warrior."

"Well I'm not exactly a warrior," Balto said, a little uneasily.

"Oh I know about you Balto were you with us wolves, instead of the humans, you would be an alpha that the elders would sing of for generations, there is that quality within you Balto, everyone seems to see it but you."

"Maybe..." Balto said.

Balto noticed Raeona was staring at him.

Suddenly she shook her head and looked at the ground, then back up at him.

"Let's go, he'll be waiting for you."

Balto noticed that as she walked by she looked at him again, then she walked out of the chamber.

He could tell what was going through Raeona's mind.

"I do not even want to get into that situation," he thought, "been there done that, and don't ever want it to happen again; almost losing Jenna was enough to keep me faithful for a long time. "

He shook his head, and walked out of the chamber, following Raeona.

Hiluck smiled, as Balto entered the main chamber.

Raeona walked over to him, and licked his nose, then with one last glance Balto's way she left.

"Oh yeah," Balto thought, "that's most definitely not going to happen."

Hiluck walked over to him.

"Greetings brother wolf," he said, "today is a fine morning indeed."

"Why," Balto asked, "did you reach a decision?"

"My boy the council has voted unanimously to help, not only get Aleu away from Gia, but to assure that she is put back her prior place of authority as well, maybe then, maybe with Aleu's knack for talking things through with the other packs, we can work out a peaceful resolution to all of this.

At any rate, we are ready to go when you are. I have sent word to the other packs in the clan, and they will be but an hour of so behind us. The only thing that I ask, is that I be allowed to maintain control of those whom I am responsible for, everything else is up to you, just tell us where to go."

Balto smiled.

"You don't know how much I appreciate this, I had begun to think that Aleu was lost.”

Hiluck looked across the chamber and saw Raye playing with her mother.

"Yes I do." He said looking back at Balto.

"To the fight then!"

Balto nodded and smiled.
"We can leave immediately," Hiluck said, just give me a few minutes to get the groups together."

He looked straight at Balto and howled.

"Arrwooo."

His howl echoed off of the rock walls and Balto joined in.

Hiluck smiled at him, and then ran over to set up the preparations for their departure,

It was about four hours later, that Balto and the two hundred wolves that Hiluck had brought with him reached the cave where Shadow lived.

Shadow walked out.

"Hiluck."

Hiluck smiled at Shadow.

"I used to have nightmares about having to face you one day if a war did break out, but all of that is done, for now, we are one group, the save Aleu and restore peace clan."

Shadow laughed at this.

"Come brother wolf," Hiluck said, "I want to here your plans, and strategies as to how in the blazes we are going to win this thing."

Shadow walked into the cave, followed by Hiluck.

Balto started to follow, then turned to all of the wolves that Hiluck had brought with him, they were just sitting, or laying, on the ground.

"Well come in," Balto said, "make yourselves at home."

The wolves all began to move into the cave.

Dash and Melody ran out of the cave then.

"Dad, I don't know how you did it," Dash started.

"Melody finished for him.

"But somehow you managed to do it."

They both smiled at their father.

"Let's go inside" Balto said, "we should be in on whatever they are coming up with."

He looked at the two of them.

"This thing is going to take all of us."

Chapter XIX

Balto snuck through the woods.

His heart was pounding.

Shadow knew of a secret entrance to the cave, one that no one else, not even Aleu, had been told about, it was kept a secret, in case he ever had to get into the cave and wasn’t allowed in, like now.

Balto knew the coming conflict would be dangerous, and that a lot of blood would be shed on both sides.

Balto could hold his own in a fight, but these were wolves, and he had his doubts of the effectiveness of his techniques against them.

He was extremely worried about his family.

Dash was going to be on the front lines, with the first wave, and that was a very dangerous position.

Dash gad volunteered to lead the first wave, and Balto was proud of his son, proud of what he had turned out to be, but that still didn’t keep him from being worried.

Melody had wanted to come, but Timbre had made her stay back with the pack, as she was supposed to have pups soon.

Balto looked over at Timbre, who was walking alongside him.

“I just hope that they have a father when they’re born.” Balto thought.

Shadow signaled for them to stop, and the four of them did just that.

Shadow poked his head into a small hole in the ground, then he looked back up at Balto.

“This is it,” Shadow said.

The other wolf, that was from Hiluck’s pack, walked over and crawled through the hole, he was followed by Balto, and Timbre.

Shadow waited for a while, looking around, to make sure they weren’t being watched, and then he too ducked inside the hole.

The team had to be careful, and quiet, so it was almost an hour, before they emerged out of the tunnel, and dropped to the floor just about a hundred yards from the chamber that Aleu was being kept in.

The four wolf guard was still there.

Shadow turned to Balto.

“Now we wait.”

Dash walked up another hill, on his way to the cave. As he was walking, he looked behind him.

Over a hundred wolves fanned out in the woods behind them.

Dash knew sixteen of them personally, as all of the wolves who had followed Aleu volunteered to go in with the first wave, this would be the worst of the fighting, and Dash was scared.

The thought of the upcoming battle, filled him with anticipation, but at the same time, worry and fear, not for him, but for another.

Dash looked beside him, where Shasta walked, a stern look of determination on her face.

Dash continued up the next hill, and finally saw the cave.

“Home sweet home.” He thought.

He saw one of the black wolves, standing guard, and then saw him run into the cave.

“Here goes,” Dash thought to himself.

“We’ve been spotted,” he yelled, “CHARGE!”

The wolves all took off then, following their leader.

As they neared the cave, several hundred wolves, poured out of its entrance, and stood there, waiting.

Dash rushed on toward them.

Shadow and Balto were watching the guard to Aleu’s chamber, when another black wolf ran in, and spoke to the four guards.

Balto couldn’t make out what he said, but three of them nodded their heads and took off., following the other black wolf to the surface.

Balto could hear the sounds of battle, and of death, floating down from the chambers above.

“I hope Dash is alright.” Balto thought.

Then he looked over at Shadow.

Shadow nodded, once, and stood up, Balto and the others followed.

Shadow walked up behind the guard, who didn’t hear a thing.

Shadow tapped him on the shoulder, and the wolf turned around.

Shadow put all the anxiety, all the hurt, all the anger, all the emotions that the last two weeks had caused, into one solid hit.

The wolf slumped to the ground.

Shadow spit on him, then stepped through, into the chamber.

“Aleu?”

Aleu stood up, somewhat shakily.

“Shadow?”

“Aleu!” Shadow said, as he ran over to her.

He nuzzled her neck.

“I thought I’d lost you.” He said.

She smiled at him.

“You should know better than that, it’s me, right?”

He smiled back at her.

“Okay, let’s get you out of here.”

“Dad?” Blaize said, as Balto stepped into the chamber.

“Son,” Balto said, walking over to him, “Blaize, you alright?”

Blaize nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Aleu stepped back from Shadow.

“Shadow, I can’t go anywhere; I have an obligation to fulfill.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Someone to take care of.”

Shadow nodded, it was Balto who objected,

“Aleu, you need to get away from here, look at you, you’re hurt, you’re in no condition to face Gia, now come on, let’s go, you leave her to us.”

Aleu just smiled at him.

“Are you ever going to let me grow up, dad?” She asked, then she walked on by him.

Balto stared after her.

Shadow started to follow her, then stopped and turned back to Balto.

“When she gets that look in her eye, I’ve just learned to shut up, and go along with whatever it is that she wants to do, because she’s going to get it done. She’s definitely your daughter Balto. ”

He smiled at Balto and stepped through after Aleu.

Balto turned to his son.

“Blaize, you are leaving, and don’t even try to talk me out of it.

Blaize just smiled, and stepped out, Balto followed.

“But dad,” Blaize asked, “what are you going to do?”

“I’ve got some business to take care of here first, then I’ll be home,” Balto answered.

Blaize shifted his weight uneasily from paw to paw.

“Well I can’t exactly just leave you here, can I?”

The next thing that Balto said, he didn’t even think about.

“Son, this is not one of those play fights that you and your