CHAPTER 9
When The Moon Rises

The Forest, the night before previous chapter's events...

''Aleu, my dear, please wake up''.

The alpha she-wolf listened to a soft and caring voice trying to awake her.
She was trying to sleep and rest, after another awful and hard day as the leader of a starved wolf pack.
They disappeared, and apparently gave up on trying to find food on that side of the sea. The local wolf packs, including Winter's one, believed them dead.
But no, they were not dead yet.

Like the evilness, the goodness is also hard, very hard to destroy completely.

Aleu decided to 'wake up', only to find herself in a dream, there was fog and a starless, dark blue sky. The floor, apparently snow, was absolutely white, like the being that started to appear in front of Aleu.

''Aniu''. Thought Aleu, seeing the spirit of her grandmother materializing on that place.

''Aleu, my dear grand-daughter, i need to tell you something, urgent, important, please listen to me''
''Allright, tell me'' Answered the alpha, concern vibrating on her voice.
''There is something happening, something that I don't wanted to ever face, but is here, coming so quickly...''

''What is it?'' Asked Aleu, even more concerned, it had to be something really serious that even her grandmother was afraid of it, and she don't got afraid easily.
''Do you know that everything on the universe has a counterpart, salt has sugar, fire has water, sun has the moon...''

''Of course.''
''Well, the light also, has the darkness as it counterpart, and going by that way, I have one too, a Spirit absolutely different from me, but from the same nature''

''Who is it?''
''I gonna call him just 'The Spirit'. He normally takes the form of a big, black as night wolf, but he can swift his shape into many creatures, and he is very dangerous, he lives on the forests, dragging lone wolves and other beings to follow his path, the wrong path, the Evil one. He feasts on wolves souls that his servers bring to his hideout, his window to your world, located on a cave''

''...So?'' Asked Aleu, unable to speak more than that.
''So, he follows a cycle, some years he's weak and less dangerous, but other years he's stronger, and his dark powers increase to such unimaginable levels, and i'm afraid that this is that year, he has gained more power, he's attracting more followers, he is actually very strong, and for many years I've kept him away from the mortal's world, but now, he's on the way to make a comeback''

''Oh, that's awful. I hope we can stop him on time'' Said Aleu with more confidence.
''Unfortunately, he had took advantage over us, he recruited the remaining members of that clan that were your enemy, back at the other side of the sea''
''Yes, those despicable flea bags'' Replied Balto's daughter, grinning her teeth with the memories of that wolves.

''Well, they are, more than 'fleabags' by now, dear, they went on a mission to find some dog from Nome, that had the enough aura to completely satisfy Spirit's needs to make his comeback, you need to learn something about him''
''Okay, you can tell me''
''His name is Dinae, his mother was a female wolfdog who was the daughter of a good friend of mine. I've met her as a puppy of just some weeks old. Knowing my destiny as the guide of the Alpha Wolves since the day that i'll left mortal's world. I'd secretly chosed her as my representative on it, i needed to chose one different from my offspring and their families''

Aniu continued her narration ''Someday she will had her offspring, and her first pup would be her Succesor as my Representative in case she can't took the charge. She had just only a pup, he was Dinae, his parents died when he don't even opened his eyes, I'd brought him to the nearest town, to a house where lived a man that I knew he will raise and educate well, to take his mother's position someday''

The White Wolf continued ''Now, the Spirit chosed someone to follow his path too, and she is the leader of that pack you hate, she has been commisioned to eliminate Dinae for her master, because they had a special power for being the chosen-ones; they only can be destroyed by the other one...''

''I need to find that dog'' Replied Aleu, already thinking on her new travel.
Her grandma nodded, and continued ''It's not too late Aleu. You can go and stop them, take your most strong , fierce and brave wolves with you, you will need them to defeat his followers, go the Howl Mountain. You will find him there''

Aniu's figure started to vanish in a twist of snowflakes.

''Now go, you have 'til today's twilight, good luck, my dear, i trust in you, the world trusts in you'' White Wolf's last words echoed on that strange environment as everything went to white and disappeared.

Aleu was awake.

The next day, at dawn...

Now, she had to reunite, as Aniu said, her ''most strong , fierce and brave wolves'' well, there was just only a problem, they were not strong, the lack of enough food during the last month decreased their force, but they stood fierce, and brave, and she knew who will go with her...

Aleu howled from the entrance of her den, calling her pack to an emergency meeting. A few minutes later, every wolf was on her presence.
''Well, I've to tell you something very important''
''Have you find a giant herd of caribous?'' Asked Nuk, the biggest fan of the food in the pack, and the one who suffered the scarceness more than the other wolves.
''No, Nuk, i don't, but I have found kind of an explanation of what is happening ...''
Once she got the attention of the pack. The alpha continued:

''Last night, Aniu appeared to me in my dreams, she said that her counterpart, an evil black wolf spirit, is coming to our world, he has recruited Raima's pack, and they captured a dog that is Aniu's representative on the Earth. If the spirit gets the dog's soul, his comeback will be done, and our world will be on serious problems''

''He is coming back? that's indeed an explanation, the animals we eat are feeling his proximity, and running away from him, they are escaping the forests'' Stated some old, wise wolf, his name was Aqeutaq ''If that Clan is following the Evil Spirit, they will not care anymore for the scarceness of food, they will not care for anything than serve their Master. That's why they suddenly disappeared, he probably lured them with food and other goods to follow him''

''Aqeutaq, you probably know more than me about all this...'' Replied Aleu, feeling unsure about her real perception about all what was happening.
''No, my alpha, you're the one who sees Aniu in dreams, you are the one who will know what to do about this, how to stop the comeback of the Windigo'' Answered the wise wolf, trying to calm Aleu.
''Windigo? Is that his name?'' Inquired the alpha
''Yes, but please, don't call it very often''
''Alright. Aniu said that I must recruit the most strong, fierce and brave wolves of our pack, I hope that the ones i'll pick want to come with me to a dangerous, and i mean dangerous travel, and the ones who will stay here needs to accept my decision. Hunters and scouts, please step forward''

The wolves stood on position forming a row in front of Aleu.

''Akiak'' Said Aleu, picking a black and silver hunter wolf.
''Akicha'' The alpha continued, selecting an orange and white scout female.
''Taku'' Called the hybrid, choosing an auburn and white hunter.
''And Tristan'' The leader of the pack made her last pick, a gray and white scout. ''You're coming with me to the Howl Mountain, the dog we need to rescue, and my brother, are there, we will probably meet with Raima and her pack, so stay alert. Aqeutaq is now in charge of the pack, we depart in five minutes, be prepared''

Five minutes later...

''Good luck'' Said Aqeutaq. The other wolves howled together to cheer them and say goodbye, they were starting the travel to the Howl Mountain, their meeting with destiny was underway.


Away from there, some white and black husky, without learning of his involvement on a life-or-death situation, was feeling bewildered, confused, sad, repented and alone. He don't wanted to return to Nome, staying with those wolves seemed to be an option to stay away from everything. He thought about tell his intentions to his friend Kodi, and to Winter, the generous alpha wolf that saved them. But suddenly, he felt a presence at his back:

''Please show yourself... who are you?'' Said the husky with a teary, low voice.
''Someone who wants to help you'' Answered a female soft voice.
Dinae looked backwards, there was a tan and gray female furred she-wolf with amber colored eyes, she looked pretty to Dinae.
''That doesn't really answer my question. Again, who are you?
''Probably you won't believe it, but, i'm your spirit guide Dinae, my name is Imnek.'' She answered.
''Well, how you will help me?'' Asked Dinae with a passive tone of voice.
''You don't understand, right? I'm your guide, the lamp that illuminates your way in the dark, i was commissioned by Aniu herself to do so, and now, on this difficult moments for you, i must do my work''
Imnek continued talking ''I want to tell you something you think that everything had just fallen like an avalanche over your life...''
''And you came here to remind me!'' Said Dinae almost shouting ''Sorry, Imnek, is just that i'm...''
''Tense, nervous, sad? Or all three combined?'' Replied the guide with a comforting voice, Din just nodded.
''Now Dinae, i'll take you in a trip, to show the way you have chosen, you aren't perfect and you can make mistakes...''
''But, look at what kind of mistakes I made, Imnek...''
''Get calm, Din please, be quiet and come with me...''


They both entered a small cave and suddenly, they were on another place, a rocky and deforested mountain. The sky was totally covered with thick, dark gray clouds like if was about to rain very hard. Indeed some water drops started to soak Dinae's fur.
Down in a path made through an arid valley, hundreds, maybe thousands of wolves were marching like a human army. Stomping and shaking the ground with their paws.
''Where we are? And who are they?'' Asked Dinae, amazed for that.
''They are the United Wolf Packs of the North''
''Where are they going?''
''Oh, you'll see''

The two canines entered to another tunnel and they appeared on the other side of the valley, now there was an army of dogs, thousands of them, there were huskies, malamutes, chinooks, samoyeds, and so many odd-looking breeds that Dinae only saw on illustrations at the vet's office, and others that he never saw before, hairy, large, thin, small and enormous dogs. Marching, stomping and barking. Then dozens of howls were heard, and they saw the wolves approaching in the distance, a few minutes later, the two armies started to run to each other, and a violent and bloody battle started, the yells and pain cries filled the air, and the wolves were apparently destroying the dogs by a great difference.

''But... what is it, Imnek?'' Yelled Dinae, horrorized by that spectacle.
''It's the war Dinae, the war that you started'' Answered the spirit, with a different tone of voice than before.
''I've... started... what?'' Cried Dinae, even more panicked ''Yes, Dinae.''
''I...i don't understand...how...w..why?'' Asked the astonished dog. Then yelled ''That's the way I've chosen?''
''And there is more'' Said Imnek, Dinae was awestruck, he don't moved a single muscle, his eyes don't even blinked, so Imnek pulled his back legs to reach the next tunnel.


Now, Imnek and Dinae were in a familiar place, Din, still struck in the horror of the event he witnessed. Started to awake and return to the 'reality' he recognized immediately the place, it was White Mountain!

''White Mountain? Why you brought me here?'' Inquired the white an black canine, more recovered.
''To show you, what is happening right now''
''Right now?''
''In this very moment''

The canines reached a two levels house in the outskirts of the town. Then, Dinae saw a figure entering a small room next to the house, it seemed to be hairy and thin.

Dinae approached the place, and then a scream made him move a few back, but a silence was made, and later, he caught the sound of something being dragged. Din hided behind a barrel and saw the figure that entered the house, it was black and white furred, surely a husky, dragging another with help of a branch he used as a sled, he tried his best to recognize it, and he did.

''DARA!'' Dinae yelled, that dog was kidnapping his loved one! He was about to kick the captor, but a strange force shield stopped him and sent him to the snowy ground.
''Dara! I must save her... what is happening...what is happening! Cried Dinae looking for Imnek ''What is happening?''

''This is the result of your decisions Dinae, you left Dara here, alone, unprotected, and Leo came for her, you can't do anything about it, and now your decisions will conduct everyone, to the destiny you have selected for them!''

Dinae's scrambled mind brought back the memories of the battle, just when he saw the figure dragging his beloved Dara through a row of trees.

''No! No! Nooo!... Why are you showing me all of this!...What kind of spirit guide are you?'' Shouted the husky with extreme desperation ''Answer me!''

''What kind of spirit guide I am? Well, i'm from the kind that is NOT a spirit guide, and it's better, to don't listen to us!'' Imnek laughed evily while everything started to spin and disappear.

Dinae was thrown to the dirty floor of a den, he looked up and saw that supposed spirit guide turned into a scrawny, horrible looking wolfish creature laughing at him.

''Great job! Autumn!'' Celebrated a terrorizing, echoing, deep voice through the cavern ''Now just wait for Raima and Leo! They had the remaining pieces of the collection!''