Part FOUR – Tribulation & Revelation

*WARNING:This part mentions situations that may be too intensely difficult for some readers and has been rated PG-13 because of it. Please remember that you have been warned. Thank you. - Juuchan17*

About a couple of hours before the dawn, Aleu awoke from her sleep, Scarlet still sleeping by her side. She was hoping that Aniu would visit her again in her dreams that night to congratulate her for proving that she deserved the title of Alpha of the Kawa, but Aleu woke up disappointed. Her dreams were silent and dark, without any indication of failure or approval from the white lupine spirit.

I guess I didn’t do anything I wasn’t supposed to . . . I thought I did what was right. She thought.Perhaps Aniu is pleased with the way I settled things. Aleu sat up and took a deep breath at the entrance of the cave. The moon was almost fully covered by the tall forest trees just by the edge of the Clan’s territory. The dark navy sky was still dotted with dim late-night stars that in only in time would soon be faded by the bright rising light of the sunshine. The air was cold when a breeze hit the tip of her dark, wet nose, but there was something else . . . there was a scent that was carried on the wind that blew into Aleu’s nostrils . . . a familiar scent of . . . of a close friend. 

“Lorna . . .?” She murmured softly as she heard a howling chorus coming from around the center of the forest. It sounded like four lupines howling at the sky above them, and just as she thought, one of the voices sounded exactly like the friendly and wise young she-wolf.

Instinctively, Aleu thought that her light gray friend had went out into the woods to visit the Trio outside her mother’s den and to check up on Dahlia after she began to give birth earlier that night. Aleu hadn’t seen the brown and white female since her fight with Riza began that evening, and she thought it was appropriate to visit her and see if she needed anything. 

Following the rock path across the pool, Aleu quietly scampered through their mountainous home, hoping that no one else – especially Scarlet – noticed that she had left.Maybe if they wake up before I return, they’ll think I began hunting for breakfast early today, The quarter-wolf yearling thought as she took a quick glance back at the almost-stacked sets of sleeping and living caverns that her remaining Clan continued to slumber in; finally, she bolted into the forest, following an exclusive scent trail that the Trio had left especially for Scarlet, Lorna, and Aleu to find, in case they wanted to see Dahlia.

After about five minutes of traveling through the tangles of branches and snowy leaf floor, Aleu caught a glimpse of Nuk, the largest wolf of the pack and of the Trio. His dark-blue and bulky form rose and fell as he breathed, sleeping upright beside his two companions, Sumac and Yak, both who were also asleep. Aleu gave them a small smile and sniffed around, hoping that she would catch a whiff of Lorna. Nothing here, she said to herself, letting out a soft sigh. I guess it’s okay to visit Dahlia. I hope she doesn’t mind. 

Quietly the young Alpha lowered herself to the ground-leveled entrance to the birthing den and sniffed. She caught the scent of Dahlia and about four new smells. Those must be . . . her pups! Aleu’s eyes grew in anticipation as she let out a quiet whine to let Dahlia know she was there.

“Dahlia?” Aleu softly spoke into the entrance. “Dahlia, are you awake?” 

She heard a soft moan and a rustling of dried leaves against the she-wolf’s coat as the new mother looked towards the entrance. “Oh, Aleu! I just woke up when I heard you whining outside. It’s kind of hard to sleep when there’s these three whimpering bundles of joy always keeping you busy.”

“Three?” Aleu’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I thought I smelled four pups in here.”  

Dahlia was silent for a moment; her head and eyelids lowered in sadness, and Aleu had a feeling that she didn’t feel like talking about it. “Come on inside,” Dahlia spoke in a soft tone of sorrow. “I’ll tell you what happened and I’ll introduce you to the newest members of the Kawa.”

Aleu wriggled her way into the den, crawling through the two-foot tunnel that led into the main room where she felt the presence of Dahlia and her litter. The den was mostly dark, but a thin stream of moonlight trickled in through the entrance; it was still quite dim, but her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, allowing Aleu to see the beauty and elegance that still remained in the recovering she-wolf. 

“Are you okay?” The mousy-brown female asked Dahlia. “Was the birth too painful? What happened?”

“I’m fine, Aleu,” Dahlia sniffed quietly and then licked the pups that moved beside her teat-covered belly, nursing on their mother’s milk. “Giving birth doesn’t hurt too much after you’ve done it at least once, so they slipped out of me easily.” 

“Whew!” Aleu gave a happy sigh of relief. “I’m glad it went well. Maybe one day I’ll experience the miracle of giving birth to my own pups.” She nuzzled her friend’s nose, but felt the she-wolf move her head away from her. “Dahlia, what’s wrong? What happened . . .?”

“Things weren’t okay after my daughter left,” Dahlia’s ears fell as tears streamed down her face. “I growled at her to get some privacy; I could feel the first pup pressing against my body, ready to be born. Minutes after Lorna left, the first puppy easily slipped out of me.” Her voice began to crack slightly as she continued. “He was so small and delicate, looking just like the splitting image of his father. Before I even felt another contraction, I named him Niva, giving him a name that sounded similar to his own father’s. I . . . I didn’t know that he was going to join Aniu so soon.” 

“No . . .” Aleu shook her head in disbelief. “He . . .”

The brown female nodded. “Yes, he unfortunately passed on, but he did it quite peacefully, near the time I had the final pup. I buried him in here, the place where he was birthed.” She pointed her nose to a corner by the wall where a tiny pile of dirt was slightly elevated. A clawed four-toed paw-print was stamped beside it, signifying that it was a grave for a newborn. “Although it’s painful to lose a child only a couple of hours after its birth, I still have his three siblings to remember him by.” She licked them once again; this time, Aleu glanced at each pup as Dahlia told her their names.  

“This one, the second-born, is Misty. You can tell how she got her name, right?” Dahlia finally gave a happy giggle, which allowed Aleu to smile with her. Misty was a light gray female that apparently inherited Lorna’s looks and markings.

“She’s beautiful, just like a cloak of mist. Kinda resembles her older sister, doesn’t she?” Aleu commented.  

Dahlia nodded and continued, licking the second pup. Its fur was entirely coated in dark gray except for a tiny patch on its hind leg. “I named this one Maple. See her marking?” She pointed out with her nose. “It’s in the shape of a leaf, just like the ones I’ve seen before in the forest.”

“Wow, what a distinct mark!” Aleu grinned. “The name suits her well.” She glanced at the final pup, which began to crawl over its nursing siblings and reach its nose to a nipple that was in between the two sisters. “What about this one? I’m curious to hear what you named her!” 

Dahlia let out an airy giggle. “Him, not her, Aleu. It’s a boy.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Aleu’s face flushed embarrassingly. “So, what’s his name?” 

“Manx.” The she-wolf replied back, accepting the young Alpha’s apology. She leaned down to clean the male pup’s brown fur, watching it begin to wag its tiny nub of a tail. “I have a feeling he’ll wear his name well, especially with that small tail of his.”

“Well, I think the name’s cute.” Aleu smiled widely. “I’m sure he’ll grow into it, although his tail won’t!”  

The two females giggled at the joke as they watched the trio of blind and deaf newborns whimper and squirm across their dam’s birthing bed of leaves and dirt. While Dahlia nursed her pups, Aleu continued to converse with the new mother, talking mainly about what had happened while she was asleep and after she had gone into labor.

“Oh my! She did that to you?” Dahlia licked Aleu’s wounded leg. “How could you manage to even stand afterwards?” 

“I’m not sure, to tell you the truth,” Aleu replied back, enjoying the moist strokes of Dahlia’s tongue on her wound. “I just did what I thought was right by allowing those who didn’t like my leadership to leave.”

“That was the right thing to do, I suppose,” The she-wolf agreed. “The Kawa doesn’t need wolves that refuse to obey their Alpha.” 

“At least they can return whenever they feel ready to,” Aleu added. “It’s only fair.”

Dahlia gasped in shock. “But . . . but that means . . .” 

Aleu nodded. “Yes. I have allowed Riza to return, only if she wishes to. She and the others too.”

“Others?” The brown and white wolf’s eyes lit up as she repeated the word. “What others? Who else left the Clan?” 

“Well, a couple of others – Tydra and Viking.” Aleu mentioned. “I don’t know whether they left because of disagreeing with my style of leadership or plotting something with Riza, but I didn’t ask them why. I guess I didn’t want to know.”

Dahlia gasped, then lowered her eyes, shaking her head slowly as if she knew it was bad news. “I know exactly why. Those two were trouble since they were yearlings.” Aleu listened carefully to the new mother’s tale of the runaway twins. “Tydra and Viking were the children of Nava and Hilde, one of my fellow hunting companions; they were born about four years ago, near the time I had my first litter. They both had the same colors as their dam, except for the fact that they lacked any markings to tell them apart. Only their eyes were different – Tydra’s were brown, while her brother’s were blue. 

“At a young age, Nava had a sense that they were going to be trouble for the Clan – it is said that pups born without markings were an ominous sign from the Great Spirits that trouble was coming. Although he knew the consequences of their birth and understood that they were to be the object of any wolf’s tattling, he continued to allow them to live in the Kawa Clan, despite the fears of his fellow Clansmen – they were born into his Clan after all and as Alpha, he only wanted them to live a normal life like any other pup should. They, unlike many of our pups, were spared from the constant raids of the revolting Clans, mainly because of the fact that they were born in the summer instead of the late-spring like most wolves. As they grew, their actions and ways quickly began to show as more than just friendly sibling interactions . . .”

Aleu gasped. “You mean, . . .?” 

Dahlia nodded. “Yes. Only us elder females – Me, Kayli, Sheka, Deelya, and including their mother, Hilde – were able to notice that Tydra and Viking were nuzzling and snuggling too closely to be seen as brother and sister . . . They acted more like . . . a pair of very close lovers.”

“Oh my goodness!” Aleu was taken aback. “I . . . I never would have guessed that they were . . .” She let out a cough. “um, like that . . .” Aleu lifted her head up with curiosity. “So, Nava didn’t know that they were like this?” 

“Of course not,” The brown and white she-wolf responded. “Nava was too busy with the safety of his Clan and protecting the next generation of the Kawa; but it’s not often that something like this would take place in Clan society, especially since Nava is related to most of us here in the Kawa. There are actually Wolf Clans that only have the Alphas to mate, but there are some rules of breeding that can be altered if the current Alpha sees fit to change it. That’s why Nava would only mate with the she-wolves of the Clan that weren’t closely related to him in order to build up our pack numbers.” Dahlia grinned, but her expression quickly shifted to a serious look. “However, close incest between a brother and sister are strictly forbidden in Clans. I’m not sure why it is so forbidden, but the Law of Aniu that states it as so. Disobedience to this rule calls for the strictest punishment – death.” Dahlia’s tone was stern, especially with the last word; she swiftly turned her head to the yearling female, causing the Alpha to shutter.

Aleu let out a gasp of fear. “Oops. Does that mean I did something wrong by letting them roam freely?” 

“Probably,” Dahlia sighed. “but now they are no longer bound by the Law of Aniu, since they have left their birth Clan. I just hope they don’t plan to have a litter together.”

“Why?” Aleu asked. “Is it that bad of a deal for them to mate?” 

“Of course it is!” Dahlia shouted at her, then lowered her tone. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me, for I’ve forgotten how inexperienced and naïve you are.”

“It’s all right,” Aleu got a bit flustered by Dahlia’s apology. “I’m still learning, thanks to Scarlet, Lorna, and the Trio . . . and you too, of course.” The Alpha nodded her head lightly. “Please explain what you mean, Dahlia. I don’t seem to understand why it seems so bad! If they’re in love, shouldn’t it be okay?” 

“Not really. You’re still a young pup yourself, and you are probably new to the emotions of love.” She cleared her throat and continued. “Well, I have heard of many stillbirths and miscarriages due to close incest mating, but it would be a tragic day when a she-wolf births her own brother’s child . . . and is born alive.”

“Why?” Aleu repeated. 

“I don’t know; I’ve only heard legends and stories of such taboo actually occurring, and it’s never ended good. There is a prophecy that Nava told us elder wolves a month before the Clan invasions began, a prophecy sent to him from the Great Aniu herself:” Dahlia began to speak in an almost trance-like voice, as if the Great Spirits themselves were speaking to Aleu through the mother wolf. “‘When two of the same blood become one, the Dark Child of Destiny shall smite out the Sun; thus on this day, the Great Spirit will fall, and destruction and death await for us all.’ It was a prophecy that has been passed down for many generations; now, I pass it to you, and I pray that this has not yet been fulfilled.”

Aleu let out another gasp. “Can this prophecy be stopped, Dahlia?” 

“I don’t know, Aleu,” Dahlia answered sadly. “It all depends on if Viking has planted his seed in her yet. If Tydra becomes with child by now, we only have about two months before the Dark Child is given the breath of life.”

“There must be something that can be done!” Aleu began to stand up, tears in her eyes. 

“Aleu . . .” Dahlia murmured as she looked up at her Alpha, then focused her attention back on her pups.

“I’ve worked too hard to be accepted into this lifestyle of being an Alpha of a Wolf Clan, and I must try to prevent this destiny from happening!” She was now on her feet; her left hind leg was now slightly stronger for standing. Aleu pricked her ears up towards the entrance of the den, where the twittering of waking birds signaled the rise of the sun. “It’s dawn already, Dahlia. I have to get started on hunting, so I’ll leave you and the pups alone until later today, okay?” 

“All right then,” The she-wolf bowed her head once, but quickly added a quick request. “Oh Aleu, do you think that you could get a little bit of kill for me? All I’ve eaten is this nutrient-filled placenta that was attached to the pups after they were born, and it just wasn’t enough. Awful stuff, really, but when there’s nothing else left . . .” She sighed with a small smile.

Aleu smiled as she turned around to her friend. “Of course. I’ll see if I can find some water nearby also so that you can drink and still return to the pups. I’ll get Lorna to help me when I return back to the Clan.” 

“Thank you, Aleu,” Dahlia said graciously. “May Aniu bless you.”

Aleu bowed back in respect and crawled out of the den. The Trio was still asleep, even though the sunrise was beginning to light up the early-morning sky. As she stood, she shook off the dirt and leaves that were attached to her coat, and groomed herself until her coat was smoother than it was when she first woke up earlier. After feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays sliding against her body, Aleu began her morning hunt with a new sense of knowledge . . . and many questions of what she should do to prepare herself for the problems that awaited for her to resolve. 

But nothing would prepare her for what awaited her when Aleu returned to the Kawa Clan’s territory.

She had been hunting for about an hour after sunrise and managed to catch a couple of rabbits – one of them, she delivered to Dahlia’s den before returning to the Clan – and a young bull moose as well. Aleu felt lucky to finally catch something bigger than a rabbit for once, and she hoped that this latest sign would lift up their hopes of finding the caribou herd that they had traveled all this way for. Carrying the remaining rabbit by the ear in her mouth, she quickly ran back to the edge of the reflecting pond in front of the strips of caverns. Nuk, who was awake by the time Aleu had dropped off the other rabbit, hauled the moose with his large, powerful jaws and followed closely behind his Alpha. By the time they begun their approach to the edge of the forest to share their bounty, they were surprised to hear barks and calls for someone. The closer they trotted, the louder the cries filled the air of their home. 

“Do you hear all that noise?” Nuk call the din to her attention.

“Yeah,” Aleu answered back. “I wonder what’s going on . . .” 

Suddenly, a mud-red and white wolf leaped from a nearby bush, halting in front of the two wolves and their kill.

“Oh, it’s only you!” The male wolf first shouted the first word, then once realizing whose presence he was in, lowered his voice to normal, although his tone was still filled with worry and the unknowing. “Aleu, we’ve been looking for you since daybreak! Where have you been?” 

“Scarlet, you know where I’ve been,” Aleu replied calmly, leaning up to his nose and touching it with her own. “Hunting for breakfast, of course . . . and visiting Dahlia and her litter.” She sighed in an almost dreamily manner. “They were just darling pups too. I just hope our first litter ends up being so perfect.” She was gazing deep into his dark gray eyes with love, but all she saw was concern emitting from his stare. “Umm, Scarlet? Hey, Scarlet? What’s wrong? Did something happen while I was out?”

The words took true courage for him to say and total shock fell upon the Alpha and the large wolf. His head was lowered between his front legs, his tail lowered between his hind legs. His voice was quiet yet shaken with sadness as he muttered them with his lips. 

“Lorna’s gone.”

A silent pause of surprise swept through the duo as their kill dropped to the ground in unison. Aleu’s mouth and eyes were wide in disbelief. 

“WHAT?!” was Aleu’s immediate response. And it was a loud reply too.

“I was afraid of that . . .” Scarlet muttered under his breath.  

She began her slew of questions. “How did this happen? When did she go? Where did she go?” She began to pant in worry, trying to move around so that she could search for her friend, but Scarlet quickly took action.

“Keep her calm and still, Nuk,” He ordered; the large wolf grabbed a hold of her shoulder, jerking her downward as he forced her to sit down and stay calm. “I can’t talk to you when you’re upset, Aleu; you know that.” Scarlet tried to give her a reassuring smile, but her head was lowered, solemnly mourning her friend. 

“I  . . . I just want to know why she’s dead . . .” She murmured mournfully. However, the red wolf broke the solemn air with a chuckle. His actions made her head lift up and her eyebrows touched her furious eyes. “What’s so funny, Scarlet? How could you be laughing when my best friend is dead?”

Scarlet calmed himself down, wiping tears from his eyes. “Aleu, since when did I mention that Lorna was dead?” Aleu’s eyes changed from angry to slightly hopeful. “I only said that she was gone, not dead.” He chuckled a bit before clearing his throat to continue. “When I woke up this morning, I first noticed that you had vanished. Thinking that you had gone hunting, I walked outside and I suddenly caught her scent. It led out of her cave and into the darker part of the woods. It’s fresh too, so I’m sure she’s not dead.” 

Both Aleu and Nuk gave a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, I’m relieved by that,” Aleu replied in a gladdening tone.

“But that’s not all,” Scarlet added. “When I caught Lorna’s scent, I smelt a familiar stench as well . . . an evil she-wolf’s scent.” 

“Riza,” Aleu growled under her breath.

Scarlet nodded. “I think she’s plotting something, and  . . . I fear Lorna may play some part of her evil scheme to overthrow you.” 

“Poor Lorna . . .” Nuk sobbed. Aleu gently nuzzled him in comfort; she had known that he and Lorna weren’t exactly the best of friends, but they were still close companions.

Scarlet suddenly turned his gaze to the fallen carcasses in front of him; his eyes wide in sudden surprise. “Is . . . is that a caribou, Aleu?” 

Nuk shook his head, answering on the Alpha’s behalf. “No. It be moose, not caribou.” He grinned as he looked back at Scarlet. “But the fact that we find moose nearby means that caribou should be close.” The large wolf turned to Aleu, still grinning. “Aleu is great tracker and hunter. She found it and killed it herself!”

“Wow!” Scarlet’s eyes now turned lovingly on the quarter-wolf, who now gazed back with the same expression in her stunning eyes of blue and gold. “I’m impressed by your skills, Aleu. Great work!” He walked to the moose kill and lowered his head to assist Nuk in carrying it to the rest of the Clan, now hungry from their night slumber and their sudden search for the missing she-wolf. “Come on, let’s bring this meat to the Clan. I pray they will enjoy tasting a cloven animal’s meat for once.” 

“Yeah, I think they’ll like it,” Nuk agreed. “The last time we had caribou or cloven meat was over a year ago! Not to mention this one’s a whole one too!” He laughed as he and Scarlet lifted the whole carcass up from the ground and awaited his Alpha’s word.

Aleu nodded and let out a slight giggle. “Come on; let’s bring this blessing to our fellow kin. Perhaps this shall lift their spirits, huh?” 

She led the way through the bushes and let out a howl, announcing her return. Nuk and Scarlet followed close behind her, bearing the large morning meal that they had all been awaiting.

“Aleu!” One of the younger wolves called out from his den. His siblings, three others who were about the same age as he, popped their heads from inside of the cave, looking outside with their faces aglow at the sight of their leader’s bounty. “Aleu has returned and she’s found a caribou!” The other three giggled with joy as they leapt from their home and across the pool; other members of the Clan halted their search cries for Lorna to see what was the cause of all of the fuss. Everyone that had remained in the Clan quickly rushed themselves to see what their Alpha had brought them. 

They gasped in joy at Aleu’s kill and after she allowed them permission, they began to eat, savoring the juicy raw meat into their jaws. However, the same young pup that announced her arrival quickly noticed what others were beginning to pick up on.

“Hey!” He spoke up in a disappointed and slightly angry tone. “This isn’t caribou!” His siblings began to growl with him. “What is this imitation meat anyway, Aleu?” 

Aleu laughed as the younger ones gave her a confused look. “It’s moose, not caribou.” Older wolves had already known this, but the almost yearlings needed to learn the difference between the two similar animals. “I’m surprised that you were able to notice that so quickly, Miko,” She approached the four wolves that were younger than her and gave them a grin. “Unlike you guys, I haven’t tasted caribou before, so I wouldn’t have been able to catch that as quickly as you.” She placed her paw on top of Miko’s medium-gray head and messed up the tuft of hair that now stuck up a little more than before. “Perhaps I can teach you how to hunt and track prey one day. You’re all old enough to help out, right?”

One of Miko’s siblings nodded, responding with a happy bark. “Yeah. The grown-ups won’t let us do anything around here anymore!” 

Aleu laughed. “Don’t worry, Seeka,” She turned to the other two gray and brown wolf pups, calling their attention to her. “Lota, Geena – we’ll begin your training tomorrow morning, bright and early, okay?”

The quadruplets nodded back in unison as they resumed their meal happily with the others. Aleu walked to Scarlet and lay beside him, sharing the other rabbit that she had caught prior to the moose. 

“Scarlet, do you really think the young ones can help find the caribou?” Aleu asked him as she tore a small piece of the rabbit and began to chew its skin.

“Of course,” Scarlet nudged her before ripping a piece off for himself. “If they have someone to lead them like you, I’m sure they will be essential in our quest for the herd.” 

Aleu smiled. “But it’s my job to find them, to lead the others to them . . .” She let out a sigh. “And now we have the problems with Riza . . .”

“Problems?” Scarlet’s ears pricked up. “What do you mean? I mean, she left with the other two to plan her revenge on you; what else could possibly be wrong?”

Aleu began to explain to the mud-red wolf about what Dahlia had told her earlier that morning about Tydra and Viking’s forbidden relationship and the prophecy of the Dark Child of Destiny.  

“Dark Child of Destiny, huh?” Scarlet repeated with a tone of concern. “I’ll be truthful, I’ve never heard about that before, but whatever that means, it sounds like a totally bad situation.” 

“Tell me about it,” Aleu nodded in agreement. “And now with Lorna suddenly gone, I’m not sure what problems are more important right now. The winter’s given us a short pause from the rough snow weather, but it’s unknown how much long before the next storm.”

“These blizzards are hard to predict,” Scarlet comforted his companion with a lick on the cheek. “It could halt our search party for Lorna if it lasts for days like the last one did.” 

With that comment, Aleu nodded at Scarlet; she had just realized what was more important at the moment. “We have to find Lorna.” She spoke in a clear, powerful voice. “She is a loyal part of our Clan, and even though she’s only been gone for less than a day, it’s just not the same without her.”

“Does Dahlia know?” Scarlet asked carefully. 

Aleu shook her head slowly. “I think it would be best that she not know right now. Her pups are more important to her, and they need her support more than ever.” Tears began to swell in her eyes as her eyelids lowered. “She’s already lost one son after birth today and her oldest daughter last night; I don’t want her to know that she’s close to losing her other precious child too . . .” Her voice cracked as she broke into a loud sob.

The red wolf didn’t even ask for explanation about the Alpha’s words, especially when he heard about the death of one of Dahlia’s pups. “Aleu . . . Aleu . . .” Scarlet attempted to calm the yearling Alpha down by stroking her neck and nose gently and licking away her tears with his tongue. “Shh . . . Shh-shh, Aleu,” The male murmured into one of her ears in a hushed yet calm tone. “It’s okay now. Shh.” 

Some of the remaining Clan members halted their rest period after eating and turned their attention to their sorrowful Alpha.

“Aleu,” one of the elder wolves, Kayli, spoke up first. “If you need us to help with anything, we only await your word.” 

Aleu sniffed, looking at the faded gray she-wolf and her companions. “Thank you, Kayli. I just need a moment to think.” She used one of her own front paws to dry her eyes and quietly slid herself to the ground to figure out what she was to do next.

First, Riza revolts against me . . . then Dahlia goes into labor and gives birth . . . now Lorna’s suddenly disappeared . . . and now this prophecy with this Dark Child of Destiny only adds more troubles to come . . .   

Where should I begin to set things right? What am I going to do? Aleu sighed worriedly as she closed her eyes for a moment. This is completely insane! How can I really live up to all of this now?

Suddenly the words of a song she once heard when she ran away into the safety of a cool cavern in the mountains began to whisper into her ears, almost as if the soft breeze was singing it just for her . . . 

“It's a dangerous trail . . . a difficult quest . . . if you want to know . . . who you really are . . .”

You’re right, Muru, Aleu thought as she took a deep breath and slowly let it out, remembering the words of guidance that her personal spirit told her days after she had first run away from home. This is more difficult than I thought it would be. I thought that the quest ended once I chose to live this life; I guess Aniu’s warning of Riza’s attack against me was a wake-up call to me, showing me that the real quest has only begun. 

I suppose I still don’t know who I really am yet, even though I’ve been an Alpha for over a month. She sighed again, very deeply this time.

A nudge against her shoulder made her almost jump into reality. “Aleu?” A feminine voice of one of her fellow wolves entered her ears. “Aleu, are you feeling okay?” 

She let out a groan as she began to sit up. “I’m fine; I just needed a bit of time to think things over.” She lifted her head up high and spoke up with a sudden tone of hope as she gave her orders. “Let’s have the matured wolves split up into teams of three. Kayli, you lead your team of two other wolves to the right edge of the woods. Deelya,” She turned to Kayli’s faded brown companion that stood beside her. “your team will go to the left. Once you’ve both completed searching, try looking together in the center as a group of six.” The two elder females nodded, understanding her request. “If you pick up any sign of Lorna, send someone back here to notify me.” The quarter-wolf then turned to the remaining wolves. “The rest of you will remain here to help me protect the young ones and the camp, in case Riza decides to attack here.”

After a few minutes of settling, Kayli’s team, which included the young rebel Rino and the slightly younger wolf Haku, set off on their way. Deelya chose the two young and matured she-wolves, Hika and Mita, and scampered towards the left side of the forest. Meanwhile, Scarlet got Aleu’s permission to put Nuk, Yak and Sumac on high alert for danger as they continued to stand watch on Dahlia’s den. Although now the Kawa Clan was ready for any sudden attack or change of weather, Aleu still felt insecure and worried as she remained with another elder she-wolf, Sheka, and her almost yearling quadruplets that Aleu had spoken to earlier. Two other wolves, two-year-olds named Terry and Jade, helped to stand guard of the camp on the other side of the reflecting pool near the forest’s edge as the young Alpha stood by, awaiting to hear hopeful news.

Hours and hours had passed before the teams returned. There was no luck – Scarlet had even led Kayli’s team for a while, following the scent trail that he had sensed earlier from her cavern, but to no avail. Although everyone was upset that Lorna couldn’t be found or traced in less than a day, Aleu had a feeling that it wasn’t time for giving up. 

“We can’t give up hope, everyone!” Aleu reassured her saddened Clan. “She’s a part of us – our Clan, the Kawa – and I believe that she’ll be fine once we find her safe and sound . . . and hopefully, soon.” She lowered her ears in slight regret. 

Maybe I should have done more to watch her last night once she and Scarlet returned from Dahlia’s, Aleu thought as the rest of the Clan began to feast on their dinner of rabbit and squirrel kill that the elders had caught while on the final hour of their search for Lorna. Her emotions overweighed the feelings of hunger that the young Alpha had in her stomach. If I had asked her to sleep with me and Scarlet, . . . maybe . . . maybe she wouldn’t have left us like she did. A few drops of tears dropped into the dead fur skin of her rabbit kill. But why would she leave me? Why would she leave Dahlia, especially now that she has a new litter of siblings for Lorna to help look after? Why would she leave the Kawa since she’s a loyal member of our Clan?

Oh, I just don’t understand . . . Aniu, why did this have to happen to us? What have we . . . no, what have I done to deserve this? As Alpha, I suppose I can truly the one responsible for Lorna’s sudden disappearance. 

It’s my fault . . . It’s all my fault!

Aleu didn’t eat a bit that evening. She couldn’t eat or speak to anyone that night as the moon began to rise into the navy sky.  

Day after day, the Kawa Clan continued to follow Lorna’s slowly fading scent, hoping that perhaps there was still a chance to find their fellow sister alive before the next blizzard hit. Day after day, the wolves continued to return to Aleu empty-handed, making her even more depressed and weak. In Aleu’s eyes, the very fact that she blamed Lorna being gone as her fault made her almost begin to lose her will to lead.

After a few days, Aleu continued to refuse any food and remained inside her cave alone, only descending the rocky caves to lap up water from the reflecting pool below. Scarlet and the yearlings tried to visit her whenever they could, trying to make her smile once again, but it was no use. Usually she was asleep or just lying down on the ground, looking out emotionlessly at her ever-trying Clan of wolves that continued to search for their missing friend. 

A week after the Kawa had begun their constant search for Lorna, everything began to change as Aleu began to fade into sleep, even in her now weakened state. Once she closed her now-faded blue eyes, she immediately felt her surroundings shift from the inside of her cave, safely sheltered from the beginnings of a chilly mid-winter snowstorm, to a darker, cooler cave . . . a cave that she started to recognize after beginning to rise from the ground.

The rocks around her that formed the walls and ceilings of the cavern were a cool gray with random jags and cracks. Above her, a series of stalactites began to drip water onto the ground below; sometimes, the drops splashed onto the mousy-brown and gray quarter-wolf, from her nose to the fuzzy tip of her two-toned tail. Behind her was the soft rays of moonlight, although they felt brighter than she had last remembered as she felt a stray ray of lunar light glide against her coat. The gentle stroke of that light made her mouth widen; for the first time in about a week, Aleu was beginning to smile again. 

Suddenly, her dark sepia ears began to twitch forward as a faint voice coming from deeper within the cavern.

“. . . Listen, listen . . . can't you hear the wind calling you . . .” 

“Huh?” Aleu muttered under her breath. That voice . . . She began to think to herself. It sounds like someone I’ve met before . . . She continued to walk slowly towards the sound that continued to echo against the walls of cave.

“. . . Listen, listen . . . The spirits' melody is singing its tune . . .” 

Onward and onward the female Alpha treaded deeper into the cave while the vocals grew louder and louder. A dim white light was beginning to glow from in front of the quarter-wolf as she kept walking forward on the rocky cavern floor.

“. . . Fates and destiny intertwine . . . with the plans of the grand design . . .” 

Could it be . . . Aleu’s pace quickened as she switched from walk to canter, hurrying her way to the source of the light, hoping that she would be reunited with her spiritual companion. She had last seen him when she spoke her commitment to the Kawa Clan by becoming their Alpha, and she had waited for over a month to see the tiny spirit again.

“. . . Don’t try to change its course winding . . .”  

She sped up even faster, changing from cantering to a leaping run. It has to be him . . . It just has to be! Aleu’s mouth was now a hopeful grin as she avoided the tiny pebbles below her and the dripping water from the ceiling’s stalactites.

“. . . Just go with the flow and keep on striving . . .” 

The song remained dominant as she carefully placed one beige-tan paw after another into the brightly-lit core of the grotto where the tiny singer completed its song as she trotted towards the source of the brightness – a stone table covered in standing and tilted crystal prisms of various sizes and colors.

“. . . Listen, listen . . . Trust your heart and believe in you . . . Listen, listen . . . You have all the faith to guide you through . . .” 

The small creature was a brown field mouse, one with a high-pitched voice that carried quite a perfect pitch and note. The rodent suddenly burst into a soft but quickly loudening howl, just like a young wolf’s.

“Aaa-wwwwooooo . . .” Aleu melodiously followed his wail with her own, just like he had done in their primary meeting. They repeated their howling cries once more; this time, Aleu sung with a full smile on her face, happy to be in the presence of her spirit guide again. 

”Your singing is still music to my ears,” the rodent interrupted her last note with his comment.

“Oh,” Aleu lowered her ears and tilted her head to the side shyly. “Thank you. I’ve been practicing a lot lately.” 

“I see,” The small creature acknowledged the quarter-wolf’s presence without even turned towards her. “Wolves love to sing, no matter what occasion it may be – a successful hunt, the birth of new life, the loss of an old friend – and yet it always sounds beautiful with each carrying note.” He only continued to move and position his prisms ever so slightly as he spoke. “So, you’re finally ready to accept your quest, my young wolf friend?”

“Huh . . . huh, what?” Aleu slowly spoke up then did a sudden double-take. “What do you mean ‘accept my quest,’ Muru?” She leaned her head up to the stack of crystals until her large nose touched his tiny one. “Didn’t I do that already? You were there on the iceberg, remember?” 

The mouse let out a tiny chuckle. “Oh, I remember that,” Muru laughed again. “That was your acknowledgment of your duties in your quest, but I wonder . . . did you mean it . . . I mean, truly understand it with all of your heart?”

Aleu gasped in disbelief. “Of course!” She took a quick step backwards as she raised her voice. “You know I meant every word I said to the Clan – my Clan!” 

“So . . .” Muru halted his work and glared at the quarter-wolf. “Why are you feeling so weak right now, Aleu?” A thin coating of misty fog filled the interior of the cave, lining the crystals and the yearling for a moment. Suddenly, Muru’s high voice slowly morphed into a low, feminine tone.

“Why did you lose hope so quickly, my child?” 

The mist lifted, quickly allowing Aleu to recover her eyesight; what she saw in the center of the room was enough to make her fall to the ground in fear.

“You . . .y-y-you’re . . .” Aleu stammered, shaking as she collapsed in front of the creature towering in front of her. 

“Yes, my child,” The white lupine nodded humbly. “It is I, the Great Aniu.” She lowered her head and gently brushed against Aleu’s shoulder with her wide, wet nose; the faint touch caused the yearling to gasp and raise her head, looking eye-to-eye to the snowy-white and light-gray deity. Her face with calm and regal as their heads rose in unison, followed only by a moment of silence.

“Why . . . why are you showing yourself to me now, Aniu?” Aleu asked after a couple of minutes to recover from the shock of seeing the white wolf. “Why didn’t you speak to me in my dreams after Riza left that night a week ago? Didn’t I do your will? Didn’t I prove myself to you like you wanted me to?” 

The lupine shook her head slowly. “I knew that you were expecting me to come to your dreams that night, but because of what was happening that same night, I did not.”

Aleu sat down, perplexed by Aniu’s words. “What . . .” Suddenly, her eyes widened. “You mean . . .?” 

“No, it wasn’t the birth of the elder one’s litter,” Aniu quickly added a small request. “If you get a chance to speak with her, please tell her that I am with her little Niva. He is at peace now, but he will always love her, even though his heart lasted only for couple hours time. I also send my congratulations for her other new arrivals. They shall make their father proud.” Aleu nodded as the deity continued. “Now, it was the stealing of your special friend allowed me to stand aside, allowing things to follow their course.”

“Stealing?” The Alpha gasped. “She was stolen?” Her eyebrows touched and lowered to the tips of her delicate lashes. “Who took her? Please, tell me who took my friend, Aniu? Why did this have to happen to her?” 

“Lorna is a very special child, ever since the day of her birth,” Aniu began to explain. “The power she was bestowed is one that all evil wishes to have under their control, and now, I fear she has been manipulated by her own blood.”

“You mean . . .?” Aleu gasped, remembering what other scent Scarlet had gotten a sniff of. “Does Riza have something to do with this?” 

Aniu nodded. “Yes, but I will not discuss this any further.” Aleu groaned after hearing her sentence; she was hoping that the white wolf would at least confirm something about the missing status of her friend. “The natural flow of fate was meant to be this way, and no one should interfere with how things should be. Right now, your focus should be on your quest. Lorna’s safety will come to greater importance at a later time.”

“But Aniu . . .” The Alpha groaned again, but Aniu only chuckled in a light, royal-like manner as the fog began to engulf the lupine and the room once more. “Aniu, wait! I still have more questions to ask you!” 

Only the voice of the deity could be heard as the now thick fog surrounded Aleu, allowing her to listen carefully to her parting words. “All will be answered in time, my child. You are my grand-daughter after all, and you are just as persistent as your father was when he was young . . . Until next time, farewell . . .”

The fog dispersed, returning to the way it was when Aleu first entered the center room: the dim yet bright sparkling crystal centerpiece was on the stone stab where the brown mouse spirit was standing beside them, continuing to put his prisms carefully in precise place while still humming the same tune that he was singing earlier. 

“Aniu . . . is my . . . grandmother?” Aleu spoke in a whisper, astonished by Aniu’s revelation. The quarter-wolf sat down slowly, still stunned by the words as they rang in her ears. “Well, it could be true,” Aleu talked to herself aloud, still murmuring. “Papa said so himself . . . although he never said her name . . .” She closed her eyes, listening to her father’s words from months ago, moments after confessing his cursed breeding of being both husky and wolf.

“. . . My dad was a husky who had pups with a wolf . . .  

. . . I was accidentally separated from her when I was young . . .

. . . I remember that she was as white as snow, and she had this warm voice that made me feel safe . . .” 

A tear fell down her beige cheek as her mouth began to form a grin. “It all makes sense . . .”

“Yes, it does,” Muru’s voice interrupted, causing Aleu to gasp in fright after a quick silent pause. “but it doesn’t change the fact that what she said was true: Aniu is your grandmother by birth.” 

“It may be true, but that’s just impossible!” the quarter-wolf stomped one of her front paws to the ground. “How can a Great Spirit like her be my father’s mother?”

“It’s a long story, but it’s happened for many generations . . . ever since the dawning of time,” The field mouse began to explain briefly. “The world is filled with many mysteries, leaving us to wonder why things are the way they are. Why is the sky blue? Why do colors dance in the dark night sky? Why do herds move instead of staying in one place? So many questions, and yet most questions have no real answer . . .” Muru let out a breath, pausing for a moment as he went back to moving his prisms. “When they feel that their presence in the flesh is necessary, the Great Spirits sometimes decide to take on the form of a real creature – usually as a wolf – by assimilating with an embryo inside of a she-wolf’s womb.” 

“A-a-assimilating?” Aleu tilted her head to the side as she stammered the word out, yet she was still quite confused by the spirit guide’s large vocabulary. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. Why would they do that?”

“That, my friend, is one of those questions that can not be truly answered. I suppose the spirits wish to live as we do, and that is exactly what Aniu did many, many moons ago,” The brown mouse replied to the curious yearling. “Aniu became one with a newly-formed puppy, one that had just recently received the spark of life within the place where most life begins,” Muru explained. “Once she was born in this new life as a young ivory she-wolf christened with the ironic name of Anyu – spelt with a ‘Y’ instead of an ‘I’ –  a name that also means ‘snow’, she soon learned of the special abilities that she possessed.” 

“Did she know that she was once a spirit?” Aleu asked, attentively listening to Muru’s tale of her grandmother’s existence.

The rodent shook his head. “She had no memories of being a spirit, but her powers and looks were inherited from her true form as a spirit.” He paused for a moment to clear his throat, then he continued. “The Clan Elder, a former Clan Alpha who happened to be one of her best friends, taught her many things about how to control her magic and use it wisely, mainly for the sake of good; he was the only one in the Clan that could speak to the Spirits personally and knew ahead of time that one of the Great Spirits would be born in his Clan. He prophesized of the birth of a magic-user – a wolf born from the result of Spirit Assimilation – and knew that her power was meant to save their world from destruction. 

“As she grew to be a yearling, Anyu was a very fast learner of the mystical arts, but as all young children are, she got very curious about the world that she was forbidden to roam – the human world. For many months, she had secretly been longing for adventure and a life worth treasuring.”

“Is this when she met my husky grandfather?” Aleu asked with anticipation as she moved her nose closer to the tiny one of the storyteller. “What did she do?” 

Muru laughed. “I’m getting to that, be patient!” He cleared his throat again. “Anyu had always known that she was meant for greatness, but she doubted herself and her power, for she wished her brother had received it instead of her. However, she was glad to have it when she realized her destiny . . . It all began one winter’s night when she was awoken by a sudden urge – a . . . um, what’s the word . . . a force of destiny’s hand, you could say. She ran into the sudden snowstorm outside her Clan’s den and found him, a strayed young black and white sled-dog named Tulugaq.”

“Huh,” Aleu snorted. “What a weird name for a dog.” 

“That name means ‘raven’ in the language of the Inuit Nation of humans, and that ‘dog’ happens to be your grandfather,” Muru clarified.

“Oh . . .” Aleu lowered her ears in respect. “Sorry. Please continue.” 

“Anyway,” Muru continued on. “Tulugaq – called Tulu for short – was part of a dog-sledding team from Nome, your birth town. He had been separated from his team and running blindly into the wild territory of Anyu’s Clan. She, however, found him and immediately took him into custody of trespassing on their land, sentencing him to be a prisoner for life in their Clan. They didn’t want to risk their safety by having a trespasser that knows of their existence to return to their world, thus endangering the well-being of the wolves.”

“How awful! That poor dog!” The quarter-wolf exclaimed. “But as an Alpha myself, I think I understand their actions.” Aleu lowered her voice after a sigh escaped her lips. “One must think of their community’s safety first when danger is in the area.” 

“I’m glad that you do understand,” The mouse complimented. “because that is what Anyu once thought. Unfortunately, the safety of her Clan made her begin to wonder why this stranger was so interested in the wolves. The two of them soon became companions, and after many moons, they fell in love.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Aleu said pleasantly.  

“It may have been sweet at the time, but members of her Clan began to notice her beginning to change,” Muru added sharply. “All wolves had been taught at a young age to never get close to any canine other than a wolf, and it was obvious that Anyu was starting to pay it no mind. Also, she was beginning to have a larger appetite, crankiness, and always seemed to stay by Tulu’s side. It was at that moment when her parents, the Alphas of the Clan, decided that she and the husky had to be exiled from the Clan – forever.”

Aleu gasped. “That’s terrible! All they did was fall in love! Why did they decide this?” 

Muru let out a breath. “Because they had done something long forbidden in wolf society: Anyu had laid with the husky and was carrying Tulu’s pups within her womb, thus cursing her family’s pure wolf breed-line permanently.”

“Is this when my Papa and I get into the picture?” She asked Muru.  

He nodded. Muru then pushed a short crystal forward toward the center of the centerpiece, causing the longer prisms surrounding the center to collapse outward like blooming flower petals. “Yes. A month after the scorned lovers were banished from the Clan, Anyu birthed three beautiful children – all looked wolf, yet each carried husky genes within them. One of those three pups was your father, Balto,” An almost hologram-like image began to brightly shine on the wall once a beam of moonlight hit them. The moving pictures of a pure-white lupine and a black and white husky muzzling over their newborn litter intrigued the quarter-wolf. She peered closer and began to smile. Aleu could see the grayish-brown and tan-marked pup sucking on his mother’s teats, followed by the light-gray and black-and-white bodies of his siblings. “and at the point of his birth, his destiny was already chosen.”

“Do you mean he was meant to be living with a cranky, old snow goose and a couple of playful bear cubs on a grounded boat outside of a human’s town? His destiny was to be that wolf-dog that fell in love with my purebred husky mom and be the proud, overprotective father of six hybrid pups?” Aleu growled. 

“Well, yes and no,” Muru clicked and clacked a couple of prisms together, changing the picture once again. “He was actually destined to become a leader of a wolf pack, for Anyu’s family was bred for leadership, and mainly it was the males of the Clans that were destined for Alpha-ship. However, due to a twist of fate, things changed.” The image quickly rippled into a shot of the two proud parents separating their children among them and running in opposite directions – the black and white carrying the brown child in its mouth, and the white with the other two. “A rebelling Clan of wolves had found their hide-away and in revenge for the death of one of their own, they were out for blood, whether it meant murdering all of them or not. Not even the pups were to survive the attack.”

“They killed them?” Aleu was shocked. “But how did Papa survive?” 

“Luckily, Tulu and Anyu saved their children from an instant death,” Muru murmured in a sad tone. “by leading their children somewhere away from the rebel Clan and by sacrificing themselves instead.” Aleu gasped then lowered her head in remembrance. A tear began to swell up in her eye, but Muru used his tiny fingers to dry her eyes. “It is a sad thing, I know, but thanks to that sacrifice, Anyu and Tulu assimilated with each other in the next world, together forming the deity that all wolves know as the Great Aniu. Anyu had hoped that when Balto was older and remembered his heritage, he would return to the wild world of his birth and reclaim his rightful place as an Alpha in her Clan. Unfortunately, love stepped in the way here too, as was becoming a leader in his own right.”

“I understand the love part, Muru, but I’m afraid Papa never mentioned anything about himself becoming a leader . . .” Suddenly, Aleu’s ears pricked up. “No, wait a sec! I do remember once he said he had ‘led a sled team, but never a wolf pack.’ He said that when Nava first mentioned about the Clan being led by ‘the one who is wolf and does not know’ at the meeting that evening before we went across.” She turned to her guiding spirit. “Was that it?” 

“Indeed, it was,” Muru nodded as he moved the prisms again, changing the picture to a moving shot of her father leading a team of local dogs towards her hometown. He was leaping in the air and letting out a jubilant howl of joy as she caught an eye at the precious cargo inside of the sled. It was a human male, bundled up in furs and blankets; above it was a familiar wooden box with the words “FRAGILE” written in bold, red letters, but a thin, long rip lined one side of the medium-sized container.

“Hey . . . that box . . .” The yearling lowered her eyelids to catch the container’s tiny details. Her eyes grew large in surprise. “Wait a minute, I remember that box!” Aleu exclaimed. “My brothers and sisters were adopted from that box!” 

“That’s right,” Muru responded. “Months before you stood in it, that box held a supply of life-saving antitoxin to help cure the ailing citizens of Nome from a fatal disease called diphtheria. Your father, although he was teased since he was a newcomer in town for being half-wolf, wanted to do something to help those that were sick and close to death. However, the only way to do anything during this crisis was to find and lead a lost dog sled team home from the wilderness, and only he felt it was the right thing to do. He used his dormant abilities from his wolf heritage to find them and once there, he endured many beatings and torments to overthrow the team’s leader and guided them home with a hero’s welcome awaiting the almost hopeless town.” A shot of the angry black and white malamute appeared on the wall after the field mouse moved the prisms again. The yearling let out a fearful gasp at the sight of the racing canine as he let out a vicious growl. “After Balto’s fantastic feat, the male leader was sent away to another city, far, far away from the town that had once dubbed him as the fastest.”

Aleu let out a sigh of relief as Muru changed the shot again. This time, her father was lying on a sheet of snow as a large, white wolf howled to him. With a look of sorrow and failure in his eyes, he turned his head away in shame as the wolf disappeared into the fierce snowfall, but after he looked at his own paws and placed his paw over top of the lupine’s paw-prints, he lifted himself up with a new sense of strength and began to cry out in a powerful howl. Suddenly, the white lupine appeared yet again and joined him in their howling song. 

“Is that . . . Aniu, Muru?” Aleu asked him.

“One of them is, actually,” Muru began to explain. “You see, one of Balto’s sisters was blessed with Anyu’s looks and recognized her brother’s scent – she was the first one that walked into the snow when he turned away from her. The second white wolf was the Great Aniu in all of her glory and majesty, showing herself to her son after over four years.” 

“Did he recognize her?” Aleu queried.

The mouse shook his head. “I’m afraid not, but later, he was able to see her again and got to speak to her after so many years apart.” He turned to her, pointed a small-clawed finger at the much larger Alpha. “Both you and your father have seen her in one of her more popular forms . . . as a raven.”  

Aleu’s eyes grew wide; now she understood the raven’s actions from when she first ran into the deep wilderness. “The raven led me into the cave when I first met you . . .” She smiled. “I had told my Papa that I wasn’t sure if it was leading me or following me, but . . . he said that he was following one too, in order to find me.” A quick chuckle came from her mouth. “I guess I know that it was really leading me to the place that I wanted all my life: a home to belong.” Aleu let out a sigh before Muru let out a cough.

“But I tend to digress. There are still more things you must know before you begin your quest.” The light-brown rodent brought back the main reason why they were meeting in the first place. Aleu pricked up her ears, making sure to pay attention.  

“Aniu observed the actions of her son carefully days after his heroic deed; she wanted to see if she could find some way to bring someone of his mixed blood into the wild where he was meant to belong. That was when she saw her son naturally courting with a certain female husky – your mother, Jenna.” The wall’s image rippled again, this time turning into a moving picture of Balto walking beside Aleu’s elegant matriarch. She was beautifully formed, with her small head, thin legs, dainty paws, and bushy two-toned tail of bright red-burgundy and white ivory. Just by looking at her mother once again, Aleu could see why her father fell in love with her at first sight.

“Well, she is beautiful. Even I envied the love that everyone in town gave her when I was a pup. What else about her was special?” Aleu began to joke sarcastically. “Let me guess, my mother wasn’t all husky either?” She laughed, but received a strangely angry glare from the rodent. 

“This is serious business, my friend,” Muru spoke in a heated tone, scolding the yearling with his sharp words. “Your mother was very important to the white wolf. She decided that Jenna was to carry the destined leader that Aniu was waiting for inside her . . . and that child was you.”

“Oh, I see,” Aleu spoke in a hushed tone. She felt bad that she had insulted the one that brought her into this world and tolerated her differences the most as a pup. “I’m sorry.” 

“Ah, you’re young,” Muru easily forgave her. “It’s understandable for someone as naïve and inexperienced as yourself to not understand Aniu’s will.” Of course, that statement easily confused her too. “But to Aniu, you were destined to discover your destiny eventually; that took place when you went into the wilderness after your father revealed what he had passed on to you. To her, you were born to be different than your siblings, not just by looks and actions alone. To prepare for your arrival, Aniu sent your father dream visions of what your destiny was to be, showing herself to him in her raven form, from the day you were conceived within your dam’s womb until the day of your birth. Then after you were born, he received them every so often to remind him that the time of your destiny was near. That’s when . . .”

“. . .When he saved me from the hunter . . .” Aleu finished the thought as silent water-colored flashbacks of that fateful day played in her mind’s eye. The images of the hunter’s rifle aimed at her running figure and her father’s life-saving leap to stop him from killing her caused water to well up in her eyes. “And when he told me about how others see me . . . and . . .” She began to cry softly as she spoke. “and . . . and how I was part-wolf, thanks to him . . .” After pausing for a moment to calm down, she dried her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. “I guess I should have thanked him for . . . this.” She placed her paw on the ground and looked at her four-toed feet. “I have the paws . . . and the looks of a wolf – the world that he left behind.” She closed her eyes as a tear dripped onto her paw. “Thanks, Papa . . .” She murmured to herself in quiet meditation as more tears drenched her clawed paw. “I love you . . . and I miss you.” She sniffed away her tears, regaining control of herself as she allowed Muru to finish. 

“Although he was half wolf and the only son of Aniu’s most recent reincarnation, he was unable to truly understand the visions that she had sent him. I suppose his father’s sledding blood overshadowed that of his lupine dam after becoming the hero of Nome.” Muru pointed at Aleu, causing her to show a look of slight surprise. “Aniu’s visions were meant for you and only you to translate once you were wise and mature enough to receive them yourself, which you did wonderfully.” Muru altered another prism, caused an image of the vision to show in front of them. The mysterious and natural beauty of the flat floes of ice forming a straight line in between the Clan’s old territory and the new land that they now called home. The flurry of galloping caribou began to cross the ice, heading for the forest valley that lined the bottom of the mountains. “You understood that the caribou meant life for the Kawa Clan, and if they were to live, they must cross the bridge of frozen water to reach them.”

“But Papa didn’t seem to understand that,” the yearling added her thoughts. “He seemed to be more concerned about my well-being than the fate of the Kawa. He even threatened to take me back home to Nome instead of leading the Clan across, all because he thought I was too young and not meant to be delving into the Kawa Clan’s situation.” 

“Great observation,” Muru complimented. “You are quite intelligent for a hybrid.” He gave her a quick wink of appreciation. “He now had a new destiny in store for him, especially since he had six children to watch over. Aniu was pleased to see you show the true wisdom beyond your years when you took the destiny meant for your father and began your own lifelong quest of self.”

“I see,” Aleu said. “Speaking of which, what exactly is this quest that I have accepted that you spoke of earlier?” She began to question him.  

Muru did not give a answer, just a chuckle and a poetic phrase that caused the sparkling crystals to flash many different hues of light.

“Belief is the key . . . Remember this carefully, my friend, and do not forget it. When all believe in the light, only then you will find the path to what you seek . . .” 

“’Belief is the key?’ What are you talking about? I just don’t understand, Muru!” Aleu began to panic by her guide’s confusing chants and yet beautiful songs. “What do you mean by ‘believing in the light’?”

The only answer she received was the final verse of the previous song from the soprano rodent while the room was again misted with fog. 

“Trust yourself for you know what is right . . .

Belief is the key, then you’ll release the light . . .  

Don’t give up! Your journey’s begun to unravel . . .

Though dark things take place, these moments are only natural . . .” 

Once the song reached its conclusion, the fog dispersed, leaving the yearling Alpha in the cave alone. The crystals remained in the center, but on the middle prism, a mouse-sized stamp of a sparkling, smiling rodent stood there, only glittering at the confused quarter-wolf that had learned many things about her family and the large paws she had to fill in achieving her destined purpose.

“Belief is the key . . .? When all believe in the light, only then you will find the path to what you seek . . .?” Aleu repeated, murmuring the phrase that the mouse had told her to remember. “I’m not sure I understand what it means, but . . . I’ll try my best to complete this quest.” She let out a sigh, thinking that the encounter was over, but just like her last dream when she first met Aniu, a forceful gust of wind pushed her out of the cavern room and through the rocky tunnel into the bright light of the outside . . . 

Her eyes opened suddenly as she lifted her head from her leaning forelegs that touched the ground. After panting a bit to catch her breath, she looked beside her to see the sleeping figure of Scarlet, snoozing away the remainder of the night with his steady breathing snoring through his nose. He began to move beside her, moaning in his sleep quietly, then he continued his sleep. She gazed upon him lovingly then she began to rise from her bed and walked to the opening of her den, looking out at the world surrounding her.

It was the same as it had been for the past several weeks – the lush, pine foliage atop the tall forest trees lined the land that they lived in, thrived in, making their presence known in this new land that they had claimed as their own – yet as Aleu looked out, watching the moon begin its descent into the ho
rizon into the trees, she looked as if she was viewing this for the first time in her life. 

When all believe in the light . . . The words of her spirit guide’s parting words still lingered freshly in her mind. Only then you will find the path to what you seek . . . Although her eyes were fixed on the still glistening stars in the early-morning sky, she repeated all of the words, hoping that perhaps the heavenly lights would offer some assistance.

Suddenly, she gasped at the sight of the stars above her. They did not look like much, but she seemed to see something that made her sense a feeling of hope, as if the heavens and the spirits around her had heard her pleas. To others, they may have seen a cluster of celestial bodies setting the dark night sky aglow, but to Aleu, a shape of several stars stood out amongst the stars, shining much brighter than the others – the outline of a butterfly, motionlessly fluttering above her head.

Oh, how pretty . . .The young Alpha thought to herself, gazing in awe at what she saw. The insect’s shape continued to sparkle like silver and gold sky glitter as Aleu reminisced about the creature, calming her mind of the worries that had been added within the past day. I . . . I remember seeing butterflies all over the forest near town as a pup, especially those yellow and orange ones . . . She let out a soft giggle. The day before I turned eight weeks old, one of them tickled my nose so much, I tried pouncing and chasing it around the beach until I fell into the sand laughing. 

I miss those days . . . my life was so carefree and happy . . . Aleu let out a deep sigh, sitting down on the gray cavern entrance. Her thoughts were forlorn and nostalgic, wandering back through her memories of how easy it was for her as a child. Back then, I had no idea that my blood had even a drop of lupine in it. I howled when I was happy or excited, not knowing that it made be seem wild. I always thought others stayed away because of my over-friendliness . . . and for a year, I never realized I could be mistaken for a wolf, not until Papa told me the truth about his breeding . . . and mine. She sighed again, only to let out a gasp of shock when she felt a paw tap her from behind.

“Oh!” Aleu’s ears and body quickly reacted to the sensation, sticking straight up in shock; once she turned her head around and realized who it was, her fur returned to its normal sleekness. “Oh, it’s just you, Scarlet.” 

The mud-red male joined her at the edge of the cavern, looking out at the clusters of shimmering stars above them. “I felt strange a few minutes ago, and suddenly woke up without you beside me. I really thought you had left us too, like Lorna had.” Aleu turned her head to the wolf, looking at him with a feeling of surprise as he continued. His eyes were gazing at the shape where Aleu’s butterfly hovered above them, although he couldn’t exactly see the image that the Alpha saw clearly. “Wow, I’ve never seen the stars shine so beautifully before.” He switched his gaze back on the Alpha, the two of them looking eye-to-eye. “Your eyes are shining too, Aleu . . . like gemstones. They’re absolutely stunning.”

The yearling felt her face get hot and red, her pulse quickened as she saw her reflection in Scarlet’s dark gray eyes. “Yours are too,” she answered back quietly, almost as if she were afraid to admit that she was in love with him, but the knowledge and the prophecies she had learned about overshadowed all of her true feelings of love for the purebred wolf. She let out a soft sigh as she turned away again, looking back at the picture in the sky above. 

“Aleu? Is something the matter?” Scarlet asked, confused by his Alpha’s reaction. “Did you have another dream from Aniu that’s bothering you?”

Aleu nodded her head. “It wasn’t just another ordinary dream this time . . .” She glanced at the symbol of the butterfly and sighed. “I learned about many things . . . things that make me worry about my own ability to set things right for the Clan . . . and something about me that you wouldn’t believe even if I told you.” 

Scarlet smiled sweetly at the quarter-wolf. “Try me. You know I can stand anything you tell me.”

“Okay . . .” Aleu replied in a hesitative tone as she leaned her lips closer towards Scarlet’s red velvet ear, murmuring her secret. 

“Wha – Are you for real, Aleu?” Scarlet’s eyes were wide after he heard her secret. “Aniu . . . the Great Aniu . . . is your grandmother?”

Aleu nodded. “Aniu told me herself in my dream, and I trust that you will swear this to secrecy.”  

“I will,” Scarlet swore, nodding his head and holding up one of his front paws. “You can trust me with anything.”

The light-brown female, knowing that she definitely had Scarlet’s trust, continued on with her recollection that her spirit guide had told her. “Years ago, she was reborn on Earth as a white wolf with special powers, but no one, not even her, knew that she was actually the Great Spirit. At a few years old, she broke the sacred taboo of wolves and dogs by laying with a husky, my grandfather, and after being exiled from her home Clan, she gave birth to three half-breed pups – one of them being my father. He never told me that she was his mother, especially since they were separated when he was a pup and she and her husky mate were killed while saving him and his siblings.” She paused for a moment, catching her breath. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think he knows that Aniu’s his mother either.” 

“Oh, I see,” Scarlet understood. “He didn’t seem like a wolf at all, although he clearly looked like one. When I talked to him, he seemed more like a dog, but he clearly had a lot of love for his daughter.” He let out a slight sigh. “I guess I’m a lot like him, Aleu. I can understand what it’s like to not have a mother around . . . just like he has.” 

Of course, Aleu thought to herself. His mother and sisters were stolen when he was very young during the Clan raids. Scarlet only had Nava to take care of him after that . . .But after seeing the look of sorrow on the mud-red lupine’s face, the yearling Alpha decided to change the subject.

“But I heard another prophecy in my dream . . .” Aleu began to speak, instantly getting Scarlet’s attention again. “One that deals with me and my quest to figure out my destiny.” He nodded, allowing her to speak the chant that Muru had told her to remember. “’Belief is the key . . . When all believe in the light, only then you will find the path to what you seek . . .’ I don’t understand what it means, Scarlet.” She looked at him, hoping he could help. “Do you know what it could mean?” When the dark red wolf shook his head sadly, the Alpha sighed deeply and loudly out of frustration. “Okay, thanks anyway. Oh, I don’t think I’ll ever get this.” She sighed again. “For someone that receives these visions and prophecies, I must be pretty slow, huh?” 

“No, I don’t think so,” Scarlet nuzzled her affectionately. “You’re young, confused, and only part wolf, but you are still a great leader so far. Your strength and your determination to be an Alpha to the best of your own ability is what helps you grow. Perhaps your abilities take time to grow, so that in time you will understand what is being sent to you.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek with his tongue. “Your grandmother couldn’t have made a better choice . . . because no one else here could do a better job at leading than you could, Aleu.”

The mousy-brown yearling was taken aback, both shocked and touched by Scarlet’s words. “But . . . but everyone respects you more than I do! You’re a purebred wolf, unlike me – a tame-born . . .” She let out a shutter when she spoke the hurtful comment about herself. “How can I lead everyone to the caribou when we’ve found no trace of them? I wouldn’t be surprised if others begin to follow Riza’s example and leave the Clan because of me . . .” Aleu began to shed a few tears as she lowered her head in defeat. 

“Stop thinking negative!” Scarlet almost screamed out, but his voice was still quiet enough to keep the Clan asleep. “You are strong, stronger than you think you are. I know that all of these events are causing you to lose faith in yourself, but you can get through this! You used to be vibrant and filled with energy – what happened to the Aleu that I –” He was about to finish his sentence by saying ‘the Aleu that I fell in love with,’ but something inside his mind made him stop before going that far. He wasn’t even sure if she loved him in return, but his words somehow caused the yearling to lift her head up from her sudden slump. “I still have faith in you, Aleu,” he continued calmly, his voice shining like a ray of hope. “You know since the moment you arrived and stated who you were, I’ve always believed you could do what was right. Sure there’s been some tough times and we’ve all done some things that we wish we hadn’t, but we’ve survived . . . because of you.” Aleu’s blue eyes suddenly lit up a shade of shining gold, unknown to the speaking lupine; images of the difficulties of the Clan’s past and the recent events of the fighting and rebellion flew through Aleu’s mind, each vividly backing up everything she had learned. “Perhaps Aniu sent you here not just because Nava’s prophecy asked for ‘the one who is wolf and does not know’, but because these problems that have happened since your arrival can’t be resolved by wolves alone; I have a feeling that they can only be set right by someone like you – one that is both husky and wolf.”

Aleu took a moment to reflect on Scarlet’s words. Clearly he inherited his father’s wisdom, she thought. But . . . maybe he’s right. Why else would I have been given this knowledge about everyone’s past and the history of my father and Aniu unless . . . unless I’m meant to know it to change the future of the Kawa Clan? 

She turned the red wolf with her mouth slightly open, her eyes had returned back to their normal blue and yellow hues. The Clan raids of a few years ago . . . Dahlia’s secret about the birth of Niju . . . the prophecy of the ‘Dark Child of Destiny’ and how its arrival could lead to the destruction of our world . . . Scarlet’s memories of Nava’s internal conflicts with losing his Clan to the raids . . . Lorna’s disappearance as well as the missing caribou herd . . . There are so many things that have happened to the Kawa, and yet my arrival as Alpha only seemed to strengthen the severity of these events . . .

But I guess it really is up to me to set things back to the way it was . . .  

She didn’t respond to the wolf with words; she only laid her head against Scarlet’s neck and sighed, but her young face was with a slight smile. Aleu knew that her decisions would save the Clan that she had now called her family.

Aniu chose me to accept this destiny . . . and now I have to figure out how to do it . . . and soon . . . 

(Part FOUR – completed 8/3/07)

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