chuckled.

“What are you gonna do, kill me?”

Aleu growled at him.

“Maybe…” she said under her breath.

Ender growled and stepped toward Aleu.

Alai stepped in between them.

“Ender, that is enough!”

He turned to Aleu.

“And you, I can’t handle a fight right now.”

Ender glared at Aleu, then he smiled.

He turned to the assembled wolves.

“Anybody who wants to starve, or freeze to death, go with them, if you want to live, stay here, with me, with the Talbourne.”

“Ender,” Alai said, “I hardly think that splitting up the clan is the best thing to do right now.”

“I don’t think you care what’s best for the clan, I think that all you care about is a beautiful pair of eyes, your new girlfriend, you didn’t say anything before, and now that she’s here, all of a sudden the great Aniu is talking to everyone.”

He laughed.

“So, follow this pathetic love sick loser, or stay with me…”

He turned back to Alai.

Aleu growled and stepped in between them.

“.. a real leader,” Ender finished.

“Look,” Aleu said, “my whole clan died so that I could come here and rescue your sorry tail!”

She started yelling then.

“I loved them! They were my family! The only ones I had left!”

She turned to the other wolves.

“Shade is doing this!”

“More fairytales,” Ender said, “you actually think that there is some undead, demon wolf named Shade?”

Aleu nodded.

“I have seen him with my own eyes. He attacked me.”

Ender laughed.

“You know what, I think that you are insane.” Ender said.

Aleu walked forward.

“Go where you will, but we’re leaving in the morning.”

She turned to Alai.

“Let’s go.”

The two of them walked away.

Aleu stood in the cave.

“Aleu?” The calming voice said.

Aleu turned around.

“Aniu?” Aleu asked.

Suddenly, she shivered.

“No,” she said, “you’re not Aniu.”

The white wolf smiled and faded, replaced by the sickly Shade.

“You are getting better.” Shade said.

Aleu stared at him.

“Your friends are not here to protect you this time,” Shade said.

He started to walk forward.

“Believe!” Aleu thought.

She felt afraid, but then, her fear evaporated, replaed by an uneasy peace.

“I’m going to end this here.” She said.

Shade smiled.

“Oh you are?”

He continued walking forward.

Then he snarled and leapt at her.

Aleu closed her eyes, and braced for the impact, but there was none.

She opened her eyes and saw that Shade was lying on the ground.

He stood up and tried to attack her again, but it was as if he’d leapt right into a wall.

Shade stood up and shook his head/

“Face me you coward!” He snarled.

Aleu let the… she didn’t know how to describe it, the shield? drop.

Shade chuckled and started to circle her.

Aleu was scared , but she was also confident.

Then Shade attacked.

He whirled around, trying to clamp his yellow teeth in her neck.

Aleu twisted out of the way, and with barely a thought, she unleashed a flurry of attacks, throwing Shade against the wall.

He stood up and snarled, attacking again.

Aleu wasn’t quite fast enough this time, and he got her shoulder pretty good.

Aleu looked down at it.

There was blood running down her shoulder, but the wound had a greenish glow to it.

Aleu started to feel lightheaded.

“That can’t be good.” Aleu thought.

She closed her eyes and when she opened them, she saw Shade flying through the air, into the darkness beyond.

“I’ve… I’ve got… got to…”

Aleu was trying to think, but her thoughts were all jumbled and it was hard for her to comprehend anything.

“got to… get…”

Aleu collapsed.

Aleu woke up and looked around her.

Her shoulder hurt.

Aleu looked down, and saw dried blood on her shoulder.

“That was real?” Aleu thought.

She’d never gotten injured in the cave before, and now it was evident that whatever happened to her there, also happened here.

She suddenly felt sick, and threw up.

“Eeww,” Aleu thought, “I feel sick.”

She thought she was going to throw up again, but she didn’t.

Alai walked in then.

“Aleu!” he said, “I was worried sick about you, you’ve been out for a few days.”

“What?” Aleu asked.

“Yeah, a lot has happened since you passed out.”

“How long?” Aleu asked.

“Three days, almost four,” Alai answered.

“Shade must’ve gotten to me.” She said quietly.

“Shade?” Alai asked.

Aleu nodded.

“I… I fought him.”

“You?” Alai asked.

Aleu nodded again.

“I… I wasn’t exactly successful.”

Aleu looked at the ground.

“But… but you did it, you fought him?”

Aleu nodded.

“Aleu!” Alai said, concern evident in his voice. “What happened to your shoulder?”

Aleu looked again at her side.

“A memento from Shade.”

“Well,” Alai asked, “are you okay?”

Aleu nodded.

“I feel kinda sick, but I’ll be alright, what happened?”

Alai sighed.

“Ender took a good percentage of the clan with him; it seems that some of them thought the same way he did.”

Aleu sighed.

“Well, I think that’s sad, but we’ve got to leave without them, they’ve made their decision, since I’ve been out, the bridge may have come back.”

“Yes,” Alai said, “I agree, we should do that, we’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.”

“Let’s go talk to them.” Aleu said.

Aleu stood up and Alai followed her as she walked out of the cave.

Chapter 7

Aleu opened her eyes.

She’d been in the cave thinking.

The cave provided a calm place to stop and think.

“And apparently sleep,” Aleu thought, “Man I must be tired.”

She stood up and yawned.

“Did you enjoy your nap my child?”

Aleu turned around and saw Aniu standing there.

Aleu nodded and yawned again.

“I saw your confrontation with Shade a few days ago. You preformed magnificently, though you were unprepared for such an event.”

Aniu looked down at the floor.

“That is my fault, and I apologize. I… I didn’t think he could attack you so quickly here…. I thought I could keep you safe… I was wrong.”

She looked back up at Aleu.

“Shade is growing too powerful for me to keep him in check. He now does and goes where and when he wishes, I can control him no longer.”

Aniu sighed.

“That is why your quest is so important, you must defeat him, or else… the world will be a chaotic place with him running around.”

Aleu nodded.

“So you see,” Aniu said, “it is more than just this clan, if Shade becomes any more powerful, he will be able to affect our lives in a drastic way, he can make people and dogs simply cease to exist, just by thinking about it.”

“And all this hangs in the balance of me beating him?” Aleu asked.

Aniu nodded.

“So you see Aleu, I’m not so selfish after all.”

Aleu stuttered, trying to talk too fast.

“Oh, Aniu, I.. I didn’t, well at the time I……”

Aniu smiled and cut her off.

“I know that you did not mean any harm, and I understand your feelings.”

Aniu paused.

“Now, you must learn to believe.”

Aleu sat down and listened.

“The first thing that I will teach you is how to see other places.”

What is a place that you know very well, that you could describe to me in great detail?”

“Home.” Aleu said quietly.

“Okay,” Aniu said, “close your eyes, and concentrate, think of every little thing that you can remember about Nome; people, family, streets, mountains… anything.”

Aniu smiled.

“Now open your eyes.”

Aleu couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

There appeared to be a hole, almost like a window, in the cave wall, through it she could see….

“ DAD!” Aleu said.

Sure enough, Balto was sitting on Jenna’s front porch, talking to her, and beside them, were two small puppies, one red and one gray.

Aleu smiled.

“I have brothers and sisters!”

Aniu smiled, happy at the joy on Aleu’s face.

As she watched another orange husky walked up and started talking to Jenna. The words were a little muffle sounding, but she thought he was asking her about the pups.

“Uncle Drake,” Aleu said, “Gosh I miss all of you.”

“Are you ready to move on?” Aniu asked.

Aleu wasn’t ready to shut this window, but she sensed that much more lay in wait her today, so she simply stopped thinking of home, and the window disappeared, replaced by the rock wall.

“Next up is how to defend yourself.” Aniu said. “Now I know that you did what I’m about to show you in your battle with Shade, but I don’t think you know how, you were