was messier than what she was used to back at home with her father and Rosy, but it still tasted pretty good.  

The feast lasted for about another hour, for the deer that were killed were nothing more than skin and bone by then. White Feather let out a quick howl, as thanks to the Great Aniu for the delicious meal, before she let her Clan members disperse to their caverns to rest for the night. Aleu kept watch on what she was doing: first, the Alpha put about three wolves on guard duty at the main entrance – one on the other side of the waterfall and the other two as back-up through the fall; next, she assigned a couple more guards to keep watch of the hallways surrounding the other wolves’ caves; finally, she sent Oak, her mate, to change the guards that stood outside of her personal chambers. Once Oak noticed the quarter-wolf’s curiosity, he had her sent away with Geona back to her quarters.

The room was quiet now after Geona fell asleep. Aleu was still awake though, especially after everything she had heard that evening. She let out a sigh as she shifted her head against her outstretched forelegs. It was dark within the rocky-walled cavern, but so many images began to form in her head. 

Papa . . . The image of her gray-brown patriarch smiling down on her entered her mind. Oh Papa, I wish you could see this place, Aleu thought as her eyelids began to grow heavy and drop her deeper into a state of sleep. It’s so amazing and the wolves I’ve met here are so interesting! I betcha you would be great friends with White Feather if you could meet her. She’s so beautiful and wise . . . and kind about others like her, . . . like me . . . and probably you too . . .

Hmm, I wonder . . . could you have survived in this world if you were born out here? 

Aleu’s dreams were filled with the words that White Feather had told her during their private conversation, constantly resounding through her head. She secretly wondered where her father was now, although she still felt some kind of disliking to him for what he had done, but Aleu now wanted something from him if White Feather’s prediction did come true.

If Papa does come here to find me and take me back home, I think . . . I think I’m ready to talk to him now . . . about what I want to do . . . and about who I am right at this moment . . . . 

“Hey . . . Hey, Aleu! Wake up!”

A blurred yet familiar voice began to stream into the quarter-wolf’s dark sepia ears. Aleu let out a groan as her eyelids flittered open slowly after a strong nudge to the back caused her to awaken. 

“Huh . . . what is it?” Aleu asked sleepily, moaning lazily as she began to rise from the ground that she had made her bed that night.

“It’s almost daybreak, silly,” The voice replied back to her with a giggle. Aleu now recognized the now crystal-clear voice as Geona, the she-wolf that had introduced her to the world that gave her a second chance at life. “Come on; the Alpha had requested you to join her team for the morning hunt.” 

“But I’ve never hunted before, Geona,” the quarter-wolf reminded her as she stretched her aching legs and let out a whining yawn. “Why does White Feather want me to help out with hunting when I have no experience?”

“I don’t know,” The light-gray answered. “Apparently, she’s taken quite a liking to you, Aleu. I’m not sure if it’s because the two of you are so similar or something dealing with what you talked about in private, but it’s something.” She paused, only to gasp into a sudden smile a few seconds later. “Maybe . . . maybe she’s testing you to see if you’re worthy to be the newest candidate for the Runaway Clan! If you are part-wolf, perhaps a simple hunting mission would be enough would prove that you have what it takes to be a necessary member of the Clan!” 

“Really?” Aleu’s ears pricked up in surprise. “Do you really think that I have a chance to make it?”

Geona nodded with a quick bark. “Of course you do! You may only be a part-wolf by blood, but I’m sure that the thrill of the hunt will be enough to stimulate the natural instincts deep within.” She gave her an encouraging grin once the two of them left their quarters and nudged her in the flank once they reached the main chamber where White Feather and the rest of the hunting party awaited them. “Now, go on and good luck with the hunt!” 

Aleu turned around, quickly jerking her head around. “Aren’t you coming to hunt too, Geona?”

A new voice, still a familiar one, gave the quarter-wolf the answer she sought this time. “Every member of our Clan that can hunt takes their own turn. It’s to make sure that everyone pulls their own weight within the Clan.” 

“White Feather!” Aleu exclaimed, acknowledging the twinkling voice that answered her query.

The she-wolf nodded her head to the almost yearling pup. “Geona has things to do here today – she’s in charge of the outside guards while we commence our hunt before the sun rises too high.” 

“Yeah, it’s my first time doing it, but I’ve been practicing for this day for the past year,” Geona explained with a smile. “I’ll be fine, Aleu. Just enjoy your first hunt and don’t worry about me, okay?”

“All right,” the quarter-wolf said before following White Feather and the rest of the hunting team. “I’ll see you later!” 

“Later!” Geona returned the farewell as she made her way to where her team of two other wolves waited for their team leader to give them instructions.

After passing through the freezing power of the waterfall, White Feather shook off the excess water from her coat before telling the team of five other wolves plus Aleu their instructions. “All right, since this is Aleu’s first hunt, I place her with you, Everett,” the gray-white Alpha turned to a brown male wolf with light tan patches around his topaz-brown eyes. “Teach her some basics and when you believe she’s ready, the two of you can join us.” He nodded to the Alpha, allowing her to continue. “As for the rest of you, you know what to do: stay low and downwind, then attack once you have the right moment to strike down your target.” 

“Right!” The five wolves and one quarter-wolf replied back as the four others followed White Feather and Aleu followed behind Everett to another part of the forest that lead to the northern territory for hunting as the large yellow-orange sphere of the sun began to rise in the eastern horizon.

The sun had been up for about a half hour by the time the half-breed opened its eyes; its ears twitched at the harmonies of a small avian chorus and the many other noises of the wilderness that awoke him from outside of his cave, and his two-toned tail lightly swished a few pesky flying insects away from his body. Balto had survived the rest of the night after meeting Jenna again inside his dream world and worrying about his only child being all alone out in the wild without any knowledge of the dangers that awaited someone as inexperienced as her. 

Oh, Aleu, he said to himself as he sat up, stretched his legs, and walked out of his temporary living quarters with a worried yet hopeful expression on his face. May you be okay until I find you again . . .

He began to sniff the air around him, hoping that Aleu’s scent was still traceable to his half-wolf nose. His dark-brown ears twitched as he caught the familiar smell and began to mark the nearest tree to his sleeping cave while continuing towards the rising sun. 

Wait for me, my baby . . . and listen to what I have to tell you . . .

I hope you can find a way to forgive me for what I’ve kept from you, Aleu . . . 

The small lake was peaceful and calm now as two wolves – a smoky-gray female and a light tan and brown male – began to keep guard around the water’s edge, making sure that no enemy packs were planning to make an attack on the Runaway Clan now that their Alpha was outdoors and away from the safety of their main territory or that any other visitors, like lone wolves and other strange animals, were trespassing on the area closest to them. Their bodies were low to the ground, keeping themselves well hidden within a tall patch of high grass that overlooked the waterfall entrance of their cavern. Their ears twitched back and forth constantly as they lay still in the coolness of the greenery beside the lake, waiting patiently for either the safe return of the hunting party, any unexpected attack or news from members of those searching for food, or some strange visitor that they felt threatened by.  

The female’s ears suddenly pricked up after about twenty minutes of guarding, moving back and forth as she tried to tune out the rushing crashes of the waterfall and focus only on what din had caught her attention; her eyes grew wide as she lifted her nose slightly to the top of the blade of long grass in front of her, trying to catch a whiff of what had tickled her fancy. The other wolf, slightly younger than the gray, let out a quiet whine of confusion. 

“Nariah?” The tan male asked in a whisper. “Nariah, what is it?”

“Shh! Quiet, Hanoki!” Nariah quickly hushed him; once he was silent, she twitched her ears once more and answered his query. “I sense an intruder here . . .” She paused, sniffing the air once more. “ . . . Hmm, I smell wolf, but . . . not wolf . . .” 

“That’s odd,” Hanoki replied. “How confusing! How can you smell something that’s wolf and not wolf, huh?”

“I don’t know,” the smoky-gray she-wolf sighed. “but wolf or not, or whatever it may be, it’s still an intruder.” She began to slowly rise to her feet, still keeping her body underneath the tops of the grass patch. “Let’s go and observe it before we decide to attack, okay?” 

The tan and brown male nodded, following her lead through the lake boundary grasses. Their claws dug into the soil underneath them, helping to keep their steps quiet as the