Aleu: My Untamed Reflection

Part II 

Although it had been over three weeks since sending final farewells to Jenna, Balto was still mourning his sudden loss. The funeral was emotionally heart-wrenching for him to bear, since Jenna was one of the few that touched his life and truly accepted him for who he was; to even imagine her gone forever, even now, was difficult for the wolf-dog to take. Many of his friends – both human and animal – were by his side to comfort him and offer solace during and after the burial: Rosy remained by his side, hugging him and placing dozens of flowers atop of Jenna’s grave; Doc continued to accept Balto’s company overnight; Boris and the polar bears tried cheering him up, hoping that the half-breed’s solemn sadness would be temporary; and many other local dogs were always there to offer their kind words and other tokens to show their sympathy.

However great the sorrow was for Balto to lose Jenna, he now had something else important to attend to: he was eager to be a perfect father for his wolf-like daughter, Aleu. Through the next few weeks, Balto marveled at his daughter’s progress of growth. A couple of weeks had passed since he first witnessed Aleu open her wide eyes, revealing a pair of shining blue and yellow almond-shaped pupils that much resembled her much wilder ancestors. At first, everything was blurred and fuzzy through her eyes, but over time, her vision quickly became perfect. She was getting used to walking on her three-toed paws instead of crawling on her belly like she had ever since the day she was born. She was now beginning to speak in little barks and whines, and recently, she even said her first word to Balto: “Papa!” 

It seemed that the more she learned, the clearer Balto’s love for his child became. The only reason he had to smile was for her now – she was the only important thing in his life and he still had a promise to keep.

She can never know about you, Jenna . . . I don’t want her to blame her birth for the death of you and our other five children . . . it would tear her apart . . . . 

I fear . . . fear that it was my wolf blood caused me to lose you, not you giving birth to our children . . . Balto began to think this one night when Aleu was about four weeks old; she was sleeping beside her father’s belly, just as she always had remembered she had. Why else would our other children die with you unless the wolf-like ones are left behind? I remember seeing them . . . He shuttered at the memory – that sight of seeing the five lifeless bodies that joined Jenna in death. All of them looked like you, Jen . . . The other five were burgundy and white, just like you! Tears trickled from his closed eyes, streaming down his cheeks. It’s a curse . . .The wolf blood within me caused me to lose you . . . I know I should be the one to blame for your death . . . That magical night of passionate love that showed my eternal love for you ended up sealing your fate . . .

Why? Why did this have to happen?  

He let out a sniffle and dried his tears as he turned to the sleeping bundle of light-brown fur against him. But . . . His lips formed a gentle smile while he watched her stomach move up and down as she slept and dreamed of whatever awaited her in the morning light. I am glad to have a part of you with me still . . . Aleu is growing every day, becoming a child of my likeness and your charming wit. He quickly remembered one time that Aleu had played with him and she had begun to howl while trying to talk. Okay, so she has a lot of my likeness . . .

But still, I’m sure you’d be proud of her if you were here to see her right now . . . .  

At last, he finally felt calm enough to fall asleep; still sleeping in the bed that the town doctor had provided for him, he placed his head beside Aleu’s, slightly nuzzling her nose with his own as a form of a good-night kiss. She moaned a little at the tickling graze on her moistened muzzle, but she did not wake up. Knowing that Aleu was sleeping well, it was time for him to enter that dream world himself; he slowly lowered his eyes, never losing sight of his little girl as they finally closed for sleep.

“Hey, Papa! Papa! Wake up, wake up!” 

The almost squealing voice of the quarter-wolf blared into the wolf-dog’s ears; Balto could feel his daughter’s weight piling on his own as she completed her daily morning pounce. He let out a groan as he finally opened his eyes to his little girl . . . who wasn’t exactly so little anymore.

Aleu, realizing that her father was awake, moved her large beige paws and slender body off of her father as he began to fully rise for the morning. He rolled over, yawned loudly and sat up, looking at his split image in front of him. She would be a year old in a couple of days, and she had truly grown since her newborn days as a loud, crying pup. Her coat was now a well-groomed shade of mousy-brown, all thanks to Rosy’s constant brushing and bathing. Her tail wagged back and forth, curled inward like the dominant husky genes that flowed through her veins; however, her markings were clearly from her father’s recessive side: a jagged blaze of light-brown was painted down her nose while light beige-tan surrounded her eyes and cheeks, lining down her chest, belly, ankles and tail. Her most striking feature, which especially made her seem wilder, was her slanted eyes of piercing bright blue, surrounded by golden yellow.  

“Okay, okay,” Balto chuckled as he leaned over to give his pride and joy a morning nuzzle. “I’m up, I’m up!”

Aleu giggled happily. “I’m glad, Papa! I’m so excited about what’s coming up soon!” She was grinning ear to ear. 

“Hmm? What would that be, I wonder?” The wolf-dog asked curiously, although he had an idea on what it was.

“Oh, you should know it already, Papa: I turn a year old in a couple of days!” Aleu was all smiles as she closed her eyes in happiness; she paid no attention to her father’s solemn expression. 

It’s been a year already?!Balto was shocked deep down inside, which was quite the opposite of his daughter’s joy of becoming grown-up. Mainly the shock of hearing his daughter remind him of that made him lower his head in mourning once again. I can’t believe it’s been that long since . . . since . . . A tear dropped onto the wooden floor boards that lined the bottom of Rosy’s second-floor bedroom.

“Papa?” Aleu lowered her head, leaning forward to get closer to her father’s. “Papa, why are you crying? Is there something wrong?” 

His eyes shot open, realizing that he had been caught. Damn it! She saw me crying over that again! This wasn’t the first time Aleu noticed his sudden tears, but he knew that the truth behind his tears was something that had to remain hidden from her. I have to think of something to cover this up . . . and fast! He wiped his eyes with the side of one of his front paws and shook his head. “No, nothing’s wrong, Aleu. I’m just . . . so proud of you, that’s all. Starting in a couple of days, you’ll no longer be my baby – you’ll be all grown up.”

“Oh, Papa,” Aleu lowered her sepia ears in disgust. She had always disliked that word ‘baby’, especially whenever her father called her that with love. “I’m almost grown up, and I’m definitely not a baby anymore. Hmph!” She backed away from him slowly, stopping before she hit the side of Rosy’s bed. “I’m going to wake Muk and Luk up at the boat to play, okay?” 

“All right,” Balto cheered up with a slight smile. “Go on and play.” He watched as his wolfish child trotted out of the bedroom door and outside of the cozy home. The wolf-dog stood against the windowsill, looking out at the town and noticing that Aleu was about to break into a run towards his grounded boat home. “Oh, Aleu! Be careful!” Balto warned her from the upstairs window. “Don’t go into the woods without a buddy with you, okay? I don’t want to see you get hurt out there.” Balto let out a quick gasp. “Oh! And do whatever Boris tells you to do! He is your babysitter after all.”

“Don’t worry, Papa!” Aleu answered back, halting with her ears lowered against her slightly-scruffy neck. “I’ll be fine! Boris, Muk and Luk will be with me, so there’s nothing to worry about!” She gave him one last smile before giggling as she broke into a sprint towards the shoreline where the gander and fraternal twin polar bears were still resting. 

Balto let out a sigh as he watched her disappear through town and head towards the outskirts of Nome. “And please . . . please be safe . . .” He dropped back down to all-fours and walked out of the room to go outside for some fresh air . . . and to check on Aleu. Rosy petted him as he descended the wooden stairway and led him through the front door.

“See you later, Balto!” Rosy waved from the doorway as the hybrid barked back. “Wish Aleu good morning for me, okay? Bye!” She shut the door and returned back inside. 

Once Balto was outside of Rosy’s home, his face turned somber as he looked at the sky. Has it really been that long? The clouds of the sunrise were painted in soft orange, yellow and white as the sun continued to fill the eastern horizon with its majestic brightness. In two days, I’ll be both happy and sad at the same time . . . He sighed and soon realized that he had walked towards the cemetery near the edge of town. I can’t believe I walked out here again. I guess I still can’t forget about you, Jen. He stopped at a small memorial near the center of the burial ground where flowers seemed to flourish and a large wooden cross and five much smaller ones surrounded the spot. The she-husky’s name was beautifully carved into the larger cross, much to Rosy’s request, and the wildflowers that grew over the mass gravesite gave the dreary cemetery a sudden flash of color. Not a single day goes by that I don’t think about you and the others . . . Oh Jenna, to think that a year ago we were awaiting our first litter . . . and now, our little girl is almost grown up . . . I really wish you were here to see her now, Jen . . . He lowered his head with tears of sorrow and happiness in his eyes.

The sound of laughter broke his thoughts of the past, pricking his ears up curiously; Aleu was running with Muk and Luk in tow, laughing and pouncing on each other and on the white gander that was reluctant to join the romping and rough-housing. Ah, our little girl is so special, Balto sighed, drying his eyes once more with his paw. So playful, intelligent, and beautiful, she is. Thank goodness Rosy’s taken her in; no other human here would want a child that was born with such wild looks. 

As if on cue, Rosy entered the good-natured scene, suddenly scaring the polar bears away in fear. She approached Aleu with a hug while the quarter-wolf licked her giggling face with her tongue. Once the bears saw that the little girl was a friend of Aleu’s and that she wouldn’t hurt them, they crept from their bushy, leafy hiding place and allowed Rosy to pet them as a sign of friendship. Rosy seemed to show no fear to the bear cubs, although she knew they were wild animals. She’s a great owner, Jen. She’s not even afraid of Muk and Luk, and that’s pretty rare for any human! I can see how special she was to you, and now she’s given both me and Aleu a safe haven, just like what she did for you when you were a weaned pup. He gently smiled at the sight, but slowly turned back to the set of crosses with a somber sigh.

I still . . . I still miss you though. This old town just isn’t the same – No. Nothing is the same anymore without you . . .  

Especially my life with our daughter . . .

“Oy, Balto!” 

The accented voice of his Russian-born companion broke the mellow hush of the cemetery as he waddled over to the gray-brown wolf-dog’s side at about midday. “Oh, it’s just you, Boris,” Balto sighed, realizing the gander’s presence. Boris was the only other creature that swore to keep the story of Aleu’s birth a secret, but he was beginning to have his own worries about the pup’s heritage.

“Back here moping about Jenna again, eh?” Balto nodded as Boris continued. “You know, Aleu may start to suspect something if you don’t tell her soon . . . especially since she turns a year old in a couple of days.” 

“No, she won’t,” Balto pressed his long muzzle up against the goose’s large beak. “There’s no way that I’ll tell her, and there’s no way that she needs to know anything about the day she was born.” The hybrid stood up and began to walk towards the gated exit. “I promised I wouldn’t say a word about Jenna to Aleu, and I’m willing to take that promise with me to the grave.”

“But what if she asks?” Boris queried, trying to make a point. “Aleu will want an answer one day. What will you tell her then?”  

Balto halted at the sound of his guardian’s words, but he said nothing. He hated it whenever Boris was right about things, but on something like this, he refused to even respond to the gander’s own query, knowing that he would only continue to give him more reasons to nag him.

“I hope you know what you are doing, Balto. Take care.” Boris sighed as he watched Balto walk away, returning back to Rosy’s house to relax for a moment. He looked up into the sky, sighing once more with his feathered fingers against his beaked chin. “Oh, what would you do in this situation, Jenna?” Knowing that the sky was less than likely to reply, the gander sighed nervously. “If he doesn’t tell her soon, she’ll find out on her own . . .” He let out a gulp, changing his attention back to the moping father that was slowly climbing up the wooden steps of Rosy’s home. “ . . . and that’s what I’m afraid of most. Oy . . .” 

It was about mid-day once Aleu parted with the bears by the beach. She carefully walked by the town borders and gazed out at the line of pine that made a natural boundary between the town and the Alaskan forest. Her eyes grew as she gasped with curiosity.

“Wow, the forest looks so lush today!” She spoke with a happy tone. “I wonder why Papa doesn’t like me wandering in there by myself. . .” A mischievous smirk began to grow on her face. “Well, he doesn’t have to know anything . . . Maybe I’ll go for a quick trip . . .” The quarter-wolf female began to take a couple of steps forward when a voice shattered her thoughts. 

“Aleu!”

Much to her chagrin, the gray-brown hybrid made his way up to his daughter’s side. She lowered her tail and let out a groan of disappointment as Balto’s look of anger glared her down. 

“Aleu, what do you think you were doing?” Balto asked her as she sat down, her ears against her neck. “I’ve told you many times to not go into the woods by yourself!”

“I know, Papa,” Aleu sulked. “but I just wanted to –” 

The patriarch interrupted his daughter before she could explain. “No buts, Aleu! You know better than that, and there are a lot of creatures and dangers out there that could have hurt you or killed you.” He lowered his head a little and his voice turned to worry. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you without my protection.”

“Oh, you’re worrying too much, Papa,” Aleu reassured him. “I’m almost a year old, and you shouldn’t be treating me like such a child anymore!” She let out a huff, turning her head away from her father’s surprised face as she stood up onto her feet. “What would you know about the dangers in the woods anyway? It’s not like I’ve seen you go inside it!” 

“Aleu . . .” Before Balto could explain himself, he watched his daughter run away from him, heading into the main street of Nome. He only could sigh and sit down at the edge of the forest. “What else can I do for her, Jen?” He murmured into the gentle breeze, hoping there was a chance that his lost lover could give him a reply from Heaven. A moment passed, but there was still no answer. The sky was silent, as was the breeze that he had given his query to. “I guess you can’t hear me anymore, huh, Jen?” He managed to joke, although the words seemed to make his heart ache even more. A tear slipped from his eyes, trickled down his cheeks and dripped onto the soil underneath his large wolf paws.

No, Balto, I can hear you . . . 

The hybrid’s ears pricked up at the airy voice that seemed to surround him. He could recognize that voice anywhere. “Jen? Jenna, is that really you?”

Yes, it is . . . Oh, how I’ve missed you so. The voice began to reverberate through his mind as Balto closed his eyes, imagining the beautiful husky’s figure standing in front of him. The purebred looked more gorgeous in his thoughts than she ever had in life; her coat was as stunning as ever, still surrounding her trademark red-orange bandanna, which was no longer spotted with her own blood from her difficult ordeal with delivering her only litter of pups. His mind’s image of himself nuzzled her, ending with a little kiss. 

And I you, Balto answered back in his head, realizing that talking to himself aloud would make others think he had truly lost his mind. After parting their noses, the proud father had so many questions to ask the spirit of his mate. How is it up there, . . . I mean, being dead and all? Is Heaven as wonderful as the stories say? He felt awkward asking her such a ridiculous query such as that, but you had to admit it, he was curious about it.

Oh, it’s very beautiful and peaceful in Heaven, filled with everything you could ever wish for . . . except for you, Balto . . . It’s very bright and clean there too. A soft smile came upon her face.  

Do you miss the fact that . . . you were so close to becoming a mother? Balto struggled on the question, pausing halfway through. He was afraid it was too difficult of a question for her to answer, but Jenna only giggled lightly.

Not at all. I have the other five pups with me, but it’s hard to imagine them grown up though; up here, the aging process is quite impossible for them, so our children haven’t changed a bit since when they were taken. The she-husky replied, her voice was quiet and a bit saddened. I mean I’ve remained the way I am, but the older ones in Heaven have been given their youthful forms. 

I see, Balto replied. He let out a large sigh. That must be hard for you, huh?

Yes, it has, Jenna answered back. Sometimes I’m envious of you, especially since you have someone that’ll grow right before your eyes . . . She let out a sigh. 

So that means you’ve been able to see us from up there? The wolf-dog’s eyes grew in amazement. I mean, if they allow you to . . .

Jenna’s voice perked up, the tip of her tail waving back and forth in a steady rhythm. Of course! Ever since I left your world, I’ve been watching you. I see Rosy’s been taking good care of you in my place. Her amber-hazel eyes lowered a bit, easily showing how much she missed her girl. And she’s taken care of her too, it seems . . . She sighed again, remembering how her surviving child looked from the last time she looked at her. Aleu, our only daughter . . .Oh, she is a perfect blend of the two of us . . .

Balto’s ears lowered when he heard those words, especially since he knew that wasn’t true in his eyes. But she looks like a wolf, Jenna . . . No one can deny the fact that she takes after me more than you, and . . . and I’m afraid that once she learns about her breeding and the fact that you died after giving birth to her and her dead siblings . . . The hybrid couldn’t even complete his thoughts, for the images of that day – the blood-stained sheet that his mate died in, the five wrapped bundles of the dead pups that she had delivered, the first look he had of his only daughter, the only pup born that had clearly inherited his wild looks – those images were permanently etched in his mind forever, haunting him with the reality that it really had happened. 

Jenna saw the troubled look in his fire-red eyes and only rubbed her nose against his neck. Cheer up, dear. Aleu will learn about me one day, and if she doesn’t understand when that time comes, she will soon. I’m sure of it. Just give it some time, Balto . . .

But . . . but . . . Tears dropped heavily down the wolf-dog’s face, staining his fur and her own as she tried to dry them with her nose and cheeks. It is my fault, isn’t it? 

Huh? Jenna took a sudden step back, surprised by the comment. What is your fault? I don’t understand, Balto . . .

You died because of me, didn’t you? Balto blubbered out while tears quickly flowed down his face. Because I had to physically show you how much I loved you that night . . . because I thought you were ready to start a family . . . because I’m half-wolf . . . He paused to let out a sniffle, then he spoke with a harsh tone on himself. My wolf blood took your life, and I can’t help but blame myself for that . . . That’s why I can’t speak a word of you to our daughter. She’ll only blame me, I just know it . . . 

Jenna’s slender form began to vanish like a tiny whirlwind of silver glitter in front of him. He could still hear her voice and her final words of wisdom as the shimmering she-husky disappeared from him.

It’s not your fault, Balto; it was just my time, I suppose. Please don’t blame yourself anymore, okay . . . and it’s not Aleu’s fault either. I will always be here beside you, even though you’ll probably be unable to see me. I still love you with all my heart . . . and remember my final wish: Make our family full of love . . . and always remain my hero, Balto . . . Farewell for now . . . 

Jenna? Balto called out once the husky’s body disappeared from his view. Jen, please don’t leave me again! There was no reply. He called out once more, Jenna! I need you! Again, she did not respond, but there was a voice calling him from the outside world beyond his mind.

“Balto! Here, boy! Lunch time!” 

The wolf-dog opened his eyes, returning himself back to the real world, the world where Jenna was no longer there. He could see the small form of Rosy standing beside his wolf-like daughter about a hundred yards away from where he was sitting. Aleu let out a couple of barks herself.

“Come on, Papa! Your lunch is waiting for you!” She cried out, no longer upset by her father’s discussion with her only minutes ago. “What are you sitting around there for?” As Rosy walked back towards the house, Aleu made a gesture with her head before walking beside her adoptive human. 

Balto suddenly had a smile on his face, feeling a sense of happiness in his heart. “Maybe the time is right after all,” he thought aloud, hoping his mate could hear him wherever she was now. “I think she would understand.” He began to walk away from the forest and decided to eat his fill of food that Rosy had offered for him. “I’ll tell her tonight.”

The day passed quickly after the sun reached its apex, and Father and Daughter went along their normal lives for the afternoon. Balto was taking a nap up in Rosy’s room after he ate his lunch on the porch. He was also keeping an eye on Aleu, who had eaten earlier and was playing with Rosy as he enjoyed his food; the wolf-dog trusted that his little girl wouldn’t get in any trouble within the next couple of hours, so he left her to roam outdoors, thinking she would find a safe place to take a rest as well. 

She’ll be fine, Balto thought to himself as he gazed back at his daughter when he began to make his way back into the house. Aleu was smiling brightly, the early afternoon sun above her made her coat begin to appear in a mousy brownish-gray hue. I’m sure of it now; she’ll be okay on her own. He continued to grin as he passed through the front dog door and headed straight for his napping place.

However, Aleu was not ready to take a break for the day. Since Rosy was now being taught her home-school lessons by her mother, the yearling had no one else her age to play with. Being the curious and naïve pup that she was, Aleu felt that there must be someone else out there that she could play with. 

Aleu had mainly played with only Rosy and the polar bears for most of her life, so she was unsure that there any other yearlings that were born around the time she was. Eagerly, she trotted down Main Street, where sure enough, there were other yearlings and their parents chatting to each other underneath the shining sun. Altogether, there were about twelve to fifteen huskies of an assortment of black, red, brown, and gray coats, each with neatly-groomed fur and leather collars to prove their authority over the local strays.

One of the huskies, a mostly black Malamute-husky mix female with a white muzzle, paws and a curled two-toned tail, quickly noticed the intruding quarter-wolf, glancing her ice-blue pupils at Aleu. 

“You!” She leaped from her group of other huskies, landing in front of the surprised Aleu. “You don’t have a collar! What gives you the right to enter our territory when you have no owner?” The other huskies formed a line behind the larger one, as if to prevent the young female from going further into their territory.

“W-w-well,” Aleu stammered in fear, but quickly glanced at the Malamute-husky’s dark leather collar, reading her name from the silver nameplate. “E-e-ebony . . .” She looked back up at the large yearling, trying to get out of the situation. “I-I-I wasn’t causing any trouble. Honest! I just wanted to play with someone, that’s all!” 

One of the other huskies, a dark brown one, spoke up from behind. “Hey, Ebony, does that stray know you?” It seemed that the dogs put extra emphasis on the word ‘stray’ whenever they said it.

“No!” Ebony answered back loudly. “I don’t hang with strays! My father, Steele, says that hanging out and talking with stray dogs only leads to trouble.” 

Aleu lowered her ears against her neck. “I’m not a stray! Rosy’s my owner and my father’s name is Balto! Can I play with you or not?”

The group of huskies chortled and laughed at the quarter-wolf’s response. “Oh-ho-ho, so you’re the daughter of the famous Balto, eh?” Ebony chuckled menacingly. “Aleu, isn’t it?” 

Aleu didn’t understand the fact that she called Balto ‘famous’ because he had never mentioned it to her when she was a pup, but she was still angry at the yearling’s sudden change of tone. Actually, she was a bit shocked by the fact that this large, strange dog even knew her name. “Yeah, and what about it?”

“Well, where’s your mama, yearling? Hmm?” Ebony began to tease. “Everyone else has two parents; what about you, wolf-dog?” They also liked to increase their tone on the word ‘wolf-dog’ as well. 

“Wolf-dog . . .?” Aleu repeated. She had never heard the term used before, and she didn’t know what it meant. “Well, I haven’t a clue what a wolf-dog is, but I know I have two parents: Rosy and my Papa!”

The crowd laughed loudly again; some of them even collapsed on the ground, rolling or hitting the ground with their paws as they laughed out loud that their bodies ached. 

“You really had no one to tell you the truth, wolf-dog?” Ebony began to circle Aleu. “Not even your hero of a father had the nerve to tell you his secret?”

“What secret?” Aleu got curious and asked. “If you know something, tell me! I want to know!” She let out a growl. “And why are you calling me ‘wolf-dog’ for? I’m not one, so stop calling me that, okay! You know my name, so call me by that!” 

“Oh, really?” Ebony continued to tease, still circling around the clueless youth until she halted in front of Aleu’s nose. “You really have no clue at all, huh?” Aleu shook her head, causing the yearling to laugh. “Well, guess what? You’re a wolf-dog because your father is a half-wolf! Your Papa’s a wolf-dog, just like you!” She laughed then threw her head back and let out a horrid howl. “Hey, I think I can hear your ancestors calling you!” She howled again; this time her friends followed suit, joining Ebony in wailing.

“It’s not true! Stop that!” Aleu yelled, silencing them for a moment. Once they were quiet, even though most of them still had giggles in their systems, she barked again. “If my Papa was a wolf-dog, he would have told me!” 

“Yes,” Ebony chuckled softly. “He would have, wouldn’t he?” A smirk began to grow wide on her white marked muzzle. “Unless . . . he was hiding something from you, of course.” Her cohort began to snicker as they began to surround their leader and the quarter-wolf. “Maybe like, something you should have learned about a long time ago . . . something about . . . your mother perhaps?”

Aleu’s eyes lit up. Her father had never brought up the subject on her mother, it seemed, especially since she had never seen her before. The only people that she had mainly known in her life were Rosy and her family, Boris, Muk, Luk and her father, Balto. How can I trust her? Aleu thought. I really want to know the truth, but . . . but Papa never told me anything, and I really, really want to find out about my mother! 

If she knows the truth, . . . then I’ll trust her words . . .

Her curiosity got the better of her. “All right, Ebony. What do you know about my mother?” 

“She really doesn’t know? That wolf-dog must have been in hiding if she has no clue about it!” The murmurings and giggling of Ebony’s gang began to make Aleu’s ears burn, but the black and white yearling only sneered evilly.

“I know more than you obviously,” Ebony laughed. “I’ve never seen her myself, but I tend to overhear my father’s sudden daydreams about her.” She paused, adding a snicker. “He says she was beautiful, one of the most stunning dogs that had ever lived in Nome. Her coat was as red as blood, but glowed like rust once the sun kissed her skin. White markings donned her thin legs and lovely face, ending at the tip of her perfectly curled tail. But it was her eyes . . . yes, glimmering in the tints of amber-brown and hazel, they hypnotized anyone that dare stare into them, as they had done with my father, who was easily charmed by her grace. With a thoroughbred pedigree and not an imperfect bone in her body, everyone in town loved and adored her company, and she was supposed to live a life with my father to love her forever, but . . .” She paused for another moment; this time, her ears pressed against her neck, and she let out a low growl through her throat. Every word she uttered afterwards was loud and piercing, putting her personal emotions through her voice. “But it was yourfather that stole her from mine! She fell in love with that wolf-dog instead of my purebred father, allowing him to take her through the binding ritual of ever-lasting love, . . . and because of that, she died . . .” Aleu gasped, taking a step back at the fact that her mother was dead. 

“My mother . . . is . . . dead?” The quarter-wolf’s legs weakened, causing her to give way towards the ground, still feeling the shock of the news. Tears began to well up in her almond-shaped eyes, collapsing once they were filled to the brink and drenching her face. “How . . .? How did she die?” Aleu begged in her weeping, hoping that Ebony would provide all of the answers she desired. The Malamute-husky female only continued to chuckle with pure malevolence from her throat, pacing in between her group and the suffering child in her focus. “If you cannot reveal that to me, could you at least tell me her name, so that I may know it?”

“Heh,” Ebony smirked. “and I thought everyone had spread the news about her too.” She chuckled some more with her company snickering in a quieter tone than her own. “If you must know, her name was Jenna . . . and she died, right after giving birth to you and your siblings a year ago!”  

“No . . .” Aleu shook her head slowly back and forth, in shock of this revelation.

“Oh, but that’s not all: Jenna birthed five others once you were born, and they all looked just like her! Not a single one of them was wolfish like you . . . and they all perished along with her that day!” Ebony continued to spill the news to the grieving quarter-wolf, without a bit of remorse in her voice. 

“No . . .” Aleu repeated again, her head shaking a bit rapidly than a moment ago. “You’re lying . . .” Her heart was crying, breaking inside as tears moistened the soil beneath her body and front paws.

Still, Ebony was ruthless, aiming to complete her duty as an informer of news . . . and to cause certain suffering to her enemy. “This isn’t a lie, wolf-dog; my words are all true! It’s your fault that you’re all alone without your mommy and siblings . . . You killed them by being born! Your wild wolf blood killed your family!” 

“NO!” Aleu howled aloud; her head leaned back as tears dropped from her closed eyes as the tiny word morphed into a powerful, mournful howl. Her voice began to vibrate against the wooden buildings of Main Street, causing other animals, dogs, and people to see what the source of the noise.

“Aleu?” Balto’s ears twitched as the hybrid lifted her head up, waking from his nap. He could feel the sorrow in her voice, unsure of why she was doing so, but he knew he had to go to her. “Aleu, I’m coming!” He quickly got up and leaped through Rosy’s two floor house until he made his way past the dog door. Without thinking, he followed his daughter’s scent, hoping that everything was okay with her. 

Back at Main Street, Ebony and her gang were continuing to hover over the weeping quarter-wolf, laughing and teasing her as if they didn’t care that Aleu was even feeling pain about learning the truth about her mother.

She died . . . because of me? Aleu thought in her mind. She couldn’t believe what Ebony had just told her, although the Malamute did say she never lied. That’s impossible! I was only newly-born; what could I have done to kill her? It can’t be my fault . . . it can’t be! She let out another wail as she cried. 

“Aleu!”

The voice of her father finally caused her to turn her crying head towards him, silencing her last howl and causing her to let out a few sniffles. “Oh Papa . . .” Aleu whimpered like a little puppy, still in tears. 

“Aleu,” Balto walked up to her, trying to calm her down with a gentle nuzzle, but Aleu moved her head away as soon as she felt his touch. “Aleu, what’s wrong with you? You probably woke up everyone in town!”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Aleu quietly asked her father, then she spoke in a slightly louder and more upset tone. “Why didn’t you tell me that it was my fault that my mom is dead?” 

Balto’s ears perked up and his eyes grew wide. “Who told you that?” He tried to hide the truth again. “That’s not true, honey.”

Ebony bravely approached the wolf-dog male, smirking in a way that would make her own father jealous. “I told her that, and don’t bother to deny it, Balto!” As Balto’s ears fell against his neck in defeat, her devious smile began to show her sharp, pearly-white teeth. “You know as well as my father does that it was your wolf blood took the life of your beloved Jenna and the rest of your family!” She began to chuckle loudly, still teasing the wolf-breeds. “You know, he always told me that you wolves were nothing but trouble all along.” 

The wolf-dog’s eyebrows lowered after a few moments, his claws dug into the ground. “Go back to Steele, Ebony! Leave us alone!” He growled, lowering his body to the ground as if to attack her and her gang. After a quick couple of barks, the huskies whimpered in fear as Ebony gestured with her head to retreat. Soon, there was no one left on the dusty street except for the half-wolf father and his quarter-wolf daughter.

Aleu had now sat up, but she lifted her head up in anger, turning it away from her father’s gaze. “So, when were you going to tell me the truth, Papa?” 

“What truth, Aleu?” He lied. Balto remembered that he promised to keep Jenna’s death from his daughter, but he guessed that Boris’s prediction from earlier had come to pass.

“About my mother, Papa. Why did you keep something so important from me?” Aleu growled. The two part-wolves didn’t notice that Boris had waddled towards them with Muk and Luk behind him. The gander stopped a building away, hiding by the side of it so that he could listen to their conversation without disturbing them. 

Balto let out a deep breath, remembering the words that Boris had told him. “But what if she asks? Aleu will want an answer one day. What will you tell her then?”He lowered his head, afraid of the fact that his guardian was right all along. “I didn’t mean to keep the truth from you, but I was afraid to tell you; I only wanted to protect you, Aleu.” For once, Balto spoke the truth that he had been hiding within his heart. He really meant every word he uttered.

“Afraid? Afraid to tell your own daughter about the mother she never knew?” Aleu yelled, tears flooded her eyes again. “Did you think you could protect that from me forever?” 

Balto hesitated in his answer, but he gave his child the truth. “Actually, I was hoping that you wouldn’t learn about it. I was surprised that you’d learn about it from someone else.” He let out a very deep sigh. “I never wanted it to come to this.”

“So, is it the truth?” Aleu growled. “Was Ebony right on what she said? Did my mother die because of me being born?” 

“No,” Balto reassured her, trying to nuzzle her gently; Aleu dodged her father’s nose in anger. “I mean, she did die after giving birth to you and your siblings, but it’s not your fault. Sometimes these things happen, and there’s nothing that we can do about it.” Just saying those words only reminded him of those moments when he couldn’t do anything to save Jenna on that bloody sheet in the doctor’s office, causing tears to drip down his face as well. “When I watched your mother die with my own eyes, I began to blame myself. I thought it was my wolf blood that led to her sudden death, but –”

Aleu quickly interrupted him, much to the shock of her father. “It was actually mine, wasn’t it? You forget that I have wolf in me too! Because of me and my siblings being born and I being the only one to survive, I killed my own mother!” Her constant weeping drenched her white-beige cheeks until they turned dark tan. “It’s all my fault!” 

“Aleu . . .” Balto tried to calm her down and set things straight with his daughter by approaching her, but she knocked him aside, running past him in a flurry.

“Go away!” She shouted at him as she ran out of the Nome town limits, not even giving her blue eyes another look back at her father. “I can’t stand you right now!” 

“Come back here, Aleu!” Balto ran after her, panting as his feet carried him several yards behind his very fast-footed daughter. “Let’s talk about this, okay?”

Aleu slowed down, stopping at the edge of the woods. Her eyes finally glanced back at her father, filled with emotions of rage and heart-ache. “There’s nothing left to talk about, Papa.” Before Balto could reach her, Aleu leapt into the woods; she knew her father would be upset with her going into the forest alone, but at the time, it didn’t matter to Aleu. She was angry, upset, and felt that she was to blame for the death of her mother. 

The gray-brown father let out a sigh, sitting down by the area where his child entered the woods on her own. “Oh, what have I done?”

“I tell you what you’ve done, Balto,” A familiar Russian tone caused the wolf-dog’s ears to stick up suddenly. 

“Boris?” Balto looked at the snow gander that suddenly appeared beside him. He let out a sigh. “You saw what happened, didn’t you?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Boris nodded his head, just when Muk and Luk had arrived at the scene. “She found out, didn’t she?” 

A deeper sigh came from the hybrid’s lips. “Yeah, and not the way I would have wanted her to learn about it . . . if I actually wanted her to know about it.”

A moaning noise came out of the larger polar bear’s mouth, causing the wolf-dog and the gander to look back at the two ursine brothers. “He says that maybe you should go find her, Uncle Balto,” Muk translated for them. “We both will miss Aleu if she doesn’t come back.” The small bear looked at the goose with worry. “She does belongs here, doesn’t she, Uncle Boris?” 

The gander placed a wing on the top of Muk’s head. “Of course she does, boichick.” Although she looks more wolfish than tame, he thought in his head. She may find her real place soon enough after a while in the wild. He looked back at the moping father; his ears returned back to their fallen position against his neck while his head dropped down, nearly allowing his nose to kiss the ground that edged the wilderness that he had once given up for the love of his life.

“I told myself I would never return to the wild again,” Balto muttered under his breath; Boris noticed the wolf-dog’s voice and turned to him as he continued. “After saving the town over a year ago, I promised Jen that I wouldn’t risk my life in the forest. After nearly dying out there, that scared her to death enough . . . and then once she told me that we were to be parents, that was the turning point. I knew I had to remain alive to take care of my family, but . . . I had no idea that she was going to be taken away from me once our pups were born.”

“But now Aleu’s out there,” Boris reminded him. “She’s your daughter, and you know as well as I that Jenna would want you to bring her home.” 

He’s right, Balto spoke to himself, realizing the truth. Jenna said to make our family full of love . . . and for me to always remain her hero . . . “I have to be brave and face my fears, for my daughter’s sake,” He finally said aloud. “If I leave now, maybe I’ll be able to get back before Rosy gets too worried about us being gone for too long.” He stood up and faced his closest friends with an encouraging yet small grin.

“Good luck, Balto,” Boris returned the gesture. “We’ll watch over Rosy from afar until you return.” 

“Thanks, Boris,” The hybrid nodded.

Luk let out an excited muffle of noises then leaned up to give Balto a large lick on the cheek. “Luk says to tell Aleu that we can’t wait to play once she returns. She promised another game of hide-and-seek before the sun goes down.” The smaller bear groaned softly, lowering his head. “I wish we could go with you, Uncle Balto.” 

Balto placed a paw on the bears’ shoulders – first the large Luk’s, then the smaller Muk’s – before giving them an answer. “Sorry, but it’s much faster if I go alone. Besides, Aleu will be back with me before you even know it.” Balto smiled. “I’m sure she’d love it when you welcome her back home!”

“Mmm!” Luk nodded in a quick motion, suddenly grabbing his brother and licking him happily. Just seeing this made the half-wolf laugh for the first time in many months, which made the gander join in. 

Once Balto finished laughing, he cleared his throat and bid his friends farewell. “Well, I’m off. I’ve gotten a trace of Aleu’s scent, so it’s better if I leave while it’s still fresh. Take care of yourselves, okay?”

“Same to you, Balto,” The gander waved as he and the two polar bears watched the gray-brown half-wolf step into the woods that he never thought he would go into ever again. Once he disappeared into the evergreen tints of the wilderness, Boris whispered into the wind. “Please, Jenna; watch over him while he’s out there. Make sure he and your daughter stay safe.” He let out a sigh as the three of them continued to look out at the forest in front of them, hoping that their friends would return sooner than they thought. 

(Part II – completed 9/15/07)