except Balto was able to mutter something out.

 

“And yet . . . life must go on . . .” A stream of thin liquid dyed his cheeks dark.

 

“Balto?” Jenna gasped softly at the sudden words of her mate, causing Saba’s ears to prick up with surprise as well.

 

“We can’t keep being sad about losing Aleu, Jen,” Balto murmured amidst his tears. “Death happens to all of us . . . and the only way to help make things better is to remember the good times, not the sadness of loss.” They nuzzled each other for a few moments.

 

Saba felt rather awkward by her parents’ side, only lowering her ears as they comforted in their loss. “Um . . . I’ll leave you two alone . . .” With that, she turned back to where Everest would soon await for her near the grieving wolf family of Shadow and Aleu’s surviving children.

 

Meanwhile, Balto suddenly chuckled lightly, beginning to remember something that he had made peace with years ago. “Hey, Jen . . . you remember that time I was mourning over Jadze?” His tone was calm yet almost reminiscent.

 

Her ears pricked up at the mentioning of her lost daughter. It was so long ago, yet it was still quite hard to believe that such an event was even capable of happening to their family. “Of course I do, Balto . . . Losing her was hard for all of us, especially since you . . . you watched her die . . .” Jenna saw his head and ears droop at those words, and she knew that Aleu’s death was only bringing back those harsh memories of their daughter’s final moments of life. “You kept the pain all to yourself, blaming yourself for what happened . . . and it only hurt the rest of us, as well as yourself . . .”

 

“She grew up at that moment, Jen . . . Our little girl became an adult when she passed away . . .” Balto let out a sniffle, remembering Jadze’s final moments beside him. She wasn’t even two years old yet, but her natural talent of pulling a dog sled shone through all her life. “She told me . . . that she was afraid to die . . . but she was too proud to show her tears to me . . .” His gaze suddenly turned to the unmoving body of his first-born. “Tell me, Jenna . . . was . . . was Aleu afraid too?” Jenna was shocked by her mate’s query, but she did not answer. Balto repeated himself again. “Was our daughter afraid of dying at that moment?”

 

Jenna honestly was speechless after hearing him say such a thing. She knew what she saw when Aleu pushed out that final pup – her daughter forced herself to give birth, and in doing so, she lost her own life and the pup’s. If I told him the truth, . . . oh, that would tear him apart . . . I can’t tell him that . . . I can’t . . . Finally after a few moments to think of a response, the purebred husky answered.

 

“I don’t think she was, Balto,” Jenna naturally tried to smile, although it looked rather forced. “She tried to put her heart and soul into giving you a new litter of grandchildren, but . . .” her head shook from side to side slightly, tears began to roll down her cheeks once more. “ . . . but it just wasn’t meant to be . . .” She too sniffled at the memory of her daughter collapsing to the ground after the last pup was born. “Aleu knew that you would be happy to be a grandfather again . . . and she did this only out of love . . . I don’t think she knew that it was the end of her life . . .” Jenna sobbed again onto Balto’s neck.

 

Giving birth has always been a dangerous time for any female, be it wolf, husky or hybrid, Jenna reminded herself in her mind as she felt the comfort of Balto beside her. A new mother’s body is always most vulnerable while she delivers . . . and even in this day and age, tragedies can still happen. Suddenly, she felt a flutter inside her that almost made her gasp, but Jenna remained silent in her tears. She knew its source and had to keep this secret she held deep inside, for she was afraid of what Balto would reaction would be.

 

Oh, I’m sorry, Balto . . . I’m so, so sorry . . . Her tears began to be more about her own dilemma than the death of her first child.

 

“Shh-shh, Jen . . .” Balto licked his mate gently, although he was crying as well. He had never cried so much before in his life – not even when he lost Jadze did Balto ever cry as much as he did. Aleu was my first-born, my ultimate favorite child . . . there’s a major difference between them both, Balto thought through his tears.

 

 

 

Dash was unable to keep their focus on guarding the entrance for a while. Everest had just told him the news of Aleu’s sudden passing only minutes ago, and just hearing for himself was quite unbelievable. He was a younger brother of hers after all, and after all these years of growing up in Aleu’s shadow, the red and white husky just couldn’t believe that the once strong Alpha of the Talbourne was gone forever.

 

“This is truly a dark day for the Talbourne,” Dash murmured as a cold wind brushed up against his fur. He shivered a bit, but tried not to cry on the outside – of course, his heart sobbed uncontrollably. Dash looked up to the cloudy sky above him, showering his vision with gray and a bit of navy night, but all he could do was sigh into the softly falling snow.

 

“O Aniu, was this really time?” His head fell, allowing a tear to slip down from his eyes and onto the snowy ground. “Things just won’t be the same without her around here, you know . . .” Dash soon fell to his post and wept softly for his lost sister.

 

 

Chapter V

 

A steady crowd of wolves had made their way into the den, each to pay their personal respects to the Alpha that had once made their Clan great for many years. Aleu’s parents, her mate Shadow, and the three children that she had loved sat by the unmoving body of the quarter-wolf, waiting to accept condolences and any other words of comfort and sympathy. Older wolves that had survived the early battles, wolves that had fought in the more recent wars between the Uniea Clan, and even young cubs that were born near the time of the ending of Aleu’s tenure as Alpha came to give their final words.

 

Even Nava, the old wolf himself, hobbled over to pay his respects. “I can’t believe the Great Aniu would allow me to outlive you, Aleu,” he murmured to the beautiful corpse with tears streaking down his eyes. His voice was still wise, but sorrow was there in every syllable he uttered. “I could sense your strength and maturity far beyond your years ever since I first came into your presence. You have been a great leader, just like what I had told your father after your destiny’s beginning . . . Your battles were greatly fought, your courage shone brightly like the dawn, and your heart remained pure and true to your family, as well as to your Clan . . . I am proud of what you have become, young one . . . May you be with Aniu forever.” With respect, he nuzzled the limp, cold muzzle of the former Alpha before turning to a grieving father.

 

The gray-brown half-wolf had heard every word of Nava’s conversation with his daughter’s body and was in heavy yet silent sobs as the tan lupine’s eyes met his. “Balto, my brother . . . my heart is heavily filled with grief as well.” Nava also looked at Shadow, despite the fact that Shadow’s eyes were closed with his head in a constant droop, as well as Jenna, Aleu’s husky mother. “My sincerest thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May Aniu’s presence continue to comfort you during this time of loss.” Nava moved towards Balto, nuzzling his scruffy nose with his own. “Know that she has lived the life you knew she would and that in all these years, we had grown to love her as if she were our own daughter . . .” He nuzzled the husky, comforting her with his wisdom. “. . . and comfort yourself in knowing that she is resting in peace with Aniu now, where she will hunt and live forever within her glory.”

 

“Thank you, Nava,” Balto bowed, accepting the condolences as the family patriarch with a dull yet humbled tone. “I know you were close to her when it came to guidance and wisdom. I appreciate your presence in her life.”

 

“Yes, thank you very much,” Jenna added in a calming, soft voice, also giving him a slight bob of her elegant head as she silently continued to weep. “Balto told me that Aleu had saved your life on the day in which she realized her calling – I am glad that she did. You were a great influence on our daughter throughout her many days as a wolf.”

 

Nava only nodded at the hybrid’s comment, as well as the husky’s. He had indeed known Aleu quite well – it was he that had learned of Aleu’s destiny to lead his pack across the sea via Aniu’s dream-visions to him, but he had believed it was Balto, not the young daughter, who was to do so. However, she had grown connected to his wisdom of the powers of nature and his strange abilities to merge into trees and disappear in a blink of an eye – she would soon learn to master them, as well as other tricks and movements, herself around her first encounter with Shade – but once she returned from the mysterious island of IIl’aenna across the sea and freed Aniu’s Clan, the Talbourne, from there, the elder wolf shaman had a new start. They reunited and Nava’s small clan – sans Niju – pledged their lives to their new leader, Aleu. Of course, this was around the time when Shadow, a member of Nava’s new Clan, had first entered her life . . . dodging a bullet – what else – just to protect.

 

And of course, this moment of almost an hour long was harder on him than on anyone else.

 

Aleu, why can’t you come back like you always do?Shadow thought through his constant stream of tears, but his thoughts were fueled by raging grief at the world for his loss. Oh, why won’t you breathe for me? Smile

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