Balto 1 1/2, Part 4:

Destiny Calls

By C. Brucker "TameWolf03"

Chapter 13: Aniu

Balto felt his heart sink as he watched his daughter slowly disappear into the distance. Who could have predicted the events that had just taken place? Aleu had found her destiny as the leader of a wolf pack. It was the hardest thing Balto ever had to do, letting her go. But, he knew he had to do it. It was what was meant to be. As he watched her and the pack floating away atop the ice, they eventually ceased from view, their howling echoing in the distance. Balto found himself smiling. His daughter was a destined leader. It made him feel prouder than he ever had before as a father. Nava assured Balto that she was going to do well, and it helped add to the pride he felt. Soon thereafter, Nava left him, in search of Niju, the only remaining member of the pack. It made Balto feel uneasy that Nava was going to search for the wolf that had just attacked him. But, what choice did he have? Upon watching Nava bound off into the horizon, Balto began to realize he was alone. What was left to do now?

"Only the journey home, my son," a voice answered for him.

Balto turned around to find a ghostly white figure staring at him. "Aniu? You're my...?"

Aniu nodded, and lifted her head to howl as she disappeared in a mysterious fog that suddenly came and went.

Could it be? The white wolf Aniu, was Balto's..."Goodbye to you too...mother," he said under his breath. He made his way up the rocky shore, back towards Nome, and found he could barely catch his breath, stunned after what he had just seen. He had heard many stories growing up, about the white wolf, Aniu. No one had ever known who she was, but many agreed, she was the spirit of all wolves. According to the tales that were told, she had died a horrific, and unjust death long before her time, and now she was a wandering spirit, who commonly appeared before those in need. Many had sworn to have seen her, and claimed that she always appeared mysteriously, and never said a word. But, her expression always gave the witness the will to carry on. Others claimed that she appeared in dreams, and spoke to them. Balto always thought it was a myth, until that fateful night, when he encountered her himself during that terrible snowstorm. Now, as he retraced his steps toward his home, it was indescribable to know who he was a descendant of.

By the time he arrived in Nome, it was late. And although he thought he should visit Jenna to tell her he was all right, he knew she, and her family must have been sound asleep. So, he decided to wait until morning. It suited him well, for he just wanted to relax after everything that had happened. Upon reaching the old abandoned boat that had been his home for years, he climbed aboard, careful not to disturb Boris, and curled up in his blanket, unsure just how to feel. His daughter was gone. There was no escaping the fact; he might never see her again. He sighed in despair as he made himself comfortable, and drifted off to sleep. But, when he did, a strange dream came to him.

***

Balto found himself on a seemingly endless, hazy purple plane of dim light. He looked around in confusion. Where was he? It seemed to be as if he were in another dimension of some sort. The ground appeared somewhat transparent, with an eerie violet glow. He saw nothing but fog all around him. There was no sun, no moon...and apparently no sky. He was about to start looking around to see if he could find anyone…when she came. There she was, standing in a parted section of the fog. A dim white light came from where she stood. "Hello Balto," Aniu spoke.

Balto froze where he stood. "Mother..." he started to say, caught up in the moment. "Is it really you?"

Aniu said nothing, but gave him a brief nod.

Balto was awestruck. This was the wolf that had come to him in his time of need when he was bringing the medicine. He was sure of it. But, was this really the mother that Balto had hardly known? The mother that had disappeared so mysteriously years before? It was unclear. But as he looked closer, he recognized the warmth in the wolf's eyes. The love that always made him feel safe. It was her! She had grown old, but still Balto could tell. Breaking out in tears, Balto dashed into her presence to nuzzle her, and felt her embraced him. It had been so long since he had seen her last.

"It's all right my son," she said softly.

Balto could barely talk, he was crying so hard. "I missed you so much!" he exclaimed.

"I know...but I'm here for you now, Balto."

Balto began to calm down, finding he was comforted by this. "Mother…" he said finally, "why did you have to die when I needed you most? Why did you leave me?"

"I never did leave you, Balto," she said. "I've been here with you all along. You've just never figured that out." Balto sensed her sincerity. His tears began to dry. "All these years, I've been guiding you, helping you find the way. And I must say, I'm very proud of you, my son. You've accomplished some amazing things. You've done some very noble tasks. You did the right thing tonight, Balto," she continued. "Your daughter has finally found her home, and you willingly let her go to it.”

"It wasn't easy," Balto said holding his head low.

"That's completely understandable, my son. But, just remember that you did do the right thing."

What could Balto say next? He had never again expected to see his mother. He had so many questions. So much he wanted to say to her.

"Mother, what ever happened to you, and your pack?" he asked. "To this day, I still wonder why I never saw you again."

"The pack was forced to scatter, and leave this land," Aniu replied softly, "because we were being hunted by poachers…Poachers who felt that wolves were a threat to humans...which was not true. As you know, we would never harm our human brothers. But in any case, I was unable to escape with the pack. The poachers caught me, but did not kill me right away. They used me for sport, and forced me to die slowly and painfully." She did not explain exactly what happened, but Balto was certain he didn't want to know. "That is why you find me in this state. I never want to see another suffer the way I did. So, I do my best to help whoever I can, and keep them from danger."

"Like when you helped me," Balto said with a slight smile.

"I couldn't let you give up that night, my son. The town needed you, and your children would never have been, had you given up. You've become a wonderful father, Balto. You must be proud."

"Yes, but...I'm still upset about Aleu," Balto replied. "I just wish I knew if she was all right."

"Well, why don't you ask her?" Aniu implied.

Before Balto could ask what she meant, a sudden heavy breeze came that parted the fog, and Aleu appeared, right in front of him. He was stunned to see her. She looked around for a minute, seeming quite confused at first glance, but this changed upon realizing who she was with. "Papa!"

"Aleu!" Balto ran over, to meet his daughter. He couldn’t believe it! He thought he might never see her again. Turning to his mother, he asked, "Is this real?" Aniu nodded. Balto smiled, and turned back to his daughter. "Aleu, I'd like you to meet your grandmother," he said

"I'm confused," said Aleu. "Where am I?"

"You are both having the same dream," Aniu explained, "but you are spiritually here together."

Aleu's surprised look slowly turned into a smile. "Aniu is my grandmother?" she asked.

"Still ashamed of your heritage?" Balto laughed.

Aleu chuckled, knowing her father knew the answer to that.
"Aleu, how is everything for you?" Balto started to ask. "You being with the pack, I mean."

"Everything's fine, Papa," Aleu began. "We made it across the great water, and found a beautiful land on the other side."

Balto sighed in relief. It was what he had hoped for. Aleu had made it home.

"It’s so great. It’s wide open, and very scenic. May I add, I've caught on to the pack's ways very well. They tell me it's hard to believe that I was raised as a dog."

Balto chuckled a bit. "The one who is wolf, and doesn’t know,” he said softly, wearing a prideful look.

"But, this new place...it's not quite the same as my old home," Aleu said sadly. "I miss you, Papa."

"Me too," Balto answered, feeling the tears coming again.

"There is no need for this weeping," Aniu spoke. "You two can come back here any time you'd like."

"Really?" Aleu asked.

Aniu nodded. Balto and his daughter just sighed happily, smiling at each other.

"I'm very proud of you, Aleu," Balto said. "You're going to make a great leader."

"Thanks Papa," she answered. "I couldn't have done it without you." And as these words were being said, Aleu began to vanish, just as quickly as she came. "Goodbye for now, Papa," she said.

Balto looked at his feet, as his daughter disappeared.

"Well my son," Aniu continued. "Your children have all found their way. Every one of them has found a purpose in life, and will accomplish much as a result. But, what about you?"

Balto turned to face her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I think you