Balto sighed. “I don’t know… yet… but I know there has to be a reason… Aleu wouldn’t abandon all of you.”
Melody sighed. “Dad, a week ago I’d’ve agreed with you, but… that’s exactly what she did…” She sighed. “Dad. You... you look really tired, you should try to get some rest."
Balto could see that his chance to convince his daughter had evaporated for the time being, and that to push it on her further would only be counter-productive and hurt his daughter. He nodded. "Yeah, I could definitely use it… "
"...do you need a place to sleep?" Melody asked.
Balto shook his head. "...no, Dash already invited me to stay in his chamber."
Melody smiled. "Well... Timbre's gone for a while... out training the younger ones... with him gone I'd... I'd really like it if you could stay with me. It’s awful lonely around here without he and the kids."
Balto smiled. "Alright Melody... let me go tell Dash and June so they don't go looking for me or anything, then I'll be back."
Melody smiled. "…alright Dad."
Balto started to tear up again and he smiled. "It's... it's going to be alright Melody." He said.
She sighed. "I hope so Dad…"
With that, Balto turned and walked from the chamber.
Melody looked up at the ceiling of the chamber. “..what have you done Aleu?”
Chapter 4:
As Dash walked into his chambers, he noticed that his father was absent. “That’s odd…” He thought. “I’d’ve thought that he’d be back from Melody’s by now.”
Dash walked further into his chambers and ducked through a low passage near the end, following the short tunnel until emerged into a small but normal sized chamber. June slept against the far wall.
Dash smiled and walked over to her. He knelt down beside her and looked at her for a moment and a smile spread across his face. “…you’re… beautiful.” He said quietly.
Though Dash still loved his former mate Shasta, he was very much in love with June. At first it had been very hard for him to move on, and he’d thought that he’d never be able to love anyone again after Shasta’s murder. …but in time he’d come to realize that it wasn’t possible to be with Shasta anymore and his children needed a mother… but more important than that… Dash found he needed a mate. An intimate relationship with someone he loved and he found that in June. Now, June was his life; his family was his life. Dash loved the Talbourne, but if the truth were to be known he would do anything for his family… even if it meant leaving the Clan he loved.
Dash raised his paw and laid it on the side of her face, rubbing it gently. He leaned in closer to her, nuzzled her softly and then kissed her on the cheek.
June’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled. “…hey you.” She said.
Dash smiled back at her. “…hey.”
She yawned and put her paw against his. “…so you’re off post now?”
Dash nodded. “Yeah… yeah, I’m yours till the meeting tonight.”
June smiled and wrapped her other leg around his shoulder, pulling him closer to her. “Mmm, I like the sound of that.”
Dash smiled and kissed her. “I love you June.”
She smiled back squeezed him tight. “I love you too Dash…”
A few hours later June opened her eyes. She was still laying against the wall. She closed her eyes and rolled over next to Dash… but he wasn’t there. June opened her eyes again and saw him standing on the other side of the chamber.
She stood up and yawned, then padded slowly over to him. She stopped at his side and sat down. “Whatcha doin’ over here?” She asked.
Dash sighed. “…just thinking… thinking about tonight.”
June nodded, but she really didn’t know what to say, so she just remained silent.
Dash sighed again. “I mean… Aleu was the most beloved Alpha in the Talbourne’s history… what do you say to something like that?”
June sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. “I don’t really know that there’s anything anyone could say to make things right… but I’m sure you’ll think of something appropriate.”
Dash smiled. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right…”
June smiled back at him and rolled her head up to look at him. “Can you think while you lay next to me?” She asked. “I really like having you close. We haven’t had that much time to ourselves lately.”
Dash nodded. “Yeah I’m sorry about that June. I really should make the time for you… but I’m afraid that if I laid down beside you I wouldn’t get much thinking done.”
June smiled coyly. “Well that doesn’t sound too bad
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