Part IV
 

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The quarter-wolf was still stunned by the sight of the dog in the clutches of the two wolves that had captured him as their prisoner. He did indeed have a resemblance to her father, but . . . was it really him? 

His coat was more tattered than her father’s, including a freshly-made red cut on his left front shoulder, but it was still the same shade of faded grayish-brown. Everything else that Aleu could see on the prisoner made her think the impossible: tan markings on his body and legs, obviously large paws, and his wolfish physique.

It has to be him, Aleu thought, currently unable to see his face and eyes by the way he was laid on the ground. That has to be Papa . . . but why would he be all the way out here . . . and captured by a Clan? 

Oh Papa, if you don’t have a clue about the outdoors, why would you even risk your life over something like this?

“Arise, Prisoner,” the light gray and white Geona growled, showing Aleu the serious side that she never knew existed. “We’ve come to take you to your prison until our Alpha requests to speak with you.” She nudged the dog’s scruffy back, causing him to reply with a groan. 

“Ah,” the prisoner groaned once again in a weak voice. He began to rise to his feet, finally turning towards the two females that were to escort him, but once he got a glimpse of the young light brown-gray, his yellow and red eyes grew wide. “Huh . . . Aleu?”

“P . . . Papa?” Aleu’s own eyes widened in shock as the word slipped through her lips in a murmuring voice that quickly morphed into a gasp. “Oh, is it really you?” 

“Aleu, do you know him?” Geona asked curiously, unable to understand why Aleu was so curious about the prisoner her small troop of guards had found. “What is this trespasser to you?”

“Geona,” the quarter-wolf carefully stepped forward, much to the surprise of the two guards, and nudged the prisoner gently with her muzzle. “this is no prisoner; this is my father, the one I ran away from.” 

“Oh, my baby . . . you’re okay,” he spoke weakly still, but he was strong enough to return the gesture to his only daughter. “I’m . . . so . . . glad . . .” His eyelids lowered in exhaustion as he collapsed towards the rocky floor, but thankfully, Geona caught him before he fell completely to the ground. Aleu let out a gasp of fright, afraid that something would happen to him, and quickly ran to his and Geona’s side, nuzzling him in hope that he was still okay.

“Papa . . . Papa!” The voice of the quarter-wolf cried out amidst her lowered eyelids. He was still her father, so no matter how upset she was a day ago, Aleu had to make sure he was okay. 

However, one of the guards, the smoky-gray she-wolf, pushed her away. “Still, he is our prisoner, Aleu,” Nariah growled. “Our rules state that we guards must do as ordered by White Feather herself. We cannot allow anyone to touch or speak to him without direct permission from the Alpha, not even an honored guest like you. Sorry.”

Aleu let out a sigh of dismay, lowering her head; Nariah’s partner, the tan and brown-furred Hanoki let out a sudden whimper of sympathy. “Oh, come on, Nariah. If this is her father . . . and since she is assigned to help take him to the prison, it should be all right for her to speak to him until we reach his cell. Shouldn’t it?” 

“Hmm, I don’t know, Hanoki,” the she-wolf thought aloud. “I know we shouldn’t, . . . but perhaps it should be okay, for now . . . but don’t expect to get so lucky next time, Aleu.”

The quarter-wolf nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Nariah . . . thank you, Hanoki.” Aleu bowed, thankful for the fact that her one day as a guest in the Runaway Clan allowed her  such an opportunity. 

“We’ve got him now, Nariah, so you and Hanoki are free to go,” Geona ordered her small troop of guards. “I promise we’ll take good care of him . . . especially now that his daughter is here.”

“Yeah, but don’t let White Feather know that the prisoner is Aleu’s father,” Hanoki muttered. “Just her presence with him might make his punishment worse instead of better.” 

Aleu’s ears pricked up in shock and fear as she looked at her father and then at her lupine companions. “Huh? I don’t understand . . . why would – I mean, how could White Feather do that?”

Apparently, it was easy for one to notice that a sudden change had gone through the near yearling during her short day in the presence of the Runaway Clan. Due to her anger of just learning that her mother had died after giving her life and losing her five other siblings and the fact that her father had hidden the truth of it from her ever since yesterday, she had hoped to never hear or see him again after he crushed her heart with the reality of who she was and what she had done: because she had inherited a quarter of her father’s wolf blood, she had caused her mother to die without even knowing it. Hurt by what she had realized was true, Aleu thought that running away into the forbidden wilderness – away from her lying father and the world that scorned her for the impure blood that flowed through her veins – was the best thing for her to do, not realizing that the world of the wolves, the Runaway Clan - led by the beautiful White Feather, was calling her to join them. After hours of learning more about the harsh past of Geona, one of her new companions, and the truth of the white Alpha’s own heritage, she let the untamed instincts she possessed take over, not knowing what would happen next – the power of love, thanks to a young hunter named Everett. It was still spring after all, and although she had learned more about hunting and tracking prey, the handsome brown and light-tan wolf had unexpectedly taught her how to fall in love . . . and how to get on the Alpha’s bad side by accident. 

Now that she knew she had to get back her confidence in White Feather, Aleu was sure that she could do whatever it took to assure the Alpha could consider her as a member of her Clan; however, with the new prisoner being her own father – the one she never expected to see again – and her instructions being to take him to the prisoner’s chamber, the quarter-wolf wasn’t sure how Hanoki’s comment about White Feather would make the situation worse for her father.

“Let’s go, Aleu,” Geona nudged her, trying to make the young pup not pressure the two guards on such questions. She could see the worried expressions on their faces and knew that now was not the time to tell her the truth. “We have a job to do with the prisoner.” She began to push the grayish-brown hybrid away from the others while also motioning Aleu to follow her. 

He’s not a prisoner; he’s my Papa! Aleu wanted to scream out loud, but she kept her calm, afraid that her opinion would indeed make things worse. She knew that she should still be angry at her patriarch, but right now was not the time for her emotions to go awry. “But what about that thing that Hanoki was talking about, Geona? Why does –”

“Let’s go!” Geona growled, causing Aleu to nearly lower her entire body to the ground. Knowing that the other two wolves were still looking at her, she shook off the feeling of rage within her and began to speak in a lower tone of voice that Aleu would be able to understand. “I’m sorry, but now is not the time to talk about it. Remember, we have to do this first; we’ll talk where it’s more private.” 

“But . . . but . . .” Aleu whispered, but after looking at the piercing glare of her friend, her dark sepia ears lowered in defeat. “Okay, okay. I’ll ask later.” As she had been ordered, she trotted away from the closed-eyed Nariah and the quietly-sighing Hanoki.

“I hope White Feather doesn’t separate them because of this,” Hanoki murmured in a near whisper to his companion. “That poor pup . . . You told me about what happened the last time . . . remember?” 

“Yeah,” Nariah’s eyes finally opened with a sorrowful gaze aimed at the young quarter-wolf. “The last time that happened, one of our own was ordered to leave forever, . . . never to return to our territory unless they had a death wish.” She sighed deeply, lowering her head and ears. “It’s not right, but it’s not our decision to make; White Feather’s our Alpha and the one that offered many of us a new life under her wing. If anything happens to them, we can’t save them . . . except for her . . . She’s the only one that has the authority to make White Feather stop her decision.”

As the light-gray and light gray-brown females made their way down the same hall that was near Geona’s chamber, the hybrid male finally began to stir with a groan. 

“Uhhmmmm . . .” was the sound that passed through his lips as his eyes opened slowly. “Where am I, . . . ah, . . . Aleu?” His voice grew stronger with every word, but Geona hushed him.

“Quiet, Prisoner,” Geona put a paw to his mouth, stopping their movement. “It’s not safe to talk yet.” Releasing her grip from his muzzle, she moved her head forward. “Quickly, let’s go to the holding cell and then you can talk freely for a while. The Alpha won’t be sending for him for at least a couple of hours, so that should give the two of you some privacy.” 

“Thanks, Geona,” Aleu lowered her head politely. “but I don’t think I need that much time with him. I’ll just say a few words and go, okay?”

“No, Aleu,” the hybrid spoke up, shocking his daughter to a halt. “there is something we need to talk about.” He turned to Aleu’s companion and quickly introduced himself, for he was quite tired of the title of Prisoner. “By the way, my name is Balto. Call me that, okay?” 

“Okay, Balto,” Geona nodded in understanding and followed his request.

“If it has anything to do with me coming back home, you can just forget it, Papa,” Aleu huffed angrily, lifting her head up in rebellion. “I’m staying here whether you like it or not, and you can’t make me change my mind.” 

“Well, . . . that wasn’t the only thing I wanted us to talk about,” Balto slowly muttered, struggling with the way to bring the subject up. He did want to try to convince his daughter to return home with him, but there was something he had to talk to her about first. “I . . . well, I . . . I wanted to talk to you . . . about . . . ah, what I’m trying to say is that I . . .I-I want you to know . . . about your mother.”

Aleu, for once, was silent. The only things she had learned about her birth mother were the things that she heard from Steele’s daughter, Ebony – what else did her father hiding about Jenna, the purebred husky that apparently was the mother she never knew? 

“Come on; less talking, more walking, you two!” Geona barked with a slight growl in her voice. “It’s still not safe yet.”

As the trio continued slowly onward, Balto sighed, not noticing that his daughter had done the same as well. “Sorry. I’m just . . . so glad to see that my baby’s okay.” He looked into Geona’s eyes, knowing full well that Aleu was embarrassed by being called ‘baby’ when she clearly told him she wasn’t only a day ago. Aleu let out a groan after hearing that comment from her father, but it didn’t stop him from talking about her. “My daughter’s lucky to be friends with a wolf like you, you know.” 

“Huh?” The light-gray she-wolf tilted her head to the side, confused by the hybrid’s comment. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.”

“Well, I’m surprised that any wolf would accept her into their pack at all, . . . especially because of her—” 

“Being only part wolf, you mean?” Geona completed Balto’s sentence, much to his surprise. “Don’t worry. Our Alpha accepts anyone – purebred or not – into her Clan. She also happens to be a half-wolf, though you probably wouldn’t believe it if you looked at her . . . but you, . . . you are a half-wolf too, right?”

“How did you—” Balto’s ears pricked up, but Aleu’s voice interrupted his. 

“I told her yesterday, once I was brought here, Papa,” she told him, her head still low to the ground. “But the other wolves could easily tell that I was a part-wolf just by smelling me.”

“I see,” the hybrid smirked, putting the clues together. “So that’s how she knows about your breeding.” He looked back at Geona. “What about you? Are you a purebred wolf or a mixed breed like us?” 

The light-gray’s ears lowered against her neck. “Like most of our Clan, I am a purebred wolf, . . . but also like most of our Clan, I . . .” Geona’s eyes closed, causing a slight tear to streak down her cheek. “I’m sorry, but this is difficult for me sometimes to talk about.”

“I understand,” Balto calmly spoke, reading the she-wolf’s actions and words as if he were some kind of shrink. “Your pup-hood wasn’t very easy either, right?”  

Geona’s eyes opened widely, but calmed as she nodded slightly. “Yeah . . . yeah; how did you figure that out?”

“I could see it in your eyes, just like with my own,” Balto replied. “Pup-hood wasn’t easy for me since I was both yet neither, but I never learned about it until later. I barely remember my mother and father, but I know that I was separated from them at about 6 months old. My father sent me away to Nome, a human town that he once lived in, while my mother, who happened to be a wolf, took my two sisters back to her former pack. I . . . I never saw them again, but I’ve always had a feeling that my siblings are still alive . . . somewhere out in the wilderness.” 

“Why didn’t you search for them?” Geona asked, all while Aleu silently listened as she walked with them. “If you missed them so badly, you should have looked for them!” She let out a huff, a quiet one. “Our Alpha lost her brother too, and she’s tried whenever she can to search for him; why couldn’t you do the same for your own family?”

Balto’s head drooped along with his ears. He turned to the side slightly, facing the wall. “Well, other things came up for me . . . and as I searched for acceptance in this new world, I felt like I didn’t belong in the wild . . . although I looked as if I belonged there. Even when I saw small packs of wolves travel nearby and heard them crying out at me, I thought they were mocking me, telling me with their howling, ‘Why are you like us, but not like us? You are cursed, one that will never belong in our world or theirs. Why do you continue trying to find acceptance?’ I could have answered them since I was half-wolf, but I was afraid and ashamed of how different I was to them; as I watched them walk away, I felt that they were right about me. I was indeed cursed, torn between the two worlds that had created me: the wild world I was born into with the call of the wolf as my lullaby and the tame world of the human’s leash and collar that my father gave up forever to be with my mother. I often asked myself, ‘Where does my heart lie when I fully belong in neither world? Half-dog, half-wolf, yet I can’t be accepted anywhere.’ At times, I swear I felt like ending my life and committing suicide, for I saw no clear purpose if I couldn’t find my true calling.” 

“Papa . . .” Aleu muttered softly into the air, but it was inaudible to the other two creatures that continued talking.

“But then over a couple of years ago,” Balto continued, this time with a more hopeful tone. “I watched a local pastime in Nome that made me change my mind; the humans loved harnessing their dogs and huskies to wooden sleds and racing them against each other within the wilds of the Alaskan wilderness. Just seeing their bodies rush against the powdery whiteness of the snow beneath their paws made the tame blood within me pump even harder. I wished and prayed for the day when a human would notice my skills and natural talent as a dog, but every time I won a selection race for new dogs to be chosen for training and sledding teams, I was always turned away because of my wolfish looks and the fear of my wild instincts returning to attack the men and their teams. Even the dogs that shared husky blood with me teased and ridiculed me, all because of my wolf heritage.” 

“How awful!” Geona murmured; just by hearing her tone of voice, anyone could tell that she had easily grown a sense of compassion for the hybrid father’s struggle through his early years. “How could you manage to survive in a world that hated you?”

“Well,” the hybrid began to respond. “I did find friendship with a couple of others – it wasn’t much, but they were better than having no friends at all. There was a Russian snow goose that acted as a temporary guardian to me ever since I was abandoned as a pup, two polar bear cubs that were orphaned because of the fact that they couldn’t swim,” Aleu could tell that Geona tried to hold back her laughter after hearing about the trio of odd companions that she had grown up with all her life. Even she let a small chuckle slip from her lips as her father continued. “and . . . a hidden treasure that always seemed to calm my spirit whenever I needed guidance.” A smile formed on his lips as if he could see his hidden treasure in the eyes of his heart. “Say, have you ever heard of the Northern Lights?” 

“Yeah,” the light-gray nodded. “Our Alpha enjoys them whenever she can. Our Clan . . . and actually all wolves believe that they are signs sent from the Great Spirits, praising the creatures they continuously watch on the earth below.”

“The Northern Lights? What are they, Papa?” Aleu finally spoke up, asking. She had never seen them before, so the quarter-wolf was curious to learn about what intrigued her father so much. 

“I don’t remember the first time I actually saw them, but I do remember one time that I wandered underneath the doctor’s office when I was about your age, Aleu. It was grimy and dirty, but I think I ran in there to hide from the dogs that would chase after me and use me as their punching bag. I remember being drawn to a pile of broken pieces of colored glass – probably from bottles from the trash – and how the lantern light from above looked like bright sunlight. Once I moved aside, I saw them . . . the most beautiful sight in the world . . .” Balto lifted his head up, closing his eyes as if he was soaked inside the glow of the light he described. A thin line of tears fell from his closed eyelids, only intensifying his emotions on the subject. “I could see every color in the world – white, blue, red, yellow, green, orange . . . and so many more – as I looked at what was created in front of me. They flashed and danced, almost like a colorful ballet against the wall. I felt like it would last forever, but once the doctor turned off his light in the above room, the dancing lights vanished into thin air.” He let out a small chuckle. “Back then, I didn’t know what they were, but I called them ‘My Guiding Lights’ – my own little ‘Keys to the City,’ I sometimes called them that too – for they helped me see that something beautiful could still be made from two completely different . . . and sometimes misunderstood things. Once I saw the real lights shining high in the midnight sky one night, I learned their real name – Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights – and from then on, I called them the Northern Lights ever since.” The hybrid turned to his daughter, letting out a little sigh. “Oh, I wish I could have shown them to you, Aleu, . . . but they . . .” He let out a louder sigh, one that sounded as if he was frustrated and yet sad. “I just couldn’t bear to go back there again . . . not after what happened to me in there almost a year ago . . .”

“You mean, . . . Does it have anything to do with my mother?” Aleu asked once they arrived at the end of the hallway, where the prisoner’s chamber was located. 

Before Balto could give his daughter an answer, Geona let out a cough. “Here’s the Prisoner’s Chamber, Balto. I’ll let you and Aleu have some time to talk alone – for a few minutes – before I take her back to our Alpha, okay?”

Balto nodded. “Thanks, . . . uh . . .” He wanted to speak the name of the one who was so kind to him, but he had forgotten to ask. 

“It’s Geona,” she replied with a smile. “I’ll be right outside here, and I’ll signal to you two with my tail when your time’s up, okay?”

“Thanks, Geona,” Balto finally nodded one last time as Aleu joined him inside the chamber. In respect of her promise, the light-gray she-wolf stepped by the door, guarding their conversation from any curious ears. 

“So, Papa,” Aleu asked once more. “What’s the connection between those Northern Lights and my mother? I know there’s something, right?”

“Yes, there is,” Balto sighed again. He paused for a second, sitting his daughter down. “I really do wish I had let you see them before you ran away, . . . but the toll on my heart was just too much.” His grizzly-furred head lowered near the ground. “Your mother . . . Jenna . . . oh, there hasn’t been a single day that has passed that I haven’t thought of her, but . . . ever since I saw that you had survived, I only kept her existence secret for your safety. I didn’t want you to blame yourself . . . because I originally blamed myself for losing her.” 

“Hmph, really?” Aleu wasn’t convinced; Balto lifted his head in surprise. “How could it have been your fault? I was born from her moments before she died! Clearly I’m the reason my mother is gone forever!” Tears of anger, frustration and sadness fell from her eyes as her head hung from her neck, but she was about to learn her father’s reasons.

“No, that’s where you’re wrong, Aleu,” the half-wolf patriarch corrected, using one of his front paws to lift his daughter’s head up. He leaned up to her tear-stained eyes and gently licked them clean with his tongue. She sniffled a bit before looking back at her father eye-to-eye. “I wanted to explain what I meant before, but you darted off before I could begin . . . and now I think you’re ready to hear the story.” He took a deep breath and began to tell his story to his daughter. 

“It was over a year ago when I first met her . . . your mother, Jenna. She was with Rosy, the human that took us both under her wing, when I first saw her, but I was easily entranced by the heavenly spell of love that she silently cast on my heart. Her thin ivory legs, her slim and trim figure, her amber-hazel eyes . . .” He stopped for a moment, closing his eyes as if the moment were playing once more in his mind. “She was beautiful, the most gorgeous dog I had ever met . . . but I knew if she was like any of the other huskies and dogs in town, she would never notice me or get the chance to know who I was because of my mixed blood – all purebreds seemed to be like that, from what I usually noticed. I was afraid I would never get the chance to introduce myself to her, but the winds of fate must have changed my luck for the better that day.

“A sled race was about to end, and Rosy was cheering on the winning team, waving her musher hat in the air . . . but a gust of wind caused the hat to slip from her fingers, blowing right next to the finish line. I saw her try to rush towards her precious hat, but Jenna protected her, pulling her back to safety by her coat sleeve. Turning to the other side, I saw the sled team, racing at full speed down Main Street without even noticing the human’s headgear lay in front of them. I was confident that I could catch it before the lead dog of the team pulverized it with his large Malamute paws, so I leapt out onto the street, much to the dismay of many of the local spectators. I could hear their cries of ‘It’s the wolf-dog! He’ll ruin the race!’ – but I ignored them, placing all of my focus on Rosy’s hat. Before I knew it, I was nose to nose with the team’s leader, Steele . . .” 

“Hey, Ebony mentioned him when she told me about my mother!” Aleu noted, proving that she was actually listening to what her father was telling her. Her anger had subsided at last, giving Balto the chance to explain why he hid the truth from her.

“Yes, she did; it’s only natural for her to mention him since Steele is her father,” Balto added. “He was fast for a purebred dog bred for racing, but he was no match for me.” He continued his story. “I easily outran him and dodged a quick lunge of his sharp teeth, but I jumped out in front of him, grabbing the hat and returning to the sidelines only mere seconds before the team crossed the finish line.” He let out a slight chuckle. “I mean, I didn’t mean to show off like I did, but apparently it worked – she noticed me! When I went over to return the hat to its proper owner, I could tell just by staring into her large eyes that she was telling me ‘Thank you,’ but both of us weren’t even sharing a single word, for her relieved face and my grateful yet modest grin spoke volumes to the other. Rosy tried to thank me by placing her harness on me, but her father, in fear of my wolf blood, kicked cold snow powder in my face, causing the harness to slip from my neck and fall onto the ground.” 

“How mean of them!” Aleu growled quietly in outrage. “Couldn’t they tell that you weren’t going to hurt her? Rosy’s too nice for anyone to attack her!”

“That is true: it was a mean thing to do, but that’s how many of the adult humans were at the time,” Balto explained. “He was just being protective of his daughter, his only child, and due to knowing I had wolf in me, he was afraid I might hurt her . . . or her beloved dog.” He paused, for he knew that he was just as cautious for his own daughter as Rosy’s father was to her. “I’m sure you understand how others just don’t understand the feelings of those like us – the different ones – am I right? ” Once Aleu nodded once, his story went on. “Anyway, I scampered away in sorrow as I watched Steele try to court the lovely husky and Rosy’s kind words to her father about me. I felt I had failed once more . . . I thought I would never be able to see her face again, . . . but yet again, the fates were in my favor. 

“I was running back through the town alleys and hidden roads on my way back to Boris’s, but I ran into the road and felt my nose touching something cool and wet . . . it was her again! We both were in shock and surprise by the fact that we had met again, but we were more surprised by our noses touching . . . our first kiss. I scooted backwards and gave her an apologetic grin, hoping that she wasn’t too upset with my unexpected actions; she only smiled back kindly, as if she wouldn’t have had it any other way. We parted ways seconds later once Rosy and her family called her away from me, not realizing that we would rely on each other’s company from that day on.”

“How sweet, Papa,” Aleu’s lips finally formed a soft smile. “Did you ever expect her to fall for you like you had for her?” 

“Well, I wasn’t too sure at first, but eventually, my thoughts were all about her. My heart was no longer beating like a drum; it was chanting her name over and over, filling my half-breed veins with the blood of my pure love for her. From Boris’s boat, I remember looking out into town, hoping to catch another glimpse of her perfectly bright face again . . . and maybe sneak another kiss too, but I was shy to these new emotions. I couldn’t think straight at times – I couldn’t figure out whether now or later was the right time to tell her how I felt. I was afraid to tell Boris my real feelings – mainly because I’d had yet to see him in love with a female goose – so I asked myself instead: ‘Why does she make me feel this way? Why does my heart race whenever I think of the slightest things about her, like her name? Is this what is feels like to be in love?’ But the real question that troubled me was easy to figure out: ‘She knows that I have wolf in me; will she act like the others and curse me with harsh words, or does she truly love me the way I am?’ Our first kiss began to confuse me, circling my mind with a horrible thought: ‘What if she was only toying with me and my emotions? Was it all just an act or were her feelings genuine as mine were?’ Although I wasn’t sure how to feel, my mind was telling me to go to her one night when I saw her outside the front steps of the doctor’s office on a chilly, snowy night – I had to see if I could admit my feelings and see if she would return them as well.”

Aleu was silent, for she had the same questions circling through her mind about her feeling for Everett, the brave wolf that had taught her to awaken the wild huntress within. I love him too, and I feel just like Papa did when he first fell in love with my mother . . . but I know he loves me for who I am, even if I am only part-wolf. Oh, I would do anything within my power to be with Everett, and that’s why I’ll stay here in the Runaway Clan to start a new life with him, just as White Feather did the same when she left her uncle’s pack. Papa wouldn’t understand that . . . he may be half-wolf, but I don’t think he has a clue on how life is out here . . . 

Would he?

Balto could tell that his daughter had thoughts in her head, but he only continued his tale. “I finally caught up to her, peering into a side window of a room where her human was being examined by the doctor. Her voice was filled with worry and anxiety when she spoke back to me, for she didn’t know what was wrong. She actually asked me for an answer, but all I could work with was just the sight of Rosy sitting in agony in the doctor’s room . . .” Balto paused as a tear fell down his eye; he had remembered something else that had happened within that room. Jen . . . it was the same room, wasn’t it? What a coincidence . . . 

“Papa?” Aleu was gazing at him, wondering what had caused these sudden tears to fall. “Are you okay?”

The brown-gray hybrid noticed his tears and quickly dried them with his paw. “Huh, . . . oh that, it’s nothing. Just some fond memories coming back to me, that’s all.” He cleared his throat with a slight cough and started to speak again. “Well, I could tell she was worried sick about Rosy’s condition, so since I knew nothing on human diseases, I decided to try something drastic: I told her I held the ‘Keys to the City’ . . .” He smiled with a twinkle in his eye.

“You showed her your ‘Guiding Lights,’ right?” Aleu asked. “Is that why you couldn’t show them to me . . . because they reminded you of her so much?” 

“Yeah, . . . they just brought back so many memories, both good and bad,” her father answered truthfully. “When I took her down to my private place underneath the doctor’s office, I could tell she wasn’t too fond of the accommodations . . . especially with all of the dirt getting on her paws. I showed her the broken glass shards, which confused her when I told her she was looking at the bowl half-empty.”

Aleu let out a chuckle. “Of course they would be all empty; they’re all broken up into pieces!” 

“Right, she said something like that too,” the hybrid father noted, remembering his lover’s words in his mind, but he continued on with his tale. “but once I moved aside to allow the lantern’s fake sunshine beam on them, allowing the Northern Lights appeared in front of her on the wall, . . .” Balto sighed before continuing, “her fears and shyness vanished, leaving behind a look of awe as the soft colors of the lights reflected against her coat. I can remember hearing her light voice sighing of complete amazement, telling me how beautiful the lights were . . . but I was looking straight at her, right into her eyes, talking about how beautiful she was.”

“Let me guess: you knew then that she was the one, right?” Aleu wondered aloud. 

“Kind of,” Balto responded; Aleu gave him a ‘Yeah, right’ look, which made her father explain what he meant. “Okay, okay – you got me. I knew that she was the one my heart longed for at that moment, but I had no idea if she returned my love. We were almost about to share another kiss with our noses when the lantern shut off above our heads through the floor. Apparently Rosy had to remain at the doctor’s overnight and we soon discovered why: diphtheria.” Aleu tilted her head to the side, but Balto quickly explained before she could ask another query. “According to the doctor, she was one of the many cases that week of the sickness and the news continued to get worse – diphtheria was a deadly disease . . . and Doc was all out of the medicine necessary to make them well again.”

“She wasn’t too happy about hearing that news, huh?” Daughter commented somberly. 

“Not a bit,” Father replied. “She sniffled all the way out of the crawl space, but thankfully, she told me how much of a good thing I had done for her. I’m not sure whether it was my faux aurora display or the doctor’s words on Rosy’s condition that made her content, but I was glad to at least be of some help to her; I had at least given her the answer to her question, so she had some trust in me . . . and that was when Steele burst in suddenly –”

“Balto,” Geona’s voice murmured in the air, interrupting the hybrid’s story. “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for Aleu to go.” Her two-toned tail twitched slightly against the ground. 

Balto nodded back at the opening where Geona stood up. He turned back to his daughter with a look of longing. “I wish you could stay longer with me, Aleu.”

“It’s okay, Papa,” she answered back. “Geona might let me come back before White Feather summons for you, so hopefully I’ll get to hear the rest of your story, okay?” He smiled back at her as she returned the gesture, walking out of the chamber and back into the hallway with the light-gray she-wolf. 

“Be safe, my baby . . .” Balto whispered into the slight breeze, but he knew Aleu was unable to hear his parting words.

Once the she-wolf and the quarter-wolf had left the cell, they began to chat to each other on their way back to report to White Feather. 

“So, that was some interesting story, huh?” Aleu asked Geona as they carefully spoke in quiet voices.

“Yeah, it was,” The she-wolf replied. “I knew there were others that had a hard life as a pup, but your father . . .” She deeply sighed. “I wasn’t expecting the story of his life when I gave you two a few minutes alone though.” 

“Neither was I,” the quarter-wolf answered back. “I had a feeling he would try to follow me out here, but I never thought he would get the prisoner treatment with a pack of wolves.”

“If things go well with White Feather, I’ll see that you get to see him tonight, all right?” Geona reassured her. “It’s only afternoon, so she should be summoning him in a while.”

“Hopefully she’ll allow him to stay at least,” Aleu hoped. “As long as I keep the fact that he’s my father from her . . .” She paused and looked at Geona with a concerned look. “What was that all about anyway . . . that whole thing that Hanoki was talking about?” 

The she-wolf only lowered her brows to her eyes, sensing the presence of others close by. “Not now, Aleu; we have to take care of completing our instructions first by reporting back to the Alpha, okay?”

Aleu only nodded slightly, following the lead of Geona without any hesitation. However, the quarter-wolf had thoughts swimming through her mind, ones that mainly concerned her about her father and the warning that the tan and brown wolf cadet had given her only moments ago. 

What is White Feather’s deal with parents anyway? Aleu thought as Geona led her through the bustling main chamber to the Alpha’s chambers. She seemed like she didn’t have any grudge against my father when I mentioned him last evening, yet Nariah, Hanoki, and even Geona seem to protect some sort of secret that the Alpha has . . . I have to find out more about it . . . before someone else learns that the prisoner is my father and tells her themselves.

Aleu now felt that she had no choice but to defend her father, even if it meant to sacrifice her status with the Clan. I’m not an official member of the Clan yet, so I have to try. Papa’s freedom depends on it . . . and something tells me that he doesn’t belong in that jail cell.  

The least I can do is to send him home . . .

“Ah, Aleu, Geona,” the twinkling voice of the Alpha she-wolf entered the area. The young wolf and the quarter-wolf were in front of her chambers now, and the ivory-furred Alpha had just stepped outside of her guarded doorway. “I was just about to check on you two. It was taking so long for you to finish such a simple assignment.” 

“Many apologizes, my Alpha,” Geona bowed. “The prisoner – he was injured and slow-moving. It was only common courtesy for us to make sure that his injuries didn’t get any worse as we moved him.”

“I see,” White Feather spoke in a calm tone. “Was he obedient?” 

“Yes, of course, ma’am,” Aleu replied, although she was feeling a little nervous due to the fact that she was talking about her own father. “He was a little shaky, but we were able to keep him within the prisoner chamber. He still falls in and out of exhaustion, but he’ll be fine for now.”

“That’s good,” the she-Alpha smiled. “Well, I’ll see if I can go to him instead, so not to tire him out so soon. Perhaps I’ll check out his injuries within a few minutes to talk to him.” Her eyelids lowered a little. “I’d like to learn a bit about why he was in our territory before I pass my judgment on him. He may be an innocent, just like you were, Aleu, and I don’t want to misjudge anyone like last time –” She paused, realizing what she had said. Aleu tilted her head in confusion, but before she could ask any questions, White Feather spoke again. “I mean, I don’t want anyone to be wrongly judged. Afterwards, I’ll probably send you two to tend to his wounds.” 

“I understand completely,” the quarter-wolf responded. “but I’ve never help heal anyone before. How will I know what to do?”

“It’s no problem; I’ll teach you what to do, Aleu,” Geona volunteered. 

“Thank you so much, Geona,” White Feather gave her a quick bow. She then turned her attention to Aleu. “You’re probably wondering why we don’t use medicine wolves or elders, right?” Aleu, who didn’t understand either of those terms, just nodded. When she was younger, she had always relied on the doctor to tend for her scrapes . . . or Rosy would wrap it or do a little ‘kiss and make it better’ routine whenever Balto wasn’t around. She had a feeling that those terms were similar to doctors and vets, but she didn’t feel like asking any more questions at the present time. “Well, recovering from wounds is a natural thing that happens to all of us, and I see that it’s only necessary for wolves in my Clan to learn basic healing procedures in case of emergencies.”

“Ah, I see,” the quarter-wolf replied, understanding the Alpha’s reasons. “If all of your wolves know how to offer help to wounds, there’ll still be enough wolves left for fighting and guarding your territory during enemy attacks, right?” 

“Correct,” the Alpha’s grin grew a little bit larger. “I see that every member of our Clan has a place of importance, especially since we are such a close community. I’ve learned while being an Alpha that one cannot be left alone to fend for one’s self when you have your family by your side, even if they may not be your flesh and blood. In the end, we are all a part of the same community, despite our backgrounds.” A smile grew on the quarter-wolf’s face as well; White Feather noticed her expression and continued to praise the newcomer. “I’m quite impressed by your fast learning and quick intuition, Aleu. You have quite a talent for knowledge, and I feel that you’re quite a candidate for Clan-ship.”

The near-yearling’s face was nearly flushed by embarrassment, thanks to the Alpha’s kind words. “Thank you, I feel so honored. I’ve been learning a lot about being a wolf . . . even though I’ve only known about my wolf heritage for little more than a day.” 

“There is a lot left for you to learn still, Aleu,” White Feather told her. “Being part of a wolf pack is more than just howling, hunting, healing and protecting your territory from intruders, you know. As a member of a pack, you will have to be responsible and do your part to help others. While in a Clan, even a leader cannot always be thinking about themselves, for it may affect the way others think of them; letting your own feelings affect your judgment doesn’t help make things right either . . . and I should know.” The white Alpha’s ears lowered as if ashamed of something. Her expression was straight and a bit regretful as she tried to continue.

“What do you mean by that?” Aleu couldn’t help but ask; everyone else was avoiding her questions, so she thought at least the Alpha should be able to tell her an answer. 

“Oh, now is not the right time for that,” White Feather told her, much to Aleu’s chagrin. When she saw the quarter-wolf’s head slump down, the Alpha cheered her up, or at least tried to anyway. “Right now, the two of you can rest in your chambers until I send Oak for you to assist the prisoner’s wounds.” Aleu’s head and eyebrows lifted, but after a second, she lowered it again with a sigh. White Feather softly tittered with a small grin, reassuring the young quarter-wolf. “The right time for answers will come soon, Aleu.”

Confused by the Alpha’s words directly to her, Aleu only lowered her head in a bow. “Yes, ma’am,” the quarter-wolf spoke in a defeated tone.  

“Yes, my Alpha,” Geona bowed respectively.

Once the two females rose up again, another concern tugged at Aleu’s heart. “But what about Everett? He won’t be punished for what happened earlier, will he?” 

White Feather shook her head. “He’s fine. I’ll let you see him at dinner tonight; he’s leading the hunting party with Oak and Hickory while I speak with the prisoner.” She lowered her elegant head closer to the sepia ear of Aleu. “Everett has the potential to follow my paws as Alpha one day, but right now, he seems to be quite smitten for you. Maybe one day he’ll select you to become his mate once we make you an official member of the Clan.”

Just hearing about Everett made Aleu’s face glow brighter. “That’s good to hear, ma’am.” Aleu smiled, knowing that White Feather saw something positive with their possible union as well. Geona let out a very quiet giggle as she looked at the quarter-wolf blush in happiness. 

“Now, go rest for a while, you two,” The Alpha told them. “Both of you deserve it.”

As the two females lowered their heads in farewell, the ivory Alpha gave them a slight nod and left them to tend to some other Clan business. Once she left the area, Geona, followed by the quarter-wolf, descended to the main chamber and down the hall to their cavern to rest . . . and talk. 

“Is now a better time to talk about what White Feather meant?” Aleu asked once they began to relax on the rocky cave floor of Geona’s chamber. “No one else is here, so this should be safe, right?”

The light-gray nodded, but suddenly let out a yawn, stretching out her tongue in the process. “Just in case, we’ll have to whisper . . . in case some unnecessary ears listen in.” 

“Is it that secretive?” Aleu began to practice her quiet voice.

“Yeah, only because White Feather prefers not to mention it to new recruits . . . or to many others that weren’t there to see it,” Geona murmured, causing Aleu to nod slightly. “I was a little over a year old when it happened, but it was horrible.” She took a moment to pause and take a deep breath before starting the story. “It was during a rough winter storm and a couple of guards had recovered an adult male wolf from our outside territory to the west. He was thin and malnourished, but luckily he was still alive. However, one of the younger wolves – one that was about my age at the time – recognized him aloud as his father . . . and White Feather was outraged for some reason.” Tears began to swell in her eyes. “She . . . she seemed as if she were a different wolf – one that hated any wolves that still depended on the ones that they once depended on for everything . . .” 

Aleu gasped lightly, but still it was a sound of shock. “I’m afraid to ask, but . . . what did she do?”

“She never mentioned what got her all riled up, but as soon as Father and Son were reunited, they were given a choice: either one of them must leave forever or both of them would have to perish in the blizzard that lay outside the cavern.” Geona lowered her ears and muzzle in a forlorn manner. “Easily, they chose to stay by each other . . . all the way to the very end.” She paused to wipe a wet spot on her cheek with her paw. “Once the storm subsided, the hunting party found the frozen bodies of the two of them, lying together in eternal sleep underneath a tree that’s about two hundred feet from our cave.” 

“How awful . . .” Aleu began to shed a tear. “Why couldn’t she allow them both to stay? That just doesn’t seem fair for both of them to die like that!” Her outrage nearly made her cry out, but she easily caught herself. “If I were Alpha, I’d let them both stay . . . it’s their right to live, right?”

“That’s right, but you forget who’s in charge,” Geona reminded the young quarter-wolf. “Many of the other wolves that were around that day wished that they could have stood up to White Feather, but she is the Alpha. I guess we all were grateful for our new lives here in the Runaway Clan, so although we wanted to stop this, we were all powerless to do anything. Her rule comes first around here, and unless the Great Aniu tells her to stop, White Feather’s rule is law.” 

The Great Aniu? She thought to herself. White Feather mentioned her to me when we talked in her chambers last night . . . but why didn’t this Great Aniu stop her from doing such a thing? Why would a Great Spirit allow something so horrible . . . like this to happen? “Well, I still say it’s unfair,” Aleu repeated. “Someone should stand up to her about it.”

“Good luck with that plan, Aleu,” The she-wolf chuckled jokingly. “You know that White Feather likes you and all, but I doubt that she would spare both you and your father if she found out.” 

“I should still try anyway, Geona,” Aleu proudly murmured. “My father doesn’t belong here like I do. He’s too tame for the wild life that he was originally born in, but if White Feather even dares to throw him out, I’ll have to take her on myself.”

“Now that you know what she’d do to you once she learned of your relationship with our prisoner, you wouldn’t stand a chance,” The she-wolf reminded her. “That’s the wild for you – it’s unfair how nature and the Great Spirits work, but eventually things end up working out in the end.” 

“How is that possible?” The quarter-wolf was still confused. “Two wolves just died in a storm and White Feather’s still the Alpha? I can’t see how that can help things work out for the Clan . . .”

“Eventually, things did work out. White Feather apologized for her sudden outburst and gave the two wolves a proper burial once the snow thawed out in the spring,” Geona concluded her story. “Apparently, she knew that the young wolf had been sent away from his birth Clan, but she didn’t know that it was actually a mistake. The father was searching for his son, hoping to take him back home and set things right, but it had been a few months since he had left. He was a full-fledged member of the Runaway Clan, accepting the new life that the Great Aniu had blessed him under White Feather’s rule, but once his father was taken in as a trespasser, all loyalties to his Clan were broken. He preferred to return his father’s love by following him into the storm than stay in a world in which his father wasn’t allowed the same warmth and safety that he was given.” 

“Fathers,” Aleu huffed quietly. “Why are they so weird when it comes to their children?”

“I wouldn’t know, Aleu,” Geona sighed. “I never knew who my birth father was, but when White Feather nursed me back to health, Oak, her mate, was the closest thing to a father figure to me.” Strangely, she let out a soft smile. “He was strict and protective of me and my new siblings, but he always loved us, even when he never really said it aloud. White Feather told me that even though they weren’t my real parents by birth, they loved me just the same. I guess it’s the same with Balto, your father . . . and probably with all parents out in the world.” 

“You mean with how he acted, right?” Aleu asked.

Geona nodded. “That’s right. Perhaps he just wants to show how much he loves you by coming to your rescue, that’s all. Why else would he do what he did?” 

“But . . . he still kept my mother’s death and any memories of her away from me,” Aleu responded. “I know he said he did it only to protect me, but I . . . I still feel responsible for losing her. It’s still my faul—”

“Listen to me, Aleu,” Geona silenced her anger with a paw to her mouth. “I may not have known your mother, but clearly she must have loved you enough until the end. She left your father with the greatest gift of all, although she sacrificed her own life so that you would live.” 

Aleu let out a light gasp of wonder. I never realized that before, she thought. Based on what Papa and Ebony told me about her, she doesn’t seem like a husky that would sacrifice herself like that . . . She seems too good to do something like that . . . She let out a soft sigh. Maybe if I can see Papa again tonight . . . maybe he can tell me the rest of his story about what she was all about.

“He’s a nice guy, Aleu,” Geona concluded. “and I’m sure it must have been hard for him to raise you as not only a father but also as a mother. Maybe . . . maybe the emotions he’s going through are just as big as the ones you’re dealing with too.” 

Aleu sighed deeply. “I think you might be right. Do you think White Feather would let me see my Papa again tonight?” Aleu asked her friend.

“I don’t know,” Geona shrugged. “I know we’re summoned to heal your father after she talks with him, but there might be a chance that you can sneak in tonight if I volunteer for prisoner guard duty.” 

“Oh, would you?” Aleu begged her. “I’d really appreciate it, Geona.”

“I can only try,” Geona answered back with a yawn. “but right now, let’s get a bit of sleep. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling today’s going to be something big now that you’re here.” 

Aleu only sighed as she placed her head on top of her front paws. Geona had done the same, but unlike the quarter-wolf, the she-wolf had instantly fallen asleep out of exhaustion. She’s been busy since early this morning, Aleu thought to herself as her eyelids began to droop. I know Geona’s tired, so she can easily fall asleep . . . She let out a sigh. But I can’t sleep a wink . . . not after everything that’s happened today. I’m just so worried about Papa . . . and what he might mention to White Feather—

Her thoughts were interrupted by soft-padded footsteps approaching from the nearby walkway. Aleu let out a little gasp as she quickly shut her eyes to pretend to be asleep until the wolf passed by. She sniffed the air, hoping to use her newfound wolf sense of smell that Everett had helped awaken within her. She could hear his words of advice in her mind as she caught a whiff of scent. 

“Concentrate on the scent, Aleu . . . Let it linger for a moment and recognize something about it that reminds you of something you’ve encountered or someone you’ve met . . . Then, once it’s come to you, the picture of what the scent is will appear in your mind . . .”

A form of a familiar white wolf appeared in her mind’s eye, for the scent smelt of sparkling starlight and strong oak bark. It’s White Feather . . . Aleu told herself. She’s probably on her way to speak with Papa, which means that she’ll be waking us up in about an hour to help him. Maybe . . . A soft yawn suddenly escaped her lips by accident, causing the paw-steps to halt for a moment then get closer to the entrance of Geona’s den. 

“Aleu?” The soft tinkling voice murmured into the quarter-wolf’s ears. “Are you still awake?”

Embarrassingly, the near-yearling opened her eyes and gave the Alpha a bashful grin. “Yeah, how did you guess?” She let out a silent snicker and cleared her throat before continuing. “I just couldn’t sleep somehow, but I don’t know why actually,” Aleu replied back. 

The regal Alpha gazed down at the quarter-wolf, lowering her eyelids halfway in a look of trust. “Would you like to come with me to the prison chambers?” She asked after taking a few moments to have a mental break, almost as if she was having some sort of a change of heart to the previous schedule she had planned.

“Wouldn’t you mind my presence with you, White Feather?” Aleu curiously asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. “I thought you wanted to speak to him alone.” 

“Well,” The Alpha began to explain. “as much as that is true, I feel like you’d be useful as my guard . . .” She stopped for a second before continuing. “I mean, if you want to do it, of course.”

Aleu gulped a bit, knowing that if her father revealed that she was his daughter, White Feather may go off and exile both of them . . . but she knew she had to do something to make sure that nothing happened to either of them . . . 

“Okay, sure,” the quarter-wolf agreed as she began to rise to her feet, speaking in an uneasy tone.

“Is something wrong? You sound a bit anxious, Aleu,” White Feather wondered as she began to walk a step down the hall. “You know, you don’t have to do it if you don’t feel comfortable.” 

“But you asked me, ma’am,” Aleu replied softly as she followed behind her out the chamber, leaving her sleeping friend inside. “A member of a pack can’t refuse the request of her Alpha, right?”

White Feather’s ears pricked up slightly, but she felt a light chuckle slip from her lips. “Yes, that is correct, my dear, but . . .” 

“Really, White Feather— I mean, my Alpha,” Aleu quickly corrected herself. “I accept your offer to accompany you to my Pa— I mean, to the prisoner, ma’am.” She let out a sigh of relief knowing that she caught her tongue before messing up everything. “It’s part of my duty to do as you’ve asked.”

“All right then,” the Alpha knew that her sudden change of mind was a good choice. “Come on now; I’ll show you to your duties as my guard.” 

Aleu nodded as she followed closely behind the white she-wolf, leaving her resting friend behind to catch up on sleep. They walked to the end of the hall where the prison chamber held the quarter-wolf’s resting patriarch, stretched out on the rocky floor with his wounded shoulder pointing upward. His ears flickered as his nose twitched, detecting the strange scent of someone he knew . . .

“Uh . . .” Balto’s voice was a quiet groan of pain as his eyes opened to the sight of his daughter and the white Alpha of the Clan. He had slept for a little while, but it was better than nothing. 

“Arise, Prisoner,” White Feather commanded him with a warm yet short howl. The hybrid did as told, lifting his head to see the beautiful form of the wolf in front of him. Aleu stood beside the Alpha, watching how her father and the she-wolf interacted with one another . . . and seeing when she could find the perfect opportunity to make a crucial move that could save both of their lives.

“Hi, my name is Balto,” he introduced himself, hoping that everyone would stop calling him a prisoner. He had been called too many names years ago, but this recent title of Prisoner was just the last straw. “So, you must be the Alpha I have heard so much about,” Balto cleared his throat before speaking this with a light chuckle. “I hear from the others that you’re a lot like me.” 

White Feather was slightly taken aback by the prisoner’s comment about her. “How dare you compare me to yourself!” She growled, her silky fur was beginning to prick up like needles. The Alpha’s reaction made Balto lower himself back to the ground in fear. “However, that is not the subject of this discussion.” She had begun to calm down by this time, clearing her throat. Aleu breathed a soft sigh of relief. “You were taken as our prisoner because you were trespassing on our territory and acting very strangely when the guards on duty near our secret shelter.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Balto’s ears lowered apologetically. “I’ve avoided the woods for over a year, so I didn’t know about your boundaries and all. I was just searching for my – ow!” 

A small rock had hit the cut on his shoulder, making Balto wince in pain. Aleu hoped that White Feather didn’t notice that it was her doing, but she had to stall him for as long as she could from revealing the truth of his relationship with her.

Sorry, Papa . . . but this is the only way . . .  

“Oh dear, are you all right?” White Feather offered a kind gesture to the one that she was once angry at only moments prior. To the quarter-wolf child, this was seen as a strangely sudden change of heart, but at least Aleu was assured that right now the Alpha wasn’t completely heartless.

“Y . . . yeah,” Balto whimpered out. “I think I am . . . ouch!” Another small pebble bounced off of his cut, making him jerk slightly as the hybrid tried to endure the pain by collapsing back onto the ground. “Well, maybe I could use . . . something for the pain . . .” He let out a slight hiss of anguish. 

“Well, I have a healer here if you need some help with that wound,” The Alpha told him, stepping backwards to let the light gray-brown female into the light. She bowed lightly to show her appreciation, but inside she was chuckling, knowing that her plan was in full motion.

“Her?” Balto gazed at the sight of his daughter beside the snow-white Alpha, watching the lupine turn her muzzle towards the now blushing quarter-wolf. “But she’s–” 

“I know, she’s only a beginner at healing and this is her first time, but I trust her. I’m sure she’ll keep you in the best of care,” the Alpha smiled confidently, interrupting the hybrid’s sentence. She turned again to Aleu and told her what to do. “All you have to do is just make sure to keep the wound clean by licking it and place a nice piece of Thin Leaf on it to help ease the pain. I trust you to keep watch over him while I get that Thin Leaf for you, okay, Aleu?”

Her young face had a slight look of disgust for a second after hearing what her job was, but she coughed and gave White Feather a convincing smile. “I think I can handle that, ma’am,” Aleu spoke with a forced voice as she grinned. “There’s no need to worry about me. Take your time, I insist.” 

“Well, all right then,” the Alpha agreed. As if the Great Spirits were on Aleu’s favor, a yelping cry came from the main chamber down the long hall. White Feather’s faded black-tipped ears pricked up at the sound as her elegantly-shaped head pointed in the direction of the din.

“What was that?” Aleu asked curiously. 

The Alpha spoke not a word for a few moments, for she was trying to understand the reason she was being summoned. “It appears to be a situation with some of the teams we have in training for our hunters and fighters, but unfortunately, I must go when called.”

“I understand, ma’am,” the quarter-wolf bowed quickly, still trying to prove her worth to the white lupine and the lost father that wanted her to return home. “But what about the Thin Leaf for my Pa— I mean, for the prisoner’s wound?” For a second time, she caught herself nearly spilling the truth about who their prisoner really was to her, but thankfully, White Feather wasn’t even thinking about the words that came out of Aleu’s mouth. 

“I’ll probably send Geona with the Thin Leaf instead, since solving this situation may take an hour or two.” Aleu nodded with understanding as White Feather turned back to Balto. “I apologize for leaving so suddenly, but I’m sure we’ll find some time to chat before I decide my final judgment on you.” She nodded before continuing. “May we meet again, . . .”

“Balto,” the hybrid completed her sentence, reminding the Alpha on his birth name once more. “My name’s Balto.” 

“Balto . . .” the name whispered through the white wolf’s lips slowly, almost as if she was savoring it. “What a . . . different name for a wolf.” She told him with a voice of fascination.

“I’m only half-wolf, actually,” Balto clarified for the lupine. “My . . . my mother gave me that name, although I can’t seem to remember her ever calling me by it . . .” His head lowered with his ears and eyelids, for the sadness of remembering the matriarch he was so attached to as a cub made him get near to tears. 

“Oh,” White Feather gave him a nurturing nuzzle against his cheek. “My humblest apologies to you. I, too, lost my mother at a young age, . . . as well as my father.”

“I did too,” Balto’s eyes widened in slight shock on exactly how similar he was to the Alpha Female. “How strange . . . We really must be alike, huh?” 

“I suppose so indeed,” White Feather turned around slowly as she began to make her way back to the hall. “But we shall talk later. Take care, both of you. I shall return once my duties are completed.” She gave them a slight bob of her head before facing forward and trotting towards the main chamber.

Once the white she-wolf had left the scene and neither of them could sense her nearby, Aleu turned to her father with a sigh of relief. “Sorry about those rocks to your cut, Papa. I hope you understand.” 

“But why, Aleu?” Balto asked his daughter. “Why did you interrupt me by making me hurt more?”

“It’s a long story, Papa,” Aleu tried to explain. “but I can’t have you tell the Alpha about us being Father and Daughter . . .” Her ears and head lowered. “It’s for our own good for now, okay?” 

It took a couple of moments before Balto answered his child. “I guess it’ll be fine . . . for now. Once my wounds feel better to walk on, we must tell the Alpha the truth.”

“But . . . but . . .” the quarter-wolf female stammered. “But Papa, . . . you don’t understand . . .” 

“No, Aleu – you don’t understand,” the hybrid father spoke back. “We have to tell her the truth eventually. She deserves the truth of who we are, and when she returns, I will tell her myself.”

“No . . .” Aleu muttered out quietly with a lowered head, for only she knew the consequences of her father’s actions.  

If he tells her the truth, then I’ll never become a member of the Clan . . . and White Feather . . . she may do something terrible . . .

She might sentence him to death, just like with those two other wolves that were reunited during that winter storm . . . 

No . . . No, I can’t let that happen! I just can’t have something happen to Papa when there’s something I can do about it!

“Look, I know you’re upset, but it’s the honest thing to do,” Balto told her softly, using a paw to lift his daughter’s head. He took a few seconds to gaze into the large almond eyes of yellow and blue before kindly smiling. “You know, I still have a story to finish for you. Would you like to hear the next part?” 

“Okay, why not?” Aleu agreed glumly. “I might as well listen while I clean your wound.” She leaned over to the stretched-out form of her father as began to cool and clean the red cut with her tongue. Balto let out a slight hiss, but calmed down as Aleu’s licking stabilized the redness of the wound. The taste of his blood and fur on her tongue was similar to that of the deer meat she had tasted the previous night, but because it was her father she was caring for, she tried not to notice it, especially since she still thought the idea of tasting her father’s now dried blood was more disgusting than her first impression of the ripped venison she had eaten.

Once the swelling of the cut allowed the hybrid to breathe normally after about a minute, Aleu took a break from licking and listened to the next part of her father’s story. 

“So, where did I leave off at?”

“You had just shown my mother the Northern Lights underneath the doc’s office,” Aleu reminded him. “And Ebony’s father had barged in while the two of you were leaving.” 

“Ah, yes,” Balto nodded. “I remember that memory now. You have quite a knack for memory, Aleu.” After a pause, a soft chuckle and a sigh, he began where he left off. “Well, Steele crashed through the door with a long link of sausages wrapped around his neck. He was shocked to see the two of us together, especially since he had lusted over Jenna for quite a while. I growled low, ready to defend her from his play-dog calls and charms, but she surprised me by clearing her throat and stepping forward towards the large Malamute, smiling brightly.”

“Huh, and I thought she liked you,” Aleu smugly murmured under her breath.  

“Actually, I had thought so too,” Balto replied, causing Aleu to gasp; she hadn’t realized that he had heard her comment. “At the time, I saw how she looked at him, gazing her beautifully large eyes at Steele and returning his affections . . .” His ears and head lowered as the memory flashed through his mind’s eye. “My heart felt like breaking . . . I was completely devastated. At that moment, I believed that my last hunch was unfortunately right: she was only playing with my heart all this time . . . Jenna must have been pressured by her other purebred companions and friends to make me long for her, want to be with her and then just like that, . . . she would turn on me, making me seem like a fool to believe that anyone, even the most gorgeous creature on Earth, could love a half-breed like me.”

“But she must have changed her mind at some point or another, right?” Aleu asked. “I’m here, right? So something must have happened in order for me to even be here!” 

Balto’s face changed into a bit of a grin. “You’re right – she did, but that comes a little later on in the story.” He cleared his throat and returned to his tale. “I soon noticed amongst my disappointment at the time that Jenna was sending me signals of what she was really up to; she was pushing Steele backwards as she pretended to swoon over him, allowing his hind-side to end up against the nearby burner.”

“Serves him right, Papa,” Aleu nearly barked with happiness. “He deserved that!” 

Balto chuckled at his daughter’s comment. “I was laughing inside when she did that, but once he noticed the heat touching his hindquarters, Steele howled loudly in pain, waking a couple of nearby humans, including Rosy’s father and the butcher. All three of us could hear their voices growing louder as they came closer, and I quickly got Jenna out of there . . . but Steele came through the door, the sausages wrapped around him like one of his coveted Golden Collar Awards. Jenna and I escaped his grasp, but the Malamute was a clever one; he threw his meat in the air, and once the humans’ lantern lights hit him, Steele was seen as the innocent party . . . and I was the guilty one in their eyes.”

Aleu gasped. “But that’s not fair! You didn’t do anything wrong!” 

“I know, and both Jenna and Steele knew that as well, but to the humans, they could only believe the sight that was in front of them: clearly the sausages were touched by my hybrid jaws and were on me as well, so they immediately passed their verdict. Steele received the sausages that he had stolen, and Rosy’s father grabbed Jenna by the bandanna as I was chased away from town by their awful slurs and threats.” Balto’s ears lowered but a small smile was on his face despite the mood of the tale so far. “Even though I was hated by the humans and by my fellow canines, I was glad to notice that Jenna tried to prove my innocence by trying to follow me home before being pulled back by Rosy’s father. Just by that act, I had a feeling that she really did love me for me – we needed no words at all.”

“So she did love you back then, huh?” The quarter-wolf child asked; her father nodded. “But wouldn’t her friends hate her because of it? I’m sure Steele told the other dogs about you and my mother being together, right?” 

“Well, I don’t know who told them, but by the next day, I had a feeling other dogs knew about us. Actually, that morning, something else had caught my fancy: a choosing race.” Balto paused for a moment, letting out a breath as he remembered the rush of his husky heritage.

“Why was there a race, Papa?” Aleu queried. 

“Remember I told you about that disease that Rosy had – diphtheria?” Balto reminded; Aleu nodded, allowing him to continue. “Well, that night, a message was sent for the critical serum needed to save them. A faraway city agreed to send a box of the much-needed medicine, but due to a terrible blizzard, the train carrying it could only reach the town of Nenana, which was about 600 miles from Nome. No other form of transportation could reach the station, . . . except for teams of sled dogs, so that morning, the town dogs would race against each other with the fastest making it on the team to bring the medicine through the rough winter storm.”

“600 miles?!” Aleu’s expression was total astonishment. “That seems impossible for one team to travel that long of a distance!” 

“That’s true, but it was the only way to try to save those kids,” Balto said. “The dogs that were selected for the team not only had to be fast and fleet of foot, but also able to endure and persevere through the long distance and the rough weather of the blizzard. It was necessary for only the best dogs in town to pull that medicine on the sled and get it to Nome safely.” He paused once more, cleared his throat and continued. “Anyway, I knew I was the best dog to help bring the serum home to Rosy and the other kids, so despite Boris’s crazy rantings on why I shouldn’t be running in the race to help a town that hated me, I jumped into the line of eager huskies seconds before the starting gun was fired.”

“Wow, I guess they weren’t expecting that, were they?” Aleu chuckled. 

“No, they weren’t,” Balto added, also chuckling at the memory. “but it didn’t stop me from taking off at the starting gun. The other huskies tried making obstacles for me, anything to make me lose . . . they even knocked me off the road and onto a frozen patch of water by the harbor!” Aleu let out a gasp as her father continued. “I still didn’t let their tricks and trials stop me from reaching the finish line first, because I used the path in front of me and found my way past the lead dog in the race. To everyone’s surprise, I crossed the finish line in record time, seconds before the previous lead dog!”

“Awesome, Papa!” Aleu nearly barked aloud. “I can’t believe that you would still show the town your worth, despite the fact that you were half-tame! That’s so crazy!” 

“Yeah, it was crazy, alright,” Balto sighed, getting close to the point of blushing with embarrassment. “but Jen . . . Jenna was watching, and I wanted to show her that I was more than enough dog to lead the team to the medicine and save Rosy.”

“Always for love, huh?” The quarter-wolf commented with a slight smirk and chuckle. 

“Well, I was thinking about the children too, but making Jenna happy was just as important.” Balto paused as his ears lowered with the next memory. “Steele, who couldn’t believe that some dog like me would beat the rest of his team, ignored me, calling the rest of his dogs to the sled. I told him that I was the fastest dog, which was true, but still he refused to have be join him. Even Jenna, the husky he liked defended my words, but he wouldn’t dare talk badly to her . . . but it was the musher who made the final call, so Steele knew he had to play dirty in order to get what he wanted. When the musher approached me, he didn’t notice Steele pound on my front paw, causing my mouth to open with sharp, bared teeth. That only reminded him of my mixed breeding, and out of fear, he turned away from me and called Steele and the team to be harnessed to the sled.”

“That . . . that . . .” Aleu huffed angrily. “That horrible brute!” She let out a snort. “No wonder his daughter’s such a meanie! Why would the musher walk away when you showed that you were the fastest dog?” 

“Again, humans are afraid of what they are unable to understand,” Balto explained. “He knew I was even faster than Steele, but once he saw my teeth, the musher remembered who I was and what wolves were capable of doing once they turned on humans.” Again, he had a sad look on his face. “I even turned Jenna away from me, reminding her of what I could do to her. I didn’t want to hurt her, even though I knew she wanted to cheer me up, . . . but I ran away from her for her sake – it was something I had to do. My spirit felt broken and crushed as hours later, I watched the team take off from the telegraph office on Main Street. There was a lantern that a human hung by the door of the office, saying that if there was any hope left, the light would lead them back. I was back at the old boat, sadly looking from the top of the boat and thinking to myself, ‘I should be leading them to the medicine! I was the fastest dog at the race, not Steele!’ I just felt powerless, helpless to anyone . . . and most especially to Rosy and Jenna.”

“How awful,” Aleu gave her father a nuzzle underneath his jaw for comfort. “What did you do about it?” 

“There wasn’t anything I really could do, Aleu,” Balto spoke dryly. “I felt that I was just a spectator and would never be part of the action, but a little over a week after the team had left, Morse, the dog owned by the telegrapher, gave us a message: the team had reached Nenana safely and was on their way back, but they had missed a major checkpoint . . . and they may be lost.” Aleu again gasped in shock. “I ran from the larger boiler room and water tower straight to the doctor’s office. I wanted to check on Rosy to see how she was holding up, and . . . it didn’t look too good.” A near tear tried to swell up in his eye. “Rosy was coughing, struggling to breathe . . . and although Jenna was my her side, even I knew her love for her girl wouldn’t be enough to make her well. To make things worse, I could hear the tap-tap-tapping of a hammer hitting a nail. I curiously followed the noise trail, but only saw the carpenter sadly making something in his shop. They were several caskets, . . . wooden boxes to put bodies in once they . . .” He couldn’t finish his sentence, for the emotional strain on him was too great; the memories of losing Jenna flooded back into his mind, only to come out in the form of large salty teardrops. Aleu licked the tears from his eyes, calming him in a matter of minutes. Once he was in a slightly better composure, Balto continued. “Once I realized what they were and the various sizes of them, my thoughts were all about Rosy. The humans were losing hope, and if the medicine didn’t arrive soon, those that were sick – even the young ones like Rosy – they were all going to give into the sickness and be taken away from the ones that loved them. I knew that I had to try to do something to help save the team; if I didn’t, many innocent people and a team of dogs would be lost.”

“But they hated you, Papa!” Aleu reminded him. “Why would you want to do something to help when no one understood you?” 

Balto let out a chuckle. “You know, Boris said almost the same thing when I told him what I was going to do. I knew I could track the team and bring them home safe – if no one else would find them, who would?” Aleu nodded, understanding her father’s situation. “That night, I took one final look through Rosy’s window to remind me of my mission before Boris, Muk, Luk and I left the town limits and began our journey to find the team. It was snowy and cold, but together we endured the trail. I marked several trees on the way so that I could lead the team back home once I found them . . . that’s actually what I did on my way out here to find you. Anyway, I thought the blizzard and the long stretches of snowy terrain and forest land would be the hardest challenge we were going to face, but we were almost at the mountains when it happened . . .”

“What happened?” 

The interrupting voice of Geona surprised both Father and Daughter with a gasp and a near jump off the ground, but the light-gray she-wolf chuckled with the Thin Leaf in her mouth. She placed it on the ground and reassured them that everything was okay. “Hey, calm down! Your secret’s safe with me. I just came to deliver this Thin Leaf before I go back to sleep.”

“Oh,” Aleu stood up and approached her friend. “Sorry White Feather had to wake you up just to help me.” 

“It’s okay, Aleu,” Geona smiled softly as she began to pull a piece of Thin Leaf with one of her clawed paws. “While I slept, I felt worried about you and the secret about your father. Once I was nudged awake by White Feather, she told me to get some Thin Leaf for Balto’s wounds and help you while she dealt with a situation in the main chamber.” The light-gray placed the Thin Leaf onto the shoulder wound, causing Balto to let out a slight hiss. His head winced with pain, but within seconds, he had calmed down.

“There you go, Balto,” Geona told him after she used her tongue to gently press against the patch of Thin Leaf that now draped over his wound. “That should help ease the pain and close the wound. Give it a while’s rest before trying it out, okay?” 

“Thanks, Geona,” Balto gave her a short nod. “That feels much better.”

“I’m glad,” The she-wolf smiled. “Now, what happened in the forest in your story?” She asked curiously. “I apologize for eavesdropping, but it sounds quite adventurous.” 

“Yeah, Papa,” Aleu coaxed him. “What did happen?”

“Well,” Balto began to summarize the parts Geona may have missed before continuing to the next scene. “We were by the edge of the forest with the mountains close in front of our path. My ears began to twitch as I sensed that an unwelcome stranger was watching us. I gasped and stood still, but I continued to tell my companions to keep moving. The silence was soon broken once I noticed that a large grizzly bear was near Boris and the polar bear cubs! The bear was about to bite the snow goose and out of defense for my friends, I leapt out at him, not realizing how much a bear’s claw would make you hurt once they attacked back. It swiped me down from the air as if I were nothing, and I felt myself fall hard onto the snow-covered ground. My body was close to the point of breaking, my hope nearly gone as the grizzly pressed a large paw on me as if to push me into a snowy grave . . . and that was the moment when I heard a growling battle cry from above me.” 

“Was it a wolf?” Aleu asked. “You know, one of your relatives on your– I mean, our wolf family tree?”

Balto shook his head. “Not even close. It was your mother, Aleu.” The quarter-wolf gasped with surprise.  

No way! Aleu thought of the idea of the elegant purebred husky that she had learned about doing such a thing. Why would a husky risk her own life to save a hybrid outcast like Papa? She really must have been crazy in love with him or just completely crazy altogether! She didn’t ask Balto aloud, but continued to listen to his story.

“I learned later that Jenna had tracked down my scent from the hospital window the evening I had left and concluded that I was going to bring the team and the serum home. Thank goodness she arrived when she did! She bravely leapt at the bear’s paw, biting down on it and causing it to loosen its grip on me. I was free from its grasp, but Jenna was flung from the bear like a child’s rag-doll toy; however, I noticed that the roaring bear’s strength and large power clearly wasn’t going to stop her as she got up and latched back onto it before I even had a chance to recover. Jenna was thrown off of it again, but thanks to her attacking distraction, I was able to get up and lead the bear away from her and near a frozen lake that was down a steep hill. It was a risk, but I was willing to do anything to repay Jenna’s bravery and sacrifice by risking my own safety for hers.” 

“That sounds ridiculous,” Aleu chuckled.

“But it was love, wasn’t it, Balto?” Geona asked. “She must have really loved you to do such a act.” 

“Yeah, I guess it was,” Balto’s cheeks were slightly flushed at the thought. “It was at that moment that I knew she loved me for me and not out of pity of the bullying of my breeding. Why else would she risk her own life in the rough snow to save mine? In the thrill of the moment, I truly loved her more than I did when we first met.” He paused, allowing the words to sink into the minds of the females with him. “I used my surroundings to fight back – mainly in the form of a naked branch that hit its nose before it could reach me; however, I fell backwards, sliding onto the icy surface of the mountain lake. Naturally, the grizzly followed me, despite the danger of falling through. I felt the ice beneath me crack several times before the bear’s feet, and soon the rest of its body, plunged through; I never would have expected what happened next – the icy water was calling for me to join it as well.”

Aleu gasped. “You fell through the ice?” Balto nodded. “How could you survive in that cold water?” 

“It must have been Aniu’s saving grace for you to have survived,” Geona murmured in a soft voice. She turned to his daughter with a calm look. “Why else would you still be here in front of us today?”

“Huh?” Balto’s ears pricked up at one word that caught his attention. “What was that, Geona?” 

He was born and raised by the wolf, right? The light-gray wondered to herself. His she-wolf mother must have taught him about the Great Aniu at least . . . if anything! How strange . . . “Oh, it’s nothing,” Geona shook off the comment with her head. “Please continue, Balto.”

Balto cleared his throat before telling the next part. “Anyway, a circular crack surrounded me, and my weight began to pull the slab of ice below the frigid waves. I held onto the rising edge of the ice, watching as my friends ran to my rescue, calling out my name with worry, but they could do nothing; the circular piece of ice flipped over, taking me under with it.” He paused again; this time a tear dripped down his face. “The icy chill of the water stung me like needles, nearly paralyzing me in its spell. I could hear nothing, but I could feel the pressure of the strong current trying to sweep me within it; I remained firm, trying not to move as much. Luckily, I located a tiny opening that would be necessary for me to survive; I needed some air to breathe, so I began to suck in some air through the hole. It wasn’t much, but it was better than cold water any day.  

“My eyesight was blurred, but for a split-second glance, I swore I could see the form of the burgundy and white she-husky above me; I felt as if her paws, although they were between a layer of ice, were actually touching my own for one single moment. Oh, if only the warmth in her heart could have flowed through her paws and melted the ice away! I only blinked for a moment, and she was gone – the current had swept me away. I began to close my eyes, giving into the darkness that was calling me beneath the frozen abyss. My mouth was filled with water – I was drowning . . . and before I realized it, I blacked out.”

“But . . . how did you –?” Aleu whispered, unable to understand how her father could be so strong at one point and completely helpless at another, but Balto interrupted her query with the answer. 

“When I returned to my senses, I could tell that I was no longer in the lake. I felt a large weight hit me, thankfully causing the water vomit from my mouth, but my eyes couldn’t open. Was I dead? Was I alive? Would I ever see my friends and Jenna again? I did not know until my hearing returned. Seconds later, I could hear the honking voice of Boris trying to bring me back to him and feel his feathery pats against my muzzle, sense the nervous ramblings and mutterings of Muk and Luk behind him . . . and my nose smelt the loving scent of the brave Jenna, . . . who I knew once my sights were set on her now, I would never look at the same way ever again.” He slightly smiled as the memory returned to him. “My eyes finally opened, my vision blurred, but the sight of a relieved Boris holding my head up with his wings made me feel grateful for his company. I was able to stand up for a moment, but I quickly collapsed back onto the snow-covered ground, shuttering violently after my ordeal; I still felt worn out and nearly frozen, but I couldn’t figure out how to get my body temperature back up. Apparently, Jenna knew she could help, so without a second to rethink, she placed her body on top of mine.”

“Papa!” Aleu blushed embarrassingly. “That didn’t seem like a good time to be so friendly.” 

Balto turned red at the thought of his daughter’s comment. “Now, now, Aleu; she only meant to warm me, not to . . . oh, gosh . . .” He lowered his head in embarrassment. Balto let out a nervous chuckle. “Okay, I actually enjoyed the feel of her silky fur against mine, but I thought she enjoyed it too, despite her serious tone as she spoke. She gave me important information that really helped out on our journey: she had learned through a recent message that Eagle Pass, the quickest way through the rocky mountains that awaited us, was now blocked, leaving only the danger-filled Mountain Trail as the best way to start looking for the team. I knew she was strong-willed enough to handle anything, so I didn’t doubt her courage.”

“Thank goodness she found you,” Geona spoke up. “If she hadn’t, you probably would have used up more time you didn’t have to waste.” 

“That’s right, Geona,” Balto replied. “I felt grateful to have such faithful friends by my side, but things began to go so wrong moments later. Once some of my strength had returned, Jenna got up, satisfied by what she had done for me, but when she took a step forward on her right foreleg, she fell onto the snow with a cry. I knew she was hurt, but she refused to believe it. She got up and moved again, but to the same result, she collapsed onto the snow. Jenna’s ankle was hurt – there was no way she would make it any further. She suggested that I go without her, in fear of her injury slowing us down; she was right that she would slow down the journey, but there was no way in hell that I was just going to leave her to be sacrificed within the upcoming storm ahead.”

“What did you do, Papa?” Aleu asked. “Did my mother get home safely, even though she had been hurt?” 

“I’m getting to that, Aleu,” Balto nearly let out a growl, causing her to step back suddenly with a gasp. He had to apologize quickly. “Sorry, but you have to be a bit more patient.” Aleu lowered her ears, as if to say she was sorry, and nodded before the brownish-gray hybrid continued. “Instead of me leaving without her, I sent Boris and the bears back with her, having them escort her back to home on a large pine bough. In return, Jenna gave me her red-orange bandanna for warmth;” Balto’s eyes began to grow misty with tears as he pictured the beautiful husky sliding the tied piece of fabric off her neck and onto his own. “She thought it wouldn’t keep me very warm, but just knowing that she loved me enough to give it to me made me feel so . . . so happy. I felt her nuzzle against each side of my face as the others got themselves ready to travel. Before we parted, Boris told me something that I never really understood until days later –” The hybrid paused to clear his throat and dried his eyes. “He told me this: ’A dog cannot make this journey alone, . . . but maybe a wolf can.’”

“What did he mean by that, Papa?” Aleu wondered aloud. “I know that you’re half dog and half wolf, but I don’t understand.” 

“I think I understand it,” Geona told them. The two part-wolves looked at her with open ears. “He probably meant that this journey was a chance for you to understand the wolf that lives within you. Apparently you preferred the tame half over the wildness that everyone seemed to reject.”

“Well, you’d be right, Geona,” Balto nodded. “but the moment when I realized that doesn’t come until later in the story.” He let out a small laugh. “Back then, I thought his words were just crazy talk, but at the time, there was no necessary time to ask what it meant; they started on their way back to Nome using my tree markings as a guide while I ran the other way, heading right into the blinding blizzard that awaited me in the mountain range. The days passed by slowly as the snowy wind whipped through my fur as if I were nothing. My mind raced, contemplating on my current situation: ‘Balto, are you crazy? Why are you risking your skin for some dogs and a whole town that hates you?’ ‘But Jenna, Boris, Rosy and all the others – they’re all counting on me to pull through. If I don’t help the team, who else will?’ I remembered how the other dogs acted in the water tower’s boiler room; they weren’t going to risk their safety just to save so many sick people. I could hear their voices, barking and whining their doubts and lack of faith . . . Just the thought of those sick children and the many others that were close to death kept me going . . . and of course, I thought of Jenna’s warm face welcoming back home once I returned.  

“Whenever I needed a little boost to keep me going, I glanced back at my chest – the bandanna . . . the sign of Jenna’s faith in me . . . was still there. I felt as if she had left a mark on my cheek where she had grazed my face; it was heated, smelling intensely of her scent. With that and the happy memories of Rosy and Jenna still in my mind, I knew I had to keep going no matter what. Besides, I had no other choice – I promised her that I would make it back home . . . with that serum too, so I had to keep strong.”

Geona let out a slight yawn – not out of boredom, but out of exhaustion. 

“Geona, you go back and sleep,” Aleu advised her friend. “You still sound tired and as a friend, I suggest you get some rest. I’ll be fine by my Papa’s side.”

“But what about the Alpha?” Geona asked. “If you’re seen together like this, . . .” 

“I’ll be fine,” The quarter-wolf repeated. “I care about you after all you’ve been through, so you deserve it. I can figure my way out of a sticky situation.” She gave Geona a wink.

The light-gray sighed in defeat; she knew that Aleu was not going to back down so easily now that her father’s life and safety was at stake. “All right – I give. I’ll head back to my den; come by and see me after you check with White Feather, okay?” Aleu nodded in response. “I also left you an extra piece of Thin Leaf, in case Balto needs it. You saw how I put it on the wound, so you should know what to do.” 

“Okay. Thanks a lot, Geona,” Aleu bade her farewell.

“Please be careful, Aleu,” Geona murmured to her prior to leaving. “You’re taking quite a risk, and I don’t want anything to happen to both of you.” 

Balto’s ears twitched at the light-gray’s words as Aleu gave her a reassuring nod. Is that what she meant? He thought as he watched his daughter see Geona off. Will something bad happen if either of us . . . or worse, both of us, reveal the truth of our relationship to the Alpha?

He let out a shudder just thinking about something happening to his only child. No, I just can’t risk her safety, . . . not after everything that she’s done for me since I was taken as this pack’s prisoner. Aleu’s just fine out here, and I thought I’d be worried about how she would survive out in the wild . . . She really has grown up over a matter of several hours . . . 

But right now, I need to figure out how we can get out of here and back home . . . together . . .

“Papa?” 

The voice of his daughter’s call made Balto snap out of his dazed thoughts. “Huh, what?” He shook his head and looked back at Aleu. “What’s up?”

“You looked worried about something . . . and you were shuddering,” Aleu gave her father a worried gaze. “You’re not catching a cold, are you? I’m afraid I’m not trained in curing sickness.” 

“No, not at all; I’m fine,” Balto replied; actually when she made that comment about his health, he was quite surprised that Aleu would actually care about him so much, especially since she was so angry and confused only a day ago about learning his secrets. He paused as he decided to trust his daughter’s heart for once. “I was just thinking about that thing we were arguing about earlier . . . the secret of us being Father and Daughter . . .”

“What about it?” Aleu let out a slight gasp. Her ears quickly lowered as a growl slipped through her teeth. “You’re not going to tell her, are you?” 

“I’ve changed my mind about it,” Balto reassured her, not telling his daughter about the fact that he had heard what Geona had said before leaving. “I promise, I won’t tell her when she comes to talk to me.”

“I’m so glad that you finally understand, Papa,” Aleu nuzzled him with a smile. “What made you change your mind?” 

“I don’t know,” the wolf-dog tried to smirk off any suspicion that Aleu may have had. “I guess I’ve had a change of heart about the idea.”

Aleu nodded happily. “That’s a good thing.” She actually was thinking about asking him about what he was going to tell White Feather, but the quarter-wolf decided to not ask about it; Aleu realized that perhaps she should give her father the benefit of the doubt and let him handle the situation on his own. “Anyway, I should be getting back now. It’s starting to get a little late.” 

“I understand, Aleu,” Balto smiled softly, nuzzling his daughter. He didn’t know when the white Alpha she-wolf was going to make her way back to him, but he knew that his daughter was tired as well. “I’ll be fine here until you come back. Perhaps you can ask this White Feather to allow you to come back later tonight to tend to my wound. Will that work for you?”

“I think it might . . . or at least I could try,” Aleu predicted. “I’ll suggest that to her right away. Maybe I’ll see if she can bring some food for you when White Feather comes to speak with you.” She smiled softly back to him as she got up and returned to the door. “You should get some more rest too, Papa. That Thin Leaf seems to be working well, but sleep may help it heal quicker.” Balto nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll see you later.”  

“Be careful, baby,” he whispered into the wind; as if she could hear him, Aleu smiled back before stepping through the doorway. Balto, his confidence reassured, returned the grin and placed his head down on the ground with the rest of his body and began to rest.

She really has grown up,Balto told himself as his eyelids began to cover his large gold eyes. I guess I never noticed that before . . . especially since I was always protecting her. Maybe . . . A yawn slipped from his lips as his eyes closed fully. Maybe I’ll just have to trust her in order to survive . . . 

I just hope I can, Aleu thought as she took one last look at the wounded patriarch and made her way out of the room and down the hallway back to Geona’s den to rest for a while. Hopefully things will work out for now . . . and I’ll get you on your way home, Papa . . .

(Part IV – completed 2/26/08)