but orders are orders.”

He hit Jenna in the face with his paw, tossing her head to the snow.

She shook it, in an attempt to clear her vision, which had already been blurry.

“That was supposed to work the first time,” the wolf said, “sorry again.”

Then he pulled his paw back.

Jenna pulled back in anticipation of the impending strike.

The wolf hit her, and this time she did pass out, her head fell to the snow, and her eyes shut.

The wolf turned and along with the rest of his gang began to run away.

Balto had gotten worried, when he’d heard that Jenna and Blaize had gone out for a walk, he didn’t know why, but something just didn’t feel right, in fact he felt as if something bad were going to happen.

He’d learned to listen to these feelings, as they usually were correct.

He’d went out immediately to find Blaize and Jenna.

Kaltag thought he was being paranoid, but he didn’t know about Balto’s discussion with those strange wolves this morning.

Balto had tracked the two of them to the outskirts.

He was walking through there, when he saw a dog leaning against the wall.

He walked over to see if the dog needed help, and suddenly recognized who the dog was.

“Jenna!” he yelled.

He ran over to her.

“Jenna, are you okay.”

Jenna groaned and opened her eyes.

“Balto?” She said/

She was pretty beat up. Her face was a mess.

“What happened, who did this to you?” Balto asked, he looked around, and suddenly got a horrible feeling, in the pit of his stomach.

“Where’s Blaize?” Balto asked.

Jenna’s mouth was busted up pretty good, so her speech was somewhat slurred.

I… think they... I don't know.”

“They who?” Balto asked.

They.. they were black, Balto, I think they were wolves.”

“Oh no,” Balto said.

“Why would wolves want to take Blaize?” Jenna asked.

She stood up.

“Balto, what’s going on, what’s this about?”

“Gia.” Balto said, staring at the tree line

“Who’s Gia?” Jenna asked.

Balto looked at Jenna.

“Jen, do you think you can make it home?”

“Well… yeah,” Jenna said, but… where are you going?”

“You’ll be safer if you don’t know,” Balto said, “just go home okay? No, go stay with Drake and Gemeni, they don’t know about them yet. I don’t want you going home until I get back, but I’ll be back soon.”

Balto started to walk away.

“Balto,” Jenna said, “you’re not making a whole lot of sense.”

Balto stopped and turned to speak to Jenna.

“I’ll tell you about it when it’s over.”

Then he took off, running for the forest

Jenna just watched him vanish into the tree line.

“Huh,” she thought, “wonder what that was about?”

Then she started off for the old mill.

Chapter XVI

The wolves were all back at the cave, and Raminou was talking to one of the other male wolves.

“..and anyway, you should have seen her, she was beautiful, I was going to..”

Baeowe walked in then, and cut him off.

“Gia wants to see you, now.”

Raminou stood up.

“I’ve got to go now, but I’ll finish my story later, you wouldn’t believe it, I mean this was an angel.”

He laughed, and then he walked towards Baeowe.

Baeowe stopped him.

“Be careful, she’s extremely angry about the whole situation.”

“I’ll be careful brother,” Raminou said, “Gia

and I have been friends for a long time, I’ll just apologize.”

.

Gia dropped Raminou to the ground.

The black wolf didn’t move.

She looked down at his motionless body.

Gia licked the blood off of her muzzle.

“Apology accepted Raminou, you were right; I understand just fine, just hormones getting in the way of judgment, I’ll let it go this time, just don’t let happen again.”

She laughed.

Lightning looked at the wolf.

“And that was one of her friends,” he thought, “what’s to keep us all from being killed by her. Maybe this is all wrong, at least with Aleu we didn’t have to worry about her killing any of us, in fact…. We didn’t have to worry about anything.”

Lightning started to walk out of the room.

“Lightning,” Gia said, “where are you going?”

“Just going to see how our prisoner’s are doing,” Lightning said.

Then he walked out of the room.

Gia looked behind her.

“Euean?”

The black wolf stepped out of the shadows.

“What is it Gia?”

“Follow him, don’t do anything, just follow him, listen and report what you find to me.”

Lightning made his way deep down into the cave. Outside one of the chambers, was a two wolf guard, but they were his friends, and they let him through.

He continued on to another chamber, a smaller one, that was also guarded, this one though had four wolves outside it.

They were not his friends.

"Hey guys," he said.

The four black wolves stared back at him.

"Look I need to discuss some things with our prisoners, you four are to leave me in peace, just hang out outside the chamber, orders of Gia, okay?"

The wolves looked at him, then one of them nodded, and the wolves stepped back, Lightning noticed that two of them were limping.

Lightning ducked into the chamber.

He never saw what hit him.

Aleu crashed into him, throwing him to the ground.

Aleu stopped with her jaws around his throat, ready to crush him.

"Lightning?"

She got off of him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Aleu," he said quietly , "I had to come down here. I'm so sorry Aleu, we were stupid, stupid to have thrown you out, and.... and I don't know about anyone else, but I want you to come back."

"What's the matter," Aleu said haughtily, "Aniak's not the great leader you thought she'd be?"

"Aleu," Lightning said, "Aniak is dead."

"What?" Aleu asked. "How?"

This wolf pack came, they were trespassing and we tried to stop them, they're good fighters, they took down my team in less than thirty seconds, killed three of them, and the rest were pinned down.

The leader, Gia, spared our lives, and told us that they were a nomadic band of... of rovers."

"Rovers..." Aleu said,. "I didn't know they still existed."

"Well it appears they do," Lightning said, "anyway we got them to attack the Onasie Clan for us."

"Oh no," Aleu said, "who?"

Lightning hung his head.

"Kilu."

"Oh you guys are dead now," Aleu said, "the entire Onasie clan is probably gearing up for the assault as we speak. I might get out of here after all."

Then... then Aniak had them come get you, she's was afraid you would rebuild your pack, from those few that went with you, until you could retake the pack from her.

They..."

Lightning looked at the floor again.

"They were supposed to kill you, but the leader of the group, Gia, she brought you back, said something about it being a test. She told Aniak to kill you.

Aniak couldn't do it.

She had you sent down here, and I guess Gia saw that as weakness.

Gia killed Aniak."

Aleu hung her head, and a tear rolled down her face.

"Aniak was my friend," she thought, "she was just... confused."

"So now Gia leads the pack?"

She looked back up.

Lightning nodded, and you're going to have to be very, very good to beat her.

"Where do I fit into all of this," Blaize asked, standing up in the corner.

"Shadow has been somewhat un-receptable to our offer.... to her offer of your life for Raye's. Gia wants Raye dead too."

"Shadow's acting under orders." Aleu said.

"That explains his resistance a little, but if he doesn't break those orders, and I mean soon, Gia is going to send him your body."

Aleu gulped.

"Okay," she said, thinking.

"Why is this Raye so important to you anyway." Lighting asked.

"Wait a minute," Blaize said, "you didn't answer my question."

"Oh sorry," Lightning said, "I got a little sidetracked.

"Shadow hasn't been cooperative, in the least, so Gia wanted Balto to mediate for them, to be a middle man, to make Shadow understand the graveness of the situation.

They went to meet Balto, but he refused.

"Their response was to take you while you went on your walk with your mother."

"Mom?" Aleu said, "turning to Lightning, "if

anything happened to her, I guarantee that one way or another, you won't live to see the sun rise another day"

"Woah," Lightning said, "take it easy Aleu, she wasn't harmed, it's okay."

"So my dad is coming here now?" Blaize asked.

"That can be my only assumption, yes." Lightning said.

"Great," Aleu said, "so now you've pulled my family into this."

"I... I have to apologize to you Aleu, and to you Blaize... it was my idea to involve Balto."

Blaize walked over to Lightning and hit him in