cooling hear and cry in she-wolf’s heart. Silver-furred look on open water, partially covered with ice, partially with loose ice-float but in majority clear. Somewhere there was her lost home, but she had no reason to go back.

“And have I any reason to stay with my pack?” she asked herself. “That is no longer my family... They don’t care about me... They can’t protect me...” She sobbed, but her voice was muffled by the waves. “I have to my place here... Anywhere I go, I’m homeless. Dad!” she turned her muzzle to the sky. “Help me! Tell me what to do... Where I should go?”

But clear sky was silent. Or maybe its voices were drowning in noise of the sea. Natalya sighed and turned back in forest direction. She was afraid to back to Sergey, but actually she had no other place to go. “That is the unknown land. And my pack is group of unknown wolves to me. I wish to have to shelter... at least my own, small den to hide from them all.”

[“My den” song. Tune is sad and touching, full of longing.]

[Natalya is slowly walking on the beach. Behind her back a cold and hostile see is boiling with waves. Sand is partially covered with snow and on that muddy whiteness she-wolf is marching with effort. She starts to sing.]

World is so wide, is so great
But I think it’s too small still
I can’t find a place to wait
All the storms are coming here 

[She tries to hide in some rock-crack, but after few seconds – on words <coming here>, water from broke wave splashes her over.]

There’s no haven in my sight
Where I could just rest a while
Nowhere lair where I could hide
When the storm comes as my trial

[She exits a hole. Then she comes to the forest. Some nightly creatures escapes from her, seeing the predator, but she looks scared as well as them. Wind is blows, showering Natalya with snow. Because her fur is already wet, snow stick to it. She shake it off with irritation. She runs further.]

But there must be safer place
Side where I could lap my face
Have an hour of silent rest
Gather strength to daily test

[Finally, she lays under some wide three, nestling to moss there. Zoom-in on her face. She closes her eyes and tries to sleep. But then moon clouds over – uneasy Natalya opens her eyes. She stands up and walks on sandy dunes of forest’s brink.]

Chorus:
I am looking for my den
Doesn’t matter where and when
Just to find my home where I can live it through
And maybe someone, friendly arm
Would guide me there and make den warm
Because I’m looking for a home for two

[She looks around, as if she is looking for her dreamy home. But some blow of wind again shower her with snow. To avoid unpleasant cold she jumps down to rock-crack.]

Second verse:
Shore is breaking waves of see
I’m listening to this growl
Hoping that it calls to me
Telling now where I should go

[She stops, looking on the sea. Waves are breaking just before her – it looks scary, but Natalya is more sad than scared. She tries to listen in waves noise.]

World is so wide, is so great
I don’t believe it’s so void
So will search and I will wait
Until I find that dreamed point

[She climbs up, back on dune, then goes through beach. Suddenly she notices a pawprints in the sands. She smiles but then her smile fades out, when she discovers that are just her prints. She put her paw in one of the print – it fit perfectly. Natalya runs to the forest.]

Birds have nests and fox has hole
I have no my place at all
Ow, how much I them envy
That must be a different life

[She notices a bird’s nest on the low branch of fir. She lick her lips with hunger, then jumps on low branch. But then she looks on nest and see that some sleeping nestling are in. She freeze for few seconds, then lowers her paws. She jumps down the fir.]

Chorus:
I am looking for my den
Doesn’t matter where and when
Just to find my home where I can live it through
And maybe someone, friendly arm
Would guide me there and make den warm
Because I’m looking for a home for two

[With sad expression on her face she gets back to her pack and takes a bedding in dwarf-pines cluster. She fades down her song and closes her eyes. Falls asleep.]

IV. One, big family

Aleu and Ami were running fast in Buckland’s direction. But the closer to humans seat they less wanted get there. For Ami it was obvious – she was to see men for the very first time in her life (apart of few times, when she and her family were escaping from hunters chase) and she wasn’t scared but just careful. She trusted her mother’s reason but anyway she was ready to instant run away from new, unknown creatures.

And Aleu was scared. It seemed quite funny, even for wolf-bitch, but years in wild almost wiped out merry memories of living in Nome and left just aching recollections of scorn and fear she had been evoking in humans. “They always thought I was a wolf. And they had right – I am.” Thought Aleu. “I hope we find that Ice quickly.”

“Mom, why we slowed down?” asked Ami. “Something is wrong?”

“No, no...” replied Aleu. “I’m just checking the way. But right... let’s go.”

So they started to run down from Bears Mountain’s slope into Buckland Valley. Sun was rising up, announcing new - sunny but frosty - day on Alaska.

*

The plane was a extraordinary attraction for Buckland. Not only that such machines had shown there rarely, but also a fact that Arashi Tazaku bought Duke’s biplane for good was a local sensation for citizens. For Arashi and Gunnar a sensation was the flight, especially the landing. Just before touching the landing clearing, Japanese confessed that he had never been flying plane before, to say nothing about piloting. Of course Norwegian wasn’t pilot too and was convinced that his friend knows how to drive that machine. From altitude of three hundreds to altitude of fifty feet, they were intensively arguing who was in fact the pilot, but in last moment of subsidence they decided they would try do seat the vehicle. And it turns that they both know how to land, because they stopped biplane over fifty feet before brink of dense forest. Machine was still operational and no casualties were reported.

“Damn, Arashi!” cried still shocked Gunnar. “Why did you tell Duke, you know how to fly?!”

“Because I know!” replied doctor. “I was flying in captive observation balloon many times. Besides Ari was delighted by that landing. Right Ari?” asked Tazaku and put bitch from rear seat to lower plane. She wagged her tail with excitation and jumped down in snow. Japanese turned to his friend with innocent smile.

Their further argument was muffled by triumphal calls of gathered crowd of Buckland’s citizens. So they asked audience to help to pull machine to Ash’s garage nearby. But then Sara Ash brought some serious assistance for that.

“Ow, my dear... they will manage it?” asked Japanese, looking on daughter who was leading a pack of sled dogs.

“Wow! That will be a achievement.” Murmured Gunnar. “Nine dogs to over two thousand pounds plane!”

“Good to see you dad... good to see you, mister Kaasen.” Smiled Sara and stared to harnessing dogs to airplane. “But where is John?”

“He has to fix some business in Anchorage.” Explained Arashi. “He will be back in week, I hope. But that let’s try to help our four-legged heroes.”

The new sled team contained nine dogs and was still led by Ice. Nine year old greenland was still in perfect condition and his long-gained experience of leader was priceless in journeys in Alaska. Six of his charges were his and Sky’s children - Agnes, Lucy, Ari, Steele, Kiva and Armand. All of them were now mature and responsible sledge dogs, avid pullers and reliable father’s assistants. The new recruits were Mark and Robert – almost three year old children of Ice and Cher. When theirs sisters - Diana and Julia turned out to be too fragile to pull the sled, those two seemed to manage quite well, as least well for fresh members of team. In case, town has the second sled team, led by old husky David, containing his mate – Mackenzie Eva, five of their children and Eva’s sister – Marry and few additional dogs. But for then it was clear that Ash team was ready to do his job.

“Hi dad!” smiled Ari, coming to Ice. “It was wonderful... I was flying...”

“Well, nice.” Murmured sled-leader. “But I think that dogs are destined to walk the earth, not to fly.”

But then Ari instantly joined to harness and they all started to pull the heavy cargo. Although plane was generally made of wood and linen and apart of the engine and few others elements there was no metal parts, the whole was over two thousand pound weight. Plane was on skies, snow was fresh and easy to pull on it, but anyway it wasn’t the easiest task.

“Mom! What they are doing?!” gasped Ari, looking with confusion on strange scene on clearing.

“Ow, my God!” whispered Alue, shivering on all body. “That... that monster enslaved them!”

In Aleu’s mind the only memories connected with plane were those terrifying recollections of escape from Russia. Her pack was tracked and chased also by such mechanical dragon. Impulsive she nestled in daughter’s side and pressed her down to hide in snow.

“Mom, what’s...”

“Shhh!” hissed brownish-furred. “He can’t see us.”

“But those dogs don’t seem to be in danger... I think.” Replied Ami.

“You haven’t seen that creature in flight!” moaned Aleu.

“In flight?” amazed dark-furred. “But it seems so helpless... Maybe uncle Ice hunt it down