hour ago.” Shadow said. “I came straight back here.”

Aleu nodded. “Don’t feel responsible for this one Shadow.” Aleu said. “I can tell you do… there was nothing you could have done.”

Shadow shook his head. “I had her though… I… I dropped her… and she… she died.”

Aleu sighed. “Shadow, you look like you could use some rest. Lay down here for a bit, I’m going to go tell Everest what happened. When I get back I want to know about this attack.”

Shadow nodded.

“Shadow.” Aleu said. “This is an order. Get some rest.”

Shadow nodded again. “I will Aleu… thanks.”

Aleu smiled. “I’m sure you did everything you could for Saba… now… I’ve got to go tell Everest, get some rest.”

Shadow stood and walked into the chamber.

Aleu continued out of the chamber and turned left, climbing down to the fifth shelf, where Everest’s chambers were.

Everest stopped at the entrance to his chambers, and turned, watching Aleu’s retreating form.

Everest raised his paw and wiped a tear from his face, reflecting on the sad news which Aleu had brought tonight.

He looked up, and walked into the chamber, where, in the middle of the small room, three small pups slept.

Everest sighed, and nudged the smallest of the three, a gray female, awake.

When all of the pups had been woken up, Everest sat down in front of them.

The small gray one yawned. “Dad, what’s wrong?”

“Yeah,” one of the others said. “Why’d you wake us up so late?”

Everest thought about the news he had to share with them.

“How can I do this?” He thought. “How can I tell them…?”

Everest sighed and began.

“Kids… your… your mother…”

“Gosh,” Everest thought, “this is even harder than I thought.”

Everest couldn’t hold it in any longer, and as much as he wanted to appear strong in front of the kids, he broke down into tears, and lowered his head.

The children may have been young, but they knew enough to know that something was seriously wrong, and that that something involved their mother.

Sunny, the youngest and smallest of the three walked to her father’s side.

“What’s wrong dad?” She asked. “What happened to mom?”

Everest sighed and laid down beside Sunny, as the other two children came forward and joined the small family.

For a long while they just laid there, listening to their father’s soft sobs.

Finally, Everest raised his head and gathered his children in close.

“Your mother….”

He sighed.

“… your mother won’t be coming home.”

“What?” One of the children asked.

“Why not? Sunny added.

“Your mother… she... she’s dead.”

“No!” Sunny said. “No, that’s not true!”

Everest sighed. “I’m sorry kids… but it is… she… she was killed training with Shadow today.”

“I want to see mommy!” one of the children cried.

Everest pulled them in very close to him, as the implications of the fact he’d just spoken sank in.

The small family huddled against one another and grieved for its lost member.

Saba was quite surprised to open her eyes. She was blinked a few times and looked around her.

She was in a cave. The ceiling rose forever and disappeared in a gray mist.

Saba stood uneasily and looked herself over. She was surprised to find that she was uninjured.

“Am I dead?” Saba asked herself aloud.

A voice from behind answered her. “In a word, yes.”

Saba whirled around.

There was a red dog standing there.

“I… I don’t believe it…” Saba whispered.

The red dog smiled and stepped forward. “What? Didn’t expect to see your old brother again?”

Saba stared at him, open mouthed as he continued forward, stopping just in front of her.

“Well?” He said, chuckling to himself. “Are you just going to stare or do you remember how to speak?”

“I’m sorry Dingo.” Saba said, still clearly awestruck. “It’s just that… Mom and Dad told me that… that you were killed… by Steel.”

Dingo sighed and the smile disappeared from his face. “That is true.”

“Then how…” Saba’s voice trailed off for a moment, then she looked up at him. “Oh my god…”

Dingo nodded. “Yeah Saba, you’re dead too.”

Saba hung her head. “I… I remember now…”

A warm voice, different than Dingo’s, reached her ears. “All things do happen for a reason however my child.”

Saba looked up.

Dingo was gone.

The voice had come from behind her.

“Go ahead and turn around my child.” The voice said.

The voice sent a chill throughout Saba’s body, but as it faded, most of Saba’s fears and doubts… her problems, did as well.

Saba turned around and saw beautiful white wolf.

Saba’s mouth dropped open in surprise again. “It’s… it’s impossible…” Saba murmured.

The white wolf chuckled at Saba’s reaction. “You will soon learn that nothing is impossible.” The wolf said.

“Are… are you Aniu?” Saba asked.

The white wolf nodded her head, once.

“I didn’t think it was possible… I mean…” Saba’s voice trailed off as she was truly unsure of what to say.

Aniu smiled. “Your disbelief is understandable my child.” She said. “You were not brought up as the wolves are, weren’t groomed in the teachings of wolves such as Nava or Aleu, who have seen me firsthand. Your disbelief is forgiven you.”

Saba smiled sheepishly. “Th.. thank-you.” She said.

“Now we must talk.” Aniu said with a sigh. She looked at the floor for a moment, and then back up at Saba, locking her eyes which seemed almost hypnotizing. “You have much to learn and unfortunately we do not have much time…”

Chapter 6:

Jenna sighed to herself as she made her way down the sidewalk, near her home in Nome Alaska.

The source of her concern was her son, Everest.

More than a few weeks had passed since he and her daughter, Saba, had been banished from Nome because of the relationship the two had. Everest and Saba were mates.

At first Jenna had fought this, it was wrong, and Jenna knew that, had been taught that her entire life, but… they were still her children. In the weeks following the trial Jenna had come to accept the fact that Everest and Saba loved one another. Now she was worried about what had happened to them.

The thing that had finally brought Everest and Saba’s feelings to light was Saba’s unexpected pregnancy. Drake, the local keeper of the law, had allowed Everest and Saba to remain together until the pups were born, out of concern for Saba’s well being, and then had entrusted them to Jenna.

Jenna herself had been unable to attend either the trial or the sentence of her children, but she knew that they’d both been banished, and told never to see one another again. A day or so later however, the pups had disappeared from Jenna’s home. Then an alarm had been raised throughout town that those who had been banished had returned.

Jenna was scared for her children, for the punishment if they were caught was death.

Indeed, this was the probable fate of Everest, and the reason Jenna was so worried this morning. Her son had been tracked to a barn near the old mill, and it was there that his pursuers had caught up to him. A follow up meeting was being held by Drake today to relay the exact facts to the dogs of Nome. Drake believed this would set aside the rash of rumors that had been running through the small town like wildfire.

Some said that he’d been killed trying to escape, other’s said he’d made a hero’s last stand in the barn… but the one thing that seemed the same in almost all the accounts was that Everest had been killed.

Jenna did not know if her son was alive or dead… no one did.

…or so it seemed until a few days ago when Drake had announced this mornings meeting.

Jenna was secretly intensely proud of her children. Everest and Saba had taken their responsibility as parents, and one another, so far as to risk death to steal their children away in the dark of night.

No one had yet mentioned Saba, so, since the pups hadn’t been found, it was probable that she was still alive… somewhere, and that she had retained the care of her children.

Jenna wished her daughter and her small family well, and hoped that, one day, their paths would cross once again, so that she could tell Saba how proud of her she was.

Jenna could see the old mill now. That was where the meeting was supposed to be taking place shortly.

Jenna walked up to it, and pushed open the doors.

There were already many dogs in the large building, and they had been talking to themselves, but as Jenna nudged the door open they stopped.

Jenna could feel all the eyes in the room on her as she walked to the front of the room where she could see Balto.

A hint of a smile crossed her face as she walked up to him. “Hey Balto.”

He smiled and nuzzled