Bad News
Balto walked into the house, feeling far more exhausted than before he left. He had two hours at most until breakfast. At least all six pups were sound asleep, nestled against Jenna. Though utterly drained, he couldn't fall asleep, so he sat staring into the fire, deep in thought. Was the situation as serious as Kemo and the other wolves made it appear? Being part wolf made him sympathetic to their cause, but he also knew that there was little he could do to help them if humans decided to build somewhere. Yet if he did nothing, it could spell doom for the local packs.
"Balto? What's wrong?" Jenna asked, raising her head.
He looked back at her. "I just can't sleep."
"Something Kemo said?"
"Kemo?" Balto asked. Then he realized that Kaltag would've told her where he had gone. "Yeah. Humans are encroaching on his territory. They're planning to build something up there, and it's got him and a bunch of the other wolves worried that they'll be hunted down or driven off their lands. Some want to avoid confrontation, a few want to fight. None of them really know what to do. Not even Kemo. I tell ya, Jenna, it shouldn't happen to a dog . . . or a wolf. Now they want my help."
"Are you going to give it to them?"
"I don't know, Jenna. Part of me says that this whole thing is wrong and I should do something to stop it, but another part of me says that there's nothing I could do. I do know that I can't just turn my back on them. You know what happened the last time humans took something from Kemo."
Jenna frowned. After his pack was slaughtered, Kemo had tracked the two hunters to their lodge. He would've killed them had Balto not intervened on behalf of the humans, a fact Kemo still seemed to resent. Granted, he had every right to do so according to the law of the pack, but human law didn't work the same way unfortunately, and she didn't want anything to happen to her mate's brother. "The wolves aren't planning anything . . . aggressive, are they?"
Balto smiled at her concern. "Don't worry. They just want my advice, and I don't think they'll do anything rash as long as I give it to them."
"I really feel sorry for Kemo and the others, but what can you do about it?"
"I don't know. This all hinges on one human's decisions. He's coming here from some far-off place." Jenna made no reply and Balto looked over at her. "What's the matter?"
"I was out with Rosie and her parents earlier. They were out shopping for food and a few other things. There's a man coming to stay with us, and I gather he's from somewhere far away."
Balto unsuccessfully tried to stifle a groan. His daughter stirred. "Papa?"
"It's okay, Aleu. Go back to sleep." Balto waited a moment until he was sure his daughter was asleep again before looking at his mate. "That was the last thing I needed to hear tonight. How am I supposed to tell Kemo that his enemy is staying in my home?"
"You don't know that he's an enemy," Jenna said, lying down again. "Maybe this isn't the human the wolves told you about. I'm sure everything will be fine."
"Yeah, I hope so." Balto looked back at the fire, trying to approach the problem logically. So much hinged on this one human. If only he knew more about him. He sat for a long time, wondering who this stranger could be.
