only son – my only living son that remains – was left abandoned in a small town called Nome, Alaska at the age of six moons old by Tulugaq before he too was killed. For almost three years, he endured intolerable torture by purebred huskies and silent glares by his fellow wolf, but he knew that his destiny would lie just around the bend. His name was Balto.

Earlier that moon, a deadly epidemic struck the most vulnerable of the small shore town – the young children and the elderly. The sickness was called diphtheria, and the local doctor lacked the necessary medicine to cure them . . . so all of the victims could have perished . . . if it wasn’t for my son’s quick actions. Secretly, he ran out into the wilderness to search for the team that was sent out to retrieve the serum and bring it back to Nome in one piece. However, the team got lost within a blinding winter blizzard, but Balto took over the leadership role and guided the team to safety. 

But the journey home wasn’t without its own set of natural dangers along the way.

His personal trail had been rigged, accidentally leading them to a steep mountain cliff. The gray-brown hybrid bravely saved the medicine, but he was also sent tumbling down the mountainside, his pride and spirit was as severely injured as his physical body. 

It was on that same night that Muru had fled from home when I felt it necessary to show myself to my son in my Great Spirit form in order to remind him of his proud heritage as a wolf. He didn’t recognize me at all and was quite doubtful of himself because of the fact that he was equally both a tame husky and a wild wolf, but silently, I showed him that because he was both, he could achieve the new destiny that was awaiting him once he rescaled the high cliff to his adopted team – he was meant to become a hero.

Unfortunately, I could not be in two places at once and I personally felt that my son was more important, but I was shocked by what lie in wait for me once I returned to the meadow of the field mice. 

The moonlight was setting, preparing for the dawn, but the dark clouds that drizzled a bit made me realize that “Sister Moon” was crying, almost as if she were mourning someone. Kahu and Quillac were no longer asleep, but out in the grassy field near the beam of white light that glittered straight up into the sky. The light’s source came from the tiny bag that young Muru carried with him – inside, there was a small piece of crystal prism, which was a gift from his parents from his six-moon celebration. It was then that I noticed the translucent form of the mousy-brown rodent floating in the air above the weeping eyes of his parents.

“Mother . . .! Father . . .!” He cried, tears forming in his eyes as well. “I’m right here! I’m okay!” 

The two mice could not hear their son’s cries from above, for they clutched his lifeless body in their arms, grooming its dried wounds of blood with their salty tears.

“Why, Great Spirits?” I heard Kahu screech out as he lifted the body of his son towards the sky. “Why must you punish us so? Why didn’t you protect him like you promised us?” 

At the moment, even I wanted to cry. It was then that I realized the error of my ways – because I went to be by my son’s side, Muru’s life was tragically cut short and his parents now had to mourn another mouse-child lost.

Apparently even the oldest of spiritual creatures can make mistakes, despite our omnipotence . . . but there was a way that I could atone for my sin and selfishness. But how would I tell the grieving parents after I let them down so? I let out a deep yet soft sigh, knowing that I had to do what was right. 

“Muru, . . .” I called the mouse’s soul, knowing that he would recognize me and my voice. “Come towards me, my child . . .”

The youth dried his eyes and floated toward my voice. “Aniu?” He sounded surprised, but his tone grew sad once I nodded. “What happened to me? All I can remember is . . . I don’t know, it felt like a jolt . . . surging through me as I ran. I felt blood . . . fall from my body, as if someone was grabbing me . . .” He lowered his head, shuttering in confusion. “ . . . and then . . . I couldn’t feel . . . anything . . .” It was clear that he couldn’t understand what had just happened to him. 

“It’s alright, young one . . .” I nuzzled him gently with my muzzle. “You shall feel pain no longer . . . Your soul will be at rest now.”
 
“Then why do I still feel sad?” He gazed up at me with large, dark eyes. “I miss Mother and Father . . . and they sound like they miss me just as much!” He sniffled back his tears, but it was to no avail. “They can’t even hear me . . . Why can’t they hear me? Isn’t there something I can do to comfort them?” Muru brushed off a salty stream with both of his paws. “Oh, Aniu . . . I’ll do anything to speak with them again!”

I paused for a moment, looking back down at the forms of Kahu and Quillac. They were now being comforted by the local mouse families that had once spoken down upon Muru’s beliefs and knowledge, but now, they all gathered to mourn losing such a bright and intelligent adolescent that they never gave a chance to understand. 

I never explained to the young mouse that he was, in fact, already dead, but I figured that he would discover it on his own rather quickly. Personally, I found the quickness of death as a natural part of life – I had actually died several times throughout my long, long life as a spirit from the times when I returned to Earth in a mortal form, so I was quite used to the bitter chill of Death’s hand on your skin. I knew that all mortals only lived once, so I felt that they were lucky that death was usually a one-time experience.

“I believe there is a way . . .” I murmured to him, much to his personal delight. However, he had no prior awareness of what I had planned to do, but I knew what would happen next would not be easy for either Muru or his parents to accept. 

He had no choice – this was now the start of his destiny.

(Piece II completed – 2/24/08)