Dusk had come by the time they found a cave. After having dinner, Sora, Balto, Kavik, Boris, Muk, and Luk went to sleep. Balto kept tossing and turning in his sleep. He was having another strange dream.
"No…What is it…Why me…Leave them…alone…Please…I'll…I'll do it!" He kept saying in his sleep.
Balto….Balto!
Balto woke up, gasping for breath. Sora was shaking him to wake up. Kavik, Boris, Muk, and Luk were staring at him. Balto realized that he was sweating like crazy.
"Are you okay?" Sora asked.
"I'm…I'm fine." Balto said, calmly.
"Don't lie." Boris said. "Those dreams of yours are getting worse, aren't they?"
Balto hesitated, then finally he nodded.
"Balto, I think it's about time you tell us what these dreams are." Sora said.
"Sora's right, Balto." Kavik said. "We're all getting concern about you."
"All right." Balto said. "But not until we cross the great water."
He got up and walked towards the mouth of the cave.
"Come on, the sun is up." Balto said. "We should get going."
He walked out of the cave. Everyone shook their heads.
"Is he always this stubborn?" Sora asked Boris.
"For as long as I've known him." Boris said.
Balto led the way towards their destination. For a while, everybody was quiet. Balto would sniff the air and keep walking. He seemed to know where he was going. Then finally, Balto led them to a beach. There was ice cracking on the ocean. Spring was coming. Sora heard noises and saw that the raven had returned. It was flying towards the cracking ice, circling around. Balto nodded at the raven.
"She wants us to stand on the ice." He said.
Balto went on the ice. Sora, Kavik, Boris, Muk, and Luk gave puzzled looks, but went on anyway. After getting on, ice started to crack and pushed them out to sea.
"Balto, what exactly is going on?" Boris asked.
"The ice is taking us across the great water." Balto said. "Where Alue and her wolf pack are."
"You mean, we're going to see Alue again?" Luk asked excitedly.
Balto smiled and nodded.
Muk and Luk got excited.
"We're going to see Alue again." They sang happily.
Sora was puzzled.
"Uh…I'm happy to see that you're going to see this Alue." He said. "But who exactly is she?"
"Alue is my daughter." Balto said. "I haven't seen her in a long time."
"Oh..." Sora said.
"Say Balto," Kavik said. "Didn't you say that Alue is now leader of a wolf clan?"
"Yes she is." Balto said.
"I'd really like to know she became one." Kavik said.
"All right, it might take a while to get there anyway." Balto said.
He took a deep breath and explained.
"It started two months after I brought the medicine to Nome." Balto said. "Jenna and I had become mates and gonna have pups. But a week before the pups were born, I kept having strange dreams."
"About raven and wolves?" Sora said.
Balto looked at him, surprised.
"Boris told me." Sora said. "But nothing more."
Balto looks at Boris, who was whistling as though he heard nothing.
"Well anyways…"
Balto dreamt that he was chasing a raven on a frozen lake. It cracked into pieces, big enough for Balto to jump on. He kept running until he saw wolves with glowing eyes, staring at him. Then Boris woke him up by splashing him with a bucket full of water. Boris kept warning Balto that his dreams mean something. Balto told Boris that his dreams are just dreams. He then, got up and went to check on Jenna.
On their way to Jenna's, Boris pointed Balto to a totem pole. It was curved with a raven and a wolf. It also had a fox, wolverine, bear, and a caribou. Boris told Balto that it might have something to do with his dream. Balto just said that it's just wood carvings and continued on. When they got into town, a little dog told Balto that the stork has landed. Balto knew that he meant that Jenna had the pups already. He and Boris raced to Rosy's house. Balto went into the back and to a shed. Jenna was in a basket with six little pups. Balto was little nervous when he walked in. He saw the six pups resting by their mother. Balto and Jenna nuzzled eachother. They finally have a family.
"Wow…that must've been the proudest day of your life." Sora said.
"Yeah, it was." Balto said. "For the first couple of weeks, everything was going fine. All the pups would come to my boat and play."
"And sometimes they would think of me as a chew toy." Boris said.
Everyone laughed.
"Well anyways," Balto continued. "All of the pups looked like dogs, except Alue."
"She looked like a wolf?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, more of a wolf than me." Balto said. "I was afraid. I didn't want her to be different from her brothers and sister."
"Alue also showed her wolf side by howling all the time." Boris said. "There were times when she'd howl at the full moon, keeping me up all night."
"Well," Balto continued. "My worst fear of Alue came true."
"How?" Sora asked.
Eight weeks after they were born, the pups were old enough for a human to adopt them. The pups were eagerly waiting to be adopted, especially Alue. One by one, a human child would choose a pup. Alue was waiting anxiously. But by the end of the day, Alue was the only one that wasn't taken by a human.
"So nobody adopted Alue?" Sora asked.
"No." Balto said. "They think of her as a wolf, not a dog."
"She must've felt bad." Sora said.
"Yeah, Alue couldn't understand why no human wanted her." Balto said. "I didn't have the heart to tell her. By the time I did, I wish I told her sooner."
"What happen?" Sora asked.
A year later, Alue was now grown up. She looked more of a wolf then she did as a pup. Alue was playing hide-and-seek with Muk and Luk. After she found them, Boris told Alue to sit still. She didn't want to. Boris told Alue that he was her babysitter. Alue told Boris that she is no longer a baby and that she doesn't need a babysitter. Balto came by and told her she would always be his baby, no matter how old she is. With a huff, Alue walked off to play on her own. She was happily rolling down a hill when she saw a raven flying by. Then she saw a human behind a tree. Alue thought the human wanted to adopt her. So she ran towards him. The human was a hunter and thought Alue was a wolf. He was aiming his rifle at her.
"A hunter took aim at her?" Sora and Kavik said.
"Yeah, he was about to shoot her." Balto said. "But I stopped him in time. We manage to get away after that. Alue couldn't understand was going on. I had no choice but to finally tell her."
"She didn't take it very lightly, did she?" Kavik asked.
"No, Alue was so mad that she ran away." Balto said. "I thought she needed a night to calm down. But she didn't return the next day."
Balto went to Jenna's, to see if Alue was there. He saw that Jenna was asleep in the Rosy's room. Balto woke her up and asked her if see seen Alue. Jenna said she hasn't seen Alue. Balto was getting more worried. He told Jenna what happened yesterday. Jenna was shocked. She wanted to go look for her daughter. Balto said no. He says it's his fault and that he should look for Alue. After saying good-bye to Jenna, Balto went into the woods to search for Alue.
He was following her scent, when a raven flew by. Balto couldn't believe it. It looked like the same raven he kept having in his dreams. The raven kept circling around him. Balto thought it was going to help him look for Alue. He followed the raven. Soon, a fog came. Balto couldn't see the raven. Then he heard a voice. Balto followed the voice. When the fog cleared, he saw a female fox, trapped on a log. The fox told Balto she would help him find Alue if he free her. Balto asked the fox how she knew he was looking for his daughter. The fox said that the raven told her. Balto decided to free the fox. After being freed, the fox pushed Balto down to the river.
"Why did the fox do that after you just helped her?" Sora asked.
"She said that was her way of helping me finding Alue." Balto said.
Sora snorted.
"Some help that was." He said.
Balto chuckled.
"Well, believe it or not, Sora." He said. "It did."
Sora looked at him, puzzled.
"The river pushed me to a spot where Alue's scent was stronger." Balto continued. "I kept going."
When the sun was setting, a wolverine pack surrounded Balto. He told them that he was just passing by and wasn't going to attack them. The wolverines wanted to know why Balto intrude into their territory. He told them that he was looking for his daughter. The wolverines laughed and told him that he'll never find her. Balto was scared that he'll never see Alue again. But he was determined to find her, no matter what. The wolverines kept telling Balto that he'll never find her until they, literally, vanished into thin air.
"How could a wolverine pack vanish?" Kavik asked.
"I don't know how, but they did." Balto said.
Sora looked surprise.
"So…did you manage to find Alue?" He asked.
"Yeah, the next morning I did." Balto said. "She was attack by a grizzly bear."
"Not another one." Sora said.
"We both tried to bring the bear down." Balto continued. "But we couldn't. Then Alue just stared into the bear's eyes. I didn't understand what she was doing. Then Alue told me that we have to jump off the cliff."
"What?" Sora and Kavik shouted.
"Yeah, I thought she was going crazy too." Balto continued. "But she pushed me off and she went as well. Thankfully, we landed on a spot that wasn't too high from the cliff. I asked Alue how she knew about the spot. She said that she looked into the bear's thoughts and it told her."
"You mean she looked into the bear's mind?" Sora asked.
Balto nodded.
"I told Alue we've got to get back home." He continued. "But she said no. Not until she finds out who she is. So I told her that I'm going with her then."
Balto could smell salt water. That means that they were close to an ocean. They both walked down to a beach. There they saw the raven. Balto told Alue that he's been following a raven to help find her. And he also told her that he's been seeing a raven in his dreams. Alue then told Balto that she's been following a raven too. They both couldn't understand why a raven wants them there. Soon, Alue smelled something. It was company, and they didn't smell friendly. Balto and Alue went closer to the beach. The scent wasn't there anymore. Alue went on some rocks to feel the ocean breeze. Just as they thought they were safe, trouble came.
Three wolves cornered them. Balto and Alue had no choice but to attack. They were a piece of cake. Soon, the wolf that ordered them to attack Balto and Alue came. He told the three wolves to finish them off. But the tide was coming and the three wolves were afraid that they might drown. The wolf forced them to attack Balto and Alue. But the leader of the pack came and stopped them. He told them that Balto and Alue are visitors and to clear a path for them. The three wolves did as they were told. The wolf, however, didn't. He didn't trust Balto and Alue. He thought that they came to steal the pack's food. The leader told the wolf once again to clear a path. The wolf still refuses to move. Somehow, the leader communicated with a whale that was close by. The whale splashed water on the wolf. The wolves that were watching laughed. With a growl, the wolf finally moves. Balto thanked the pack leader. The pack leader also thanked them for coming at last. It was Nava that sent for them both.
"So that's where you met Nava?" Sora asked.
Balto nodded.
"And let me guess, that wolf that didn't move was Niju, right?" Sora asked.
"What made you think it was him?"
"I just had a hunch." Sora said. "Anyways, why did he send for you?"
"His pack was running out of food. The caribou have moved to a different place. The place we're going. Nava told the pack that they must follow them. Niju didn't think that they should go anywhere. They could go and steal food from other clans."
"But…what dose that have to do with you and Alue?" Sora asked.
"Nava said that the Aniu the white wolf has come to him in his dreams." Balto continued. "That someone who is wolf but does not know it would be their leader. He first thought it was me. But it wasn't."
"It was Alue, huh?" Sora asked.
Balto nodded.
"Niju didn't want to leave though." He continued. "He didn't want things to change. Niju tried to stop Alue from taking the pack. But I stopped him."
"That explains why he wasn't too happy to see you." Sora said.
"Nava was too old to go across the great water." Balto said. "So he decided to stay. I said to good-bye Alue. As they were floating away, Alue and the pack started howling. When I couldn't see them any longer, I was on my way home. But the raven came by again. "I said 'Now what? And it said to me 'Only the journey home, my son.' The raven was actually my mother, Aniu."
"You mean the raven that's guiding us now?" Sora asked.
Balto nodded.
Kavik made a chuckled.
"I knew one day our mother would guide us somewhere together." He said.
"I was wondering, Kavik." Sora said. "How did you know that the raven is your mother?"
"Yeah, come to think of it," Balto said. "I was wondering the same thing."
"Well, I few months ago, I gotten through a battle with a massive bear." Kavik said. "I was very weak. I thought I wasn't gonna make it. Until a raven flew by. It kept circling around me. Something told me to follow it. I used all what's left of strength to do so. It led me to a river. I drank its water. It was like the water of life. My strength was slowly coming back. I slept there that night. When I woke up the next morning, I was completely healed. The raven came back. I thanked the raven. Then it formed into a white wolf, our mother. I was surprised. She just smiled at me and disappeared."
"At least we know our mother will be there if we need her." Balto said.
"Oh yeah," Sora said to Balto. "That story got me thinking…"
He pulled out the ice crystals.
"Each of the animals you've encountered are the same ones on the ice crystals." Sora said.
"I've realized what they meant." Balto said. "Each of them has a meaning. The fox: cunning trickster. Wolverine: Your fears. The bear: inner knowing. And the caribou: life."
Sora looked at the ice crystals he had.
"We have all of them, except the caribou." He said.
Thud
The ice hit the sand. Sora, Balto, Kavik, Boris, Muk, and Luk have finally made it to the other side.
"Come on." Sora said, getting off. "Let's not keep Alue waiting."
Balto smiled. They got off the ice and continued on.
End of chapter. Sorry I didn't explain about Balto's latest dreams. In the future chapters I will. All I can say is that they're quite different from Wolf Quest.