Chapter 11 - Happenings

"Wow..." Aleu said. She had just heard the extremely long story that her father had told her about Steele turning over a new leaf. "I never thought that this could happen."

"Aleu, everyone can change... it's just that some need more effort and help than others."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said, sending a small smile over to Steele. He returned the favor.

"So... now what are we gonna do?" Steele asked. Aleu and Balto exchanged confused looks.

"I'm really not sure..." Balto said. Aleu and Steele twisted their mouths, a bit disappointed.

"We're gonna be stuck out here forever, aren't we?" Aleu said, starting to panic. "I wanna go home... I miss mom, Saint, and Boris. Hey! Boris! Where is he?"

Balto and Steele looked at each other sadly. Balto looked at his daughter with a sympathetic expression and told her what happened to him.

"Aleu, honey... he's... dead."

Aleu's mouth dropped open and her eyes filled with tears. "What do you mean he's dead? He can't be dead! We didn't even get a chance to hang out together!" She dropped down in the snow and covered her face with her paws and began to weep mercilessly. Balto laid down beside her and put a paw around her, trying to comfort her. She buried her face in his fur, drying a fraction of the tears that rolled down her face.

Steele looked at Aleu and was faced with the fact that it was he who had done this. He didn't know what to do. If he told her, he would surely get ripped to shreds... physically and emotionally. But if he didn't tell her...

"Aleu?" he said, trying to get her attention. She looked up, her puffy eyes and tear-stained face making Steele feel even more guilty. "I... it was me. I did it."

Balto's eyes grew wide as saucers; he couldn't believe that Steele had actually told her that he had done it.

"YOU did it?" she asked. Steele sadly nodded his head. "But... why? What did he ever do to you?"

Steele sighed and said, "It was before you helped me realize that I wasn't living my life to the fullest; before I turned over my new leaf. I was dragging him through the snow and then I realized that it was no way to get Jenna to fall for me. So I left him there all alone in the snow... he froze to death. I'm so sorry, Aleu..." Then, a small, slow tear ran down his face as well; but it was no match to Aleu's previous waterworks.

Aleu sighed and more tears ran down her face; until she recalled something he had said in his "I did it" sentence. "Wait... did you say I was the one that turned over your new leaf?"

Steele was sitting, waiting for the worst to happen; but it didn't. He was surprised that Aleu hadn't gone all-out on him. "Yes... yes, it was you."

"How?" she said suddenly. Steele couldn't help but crack a grin.

"Well... remember when we were in that cave together, and you gave me that whole think about it speech? Well... it worked."

Aleu looked down at the snow and gave him a small grin. She curled one paw under her to try to keep warm and then said, "Wow... I didn't think it would. To me, it always seemed that you were so hard to get through to."

"Yeah, well... surprisingly, I'm not... at least most of the time."

Aleu laughed and Balto did the same. Then, Balto, after a few minutes, spoke up. "Well... it looks like we should be heading back to the cabin now. We need to see if Jenna made it home yet."

"Yeah, good idea," Steele said, getting up, using his paw as leverage. Aleu stood up as well, and they began following Balto whichever way he was going.'

Chapter 12 - Journey Home

"Papa?" Aleu asked. "How much longer?"

"Yeah, Balto... I'm tired, cold, and hungry... I wanna go home," Steele said.

"Yeah, me too," Aleu agreed.

"Stop complaining," Balto snapped. "I don't know where we are and I don't know how long it's gonna take before we get there. Please just shut UP and we'll get there soon!"

Aleu and Steele looked at each other with wide eyes. They gave each other a look that said, "What's wrong with him?"

Aleu, being the rebel that she was, couldn't help at keeping her feelings inside, so her thoughts became words. "Dad, what's wrong with you?"

Balto's eyes squinted as he tried to calm himself before answering his daughter's question. He then said, "I'm just stressed. I need to be left alone, so please just do as I say without arguing... for once."

Aleu understood how he felt perfectly. She said nothing, but nodded her head as if to say, "Yes, sir." Steele said nothing and did nothing.

They trudged on through the snow in silence for about 20 minutes. Steele and Aleu trailed behind Balto, trusting him every step of the way; it was easy to trust him, so they weren't that worried. Finally, after what seemed like almost eons, they reached their destination; the snowy cabin that would be their shelter for the night.

They ran inside and Balto said nothing; he did not even look at the two. He just curled up on the bed and rested his head on the pillow. Aleu and Steele frowned at each other and then looked at him, concern on their faces. Balto's eyes were closed, therefore he did not see their expressions. And, frankly, Aleu and Steele somehow knew that even if he did see them, he wouldn't have cared anyway.

That night, Balto awoke in the middle of the night, disturbed by his dreams once again. He gave up on sleeping after trying to fall back into it and went outside to gaze at the stars and think.

"Oh, mother... it's times like these when I find I still need you..." Balto said clearly enough for the stars to hear him. All he heard was the wind whipping through the air, almost whispering to him.

He sat there in silence. His eyes twinkled as he looked up, swearing he could see his mother's face in the shape of a cloud passing by the gleaming moon, casting a shadow on his face. He heard a wolf howl in the distance, and he saw the silhouette of a familiar figure in front of him. When he saw it, he did not flinch nor frighten; he let the creature approach him.

"It's about time you got here," Balto said. "I've needed you."

"I am sorry; I had a few more important things to take care of first. But now I am here. Now; what do you need?" Aries said.

"I'm just... I... I've been having these dreams..." Balto said. Aries nodded, gesturing him to go on. "They've been bothering me lately, and I can't sleep to save my life."

Aries smiled and said, "You're thinking too much. Just relax. Don't let it all collapse in your lap, it's not all yours."

"What do you mean by that?" Balto questioned.

"You'll see in time. I know it," he said.

"Aries... if you leave me again I swear I'm gonna..." Balto said.
He was interruped by the wise ram. "I must go now. Trust me, you will understand soon. I promise you that."

"But... how?" Balto asked with pleading eyes.

"Follow the clues!" he said. Again, the wind starting ripping and the air got colder. It swept over the ram and he disappeared into the unknown.

Balto sighed and plopped down in the snow. But then, he saw something he couldn't believe.

In the ram's place was a pawprint. Balto looked at it curiously, wondering if it was a hoax. He decided that Aries would never try to hurt him; he had been helping him, even though he didn't understand a word he said. So; was he really helping? Or was he trying to play silly mind games with him?

Balto put it to the back of his mind. It was time to put this pawprint to the test. He slowly but surely placed his paw on the top of the deep, big pawprint imprinted in the snow. Balto took it away and looked at the pawprint.

It was the same size and the same shape as the print. Balto then remembered when this had happened before.

Then it all became clear to him, after all of this journey. Anaiu was his spirit guide.

Balto gleamed with joy as the white snow and the cold air came back again, showing Aries' true form; the majestic white wolf; his mother.

"I knew there was something fishy about you, Aries..." Balto said, grinning.

Anaiu smiled and gave a deep howl. Balto did not join in, but waited for her to finish and did one himself. Then they joined in together, becoming one. She disappeared after that, and Balto grinned widely and ran back inside, waking Aleu and Steele up.

"Come on, wake up! We need to get going!" Balto exclaimed.

Aleu yawned and groaned. "Five more minutes, Papa! How long did I sleep... like... 30 minutes!" she asked angrily.

"Actually, you got about 2 or 3 hours," Balto said. "At least you got some. Now come on! I wanna be home before dark"
"It IS dark! You're already screwed, so go back to sleep!" she said, turning back over and closing her eyes.

"Aleu, if you don't get up we're gonna leave without you!" Balto exclaimed.

Aleu looked up at him with a somewhat worried expression and said, "You wouldn't really do that, would you?"

"Wanna bet?" he said. Aleu gave him a glare.

Balto laughed and said, "You two wait outside the door and don't move. I'll be right out."

"Okay," Steele said, motioning to Aleu to follow him out the door. She nodded and did what she was suggested to do.

Balto watched them leave and looked around the cabin, taking in the moment of the cabin that his puppies were born in. He looked at the bed, and thought he saw the name embroidered into the front of it. It read, "Anaiu."

Balto's eyes grew wide. This was just too weird, it didn't make sense to him. All of a sudden, while he was out to find Aleu, his mother shows up and his puppies are born in her old bed. Was it mere coincidence? Or was it purposely meant to be this way?
Balto didn't know and frankly, he didn't want to find out. The unknown remains the unknown; the known remains the known. He needed to start excepting that. He smiled and ran out the door to Aleu and Steele. They began following Balto on the long, yet worth it;

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