Sweet little lies 2: Aleu Returns
By: Gabriel LaVedier
Note: The character of Mr. Virgil White is my creation. The rest belong to Universal studios. The name Sinopa comes from CatWhoHas14Tails. This is dedicated to her.
"You're lying. She said that she was going away and would never come back." Nome, Alaska. The chilly end of an eventful day wasn't quite finished. The sun was going down, but the action was still pumping. As was Balto's heart. It throbbed hard in his thick, barrel chest, surging his blood through him in perfect fight or flight response. But he didn't fancy his chances against the only outlet for his anger, and he had nowhere to run, not if he wanted to protect his daughter. He didn't relish the duty, but good or bad, right or wrong, she was still his daughter, and he had to defend her. From anything. Even his mate.
"Now, my dear sir, would I lie to you?" Beside Balto's panicked form was a small fox, white from nose to tail with eyes red as smoldering embers. An albino. Mr. Virgil White, and all variants of that name. He had a smile on his face, one that never seemed to leave him no matter what, as though he was continually amused by everything that happened to him and those around him. "I don't have a deceitful bone in my body. I speak only the truth. Most especially when I tell people their own secrets. And this is a monster of a secret, isn't it, hero?"
"What am I going to do? Jenna will… Kodi! She's still with him. If she finds out…" Heavy, broad paw pads crunched in the snow as the wolf-dog beat trail back to his boat, to get his mate away from their newly-revealed gay son, and his lover. He had to keep them apart. If Jenna reacted as he thought she might, she'd turn back to anger, and let it burn their son.
"And that's why I always eat healthy before a big run. Lousy breakfast, lousy performance." Back at the boat, things were going genially enough. Kirby, the big, brown hunk of handsome sled dog was explaining his rules and rituals for running, with Jenna listening patiently and Kodi, with hearts in his eyes and a flutter in his heart, hanging on every word. "How about you, any secrets that you know?"
"Me? Oh, I'm not a runner. Rosie barely takes me out on her little sled. But I do know that having a bandana can't hurt." Jenna nuzzled at her red bandana to emphasize her point.
"Mom! If I wore a bandana then I'd look exactly like you. And people get mixed up enough as it is. Last week Dipsy gossiped with me for twenty minutes before she realized I wasn't you. But she did let me in on the neatest things. Guess who's pregnant."
"It's Dusty! Gotta be!" Kirby piped up right away.
"No! It can't be. She's so young and has that great figure."
"Kirby's right, mom. Dipsy says Dusty's got a few on the way. She's hiding it, of course. And of COURSE she hasn't told Ralph yet, but…" There was more to come, but Kodi never got the chance to say it. Because Balto leaped onto the boat and began shoving his son and Kirby off of the deck.
"Sorry to break this up, but it's getting late and we're not really set up for guests. And Jenna, don't you have to get back to Rosie? I'll bet she's wondering where you are."
"Well… Yes. But we could spend a little more time."
"Don't want to keep her waiting. And, son, I've seen that boiler room. All the good places get taken if you don't get there early. Go on, we'll talk more later."
"A-alright. Goodnight, Balto." Jenna leaped from the side of the ship, but cast a furtive glance back at her mate, who was at that moment looking over the edge as Kodi and Kirby leaped off. Something had put the fear in him. Fear enough to break up a peaceful conversation without a proper explanation. And she would have a proper explanation, sooner rather than later.
"This isn't happening. This can't happen to me. She swore that she'd live in the wild and never come back after… She was supposed to stay away…" Balto paced the pitched deck of his ruined ship, long after the moon had risen and the night had fallen. He fretted and shook his head, talking to himself and denying what he had been told. If he doubted it enough it might turn out to be untrue. Watching him from the rail of the ship was the albino troublemaker, smiling his perpetual smile.
"You sound like a broken Victrola. Calm down, daddy. Your little girl will be here in her own time. You can panic then. No sense in getting all worked up before there's anything to be worked up over. Now, just sleep and relax. Honestly, you'll give yourself a heart attack like this."
"That's fine for you to say, fox! You just have to trot around spilling secrets everywhere, you don't have to live with their revelation."
"You're right." The albino leaped off the boat, but called back, "I only have to live with the weight of all your transgressions that you're all too weak to own up to."
With a huge, heaved sigh, Balto collapsed onto the deck, with no blanket or padding. Just the salt-crusted wood. He looked down at the warped and blasted surface, considering the last statement. The only thing worse than keeping your own secret is keeping everyone else's. The fox was filled with obfuscations, falsehoods and deceptions. And yet was the most honest creature in the world. He spoke truth, and never just spilled a secret despite the temptation.
"Balto! There you are. Why for having the long face, eh? You should be happy, yes! Mate is no more yelling at son, son is no more yelling at mate. Now you are having peace and quiet. That is what you wanted, yes?" From out of the sky winged Boris, the non-migratory Russian goose, who usually kept time with Stella. But she knew how much he cared for Balto, so she understood when he went to look over his canine charge. The son he didn't have. Yet.
"It's not that simple, Boris. I want Jenna and Kodi to be at peace. But I understand the reason that its hard."
"What is so hard? I am seeing both of them with big lead dog Kirby, talking and laughing after they have fight. So there is no problem."
"There is a problem, Boris. Kodi is… Kodi is…" The half-wolf muttered something under his breath and looked aside.
"Is what? Is what? Speak up, Balto. Hearing is not what used to be."
"Boris. Kodi is in love."
"Is good, then."
"With Kirby."
Boris' face dropped, his old eyes wide in disbelief. "Is bad. What are you meaning, "In love?""
"I mean, love. Romantic love. Tender love. Love strong enough to make him stand up to Jenna, snarling and bristling, to defend Kirby and his feelings from all her doubt." Balto rolled over onto his back to stare up at the stars. "The kind of love that I have for Jenna. That A… It's real, Boris. This is something new to me. To Jenna. To everyone."
There was silence then, a long, long while, with only the wind's motion breaking the heavy stillness. Boris finally spoke, looking down at the deck. "You know, Balto, I am old goose. Have been around for a long time. Seen many things, heard many things. I have seen scared, skinny pup turn into great hero. I have seen not-a-dog-not-a-wolf become a father. I have seen sled dog become mate of wolf that no one ever loved. I have seen more impossible things than others will ever dream of in all of life. And now you think man in love with man is something strange? Is impossible? Is nothing! Love is love. And if is real enough to make Kodi stand up to Jenna, that is all needs to be said, yes? Be happy!" With an ungainly leap, the goose took off, with a final call of, "Be happy!"
"Boris!" Leaping to his feet, Balto ran down the length of the boat, following his vanishing father figure. "Boris! You don't understand!" The old goose was a speck by then. A speck too small to hear him cry, "She's coming back! And she's not coming back alone!"
"I don't know. I really wanted to tell Mel. But he overreacts to everything. If the plane is late, he panics, if it's early, he panics, if it's on time… You get the idea." The next day. The sun was shining, birds were honking and warbling as it suited them, and Nome was alive with activity. Along the center lane of town was Dipsy, in front of old Mr. Guntersson's general store, where she lived, and ate. With her was the albino truth teller, polishing his right fore claws on his milky chest ruff.
"I understand entirely. But you would think he knew something. You're not THAT portly. Unless he lacks all reasonable common sense he should have known you were pregnant. What about when you were nursing?"
"I left the pups in the whelping box and kept my visits short."
"And he never noticed a thing?"
"Oh he never does." The heavy-set basset-mix sighed, and looked across at the post office. "Mel's a good guy. He's sweet, he's kind, he's neurotic. Why do you think I..? Well, you know. But he misses everything that's not right in front of his face."
"I really think you should tell him that your puppies were packed off and given away to people in other towns by the supply drivers. He's the father, and he deserves to know."
"I wanted to spare him the pain."
"And your pain? Losing a litter so soon, and knowing their father never even got to see them? You can comfort each other, and work on a second that will have more male involvement, if you can train him to be attentive."
"Train Mel? Piece of cake. I'll say something next time I see him. Say, how did you even know about this?"
"I pick things up here and there. I should be trotting along. Foxes get treated very poorly in towns."
"If you must. Thank you, Mr. White." With a heave of her generous back end, Dips rose to her feet and waddled off to the post office.
"Finally, someone used my name. Miracle of miracles." Chuckling heartily, Virgil walked, unafraid, down the center of town.
"Hello down there. You are looking unfamiliar. New into Nome?" Boris flapped down from the sky, and settled himself into step beside Virgil.
"Zdravstvuyte. I am Mr. Virgil White. Or whatever piece you'd like to use. Rad s Vamee poznakomit'sya."
"Your accent is strange, but, it is good to hear the words. Rad s Vamee poznakomit'sya, Virgil White. My name is Boris."
"Oh yes, I've heard of you. Balto's father-like figure. A bit of a temper, a bit of a grump, but overall a good egg."
"That is correct. What brings you into our little town?"
"This, that and the other thing. Mostly I came here to tell people things they desperately need to know. I've already helped out a few struggling individuals. I was the one who helped to patch up Jenna and Kodi. It wasn't easy, mind you. They're stubborn. But I did it."
"Oh! So you are one! I must thank you most greatly for helping to make peace. They fought like great Russian bears. Now, is peaceful. Much better for Balto. Having mate and son fighting hurt him much."
"He's going to be hurt even more in another few hours, if that."
"Why are you saying such a thing?"
"Because Aleu is coming back. I told him yesterday. It took a little of the cheer out of him, but he had to know. Otherwise he'd be in even worse shape when she showed up. Because she has company."
Boris widened his eyes in shock. Over Aleu, over the fox knowing she was coming, over who was coming with her. "What are you? What are you playing at?"
"I'm someone who knows things. And I wanted to smooth things over by giving Balto a chance to prepare himself and those around him for what will be revealed when she enters town."
"But how do you know? How do you know about this? Tell me! Tell me!"
"Calm down. You'll do yourself a mischief screaming like that." Virgil winked at Boris and trotted faster, calling out, "Do svidaniya, tovarich."
The goose stopped cold at the last word, his breath catching in his throat, mouth agape. "No… You are wrong. You do not know what…"
"They're probably still waiting for you in Moscow. Or St. Petersburg. You told them you would be there. What's the matter, comrade? Lost your stomach for the Red Army after the fall of the Tsar? You fought the Imperial aviary freely, and killed your fair share of royal swans and hunting hounds beside the borzoi and Siberian wolves. You were the one who said you would support the Bolsheviks with your life. No one forced you to bring down the White Army's animals. So why did you run out on them when they won?"
"It was long time ago. I was young and stupid. Did not know what I was getting into. I fought for life, and to prove was not coward. Lost many friend and family, saw whole skeins brought down by Tsarist Merlins. What could I do? But after war, could not keep living there. Was too afraid of second revolution. And did not believe in all of my comrades… My fellow revolutionaries' ideals. So, I flew east, hid in cargo of ship and ended up here." There were tears in Boris' eyes as he dredged up memories of what he did, and what happened to him. He wiped his eyes and shook his head. "How did you know?"
"Does Balto know?"
"Balto? Of course not. I could never tell anyone I was Red. Whites came here. I could be killed for what I did."
"You could be. But I think he deserves to at least know. Your girlfriend too. You plan on having eggs with her. You have to tell the ones you love the truth."
"How can I? How can I admit that I was killer?"
"It was a different time and a different place. You had to pick a side, and you chose the one that sounded the best. But after killing for so long you ran away from it. Start with that. If they really do care about you, and you know they do, they'll understand."
"I still want to know what you are."
"Sadly, I have to be off. The sparks are going to start flying. Balto's outside of town, and Jenna's heading over to him. And for added excitement, Kodi and Kirby are coming too. It'll either be very messy, or very touching. Either way, I need to be there, just in case."
"In case of what?"
"In case Balto leads them off before they arrive."
Just past the outskirts of Nome, where a hill rose up tall and proud, Balto paced, intending to rush up and force the arrivals back behind the hill as soon as he saw them. Then shuffled them back into the wild, before… "Balto! Balto, there you are!" Jenna…
"Yea. H-hi there, Jenna. What are you doing out here? I thought you were with Rosie?"
"Well, Rosie's playing with her friends, and she let me go where I wanted. So I looked around and saw you out here. What are you waiting for?"
"Waiting for? Nothing. I'm not waiting for anything. What gave you that idea?" Balto slowly walked towards Jenna, trying to subtly push her from the scene.
"I watched you. All you did was stand up, listen, and lay back down again. What's going on, Balto?"
"Nothing! I swear."
"Then why did you force Kodi, Kirby and I off the boat last night? That's not like you. You looked scared. Nothing scares you."
"Nearly…"
"Dad!" Kodi and Kirby came running up from town, following Jenna's tracks in the snow.
"Kodi? What's going on?"
"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry for thinking ill of you. When mom and I were fighting and you tried to keep the peace. You just wanted us to be happy with each other. And I understand that now."
"Th-thank you, Kodi. That's wonderful but this isn't the best time."
"What's going to happen, Balto? Answer me!"
"Dad? What's mom talking about?"
"It's nothing!"
"Am I too late?" Virgil trotted up to the confused knot of canines.
"Balto, I am your mate! Tell me what's going on here."
"Oh, just in time I see." The white fox settled himself on a fallen tree, close enough to watch the action, but out of strike range.
The dogs had gone silent, trying to sort their next moves out, when something wafted through the air. Balto, being especially sensitive, caught it first. But the rest picked it up. Familiar. Warm. A wolf, or almost. A known wolf. "No. Please, if you care, please no. Go away, just go away…" Balto's voice was a whisper, pained and pleading.
"It can't be… Balto you said…" Before Jenna could finish, they heard the crunch of paws on snow, while the scent of lost daughter Aleu grew.
And then it happened. She crested the hill. It was her, no mistake about it. And she seemed alone. For a moment. Before a red fox bounded along, right at her heels. Balto looked to his daughter and, overcome with so many emotions could only cry, "Aleu!"
"Daddy!" Brimming with happiness at being home again, Aleu ran up to rub muzzles with her father. And then her brother.
"Sis!" Kodi pressed necks with Aleu and then went back to his position by Kirby. Aleu sat down, the red fox setting beside her. And then against her.
Seeing this made Jenna blink. She shook her head and tried to understand. "Aleu?"
As though seeing her for the first time, Aleu looked at her mother, who was staring at her. And she realized why. "Mom…"
But Jenna was already looking at her mate. This was what he was afraid of. "Balto!" But her anger had another target. Two children who were… "Kodiak!" Her lips curled, and a snarl rose in her throat.
"Jenna." The statement was bland, but heavy with meaning. Kirby boldly stood before Jenna, using his hunky bulk to shield his boyfriend.
Aleu looked at Kodi once again. And saw something familiar there. She smiled and tilted her head. "Bro?"
Kodi nodded his head and smiled. "Yea, sis."
"Sinopa." The red fox broke her silence at last, inclining her head in a friendly gesture towards Kirby.
The former lead dog smiled a little, nodding down at the fox. "Kirby."
"Charmed."
"Likewise."
Following Kirby and Sinopa's cordial introduction there was a short silence. And an explosion. Words flew like birds, hurled with anger, contrition and pride. No one listened but they certainly made sure they were heard. And then some. Most of the screaming was done by Jenna, who stalked between her mate, her son and her daughter, blaming herself, her mate, her family line, the sun, moon, stars and anything else she could think of.
Balto padded between his offspring, shielding them from Jenna's anger, trying to get her to be reasonable and see that she was being unfair. His words may as well have been spoken to empty air for all the good they did, but he had to try. He hated seeing his mate angry, especially since both his children were being angry right back, with their partners attempting to quell their fires, Sinopa with calm words and Kirby with a strong paw.
Balto finally broke through by letting loose a howl. It was a minor trick of his, loosing a deep, soulful sound that usually made dogs stop and stare. Even those close to him were not immune. There was something ingrained about paying attention to a wolf howl. After the howl faded, he looked at the five others around him, either ignoring or not noticing the last, silent, observer. "Look, this isn't easy. For any of us. But fighting won't do any good. Aleu… Sinopa, right? You two need food. I have some at the boat. Jenna, get back to Rosie, but meet us tonight. Kodi, Kirby, you should be there too. We need to have a family discussion."
"About what?" Jenna tilted her head, still a trifle angry, but more curious now.
"About being a family."
The moon rose early that night, casting wan light over the sleeping town of Nome. Over the outskirts of it as well, where the listing bulk of Balto's home rested. Aleu and Sinopa were on the deck with the sled puller, telling of their life in the wild, and why they chose to return.
"The pack structure nurtures wolves, but suffocates foxes. Besides, no wolves would have us. Non-breeders, even as omegas, would not be welcome. Especially with a fox." Sinopa leaned against Aleu, stroking her fur with her muzzle. "Aleu, being hardy and adaptable, was very well-liked, but her feelings and her relationship kept getting her rejected from those packs we encountered."
"We couldn't keep living in the wild. Sinopa could catch mice and rats, and other small things, but not enough to feed me. Not well, anyway. I couldn't bring down bigger game without help, and Sinopa couldn't drag down larger prey that I had attacked. We were a mismatch. Starving and freezing in our den. I had to dig it out, just so I could fit inside."
"And that's why you came back here. Not enough food, no one giving you a chance. Why did you think things would be any different here? Humans aren't tolerant at all. Especially not of a fox. When you told me how you felt, I took you out into the wild. I hoped that reconnecting with nature would lead you to understand your place in the world. And then you met her. I downplayed her as much as I could in the story. I made up things so wild that I couldn't believe anyone thought it was real. I told them a tale about where you had gone. You lived far away, with a wolf pack who left the continent, never to return. Because you weren't supposed to come back. Aleu, you look like a wolf. Just like me. That was causing problems. This doesn't help things."
"And I'm sure my love for a woman hurts things, too. What about Kodi? He and that brick wall disguised as a dog aren't very conventional."
"That's not my fault. He wasn't as outspoken as you. I never even knew."
"You paid him enough attention as a pup. Kodi was always your favorite."
"He needed me."
"I needed you too!" Her eyes welling with tears, Aleu turned to Sinopa, and rested her head against the vixen's warm, soft fur. "I needed you, daddy! And all you did was throw me away, and told everyone I'd never be back."
"Aleu… I didn't throw you away. What I said then was true. No one would accept another wolf. Sweet child of mine or not, you looked like a wolf to their fearful eyes. And with his woman at your side, there's no telling what would have happened. You could both have become pelts for a desperate hunter. That's why I told you to vanish forever into the wilderness."
"You swept your problems away, father." Sinopa's smooth voice caressed across Balto's ears, making him wince as she called him father. "Made your daughter disappear for the crime of loving a woman with all her heart, and for looking like a wolf. You bowed and buckled to the pressure of the humans, to their fear and hatred. You let their fear rule you. How noble of you."
"I did what I had to do to protect my family. All of my family. I couldn't just do what you wanted. I had to think of Jenna and Kodi and myself as well. This is a family, Aleu. We have to survive."
"This is a pack again. You're the alpha and we must obey you. No matter what, your word is law." Aleu snorted at her father, and curled up on the ship's deck with Sinopa. "I've grown to hate packs. After so many rejections, seeing so much incompetence and brutality."
"You can't just throw it away. The pack structure is in your blood. You're designed to be within it."
"Nothing is set in stone. Even blood." Sinopa stared at Balto hard, her icy blue eyes burning into his with the frost they held inside. She never broke her gaze, but didn't make any show of staring the larger canine down.
With a shudder, Balto turned his face away and looked out towards town. "Your brother and mother will be here soon."
"Kirby too?"
"Yes. Kirby too. Why?"
"Because he's in love with Kodi. He deserves to be here. Like Sinopa deserves to be here."
Balto shook his head, but said nothing else. And didn't turn his head to look back at them. He could feel Sinopa's cold eyes boring into the back of his head. Whatever Aleu saw in them, he couldn't.
They hadn't long to wait before Jenna leaped up onto the deck of the boat, a sour look on her face. Kodi and Kirby leaped up right behind her, Kodi looking pouty and Kirby appearing to have on a fake smile, his attempt at peacemaking. There was no sign of the albino fox, a surprise considering his ubiquity over the past few nights.
"Thank you for coming, Jenna. You too Kodi." Pressing his neck to Jenna and Kodi's necks, Balto led them to where Aleu and Sinopa were.
"I'm here because I want to see my sister again. I've missed her. How has it been out there, sis?" Kodi pressed necks once more with his littermate.
"It was hell, bro. If I hadn't had Sinopa with me I would have gone insane. Even if I had been let into a pack. That would have made it worse. It's so good to be back. Even if mom doesn't want us here." Four pairs of eyes turned on Jenna, two burning with hate, one cold and the last begging for compassion.
"It's not that I don't want you here. I just… I think you're not quite able to understand things. You're young. You don't know what you're feeling. You're just confused is all. It's not your fault. Your father indulged you too much." Jenna turned on Balto, staring him down. "You let our daughter go into the wild with a strange woman, inventing some impossible story about spirits and wolf packs? How could you? You should have brought her to me. I'm sure between the two of us we could have set her back to a proper path."
"And what path would that have been, mother?" Shrugging off the restraining paws of Kodi and Sinopa, Aleu rose to her paws and started approaching Jenna and Balto.
"I'm certain we could have convinced a nice sled dog to be your mate. You could have had a litter by now, a normal little of sled dogs to raise. Fulfilling your purpose. Aleu, it would have been ok, dear." Jenna smiled, her eyes shiny and moist. "We could have fixed you. We still can. It's not too late. You can stop being confused."
"Mother… I will say this only one time. After this you will be viewed as knowing and understanding this. Ok, ready? I. Do. Not. Love. Men. I do not want to be mounted and impregnated by a man. I don't want to raise a litter of pups. This is my choice. I choose not to do all this. Because deep inside, I feel for women what you feel for men. Because I feel this way, I don't want to do the things you'd like me to. But I'm still happy like this. I'm not confused. I'm in love."
"But it's not natural. It's not normal for you to feel like this. Just like it's not normal for Kodi to feel what he does for Kirby. I just want you to be happy."
"Mom! I live in a warm boiler shed with a handsome hunk of muscle, fat and fur, who would do anything for me, no matter what. I eat regularly, I have happy memories of an excellent job and I thought I had family that loves me. Except for the last part, I AM happy. I don't need a female mate and a litter of pups. I am content with Kirby. And I always will be."
Silence fell across those assembled, no one able to say a word that could refute or further defend the positions stated. Until Balto lifted up his head and looked at his children. "You won't be happy like this. They won't let you be. If the humans don't pull you apart or kill you for sport, your pelts or for what you've done, the other dogs will never let you do this. They will frown on your union. Never mind a fox and a dog. But two women or two men? They will talk behind your backs. Plot, scheme, strike. Under darkness they will come, to beat you into bloody, broken piles and destroy anything you may have. Wherever you live will be vandalized and broken down. Whatever you own will be taken away. Whatever safety you think you have, you don't. They're out there, they disapprove and you can't just say a lot of pretty words and expect the matter to be closed."
This objection washed over the four unconventional beings. It struck straight at their hearts like a knife. Past every defense, beyond emotivism, the icy bite of absolute reality hit them hard. But Sinopa spoke, still reeling mentally from the blow. "You're a wolf."
Kirby completed the thought, understand just what such a statement meant. "They will kill you, or drive you before them from the city. Fear them. Fear the ones who hate you for what you are inside and out."
Sinopa continued again, "We can't live our lives out of the fear of what mysterious strangers are going to do to us because they disapprove of us."
"Sooner or later…" Kodi whispered, leaning his head against Kirby. "They hate us all. Every thing and every one. Whoever "they" are, they never run out of hate."
"And if we're going to get hated, we're going to be hated. We can't stop it. We'll take that risk." Aleu looked straight into her mother's wavering eyes. "You did."
Jenna pressed her face against Balto, weeping softly. Balto smiled at his clever children and the clever mates they had chosen for themselves. "If you need a place to live, you can live here. I promise I won't act like an alpha to you. There's lots of room."
"No thanks, daddy. Sinopa and I will dig a den outside of town. She showed me how to make a nice one."
"And Kirby and I still sleep in the shed. We're very discreet. And Kirby scares the other guys. Even Ralph."
"If that's how you want it."
Outside of town, down the sled trail to White Mountain, there padded a little white shadow. His ivory tail swished behind him, while a jaunty tune emerged from his snow white lips. The red-eyed figure cast a last look behind him, to the sleeping town of Nome. The humans slumbered peacefully, unaware that their dogs paced the floors and whimpered out in the snow. As he had always intended to, Virgil had told the truth. Told everyone the truth. And a little white lie. He told people their deepest secrets and then told them a fabricated tale about where and how he had heard it.
He was the fox that corrupted Nome. No question. Neat, orderly, entirely fabricated lives of imitation smiles and strained relations with the hated and unloved. All of that was gone. Replaced with honesty, bitter as it could be. Sour gall ran through their lives now, as they had to face up to the feelings they really held for each other. They would speak their hate and derision to the faces of their neighbors. It would be far from peaceful and orderly. But without deception and obfuscation, problems would not fester and become burning rage. Being in the open, they would be seen, commented upon, and fixed.
Virgil smiled as he trotted, his pace modest and his steps even. He was in no hurry, down the road to White Mountain. Their secrets weren't going anywhere.
Fin
Zdravstvuyte- Formal greeting.
Rad s Vamee poznakomit'sya- Glad to meet you.
Do svidaniya- Goodbye
Tovarich- Comrade