about to cry for help when an entirely different wolf suddenly came between them and her. “Leave her alone, yirix,” he said threateningly. “If you do not stop harassing the women, you will eventually get to a hunter’s mate, and he will more than make you regret it. Get out of here.” The two ran off, and the wolf turned to look at Aleu. She was trembling slightly, rather frightened by what had happened. “Thanks,” she said. The wolf was handsome and strong, with dark gray fur. What struck Aleu were his eyes; they were a bright, deep silver color that made it look as if he could pierce into your heart and see your emotions and thoughts. He nodded. “Do not trust any male who approaches you and begins speaking that way. When they do that, they have found you attractive and want to mate.” Aleu closed her eyes, shuddering. “Do they do that to all girls? Do all male wolves do that?” “No. Passion is encouraged among wolves; even interactions between lovers that we find perfectly ordinary would likely seem too intimate to you for a couple that are not mates. It is nothing more than a cultural difference. As for what happened to you just now, many are somewhat unrestrained in that respect, and look for others who are the same way. Those two were an example. Fornication is looked upon with a very unfriendly eye, but there are still those who go about doing it.” Aleu nodded. “Thank you for the warning, and thank you again for saving me.” “You are welcome. May I request only one small thing in return?” “What’s that?” “Your name.” “Aleu.” “Ah, after the islands. I am Camyar. It means ‘fighter’.” Aleu nodded. “I’ll see you later, Camyar.” “I hope so. Your eyes are very beautiful, by the way; I have never seen ones so blue.” Aleu smiled, a pleasant stirring feeling in the pit of her stomach. Camyar walked off, and Aleu went to find the hunters.

Aleu had a great deal of fun the rest of the day; she loved the feeling of finally connecting to her wolf heritage. It was also wonderful that the wolves didn’t care that she was part dog. When she bedded down for the night, she heard noises after a few minutes. She stood up and looked over at where they were coming from. It was another nest, not too far from hers, and she went over to it. Inside lay a female wolf with silvery blue fur, young…and very pregnant. She was looking at her stomach, moaning and rocking her body back and forth. “Are you alright?” Aleu said quietly. The wolf looked up. “Um…oh…I am giving birth. Please…go and get my mate? He is one of…one of the hunters. He is guarding the meat tonight. He…is coal black. His name is…Orkaan. Please get him…quickly.” Aleu nodded. “I will. Hold on. I’ll only be a minute.” The mother curled up, breathing hard. Aleu sprinted to the caribou carcass and found the wolf she was looking for. “Excuse me?” she said, shaking him awake. He looked up. “Vaqis…oh, you are…Aleu, correct?” “Yes. Are you Orkaan?” “I am. Is there…something I can do for you?” “Your mate is having your puppies.” At this, he was suddenly wide awake. “She is? Thank you for telling me!” He ran to the nest where his mate lay. A few of the others had awakened. “Erana?” he said. “Are you all right?” “I…I am in labor, Orkaan.” “I know. Worry not, my love. You shall do well.” Erana struggled to her feet, and Orkaan carried her to a secluded spot beneath a few trees, hidden by bushes. It was tranquil there, and Aleu thought it a fitting place to have puppies. Orkaan laid Erana down, and she settled comfortably onto some loose pine branches. Aleu turned to leave. “Wait!” Erana called, and Aleu turned around. “She should at least be allowed to stay after that favor,” Erana said. Orkaan nodded and looked at Aleu. “If you had not taken the time to go to my mate, she would have had to walk to me while her pains were coming. Please, stay. We are honored.” “Thank you,” Aleu said, smiling. She lay down next to Erana, watching as Orkaan soothed her with his voice. Aleu admired the mother-to-be; it was obvious that she was in incredible pain, but she took it on bravely, small screams the only indication of that pain. It took about four hours for the first puppy to come. Erana clutched Orkaan’s paw, hissing painfully through clenched teeth, pushing hard. “Aah-haagh! Ahhh!” “It is alright, my love,” Orkaan whispered. “The puppy is coming.” Erana tucked her hind legs up to her body and pushed with all her strength, and the puppy finally came out. “Oh!” she gasped in relief, laying her head down. Orkaan showed the puppy, a girl, to Erana, who licked her joyfully. It was only about another hour before the other puppies came out. There were two more, both boys, making the total three. The couple decided on names, and Erana beckoned Aleu to look at the puppies. They were quite small and very lovable. Erana spoke a poem of happiness as she cuddled them, and Orkaan told their names to Aleu. “In order: Dyralii, Gixei, and Namatu.” Aleu didn’t know what the words meant, but she thought them beautiful names, and said so. “Thank you,” said Orkaan. He turned and lay down next to Erana. “I am proud of you,” he said, sharing a kiss with her and massaging her hind legs.

Aleu left, thanking the two for letting her watch the birth, and they thanked her, turning back to each other as she left. To her surprise, Nava was waiting for her. “You did a kind service for Erana, sister. I do not wonder that they invited you to watch. That is rare, you know. Almost every time, the mother has the puppies alone with the father.” “Was I, um…breaking a rule or something by watching?” “No, no. They chose to let you be there. If you had tried to watch and they did not want you there, that would be unacceptable, but not this. Anyway, I believe that when word of this spreads in the morning, you will be trusted and esteemed by many wolves here. As of now, that number includes me.” “Well…I didn’t do much, really. It wasn’t really heroic or anything.” “To Erana and Orkaan it is. Many wolves not strangers would not have even taken the time to see what was happening. You have a noble soul.” Aleu smiled. “Thank you, Nava.” The elder nodded. “I would like to invite you to eat at my side during dinner tomorrow.” “Really? Wow! Thanks! I’d love to.” “Very well. Goodnight.” He walked off and lay down on the elder rock, and Aleu went back to the nest to go back to sleep. She felt so at home here; according to Nava, she had practically won the trust of the pack with a mere favor, whereas in Nome, she had never managed to fit in, even though she had spent her whole life there. Still, she missed it, if only a little. The problem wasn’t the whole town, just its human inhabitants. She thought of her brothers and sister, her mother…and her father. Especially her father. She fell asleep wondering how he had taken her running away, and what it would do to him.

Aleu’s scent took Balto directly up the mountain, which he scaled with surprising haste. He could feel himself becoming tired, though; he wasn’t sure how much strength he had left to expend so freely. He wasn’t willing to go to sleep, at least not yet. At least Aleu had taken an easy path. His nose told him that she was less than a day ahead. “What will I say when I get to her?” he thought. “I have no idea of how to handle this.” He sighed, as he had so many times already, and walked onward, now on a wide ledge with a gentle slope that bent to the left. He came around it and saw something on a rock ahead. He couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but it looked like a wolf…at least partly. As he approached, he saw that its body was thin and lithe, with smooth, jet-black fur. Black, but not black…it seemed to be luminous, with a red ambience. It slowly turned its head to look at him with blood red eyes and a malevolent gaze. It spoke to him, its voice humming, like a ghostly dirge. “Who was the one who came before you?” Balto stepped back. “What are you talking about?” “There was one here before. She looked like you. How fortunate she was.” “Fortunate?” “That she fell.” “What? Did she fall off the mountain?!?” “No, but she fell from another slope. One of us was there. She was lucky to escape.” Balto swallowed. “Are you…not of this world?” “Do you want me to be?” Fire spewed from the creature’s eyes and red light from its mouth, and it shrieked like a banshee, revealing glowing blue-white teeth. Balto shrank further back, and the creature returned to the way it had been. It laughed at him, and he came forward again. “So…if you’re not supernatural…what are you?” “That depends upon who sees me. The one that came before you saw me…but I did not look the same.” “You said that…she was lucky to escape death?” “We enjoy the art of killing.” “Um…we?” Suddenly, Balto became aware that another, similar creature was behind him and to his left, and another climbed vertically down the rock face and walked around him, stopping behind him and to his right. He looked at the first again, and it climbed down from the rock. “And…we do not appreciate company.” It roared, and darkness seemed to flood the ledge.

The creatures became brighter, and the one standing in front of Balto lunged at him and bit. Balto rolled to the side, barely overcoming his fear in time. He stood and lunged. The creature flung itself backward, but didn’t come down; it hovered in midair and flew back to him. As it landed, it bit him, and he yelled with pain, feeling the teeth rip his skin. The creature released, and Balto heard another running up behind him. He spun around and bit at its front leg, and it tripped, sprawling on the ground, but quickly getting up. Balto charged the first one, dodging to the left and tearing into its shoulder, and it cried out, red light emanating from its wound. The third creature tried to attack him from the side, and he turned and kicked it in the face with his back legs, knocking it away. The second creature tackled him from the side, trying to bite his neck, and he pushed himself off the ground, causing it to fall off