An Unexpected Future - Aleu

Part III

The afternoon sun was starting to fade into the height of the tree-filled landscape, causing the tips of the tops to burn almost with a passionate yellow-orange glow. The further one went underneath the forest canopy, the more one could see the dark, cool growth that flourished from the nourishment of the forest soil. A blurred form of light grayish-brown flew against the greenery of the Alaskan wilderness like a bolt of lightning through a rough and stormy sky. Her golden and blue eyes were filled with tears of many emotions, emotions of just discovering a year’s worth of secrets that had been kept from her knowledge.

How could Papa do that to me? Aleu thought as tears continued to drip from her face as she ran unknowingly towards somewhere that was far away from her father. Keeping such secrets from me like that – the nerve! She let out a inner growl as the last moments of her father flashed in her memory. I feel like never talking to him again, even if he wants me to! She began to slow down to a steady trot, her eyelids and head lowered in worry. But . . . knowing him, he’d be looking for me. She let out a slight huffy breath of frustration. Finally after all this time, he wants to explain himself to me . . . but thanks to that dog Ebony, I learned everything he never had the courage to reveal to me.

I’ll never forgive him . . . or myself . . . The harsh phrases seemed to pierce her own heart as she said them. My mother . . . Jenna . . . I killed you, and I never even knew you!

Her sadness made her become unaware of her surroundings; she realized this once she lifted her head and began to look around for something familiar. Hey . . . now where am I? She pondered and sniffed around for a trail or something that would jog her memory, but it was no use; because her father would not allow her to roam into the woods alone, nothing around her was recognizable at all. She let out a soft sigh, lowering her head again with disappointment.

“Oh, what’s the use?” She muttered aloud. “I don’t have a clue where I am . . . but I can’t go back to the place I once lived.” She sighed once more, feeling that there was one thing left for her to do. “I’ve got to find someplace to go, somewhere that I can truly belong . . . where those secrets won’t haunt me anymore.”

Moving one paw after the other, Aleu trotted further into the greenery of the woods, not realizing that she was entering someone else’s territory. As she walked onward, the quarter-wolf didn’t notice the three scents of foreign creatures that lurked in the bushes and shrubs with baring teeth in their jaws.

“Hmm? A she-wolf?” One male voice muttered to another of its companions, barely speaking loud enough for the quarter-wolf to hear. It let out a couple of sniffs, then a disappointing grunt. “Nah, that’s no wolf there.”

“Smells like half-breed,” A second voice, a female’s, murmured. “That one’s got some wolf in her.” Her voice began to lighten up. “Maybe we should leave this one alone, Juniper.”

“And have her steal from our land?” The one known as Juniper, another female, spoke up in an anger tone, but still in that almost inaudible voice. “No way! Part-wolf or not, she’s still trespassing on our territory and we must stop her from getting any closer to our base!”

The second voice let out a sigh. “I understand that, Juni, but –”

“But Juniper is right, Geona,” The first voice replied, interrupting the female. “We are wolves, and we must protect our Clan from any dangers that we may face, . . . even if they look harmless.”

“See? You’ve forgotten it already!” The voice known as Juniper joined in once more. “You must always remember, Geona, that you’re a wolf, and a member of the Runaway Clan. We were the ones that were forgotten, abandoned, even outcast from our own clans and families to live alone, destined to become bird or bear fodder if we couldn’t survive.”

“We’re alive because the Great Aniu allowed us to be saved by the Runaway Clan, Geona,” the first voice, still unnamed continued the speech. “The Clan gave us life when no one else would, and now that we are grown, we must protect it in return for our current existence.”

Geona let out a sigh. She knew her companions were right, but something inside her told her otherwise. “Well, maybe she’s a exiled orphan or a loner runaway like most of us are . . .” Geona responded, hoping that perhaps this would save the stranger’s life. “If she is someone like the rest of us, perhaps she could become a member of the Runaway Clan . . .”

“Uhh . . . Uh, Juniper?” The first voice asked suddenly, intruding through Geona’s idea.

“What is it, Hickory?” Juniper responded back with a bit of anger and impatience in her voice.

“Uh, how can we prevent the stranger from getting into our territory when she’s vanished?”

The male’s words caused all three of them to stick their heads out of the bushes and forest shrubs that they had hidden in. As Hickory had stated, the intruder had gone from the spot where they had planned to attack her, but her scent was still fresh.

“She’s close to here,” Geona, a light-gray and brown-marked she-wolf, sniffed out. “She’s deeper into our territory now, but now that we have her scent, we can track her down before she gets closer and ask her to join us!”

Juniper, the jet-black she-wolf with light-gray markings around her eyes, face and down her underbelly to the tip of her tail, lifted a paw to her female companion and hit her with it. “You fool! If we make her into a member of the Runaways, then she’ll learn everything! That part-breed might be a member of a rivaling Clan – a spy . . . a traitor in the making! If we tell her our secrets, she’ll have dirt on us to tell them once she escapes!”

“Well, maybe we should just take her in as a prisoner then,” the largest of the three, the dark-brown Hickory resolved the situation. “Then she can’t leave our territory without an escort by her side. That may be the safest thing to do.”

“Yes,” Juniper added. “Then White Feather would have to place final judgment on her instead!”

Geona lowered her head in disappointment, but if that was what needed to be done to spare that part-wolf’s life, it must happen. “Well, I guess we should go get her then!” She barked, quickly and stealthily leading her two companions to the source of the intruding scent of the part-wolf female.

The sunlight was beginning to dim now, for the evening hour was close at hand. Aleu noticed this, stopping in her tracks as she let out a few soft pants of exhaustion.

“Oh, I’m so thirsty!” She thought aloud. “I wonder if there’s a stream or a river nearby so I could get a drink . . .” Then she realized something that she had just barely forgotten. Wait a second . . . I have wolf blood in me! Maybe I could try to sniff out for some water . . . Lifting her nose into the air, Aleu let out a couple of soft, evenly-spaced sniffs. So many unfamiliar scents filled her nostrils like a large bouquet of flowers that somehow happened to smell like the wilderness around her. Wow, I’ve never been able to smell things like this before at home! This is amazing! After another couple of sniffs, the scents of three wild animals entered her nose. Hmm, that’s strange . . . I’ve never smelt anything like this before . . . Aleu closed her eyes, allowing this new sensation to engulf her soul as she sniffed again. But why does it smell so . . .

Before she could finish her thought, the three bodies of wolves pounced on her from the nearby bushes, causing Aleu to fall onto the dirt and forest-covered ground with a thud. The darker wolf, Hickory, had his large paws and thick, muscle-lined legs over the quarter-wolf’s slender-built body, all while Juniper and Geona stood by the side of their companion – Juniper with a growl slipping through her teeth and Geona with lowered ears and a forlorn sigh escaping from her lips.

“Hey, part-breed!” The black she-wolf Juniper barked out, causing Aleu to gasp and move her head away from the angered lupine. “Why are you trespassing on our land?”

“Juni, you’re scaring her!” Geona, the light-gray wolf let out a slight growl, as if she were a mother scolding her pup. Juniper returned the comment with a glare, then Geona continued to speak to the stranger; this time, she talked with a smile and a calm voice so Aleu wouldn’t be too afraid of them. “Sorry about her sudden outburst. She doesn’t take too kindly to strangers.” She let out a slight giggle, then continued to question the part-wolf. “You’re not from this part of the woods, are you?”

“N-n-no, not really,” Aleu replied nervously, let out a sigh and began to apologize. “I’m sorry I traveled into your territory; I had no idea . . . I’m just looking for some water and shelter, that’s all.”

Hickory’s expression softened at the young hybrid’s response. “Well, we can take you to our cavern where we have enough water and shelter to spare.” He spoke up, much to the shock of the jet-black female.

“What?! We’re taking her as a prisoner, not treating her like a royal!” Juniper snarled. She turned to Aleu, nearly allowing their noses to meet. “You’re not even a full wolf; I can smell the tameness in you!”

Aleu’s ears turned back, leaning against her mousy-gray neck. “W-w-well, so what?” She gathered her courage to snap back at the midnight lupine, slightly stammering as she did so. “I may be only part wolf, but . . .” She let out an agonizing groan. “Geez, I’m not exactly sure why I’m even arguing with you! Just back off, okay – it’s hasn’t been a good day for me today!” God, she’s just like Ebony, Aleu thought to herself. Her anger and her eyes are the same as hers . . . Thank goodness they’re not related! She breathed a soft sigh of relief as she began to catch her breath from her sudden rage. Wow, what a feeling . . . That must be the wolf in me, I guess . . .

“Yeah, sure it has,” Juniper scoffed back. “Now, let’s go! Our Alpha will place judgment on you once we get there.” She gave a gesture to Hickory with her muzzle, as if to tell him step away from the prisoner. Hickory moved his body from over Aleu, freeing her from the large lupine’s grasp; Aleu gasped for air and began to stand up to her feet with Geona’s assistance. “Keep a close eye on her, Geona,” Juniper reminded her fellow wolf. “She may run off again if any of us takes our eyes off her.”

Geona nodded as she stayed to the side of the young stranger, but Aleu only responded with a few headstrong words of her own. “Oh, don’t worry. It’s not like I want to go back to where I came from anyway.”

“Come on now,” Hickory nudged Aleu from behind, much to her surprise. “We need to hurry if we want to make it home before dark.” Aleu turned around and gave him a glare to show her disapproval of the gesture from moments ago; the dark-brown wolf seemed unmoved by the female quarter-wolf’s sign of anger, but continued to watch from behind as Juniper took the lead for the group as they made their way deeper into the forest, mainly heading to the mountains east of Nome.

Meanwhile, the leafy low branches had slightly tangled up the brown-gray hybrid as he tried to reach the mid-point of a forest pine. Balto grunted slightly as he got the tree’s limbs to release him from their grips. After quickly catching his breath, he placed his large beige front paws against the tree’s bark skin and clawed pieces off of it, making some sort of a marking to remind him of the way home.

“It’s getting darker now,” Balto noted aloud to himself as he could clearly feel the slight chill of the evening breeze start to whip against his grizzly coat. The sky was a faded reddish-purple, for the sun had covered itself under the shelter of the horizon behind where the father half-breed stood on the natural forest litter. He let out a worried sigh as he looked upward towards the heavens above him. “I just hope I find her safe.”

Deep down, Balto was struggling with the thoughts of where his only child could be at the moment while also dealing with his return into the wilderness that he had chosen to swear off of journeying into after finding out that he was to enter the realm of parenthood.

I never realized that I would feel so lost out here, Balto thought to himself. He hadn’t been in the woods for over a year, and the wolf side of him seemed rather weak, especially since for the past year since the death of his mate allowed him to live amongst the humans instead of back aboard his grounded wooden boat like he always had since for as long as he could remember. I guess all that time with Rosy and the other humans has softened my wild instincts . . . The nearby cries of the woodland owls and birds signaled the beginning of the night, the awakening of the nocturnal creatures that had slumbered throughout the brightness of the daylight hours.

“I have to find some sort of shelter,” the half-breed thought out loud, unfortunately realizing that as much as he wanted to stay out and continue his search for Aleu, the dreary feel of the forest and the chilled darkness that almost seemed to engulf him was a sign that he should wait until the sun’s light brightened his paths once more. “I’ll just have to trust that my baby’s okay out here tonight.” He sighed as a small rock cave, one that was probably used by female wolves to give birth and raise their pups before returning to their home packs, suddenly came into view from a mysterious night mist, which quickly dispersed once Balto finally noticed the cave. “Hmm, I suppose this cave will do for now . . .” He approached the cavern and sniffed around, hoping that it wasn’t currently being used by any other wild animals. Once he realized that the scent was quite stale and that the cave was indeed safe, Balto stepped into it, turned around from the inside, and laid on the rock that made a hard, uncomfortable bed. His front legs and paws kept his head slightly upright, but it was difficult for him to even fall asleep, for the worry he had for his only child forbade him to shut his eyes.

Oh, Aleu, he thought aloud as he watched the creatures of the night take wing beneath the stars and the branches of the forest evergreens in front of him. I shouldn’t have kept the truth about Jenna from you – I know that now. I just . . . I just wish you could understand how I felt about what happened and why I felt it was the right thing to do. It’s not my fault . . . or your fault that you could pass for a wolf in the eyes of others. And the wolf blood in us didn’t take your mother away from us – it was her time, unfortunately . . . and nothing can change that, no matter what we try.

However, . . .

His red eyes finally closed for the night, for his thoughts had worn him out. The day had been one that was filled with revelations and emotionally-draining situations, and now, it was time for him to recharge and prepare himself for the dawning of the next, in which he was hoping and praying that his beloved daughter would be found safe.

His dreams, similar to the ones he had before Jenna had blessed him with a daughter and lost her own life because of the birth, that night were terrifying yet something about them allowed him to feel a strange sense of serenity.

Again, he was surrounded by darkness, with the pounding rhythm of his own heartbeat as background noise. Panicked by the fact that this may lead to another tragedy within his very small family, he gasped and started to run from the dark blackness that surrounded him; however, that only increased the pulsating beat that steadily rang in his ears

What is this? He thought as he panted around the backdrop of unending night. I just hope this doesn’t mean I’m going to lose someone else . . . Balto had remembered that the previous nightmares that took place in darkness soon led to the death of his mate and five of his own pups; there was no way he would want that to happen again . . . especially since he hardly had anyone else. He closed his eyes with hot tears dripping down his cheeks, not realizing that a bright light, a warm and inviting glow that beamed a piercing blade of radiance into the harsh shade. A familiar, gentle tone of a female’s song entering his ears finally made Balto open his eyes and look towards the light with a soft smile on his face.

“All your worries, leave them somewhere else,

Find a dream you can follow,”

Jenna? Balto saw the form of his mate in front of him, the light emanating from her like an angel in a heavenly vision from God. Is it really you, Jen? She smiled back at him, nodding her elegant head as a response; Balto felt at peace now, for the sounds and the darkness that had frightened him had vanished from his mind; his eyes were only on his beloved as he stepped towards her for a quick nuzzle of love as her melodious words continued to calm him.

“Reach for something, when there's nothing left,

And the world's feeling hollow,”

Listening carefully to the lyrics of the song, he began to examine them and compare them to his own feelings. Well, I am worried about Aleu . . . She is our daughter, and now she’s angry and out here in the wild . . . Oh, I’m just so afraid she might get hurt or . . . worse . . . and that I’ll be too late to save her . . . I love her so much, . . . and yet I don’t know what to do any more . . . He sighed as he closed his eyes, but the sudden touch of his mate’s cool nose against his cheek and her beautiful song began to settle his troubled heart.

“Can you hear it calling?

Can you feel it in your soul?

Can you trust this longing . . . and take control?”

Balto opened his gold and red eyes and looked into hers; her piercing amber-hazel eyes were more dazzling than ever as she gazed back into his, almost as if she were telling him, “It’s okay, Balto . . . You know what you have to do. You have no choice but to do what’s right for our daughter . . .”

“Fly . . . open up the part of you that wants to hide away,”

But what can I do, Jen? His eyes asked back with a whine. He knew Aleu wanted some independence from him, but she was all he had left of Jenna. I can’t bear to let go of my last reminder of you . . . What if something happens to her? God, I’d start blaming myself if I learned she was gone too . . . He lowered his eyelids as his head dropped towards his paws, almost as if in shame.

“You can shine,

Forget about the reasons why you can’t in life,

And start to try, ‘cause it's your time,

Time to fly . . .”

The song lyric ended and Jenna muzzled him once more, this time murmuring something in his ear in a sweet voice. “Remember who you and Aleu are, Balto – there’s wolf in each of you.”

Balto looked up with his ears now pricked up in surprise. Never before had anyone – well, maybe except for Boris when he went off alone to save the sled team – sounded proud about reminding him of his half-wolf heritage. He knew that Jenna loved him, despite his mixed blood; she was always a kind, pure soul that every dog loved to be around, so him saving her human was the least he could have done back then to keep her happy. He never would have guessed that she would choose him as her mate in the end . . . and that he would lose her only months later.

His red eyes softened, but then his eyelids dropped again. “I know, Jen, but . . .”

“It’s time for the hero in you to shine again, love,” Jenna smiled again, interrupting her mate’s response. “I never minded that part of you at all, you know that, but now you must follow that wild nature within you and save our daughter.” She lifted her muzzle up and a little melody escaped from her lips as she gave Balto one last piece of encouragement.

“And when you're down and feel alone,

Just want to run away;

Trust yourself and don't give up!

You know you better than anyone else . . .”

“You know you do . . .” She whispered in his ears and gently licked him with her tongue on his cheek. He let out a light gasp to the comment, looked surprisingly back at Jenna’s loving eyes as she let out a tiny giggle and completed her sentence. “and I know it too.”

“Jen . . .” Balto’s eyelids lowered gently as he returned the gesture to the spirit of his beloved. “I . . . I miss you so much.”

“I miss you too, Balto,” she answered back. “but right now you have a job to do . . . and wishes to fulfill.”

Make our family full of love . . . Always remain my hero . . . Jenna’s last words from her short life echoed through Balto’s head as he nodded with a slightly confident smile.

“I will,” Balto told her as he watched her body disappear in front of him. “I swear to God I will still be your hero . . . and bring our family back together.” No longer was he saddened by the fact that Jenna was gone from him; unlike the last time, only a couple of hours before Aleu’s outburst and running away, the half-breed was content with accepting Jenna’s sudden death, realizing how spontaneous those final moments can be . . . and how precious life really is.

I’ll find our daughter . . . and I’ll let her know that she should be proud to be ours . . . Even though she has 25% wolf in her, she’s got more of you inside in the end . . .

The night had finally reached where Aleu now was, but she wouldn’t have realized that her father was still quite far behind her scent trail; she was still angry at the fact that Balto had kept the truth of her mother’s death from her, and at the moment was far from forgiving him for it. The three wolves that had placed her under their control had led the quarter-wolf into land that Aleu had never seen.

The never-ending forest suddenly stopped, leading to a beautiful mountain lake, lined with short grass by the lake’s shoreline. Apparently their pack’s cavern was located past a small waterfall that crashed over the entrance and into the lake, making it very hard to spot from the other side of the water’s flow. There were no dry ways to enter the secret passage, so when exiting and entering the pack’s hideaway, it was impossible to not get completely soaked.

“Why can’t you stay dry when going into your own territory?” Aleu turned to her light-gray captor and asked Geona curiously after passing through the waterfall herself. “Don’t you get tired of the wet fur all the time?” She paused to shake her fur dry, chilled by the strong force of the blast. “Brr! And it’s so cold too!”

“Not at all,” she replied back with a giggle, unsuccessfully dodging the random spray of the water from her prisoner; they continued walking through the wide rocky hallway that led to the main chambers of the pack. “The waterfall helps mask our scent when we go inside to sleep and come out to hunt or go on patrol, and since most animals can’t bear the threat of a harsh shower of cold water hitting them to follow our scents, they don’t even bother going through.” She let out a giggle. “Actually, it takes a bit of getting used to, but if it helps to protect you . . .” Geona sighed in relief. “Sounds pretty cool, huh?”

Aleu nodded. “Mmm-hmm! That’s quite an intelligent idea . . . for a group of wolves. I never would have thought of that before!”

Juniper, the lead wolf of the four of them, turned around and scoffed. “Of course you wouldn’t have – you’re just a part-breed! What would you know about wolves when you’re only part one?”

Aleu’s head lowered sadly, realizing that the dark she-wolf was right. I don’t know anything about wolves . . . Papa never told me anything about them – all I really know is that I am part-wolf . . . and apparently I have a strong sense of smell too . . . but that’s about it.

Hickory quickly snapped back at Juniper with a bark. “Juni! Please don’t insult our prisoner like that! She’s only a pup, so leave her alone, okay?”

“No.”

The three wolves turned to Aleu, who spoke up suddenly. “What do you mean, no?” Geona asked. “You are just a pup, aren’t you? You don’t seem to be as old as us.”

“I mean, yeah, I am almost a year old, but that’s not what I’m talking about,” the quarter-wolf explained. “My papa – I mean, my father . . . he’s half-wolf.” Her ears lowered sadly, as did her eyelids. “I didn’t even find out about this until earlier today, so Juni’s right about me . . . not knowing anything about wolves and all, even when I’m part-wolf.”

“The name’s Juniper, not Juni!” the black she-wolf growled loudly to Aleu. “Only the members of our Clan can call be by that name, so show some respect, part-breed!” Before she let out a loud bark, a beautiful howl silenced them and made the four dogs turn towards the source of the melody.

A gray-white she-wolf stood at the end of the hall, blocking the way into the main chamber. Her face was calm and welcoming, but Aleu noticed that she had a sudden royal air about her. The three wolves that had gasped at the noise now were kneeling down to the she-wolf. Geona, who just noticed that Aleu was still gazing eye-to-eye at the large gray-white wolf, nudged the quarter-wolf on the leg, telling her to kneel. Following along, Aleu did as she was told, lowering her front legs and head towards the ground.

“Rise, my children,” the silver wolf spoke with a light, airy voice that sounded like sparkling starlight . . . if starlight could actually talk. “Ah, I see you’ve found a new recruit for our Clan, correct?”

“Yes, my Alpha,” Geona lifted her head up and replied politely. “This is one that we found trespassing on the western territory. She only asks for shelter and nourishment, and nothing else.”

“That’s a lie!” Juniper shouted with rage. “This one’s only a part-wolf, not a purebred like us! She’s our prisoner!” She had placed emphasis on the words ‘this one’, which made Aleu speak up.

“I’m no one’s prisoner, ma’am,” Aleu gave the Alpha a small bow with her head, much to the wolves’ surprise. “I was just looking for a place to stay because I can’t go back home, that’s all. I’ve never been out here by myself before, so I apologize for trespassing.” She bowed again, hoping that perhaps her strategy would work.

“Hmm,” the white wolf’s expression changed from seriously calm to quite impressed. “I see; so you’re a visitor here.”

“Uh, yes . . .” Aleu answered back, feeling a bit nervous. “My name’s Aleu, . . . ma’am.” She took a pause after introducing herself, hoping that perhaps telling them her name would allow the three other wolves – mostly Juniper – to stop calling her “this one” or “part-breed” or “part-wolf” like they had been for the past thirty minutes since they captured her.

“Well, I bid you good evening, my dear,” the she-wolf lowered her own head in a quick bow. “My name is White Feather, and I am the Alpha of the Runaway Clan. If you want, you can join us and be our honored guest for tonight’s feast.”

“Thank you very much,” Aleu responded. “That would be great!” She stopped and cleared her throat. “I mean, I’d be honored to join you tonight.”

Awed by the quarter-wolf’s answer to her dinner invitation, White Feather stepped backwards into the chamber and welcomed her inside. “Please, allow our guest to enter, Juniper. I would like her to feel at ease with us before I speak with her in my quarters in private before dinner. You can go assist with the evening hunt for tonight’s feast.”

“Yes, Alpha.” With a rebellious growl, Juniper still did as she was ordered to, allowing Aleu, Hickory and Geona to pass into the main chamber; after Hickory’s dark-brown tail passed her gaze, the jet-black she-wolf ran past them toward the other members of the hunting party.

“Hickory, Geona,” the Alpha called the remaining two wolves that were with Aleu. They turned their heads to the white wolf, awaiting her orders. “Lead Aleu to stay in Geona’s quarters. Please see to it that our guest is comfortable until I send a servant to fetch her within the hour.”

“Yes, Alpha,” the two wolves quickly dipped their heads for a quick bow, replying back in unison. White Feather walked away towards another part of the main chamber, moving as if her gray-white body were as light as a gently floating feather that skimmed on the wind and moved just inches from the ground.

“Wow . . .” Aleu finally spoke up with a look of awe in her wide eyes as she looked around at the new world she was in. The rocky chamber that they had called the “main chamber” was actually more of a gateway to the other areas of the Clan’s cavern. Wolves of many colors – all shades of black, brown, gray, white, and a few stranger hues of orange, faded blue, and red . . . maybe about fifty to sixty wolves altogether – surrounded the two levels of the cavern, each one busy with their niches for the Clan’s well-being. “This place is amazing! I . . . I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“I see you like our home, yes?” Hickory turned his gaze to the quarter-wolf, who nodded with excitement. “Every member of the Runaway Clan helped to dig the entrance and this large chamber you see here. This place wouldn’t have been possible without each other.”

“Hmm, . . . that’s incredible!” Aleu replied, but something else made her curious. “Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why are you called the Runaway Clan? None of you seem like runaways . . . not like me, anyway.”

“Well,” Geona began to speak; her muzzle lowered towards to ground, easily matching her sullen expression. “not all of us are runaways; only about 10% of us are like Hickory is, runaway wolves from other Clans,” The light-gray she-wolf paused as they entered into a narrow pathway, leading into the smaller clan chambers. Hickory nodded to them, giving the two of them some time to bond and chat about each other as he went into his own den. “The rest of us are made up of mostly orphans, exiles, rejects and others like that. I’m one of them – oh, here’s our den, Aleu.” She pointed her nose towards a cozy hole that was built for two normal-sized wolves.

The light-gray and the gray-brown she-wolves entered the den, and yet it remained spacious once they were inside. “Wow, there’s so much room in here!” Aleu exclaimed. “Are the other rooms as large as yours, Geona?”

“No, not really,” Geona laid down on a higher slab of rock that was only inches off the ground. “I was just born small, so I can easily fit in smaller spaces.” She let out a sigh as she began to explain her story to a interested Aleu. “I was born over a year ago to a she-wolf from a nearby Clan. My mother had seven pups altogether, but six were still-born – dead from birth.”

Aleu’s ears pricked up in surprise. That’s just like with me, she thought to herself. My five siblings died at birth, but I survived. But she’s lucky – at least she had a mother to care for her . . .

“My Clan thought I was an absolute miracle for surviving, but my mother . . .” Geona’s eyes had begun to swell with tears. “She . . . well, she didn’t show the same affection to me that the rest of the Clan.” Her head lowered to her front legs as she wept. “She growled and beat me once she was alone with me. I . . . I really couldn’t see or hear anything back then when I was newly-born, but . . . I could feel her presence or recognize her scent that surrounded me.”

Aleu gasped in shock. “Why would she do that? I mean, she’s your mother!”

“I have no idea why she hated me so,” Geona sniffled. “but I still loved her, because I had to. She was the one that gave me life after all.” The she-wolf let out a weeping whine. “I never even learned her name.”

“Oh,” Aleu leaned over to comfort the she-wolf with her muzzle. “I’m sorry if I brought back some difficult memories for you.”

“None taken,” Geona replied in a more comfortable tone. “The experience of it all has only made me stronger, supposedly. The last moment I can remember with my mother was when she dropped me in the river when I was a few days old.” The she-wolf let out a small chuckle. “I guess she couldn’t handle keeping a pup that she hated.”

“My mother . . .” Aleu sighed, remembering what she had learned only hours ago. “I don’t even remember her at all.”

“Really?” Geona’s ears pricked up. “How can that be?”

“Mine . . . she died after giving birth,” the quarter-wolf murmured difficultly, tears falling from her face as she remembered the moment when Ebony bullied her because of it. “I only found out about it when another husky told me about her and made fun of me because of it.”

“Husky?” The she-wolf’s head turned to the side in confusion. “What’s that?”

That’s right, Aleu realized. Wolves are always in the wild. They have no clue about things in the world of humans. “It’s a different type of dog; they look like you guys, but they work and live among humans, . . . I mean, people, . . . uh, two-legs?” She tried to find the right word to describe humans in her world so that Geona could understand; at the time, the light-gray continued to tilt her head at every different word.

“Ah, you mean those packs of dogs I see every so often running with someone following close behind them on a piece of wood?” Geona’s tone perked up.

“Uh, yeah, that’s it,” the quarter-wolf replied. Not exactly how I’d explain it though, but it’s close enough. “Those are huskies that are trained for dog-sledding. That’s how humans get from town to town around here – by using teams of huskies and pulling their human on a sled.”

“Ah, I see,” Geona awed. “Were you one of them, Aleu?” The quarter-wolf’s ears lowered. “I mean, you’re part-wolf, so what else are you then?”

Aleu sighed deeply. “Well, I learned my father’s half-wolf, half-husky, . . . and my mother was a purebred husky . . . so I guess . . .” She sighed again; just before she began to speak again, a cough came from the hole in the den.

It was a large-sized wolf, about the size of Hickory, but instead of a dark-brown coat, this one had medium-gray fur. Light patches of white-gray surrounded its slim almond-shaped eyes of pale gold and black pupils, wide-jawed muzzle and down its chest and under its tail.

“Sorry for interrupting, but the Alpha wishes to have a private word with you,” the wolf muttered to the quarter-wolf. “I’m here to escort you to her quarters at once.”

“Thank you,” Aleu bowed quickly to the escort then turned to her new friend. “Maybe we can talk later, Geona.” She gave her a comforting smile. “It was really nice to get to know you better. Perhaps . . . I might join this Clan after all.”

“That sounds good. I’ll see you later,” the light-gray returned the gesture as she watched Aleu walk out the doorway and behind the large lupine. Once the mouse brown-gray left the area, Geona sighed. “I hope she joins us. Aleu’s a very interesting yearling . . . with problems like mine.”

I wonder why she ran away in the first place . . . She doesn’t seem like the type to run away at all . . .

As Aleu and her escort traveled back into the main chamber, she felt a bit nervous about the whole idea of being alone with the beautiful Alpha that she had just met moments ago.

Oh, I hope I don’t make a fool out of myself! Aleu thought as the escort led her up a stack of well-placed boulders that were like the flight of stairs that led to Rosy’s room. What if she doesn’t like me? What if she sends me away for being only part-wolf? She let out a sigh of worry.

Sensing the quarter-wolf’s nerves, the large wolf comforted her with a couple of words. “Don’t worry; she rarely ever gets upset about things. You’ll be fine.” He gazed into the female’s large sky-blue and gold eyes and gave her a smile. “Trust me.”

Aleu returned the grin back at the escort as he halted in front of a guarded chamber with two identical gray wolves standing in front of the rocky doorway.

“You must go in on your own from here,” the escort told her.

“Okay,” Aleu bowed to him. “Thank you very much.” As he left the area to continue his next duty, the two guards stepped aside, allowing the nervous quarter-wolf to enter the Alpha’s main chamber. Once she stepped past them, they returned to their guarding positions almost immediately.

White Feather’s chamber was much larger than the main chamber was, although it still maintained the same spherical form. A wide ray of moonlight shone down on the heart of the room, where the stunning figure of the Alpha awaited the young quarter-wolf. The Alpha was no longer gray-white as Aleu had seen her earlier; her fur, now kissed by the lunar radiance from above, was pure white, like freshly fallen snow, and she looked more like a spiritual being than an actual wolf the more the quarter-wolf noticed her. Aleu continued to look around in awe and sheer amazement by the spacious area of just the leader’s room and the now different appearance of the beautiful she-wolf, but the tinkling voice of the Alpha made her gasp and remember her purpose here.

“Aleu,” White Feather called out, getting the yearling’s attention. “Welcome to my chamber room.” Aleu made her way down the layers of lowering stones until she reached where the lunar beams gently began to lighten her coat and where the Alpha stood in front of her with shimmering topaz eyes. “Ah, I see you like it, yes?”

“It’s beautiful, ma’am,” Aleu bowed low to the ground, just like the others had done last time. “I’ve never seen anything so wonderful before!”

“Why, thank you,” White Feather replied, placing a paw on the quarter-wolf’s shoulder. “There’s no need to bow right now; I invited you here after all, and it’s my pleasure to meet you at last.”

“At last?” Aleu’s head and ears pricked up in shock. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. Do you know me or something?”

The white she-wolf giggled behind one of her paws. “No, I don’t know you, but I know that there’s a reason why you were sent to our Clan. The Great Aniu led you here, and your safe arrival only proved the prophecy that she sent to me.”

The quarter-wolf lowered an eyebrow in confusion. “I’m sorry, but no one led me anywhere,” Aleu clarified to the Alpha. “I only ran away to get away from my lying father . . . I just didn’t know where I was going and before I knew it, three wolves took me prisoner.” She let out a small snort. “I hate to be rude, but I’ve never even heard of this ‘Great Aniu’ character. Who is she anyway?” That final question was only out of pure curiosity, but she didn’t know why it sounded so important anyway.

“Hmm, you must be more accustomed to the outside world’s beliefs and not raised on the words and sacred teachings of the wolf,” The Alpha muttered in a quiet tone before informing the clueless quarter-wolf on the beliefs of the wolves. “Why, the Great Aniu is our Creator, the mother of all wolves, the deity that watches the destinies of every wolf on this planet from the very second of conception to the exact moment that they enter eternal sleep.” White Feather explained to the quarter-wolf. “She blesses Alphas with special dreams, visions of things that are to be. Through my most recent vision, she told me that a lost soul would be found on our western territory and decide their destiny here . . . but what else, I really don’t understand.” She lowered her head slightly.

Aleu let out a gasp, slowly taking a couple of steps backwards. “Am I the lost soul in your dream, White Feather?” The words took their time to come out of her mouth, but eventually they escaped from her lips. “Am I meant to figure out my destiny here, as a member of your Clan?”

White Feather shook her dainty head slowly. “That is unknown, young one. Each and every creature has a certain fate that they are bound to since the day they were thought to existence, and we all have the power to change our destinies, even though we may not understand what they are right away; since you’re so young and unsure of what awaits your future, I’m sure your own destiny will be known in due time.”

The quarter-wolf, disappointed by the Alpha’s wise words of guidance, let out a deep sigh and lowered her ears to her neck. “What about you?” The Alpha’s white velvet ears perked up at the sudden query. “When you were my age, how did you get to where you are? Was this your destiny: to be an Alpha of a large group of wolves that no one else wanted?”

“Well,” The Alpha began to speak, surprised by such an unexpected question from such a curious pup. “I remember I was born to my mother, who passed her lupine looks to me. I had two other siblings, a brother and a sister; the sister was always by my side when I was growing up, but when I was a few months old, my father took the other one away to the lands in the west . . . I never saw my only brother again.” She let out a deep sigh of remembrance.

“I-I-I’m sorry to put that pressure on you,” Aleu bowed apologetically. “I didn’t know.”

White Feather again placed a paw on Aleu’s shoulder. “It’s all right. It’s been over four years since I last saw him, so he’s probably changed a lot since back then.” She smiled slightly, although Aleu could sense that the subject of the Alpha’s lost brother was hard for her to talk about at times; strangely, the white she-wolf was quite calm about speaking him. “Every opportunity I was able to find, I tried to search out my brother and father’s scent. Once I thought I had found him when I check at the bottom of a nearby mountain cliff due east from here, but . . .” The Alpha let out a small chuckle. “I realized it wasn’t him; he didn’t even acknowledge me, so I left him . . . despite his own dilemmas, I suppose.” White Feather sighed deeply as she gazed back at Aleu’s now lifted face. “You know, I feel comfortable talking about my past with you, Aleu.” She chuckled a bit and continued. “It’s . . . it’s like, I don’t know how to explain this feeling I have with you.”

“It seems like everyone can tell me about their lives today,” Aleu responded with a light sigh. “I thought I had it bad when I learned that my father kept the secret of my mother and other siblings being dead and me being born part-wolf . . .” She sighed, her head collapsed parallel to her front legs. “I was so upset at the time that I yelled at him . . . ran away from him . . . hoping that he would just leave me alone.” She huffed at the ground. “He’s always so protective of me, even though he doesn’t mind me running off to play within the town; but when it comes to the forest, he never goes in it, and he tells me never to go in there. Oh, I don’t understand fathers at all.” Aleu let out another deep sigh of frustration.

“Fathers can be difficult sometimes,” the Alpha told her. “Where most pups have one father, I’ve had two in my entire life: my real father and my mother’s twin brother. From personal experience, I’ve learned that it’s normal for a father to be protective of their young once they have someone that they love with all their heart. Their actions may seem harsh and cruel to you when you do disobey them, but they do that only because care about your safety, not because they hate you or anything.” By the Alpha’s tone, it seemed that she was speaking from events that had happened in her own adolescent years.

“So, I guess my papa’s out in the woods looking for me, huh?” Aleu asked with a sigh.

White Feather nodded. “Probably. He just wants to make sure that his daughter is safe . . . and to possibly make amends, that’s all. Give him a chance to show that he loves you, and maybe you’ll understand the importance of being a family.”

“Maybe,” the quarter-wolf began, but was interrupted by the large form of the wolf that had escorted her to White Feather’s chambers.

“My Alpha, the hunting party has returned. The feast is ready and waiting for you to bless in the main chamber,” The medium-gray and white wolf bowed in a formal manner at the top of the stone stairs inside the large chamber.

“I’ll be on my way in a moment. Thank you, Oak,” the white Alpha sent him away, returning the gesture with a light nod of her head. Once Oak had left, White Feather turned to Aleu. “I’ve only been Alpha here for nearly three years; I ran away from my guardian when I was over a year old, changed my name, and started my own pack for those wolves that were looking for a new life. It was hard, and I began to wonder why the Great Aniu would choose me for such a difficult task. It was couple of years later when I saved a days-old pup from certain death in a raging river that I realized my life’s true purpose . . .”

Aleu gasped lightly after hearing those words. Could she be talking about . . . Geona? She thought, remembering the light-gray’s story of her mother’s rejection of her as a young pup.

“As I watched that young pup suck against my own teat with my own litter of two pups,” the Alpha continued as she led Aleu back up the stairway out of the chamber. “I realized that my quick actions had just saved someone’s life. My duty out here was to raise and care for those that could not protect themselves, and once they matured, they would return the favor by protecting the Clan that saved their lives.”

“But these others,” Aleu wondered without actually thinking about what she was saying. “They aren’t related to you by blood, and yet they are still wolves like you. How can you love them like family when clearly they are different than you?”

“Don’t you have anyone in your life that isn’t like you but you love them like family?” White Feather halted, staring into the pools of gold and blue. She paused for a moment, allowing the harsh words to sink in. “Just remember that they may be different on the outside and may have different , but the on the inside . . . in the heart, we are all a part of the same large family.”

The Alpha’s powerful words touched the young quarter-wolf, her thoughts could clearly be felt just by looking into Aleu’s softened eyes.

She’s right, Aleu thought to herself, her ears hung low against her neck. There’s Boris, Muk and Luk, . . . and Rosy . . . they’re all different, but they care for me . . . a lot. I feel so stupid for not realizing that before! Oh, she must think that I’m so selfish . . .

“I . . . I . . .” Aleu stammered; she wanted to say something aloud to thank her for the advice, but deep down inside, the words just wouldn’t come out.

“Now, there’s no need to thank me,” White Feather chuckled softly. “You’re still quite young and learning more about the world you are a part of, so it’s okay. Besides, we have a feast to get to. Come on.” The Alpha gave her a grin. “I’ll introduce you properly there.”

“Oh, okay,” Aleu cleared her throat and followed behind the elegant Alpha out of her very large chambers and down to where the rest of the Runaway Clan awaited for the Alpha’s blessing and the beginning of the majestic feast that was in front of them. After a few moments of getting into their appropriate places in the main chamber, the feast ceremony commenced.

“My children, we meet once more together to share another meal,” White Feather rose her head high as the rest of her Clan lowered theirs in honor of their Alpha.

Aleu, who was placed near Geona in the large circle of wolves that were surrounding their kill of a couple of medium-sized deer, followed along, although the stench of the quick-rotting carcass began to make her nearly vomit.

“Gosh, it smells awful!” Aleu murmured to Geona with a tone of disgust. “Do you really plan to eat that?”

Geona nodded and quickly hushed the almost yearling with a gesture. “Shh! The Alpha’s praying to the Great Aniu!” Like the other wolves, she and Aleu lowered their heads and closed their eyes in prayer, allowing White Feather’s blessing to linger around their ears.

“Oh Great Aniu,” the white Alpha spoke in an almost mystical voice. “We thank you for your protection and strength that you give us everyday. Thank you for sending us nourishment so that we may live through another day in the land that you’ve blessed us. We live together, only to prove to those that lost faith in us that we are meant for much more. Again, we are at your mercy . . . watch over us as we continue to flourish into a Clan that will live on forever.” White Feather paused for a moment, only following it up with a howl as an Amen. The rest of the Runaway Clan joined suit, letting their voices harmoniously intertwine before White Feather silenced them prior to eating.

“Before we eat, I would like to introduce our honored guest of this evening,” The ivory she-wolf pointed a paw at the quarter-wolf, gesturing her to rise so that all could see. “This is Aleu, a possible new member of our Clan. Yes, if you can not tell by her scent, she is only part-wolf, but please treat her like you wish to be treated.” White Feather bowed slightly to Aleu, who lowered her head slightly at the statement of her being only part-wolf. As she sat back down beside Geona, White Feather nodded. “Now, let us enjoy this kill together.” To begin the feast, the Alpha opened her mouth and tugged on a piece of deer hide, ripping it until the raw meaty juices spilled on her jaws, staining her white muzzle red. Once White Feather began to eat, the other wolves finally moved forward, pulling off their share of the meat.

Geona grabbed a piece off for Aleu and placed it in front of her before taking a piece for herself. “Here, Aleu,” the light-gray she-wolf coaxed. “Here’s some deer meat for you to eat.”

“Uh,” Aleu tried not to look at the bloody mess of meat that was placed in front of her, but it was difficult not to. “No thanks, Geona. I . . . I think I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Huh?” Geona said with a tone of surprise, her mouth covered in spots with dark red. She swallowed half a mouth full of meat before speaking again. “What, are you new to hunted meat too, Aleu?”

“It looks disgusting,” Aleu murmured. She didn’t want to offend any of her newfound wolf friends, so she spoke in a low voice. “Not to be rude or anything, but I’ve never had deer meat before.” She nearly threw up, quickly covering her mouth with one of her paws. “I’m sorry, but it just looks horrible to me. How can you eat that?”

A familiar voice chuckled near Geona; it was the black wolf Juniper, who easily chomped on a strip of meat. “Oh, is this not what you’re used to, part-wolf?” She cackled again, causing other members of the Clan to begin to take notice; Aleu’s ears dropped as did her eyelids in shame of Juniper’s words. “Sorry there’s no dog food here, but there’s no way you can survive out here without eating fresh kill! You should just give up while you still can!”

“Enough!” White Feather stood up with a howl, silencing the defiant dark wolf. “Juniper, there’s no need to tease Aleu. She has been raised elsewhere and is not used to our customs yet. If she wants to join us, we should give her some time to get used to the way we do things here.” Aleu perked up with a smile; she was glad to know that the Alpha was on her side of the matter, as was Geona and several of the other wolves she had befriended within the past couple of hours. “Anyway, she’s still a pup, not even a year old yet. All wolves have to learn how to get used to real meat somehow. Give her time, Juniper.”

“Why should I?” Juniper barked angrily. “She’s not even a pure-blooded wolf! Why should we give her a chance when she reeks of tame dog more than untamed wolf?”

“Because . . .” White Feather paused with a sigh before continuing. “Oh, I cannot keep this hidden any longer! The reason we should give Aleu a chance is because your Alpha happens to be part-wolf as well.”

Everyone, even the rebel Juniper, gasped in shock. No one would have ever thought that White Feather, a she-wolf that was truly magnificent and a perfect follower of the Great Aniu in every single way, was born as a hybrid herself.

“White Feather,” Aleu stepped up curiously. “how is that possible? You look so much like a real wolf, . . . and yet . . . I just don’t understand how this can be, ma’am.”

The white Alpha nodded. “I know it’s hard to believe but my words are true; I am only half-wolf by birth, but I have been raised only in the ways of the lupine since . . . for as long as I can remember.”

“Why didn’t you tell us, my Alpha?” Geona asked. “I’m sure we wouldn’t have judged you any differently, especially since you brought us all together.”

“I-I . . . I was afraid,” White Feather admitted, her head fallen towards to ground in humiliation. “When I was nearly half a year old, I learned that my mother was of pure wolf blood, but although my father could easily be pass for a wolf, he was a tame dog – a husky.”

Aleu gasped in shock. No way! She’s got husky blood in her too? Wow, she’s . . . she’s just like my papa! No, wait . . . she’s just like me!

“I learned from my mother that the mixing of wolf and husky blood was a taboo in our society,” White Feather continued. “but in the end, my parents remained together and completely in love with one another, even if it meant total banishment from the wolf community. After my father left with my brother, my mother left me and my other sister in the care of her twin brother, Kamik, who also happened to be the future Alpha of his birth Clan. He knew of our forbidden blood and knew that his Clan was against hybrids, but the love he had for his sister made him want to protect us; we were all he had left of her, for we learned she and our father had perished the night we were given to him.” A tear slipped down her white cheek, staining it dark gray. “Although I was related to the future Alpha and the actual Alphas of the Clan, my sister and I were still teased quite often for our breeding, even though we looked as much wolf as they did. What was worse was that the older wolves who had once looked up to our mother for her importance when she was younger now cursed her own children, despite the fact that I received my mother’s looks and kindness and my sister was such a independent soul like she was. One day, I couldn’t take the torture anymore, and I ran away without notifying my sister or my uncle knowing where or why I was leaving them.”

How sad, Aleu thought as she listened to White Feather’s story. Papa was a half-wolf too, but he lives in a human town . . . She let out a quiet gasp. If Ebony and her other husky friends could make fun of me for being part-wolf, I wonder how life must have been for him before I came along . . .

Oh, I wish I could ask him . . .

“While I ran, I thought my breeding was so unfair, especially since I had never noticed that I was anything different from anyone else,” The Alpha spoke some more, continuing to weave her tale. “Once I officially left my uncle’s territory, I left my birth name and everything else about my past with him as well. I wanted to make a place in which others like me could live in harmony and acceptance of each other’s differences, and the only way to do this was to start anew with a new title; I christened myself as White Feather – an independent she-wolf that was floating away from the ones that had once made me the object of harsh persecution. I didn’t know if there were others like me out there, other wolves that lived with impure blood and other difficult situations that made them feel outcast from their families, but I met a lone purebred wolf –” The white wolf turned to the dark form of Oak and gave him a gentle smile. “and he didn’t judge me for one moment about my mixed breeding. I felt comfortable around him, and together, we allowed several other wolves to join our Clan, which we called the Runaway Clan. We found our cave and made it successful, especially when I welcomed a litter of three pups inside my chamber. It was after that day that I began to find abandoned pups in the woods and in rivers and took them in as my own sons and daughters.”

That’s so nice of her to do that, the quarter-wolf sighed. I guess that’s what Boris did for Papa. He did tell me that he took care of Papa when he was found abandoned in town as a pup . . . I wonder why Boris felt that he, a snow goose, had to take care of my father, a hybrid?

Maybe it was because at the time . . . no one else would . . . They might have been afraid of his wolfish looks like Juniper was afraid of my husky blood . . .

“I realized that the Great Aniu had blessed me with this loving gift to accept everyone, no matter what breeding they are,” White Feather concluded. “and that is why I felt it was necessary to me to lead this Clan to creating a place without prejudice.” Suddenly she lowered her ears, turning her attention to Juniper with a piercing glare within her yellow and. “Now, Juniper, I know your birth parents raised you to execute those without pure blood, but I ask you this question: Would you dare lay a clawed paw on the one that saved your own life, even if that one is a half-breed wolf?”

Juniper, stunned by the question, lowered her head in shame, realizing that her Alpha was indeed correct. Although she would usually attack with rage on such a subject, she could not bear to do so right now. “No . . . no, I wouldn’t.” Her pride broken by the white wolf’s words, the black she-wolf shook her head. “I couldn’t attack you, my Alpha.”

White Feather’s ears went up a bit. “I thought so; and I would never attack anyone unless it would affect the safety of my family – the large family that I have made here with you.” She smiled softly as she took a breath. “Now, let us continue our meal. I have a feeling that tomorrow will bring us many new experiences . . . and that the arrival of this new yearling will make us learn more about who we are.”

As ordered, the other wolves began eating once more; just the speak of breeding and prejudice between wolves and wolf-breeds made them more famished than before. Even Aleu, despite her previous hatred of the foul-smelling meat, was beginning to hunger for the deer that was in her reach. Her mouth was wet with saliva, much to the giggles of her newest friend.

“Go ahead and try it, Aleu!” Geona nudged the meat closer to her reach. “It may take a while for the flavor to sink in, but you’ll begin to like it.”

“Okay . . .” She gulped at the sight of the raw meat. “Here goes nothing . . .” Aleu took a deep breath and gripped her teeth over the meat, trying not to gag on it while she began to savor and experience the new flavor of venison within her mouth and chewed the new source of nourishment. “Mmm . . .” she mumbled as she swallowed the meat and licked the blood from her lips. “Mmm, it’s good! Somehow, that wasn’t as bad at I thought it was. It’ll still take some getting used to, but I think I’ll start to like it.”

“I’m glad!” Geona answered back as she reached past Aleu for another piece. “Feel free to get some more; it’s available only for a little while because it’s still fresh and it rots quickly if not eaten.”

“Okay,” the light gray-brown quarter-wolf leaned to a nice chunk of deer and tore it off on her own, using her teeth. It 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 scent grew stronger.

“I smell it too, Nariah,” Hanoki replied in a murmur. “It’s just like you said . . . How odd.”

“Yeah, it’s quite – wait!” The she-wolf stopped suddenly, quickly shushing the male with her paw. Gazing through the thin blades, her dark eyes thinned at the sight of a grizzly-coated canine of an almost faded brownish-gray lapping up a bit of the fresh lake water with its tongue. Its tan-beige markings were distinct yet indeed lupine in placement and roughness, but its scent and actions were considered awkward to the she-wolf.

“Huh . . . how strange . . .” Nariah tilted her head to the side as the intruder lifted its head up and sniffed the air. “I don’t think it notices us, Hanoki.”

“Good,” the male had a smirk on his tan and brown splotched face. “”Shall we take it as our prisoner then?” He began to lower himself to the ground, preparing to leap out for the attack.

“Hmm,” the she-wolf glanced back at the trespasser as it walked slowly towards the waterfall, away from where the guards unknowingly lay in wait. “But what if this one’s just a decoy?”

Hanoki shrugged. “Who cares about that? If we get ambushed, Geona’ll hear our cry. She’s only on the other side of the waterfall. She’ll summon others to help us fight!”

“Hmm. For a young cadet like you, you’ve caught on pretty quickly,” She let out a very low growl, also grinning evilly. “Let’s get ‘em . . .” The gray also lowered her slender body until her head nearly touched her front legs. “. . . NOW!” Nariah leapt far and high from the grass with Hanoki following close behind, letting out a barking charge as they quickly landed into the water with a loud splash . . . and one of them landed on top of the intruding canine.

“GRRRRAAAAAA!”

The light gray-brown female pounced out from the shadows of the trees, landing on her brown and light-tan tutor. As instructed by White Feather, the wolf, named Everett, was sent to teach Aleu the basics of hunting – mainly the crouching, pouncing, and subtle movements necessary to become a beginner huntress. He was somewhat older than she was, and it clearly showed through his teachings; his style was fluid and elegant, almost as if a single wolf could turn the vicious activity of hunting for food into a beautiful ballet between wolf and prey.

“Oof!” Everett groaned at the force of feeling the quarter-wolf’s weight on his own. “Wow . . . great pounce, Aleu!”

The quarter-wolf chuckled happily as she allowed her senior to stand up onto his feet. “Thanks. I never knew I had it in me to do that!”

“Well, you do have wolf in you, but perhaps it’s just starting to stir deep down in your heart,” the male explained, almost exactly to how Geona told her only some time ago. “It’s natural, Aleu, and you’re showing it very well; you know, every wolf is born with this uncanny instinct, and apparently, so are part-wolves.”

Realizing that he was speaking about White Feather, she nodded. “I guess you’re right. It’s strange how someone like me could actually be a part of such an intelligent race like the wolf. It’s amazing . . .”

“Yeah,” Everett looked back at her, their eyes meeting like destined lovers separated by the hands of fate. “Totally amazing . . .” Clearly, the wolf was murmuring about Aleu’s sapphire and gold eyes, but the quarter-wolf had no clue.

Aleu let out a relieving breath and smiled. “Do you think I’m ready to join the others now, Everett? Could I really be a part of the hunt?”

“Mm-hmm,” the wolf gave her a single nod. Happy by the news, Aleu nuzzled against him, near to the point of kissing his cheek with her tongue. He flinched back at the strange touch from the young female, but after a few seconds, his body began to relax as he indulged the feel of the quarter-wolf’s fur next to his own. He kind of liked the presence of her by his side, but Everett wasn’t sure this was the appropriate time to admit that, especially since he knew White Feather was surely waiting for their return. “I’m sure you’re more than ready. Are you ready to head back to the Alpha and her team?”