take over.”

“It’s not too hard.” Aleu said.

“What?” Alai asked.

“I’ve… I used to do it. It’s different, but you’ll get used to it.”

“You led your clan?” Alai asked.

Aleu nodded.

Alai sighed again.

“I’m sorry Aleu, I… I could tell earlier that you didn’t want to talk about it, but… I need to know more about this quest of yours.”

Aleu sighed.

“Okay, come with me.”

“Not now,” Alai said. “I’ve got a lot to do now, if you want to, go to sleep for a while, and I’ll come and get you when I’m through.”

“Okay,” Aleu said, “she walked back to the cave and laid down, but she didn’t go to sleep.

“I need some answers,” Aleu said to herself.

Aleu was back in the cave.

“Wow,” she said, “I can do it by myself.”

Heamer stepped out of the shadows.

Emotions flooded through Aleu, she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

“Heamer?” Aleu asked.

“What’s up Aleu?” Heamer asked.

“I… I just needed to find some things out, and thought that maybe I’d be able to find them here.” Aleu answered him.

“Well, good luck,” Heamer said, “if you need help, just think of one of us, and we’ll be here.”

Aleu smiled, then Heamer disappeared.

Aleu closed her eyes, and thought of the time that she had spent with Magor the night before.

She could almost hear his voice, see his warm smile.

Aleu fell to the ground.

A few moments later she stood up.

“Oh my gosh!” she said.

Then the world dissolved into blackness.

Alai shook Aleu awake.

She looked up at him and yawned.

He smiled.

“Sorry,” he said. “it took a little longer than I thought.”

Aleu looked up to see that the sun was setting.

“Wow, I slept for a long time.” Aleu said.

Alai smiled again.

“Yeah, you must have been really tired.”

Aleu stood up.

“Aleu, I’m ready to talk to you,” Alai said.

“And I have some things to tell you too.” Aleu said, “come on, follow me.”

Alai followed her out of the chamber.

Aleu walked up to the spot where she had talked to Magor.

She sat down and Alai sat down beside her.

“Okay,” Aleu said, “in order for you to semi understand this, I have to tell you how Aniu’s clan became trapped.”

“Go on,” Alai said.

“Aniu was the leader of the first wolf clan. They were created here in Alaska. Everything was fine for a few hundred years, then, there was a great war, that split the clan into many parts. Some of them opted to stay here, while other’s moved to other parts of the world.”

“Yes, I know this, all of us children are told of this story.”

“Yes, I forgot that you were raised differently than I.”

“So do you know about Shade?”

“Shade?” Alai asked.

“Yes,” Aleu said, “Shade killed Aniu and imprisoned her clan here on the island.”

“The name of her clan was Talbourne.”

Alai took a sharp breath.

“We… we’re the Talbourne.”

“I know,” Aleu said.

“So, how did you get here?”

“Aniu wanted desperately to rescue her clan, but she could not, Shade would not let her.”

“So she began to provide for them, making the ice flows come together and letting animals cross. First it was the moose, but Shade killed them, and then she used different animals, and then Aniu decided that she had to rescue them, as she was running out of animals.”

“Aniu took a physical form, and lived a new life, leading a clan, and eventually meeting a sled dog and having puppies.”

Aniu hadn’t planned on her pups being half dog, but things happened that she lost control of, and they were.”

Alai interrupted her.

“Is this where you come in?”

“No,” Aleu said, “that was much later, but one of the pups was extremely sensitive to the spiritual plain. Aniu intended for him to be here, but he was accidentally separated from her. She thought that he had died, but he didn’t, he was adopted by a little boy named Mikie.”

“Mikie was very sick, so his parents let him keep the wolf dog.

Mikie gave him the name Balto.

Balto found that the other dogs wouldn’t accept him because he was half wolf.

There was one dog there, who gave him a chance, and found that he was a great person.

Her name was Jamie.

Balto and Jamie spent almost all of their free time together, and eventually, about six months later, Balto found that he loved her.

Then Jamie had to move away, to Anchorage.

Balto was heartbroken at first, but he resolved that he would follow her.

Then Mikie got sick.

Balto couldn’t leave then, so he waited, until finally Mikie died.

Balto overheard Mikie’s parents talking, they had never liked him, and he heard Mikie’s dad say that he would just take Balto out hunting one day and not bring him back.

Balto left then, headed for Anchorage, in one of the worst snowstorms that the area had seen.

Being young and somewhat dumb he headed the complete wrong way, and made it about half way to Nome before he passed out.

A goose named Boris was flying over and saw him, he took Balto back to Nome, and the two became fast friends. Boris was the father that Balto never had.

Well, Balto found the situation with the local dogs hadn’t changed any from Applegate, where he’d lived before, they still hated him.

Again though, Aniu was watching out for him and there was one beautiful husky named Jenna that didn’t mind him.

The town was hit by an epidemic of Diphtheria soon after this, and a sled team had to be dispatched to retrieve the life saving anti-toxin.

Balto ran the selection race, and won, but the humans wouldn’t give him a chance. He was devastated.

Then the team got lost.

Balto went out and rescued them, bringing the medicine back to Nome.

He and Jenna got together.”

Aleu smiled.

“Enter me and my siblings.”

“Well, all of my brothers and sisters looked just like dogs, but me, well you can see.”

Alai interrupted her again.

“I couldn’t have told you there was dog in there at all, I thought you were pure wolf.”

“Exactly,” Aleu said, “I didn’t understand why, when it came time for us to be adopted, why no one chose me.”

I lived with my dad, Balto, for about a year, before a hunter took aim at me, and I wouldn’t be standing here had it not been for my dad.

I thought that the human might want to adopt me, and then… and then my dad told me about being half wolf.

I got mad and ran away, and to make a long story short, I wound up finding a clan near the sea, that needed a leader, so I filled the position. I was told by my spirit guide that through my journey I would find out who I was, and I believed it finished when we got here, but not long after, the bridge came again, and some… all of the wolves but me tried to go home, the bridge collapsed… they all drowned.

Then I was told that I was to save the Talbourne clan, I can only imagine how, as no one has told me yet.”

“So you’re here to take us home?” Alai asked.

Aleu nodded.

“There is something else you need to know…. A bear didn’t kill Magor.”

“Then who… or what did?” Alai asked.

“It was Ender, but he was acting because of Shade, Alai you must be careful, if Shade saw fit to kill Magor, then he’ll probably target you too.”

“You sound worried.” Alai said with a smile.

“I… I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Aleu said.

They both smiled at one another.

“So we need to move the pack to the ocean, huh?” Alai asked.

Aleu nodded.

“We must wait there until the bridge comes again.”

“Come on,” Alai said, “let’s go tell the pack.”

Chapter 6

“So,” Balto asked, “how did the clan take it… and you said that Aniu’s clan was the Talbourne, isn’t that the name of your clan?”

Aleu nodded.

“Yes, we are the Talbourne, and I’ll explain why just shortly, but as to the clan, well…:”

“You’ve got to be out of your mind!” A brown wolf said.

“I agree,” said Ender, as he stepped forward. “We are having trouble finding food here, much less if we try to move.”

“We must,” Alai said, “to stay means starvation,” he looked at Aleu, “or worse.”

“I don’t agree,” Ender replied.

Aleu stepped forward.

“Aniu has taken care of you for many years, why not trust her, and take a chance?”

Ender laughed.

“I didn’t think that a wolf as young as you would believe in such garbage.”

“What?” Aleu asked.

“Aniu is only a pup’s fairytale, she’s not real, and she hasn’t watched out for us, we’ve watched out for ourselves.”

Aleu glared at Ender.

“That’s borderline heresy.”

Ender