The Time of Wolves 2
Chapter 4: Kemo the White Wolf
"But we wanted to go on a journey too." said Muk.
Hours have passed since Balto left Nome with the group of young dinosaurs. However, from how these bears were acting, you'd think it's been several days. Jenna sighed to herself. She knew what she was signing up for when agreeing to deal with Muk and Luk. When the bears awoke, they went up to the boat before Jenna even had a chance to say anything to greet Boris and their new friends. After not seeing them, the bears assumed they must be playing a game of hide and seek. With still no clue as to their whereabouts, did they finally show signs of concern. It's only then, did the bears notice Jenna standing there waiting for the duo to be done with their antics. Thus, she was finally given a chance to inform them of the situation, which in turn led to this moment.
"I know boys," the red husky replied, "It was just all so sudden. There wasn't enough time to wait up."
Jenna was far too tired for this. After being woken up so suddenly this morning from Littlefoot, she hadn't the time to nap since she had to wait for the polar bears. It didn't help any that these bears were as bombastic as young children despite having known them years now. She brushed it off as they never knew any better.
Luk then made a series of mumbles that only his bother could understand, "Luk's right, what if they need us?"
Jenna gave a small smile at their charming demeanor, "That's why I'm here," she said, "You see, someone needs to watch over the boat until they get back, and Boris said he would trust no one other than you two."
Sparks shined within their eyes as Jenna informed them of their new essential duty. Muk assured the dog that they would not disappoint before running up the boat. As Jenna was leaving, she looked over to see the two bears on the mass, keeping a close eye over the area.
It was like taking candy from a baby. Jenna always hated that human phrase. Who would do such a horrible thing? Though it did correctly describe what she pulled. Jenna walked through the town of Nome on the verge of being dead tired. She hoped to make it home to nap perhaps for the whole day. Such things were not meant to be as Jenna saw her son, Kodi, came up to wish her good morning before heading over to his father. Jenna had to resist the urge to yawn as she repeated what was going on.
Kodi had a look of disappointment from the news; he was hoping to spend more time with his father and the dinosaurs. The young husky was particularly fond of the little yellow one named Ducky and her adopted brother, Spike. It was not helped that his job as a mail dog was soon going to take him away from Nome for less than a week. Not until thirty minutes now would he be strapped into a harness with the rest of his team to head out to the small town of White Mountain.
"I was really hoping on seeing them one more time before I had to go." Kodi said in disappointment.
Jenna nodded to her son, "I know, it is exciting. It's not every day you get to meet dinosaurs, but I'm sure you'll be able to see them again when you get back," Jenna soon let out a huge yawn and stretched her legs, "If you excuse me. I had a long morning. I need a nap."
She walked off, leaving Kodi by his lonesome. The rust-colored husky was now beside himself. With his father and new friends gone, Kodi knew not what to do to pass the time. Perhaps he could go and visit...
"Surprise!"
Kodi was startled by this sudden surprise noise that he fell to the ground and scrambled to get up in a way that made him look ridiculous. He looked up to see his sister, Saba, having a fit of laughter at her brother's reaction. The lighter color husky was sometimes known for her surprise greetings. Whether someone enjoyed them or not was another matter entirely.
"Saba!" Kodi did his best to calm himself before continuing. It wasn't easy, for his heart felt as if it was trying to pound itself out of his chest, "You know how much I hate it when you do that."
Saba tried to speak but couldn't as she caught in such a burst of uncontrollable laughter, "Lighten up little brother. A little sudden burst of excitement helps gets the blood pumping."
"Or gives someone a heart attack." Kodi retorted.
Soon Saba's laughs died as she had this look of seriousness about her, "I know your secret," her words caught Kodi off guard, "Kodi, I'm childish, not stupid. I know exactly what you, mom, and papa have been hiding."
She knew? How could she know? He'd made sure to be careful so that nobody knew of the dinosaurs until good time. Though it might not be all that bad. It was Saba after all. If she told anyone, people would probably think she was acting like... well like Saba.
"Kodi, it's alright," she interrupted his train of thought, "I'm sure everyone on the mail team goes through this."
Kodi turned from worried to just confused. What would the others in the mail team know about hiding dinosaurs? Surely, they weren't thinking about the same thing, "What?"
The female husky thought her brother was being coy, "Well duh, sneaking around with mom at night, leaving those big footprints. It's obvious. You have swollen feet!" Kodi was now awestruck by what his sister just said. He had no idea what she was talking about, but Saba took it as a sign of confirmation, "Don't worry, I won't tell Dingo. Lord knows this would give him enough material to last until next winter. But seriously, Kodi, if your job is putting so much stress on you there no shame in asking for help. As your big sister, I would be more than willing to help my precious baby brother." she threw left paw over his should and began nuzzling Kodi very affectionately, which really annoyed him.
"You know you're only older than me by less than an hour?" he asked.
"Yeah, but you will always be a baby to me," Saba gave her brother a dog style noogie before wandering off, "Don't forget to look after those paws of your when you get back. Okay, bye!"
Kodi just stared off into nothing as his sister walked off. All he could do was wonder, what just happened? "I swear she gets crazier every day."
It had been hours since the gang left into the snowy forest. All was pleasant, if not boring, until being the most unpleasant encounter with a mountain lion. Now the young dinosaurs all stood in front of a massive white wolf that saved them. The kids still couldn't get over just how much bigger he was than Balto as the wolfdog in question told him their story. The wolf was Kemo, Balto's brother, or at least that's what Balto said. Honestly, Littlefoot couldn't see the resemblance.
Not only because of Kemo's size and fur color, but also in overall appearance as well. Kemo's muscles were far leaner than Balto's. His facial features were sharper down to the muzzle. But what was most apparent were his eyes. Unlike Balto's kind – warm yellow eyes that made you feel safe, Kemo's eyes remained hard and stern devoid of any sense of cheerfulness. In fact, now that he thought about it, Littlefoot can't recall Kemo cracking the slightest hint of a smile since meeting him. Even after saving Balto, the wolf didn't have a twitch curling on the edge of his lips after seeing his 'brother' safe. Either this wolf was just so super serious about himself like Cera's dad, or maybe he didn't have a care of others. Whatever the case may be, Kemo already made it clear that he was someone to never get on their bad side.
"So, let me get this straight," Kemo spoke after Balto finished his story, "You were sent to the distant past, making friends with these creatures called 'dinosaurs,' protecting them from a monster, and came back only an hour after you left?" Balto answered with a nod, "Now the opposite has happened, and now you need to help them get back to their time." Balto nodded once again, "Alright. That makes sense."
"Wait," Cera said in baffled, "You believe us? Just like that?"
"Well, the proof is staring me right in the face," Kemo answered, "I have to be really stubborn to not believe this." Balto eyed Boris in annoyance, "Besides, I'd do anything to help my brother."
"I didn't know you even had a brother, Balto." said Ducky.
"Yeah, me neither," Cera said more suspiciously, "Littlefoot, did he ever tell you about having a brother?" the longneck shook his head.
"Wow," Kemo responded with his voice still hardly changing from the same deadpan expression he carried ever since the cougar left, "Don't I feel loved."
Balto was quick to try and clear some confusion, "Okay, I'll admit, I kind of forgot to tell them all about you."
"Even though you were there for over a week?" the wolf stated.
"A lot happened in that time." Balto said.
"So I've heard," Kemo said with sarcasm that could be heard even through the monotone voice, "Guess you were too busy with all that playtime. Not enough time to say, 'Oh, by the way, I have an older brother.'"
"Okay, I get it. I messed up." Balto said, completely embarrassed.
Littlefoot and the gang giggled at the feuding siblings. It was nice that despite the Kemo's deadpan expression that he at least still had a sense of humor. Not to mention, it wasn't every day they saw Balto so flustered. Perhaps he wouldn't be so bad after all.
"So," Kemo looked at the dinosaurs before turning back to Balto, "If you're so determined to get them home, why send them to me?"
"I had a 'hunch' on who could possibly help us," Balto said while trying not to allude to his hunch being from a dream, "We're looking for Nava, and I know you know where we can find him. Please, he could be our only hope."
Kemo looked to the dinosaurs once again. Their eyes pleading for his aid. The large wolf inhaled before he answered their calls, "Yes. I did see Nava but a few days back. I'll be willing to bring you to him if it would help."
"Again, just like that?" Cera asked still in disbelief.
"When I said I'd do anything for my brother, I meant it," Kemo answered though his tone indicated he was tired of Cera's skepticism, "Even if that means helping a bunch of little ones."
"Excuse me!" now the gang were becoming wise to how Kemo just didn't express himself like most, but Cera took it as an act of condescension, "For your information when we get older, we'll get much bigger. In fact, way bigger than you!" she marched right up to the giant wolf to stare him off.
Kemo, now being fed up with the threehorn's attitude, stared her down intensely, "Maybe so. But that day is obviously not today, isn't it 'little one?'"
Everyone stood in watched as the two just stared each other down. The gang had rarely seen anyone who would be so willing to stare down a threehorn, they were sure that Kemo could give Cera's dad a run for his money. Needless though, Cera was determined to not back down to so-called fierce wolf. Cera tried all her might to make herself look big to the wolf. A futile attempt as her horn barely made it over his chest. Kemo just looked down on her with his hard-golden eyes burning through her young green eyes. His ear pulled back as a low growl escaped his throat.
"Alright, enough! Both of you!" Balto intervened before things got too out of hand, "Cera, Kemo has offered to help us. We should be thankful for that." Cera huffed as she looked away from the white wolf, "Kemo, I said this to Boris, and I hope you'll actually listen," a cough from the old goose could be heard, but Balto ignored it, "But please, try not to frighten the children. They're already farther away from home than they could ever imagine."
Kemo snarled as he was still irritated by the young threehorn, "Very well," he and Cera exchanged one more passing glance before the wolf moved ahead of them, "Then let's get a move on. Soon this is all over with the better."
In silence, the group followed after Kemo. It was a very somber experience, to say the least. The tension was thick enough that it could be cut with a knife. None of the dinosaurs dared faced the white wolf in fear if he'd scrawl at them as well.
"Good job, Cera," Littlefoot said in a hushed whisper, "I think you got him mad at us."
"Who cares," she shot back, "He doesn't seem so tough."
Littlefoot knew that if this wasn't Cera, he couldn't believe what he heard, "I don't know. That sharptooth look really frightened to see him, and Kemo did say he'd break another one of his legs."
Cera just huffed like she always did, "A threehorn knows a thing or two about being tough. Trust me, his tough-guy act can't fool me."
Cera was a very prideful girl like most threehorns and, like most, too prideful. She didn't have the heart to admit if Balto didn't intervene when he did, Cera would've last only a few more seconds before flinching. For within those eyes, Cera a wave of deep-rooted anger lingering inside the wolf. It wasn't anger for her, no. Those eyes held such anger that has been burning longer then she wished to know. Something terrible happened to that wolf, and that stare would be forever burned into her retina.
Kemo heard their conversation but did bother to let on. He could care less what anyone thought of, especially the threehorn. He was only interested in helping Balto out, and that meant helping these strange creatures. However, as they were journeying through the forest, Kemo did notice one of them not doing so well. The small yellowish one, Ducky, was getting colder as she rests on Spike's head. It was subtle, but Kemo could see how young swimmer would occasionally rub her upper arms and her legs would jitter. Ducky was certainly doing her best to hide it, but not well enough to not catch Kemo's ever-watchful eyes.
The white wolf slowed his pace until he was right next to Spike, "You're cold," he said to Ducky, "Get on. My fur will keep you warm."
"That's okay. I'm fine. Yep, yep, yep." Ducky did her best show that everything was fine, but ultimately couldn't hide her shivering from the towering wolf.
"I understand what you're doing," said Kemo, "You're trying to prove to everyone that you can make it out here as they are. But there's a fine line between bravery and foolishness. There's nothing to prove by freezing to death." despite how harsh his words seemed, Kemo did try to soften his voice for the small child. Not an easy feat for how low his voice was, "Your other small friend had the right idea seeking warmth with Balto." He gestured over to Petrie, who was perched on Balto's head, "So, I insist, hop on. I promise I won't bite."
The large wolf leaned down to make it easier for the small swimmer. Ducky hesitated for a moment. She was a bit frightened of Kemo after how he faced down both a cougar and one of her best friends so easily. But, even if it was hard to make out, she did hear a hint of compassion in his voice. There was truth in his words. Taking a leap of faith, Ducky got up and climbed up onto the wolf until she was firmly rested along the back of his neck. Not soon after, Ducky leaned into Kemo's fur. It was just so soft and warm like Balto's, but because Kemo was so big meant there was much more to snuggle against.
"Thank you, Mr. Kemo. Balto was right, you are nice." the moment she said that Spike suddenly started to lick Kemo's face, "That means Spike likes you."
"Well look who's bonding with the kids," Balto said with a sly smile, "You know, once Spike ends up liking you, he'll be your friend for life."
"Oh, goodie." Kemo tried to match his brother's sarcasm through his monotone vocals as spiketail drool ran down his face.
Several minutes had passed on and, aside from helping Ducky, Kemo mostly kept to himself on this journey. While wandering through the trees and underbrush, Littlefoot couldn't help but study Kemo some more. Something had been bugging him ever since Balto introduced the white wolf. Mainly who exactly was this Kemo? Why did Balto never mention him before?
"Is there something I can help you with?" Kemo said, looking at the little longneck.
Littlefoot was taken back under Kemo's stern gaze. The longneck had no idea that he had been staring, "Sorry. I was just curious is all."
"Well, we'll be walking for the rest of the day, so you might as well just spit it out."
"It's just that..." Littlefoot searched for the right words, "Well, I was just wondering about you and Balto. No offense, but you hardly look like him or Kodi."
"Not surprising, I'm not a wolfdog," Kemo answered with now all the dinosaurs staring at him to explain, "Yes, you're looking at a purebred wolf right now."
"But Balto called you his brother." Littlefoot pressed on.
Kemo looked to Balto to see that the wolfdog was okay with him tell the children about their shared past, "Theirs more than one way to become someone's brother, especially for wolves," he continued to speak as they trekked through the forest, "For wolves, family is more than what lies in our blood, it's the bonds we share. When a wolf bond with someone they see as family, they might as well be so. Balto and I have shared a bond ever since we were small pups."
"I get it!" Ducky spoke up, "It's like Spike and me. Even though we're not related, he still my little brother."
"I guess you can say it's like that," Kemo continued, "However, Balto and I are actually related. His mother is my father's younger sister, so we're actually cousins. When my mother died shortly after I was born, my aunt Aniu took it upon herself to fill in that role and raised me as such around the time Balto was about to be born."
"What's she like? Balto's mom." Littlefoot asked, interested in more of Balto's past being filled in.
"Aniu was beautiful," said Kemo, "Her fur was whiter than anyone in our side of the family, not a trace of any other colors like my father and me. It was like snow, and as soft as a cloud. She also had such a gentle voice that always made you feel safe. She was greatly missed when she passed." Balto's expression fell when hearing his brothers recounts of his mother, for Kemo was around long enough to actually get to know her unlike him. For Balto, memories of his mother were brief a rather vague "Anyway, after Balto was born, Aniu would have me watch over him as the pack would hunt. As a pup, Balto used to look up to me. We were quite inseparable, at least for a time, until he and Aniu got separated from the pack during a horrible storm. It would be a few years before I would leave the pack in search for my brother."
"And are all wolves as big as him?" Cera asked Balto not wishing to speak to Kemo.
"No," the wolfdog answered, "Kemo's a special case."
"What can I say?" Kemo asked rhetorically, "I had a growth spurt."
"How did you get that scar?" Littlefoot asked, becoming ever more curious about the wolf.
Suddenly something changed in the white wolf. Immediately, Kemo's face turned hard as if Littlefoot had stepped on his tail. Did he do something wrong? Was that not the right question to ask? Was he sensitive about the whole thing? Whatever the case, Kemo just turned away and focused on the path.
"We should really be focusing on the task at hand." said Kemo.
Balto gave Littlefoot an apologetic look. It wasn't the longneck's fault that Kemo was upset. Littlefoot didn't know not to talk about the scar. Balto knew none of the children had any idea behind its significance, but that was no excuse in his mind to give them such a cold shoulder.
"Kemo?" Balto pleaded
Kemo looked to his brother, and through silent stares, said how he hated talking about it. Balto eyes were more sympathetic. They showed how much he cared for Kemo's plight. However, Balto's eyes gestured to the children in a way to at least throw them a bone no matter how small. Kemo sighed under his brother's gaze and relented. Children were such curious little things, so why not sate a bit of it?
"Balto told you all about guns? What they can do?" the gang nodded to Kemo's question, "Well, that's what happened. A human shot me."
Kemo continued to walk off deep into the forest as to say that was all they were going to get. Soon they all followed after the white wolf in silence. No one dared to say anything in worry that they upset Kemo yet again. Might be best to journey through the forest to find this Nava. In time, the sun was beginning to set. All the excitement made them all lose track of time, and yet still no sign that they were any closer to finding Nava.
Kemo had also stopped on their intended path and wandered off sniffing the air. At first, everyone thought that the wolf had picked up the scent of who they were looking for until the kids began to sniff as well. It was the scent of water, running water as the sounds became clear to them. Soon everyone saw where Kemo was leading them to. A small secluded clearing with large rocks surrounding the edges. A few trees were sprouted close to these rocks; their roots have grown over the boulder leaving room for animals as big as bears to fit in them. A river could also be heard nearby.
"We'll be resting here for the night." Kemo declared.
"Oh, come on," Cera bemoaned, "It's not even dark yet. We can still go on."
"That wouldn't be unwise," Kemo replied with annoyance, "The night will come soon enough and, with the thickness of the tree, it will be easy to get lost. The night also brings out predators. Does anyone else want to explore a dark forest filled hungry predators waiting to pick them off?" Balto was ready to scold him for trying to scare the kids but saw how the wolf's tactic had worked. The gang shook their heads furiously, "Besides, these rocks will protect you kids from the winds, and there's a river nearby to drink. This spot is perfect." there was still some reluctance from the gang. Kemo sighed as he knew what might keep them to stay "If we stay here, there will be enough time to tell you all how I got my scar."
That had seemed to work. The dinosaurs enter the clearing to find a place they would be sleeping. Littlefoot and Cera each choice under the towering trees. Petrie flew behind Cera's crown for added protection against the night's wind. Ducky and Spike seemed to not be choosing a spot at all; just sitting around randomly on the ground.
With everything nice and settled, Balto told them that he, Kemo, and Boris would be eating at the river. Even when coming to peace with the fact of Balto being sharptooth, he knew they were still uncomfortable with the idea to see him doing so. The wolfdog would make sure to eat his share of meat, the fish of the Great Valley, in privacy.
By the riverbed, Kemo wasted no time in catching three fish for all of them. The canines and bird fed off their little morsels. The remaining time at the river was spent catching up with one another. Balto had told his brother everything else, aside from the time travel, had been going on since they last met. Though Kemo had no care for humans, apart for Rosy, he was at least pleased to hear how one of his nephews, Kodi, was living his dream at being a lead dog of Nome's mail team. Though Kemo's life was not as exciting. Nothing but tales of doing what he had to, to survive in the wild. Just a day in, day out for a lone wolf. Nothing at all exciting until this day.
"Honestly, Balto, you couldn't at least mention me in the slightest to those kids," Kemo's voice not nearly as harsh and monotone now only talking to his brother, "I swear they were petrified at the very sight of me."
"I thought you liked it when people feared you." Boris said sarcastically.
Kemo's voice became harsh again while addressing the goose, "I only like it when my enemies fear me! Not innocent children."
"I'm really sorry about that, Kemo," Balto said as he was gnawing on the fish bones, "I simply forgot. I was still trying to get over the idea that I might have been trapped in the past forever."
Kemo nodded as to say all was forgiven, "And these children looked after you while you were in this 'Great Valley?'"
"They did," Balto answered, "In fact, Littlefoot's family took me in, treated me like one of their own. If it weren't for any of them, I don't know how I would've coped being there."
"Then, for helping you, the least I can do to repay their deed is to do the same for them," Kemo announced, "Though that orange one, Cera was it? She's really trying my patience."
"Yeah, she can be a bit abrasive at times," Balto said knowing full well that was an understatement, "But she's just worried about her friends. She's really a good kid at heart. Give her time, and I'm sure you both will warm up to each other." Kemo groaned in a way that said he'd believe that when he sees it, "But what about you? Are you going to be okay telling this story? I remember how you acted the last time you had to."
"Last time I told it, it was still fresh," Kemo stated, "I've come to terms with some of it to tell it."
Balto still looked upon Kemo with sympathy, "Well, if you ever need help, I'm more than willing to pick up the slack."
"Thank you, brother."
In the clearing, the young dinosaurs were feasting on the trees that surrounded their area. The gang was slowly getting used to the taste of these future plants. Though it wasn't the bitter taste of leaves that had Littlefoot preoccupied. That would go to his threehorn friend, more or less her behavior as of late. She had been acting pretty antagonistic to their newest companion. He had absolutely no idea as to why she was so hostile to the white wolf.
Thinking more about it, it was almost no different from how she had first treated Balto if not worse. Possessing such a massive distrust for the wolfdog in his early days being in the Great Valley, and at times trying to find vindication for it. However, she did grow to accept Balto as a friend in due time. When Balto left, Cera confided into him that she acted such because she was secretly jealous how much the rest of them would admire the wolfdog's bravery than anything else. Now, though, Cera was unusually confrontational towards Kemo. For reasons he needed to figure out before Cera did something she'd soon regret.
"I don't get it, Cera," Littlefoot said, "Why did you have to get into an argument with Kemo?"
Cera just huffed like always, "Are you still on about that?"
"Yes, I am." he stated bluntly, "The last thing we need is to pick fights with new friends."
"Friend!? We just met the guy." Cera was close to shouting, "We don't know anything about him except that he's a sharptooth that may or may not be related to Balto, and we have him lead us to another predator. Am I the only one who sees a problem here?"
Littlefoot rolled his eyes, " Balto vouches for them. I thought you trusted him by now."
"I trust Balto just fine," she clarified, "I just don't trust any other wolves right now. You remember what Balto said about there not being treestars here. They never got a chance to eat them like he has. What are we going to do if they suddenly get hungry?"
"Balto will look after us," Littlefoot said with confidence, "He always has."
"Besides, Kemo wouldn't hurt us," Ducky joined in, "He was nice enough to let me ride him so I would be warm."
Cera threw her horn up in the air with another huff, "You guys are as gullible as eggs." she before walking over to her little tree den.
Littlefoot scrunched his face in annoyance towards the threehorn. In retaliation, he scooped his tail into the snow and whipped a snowball right into the back of Cara's head. The threehorn turned back with fire in her eyes.
"Oh. You'll pay for that!" she snarled.
"Come and make me." Littlefoot taunted.
Cera immediately scooped up some snow with her horn and threw it at Littlefoot. Littlefoot, in turn, dodged the oncoming snowball before whipping some more right back at her. Soon an all-out snowball battle ensued between them. Not wanting to be left out Ducky and Petrie joined in on the fun with Spike just minding his own business. It was a full-on snowball war with the dinosaurs constantly changing between targets. They haven't had this much stress-relieving fun since when snow first fell in the Great Valley.
Balto, Boris, and Kemo soon returned to see the shenanigans the kid had got themselves in. Seeing all the fun these children were having, Balto was not willing to pass this moment up. The wolfdog eagerly jumped in to join in on their game. Boris his usual thing of complaining about the 'tomfoolery' going on around him only to be pelted by a series of snowballs for not paying attention. Kemo simply sat on the sideline with Spike. The day was spent with snow flying throughout the clearing with none of the participants being spared. The game lasted all the way until the sun had finally set.
With the sun resting beyond the horizon, the gang converged around the center of the clearing with Kemo. All the fun they all had was not enough to make them forget the promise the wolf had made to them. With a deep breath, Kemo began the story. He started off recount much of what he said earlier in the day. About how Aniu would have him watch Balto when he was little. It was a pleasant early life until one day, a great blizzard struck the land. The snowstorm lasted for several days with the pack taking shelter in one of the caves in the area; everyone except for Aniu and Balto. The two were forever lost in the storm and, even after it died down, there was still no trace of them.
"After several failed search parties, my father called it all off and believed they were dead," Kemo continued on, "As you know that was far true, but back then I held on to hope that I find Balto once again. Once I was old enough, and after a lot of heated arguments with my father, I left the pack with a few of my closest friends to find him. Over the years, life was good. We started picking up many other wolves to join us along the way. Many, many others." his voice was becoming distant as the memories flooded upon him.
"And then what happened?" Littlefoot asked warily of breaking Kemo from his thoughts.
"That's where I come I," Balto answered see his brother wasn't ready to continue yet, "You guys remember how during the serum run I fell off a cliff and was met by a wolf?" they all nodded, "Well, that was him." he pointed to Kemo, "However, we didn't know that at the time. We both thought the other was some hallucination meant to encourage us. For me seeing him helped me to embrace my wolf half."
"And for me, it made me believe that I was on the right path," Kemo snapped himself out of it and pressed on with the story, "Soon enough, I and the other wolves we came across formed a pack of our own, and life was good. Life was very good. Until that day. At first, it was like any other. We were traveling through a section of the forest not far from here. I knew if we could clear it, it would save us a great deal of the day. But in my gut, something told me not all was right. Something in the wind smelled wrong. But I ignored it, and that cost me greatly. The whole place was covered in traps, human traps. It was utter chaos. Everywhere, everyone was being caught. Before I had a chance to know what was going on, a poacher shot at me. I wasn't fast enough before the bullet grazed down my face and shoulder."
"Poacher?" Cera asked, "I thought you said a human shot you."
"A poacher is a hunter who hunts with no regards for any rules of the hunt," Balto clarified, "They cheat and take far more than needed for purely selfish reasons other than food and fur to keep warm. It's considered to be very dishonorable to do so. Sadly, humans are prone to this sort of practice."
"What about your pack?" Ducky asked, "What happened to them?"
"I did what I could to protect them all," Kemo recollected the event, "I was able to confront the humans responsible, but wasn't strong enough to beat them. My injury weighed me down. I grabbed one of them by the arms, but his partner hit me with the butt of his rifle right on my wound. When I let go, the human I had grabbed kicked me off a cliff. They left me for dead and went after the rest of my pack as I fell to unconsciousness."
Kemo didn't go into detail of what happened before he fell unconscious. How he heard the sounds of his fellow pack mates screaming and hollering for help followed by a series of gunfire. Those pleas for mercy are forever trapped in Kemo's mind till what will be the end of his days.
"I... was the only one that survived." he said his voice feeling hollow and depraved of all hope.
Though he didn't go into too much detail for the children's sake, it didn't stop how they felt. It didn't take much for them to understand the implication that was being laid down. That Kemo's entire pack had been massacred, and the wolf was helpless to do anything to stop it. It was enough to bring tears to the eyes of Ducky, Petrie, and even Spike. Cera looked at the ground to avoid eye contact with the wolf. Littlefoot knew all too well what it meant to lose someone important. He can easily imagine what Kemo went through when it was happening.
"Long after the attack is where I come in again," Balto picked up the story seeing that his brother didn't have much left in him to continue, "I was walking through those woods to help clear my head, and I found Kemo passed out in the snow. I took him to the closest cave I could find and helped him mend his wounds."
"But what about the poachers?" asked Littlefoot, "Did they get away?"
"No," Balto said bluntly, "While I was helping Kemo, Jenna noticed some very suspicious men with a cart at the store. When she went to investigate the cart, she found... some dead wolves inside. When I met up with her, Jenna told me how she saw them heading out to a cabin in the woods. When Kemo was feeling good enough, we hunted them down."
"Did you... kill them?" Cera asked with hesitation.
"Balto? Kill someone?" Boris said, trying to hold the urge to laugh, "Balto could never bring himself to kill anyone?"
"No, we didn't kill them." Balto answered
"Not without a lack of trying." Kemo said under his breath that only Balto could pick up.
"But we did give them the worst scare of their lives," Balto said before anyone else caught what Kemo said, "Must've worked because those humans have never come back since."
The night sky shone among them. The light of the moon was all that could be seen, and with the story pretty much over, everyone made it to bed. Littlefoot and Cera went under the trees with Petrie behind the threehorn's crown. Boris cleared up a small patch of snow in a makeshift nest. Balto and Kemo just laid where ever they felt comfortable. That only left Ducky and Spike, who walked up to the white wolf.
"Um... Mr. Kemo?" Ducky said with a hushed voice as to not wake anyone.
Kemo opened one eye to see adopted siblings in front of him, "Yes?"
"Spike and I were wondering if we could sleep with you tonight?" the young swimmer said with such an innocent voice.
Kemo eyed the two. If they were anyone else, he would tell them to leave him alone in a harsh voice. However, these were just children, after all. He could see the eager innocent looks on their faces. Ducky was such a small happy thing, and Spike was such a curious creature. It was hard to dismiss them.
"Very well." said the wolf.
Just like that, the two dinosaurs huddled up to the ginormous wolf. Spike moved up against his side and laid his head with a yawn. Ducky shuffled in between Kemo's front legs, which he had to lift his head for her to have better access, and rested right where his leg met his chest. Kemo looked at the kind little swimmer as memories of simpler times came up in mind. Before long, Kemo laid his head back down over Ducky, leaving her head being the only thing visible from under him as she slept.
For a moment, all was calm and still. Everyone seemed to be off in a deep slumber. At least almost everyone. There was one little curious longneck who couldn't quite drift off to sleep at that very moment. Littlefoot's mind was racing with questions, and he knew just the person to turn to.
"Balto?" he said softly to not wake anyone.
The wolfdog awoke from hearing his name, and seeing it was Littlefoot, walked over to the longneck, "What's the matter Littlefoot?"
"I was just wondering," Littlefoot said, trying to keep his question short and simple for the tired wolfdog, "Why didn't you ever tell us about Kemo? Why not tell us you had a brother?"
"I was asking myself that ever since I introduced you all," Balto rested his head between his paws before he answered, "I didn't really much think about it until he and I told you that story. Kemo's life had been filled with tragedy, and with humans being responsible really painted a bad light on my timeline. I didn't want to expose you all to such a black mark on my world."
"But that's just silly," Littlefoot exclaimed, "You remember Jiao, right?" Balto nodded, "Well, he's a bad mark on my time. Was he enough to make you hate being in the Great Valley?"
"No, I guess you're right," Balto assured him, "Both of our times have their patch of darkness, but that's okay. So long as we don't let it truly affect us. Think about it like that, what was I so worried about?"
"I don't know." Littlefoot said with a giggle.
The two had a quick laugh together before drifting off to sleep. Tomorrow was to be a big day. They needed to be well-rested so that they could find Nava as soon as possible. From there, the dinosaurs could hope to find a way home. That is unless something else were to come into their path.
End of Chapter 4
A/N: With that so comes another entry. As I said, my little break wasn't to be so long. As with fleshing out Kemo's story, we can now continue forward to where this story takes us. As always, all question can be directed here ( topic/69617/176943115/1/Time-of-Wolves-2-Q-A), please leave a review, and see you Till next time.