still think as much about Nava as you did when I left. You say he left this morning, and said that I was not to leave? Interesting. I think I will anyway."
    Aleu got up and started walking toward the cave exit, only to be hit with a seering pain in her left foreleg. She muttered and limped toward the cave exit, only to be blocked by a grey mass.
**********
    Balto screamed,"What do you mean, you lost her?! She is supposed to be your Alpha, and you lost her? I'm glad I didn't lead! You might have lost me!"
    Snow Tracks waited for a moment, the said,"Are you done?"
    Balto took a beep dreath and muttered,"For now."
    "Good. We were returning across the sea on a homemade iceberg when we were caught in a storm. We lost several good wolves to the angry waters, including your daughter only minutes before we struck aground. Before I left, we had found all the other wolves swimming toward shore. The only one still missing is-was- Aleu. We did find where she washed ashore, but she herself was not there. She appears to have been dragged further inland."
    "Could you follow the trail?" Balto seemed worried.
    "For a short while. It was lost when it went into another pack's territory. No one dared follow it further."
    A distant voice called, getting louder. It seemed to be approaching quite rapidly.
    "It's Muk! He seems excited about something," Balto noted.
    Soon after, Muk, Luk, and two wolf-dogs, one male and one female, climbed onto the boat. The male was grey with a red tint, and the other looked exactly like Aleu.
    "Balto, these are Aleu's pups! We found them when we were playing in the forest! Well, we actually found them and thought we had found Aleu and so we hugged her and she called for him and-" Muk started to talk excitedly, but Balto interupted him.
    "Before you get talking about your entire day, let's first get everybody knowing each other and comfortable," Balto said before Muk could try to talk over him.
    `"Right, as always, Balto. This is-" Muk was interupted again as Nathon wandered in, eyes all aglow.
    "Sira and Kodiak," he finished. He was obviously hoping to scare the guests.
    "Hey! Our mom can do that trick," exclaimed Sira.
    "And it doesn't scare us anymore,"added Kodiak," Please, call me Kodi."
    "I'm afraid that might cause problems,"the other Kodi said from the corner,"since my name is also Kodi."
    Snow Tracks already had a solution. "We'll call the older Kodi by his full name, Kodiak, and the younger one, Kodi. Problem solved."
    "That might work for now, but I'm not going by Kodiak for the rest of my life."
    "You won't have to. Sira and I are leaving as soon as we find mom."
    The argument between the two Kodis continued in the background for a while, while everyone else discussed what to do about the missing Aleu situation.
**********
    "Nava! You scared me half to death! Now," said Aleu determinedly,"get outta my way. I've got to get back to my pack."
    "Aleu, you are not going anywhere until the help I've sent for gets here."Nava was determined, too. "You broke your leg and several boves during your little swim, and several other bones besides."
    "Nava, you should just let her go. She's got her father's legendary stubborness."
    "Normally, I wouldn't agree with Niju, but for this case, I'll make an exception." Aleu was leaving whether Nava allowed it or not.
    "Aleu, you can barely walk. How are you expecting to get past me?" Nava had a point; she couldn't walk easily. She wasn't going to let a little thing like that stop her. She tried to limp past Nava, knowing full well that he would move to block her.
    As Nava moved one way to block her, Aleu used her three good legs to vault herself to the wall of the entryway, then up and over Nava. One thing Aleu hadn't counted on, though, was how she was going to land with just three legs.
**********
    Moon Waters was upset. First, she had allowed the pack's Alpha to wash overboard, then she had lost her children. She was going to get in huge trouble by the Beta, the second in command.
    If Gasi Mordos, the Beta wolf, found out, Moon waters would be demoted from Delta, fourth in command, to Chi, twenty-second in command, in charge of only the Psi and Omega, the lowest ranks reserved only for traitors and theives.
    Frightened by the aspect of even more demotion, Moon waters ran in the direction of where they had lost Aleu's trail: another pack's territory.
*********
    After examening Aleu, Nava declared,"Aleu, this is why we don't perform flips with a broken leg. First, you broke your leg, and now you gave it the matching one for company. Congradulations, you are the only creature on four legs that I've heard of to break two legs at once."
    "Ow. It sure smarts. OW!" Aleu grumbled.
    "Of course it smarts. You have two broken legs!" Niju shouted from his watch post outside.
    There was a sound offootsteps, then, "Who are you? What do you want?"
    A voice said,"You don't recognise me? Well, I recognise you, Niju."
    A very confused and stunned Niju backed into the cave, followed by a less-confused but more-angry Moon Waters. The two were growling at each other, but as soon as Moon Waters saw Aleu, she left Niju alone and walked toward Aleu.
    Aleu watched as Moon Waters saw her wounds and looked first surprised, then upset, and finally scared.
    "Aleu! I...uh..."Moon Waters stuttered.
    "Oh, so you can talk,"Aleu stated conversationally.
    "Can I?" Moon Waters said stupidly.
    "Why are you here?" Aleu was demanding,"We agreed that if anything happened to me, you would keep an eye on the pups."
    Moon Waters sighed. There was no escape. She would have to explain to Aleu what had happened to her pups.
**********
    Balto inched toward Jenna's house. He had to tell her what he had learned about Aleu's whereabouts. She saw him and came out.
**********
    Nathon was talking to Kodi. It was his job to be polite. So far, he wasn't getting much cooperation.
    Kodiak was keeping an eye on them, so they didn't get into trouble. He wasn't succeding, either.
**********
    A raven flew through town, leaving ghosts of itself behind it. Balto, Jenna, Kodi, Kodiak, Sira, Luk, Snow Tracks, and Muk say it and started to follow it, knowing that it held some importance.
**********
    "You what?!" Aleu said, trying not to scream.
    "I...er...misplaced your children. I saw who they left with, but they went into another pack's territory and I lost them." Moon Waters cowered just out of Aleu's reach.
    "Describe who they went with," challenged Aleu.
    "Two polar bears. One was big, and couldn't talk, and one was small and very talkative." Moon Waters braced for an attack from Aleu. None came. In fact, Aleu was laughing.
    "Muk and Luk. Those idiots are still hanging around! They will take my babies to my father, and he will take good care of them. Moon Waters, You did good letting them follow instead of calling for them to stop. Remind me to give you a promotion."
**********
    "Now we are being lost," said Borris grumpily," and I am missing date with Stella. You-"Borris whirled to face Balto,"had to follow raven. Then raven is dissappearing, and leaving us lost in middle of forest!"
    "When we got lost on the island, mom taught us a song that somehow got us un-lost. We have nothing better to do. Want to hear it?" Sira was trying to be helpful.
    Jenna sighed."Sure. If nothing else, it will cheer us up."
    Sira took a deep breath and sang in a sweet, clear soprano:
Praise for the high tide,
Praise for the seaside,
Praise for the sun at high noon.
Praise for the lightning,
Praise for the singing.
Praise the father sun and sister moon.

    As Sira sang each part, Balto's eyes and ears were tricked. He saw and heard what Sira was singing about.
    Sira kept singing, and Kodi joined in with a beautiful tenor.

Praise for the red dawn,
Grass that we walk upon,
Praise for the river's whispered tune.
Praise for the wind brother,
Praise for the earth mother,
Praise the father sun and sister moon.
Praise the father sun and sister moon.

    As the last notes cleared, Balto suddenly picked up a familiar scent drifting on the wind. One he hadn't smelled in two years, but still remembered well. Aleu.
    Balto looked around, and saw that the others had the trail, also. He started following it.
    Sira and Kodi ran ahead and fell through a hole in the ground, then were chased out by a wolf with black fur.
    "Niju! Guess who," Balto called.
    Niju spun around, then moved aside as Nava came out.
    "Balto! I thought that was you! Come on in, Aleu is here!" Nava called back, though Balto probably could have heard him without the shout.
    Balto heard Aleu's name and picked up the pace in order to see her. He went into the cave and skidded to a stop, horrified.
    "Hello, papa." Aleu spoke calmly, but Balto could tell that she was in great pain.
    "We need to get you to Nome," Balto heard Nava say.
    "Good luck with that. I wouldn't expect too much help from me, not with