out of the room, but then turned back around. 

Aleu: But, what if he doesn’t forgive me?

Seph: Have faith Aleu. That’s all you need, trust me.

            Aleu then ran up to him and hugged him. Then Seph nuzzled up against her. Aleu looked at him smiling. 

Seph: (Softly) Go.

            Aleu turned around once more. Seph looked at her as she walked away, then he walked up to the light. When Aleu turned around, the light had faded away, and he was gone. 

Chapter 13 

          Niju wasn’t tired at all. Ever since he lay down in the cave, he was awake. He was thinking about what was going to happen now. He thought about what Aleu had said. But he knew he couldn’t stop there. He thought about apologizing to her again. But he still couldn’t think of her name.

Niju: (Talking to himself) what is her name? I’ve got to know it. I know I’ve heard it before. But how am I even going to talk to her.

            Niju took a long sigh and walked out of the cave. He knew he wasn’t tired, he wasn’t even hungry. But he thought maybe some exercise would do him some good. 

            He walked slowly through the woods, bordering the trees. He saw the town, and he looked at it as he kept walking.

_

            Aleu was lying down with her eyes open. The more time passed, the more Aleu thought of what Niju said that morning, the way he apologized, what he sounded like, what his expression was... She got up and sat on the edge of the boat, gazing into the forest, thinking about what Niju might be doing right now. The wind was blowing through her fur, as she stared into the night.  

_

            Niju had been walking for only a short time and he already wanted to head back. But while he was walking, he noticed a high hill, facing the town on the end of the forest. Niju looked up at it and saw that it was fairly high off the ground. It was high enough to be called a cliff. Niju ran up to where it had started and began to climb it. It was a little steep, but level enough for Niju to almost walk up.

            It didn’t take him long to reach the top. When he did, he could see the whole town, the shore, and some of the forest on the other side of the town.

            With the wind blowing through him, he sat there. There were so many thoughts going through his head, so many questions. He still tried to think of how he was going to settle everything. And while he thought, he thought of Aleu. How he was going to say sorry to her, her father, and the clan. He felt a little depressed when he thought how bad it might turn out.

            Niju looked strait into the night. With all the thoughts running through his head, he felt sad. He could see the lights that Aleu and her father had made. Even though he wasn’t sure who made them, he had an idea that Aleu might have something to do with them.

            With the sadness he felt inside, he decided to let it out. Niju then closed his eyes, and pointed his nose strait in the air and sent a long a mournful howl into the night.

_

            Aleu looked strait forward when she heard the howl. Her ears perked up as she heard the howl. She looked right into the forest. She thought that it might have been Niju. Thinking about him made Aleu feel a little unusual, but in a way, it felt meaningful.

            Aleu ran up to the boxes piled up on top of each other next to the outside wall of the room that Balto was sleeping in. She climbed the pile and stood on top of the roof, looking at the forest again. 

            Aleu now knew who the howl came from, and she knew what she wanted to do. So she then lifted her right paw, and pointed her nose up and returned the call.

_

            Niju looked at the town for a while after he had howled. He wanted to go back to the cave. So he took a long sigh and turned around feeling hopeless.

            Then all of a sudden, he heard a loud and clear howl with a higher pitch through the air. He turned around quickly with his ears perked up as he heard the howl. He walked to the edge of the cliff and stared strait into the night, thinking about who it might have been. It might have been Aleu, or her father, or someone else in the clan, he wasn’t sure. But he knew for certain, who ever it was, that he, or she, was a wolf.    

Chapter 14 

            When Aleu woke up in the morning, the sun was half way up, and the snow was almost as red and orange as the morning the day before. There were thin clouds in the sky. Aleu was the only one awake. She looked around and saw that everyone else was fast asleep. She wasn’t tired anymore by the time she woke up, but she thought that she might as well just lie down for a while at least until the sun as in full view.

            But then she remembered that Steven wanted her to get him up in the morning. So Aleu got up, and walked over to where Farris was sleeping, and licked him on the nose to wake him up.

Aleu: (Whispering) Farris.

            Farris slowly lifted up his head and saw her.

Farris: Aleu. What are you doing up so early.

Aleu: I’m going to wake Steven up so we can go for a walk. Do you wanna come?

Farris: No, I’m good thanks. I’m still kind of tired.

Aleu: Alright. Well can you tell every one when they wake up that I went with Steven for a walk?

Farris: Yeah, sure.

            Aleu reached over and nuzzled him on his head, and then walked away.

Aleu: Thanks. 

Farris: You’re welcome.

            Farris took a big yawn and laid his head back down. He closed his eyes for a second, and then opened them up again to see Aleu walk away. He was a little curious about her, but he didn’t bother with it, so he closed his eyes and went, back to sleep.

            Aleu ran into town and around the corner of the alley to Steven’s room to wake him up. She lightly jumped on the bed and touched his nose with hers to wake him up.

Steven opened his eyes tiredly and sat up.

Steven: Hey Aleu.

            Aleu walked over and sat in front of him.

Steven: Good morning.

            Steven reached over and stroked her on the sides of her face.

Steven: Ready for that walk, huh girl?

            Aleu started to wag her tail and stood up and jumped off the bed. Steven swung over and sat on the side of the bed.

Steven: Alright, let me get dressed real quick and we’ll be out of here.

            Aleu excitedly ran out side and waited for Steven. It only took him a few minutes and he was ready. Dressed in his coat and hat, he stepped out side, closed his door, and they started to walk.

_

            They planned to go walking in the woods until a few minutes after the sun was completely over the mountains. Aleu walked a bit swiftly as they walked, sniffing the ground as she went.  

            Then as she was walking, she caught Niju’s scent. She just then remembered what she had to do. So she turned around and walked up to Steven and put her tail down and lowered her bottom close to the ground, pretending that she needed to use the bathroom.

Steven: You need to go potty, girl?

            Aleu slowly spun in a circle to signal a yes.  

Steven: Alright, go ahead. I’ll be right here.

            She then started to run a little bit around the corner through the trees. She then stopped as she saw the cave. This was it. Aleu wandered if she really wanted to do this. She then thought about it what happened last night. Now she was certain that she wanted to do it, but now as she thought about it, she was a bit nervous.

            Aleu took a deep breath and slowly started to walk