In the Name of Aniu

LoneWolf_fanwriter

Prologue

            Two warm, golden eyes looked down on the Earth from afar, but as they looked, they filled with tears. A young white wolf padded up beside her, ruffling his wings in concern.

            “My Lady, what troubles you?” he asked, sitting down beside her.

            The white female shifted her eyes to the young male and then looked down at the world again. The voices drifted up effortlessly, ringing in her ears.

            “Gail, no! NO!”

“We will not give in, if you wish us to bow, you must kill us first!” 

            “Take them now! Their weakness is our victory!”

            Yet over the battle cries and orders being shouted, the voices that rang loudest in the goddess’ ears never came from mouth or muzzle. Minds screamed and cried out    in distress and agony, sometimes calling to her. The Goddess felt silent tears fall from her eyes.

            “There is much suffering in the world, Treffen,” she said, her voice rising in determination. “My children are dying, but no more!”

            “Is there something I can do, my Lady?”

            “Yes, Treffen, there is…” she replied.

            An angel came down, that night to the Earth,

            A mission from Her, to find out the worth,

            Of everything that, Her children had done,

            Since that winter night, the birth of Her son…

            And then a sound filled the night, in the cold winter air,

            And in the midst of his flight, it was holding him there,

            And as he looked toward the Earth, for the source of the sound,

            On that cold winter night, it was pulling him down…

Chapter One

            In one of the many mountainous areas of Alaska, a female wolf made her way among the trees. Her pure white fur shone in the fading evening light, and her slender but firm paws carried her smoothly over snow and rock until she reached the mouth of a cave, where a black wolf sat waiting. He stood and bowed respectfully, and she smiled and nodded back.

“The preparations have been made, my eva,” he said, revealing a scar that ran from the base of his neck down the front of his chest, “as you requested.”

“Thank you, Tes,” she replied, “But where is Dero? Isn’t he supposed to be on duty with you?”

“He was very tired, my eva,” Tes replied, “He would be on duty now, but I insisted that he get some rest. He took the incident last week very hard… I imagine that all of us did.”

“I understand,” Belle replied with a smile, “I’m glad to have such a dependable friend in the guards. Worthy of even the rank of captain, I’d say.”

Tes raised his head in surprise and shock.

“But, my eva, since Hal…you know…”

“I’ve made my decision, Tes,” she replied, “You have always been here for me when I need you, and I want to see to it that your loyalty does not go unrewarded.”

“Thank you, my eva,” he replied, bowing his head again. As Belle started past him, he added with a smile, “It’s good to have you back, Belle.”

“It’s good to be back, Tes,” she replied.

Belle made her way slowly up the rocky incline in the system of caves that was home to her pack. Though the climb would have been a challenge to nearly anyone else, she knew each rock and crevice by heart, and so allowed her mind to wander. The hunting party had not yet returned from their nightly expedition, and many of the guard were either sparring with one another or resting. She smiled inwardly. She had been waiting for a night such as this to spend time with her mate. They had been apart for many days while he had been on a border patrol with a unit of the home guard, but tonight he would return, and she planned to make full use of the evening. She drifted back to when she had first met Ryder.

It had been barely six months past when she’d first laid eyes upon him. She had come to aid in the overthrow of a militaristic pack under the guidance of a merciless malamute that Ryder and the rest called Steele. Ryder, a lieutenant of Steele’s elite guards, had staged a sort of coup in order to free a horribly mistreated female prisoner who, reportedly, was the center of Steele’s lust. She was a crimson and white husky named Jenna. By the time Belle and her guard had arrived, though, all fighting had long since ended, with Ryder and his unit the victors. Jenna had been rescued, not by Ryder, but her part-wolf mate, Balto. Belle had briefly met the two before Ryder invited her to discuss new territorial needs.

            After quick negotiations, she and Ryder had stood in unison and nodded in agreement. There had been much celebration on both sides, and for that night both packs stayed in the same clearing. The moon had scarcely reached it’s midpoint in the night sky than she had been gently woken by Ryder, who asked if she would like to accompany him on a midnight stroll. She had gladly accepted his offer, and they had walked off among the trees. He had led her to the shoreline of the river, and they had both lain down, letting the cool water lap at their paws. For a long time, Ryder had talked about the river. He whispered that Aniu herself embodied the flowing waters, and when it flowed faster, it was said that Aniu was weeping for the lost souls of her children. She had asked quietly what he meant, and he began to explain from what he had been told as a pup…

            Long ago, before man ever reached this land, Aniu, the wolf goddess, created the first wolves by will. She scooped up a paw full of snow and let the wind carry it freely from her paw while whispering, ‘Fur of snow, eyes of gold, paws of power and strength untold, forever walk the earth in peace.’ And suddenly before Her stood the first wolf, nearly identical to Her. Now Aniu noticed that Her new likeness would want a companion, for she could not see Aniu. But as She prepared to make another snow wolf, She saw a forest and remembered that Her land was not always white. So, She resolved to create a male wolf of brown fur. She took tree bark and a patch of dirt and cast it to the wind just as She had with the snow, saying, “Fur of brown, earthen brother, be to this kind fem a lover.’ And so, the second wolf was created. A brown male. He and the white female quickly grew quite fond of each other and before long they had two litters of pups, with fur of white, brown, and every color in between because Aniu, in Her infinite wisdom, had made it so. Their parents, the original two, told them of Aniu, and they all praised Her daily for her kindness and love. Aniu was pleased, and for a generation, there was peace in the land.

            Unfortunately, this peace was not to last. One of the second generation, a black pup named Kae, grew angry at his brown brother Eli because he perceived that Aniu loved Eli more than him. Of course this was not true; Aniu loved them all very dearly and favored no one. But Kae’s belief drove him to anger, and finally, when he and Eli were alone in the woods, he leapt upon him from behind and killed him. Instantly, he was in disbelief at what he’d done. He’d killed his brother, and for what? As he tried to hide what he’d done, Aniu appeared before him with saddened eyes. He started to back away in fear, but Aniu stopped him firmly with Her voice. ‘Because of what you have done,’ She said, ‘your kin will never live in harmony or peace; there will always be want, greed, lust, and death. Because of what you have done, all of wolf kind has been tainted for eternity.’

            “But, before she vanished, She promised a savior for them and all of wolf kind,” Ryder added, “And so, for generation after generation, we have waited for this savior to come. As the years passed by and the wars raged on, some began to doubt their goddess’ word, while others abandoned their faith altogether. It is for these lost souls that Aniu weeps daily in the flowing of the river.”

            “I don’t think I’ve ever heard something so sad,” Belle said softly, “I’ve never heard so much of Aniu in all my life.”

            They were silent for a long time until Belle suggested that they return to the sleeping grounds before they were missed at the morning role call. As they walked back, Ryder asked if she would like to go out again soon. Belle had been delighted.

            Then we really got to like each other, Belle thought, so much we wanted a family. And so we did.

Presently, she reached a small landing along the incline, and padded inside a cave nearly invisible to the untrained eye; the nursery. A light brown female laying nearby rose to meet her and bowed her head respectfully.

            “It’s good to see you again, my eva,” she said.

            “And you as well, Ruth,” Belle replied, “Have my children given you any trouble?”

“No trouble at all. They’re little angels.”

A squeal of delight reached their ears, and the two looked up to where the pups were playing. One after another, seven pups were chasing each other happily on one of the upper shelves of the nursery. One of them looked down and saw Belle.

“Momma!” she squealed in delight, jumping down from ledge to ledge until she was on the ground. Two other pups followed her. She and her brother were both white like their mother, and her sister was brown like their father. Belle smiled and bent down to kiss each one on the forehead.

“Have you all been behaving?” she asked.

“Yes, momma,” they replied in unison. Belle smiled again and nodded to her white daughter.

“Isha, are you still having trouble sleeping at night?”

“Not any more,” she said proudly.

“But now you snore, and keep us awake,” laughed her brown sister.

“Ana, be nice.”

“Momma,” said her white son, “when’s dad coming home?”

“He’ll be home tonight, Ranok,” Belle soothed, “He’ll come in and give you all kiss good night.”

“Alright,” Ruth said, “time for bed everyone.”

With a moan of disapproval, the rest of the pups made their way with Belle’s children to the small den at the far end of the cavern. Ruth and Belle waited until they were all asleep before they slipped away to talk by the entrance.

“Thanks again for watching them, Ruth,” Belle said softly, turning to leave.

“Of course, Belle,” Ruth replied, noting a tenseness in her leader’s stance, “Anxious for Ryder to get back?”

“Yes, I am. Good night, Ruth.”

Belle made her way up to the very top of the incline and padded into the small, secluded cave there. She lay down in the middle of the floor and waited. After a short while, she laid her head down and dozed off...

She woke to the scuffling of paws nearby and lifted her head, expecting to see her mate.

“Ryder?” she said, standing up.

“No, but close,” said a voice from behind her, “Care to guess again?”

Belle spun around and came face to face with a figure cloaked in shadows. Only his outline was visible, revealing that he was either a dog or a wolf and nothing more.

“Who are you?” Belle demanded, “And how did you get in here?”

“I’m no one important,” the shadow replied, “but that shouldn’t matter in a moment.”

Without another word, he leapt upon her.

Belle fought as best she could, but her assailant was still stronger and heavier than her, and he used his weight to his advantage, quickly pinning her face down on the cave floor. She tried to shout for help, but her attacker held her muzzle down.

“And now,” he said, “I’m afraid we must part ways.”

She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, and knew what he was about to do. She struggled in vain for a few moments, but gave in as she felt his teeth closing around her neck. No hope, she thought, no hope…

            Suddenly, she felt her assailant being thrown violently off of her.

            “Belle, are you alright?” said a familiar voice.

            She looked up and sighed in relief. Ryder had returned.

            He growled at her assailant, who had regained his footing and stood back amongst the shadows.

            “Whoever you are, you’ve made a bad mistake coming here,” Ryder snarled, advancing slowly, “I’m giving you one chance to get out of here.”

            “Thanks,” the shadow laughed, “but I’m here for you.”

            He leapt at Ryder, who lashed out with his claws as they tumbled over on the cave floor. Belle ran out onto the ledge and shouted down into the cave.

            “Help! Tes, call out the guard!”

            Below, Tes heard her, and readily obeyed. Bursting into a run, he shouted at the few others standing nearby as the rest leapt to their feet, instantly awake. Belle watched as they started running up the incline, but a cry of agony made her spin around in fear.

            The stranger had gained the upper hand, and had Ryder pinned. He sank his teeth into Ryder’s throat and blood began to seep from between his jaws. Ryder thrashed and struggled valiantly, but to no avail. The stranger swung his neck violently and there was a terrible crack. He released his hold on Ryder, who collapsed in a bloody heap. His throat nearly torn out, Ryder painfully raised his eyes to those of his mate and friend.

            “Forgive me, Belle,” he whispered. Then his eyes glazed over, and the last sigh hissed through his body. Ryder was dead.

            Belle stepped back in disbelief, tears filling her eyes. Behind her, Tes and the home guard surged up the incline to defend her. They moved past her and formed a protective barrier two rows thick. It was then that they saw Ryder.

            “You won’t leave here alive, scum,” Tes growled.

            “Neither will you, if you insist on fighting,” the stranger laughed, “Look behind you.”

            One of the lower-ranking wolves cast a glance over his shoulder and nearly fell in shock.

            “Tes! L-look!” he stammered.

            Tes turned around, and felt his courage give way to fear.

            In the cavern below stood an army of wolves. The few sentries Tes had left below lay dead where they had stood, an expression of disbelief frozen on their faces. Tes himself was stunned speechless. How did they sneak up on us, he thought, How did they know? Enraged, he turned on the stranger.

            “If these are your warriors, then we will deprive them of a leader!” he shouted, baring his teeth and advancing.

            Sensing his intention, the stranger laughed.

            Behind them, Belle cried out as she felt hot breath on her neck. Others had slipped behind her and now held her. Tes spun around and snarled at her captors, but Ryder’s murderer laughed again.

            “You will do as you’re told,” he growled at Tes, “unless you want her blood on your paws…”

            Tes stopped in his tracks, his chest heaving in hatred. Gradually, though, he came to realize that he had no right to gamble Belle’s life on revenge. Swallowing his pride and his anger, Tes stepped back, head lowered.

            “You win, whoever you are,” he muttered, “Let her go.”

            The stranger, still hidden in shadows, continued talking as though he hadn’t heard Tes.

            “You are to descend the incline and assemble in the cavern,” he said, keeping his hold on Belle, “No heroics, or there will be consequences.”

            “You promised to release Belle-”

            “I would not talk so freely, captain,” the stranger snarled, “I gave no such guarantee. You’re lucky I’ve decided to spare your pathetic band of wolves. She will be properly seen to.” Tes glared at him. “You will join her when the time is right. Now go!”

            Tes turned, and with a heavy heart led the home guard down the incline.

            As he watched them go, the shadowy figure turned as a group of the wolf army below made their way up to him. When they reached him, they all bowed respectfully, and the one in front stepped up; the light revealed a scar across his left eye.

            “Everything has gone according to plan, my lord,” he reported.

            “Good,” their lord replied, releasing Belle, “Keep her under watch at all times.”

            “It will be as you order, my lord.”

            “I’m glad to have such a loyal follower in you, Nemec,” his lord said, flashing his teeth in a grin.

Chapter Two

Ruth watched in shock as the home guard filed past the nursery, their heads bowed in defeat and shame. The last hope that the Ice Mountain pack had was gone. Suddenly, she realized what she had to do.

She quickly padded to the small cave in the back and gently nuzzled the pups awake. They sighed in exhaustion, but she quickly shushed them and led them out into the main nursery. Once there, she began to climb the ledges, pulling the pups up after her, one by one. At the top of each ledge, Ruth looked down to the entryway, scanning for any sign of detection. Finally, they all reached the top ledge.

            Ruth made her way slowly under the now low ceiling and pushed aside a small boulder, revealing a tunnel.

            “Come, little ones,” she whispered, “I’ll be right behind you.”

            The pups looked at the tunnel and, not yet knowing what was happening, started crawling. Once the last one had gone, Ruth crawled in, pulling the boulder back over the entrance. She heard the pups whimper as the tunnel was plunged into darkness.

            “Shhh, it’s alright, little ones. Keep going.”

            And so they crawled for a while until a ray of light shone in the distance. Soon, they reached the end of the tunnel. The pups leapt out one after another, overjoyed to be out again. Ruth hushed them as she tried to get her bearings.

            Now, Cloud’s pack was to the southeast, near Nome, she thought, or was it the southwest? No! It was the southeast.  

            “Ruth,” Isha said, “Where are we going?”

            “We’re going to visit another pack,” she said calmly. She looked to the sky and silently cursed. The light was fading fast. “Come now. Let’s go.”

            Meanwhile, Tes and his home guards were already being seen to by the invading pack. The home guard lay in groups of three or four, as instructed, and talked quietly. No one really moved. Most were too filled with shame and despair to do anything.

            Tes lay alone, contemplating Belle’s fate. They wouldn’t kill her that much was for certain. A hostile takeover was bad enough, but the murder of the leader would bring the whole of Alaska upon them. He stopped himself as he reconsidered their position. There was very little possibility that anyone outside their territory knew of their plight. Even so, she was safe, for now at least…

            Meanwhile in Nome, Jenna and Balto sat alone on Jenna’s porch. Jenna rested her head on Balto’s shoulder as she wept silent tears of loneliness. That morning Jake, Carla, and Lyle had been adopted.

            “I know it’s hard, Jenna,” Balto soothed, “But we knew it had to come sometime. They’ve all got wonderful homes now.”

            “I know, Balto,” she whispered, “but it’s not just that.”

            Jenna looked away and hung her head. Balto sensed what she was thinking.

            “Jen…” he said softly.

            “None of this would have happened if I hadn’t…If I…”

            She began to cry softly.

            “Oh Jenna,” Balto said, nuzzling her gently, “Please don’t cry. Can’t we forget about what you did?”

            “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget,” Jenna replied sadly, “You didn’t have to forgive me. You had every right to walk away and find someone else. Someone more trustworthy…”

            Balto furrowed his brow in disagreement.

“Jen, if you think I’d ever pick someone else over you…”

He stepped around in front of her and lifted her muzzle with his. He smiled reassuringly, and she couldn’t help but smile back. She nuzzled him lovingly.

“Thank you, Balto,” she whispered, “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Jen,” he replied, “and nothing in the world will change that.”

He looked to the sky, and then back at her.

A sudden gust of wind made Jenna shiver and move closer.

“Would you like to come inside?” she said, “It’ll be dark soon.”

“I’m always glad to spend time with you,” he replied, nuzzling her.

As darkness settled on the Alaskan tundra, Tes tried his best to sleep. He looked sadly at the walls of the cave that had become his cell and sighed. In less than one day, he’d failed everyone who ever trusted him and lost them the one thing that meant more than anything else: their freedom. Now he and they were prisoners, slaves to the new order in their territory. And it was all his fault.

 Just then, he heard the tread of paws on the stone and looked up in surprise. Belle lay down beside him and looked at him in concern.

“Are you alright, Tes?” she whispered, “Have they mistreated you?”

“They’ve had nothing to do with me, my eva,” he replied, “How have they treated you?”

“Well enough. Most of them still respect my stature, but they won’t even let me see Ryder’s body.”

She laid her head down sadly, and Tes’ heart went out to his leader. She had lost more than he had in the takeover. Much more than he could ever hope to make up for. He suddenly felt a deep guilt rising within him.
            “I’m sorry about Ryder, my eva,” he whimpered, “I should have come faster. Maybe I could have saved him.”

            “You did all you could, Tes,” she soothed, “I’m not angry at you, please believe me.”

            “But the rest of the pack…” he continued, “They all looked at me when the home guard surrendered. Some glared, others cried, but what difference does it make? I’ve failed them. And what’s worse, I’ve failed you.”

            “Tes, no…”

            “You there, follow me,” interrupted one of their guards, nodding to Tes.

            Tes stood obediently and was lead quickly out of the chamber.

            Meanwhile, Ruth kept watch on the river bank as Isha, Ana, and Ranok slept soundly in the earthen dugout she’d found for them. Their flight had sapped much of their strength, and they were glad to rest, but it was Ruth who perhaps needed it the most. She had been on guard for more than half the night and her eyelids were starting to droop. Just as she was about to nod off to sleep, though, her keen ears detected movement across the river.

            She quickly stood and scanned her surroundings, following the almost inaudible sound of leaves under paw. She was ready to sprint and draw any potential danger away from the pups, but just as she was about to bolt, two wolves came into view, and she recognized them immediately.

            “Jacob, Fen!” she cried.

            Both wolves looked towards her and barked in surprise.

            “Ruth,” cried Fen, the older of the two, “What in Aniu’s name are you doing out here alone?”

            Ruth opened her muzzle to speak, but a sudden howl sent shivers down her back. Her fear turned to panic as more howls joined in. They were already getting closer. She quickly brushed aside the vegetation that concealed the pups’ burrow.

            “There’s no time to explain!” she cried, beckoning for the pups to cross the log that lay across the river, “Take the pups and get them away from here! Make for Cloud Runner’s territory, she’s friendly to us. I’ll draw them away!”

            “Ruth, wait, I don’t understand. Draw who away?” Jacob replied, taking Isha by the scruff of the neck.

            “No time! Run!” Ruth cried.

            With that, she sped off in the direction of the howls, hoping to lead their pursuers away.

            Jacob looked to Fen in confusion, but Fen pulled Ana onto his back and picked Ranok up by the scruff of his neck.

            “Ruth’s never been one to joke,” he said, “Whoever’s coming, we have to get away from them!”

            Jacob nodded and the two began to run. As they did, though, a though struck Jacob.

            “But Fen, what of the rest of the hunting party?” he said suddenly, “When we sent them back to rest…!”

            “…We sent them right into a trap,” Fen moaned.

            Balto sighed and looked down at Jenna as he stood over her.

            Jenna smiled up at him and held him close, like a warm blanket she never wanted to relinquish. They kissed gently, and she felt her heart beating faster by the second. She felt him nuzzle her lovingly, and she met his gaze.

            Just then, his eyes began to glow a pure, brilliant yellow. Yet his expression never changed. Before she could say anything, they changed back.

            Oh well, she thought, maybe its nothing.

            “Are you warm enough?” Balto said slowly.

            Jenna nodded and smiled again.

            “One last time,” she whispered.

            Ruth ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear their laughter echoing among the trees as they closed the distance.

            The bridge, she thought, I have to reach the bridge.

            She spotted the river up ahead and swung to the right, following the flowing waters. Strangely, the sounds of her pursuers began to fade, and suddenly all she could hear was her own paws in the snow. Praying that she had finally lost them, she ran faster, and her heart soared when she spotted the bridge. She leapt onto it, and was already halfway across when a wolf jumped out of the bushes on the other side and blocked her way.

She skidded to a stop and staggered back and forth on her precarious crossing. Behind her, she heard the panting breath of two others, and realized that they had been waiting for her. 

            “…so you see, that is my offer, Tes,” finished the shadowy figure, “You command your troops as part of my new order, and reap the benefits. You will be restored to your former positions, and your warriors will be able to protect their own clan again.”

            Tes glared at him. Though he could not see his face, or any part of him for that matter, he knew he was the leader by the authority in his voice and by the guards on either side of him. Tes also knew that he was either a wolf or a human’s dog, but it would be impossible to tell until he could see him properly. The similarities between the two groups were many, especially in the dark.

            “No, you’re lying, Lord Shadow,” said Tes defiantly, “You say you would have me regain my honor, but this would only take it away. To serve an invading pack willingly is unforgivable! I will not accept your offer, and neither will my troops.”

            There was a long pause.

            “Then you may go,” the shadowy leader replied.

            Tes turned and left, flanked by two guards.

            As he watched him leave, the leader snorted in disgust.

            “It seems as though your speech didn’t work, my lord,” commented one of his guards, the scar across his eye twitching as he suppressed a laugh.

            “Then I’ll have to use other methods to convince him,” his lord replied, “Nemec, do you remember those three wolves we captured about an hour ago?”

            “The hunting party? Yes, my lord,” replied Nemec.      

            “Kill them.”

            “Yes, my lord.”

            Nemec started to leave, but stopped when his lord called.

            “Nemec.”

            “Yes, my lord?”

            “That name the prisoner called me, Lord Shadow, I like it. I think I shall keep it.”

Chapter Three

            Cloud Runner rose early, and left her den quietly so as not to wake Desai. She scented the air and sighed happily. The snow was receding, the last bits of ice in the river had melted, and the trees and flowers had begun to bloom. Summer had returned to Alaska. As she looked out through the trees onto the grassy plain beyond, she took in the peaceful quiet all around her. She lay down in a patch of snow and let her mind travel back in time.

            Echo and his children had arrived at her clan seeking refuge after the murder of his mate and clan. She had gladly opened her territory to them and, one summer after his arrival, inducted Echo and his three pups into her clan. That had been almost three summers ago.

            Since then, little brown Kantu, his grey brother Kemen, and their white sister Laila had all grown into fine young adults, and were all excellent hunters. In addition, Kantu and Kemen were training to join Desai’s warrior unit. Echo, proud and happy for his children, had continued to age in peace, though he sometimes wept at the bitter memory of Vella, his loyal mate, being taken from him so violently.

            Just then, the wind carried new scents to her nose, and she turned in surprise. Across the grassy plain, she spotted two males running toward her. Normally, she would have seen this as a diplomatic errand from one of the neighboring clans, but she suddenly realized that they were carrying pups with them.

            Fen’s legs pounded the softened earth, his heart thumping wildly as his lungs burned from the length of their flight from danger. Glancing to the side, he saw that Jacob was still keeping up with him, though his breaths were rapid and labored. Then again, he was carrying Isha and Ana. Just then, a voice from up ahead brought him back to reality.

            “You there, are you alright?”

            At the edge of the forest in front of them was a small band of wolves headed by a stunning white female. She stepped toward them as they slowed to a trot and then stopped. Fen indicated to Jacob and they both bowed their heads in respect. Though Fen had never seen this female before, her caring but firm tone identified her as the leader of a clan; he suddenly realized that he had likely wandered into their territory without their consent.

            “Forgive us, kind eva, if we are encroaching on your territory,” he said while respectfully bowing his head again, “but we are in dire need of help.”

            “Your intrusion is obviously not intended, so you need not worry about that,” she replied, “But please tell me what has forced you to run for so long. You look as though you are about to collapse. And whose pups are these, since you two are quite clearly not the parents.”

            “They are our leader’s children, kind eva,” Fen replied with a dry humor, “We had to keep them out of harm, and the only way to do that was to run as far as we could. We were told to look for the clan of a wolf named…Cloud Runner.”

            To his surprise, the white fem smiled for an instant.

            “I am she.” Her smile faded. “But tell me… What danger were you fleeing from?”

            “To tell the truth, kind eva, I do not know. We only knew that Belle’s children were in danger, and as loyal members of the Ice Mountain clan we took it upon ourselves to keep them safe.”

            Cloud Runner padded back and forth; she seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, she stopped and turned her head toward them.

            “Follow me. You can tell me more once you and the pups have rested.” She gave them a friendly smile as she indicated a light brown male of about seven seasons padding up to them. “My mate Desai will show you around. If you’ll please excuse me, I have a lot of thinking to do.”

            Cloud nodded to Desai and padded away through the trees. After a short while, she arrived at the banks of the river, and lay down in the grass. For a long moment, she closed her eyes and meditated on her decisions. There was abundant food about, and she knew the two would be warmly welcomed as all visitors were, but she worried over their cause for flee.

            She sighed and looked toward the river, watching as it splashed over the rocks within it and flowed away into the forest…

            …and to a small bank where it suddenly turned dark red from a small river of blood that met it at its edge. There was a final cry of agony and then a splash as the body of a fine young wolf was thrown to the river’s edge. While his back end lay sprawled on the bank, the wolf’s head sank into the shallow water along the edge of the river. The air bubbles still issuing from his muzzle became fewer and fewer until his eyes clouded over and closed forever.

            Nemec surveyed the bloody scene before him without emotion, but only for a moment. He quickly found himself chuckling as he remembered their unanswered pleas as they were caught unawares. At least two of the three wolves had families, and all of them had called out to Aniu in their final moments of life, but Nemec cared nothing for them. Weaklings, he thought with a snort, only the chosen ones can be allowed to live.

            He turned and nodded to the five wolves waiting for him, and they padded back toward their new territory. He had one last job to attend to before his lord awoke.

            In Nome, Jenna woke in Balto’s embrace, the same way she had been when they fell asleep. She kissed him gently on the muzzle and smiled as his eyes flickered open.

            “Well good morning, sleepy-head,” she said.

            “Good morning, Jen. Sleep well?”

            Jenna smiled again.

            “I always do when you’re with me, but I don’t remember getting much sleep last night.”

            Ruth lay shivering in a damp earthen pit among the many caves and caverns of what had been her clan’s sanctuary and home. The icy river water soaked through her fur and clung to her skin, and the small gusts of wind coming through the cracks in the wall did little to help. The pit she lay in had been where prisoners were held, but in a sense the den still served its purpose. Ruth was a prisoner in her clan’s own home. And by the way the guards acted, she sensed that it would not be long before she would be punished.

            A few of the guards had laughed about it quietly when their superiors weren’t around, and although she knew she had done no wrong in Aniu’s eyes she also knew that her captors needed no excuse to harm her.

             Just then, her ears perked up at the sound of paws on stone, and she looked up to see a well-built wolf, likely an officer, striding toward her. The scar across his eye twitched as he grinned at her.

            “What do you want from me?” she demanded, rising to her feet and backing a few steps away.

            Nemec ignored her and just kept padding closer…

            Meanwhile in Nome, Balto and Jenna were making their way thru the weekend crowd. No one paid the two much mind, but they were too caught up in conversation to notice.

            “It was nice to see Kaltag again,” Jenna said, “It seems like it’s been years since we’ve seen him and Krystal.”

            “It’s probably been a year at least,” Balto agreed, “I’m glad they’re doing well. Where did they say they were heading?”

            “Krystal said they were going south, where the weather’s a bit milder.”

            Balto sighed thoughtfully and nodded.

“I think it’s about time we paid Cloud Runner a visit, don’t you?”

Jenna nodded. The two left Nome behind and padded into the forest.

Ruth cried out again as Nemec threw her against the earthen wall of her pit. She had barely gotten her second wind when he was on her again. This time, he tore at one of her legs. Ruth screamed louder, choking and gagging on the blood from the cuts in her mouth. Suddenly, there came a sickening crack as her leg snapped in his jaws and her scream rang through the caves to where a black wolf lay alone under guard.

Tes jumped up at her cry and immediately recognized the voice.

“Ruth…”

He started forward and the guards stepped in front of him.

“You may not move about freely,” one of them said sternly.

“Then I demand that you take me to her,” he said in a low growl, “Under the Clan Pact and the Laws of Aniu-”

The same guard took a threatening step toward him.

“We know of the Clan Pact,” he snapped, “but you are not to even mention her again.”

“Take-me-to-Ruth!” Tes snarled, stepping forward until his nose almost touched the guard’s.

The guard glared back at him and turned suddenly away, padding quickly down a stone corridor. The other guard nodded after him.

“Go on,” he said, “Move it.”

Tes followed close behind the first guard and the other followed him.

Though Tes was containing his anger, what he came upon broke what little self-restraint he had left.

Ruth lay in the middle of the earthen pit that had been her cell. Tes cringed when he saw that her beautiful light brown coat was smeared with her crimson blood, and her right front leg was so horribly mutilated that he felt his legs tremble. But just then, he spotted a black male climbing out of the pit. With his attention centered on Ruth, he had never seen this other wolf down there with her.

“Ah, another visitor,” he said with a soft laugh.

Tes barely suppressed a deep growl.

His muzzle was red with blood.

Ruth’s blood, Tes thought, why you lousy son of a…

Tes lunged forward with his teeth bared, and was only prevented from tearing into the wolf’s throat by the guards holding him back on either side. Still he made a try for it, and his teeth snapped shut only inches from his goal. The black wolf laughed.

“By your reaction, I’ll assume you knew the vic… deceased.”

“You lousy murderer! Where do you get off killing innocent bystanders?”

“Ah, but you see, she was merely being punished for her actions against us.”

“What actions?” Tes demanded, chest heaving in rage.

“It seems your little girlfriend here aided in the disappearance of the thing we were most concerned for. Your leader’s children.”

Tes’ anger vanished instantly.

“Her- What do want with them?”

“Nothing, honestly,” the black wolf said shrugging, “But you see we cannot allow them to escape because when they grow up and learn of us…”

“Your leader’s reign won’t even last half that long!” Tes said defiantly, spitting in the black wolf’s face.

The black wolf flinched, and the scar across his eye quivered.

“Take him back to his cell,” he said to the guards, “He is not to leave again.”

“Yes sir,” they replied.

As they half-dragged Tes away, Nemec chuckled to himself as he looked back down at his latest victim.

First the leader, then this little whelp, he thought, I’m beginning to wonder what the defiant captain’s connections are with all these females…

Chapter Four

As the sun rose over the Alaskan tundra, Cloud Runner made her way back from the river. She had been gone the entire night, and wanted very much just to rest, but she first woke Jacob and Fen.

“Thank you for opening your clan to us,” Fen said with a slight bow, “We’d have been caught by now if it weren’t for you.”

“I couldn’t just turn you away,” Cloud replied, “Especially with the pups. Of all Aniu’s children, the young ones are perhaps the most precious to her.”

Fen glanced over at Belle’s pups and nodded understandingly. When he looked back at Cloud Runner, he noticed with some concern that she seemed tired and weak.

“Is there something wrong?”

“I was up all night,” Cloud replied, lying down in her usual spot.

“By the river?”

“How did you know that?”

“When you didn’t come back last night, I asked one of your guards, and he said you liked to go down by the river alone sometimes.”

“That’s true,” Cloud replied, laying down her head.

“If I may ask…?’

“Go ahead.”

“What do you do down there?”

“I talk to Aniu,” Belle replied, “She may not talk back, but I know she listens.”

Nemec padded slowly up the rocky incline to where his lord waited.

“Nemec,” Lord Shadow said, “How did our little hunting friends take it?”

“Like the weaklings they were, my lord,” he replied, “Screaming and crying for their goddess as they died.”

Lord Shadow laughed in a cold, pitiless laugh that seemed almost unnatural, but although Nemec noticed this, he said nothing.

“Well, Nemec, now that your troops have had their little warm-up with this pathetic band of wolves, I have one more assignment for you...”

“Yes, my lord?”

“There is a small neighboring pack who I’ve heard sends patrols along the border every so often, but always at the same time as this pack. It seems these two clans are friends, or were at least. I want them eliminated; every last one.”

“But did you not say they were a small pack? Could we not just leave them? They pose no immediate threat.”

“True, Nemec, but you must look to the future. Were they to discover what we’ve done and ally themselves with another pack…they would then pose a very serious threat indeed. As you know, most packs live very separated from each other, leaving large corridors of ‘free zones’ open for outcasts, but in this area, there are three clan territories that form a triangle around the human city Nome; at quite a distance from it, of course, but still. Our prisoners were one of the clans, the small pack nearby is another, and the last is lead by another female, Cloud Runner, I think, is her name.”

“And you want her gone, too?”

“Eventually, yes, but the other pack must be taken care of first,” Lord Shadow said, motioning for Nemec to come closer, “This is what I want you to do…”

Balto and Jenna padded slowly among the trees as a light snow began to fall. Though the white powder was dry and soft, it melted on contact with their warm fur, and the water seeped down among their fur to chill them substantially. Even so, they kept bright spirits and exchanged loving nuzzles. Neither really cared about the cold.

Just then, one of the snowdrifts stood up and the two came face to face with a young white wolf. They stopped immediately as she stepped toward them.

“What business do you have in this part of the woods?” she said slowly.

“We’re visiting old friends…” Balto began hesitantly, “They should be here.” He studied the wolf’s face more closely. “Laila?”

The wolf recoiled slightly, and suddenly her eyes lit up.

“Uncle Balto! Jenna!” she cried, bounding up to them, “Oh, it’s good to see you both again.”

“Likewise,” Jenna replied, “My, how you’ve grown.”

“Thank you,” Laila said, “Well, c’mon, I’ll take you to Cloud Runner.”

She turned and started off into the woods with Balto and Jenna close behind. Though the snow was nearly blinding and the towering evergreen trees disorienting, Laila seemed just as capable of making her way around. In no time at all, the three reached a clearing nearly surrounded by dens. From one of them emerged a familiar silver female.

“Balto, Jenna! What on earth are you doing here?” she exclaimed.

“We were just coming to pay you a visit,” Jenna replied, “It’s been a while.”

“Indeed it has,” Cloud Runner replied, “Please, come. I’ll see about finding some food for you both.”

As short while later, Balto and Jenna lay side by side across from Cloud and Desai. Off to the side were the remains of their meal; a pile of bones.

“I see your pack has grown a bit,” Balto commented, “They all seem quite happy with you as their leader.”

“Well, I’m glad for that,” Cloud replied, “For a wise wolf once said: “The power of a clan is not measured by the strength of its leader, but by the courage and will of its members.”

“There are a few I haven’t seen before, though,” Jenna added.

“They must be Jacob and Fen with Belle’s children.”

“Belle?” Balto asked.

“Their leader; Jacob and Fen are from the Ice Mountain clan,” Cloud replied. “They were instructed to take Belle’s children away from…danger. Neither Jacob nor Fen knows what that really means, but I suspect war.”

Thru the forest, beyond the range of the strongest nose or the keenest ears, a small band of four wolves moved slowly among the foliage as the sun was just beginning its decent in the sky above. They stopped abruptly, as one of them, a light brown wolf with several scars tried to scent the air. Another stepped up beside him.

“Can you smell anything, Gail?” he asked.

The scarred wolf shook his head.

“It’s always hard after a storm; you should know that by now, Cedar” he replied, “That’s why we always patrol while it snows.”

“But weren’t we supposed to meet up with the Ice Mountain clan today to re-establish our boundaries?”

“Yes, but it seems they may have forgotten our agreement,” sighed Gail, “I’ll have to tell Daciana; I’d hate for this to lead to war, but…”

Gail never finished his sentence.

From all around, other wolves came at him and his small patrol. Gail charged the first three, and took them quickly, but two others fell upon him from behind him. Cedar tried to come to his captain’s aid, but four wolves blocked his way. The two others of the patrol joined him and they rushed forward and tried to bash their way thru, but in vain. Though they fought bravely and took many of their attackers with them in death, the members of the small patrol were out-numbered nearly seven-to-one, and very soon, only Cedar remained. Bleeding and panting heavily, he stood protectively over his fallen captain as his eyes scanned the wolves encircling him. More than twenty still remained, yet they made no move toward him.

“You’re monsters, all of you,” he said fiercely. “We’re in neutral territory; you had no reason to attack us!”

Just then, one of the wolves stepped forward and addressed him.

“You are of the Eir clan, are you not?”

Cedar nodded slowly.

“And Daciana is your leader?”

Cedar nodded again.

“Then take this message back to her: We have set this year’s boundaries already, and members of your clan have violated them. Any further incursions into our territory will be considered an act of hostility, and will be responded to accordingly.”

He nodded to the rest of the wolves, and they parted to allow him a way out.

“Now go.”

Cedar backed away hesitantly. I’m sorry, Gail. I couldn’t save you, but they’ll pay for this I swear by Aniu’s breath. He turned and ran, leaving a thin trail of blood behind him.

Meanwhile, the wolf who had addressed him smirked as more wolves joined him, headed by a wolf with a scar across his left eye.

“Is the messenger on his way?” asked the wolf with the scar.

“Yes, Nemec,” answered the other. “All is going according to plan.”

“Good. Then it’s time we started out.” He eyed the bloody trail that Cedar had left. “We’ve got a ways to travel before nightfall.”

Belle shook her head and lay down again. She’d spent the better part of a hour trying to hear the conversation in the next den, but finally gave up. The walls were just thin enough to alert a careful listener to a conversation, but just thick enough to prevent the listener from overhearing any of it, for security reasons. Belle sighed and put her head on her paws. Perhaps she had chosen too perfect a site for her pack. The many passages of the cave network were meant to create a near unconquerable home den, with their overlooking balconies and interconnected family dens. Now that they were prisoners in their own territory, there was little chance of escape.

Just then, there came the sound of approaching paws, and Belle looked up as Tes was herded inside.

“Belle! Are you alright?” he said.

“Well enough,” she lied.

Tes lay down beside her.

“What’s wrong, Belle?”

She met his eyes and sighed.

“My face betrays me?”

“Your eyes, really,” Tes said. “I can always tell what’s on your mind.”

“Then you made an even better captain than I thought.”

Tes laughed softly.

“I’m nervous for the rest of the home guard,” Belle whispered finally. “The invaders are talking in hushed voices, and I don’t like the sounds of it.”

“Lord Shadow tried to get us to serve him earlier, but I refused,” Tes added. “I fear this may be his reprisal…”

Outside their den, one of the guards slunk away and reported what he’d heard.

“It’s just as you had planned, my lord,” he said. “The prisoners are talking among themselves, concerned for their own lives.”

“Very good, Ler, I’ll see you’re rewarded for your vigilance. Well done,” said Lord Shadow, nodding in the darkness of his cave. “Now leave me. I wish to be alone.”

“Yes, my lord, of course.”

Once Ler had left, Lord Shadow gave a private smile.

At the same time, an aged silver wolf lay sleeping in her earthen den when Cedar burst in, accompanied by a brown wolf with a tan patch over his left eye, one of the border guards. She woke with a start.

“Cedar, haven’t I- What in Aniu’s name happened to you?”

“He’s just run from the furthest extent of the patrol, my lady,” said the border guard. “He must catch his breath.”

“The patrol? Where’s Gail? Where are the rest of them?”

Cedar, having finally regained his breath, barely managed to remain standing.

“We were attacked!” he gasped. “They came at us from every angle. Five of them went after Gail alone. We couldn’t reach him! Forgive me my eva, forgive me.”

“Cedar, please calm down and tell me who attacked you.”

“Wolves of the Ice Mountain pack, my eva,” he panted, collapsing before her.

Daciana leapt up and put an ear to his chest.

“The poor dear’s passed out from exhaustion,” she said, turning to the border guard. “Bertolf, as captain of our guard, I trust you and you alone with this: We must prepare for war.”

“War, my eva?”

“Yes, Bertolf. Gather the warriors quietly, so as not to alarm anyone, and breathe not a word of this conversation.”

“Yes, my eva.”

Just then, a howl filled the air, echoing from beyond their borders.

Bertolf inclined his ears.

“It’s- It’s a declaration of war, Daciana!” he gasped, looking in the direction of the howl. “The Ice Mountain wolves claim they foiled an attack made by our warriors on your order.”

“I gave no such order.”

Bertolf turned to her.

“My eva, we must attack.”

            “Bertolf, I will not let this war consume us.”

            “Then we must act now before they have a chance to strike at us!”

            Daciana turned away and paced around her cave. Finally, she stopped and without turning her head said,

            “I hereby give permission for an attack on the Ice Mountain pack.”

            She sighed.

            Bertolf nodded.

            “It will be done, my eva,” he said.

            But as he turned to leave, Daciana turned her head toward him.

            “Bertolf-”

            He stopped and looked back.

            “Do what you have to; end this war before it starts.”

            Bertolf nodded and left.

            Daciana sighed again and looked at Cedar.

            Yet even as the Eir clan warriors set out for Ice Mountain territory, a small band of wolves made its way stealthily thru the forest beyond their range of sight or smell, following a thin trail of blood…

Chapter Five

The leader of them raised his head and howled his warriors forward. They burst from the tree line and ran toward the den as fast as their legs would carry them.

            They never made it to the other side of the clearing.

            Suddenly, wolves came at them from every direction, even from behind. The leader reared back and rallied his warriors in a circle, but before they could form together, their attackers were on them. They fought bravely, and in dying took many of their foes with them. Only their leader remained, his brown fur stained with blood. Three times the circle closed around him and three times they were driven back by his fangs, but on the fourth time, two leapt at him and tore at his throat. He cried out in agony, but his eyes filled with rage.

He had a tan patch around one eye.

            “Lesals! Traitors! Murdereeeeeers!”

            Balto shot awake in the middle of the night, breathing hard and covered in a cold sweat. He glanced at Jenna, snuggled comfortably against him and laid his head back down. Though the nightmares had been getting steadily worse, he wondered if he should tell Jenna. Maybe she could explain them. After all, hadn’t she always entrusted him with her secret fears and looked to him for consolation?

            This is silly, he thought. There’s no reason to worry her with this. Not now.

            Yet even as he closed his eyes to sleep again, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew the murdered leader from his dream.

            Little did he know that hundreds of miles away, another had had the very same dream. But rather than dismiss the dream, she planned to act on it, and woke her pack to begin their trek…

            Balto and Jenna listened anxiously as Cloud Runner briefed Desai.

            “The Ice Mountain pack has declared war on the Eir clan, and I fear this war will envelope us as well, sooner or later.” She turned to Balto and Jenna. “Our territory is no longer safe for you, my dear friends. You must return to Nome; I’ll send a security detail with you.”

            “Isn’t there some way we can help you?” Jenna asked.

            “You can help me by getting out of harm’s way. Please…” She turned to Desai. “Gather three of your best and direct them toward Nome.”

Just then, one of the border wolves padded slowly up to Cloud Runner and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes betrayed her surprise, as did her voice.

“When? Are you certain?” she gasped.

The sentry nodded gravely.

By this time, everyone’s attention had turned to him and Cloud Runner.

“What’s wrong?” Jenna said.

Cloud Runner swallowed hard.

“Come with me, everyone.”

There were no dry eyes as the members of Cloud Runner’s pack gathered around the body of an aged white wolf. Echo had passed on to the next life.

“It’s a bad omen,” someone said. “For him to die with a war so soon…”

“Everything happens for a reason,” Cloud Runner reminded the rest. “It was meant to happen.” She turned to her mate. “Desai, if you would, please make sure that Balto and Jenna have their escorts.”

“Cloud, we don’t need escorts,” Jenna insisted. “We could follow the sled team trails far from here.”

“I won’t take that risk.”

Jenna started to protest, but Cloud Runner sensed it.

“I have already lost a friend this day, and I will not loose you two!”

Jenna sighed and nodded.

By then, Desai had returned with three strong wolves, and Cloud Runner signaled them in the direction of Nome. They stepped into a protective triangle around Balto and Jenna, and set off.

As they walked away, Cloud Runner felt the wind whip her fur, and she whispered a prayer as she shed a few silent tears for Echo.

Slowly, Cedar rose from the cloud of unconsciousness that enveloped him. He blinked his blurred vision away and shook his head. Daciana sat in front of him.

“Your information was helpful, Cedar,” she said. “We’re taking action against the Ice Mountain wolves right now.”

“Then I should be with them!” Cedar said. “I can’t let Gail’s death go unpunished!”

“Shh! Be still. You need your strength,” she soothed. “You’ll stay here with the rest of the security detail.”

“Is Sadera still here?”

“Yes, I asked her to stay behind as well.” The old eva sighed. “Now rest.”

“As you wish,” Cedar said softly, standing up and padding out into the woods, where he found Sadera.

“Cedar, it’s good to see you again,” she said warmly, “I’m glad you’re alright.”

            Cedar nodded, barely acknowledging what she’d said.

            “I’m sorry about Gail,” she whispered, “I know his leadership meant a lot to you.”

            “It wasn’t just that he led me, he was my friend,” Cedar replied, shaking his head. “He cared for me.”

            Sadera felt her heart sink as she eyed the young wolf, and she thought of her sister Vella and her pack. Not a day passed that she didn’t regret what had been done, what had happened when she ran from her sister, what Nemec had her unit to do to her. Now, with this young, heartbroken warrior standing before her, she felt a sort of motherly attachment to him, the same connection she would feel for the pups she never had, and she nuzzled him.

            “It’s alright, Cedar,” she said softly, “He’s in a better place.”

            Cedar nodded again, but this time he smiled.

            “Thanks.” He suddenly stopped and looked around. “Where are the border guards?”

             “Daciana asked me to send them each out a hundred paces further, just to be safe,” Sadera replied. “We’ve got our territory well-covered, despite being short a few who left to fight.”

            “You’ve managed to cover all our borders?”

            “Well, not all of them,” Sadera admitted. “The path along the river is open, but there’s so many cliffs hardly anyone would try it unless they knew the path themselves.”

            “I suppose not,” Cedar replied, lying down by the cave entrance.

            No sooner had he rested his head on his paws than he spotted a small trail of blood in the snow. So small was the trail that he had easily overlooked it when he had been talking with Sadera, but suddenly he remembered his wounds and leapt to his paws and followed the trail. Sadera, brought to curiosity, followed him as he followed the trail right to the rocky cliffs along the river.

            “I came this way!” Cedar exclaimed. “The trail of blood I left is plain as day, and…”

Just then, a strange, yet oddly familiar scent reached his nostrils, and he looked upwind, to where the tree line gave way to the rocky, unfertile soil of the cliffs. His heart skipped a beat as more than three dozen wolves burst from the forest, making straight for the cliffs.

“Sadera, they’ve followed me!” he cried.

Sadera took but one glance and whipped back her head in a howl to recall the border guards. Cedar shook himself and prepared for the onslaught.

From the bottom of the cliffs, Nemec growled under his breath as Sadera’s howl reached his ears. The element of surprise was gone. Now he could only depend on advantage of numbers, and if this pack had any number of warriors left behind from the assault they’d launched, his advantage might not be enough. Even so, he comforted himself in the knowledge that even as he advanced the Eir clan’s warriors were about to get a surprise of their own.

He nodded to a few of his warriors and together they slunk back down the cliffs…

Bertolf scanned the forest before him and motioned his warriors forward. Everything was going well so far; they’d advanced to within a few hundred yards of the Ice Mountain pack’s lair. Yet it unnerved him that they had not some much as scented even a single wolf. Could it be possible that they’d fled in the face of a war? A smile spread across his face at the thought.

With the new land, we’d never have to worry about food again!

That and similar thoughts occupied him until he reached the edge of a hilled clearing that separated he and his warriors from their goal. He stopped and, looking from left to right, waited until his warriors crowded the tree line. Then, with a wild howl, he signaled them forward.

They broke into a run, bursting from the forest and into the clearing in what must have been a both terrifying and awe-inspiring sight. Battle largely favors the side with the advantage of surprise. Sadly, and despite Gail’s thoughts, the Eir clan warriors had no such advantage.

Suddenly, there was another howl from up ahead and a horde of wolves rushed out from the other side of the clearing, and more appeared on both sides of the advancing raiders.

Bertolf looked about and his heart sank. Caught in the open and at the bottom of a hill, he knew instantly that he and his warriors were doomed, but he was determined that he would not go alone. These demons would die with him!

            “Form a circle!” he shouted to his warriors. “With any luck…”

            “…we’ll make it through!” Cedar cried, trying to bolster the Eir clan guards as they lined the cliffs.

            “We have the advantage of height, and their element of surprise is gone,” Sadera said. “If they want to reach Daciana, they’ll have to go over our dead bodies first!”

            The two forces clashed on the rocky slopes and soon the ground was red with blood beneath their paws. The cliffs and river bank below were littered with the bodies of wolves from both sides.

            Sadera spotted one of the guards buckling under two of Nemec’s warriors and leapt in. With one move, she bashed one off the cliff and pierced the neck of the other, who turned and ran. Yet as she was doing this, another made to take her from behind, but Cedar darted between them and tore at the attacker’s throat. In the brief respite that followed, Cedar and Sadera regarded each other with a mix of relief and exhaustion.

            “We may yet win the day,” Sadera panted. “They’re numbers are dwindling.”

            No sooner had the words left her muzzle than they both heard a howl from within their territory. There was a bark of pain and suddenly it stopped. Gail felt the hair on his neck rise as Sadera took off at a run toward the sound.

            “Cedar, take charge,” she cried.

            Her paws aching and lungs burning, Sadera burst into her leader’s den, meaning to warn her, but she skidded to a stop at the sight before her. Blood was spattered on the den walls, and the two guards she’d left lay sprawled on the ground. Behind their mangled corpses, a group of wolves snapped their heads around to look at her. Their muzzles and chests were covered in blood. Beneath their paws lay Daciana. One of them had a scar across his left eye, and he laughed when he recognized her.

            Sadera hardly had time to comprehend what had happened before they came at her. In an instant, she had the first one by the neck and with one twist he fell limp. The two others might have stood a chance had they worked together. Instead, they leapt at her one after the other, and though one managed to latch his teeth around her foreleg, she quickly flung him off and sent him crashing into his comrade. Neither would ever get up again. She looked around expectantly and cursed. During the fight, Nemec had slipped away.

            Twice you’ve ruined my life, Nemec, she growled to herself, spitting on the corpses, and twice you’ve eluded my wrath. The next time we meet, your hide is mine.

            She turned and dashed back toward the cliffs.

            “Daciana is dead!” she shouted, “Win for her!”

            The Eir clan warriors, filled with a renewed anger, began to push Nemec’s wolves back.

            But suddenly, Sadera’s voice rang out again, this time in stark alarm.

            “They’re coming from behind!”

Far away, Cloud Runner’s ears perked up as a distant howl echoed through the forest. Several others looked up in surprise as the call died away.

“Daciana is dead,” Cloud whispered to herself.

Desai padded quickly up beside her.

“What should we do?” he asked, turning to her. “They’re coming in our direction.”

 Cloud sighed and hung her head.

“I’d hoped to keep out of this war…”

Desai sensed her indecision and sought to convince her.

“My dear, we can simply aid the retreating Eir warriors and then fall back to our territory. No one knows this territory better than we; to invade our land would be suicide for the Ice Mountain clan.”

“Alright, Desai; choose a detail to go to them.”

“I’ll lead them myself.” Cloud turned in surprise. “Don’t worry; it won’t take but a few of our best to bolster their defenses enough for the journey here.”

Cloud nodded, and Desai turned to go.

“Desai?” He stopped and looked back. “Be careful.”

Chapter Six

Sadera let out a cry of rage as she struck down another of their pursuers. What remained of the Eir clan was retreating in a mass exodus as Sadera and a few others held Nemec’s forces away. Even she didn’t know where they would go. Nemec was persistent; he would likely trail them until he finished every last one of the Eir clan.

Just then, she heard one of the forward wolves cry out.

“Sadera, the river! We’re trapped!”

She turned and felt her heart sink. Without her to lead them, the Eir clan’s remnants had run themselves right up to the banks of the river, which now curved around them on three sides. Nemec’s forces would soon block the fourth and they would all be doomed. Seizing the anger boiling inside her, Sadera spun around to face Nemec and reared back on her hind legs.

“If we are to die today, then so be it, but let us not go alone!” she cried. “I’ll take as many of them with me as I can. Who will stand with me?”

The Eir clan warriors looked back at her, astonished.

And they stepped up beside her.

From one end of the line to the other, there was not a face of uncertainty or fear. Every last one was ready to fight or die. It was then that Sadera spoke again.

“We’ll not give them the satisfaction of our surrender, will we, comrades?”

Instantly, they all bared their teeth and growled.

“I thought not.”

Nemec’s forces did indeed block their escape, but they hesitated to advance any further. So fierce was the look in the eyes of the Eir clan warriors that they feared to attack.

Both leaders expected the other to attack.

Neither was watching the forest.

Suddenly, there was a rallying howl and another, smaller group of wolves burst from the darkness of the forest to tear into Nemec’s unprotected flank. His forces, which had been facing Sadera’s wolves, were caught completely by surprise.

“Where did they come from?” Cedar cried as Nemec’s wolves began to fall under the teeth of the new warriors.

“I don’t know,” Sadera said, “but something…” Just then, she spotted a familiar young wolf among the attackers and her heart soared. “Look, it’s Desai! Cloud Runner’s pack has come for us!” She barely realized what was happening before she looked for Nemec among his wolves. “You like war, huh? How do you like it when someone fights back?”

Just then, she heard her nemesis cry from within the ranks of his troops.

“Fall back or we’re all lost! Fall back!”

Instantly, Nemec’s troops turned on their heels, disengaged Desai’s troops, and ran. Sadera finally spotted Nemec himself as he and his troops broke into a run. She made to pursue them, but suddenly Desai stood in front of her.

“You’re safe now,” he said, sensing her thoughts. “There’s no need to loose any more of your clan in a useless pursuit.”

“Useless?” Sadera cried. “Desai, together our forces outnumber him. Please, help me make them pay for what they did to Daciana.”

“He could lead you into a trap, Sadera,” Desai replied calmly. “And then, we would not be there for you.”

Sadera stood silent for a moment.

“What?”

“Our clan maintains its neutrality. We’ll only act as a negotiator, should you and Nemec’s clan ever come to terms-”

“Come to terms? Come to terms with that monster who twice has taken away everything that was important to me?” Sadera screamed. “He killed my parents when he served under Vanuk, and when Steele was in power, both my sisters died by his order.”

Desai bowed his head.

“I’m sorry, Sadera, but we can’t follow your troops to take Nemec,” he said. “We’ll escort you into our territory to rest and regroup, for now, but we won’t take a side in this war.”

“Even if you could help end it now?” Sadera said softly, moving up until their noses almost touched.

Desai turned away.

“Come,” he said, “The hour is late; we have to make it back before the moon rises.”

Meanwhile, Nemec made his way slowly back toward his lord’s territory. He glanced around at his unit and sighed quietly. Many had died taking the Eir clan’s land; several more were killed when they were ambushed by Desai’s group. That would not have been hard to report if they had still wiped out Sadera and the rest of her pathetic band. But since the case was not so…

It would be difficult to explain to his lord.

Just then, the winds shifted, and a new scent reached his nostrils. It didn’t take him long to recognize; his eyes narrowed, and he grinned. Signaling his troops, he broke into a run.

There might yet be a way to evade his lord’s wrath.

Tes woke with a start. He looked around slowly to find himself in the same nightmare he’d hoped to escape through sleep. He shook his head and laid it back down to rest again, only to find his eyes drawn to Belle. She lay a few feet away from him, sleeping soundly. He wasn’t sure how to describe what he felt when he looked at her, but longer he gazed at her, the harder he found it to look away. So he just lay there with his head on his paws, watching her.

Her muzzle, still unscarred by war and unaffected by age, was only slightly open and it was curled into a small smile. Tes wondered what she might be dreaming of, and was surprised to find himself hoping it was him. He almost wished she were awake, so he could see her beautiful amber eyes. Beyond that, he admired her firm shoulders, her sleek, slender chest, and lower…

He shook his head violently.

No, you idiot, he thought. Even if by some miracle we make it out of this, you’ve no place beside her. Ryder was her mate and she’ll not betray his memory.

He curled up again and deliberately faced away, but he sighed as a wave of emotion swept thru him.

Then why can’t I stop thinking of her?

Cloud Runner paced back and forth near the family dens. It was nearly dark, and if Desai didn’t return… How could she go to look for him and the others? He’d taken what few warriors they could spare to find and help Sadera’s forces. Now, she couldn’t form a search party without taking away from the home guard, and with a war so nearby, she couldn’t afford to do that under any circumstances. Thus, she could only pace and pray.

Her prayers were rewarded when Desai and Sadera padded into the clearing, leading their respective groups, and not a moment too soon. Cloud ran out to meet them, and greeted Desai with a warm nuzzle and a smile.

Sadera, however, seemed unapproachable, and only paused to thank Cloud for her rescue before moving away to lie down amongst her exhausted troops. She didn’t even give Desai a backwards glance.

Cloud followed her with her eyes and then looked to Desai for some sort of explanation. Desai just shook his head.

“What happened out there?” she asked him as they made their way to their den.

“She wouldn’t accept our neutrality,” he replied, lying down with his head on his paws.

Cloud furrowed her brow and lay down beside him.

“Tell me everything.”

 Nemec padded softly, reluctantly, up the rocky incline. He wasn’t worried of waking his lord; Lord Shadow was expecting him.

“You sent for me, my lord?” he said slowly, looking around the dark cave.

“Yes, Nemec, I did,” replied a voice that seemed to come from nowhere. “I know you must be tired after your trek today, but I want a status report.”

Nemec gulped and hesitated, eying the outline that was beginning to form as his lord stepped closer to him from the shadows. It was not that light made it easier to see Lord Shadow, but rather the darkness within the cave seemed to deepen and intensify around him, setting him apart from the rest.

“Well, go on,” Lord Shadow insisted.

“The raid on the Eir clan went accordingly, despite our loss of surprise. Daciana is dead.”

“Good, Nemec, very good.”

“Their defenders rallied around Sadera and fled. We gave chase-”

“Sadera is alive?”

“Much to my surprise, yes,” Nemec replied. “It seems she is not as … ‘weak’ as we assumed.”

“Hmm… Go on.”

“Well, we gave chase, my lord, and we nearly had them on the banks of the river, but then…” He paused. He could see his lord’s eyes narrowing. Reluctantly, he continued. “But then, a group of wolves from Cloud Runner’s clan out-flanked us and ambushed us. We were forced to retreat before we could finish Sadera and the rest of the Eir clan.”

He stopped abruptly to find himself sweating profusely.

Lord Shadow bared his teeth, and suddenly, Nemec felt as though the very warmth of his blood had been stolen away. He began to shake, but not from cold, rather from fear.

“This is unacceptable, Nemec,” Lord Shadow said through clenched teeth.

“I offer my deepest apologies, my lord,” Nemec replied. “I take full responsibility for what happened. Had I been better prepared-”

“Better prepared?” shouted Lord Shadow. “I give you the finest of all my troops and still you ask for more!”

Nemec felt the hair on his neck rise.

“My lord, please, you misunderstand me,” he stammered.

“For your sake, you better hope I am,” Lord Shadow replied coldly as he turned away. “Do you realize that if you were anyone, anyone else, you’d be dead right now?”

Nemec swallowed hard again.

“Yes, my lord.”

“Then go. I’ll find some way to punish you later.”

Nemec stood rooted to the spot, still unsure if he had really escaped unscathed; he took a hesitant step back.

“Are you deaf, Nemec, or just stupid?”

“No, I mean neither, my lord.”

“Then go!”

Nemec turned swiftly, and was about to leave when a thought crossed his mind, and suddenly he could see a way to regain his lord’s favor.

“My lord, if I could ask for your ear, just this once…”

“You’re trying my patience, Nemec,” snarled Lord Shadow from within the cave.

“But my lord, we’ve taken some prisoners who may interest you.”

There was a moment of silence, and suddenly Lord Shadow stood before him.

“This had better be good.”

“…and then we made our way here,” Desia finished. “Sadera hasn’t spoken to me since we left the river bank.”

“She feels betrayed,” Cloud Runner said. “Even though you saved her, she feels the only way things can be made right is by killing Nemec to avenge her slain family.”

“But surely she can see why we must remain neutral. A war, for this clan, would be disastrous without the support of every last one of us,” Desai replied. “Dragging ourselves into a war between two other clans when we were not violated would seem pointless.”

Just then, a howl rose above the trees and reached the ears of everyone in Cloud’s clan. Desai listened carefully until the call died away.

“Whoever he is, he wants to meet you just beyond our border in the neutral zone. He holds a message for you from the Ice Mountain pack.”

Cloud Runner stood immediately.

“Perhaps now we can hold off this war permanently.”

“But it could be a trap as well,” Desai cautioned her.

“There is always that chance, but I intend to take it if it means keeping this war away from us peacefully.”

“Then I’ll come with you, and I’ll bring a small security detail with me.”

A few moments later, Cloud, Desai, and a small group of wolves including Jacob and Fen padded into a tiny clearing a few hundred yards from their territory. True to his word, the wolf who’d called to them was alone; he was pawing at something at his feet when they arrived.

“So you come with a message from the Ice Mountain clan?” Cloud said. “Just know that we cannot join this war on either side. Does that affect your message?”

“Not in the least,” the messenger replied with a sly grin. “Tell me, do you know of a brown wolf-dog and a red and white husky?”

Cloud Runner took a step back in shock.

“What…” she whispered.

“I thought you might. You see, we found them making for Nome.” He shook his head in mock sympathy. “Pity. They were almost there. We might have spared the guards you sent with them if they hadn’t put up a fight.”

“I swear, if you’ve harmed my friends-” Cloud snarled, advancing a few steps toward the messenger.

“What will you do?” he taunted. “You’ve already professed that you’ll not enter this war, and your clan is too small and weak to last long even if you did join.”

“How do we know you’re not lying?” Desai challenged.

“Ah, you see, I came prepared for that.” The messenger dipped his head to the ground and snatched something with his teeth. “Just so you know not to try anything stupid…”

With that, he whipped back his head and yanked an orange bandanna from the snow. He smirked as Cloud’s eyes widened. Just then, a gust of wind blew from behind him, and he released the bandanna. It twisted about in the wind before landing at Clouds feet.

Desai picked it up; Jenna’s scent was heavy on it.

“We were careful not to get blood on it,” the messenger taunted again. “But it gets lonely sometimes back home, and she’ll provide some good company for all of us.”

With that, he turned and dashed away, quickly disappearing among the trees and undergrowth. But his laughter echoed for a long time in that tiny clearing.

Chapter Seven

            At that moment, Jenna and Balto were herded into a small cave in the Ice Mountain clan’s massive home den in the rock face.

            Jenna was silent, still in shock from the ambush. So entranced was she by her fear and disbelief that she still hadn’t tried to clean the blood off her coat; the blood of one of their guards.

            Those poor dears, she kept thinking. They never had a chance. We never had a chance…

            “Jenna, are you alright?” Balto whispered, eying her worriedly. When she didn’t answer, he nudged her gently. “Jen?”

            She snapped her head toward him and blinked.

            “Oh. I’m fine.”

            She glanced around the cave and noticed the two other occupants were asleep. A pure white female was curled up nearby, and not to far away from her lay a black male turned the other way.

            “We never should have left Cloud’s territory,” she said finally. “She’ll blame herself for this.”

            “Whoever these guys are, they’ll probably use us as bargaining chips,” Balto replied. “Just stay close to me, Jen. I won’t let them harm you.”

            Just then, the black male woke up.

Tes woke to see two more in the den with him and Belle. One was a dark-brown male wolf; the other was a red and cream colored female husky. They seemed to tense up when he looked at them, so he sat up slowly and faced them.

“Who are you?” he asked them.

“My name’s Balto,” said the male. “And this is my mate, Jenna.”

Tes eyed them carefully, and sensed what they were thinking.

“You’ve no reason to fear either me or Belle,” he said. “We are prisoners as well. Why are you here?”

“We’re Cloud Runner’s friends, so she sent us away with a few guards,” replied Jenna. “She wanted to get us away from the war. We were ambushed just outside of Nome.”

“War? Is that what she thinks this is?” said a firm female voice.

Balto and Jenna turned to see that the white female, Belle, had woken up.

“Well, yes, isn’t it?” Jenna said.

“It is more like slaughter,” Belle replied. “I suppose Cloud thinks the Ice Mountain pack is behind all of this?”

Balto and Jenna nodded.

Belle shook her head.

“What she knew as the Ice Mountain pack does not exist,” she said solemnly. “Several days ago, we were invaded and overwhelmed. Their leader, Lord Shadow, has since been slowly killing off anyone who opposes him.”

“So the Eir clan… Daciana’s death…?” Balto stammered in disbelief.

“All the doing of Lord Shadow and his second in command, Nemec,” replied Belle. “I’ll see them both dead, mark my word.”

“We’d better go back to sleep before the guard comes by again,” Tes advised. “Or he’ll start asking questions. I don’t want to loose anyone else to these monsters.”

Following his advice, the others curled up; Belle alone, and Jenna up against Balto. When the guard passed by, he had only to glance inside and move on. As his footfalls faded away, Balto looked up and caught Tes’ eye.

            Belle, however, didn’t open her eyes, and instead turned away from the rest.

            “What’s wrong with her?” Balto whispered to Tes.

            “When Lord Shadow took over, he killed her mate,” he replied. “And we sent her children away with Ruth to make for Cloud Runner’s territory, so she’s been terribly lonely I think.”

“I can imagine,” Balto said softly. “Loosing your mate and not knowing if your own children are alive or where they are must be terrible.”

“I’ve gone thru much the same thing ever since we let the humans adopt our…my last litter,” Jenna said, looking over at Balto and then at Belle. “I hope this ends soon.”

“We can only hope,” Tes replied.

The three fell into silence, and before long each laid his or her head down to rest.

About an hour later, though, the guard passed by a fourth time and looked inside. He was about to keep walking when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head and saw that one of the new prisoners, the brown male wolf, was looking at him. At first, he didn’t know what to say, but could only meet the wolf’s stare.

Just then, the wolf (what was his name?) blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, they glowed a brilliant yellow. The guard stepped back in shock, but the wolf never took his eyes of him. Then, he blinked again, and the glowing stopped. The wolf looked around and laid his head down as though nothing had happed.

In an instant, the guard turned and ran to report what he’d seen to his lord.

He didn’t know his lord had been watching, too.

From the shadows in the furthest corner, two dark, cold eyes peered out into the cave. There was a soft laugh, and the shadows briefly took the form of a wolf. Then, the form faded, as did the eyes and the laughter, and soon all was peaceful.

But it was not to last.

Desai padded slowly back to the den he and Cloud Runner shared. The news of Balto and Jenna’s capture weighed heavily on his heart, and he knew Cloud would be taking it just as hard. Just that morning, they’d set Echo’s body adrift on the river, and now this. He found her pacing back and forth, talking to herself.

“Cloud?” he said.

She stopped and looked at him, eyes filled with sorrow.

“I never should have sent them away,” she said. “I should have kept them here; I should have known!”

“You couldn’t have known, Cloud,” he said, nuzzling her. “None of us could have.”

“But what can we do now?”

Desai fell silent.

“I don’t know,” he said finally.

“The messenger was right. We can’t come to rescue them without leaving our families, our pups, without protection.”

“Then we’ll go,” said a voice from the entrance.

Cloud and Desai looked, and there stood Sadera.

“My troops are rested enough to move,” she said, “and we’ve been idle too long anyway.”

“Sadera, we couldn’t ask that of you,” Cloud said. “There must be some other way.”

“No one’s asking me, Cloud,” Sadera replied calmly. “You and Desai are needed here for the good of your clan. My troops and I have no clan, and no families to speak of.”

“Sadera…”

“No, Desai, I’m going,” Sadera said firmly, “I’ve been denied my vengeance twice; do not think that you can keep me from Nemec a third time.”

Desai sighed, and twin trails of vapor curled from his nose.

“Alright.”

Sadera smiled and nodded.

“Wish me luck.”

And, within a few minutes, Sadera and her unit marched out of Cloud Runner’s clan, bound for Ice Mountain territory.

Jenna felt someone push her against Balto, and she woke to see several wolves glaring at them.

“Get up,” one of them said gruffly.

She got to her paws and Balto did the same. The wolf who’d spoken gestured outside the cave, where two more waited. Jenna and Balto looked at each other and padded out. The rest of the wolves filed out behind them. As they were led down the rocky incline, they heard Tes call after them,

“Don’t worry, my friends, we will not desert you.”

            When they were led the bottom of the incline and through a large common area, Balto and Jenna looked around in surprise. There were many small groups of wolves huddled on the floor, most bore scars. This, they decided, was the Ice Mountain clan.

            The two barely had time to glance once around the cave before they were led further into the cave system and down into what must have been the bowels of the entire place. Their front guards stopped where the passage split in two and motioned to Balto and Jenna. Then, four wolves moved around each of them and moved them roughly down the separate passages which in turn led to two small dens.

            Balto was pushed inside, and as he turned around he saw several wolves pushing a large boulder over the entrance, plunging his cave into darkness. He walked around slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the lack of light, when suddenly, he heard Jenna’s voice.

            “Balto? Are you here?”

            He turned toward the sound, and through the darkness he could make out Jenna’s outline.

            “I’m right here, Jenna,” he said. “Just stay there, I’ll come to you.”

            He padded up to her, and was about to nuzzle her to comfort her when he ran right into something hard and cold. He put his paw against it and sighed.

            “Jenna, there’s a wall,” he said, “a wall of ice. I can see you, but I can’t get to you.”

            “Then we’ll just stay as close as we can,” she replied, lying down next to the wall.

            Balto did the same, and found that he could finally see Jenna’s face, and make out the color of her fur again.

            “We’ll be alright, Jenna. Don’t worry.”

            “I’m not afraid, but why do you suppose they moved us?”

            “I don’t know, Jen, but…” He squinted through the darkness toward the other end of his cave and he felt shivers shoot down his spine.

“Oh no,” he whispered.

“What? What is it?” Jenna said as she turned and tried to see further through the ice.

“Jen, there’s…bodies in here.”

Tes felt his heart thumping furiously in his chest as he tried to advert his eyes from Belle. She was turned away, so she couldn’t see him watching her, but he was convinced that if he stayed silent much longer he would die of it, so he worked up the courage to break the silence.

“Belle?”

He saw her ears perk up and she turned around.

“What is it, Tes?”

“I…” He hesitated. “I’m worried about Balto and Jenna.”

“So am I, Tes,” she replied. “But all we can do is pray.”

Tes nodded slowly, mechanically, and Belle tilted her head in concern.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes…” he said softly.

Stop lying.

“No,” he admitted, giving in to his thoughts.

Belle moved a little closer and waited expectantly.

“You can tell me,” she said reassuringly.

Tes gulped and nodded.

“Belle, I…I’ve been trying to avoid this, but I can’t,” he said. “I admire everything about you, everything, and I would do anything to protect you.”

“Tes…”

“I know how much you loved Ryder, and I’ll always respect him because he was a brilliant leader…but I’ll always be jealous of him because he was always with you. My heart is burning with this secret I’ve been holding, and although I’ve hoped it would never come to this I can’t ignore it any longer. Belle…I love you. Not just as a follower, but with all the passion in my heart.”

Belle sat silent for a long moment, and then began to shake her head in disbelief.

“No…no, Tes, I can’t. I can’t!”

Tes stood slowly and took a tentative step toward her.

“Belle, I…”

She leapt to her paws and back away hurriedly.

“No, Tes, stay back! Don’t come near me,” she cried. “Ryder may be dead, but I’ll not betray him! Did you really think I would?”

“Please, Belle, I didn’t mean-”

“How long have you been eying me like that?” Belle interrupted. “Why are you doing this to me? Why do you insult me?”

Tes stepped back as though he’d been struck, and he felt tears coming.

“Insult you? Oh, Aniu, no Belle… Please…” he whispered.

“I don’t love you, Tes,” she growled. “Now turn your eyes away from me.”

At this, Tes fell back a few steps more on shaking legs, breathing raggedly. He felt as though he heart would burst; all the pain was growing, spreading… He looked up, but Belle had turned away. He wanted to scream, but when he opened his muzzle the word came out in a croaked whisper.

“Belle…”

He closes his eyes as the all the pain in his heart tore through him…and suddenly he felt nothing at all. As he opened his eyes again, three guards stood in front of him.

When Belle finally turned around, Tes was gone.

            Elsewhere within the caves, Nemec made his way up the rocky incline to where his lord waited. He’d been summoned again, and he expected orders, but in the back of his mind, he could help but think that this might be his promised punishment.

            Reaching the top of the incline, he stopped and sat down.

            “My lord, you sent for me?”

            “Yes Nemec,” Lord Shadow said from within the darkened cave. “Do you wonder why?”

            Nemec felt his heart sink.

            “Yes, my lord,” he replied reluctantly.

            “I told you I’d think of a way to punish you for letting Sadera escape,” Lord Shadow said. “But I’m very pleased with the two prisoners you found for me. So pleased, in fact, that I see no need to punish you any more.”

            “Oh, thank you, my lord,” Nemec replied, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

            “But since we captured those two, there’s been talk of rebellion among the rest of the prisoners. So I want them dead.”

            Nemec couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but after his narrow escape, he dared not question his lord.

            “Do you…mean the few that you wanted rounded up?” he asked.

            “No, Nemec, I want you to bring out the two you captured tomorrow morning. We’ll make an example of one of them.”

Chapter Eight

            Jenna shivered in her cave. Though she was glad to still be able to see Balto, what she wanted was to curl up beside him and wish all this death away. She looked around her and sighed in despair as light began to filter through the crack in the cave wall.

            “Balto, can you still hear me?” she asked, turning to see him through the ice wall.

            “Yes, Jenna,” he replied. “Didn’t you sleep at all?”

            “I couldn’t,” she said. “I was afraid that when I woke up, you wouldn’t be here. I didn’t want to risk that.”

            “Oh, Jen, don’t say that.”

            “But it’s true! They could have just taken you away.” She began to cry. “I don’t want to loose you, Balto.”

            Balto hushed her sobs as best he could, and she calmed down a little, but he knew she’d never really get it off her mind. Just then, he turned to face her and began to sing her a song that felt…peaceful.

            “I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, brining something we must learn,

            And we are led to those who help us most grow, if we let them, and we help them in return.

            Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true, but I know I’m who I am today because I knew you.

            Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun, like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood,

            Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But,

            Because I knew you…I have been changed for good.”

            Jenna, who had turned to face him, picked up where he stopped.

            “It well may be that we will never meet again in this lifetime, so let me say before we part:

            So much of me is made of what I learned from you, you’ll be with me like a hand print on my heart.”

            She raised her paw and pressed it to the ice. Balto did the same, so their paws rested opposite each other. Jenna’s eyes brimmed with tears.

            “And now, whatever way our stories end, you know you have re-written mine, by being my friend.

            Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea, like a seed dropped by a sky-bird in a distant wood,

            Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But

            Because I knew you…”

            “Because I knew you…” Balto replied.

            “I have been changed for good. And just to clear the air, I ask forgiveness for the things I’ve done you blame me for.”

            Jenna bowed her head, and Balto replied,

            “But then, I guess, we know there’s blame to share, and none of it seems to matter any more!”

            Like a comet pulled from orbit…”

            “Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea…”

            “Like a stream that meets a boulder…”

            “Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood…”

            Jenna and Balto pressed their paws against the ice, willing them to touch, and joined together.

            “Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? I do believe I have been changed for the better…”

            “And, because I knew you…”

            “Because I knew you…”

            They blinked back tears and joined again.

            “Because I knew you… I have been changed… for good.”

            Just then, the boulders blocking each entrance were rolled away, and a trio of guards stood waiting for each of them.

            “Out, now.”

            “Why are they bringing us all out here?”

            “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”

            “Will you guys shut up? You’ll get us killed.”

            The remnants of the Ice Mountain clan were being herded out into the small clearing outside their home den, and made to lie down facing the hill it was dug into. One rank of Nemec’s troops was stationed behind the Ice Mountain clan to keep them from escaping. Another rank was stationed in front to keep them from entering the circle they’d formed. Belle was the next to come out, and many of her clan greeted her happily, relieved she was alive.

            She never thought to look for Tes.

            Finally, they all fell silent as two last prisoners were brought out under heavy guard: a brown wolf, and a red and cream husky.

            “What are they doing?” one of the Ice Mountain wolves asked.

            Belle watched as Balto and Jenna were led out into the center of the clearing and made to sit down facing each other.

            “Lord Shadow’s planning something,” she replied, feeling her heart sink, “something terrible.”

            Then, as if on cue, a dark figure made its way out of the cave and into the center of the clearing. Beside him came Nemec. Belle squinted at him, but even in the growing light he was cloaked in shadow. She only wished she could hear what he was saying to Balto and Jenna…

            “Who are you?” Jenna said.

            The figure before her resembled nothing of this world; a swirling black vapor in the form of a wolf. Only his voice convinced her that she was not talking to an illusion or a shadow.

            “You haven’t guessed?” Lord Shadow replied. “Well, I can’t say I look the same now, but perhaps this will help…” He whipped his head back and forth, and suddenly the black vapors disappeared, revealing a black and white malamute.

            “Steele!” Jenna cried.

            “Ha! So you still remember me!” He noticed her shocked expression and gestured to Balto, who simply sat watching him “Ah, but you thought wolf-dog here had killed me. Well, you see, when I was in that river, sinking lower and lower, I made a deal…”

            “…with Aniu?” Jenna gasped.

            “You think I’d associate with such pup fantasies? Oh no, I made my deal with the other deity of the afterlife!”

            He whipped back his head again and snarled. In an instant, he was cloaked in the black vapors again, and he stepped away to address the crowd.

            “I’ve been informed that some of you have been talking of escape, or rebellion, and I must say I’m very displeased. So, to discourage any such acts, I intend to show you what the punishment will be.”

            He turned back toward Balto and Jenna, and Nemec motioned for two guards to come up to them. Without a word, they seized Jenna, pulled her back a few feet and held her down. Steele padded up to Balto and faced him with a smirk.

            “Ready to die, wolf-dog?”

            “If that’s what it takes…” Balto replied, blinking to reveal his golden, glowing eyes.

            Steele snarled and drew one of his forepaws back. It took the shape of a jagged scorpion’s stinger, and he brought it up into Balto’s chest, tearing into it. The air was filled with the most terrible cry as Balto was lifted nearly off his paws by the force of Steele’s thrust. Steele began to laugh as he drew his forepaw up toward Balto’s heart, and suddenly the screams stopped. Steele withdrew his scorpion forepaw and let Balto’s body fall limp to the earth, where it lay in a pool of blood.

            Jenna watched in disbelief as her mate, her love, was murdered right before her eyes. When Steele pierced his chest, she felt as though the same scorpion paw had pierced her heart, unleashing a flood of suffering that enveloped her entire being. She’d prayed that somehow they would both escape this nightmare; but now as tears streaked down her face, she knew that it was not to be. She neither noticed nor cared that all eyes were on her.

            “Bring her out next,” Steele cried with a laugh. “I want to see her kiss him now.”

            Nemec nodded, and he and two others dragged Jenna out to where Balto lay. They tossed her roughly to the ground and backed away as their lord bent down to address her. No one heard what was said, and no one could tell by the look on Jenna’s face. But a moment later, no one would care.

            “Enough,” sad a calm voice from the woods. “It is ended.”

            All eyes looked toward the voice, and silence fell again as a single white wolf advanced toward them. She stopped where the river separated her from them. Steele saw this and laughed.

            “Who are you to command me?” he said. “You can’t reach me.”

            “But neither can you reach me,” countered the white female calmly.

            Steele paused, and had to admit she was right. The current was fast and water deep. Not even his bravest warriors would cross to reach her.

            “Who are you?” he asked finally.

            “I am that I am,” the white female replied. “I am all that has been, and all that will be. And I ask you once more to cease slaying my children.”

            Steele threw back his head and laughed again.

            “Do you honestly expect any of us to believe you?”

            “Seeing is believing.”

            With that, the white female took a step forward into the river, but instead of sinking into it, she trod on top of it as though it were solid ground, and the warter rippled about her paws.

            The Ice Mountain clan watched in awe. Several of them gasped and whispers grew in number as she neared their side of the river.

            “Do you believe now?” she asked as her last paw touched solid ground again. “You cannot win, demon.”

            “You stupid fem, I’ve already won!” Steele cried in triumph. “Your son lies dead before me; your plan is no more.”

            At this, the white female smiled and shook her head.

            “You believe you’ve bested me, but you’ve only followed my lead.”

            She padded toward the outer ring of the circle, and Nemec cried out to his troops,

            “Don’t just sit there, stop her!”

            The white female spoke to the wolves that slowly broke ranks to approach her, but never took her eyes from Steele’s.

            “Remain where you are.”

            And suddenly, every one of Nemec’s troops stopped, frozen in their tracks.

            “What’s the matter with all of you?” Nemec shouted. “Kill her!”

            “We can’t move!” one of them cried out.

            Nemec cast his eyes around the circle as the grunted replies of his troops confirmed his fear: they were all but defenseless. The Ice Mountain wolves parted to allow the white female passage to the center, where she stopped opposite Steele.

            “You can’t win,” Steele said. “I’ve beaten you.”

            “Look around you,” the white female replied. “And then tell me if you’ve won.”

            Steele cast his eyes around the circle, and his eyes widened in shock.

            Through the trees and underbrush, a group of wolves was moving toward them; at its head was Sadera. And just then, a howl sounded from behind Steele, and he turned and looked fearfully up to the top of the rocky mound that was the Ice Mountain clan’s home den. There, peering down at him with growing anger, were more than forty wolves; at their front, a young gray female looked down at Jenna, lying next to Balto’s body, in disbelief.

            “Papa…” she whispered.

            Down at the bottom of the hill, in the center of the circle, Steele turned back to face the white female, who met his gaze.

            “Enough tears have been shed because of you, enough families have been destroyed, enough lives lost,” she said. “Cease.”

            “Even all of these wolves together couldn’t beat me,” Steele said. “Why should I listen to you?”           

            “Because I am no longer asking,” the white female replied.

            She looked down with concerned eyes at Jenna, who had buried her face in Balto’s fur; she reached down and placed her paw on him.

            “Rise, my son.”

            Just then, Jenna felt Balto growing warm; the cold that had begun to fill him vanished, and suddenly his eyes opened and he rose to stand next to the white female.

            Steele watched all this with growing anger. Just when he thought he’d finally succeeded, victory had been snatched from his grasp. Overcome by rage, he dove down upon Jenna, only to be met by Balto, who stood protectively over her and stared at him with his glowing, golden eyes.

            “Stand aside,” Steele growled, trying to hide his sudden gripping fear.

            “No. It is ended.”

            Without another word, Balto reached up and placed his paw on Steele’s forehead. Instantly, Steele stumbled back, and Balto and the white female began to glow as though a light shone from within them to the outside world.

            Sadera, who had lead her forces to the edge of the circle, fell to the ground as the realization of who the white female was hit her.

            “Shield your eyes,” she cried, bowing her head to the ground.

            One by one, the Ice Mountain wolves, the Eir clan wolves, and the wolves upon the hill quickly dropped to the earth and bowed their heads; Jenna, who lay beneath Balto, was the only one to remain looking. Just as she as during the night before, she feared to turn her eyes away and loose Balto.

            As Balto and the white female glowed brighter and brighter, light began to shine from under Steele’s shadowy cloak, but not as though it were a light; the light from within him pierced him like a lance wherever it came out.

            Balto looked down at Jenna to find her still looking back at him.

            “Shield your eyes, Jenna, please,” he said softly.

            Jenna felt tears coming, and shook her head.

            “I can’t,” she replied. “I don’t want to loose you.”

            And then the flash came.  

            Jenna blinked, and suddenly the world around her was bathed in light, and shapes began to take form around her; particles of light became the bodies of wolves. She gasped in awe and disbelief as she looked around at them all.

            Gunther and Milo stood side by side, laughing as brothers did. Nearby, Echo and Vella nuzzled lovingly as did Kikki and Treffen. And there before her stood her mother and father, happily together. Beyond them, the forest was filled with hundreds more, perhaps thousands more. And they all looked at her and smiled.

            Jenna smiled back just as she felt a paw rest on her shoulder. She turned around and came face to face with Balto.

            “Hey, Jen,” he said softly.

            “Balto!” she cried, nuzzling him lovingly. But as she did, she heard him say,

            “I have to go now, Jenna.”

            She stepped back and met his eyes with hers.

            “What…? Oh, Balto no, you’re…you’re just like them, aren’t you?” she said, glancing back at the rest of the wolves gathered behind her. “You’re…you’re really…”

            Balto smiled reassuringly.

            “My body may be dead, Jenna, but I’ll still be with you forever…” He put a paw to her chest. “…here.”

            Just then, a warm voice called out from behind,

            “Come home, my son.”

            Balto nodded and stepped away to follow the rest of the wolves toward where the light from the world around them seemed to gathering on the horizon. The rest of the wolves began to run toward it, but Balto looked back at Jenna and smiled one last time.

            “I love you, Jenna.”

            Then, as he turned and began to run, Jenna’s vision faded into darkness.

            “Jenna? Jenna, please wake up.”

            “Mom, please, I can’t loose you, too.”

            Jenna felt someone prod her gently with his paw, and she slowly opened her eyes. There stood Aleu.

            “Oh, thank Aniu, are you alright, mom?”

            Aleu nuzzled her gently and stepped back again.

            “Aleu, is that really you?” Jenna asked.

            “I’m here, mom,” she replied. “I couldn’t have born to loose you like…” She hesitated. “…like we lost Dad.”

            “But he saved us all,” came another voice.

            Jenna looked and instantly recognized Sadera as she padded up to her.

            “You came?” Jenna asked. “Why?”

            “I can’t explain it, it just kind of happened,” Sadera replied. “At first, I thought it was for revenge on Nemec, but when we got close that just kind of disappeared. And after the flash, when we looked up Nemec, Steele, everyone else was gone except us and them.” She gestured to Aleu.

            Jenna got to her paws and looked around for Belle, she spotted her off to the side with Tes.

            Belle padded slowly, hesitantly up to Tes, wondering how she could explain all that she’d said and then why she felt the way she did now. Every angry word she’d spat at him the night before burned in her memory, as did his voice:

“Why are you doing this to me?” she heard herself say, “Why do you insult me?”

She felt tears coming as Tes replied.

“Insult you? Oh, Aniu, no Belle… Please…”

Belle wanted to scream, wanted to stop what she knew was coming next, but she knew she couldn’t.

            ”I don’t love you, Tes,” she heard herself growl. “Now turn your eyes away from me!”

            When the voices finally faded, she found herself face to face with Tes, but before she could open her muzzle to speak he turned his back to her.

            “Why are you torturing me like this?” he said. “You asked me not to look at you again. I won’t insult you, but neither will I hold myself back if you’ve come to belittle me again.”

            “Tes, I…I didn’t mean anything I said. Yours was an honest love, I know that now,” Belle replied. “I just let my pride guide my actions; something I never should have done. I didn’t want to hurt you, Tes, please believe me.”

            “Why should I?” he asked coldly.

            Belle’s voice fell to a whisper.

            “Because I love you, too.”

            She waited for a moment, but when Tes said nothing she turned and began to walk away. Just then, he called after her,

            “Belle!”

            She looked back, eyes filling with tears, and saw to her surprise that Tes was crying, too.

            “Don’t leave me,” he said softly.

            Belle turned around and blinked back tears as Tes took a step toward her.

            “What…?” she asked hesitantly.

            “Don’t leave me, Belle,” Tes replied. “I love you.”

            Belle bounded toward him and him towards her. They met in a flurry of snow and nuzzled each other warmly.

            Jenna watched as Belle and Tes came together, smiled and followed Aleu back to her pack, which would escort her home.

Epilogue

            That day, Aleu’s Snow River clan, the Ice Mountain clan and the Eir clan met on the hills outside Nome. As they watched Jenna pad back toward her home, they vowed to honor the memories of those they lost, and to never forget Balto’s sacrifice. They pledged that never again would blood be shed so long as they lived.

            The storytellers of each clan would soon call that day the Day of Union.

            That same day, as she lay in the small bed in Rosie’s kitchen, Jenna closed her eyes and thought of Balto and all the life they’d had together. And she smiled.

            An angel returned, that night through the sky

            Time it was short, he had to decide

            So as he flew back over the land

            A gift for his Lady was there in his hand

            It was the glow of a light, it was the heart of a song,

            It was the tear of a child, who had never belonged,

            It was the wish of a soul, on the pure Northern Lights

            And She smiled down at him on that cold winter night.

The End

*The songs “An Angel Came Down” and “An Angel Returned” are the property of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They have been adapted for the sole purpose of telling this story.

*The song “For Good” is the property of Stephen Schwartz and has been adapted for the sole purpose of telling this story.

*Balto, Jenna, Kaltag, Rosie, and all other Balto characters are © to Universal Pictures.

*Krystal, Nemec, Echo, Vella, Sadera, Belle, Tes, Dero, Kantu, Kemen, Laila, Daciana, Bertolf, Cedar, Gail, Ler, Cloud Runner, Desai, Isha, Ana, Ranok, and Ruth are my property. Please do not use them without my consent. Thanks.

*The events of this story are © to me. Please do not copy or alter them.