Chapter 2: A new Life

Spirit wandered for two days before he decided where to go. He decided to find the one animal in this world he cared about who was still alive. It would be difficult to track Aleu after two days but not impossible. He hadn't even remembered her until now, what with the fight, his injuries and Arianna on his mind. He set off in the direction she had headed in, he didn't know where she was going or how far it was but who cared there was nothing here for him, was there? His injuries still hurt though they had at least stopped bleeding,

"One piece of good news" he thought "at least I wont bleed to death."

He really wished he had asked Aleu where she was going but on the other paw; he probably wouldn't know where it was anyway. He was almost wrong it was extremely difficult tracking her but still not impossible, it would be the ultimate test of his skills. Fresh snow had hidden her tracks; her scent was either gone or undetectable mixed with the other smells on his path. All he could rely on was guesswork and his own instincts. Maybe he could ask the next animal he saw on his path but that was a long shot too. He would think logically about where she was likely to go. She would want to move fast so she was unlikely to take difficult, highland paths. She would also want to stay close to water and cover. This meant she would probably head through forests near the river. This may not be the best plan but it was a plan after all. After nearly 9 hours of walking Spirit was still no closer to finding her than he had been two days earlier. Perhaps asking was the best idea, but who should he ask. After another hour he decided to admit defeat and ask for help. He finally decided to ask a moose he saw a few minutes before if he had seen her pass.

"Excuse me." He woofed to the old moose "Did you see a female wolf-dog pass by here recently?"

He replied, "Yes I believe she was heading towards the human town of Nome."

After thanking the moose he left in the direction he had been pointed in. The moose's directions were not entirely perfect but they were good enough for an animal with Spirits skills and instincts. After getting directions it didn't take him long to find the large town of Nome. The town was next to the sea; a large boat was grounded on the beach near the shore. He started towards the town, cautiously walking down to the first line of civilization. He was a little scared; he had never seen humans before and he'd definitely never imagined himself walking into a human town of his own free will.

"Well, yet another half-breed mongrel dares to stroll into my town. I'll teach this arrogant mutt." Steele didn't like part-breeds especially since one humiliated him a year ago.

He started towards the wolf dog never taking his eyes of him. Spirit had succeeded in finding the large town but he still had the problem of finding her in this place. He stopped suddenly sensing rather than hearing someone behind him. He turned to see a large purebred husky. Steele stared into the white animals eyes. This wasn't just another half blood; there was something more with this animal. The dog was lacking any natural pigment, the animals fur was pure white, its nose was pink and its eyes were mismatched, one brown and one pale blue. Spirit didn't like the look of this dog. He had the same feel about him as Diego.

"I'm lost so could you help me." Spirit doubted he would get any assistance of this dog but he asked anyway.

"I don't help mongrels like you." Steele snarled. "Get out of my town!"

"Look dog, I'm just trying to find someone, so step off and get out of my way!"

"You dare talk to me like that mongrel!" Steele retorted.

"Look." Spirit" growled, "I am trying to find someone, I will leave when I'm done, got it dog."

"Ha, no dogs in this town would even talk to you." Steele laughed as he thought of this.

"Yes there is." He shouted defensively.

"Oh really, well I'd like to know who." Steele sounded slightly surprised.

"Aleu." Spirit answered defiantly.

"Oh another half-blood, I should have known." Steele laughed.

"Don't talk about her that way." Spirit sounded abnormally calm.

He turned his back on Steele and started to walk away. Steele wasn't going to accept this kind of audacity from a year old mutt.

"Don't turn your back to me mutt!" Steele shouted.

"Listen dog! Here's the deal, you tell me where Aleu is and I don't tear you apart. And if you don't think I can do it, I killed a pure wolf last week." Spirit smiled at the look on Steele's face. He was worried, he knew better than to fight any animal with wolf blood. He was a sled dog, if a wolf couldn't kill this pup then he couldn't.

"Okay she lives with her father on his boat." His voice was quivering as he spoke.

"Where?" Spirit asked.

"On the beach you can't miss it." He responded.

"Good doggy, now I don't have to kill you." Spirit laughed.

He walked to the beach. The closer he got to the boat, the more he wished he'd never come to Nome in the first place. He had never been so terrified in all of his life, all year of it. The closer he came to meeting her again the more frightened he became. What if she hated him for leading Diego to her? He didn't know what her parents would think of him, he had after all almost torn her throat out the first time they met. He loved her, he had told her that on the first night they were together but, did she love him? Finally after what seemed like an hour he reached the boat. His heart was beating faster than ever before. He howled her name to get someone, anyone's attention. At first he thought there was no one in the boat but then he heard footsteps. Then he saw the pale grey fur and knew it was her. As she stepped out onto the bow of the beached boat she saw the white dog below. She looked down at him for a moment before she realized who he was. She ran out of the boat to meet him. They nuzzled together as they spoke.

"I was so worried about you after I ran off." Aleu spoke softly to the male as they rubbed against each other.

"You were?" Her statement shocked him.

"So what happened when I left?" she inquired.

For an hour or two Spirit recounted the story of the last week to her. She listened silently to what the young dog said as he spoke. After he had recounted his story she looked up at him to see tears running down his muzzle. She stood up and licked the side of his face to reassure him a little. She turned away and looked towards the town, as he lay down in the cabin, to exhausted to move.

"Let's go visit my mother so I can..." She stopped speaking when she saw him. He was lying with his eyes shut, enjoying his first real sleep in nearly four days.

"Never mind" She thought "I can introduce you later."

Balto jumped onto the plank marking the entrance to his boat. As he rounded the corner into the cabin he was greeted by an image he never expected. He saw his daughter asleep on the floor, nuzzled against a pure white dog. At first glance he thought it may be Aniu, his mother but he then realized that this was a dog not a bitch.

"So, it appears Aleu has found herself a mate." Boris, the Russian snow goose laughed as he spoke.

Balto didn't know what to think, his little girl was lying down with this dog he'd never seen before. He had always been very protective of his daughter and he didn't want her hurt but he would wait until they woke up to find out what was going on. Aleu awoke to see her father standing outside talking with Boris.

"Papa." She ran to her father as she called him. They snuggled as they woofed. Aleu explained to her father that Spirit was the one who saved her from Diego. Balto listened to what Aleu was saying and agreed to give the dog a chance. Spirit woke up and saw Aleu woofing with a dog standing on the bow of the boat, staring at the small town as they spoke. He didn't know who the male was but he guessed that it was her father. He decided to stay where he was for a little longer. Before he even placed his head back on the floor Aleu turned and saw that he was awake.

"Did you sleep well Spirit?" She asked.

"Yeah fine." He yawned as he answered her question. Spirit took a glance out the window of the cabin. How long had he been asleep? It was sunny outside; (perhaps midday) it had been dusk when he got here. He looked at the male as he stood up, his joints stiff from all the walking he had done in the past few days. He knew Aleu's father would have a few questions for him.

"Aleu, why don't you go see your mother. Me and Spirit will catch up after we have a little chat." Balto turned to his daughter as he spoke. Spirit knew this was coming before Balto had even spoken. It was obvious that Balto wanted to see exactly what Spirit was thinking before deciding what to do about the young dog. He wanted to make sure he could trust Spirit with his little girl. Aleu walked into town leaving the two males to talk.

"Listen, I just want to thank you for helping my daughter." Balto began.

Spirit didn't expect this.

The older male continued "Why did that wolf want my daughter dead?"

Spirit didn't know, but would Balto accept that answer? "I don't know." He had asked but Diego just told him it was none of his concern.

"How do I know you were really helping Aleu? You could just be setting her up by pretending to help her." Balto questioned. "Well?"

"If I wanted her dead do you think I would let her get to her family? I would have killed her when we were still in the wild." Spirit answered. He knew Balto was only trying to protect his family he wasn't this nasty normally. Aleu had told him how caring her father was; besides he was a bad actor.

"Ok even if YOU want to help her what if Diego followed you here?" He asked, dropping the nasty, aggressive tone.

"I don't think he could get to her now." Spirit sounded a little cocky as he spoke. "I killed him after we caught up to Aleu."

Balto was a stunned at what the albino pup had said. He was however satisfied with the dog's answers. It wasn't so much what he had said but his tone of voice when he said it.

"Spirit, look after Aleu. Never hurt her, understand me." Balto said.

"I promise I will not let anyone hurt her." The young dog answered.

Balto was happy with his answer and so the two dogs jumped down from the boat and walked towards the town. It was a long walk from the beached boat to the edge of the town. Lots of people stared at the albino as they walked through the streets towards Jenna's house. Spirit was a little wary of all the humans watching him but Balto assured him they would not harm him. The walk took them at least 20 minutes. Spirit's body was beginning to feel the stress that had been exerted on it over the past week. His injuries were healing but they still caused him a lot of pain. Despite his sleep the previous night he was still exhausted. His body ached, almost begged for sleep and the feeling of her fur against his own. As the two males walked into the house Spirit saw the dog of his dreams talking to a purebred husky. He now knew where Aleu got her beauty. Here were the two most beautiful animals he had ever seen. The young bitch saw the males out of the corner of her eye. She turned quickly and rushed to the white male's side. Her fur felt great against his body. He was happier at this moment than he had ever been before. Her parents had accepted him. The days of suffering and pain Diego had forced upon him and his sister were over, now he had the rest of his life to spend with Aleu. For the first time in his life he was somewhere he would be respected and loved for what he was. He and Aleu were in love and no-one could ever change that fact.