A mud brown wolf dog ran with his mail team in a sled. He was only three dogs behind the lead dog, Kodi, his great uncle. This was Sitka, Rex and Soul’s second son. He had replaced Nouga, a much older mud brown husky. There was also another new member on the team. She was called Shakira and had replaced Chelsea, a young, speedy black and brown husky that bore similar colours to Shakira, but she was brown and dark grey. The team raced towards Nome where Rex and Soul were waiting for their son to return from his first mail run.
‘ I’m proud of him.’ Rex said.
‘ I’m worried. Someone might find out.’ Soul replied.
‘ I know it’ll be hard for him to hide his wolf heritage, but it’s for the best. If the humans found out, then they’ll hunt my mother and my siblings. Then you’ll be hunted and they’ll start looking for your siblings.’ Rex said.
‘ My siblings are gone, Rex. I’ve searched for them, they’re gone.’ Soul replied. She looked happy, but her eyes told Rex that she missed Joseph.
‘ I know you miss Joseph, but we’ve got to accept the changes in life. Who knows, he might be alive.’ Rex said. His attempts of cheering up Soul were as useless as her mot remembering who Rex was.
‘ If he was alive, then he would’ve come looking for me. He was the one who told me to flee here. He saved my life.’ Soul said. She hadn’t seen Joseph since she was a pup and all she could remember was his voice.
‘ Miracles can happen, when you believe. I know that.’ Rex replied. Soul then walked away as Sitka came into Rex’s sight. ‘ I need to be alone for a minute.’ Soul said as she walked. Rex cheered Sitka as he came into town. He was unstrapped as his father came up to him.
‘ Where’s Mom?’ Sitka asked as he walked with Rex.
‘ She needs to be alone for a moment. She still misses your uncle Joseph like I miss your sisters.’ Rex answered. Even though it was nearly a year ago that he let them go, his heart told him to bring them home.
‘ I miss Nita and Lisa too and, I do wish that I could of met Uncle Joseph. He sounds like you.’ Sitka replied. It seemed that Rex and Joseph were the same wolf dog.
‘ How long are you here for?’ Rex asked, changing the subject.
‘ We leave in the morning. Then we have a short break.’ Sitka answered as he stared at Shakira.
‘ You like her, don’t you?’ Rex asked. He knew that Sitka would deny it, but Rex could sense it.
‘ No. She can’t stand me, no one can.’ Sitka answered. He had thought of asking Shakira out, but fear had always stopped him.
****
Soul walked down the streets of Nome thinking of her brother.
‘I always needed time on my own
‘ You really miss him, but he’s searching for you.’
‘ Mom?’ Soul asked as she swung around to find nothing. Rex ran up to her as she stared at the ground. He then sat next to her and lifted her head.
‘ If you hold onto memories, it’ll just make you more upset.’ Rex said as he nuzzled Soul.
‘ I know, but it’s hard to let go of someone you love.’ She said.
‘ Every wolf dog has lost someone they love deeply in their life. Take Balto for example. He lost his parents and siblings. He saw them die.’ Rex whispered into her ear.
‘ We all know. I nearly lost you, more than once.’ Soul whispered.
‘ Sitka’s staying in town until morning. You should see him before he’s off.’ Rex said. He then started walking to the boiler room with Soul following close behind. She was certain that Isabella had called her.
Meanwhile, Sitka was talking to Kodi, Dusty, Ralph and Kirby. Shakira was busy visiting her owners.
‘ Why don’t you just ask her?’ Ralph asked.
‘ I just don’t have the confidence. She would just deny me.’ Sitka answered.
‘ But you’re the most confident guy I know! I don’t know anyone who would deny you. I bet she feels the same way.’ Dusty said without knowing that it was true. Shakira had watched Sitka from a distance and had known his secret from the beginning. She walked into the room and stared at Sitka as he chatted.
‘ What should I tell him? I know he likes me and I like him. I know his secret, but he knows that I wouldn’t tell anyone. What should I do?’ Shakira asked herself. She loved Sitka, but it was really difficult to say anything to him. Sitka then walked out the room and Shakira saw her chance to tell him. She followed him and surprised him.
‘ How did you like the run today?’ Sitka asked knowing that it was a stupid question.
‘ It was okay. Sitka, I need some advice. I like his husky, but he doesn’t know and I want him to know. How can I tell him without making him panic?’ Shakira asked. This was probably the best way for her to start the relationship with Sitka.
‘ Well, this isn’t my best area, but I’ll try. First, it depends on who it is. Different dogs react in different ways. You have to just keep giving hints until he knows what you’re trying to say. If you just go up to him and tell him, he’ll reject you. Who is he?’ Sitka asked. If she did like another guy, then he would be heart broken.
‘ Well, he lives in town and is on the team. He’s…you.’ She answered. She had done her best to avoid saying that, but her heart had forced to her blurt it out. Sitka froze and everything went black.
****
Sitka opened his eyes and saw Cop hovering over him.
‘ He’s waking up!’ Cop exclaimed. Sitka sat up and saw Kiara and his parents as well. Beside him, Shakira slept.
‘ How long was I out?’ He asked.
‘ Two days straight. How are feeling, son?’ Rex asked. Sitka was surprised. He had never been asleep that long before nor did he ever faint before.
‘ I feel fine. How did the team get the mail through?’ Sitka asked.
‘ They put Cameron and Cop in your places.’ Soul answered.
‘ Shakira didn’t go? She’s been here for two days?’ Sitka asked. She must have liked him if she stayed by his side.
‘ Yeah. I can see that you’re a couple now.’ Cop said as Shakira woke up.
‘ Yeah and I’m glad that we are. I’ve always liked her and now, I know she likes me back,’ Sitka said. Shakira smiled as she stood up. ‘ Are you okay?’
Sitka then nuzzled her. Rex and Soul left the house while Cop went into another room. Both of them were happy, but that stopped when Rex came back inside.
‘ Sitka, Shakira. I think you should see this.’ He said. They followed him and saw the townsfolk running to the centre of town.
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the place where we once lived, is holding memories
When I walked away I counted the steps that I took Do you see how much I need you right now
When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day, and make it okay
I miss you…’ Soul sang. Her tears burnt her fur and dripped onto the snow beneath her.
‘ I’ve heard of something like this happening before, but where?’ Sitka asked himself, but an unhappy answer came from Kodi.
‘ This was before our jobs were at risk. It’s another plane. Dad was right, perhaps we won’t be able to race it this time.’ He answered as Sitka’s jaw dropped to the ground.
‘ You mean the team could lose their jobs this time?’ Shakira asked.
‘ We’ve gotta race it and win! We all know what happened last time, we have a chance of winning!’ Sitka exclaimed. He remembered the story of the Bush plane and how Duke nearly died.
‘ There’s one problem. It’s the beginning of summer and there’s less chance of a snowstorm that could knock down a plane. Unless we get Dad on the team!’ Kodi exclaimed. If there were a bunch of wolf dogs on the team, then there would be less chance of them slowing down.
‘ Uncle Kodi, Balto’s in hospital. He fell off the boat and landed on his back leg. He can’t even walk more than two steps without falling over. We could get Dingo instead.’ Rex said. Kodi’s face then lit up as he stared at his nephew.
‘ Or you.’ He said.
‘ Me? No no no no no no, no! The last time I was on a sled I was nearly killed! Plus, I’ve hardly got any wolf blood in me. I refuse.’ Rex said as the memories of him falling off Cloud’s sled came into his mind.
‘ Dad! Please! You’re fastest wolf dog in town! Maybe faster than Balto. We need you!’ Sitka pleaded. His father was possibly faster than Balto. There was Kiara, but the day after she came back home, they raced again and her experience with the stray wolf dogs had put her off racing therefore Rex being faster than her.
‘ I’ll think about it.’ Rex replied as he walked towards the crowd of humans. Kodi, Sitka and Shakira went to the boiler room to discuss if Rex was the right choice.
In the crowd of humans, Rex squeezed past them and saw the pilot. He was tall and had light brown hair. He seemed like a nice man to Rex, but maybe this guy really wanted his son’s job. The crowd soon reduced to nothing as the pilot walked away. Rex walked up to the plane, wandering what it held inside. He jumped onto the wing and sniffed the inside. He felt something on his head that made him jump off.
‘ Hey boy. You like my plane, don’t ya? I’m Jacob,’ He said as Rex looked up at him. He didn’t want Jacob to see his scar, but it was too late. ‘ You’re the dog that everyone talks about, other than Balto. The miracle dog. That must’ve of some fight you were in to get that scar. I used to have a dog back in White Mountain, I named him Joseph.’
That name made Rex quirk. Did Jacob own Soul’s brother?
‘ He once fought his wolf that attacked the town. I thought that he would be a goner, but he survived. There hasn’t been any wolf attacks since. He was like you,’ Jacob continued. He did own Joseph! Soul would be so pleased that her brother was alive. ‘But he went missing one day. He took is sisters too. Their mother’s owner said that they had another sibling that disappeared during the wolf attack. I’ve been searching for my dog in this plane ever since. I’m hoping to find their lost sibling too.’
Rex then ran off. Jacob called after him, but he didn’t respond. Minutes later he came back with Soul. Jacob was still standing by the plane waiting for Rex.
‘ The pilot used to own your brother. He’s been looking for you and Joseph since he ran off. If he sees you, then he’ll see the resemblance and know that you and Joseph are related.’ Rex said as he walked beside Soul.
‘ What if it’s not him? Any dog can be called Joseph.’ Soul replied as they neared the plane.
‘ It will be him. I promise. If it isn’t then, I’ll do something girly with you.’ Rex said.
‘ I don’t even like doing girly stuff. That’s what happens when you’re half wolf.’ Soul replied. She wasn’t sure about Jacob, but then, it could be a chance to find out what her sibling had been doing since she left. Soul jumped onto the wing as Rex sat beside Jacob.
‘ Is this Soul?’ Jacob asked. Rex nodded his head as Jacob stroked Soul. ‘ She’s really beautiful. You don’t see many white huskies these days. There’re either black or mixed. Wait a second, you’ve got the same eyes as my dog.’
‘ Everyone in my family has. Except Phoenix and Maria.’ Soul thought.
‘ You’re the dog I’ve been looking for! I knew that I’d find you one day. You should know, your brother is one good dog.’ Jacob said. Soul jumped off the wing and let Jacob stroke and hug her.
‘ Told you.’ Rex whispered.
‘ Thanks Rex. I know my brother’s alive and so are my sisters unfortunately.’ Soul replied. The hugging and stroking ceased and Jacob walked towards a hotel. Rex and Soul walked back to their houses. Soul was happy that she knew that Joseph was alive and because of that, Rex was too.
****
The next morning, Jacob was in the post office trying to persuade the head that his plane was better than the last one in 1928. Beneath them was the mail team with Kiara listening in on the conversation.
After moments of babbling amongst themselves, Kiara announced the news.
‘ There’s gonna be another race. Winner, or winners, gets the job. Sitka, you need to persuade Dad into doing the race since Balto’s in hospital. Do you have any plans?’ She asked. Everyone’s eyes were on Sitka and he felt a huge amount of pressure being put on his back.
‘ When’s the race?’ He asked.
‘ In two days.’ Dusty replied.
‘ Dad will give in soon. If he doesn’t, then we’ll just do the thing that he hates and if that doesn’t work, we’ll get Dingo.’ Sitka said. Kiara knew what he was talking about and she didn’t like the sound of it.
‘ Are you sure? If we do that, then Dad won’t be able to trust us ever again and I just got back his trust last week.’ Kiara replied. She didn’t want to lose her fathers trust again; it was bad enough last time.
‘ Mom can persuade him.’ Sitka said. He could always count on his mother to help him when he needed it. Kiara gave in; this would be their only plan.
A few hours later, Soul and Rex sat on the beach. Soul knew what she had to do, but it might not be that easy.
‘ Rex, you know that Sitka loves his job. Why won’t you help them?’ She asked.
‘ Soul, there isn’t going to be a snowstorm this season. That’s the only thing that can stop that plane. I’m fast, but what if I’m not fast enough? I don’t want him to run away.’ He answered. Soul knew what he was talking about. She didn’t want him to run away either.
‘ I know how you feel. But you both know that you’ll give it all you’ve got. Don’t do it for him, do it for me.’ Soul said.
‘ Okay, I’ll do it for you,’ Rex replied. He then jumped onto his grandfather’s boat and stood on the bow. ‘ We’re gonna win that race.’
****
Two days later, Rex was strapped at the front of the sled. Behind him were Kodi, Sitka, Shakira, Dusty, Ralph and Kirby. A few feet away were the plane and Jacob. Both sides were ready to go. The townsfolk were cheering them on as the gun was lifted.
‘ The rules are simple: race to Kiana, drop your mail and come back.’ The head of the post office shouted. There was a sudden boom and both teams were gone.
Hours flew by like the summer birds. The plane was far ahead of the team and they were starting to lose hope of ever winning.
‘ Come on! You’re acting like you lost someone on the Titanic! Lighten up!’ Rex shouted as they neared Kiana. Jacob was giving the mail to the post office as the team came into the borders of the town.
‘ Not everyone can like you, Dad!’ Sitka exclaimed. Soon the mail was in the post office and they were ready to go. Jacob was checking his plane for any faults. Once he was done, the team had already gone! He started the plane and he was soon gone.
****
Two hours later, the team came across a large lake where there had once been a snow plain. They’re were stuck.
‘ The temperature’s risen since this morning. We’re gonna have to take the mountain pass!’ Rex announced as the plane flew over them.
‘ It’s too risky. We could lose someone out there. Isn’t there a way around?’ Kodi asked.
‘ No. Unless you want to be bear meat. The only way round other than that is the mountain pass. Come on, we need to catch up with the plane!’ Rex shouted. The others didn’t like the sound of becoming a bear’s meal, but they didn’t like the sound of the mountain pass either. They started to head west and they soon the mountain pass was in their sight.
The wind was strong, the ground was slippery and there was only enough room to fit the sled in. They started to slow down and it seemed like hope was lost forever.
‘ I think it would have been better if we gone th…’ Shakira mumbled, but then she screamed.
‘ Shakira!’ Sitka shouted as he saw his girlfriend holding onto her harness. Everyone did their best to pull her up, but she kept slipping. Rex slipped out of his harness and grabbed her scruff and held it in his mouth as he pulled. The ground beneath them was cracking and just before it broke completely, Sitka got out of his harness, pushed Rex away and grabbed Shakira’s scruff, but he couldn’t hold on long enough to avoid falling down the mountain.
‘ Sitka! Shakira!’ Rex shouted. Everyone got back in their harnesses and got back into the race.
For the rest of the race, Rex didn’t say a word. When they got back to Nome, they had just beaten the plane. Everyone thought that they would be happy, but they were more upset than a waterfall.
Soul was walking around town looking for Rex when she saw him on Balto’s boat. She walked up to the bow and nuzzled him.
‘ I heard what happened.’ Soul whispered. Rex could sense that she was just as sad as he was.
‘ It’s my fault. If I had taken the team the other way, then he could be here.’ Rex whispered back. Everything during the past year had felt like it was his fault and he just wanted to howl all of his sadness out.
‘ Nothing is your fault. There’s a chance that Sitka and Shakira survived. You survived that fall during your last race.’ Soul said.
‘ Shakira isn’t part wolf and Sitka is more dog than wolf. For all I know, they could be frozen.’ Rex said.
‘ They might find a wolf pack that could take them home,’ Soul replied. She knew that might not be true, but there might be a chance. ‘ They’re gonna come home.’
****
At the bottom of the mountain, Sitka lay motionless in the melting snow. Shakira was nowhere near him. Two wolf pups played around him until one of them stood on his nose and he stood up. The pups crawled away in fear as he shook his head and looked around him.
‘ Shakira!’ He shouted. He was alone and he needed to get home. He walked south and saw the edge of the forest that was only a few miles away from home, but Sitka didn’t know how big the forest was…
He ran as fast as he could until he tripped over something half hidden in the slippery snow. Sitka investigated on what had caused him to stop him from returning. He swept the snow away and found Shakira, paralysed in shock and fear. There were many wounds on her and she was barely breathing. Frost had covered her thick fur and she was shivering. Sitka felt tears come from his eyes, as he had never seen anyone in such condition.
‘ Sitka…help me…’ Shakira whimpered. Sitka sat beside her, sharing his warmth.
‘ I’m not gonna let you go. I’m not losing you now.’ Sitka whispered as more tears came to his eyes. He hadn’t cried for years and it felt strange. He laid his head on Shakira’s neck as the wind blew hard.
Hours later, Sitka and Shakira were underneath a thin sheet of snow. Sitka stood up and stretched his long legs. His girlfriend had only warmed up a little bit and it seemed that she would never make it. He lifted his head and howled loud with sorrow and grief until he heard a voice and saw a dim light. He started barking and the light became brighter until Sitka saw the figure of a human. The human came closer and saw Sitka who stuck out like a sore thumb.
‘ Hey boy. What you doing out here?’ The human asked in a low voice. He then heard whimpering and saw Shakira. ‘ Oh, dear. You must’ve got lost.’
The man then picked her up and walked away. Sitka had faith in this human and followed him. Only a couple miles away stood a cabin. Sitka followed the man inside and saw a bright fire burning. Shakira was placed by the fire and had a blanket put over her. Sitka sat next to her and the man gave him a small piece of meat.
‘ You must be one of them wolf dogs that everyone talks about. My name’s Ben.’ The man said as he grabbed a chair and put it in front of the dogs. Sitka curled up next to Shakira, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
****
Rex sat in the boiler room hanging his head. Soul walked in and sat next to him.
‘ I’m going to find them, even if it kills me.’ Rex whispered. He stood up and headed for the door.
‘ What?! You can’t go out there! They could be anywhere by now!’ Soul exclaimed, but it was no use.
‘ I’m gonna get some help first, from some old friends.’ Rex said. Soul had no idea who he was talking about, but he would need the help. Rex walked outside and ran to the forest.
‘ Be careful Rex, there’s a Storm coming.’ Soul thought as she saw Rex run off.
Rex ran fast, but he then tripped over something and fell on his face.
‘ Careful. You could kill someone.’ Rex said as wiped the mud from his muzzle. He turned around to see nothing, not even a stick that could trip him up.
‘ Hey, that’s not how you say hi to an old friend.’ A voice said. It came from the shadows of the tall pine and fir trees around him.
‘ There’s no use hiding. I know your tricks. Come out.’ Rex replied.
‘ If you say so…’ The voice said as a black wolf stepped from the shadows.
‘ Storm. Haven’t seen you in a while, have I?’ Rex asked as Storm came face to face with him.
‘ Not in years. How’re you and Soul doing?’ Storm asked.
‘ We’re doing great. We’ve had 5 pups just over a year ago.’ Rex answered.
‘ We’ve had some new pack members,’ Storm replied. There was a pause for a moment until one of them spoke. ‘ I just can’t believe it’s you. I haven’t seen or heard from you in years!’
‘ How many new members are there?’ Rex asked. He was quite curious to see if he and Blue Sun were mates.
‘ About 13. Lightning found Ronda and had 4 pups about 10 months ago, Star Field and Thunder Claw had 8 only 7 months ago, but not yet for me and Blue Sun. We’re waiting for the right time.’ Storm answered.
‘ We named ours, Nita, Lisa, Cop, Kiara and Sitka. You might of met Nita and Lisa. They live with the Thunder and Wind packs.’ Rex replied. If he had enough time, maybe he could see one of them.
‘ I heard about the war and how you ended it. Can’t believe you beat Zack, he killed my parents. So, why are you here?’ Storm asked. It wasn’t likely that Rex would come to him without a reason.
‘ I’m looking for my son, Sitka. He fell off a sled with his girlfriend and down a mountainside during a race and I need your help to find him. Can you?’ Rex asked. He needed to find Sitka before it was too late. ‘ What about Grey Heart?’
' I’ll take you to the pack.’ Storm said, trying not to think about it. All the way, they talked about what had been happening over the years until they came to a clearing and the pack was in sight. Rex ran over to them and they turned around and ran towards him, but soon all there was, was a pile of wolves with Rex at the bottom. The other wolves helped them out and the old friends reunited. Soon, there was a babblings of voices that no one could understand.
‘ You heard? We’re doing great, especially Rosa, Julliard, Julie and Roma. They’re the pups if you didn’t know. Heard you and Soul had 5, what did you name them?’ Lightning asked as he and Rex walked over to the family.
‘ What is it, Roma?’ He asked.
‘ She had a bit of an accident a few weeks ago with a musk ox’ Storm answered.
‘Oh, I’m sorry. Musk ox can be dangerous when you anger them.’ Rex replied.
‘ Guys! I know you’re happy to see me, but I can’t understand a word you’re saying. Calm down,’ Rex said as the voices dimmed down. He noticed Lightning at the back of the group and walked over to him. ‘ Heard the news. How are you and Ronda?’
Ronda had black and white lines around her hazel eyes that stood out on her brown fur. Julliard had two short black lines and a white lightning shape run down his hazel and green eyes along with his brown and grey coat. Roma had no markings, but looked a lot like her father. Rosa had two white lines and a black line around her light purple eyes on her light brown fur and Julie had a black and white line around her forest green eyes and down her neck on her white and light brown coat.
‘ Nita, Lisa, Cop, Kiara and Sitka. I’m looking for my second youngest, Sitka. He fell down a mountainside about 105 miles outside of Kiana and I need all of your help. Can you?’ Rex asked. He saw that the younger ones were only staring at him. He shot Storm a questioning look and Storm mouthed that he was like a hero in the forest. Rex walked away and saw one of Thunder’s kids sitting by a tree and looking at the red and orange sky. ‘ Thunder? Who’s that?’
‘ That’s my eldest son, Talon. He’s been very shy since his last hunt. We don’t know why, but he ventures out on his own everyday and night.’ Thunder answered. Rex walked towards the black and white pup as Thunder played with his other children, Taeko, Takara, Talora, Saius, Salen, Salon and Samba. The girls (the ones whose names begin with T except Talon) looked like their father while their brothers looked like their mother.
‘ You’re the wolf dog? Hard to believe.’ Talon said as Rex walked closer and closer.
‘ Oh really? It’s also hard to believe that you are shy.’ Rex answered as he sat next to Talon.
‘ I have a perfectly good reason, like you did when you got your scar.’ Talon replied as he looked at the ground, not one peep at anyone else.
‘ I had no reason to not go back home. Just wandering though, why are you so shy?’ Rex asked as he watched the clouds pass by.
‘ I’ll only tell you if you promise to keep it on the down low,’ Talon said. Rex nodded and Talon carried on. ‘ A few weeks ago, something happened, something really bad. I was attacked by a neighbouring pack and they said that I would only live if Storm came back to them and if I said no, then there would be a war. I just ran, said nothing. I was only thinking about the pack, there are not many of us and I’ve seen a lot of wolves killed in my face. All I have are those memories, thankfully I’ll never see a wolf die again, but it won’t matter. Those memories affected me in drastic measures.’
‘ Did you know the packs name?’ Rex asked as he thought that he could probably stop them from attacking.
‘ They said something about shadows or something like that. They didn’t say where they were from.’ Talon answered as Rex’s jaw dropped. The pack could be at war with his old enemies, but there was still a chance at stopping them.
‘ The Shadow pack. My old enemies have returned,’ Rex whispered to himself. ‘Talon, we need to stop them. They’re deadly, they killed so many.’
‘ I don’t really care about other packs. Just as long as this pack is okay, then so am I.’ Talon replied, but before he could say anything else, Rex burst out.
‘ They nearly killed my daughter and you don’t care! You are the most selfish dog I ever met!’ Rex exclaimed angrily.
‘ Dog? I’m a wolf, not some mangy mutt like you or your family!’ Talon shouted without thinking.
‘ Wolves care about each other. Dogs only think about themselves, like you. I may be part dog, but it doesn’t mean I never use my wolf side ‘cause I do and I have to keep it a secret to protect my family. You should join the Shadow pack, I’m sure they’d accept you.’ Rex said as he and Talon went opposite ways. Roma ran after him as he disappeared into the trees.
‘ Talon! Talon, wait!’ She shouted as Talon stopped.
‘ Don’t treat Rex that way. He is right about you and to think, you wouldn’t even be born if it wasn’t for him.’ Roma answered.
‘ I could’ve been born without his help.’ Talon replied.
‘ He helped bring the pack together. I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t helped my dad come out of his shell. You treat your father with respect, but suddenly a father and hero comes and you don’t care?! I sometimes wander why I waste my time on you.’ Roma explained.
‘ Roma, he’s a mutt. A wolf dog, a hybrid! They can’t be hero’s, only outcasts and they certainly can’t be real fathers.’ Talon said. In Roma’s mind and memories of her mother’s tales of Steele, Talon was acting just like him.
‘ They may be different, but they care more than anyone. They saved lives, Rex, Balto, Nita and many more. Why don’t you care? Do you care about anyone except yourself?’ Roma asked.
‘ I care about the pack and you. Roma, we’re both different. You being the odd one out in your family and me being blind.’ Talon answered. Roma looked at his eyes and his irises were as grey as his cloudy pupils.
‘ Being different isn’t always a bad thing.’ Roma said as she remembered what her father told her when she was young.
‘ Trust me, this isn’t one of those times, Roma.’ Talon replied as he remembered his last hunt when his sight became blurry and suddenly he fell down a small hill. When he woke up, he couldn’t see anything, but he knew that his eyes were open. He had only told Roma and she had helped him live life normally.
‘ Not if you don’t want it to be. I’ve got to head back now, I’ll see you later.’ Roma said as she ran back to the pack. Talon sighed deeply, but his head perked up when he heard cackling.
‘ What is it?’ He asked.
‘ We just want an answer from you. We don’t know if running away is yes or no. You tell us.’ A black wolf said as he stepped from the shadows.
‘ It’s a no, but there isn’t going to be a war.’ Talon replied. He could sense that there was more than one wolf there.
‘ Oh, really? Are you going to surrender for your little pack?’ The wolf asked.
‘ I think it’s you that’s going to surrender. We happen to have a weapon that you fear, but not just you, the whole forest too.’ Talon said. From what he knew about Rex, no one would dare face him unless they had brain damage or thought they had a chance of winning.
‘ The forest fears no one neither do we. You have no weapon, no nothing. You and your pack are just…’ The wolf said, but he was interrupted.
‘ We have the one who defeated Zack, and fought the wolverine single-handed. The father of the Northern lights pack chosen one and soon to be alpha female of the Wind pack. I think you have a reason to be afraid.’ Talon said. He then walked back to the pack, leaving the Shadow wolves whimpering.
****
‘ A couple hours before you did. Thanks for saving me.’ She said.
‘ I have no idea, but I’ll think of something soon.’ He answered. He knew that being a father; Rex’s instinct would bring him out and into the forest to find his son.
‘ Your welcome. Ben’s preparing bison, you wanna have a taste?’ Sitka asked as they stopped nuzzling.
‘ Sure.’ Shakira answered as she followed Sitka inside. They sat by their bowls and ate. Both knew that they couldn’t stay forever, but did Ben know that? What if he thought they had run away and were never to return?
‘ You two enjoy your meal while I go out. I’ll be back soon enough.’ Ben said as he grabbed his coat and rifle and went through the door. Sitka swallowed the last piece of food and sat by the fire. Shakira finished soon after and sat next to him.
‘ How are we gonna leave him, after he saved us?’ She asked.
‘ Storm, I need to tell you something urgent.’ Rex said, breaking the silence. Storm dropped his hare and walked over...
To be continued...