Chapter 7 - New Friends?
The next morning, the bright sun shined in Balto's eyes, waking him up.
"Ugh," he grunted. "Why must the sun wake me up during my FIRST dream-free sleep?"
He shook it off and got up. He stretched and then went to the mouth of the cave and sat down and looked out.
"Where are they?" he asked himself. "Did they find shelter somewhere overnight or did they keep going?"
And his most important thought... "Will I ever find them?"
He didn't know for sure. All he knew was that he had to try. So he stretched once more and ran off into the mountains.
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Aleu yawned and her eyes opened slowly. She glanced over at Steele and noticed that he was still asleep. Now was her chance to escape.
She got up and ran out of the cave, careful not to wake Steele.
She wasn't sure where to go. Should she go back to the cabin, or should she head north?
She knew she didn't have time to sit and decide, so she followed her heart and ran north. Luckily, she was able to escape from Steele.
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Meanwhile, Balto had stopped running for awhile because he was starting to get tired. And he had also realized something. He was colder than usual.
He looked down at his neck and all he saw was fur.
"Oh no," he said out loud. He looked around and saw nothing. "Where is it?" he exclaimed.
He frowned and put his head down. Once again, he had lost Jenna's bandana. Now she would have to buy another one.
"Great. She's gonna hate me now," he thought.
He laid down in the snow for a second to rest. It wasn't too long before he heard a somewhat familiar howl.
Balto's ears pricked up at the sound of the howl. He turned around and saw a dark figure coming up behind him. It wasn't Aleu, it wasn't Saint, it most certainly wasn't Jenna. He wasn't sure who it was, so he ran away from it.
The dark figure was gaining on him and it wouldn't stop. He feared that he might be crossing another wolf's territory, but he didn't care right now. All he cared about was finding Aleu and getting home safe with her.
He eventually gave up the running. He was just going to have to take his chances. The dark figure came closer, and Balto saw that it was Steele before he approached.
"Forget something?" Steele asked rather nicely. Balto glared at him and swiped the bandana from Steele's grasp.
"Steele, where did you take Aleu?" he asked angrily, slipping the bandana around his neck.
"That's why I'm here. I'm looking for her."
"What do you mean, YOU'RE looking for her? You were the one that took him in the first place!" he exclaimed, moving intimidatingly closer to Steele. He backed up slightly with every step that Balto took.
"No, you don't understand."
"Oh, yes I do, believe me. You want me to think that so that I'll team up with you to find her, and then when we do, you're gonna hurt me."
"That's not true! We found shelter last night, and when I woke up this morning she wasn't there. I was running out here to try to find her. I thought that you were her... you guys look so much alike, I was mistaken. That's why I wouldn't give up my chase."
Balto stared at him and said, "Oh. Well then... I guess we should get going."
Steele's eyes grew wide. Even though he WAS telling the truth, he couldn't believe that Balto believed him. He was afraid that if he asked if he believed him he would change his mind, so he said nothing.
"O... okay, let's go," Steele said, trying to hide his astonishment.
Balto and Steele locked eyes. For a moment it was as if they were best friends. Balto cracked a small grin at Steele and then they walked, side by side, into the mountains.
End of Chapter 7
Okay, there you go with an update. I will most likely be updating before Christmas, but if not, Happy Holidays!