Sira watched helplessly from the sidelines as a dog she didn't know was mauled. She may not have known the dog, but she still wanted to help him. She had seen him around town recently, and she knew he was on mail with Sira's uncle, Kodiak, but that was all she knew.
Sira tried for a third time to break through the barrier that prevented her from helping the dog, but stopped when she heard her name called distantly.
Sira sat straight up. Her body was drenched with a cold sweat, deading on her grey-brown fur. Her grandfather, Balto, stood over her, with a fresh scratch on his leg.
"You know, you're mean when you have nightmares. You scratched me pretty good there."
Sira stared with horror at the scratch on Balto's leg.
"I did that?" She finally managed to choke out,"I didn't think my claws were that sharp."
Balto stretched, then strolled out onto the deck of his wrecked boat, where Sira and her brother, Kodi, were staying until they could return with their mother, Aleu, to their pack.
Sira suddenly felt a presence behind her. She knew it hadn't been there just a few seconds before. Or had it?
Sira swung around and kicked.
**********
Gasi Mordos turned to her council of ten. "Let's go!" She called."We are going on a little trip."
The small group of wolves ran out of the clearing, into the woods. They were headed to a small human developement called Nome.
Seconds later, a red huskey trotted cautiously out of the forest from the opposite direction.
After looking around in the small clearing and seeing the newly abandoned cave, she called out,"Aleu, I know you're following me. Those crutches aren't exactly made for stealth."
The air shimmered, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared about two feet above the ground. The air around the eyes shimmered, and Aleu appeared.
"You don't have to shout. I'm right here."
"Wow, you were a lot closer than I thought. so you heard everything?"
"I heard nothing I didn't already know."
"Wait a second. Where you just invisible?"
"No. I have an ability to cause halucinations, such as seeing and hearing or not seeing and not hearing things."
Suddenly, a wolf came back into the clearing. He stood right in between Jenna and Aleu, and looked around, as if looking for something. Then, as if seeing nothing, the wolf ran back into the forest.
"Well?" Gasi Mordos's voice drifted out of the forest.
"Nothing, Lady Mordos. I was sure I saw something, and I know I heard something, but there are no tracks, no scents, no anything that shouldn't be there."
"Good. You know what I do to wolves or anybody that brings me bad news. I will let you off, but only since you told me what I wanted to hear."
"You are too gracious, Lady Mordos. Thank you, Lady Mordos."
"I know I'm too gracious. Now, onward to Nome!"
Jenna waited a few seconds, then let out the breath she'd been holding. "Who was that?"
Aleu was slow to answer, but after a few seconds, she said,"That was Gasi Mordos, my Beta. She thinks that I am an unfit leader, and wishes to be Alpha."
"Your Beta? As in, second in command? But she wants to kill you!"
"Ever hear the saying, 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer'?"
"Okay, now I understand. But what does she do to the ones who bring her bad news?" Jenna started to walk toward the cave entrance, but tripped just before she entered, and found herself staring into the lifeless eyes of Steele.
Aleu looked at Jenna with a look of seriousness that was way beyond her years, and said,"She kills them."
**********
"Ow! Girl's got some moves!" Nathon was talking to Kodiak, who was helping him with his newly bruised chin.
"Yes. That is why you don't sneak up behind someone who was raised in dangerous territory. Now hold still," Kodiak said. He was trying to rub some stolen medicated ointment onto Nathon's sore jaw.
Dusty came over from her post across the street. "Well, they found Ralph. Unfortunately, he is unable to run. Apparently, he got in with the wrong crowd."
Kodiak finished rubbing lotion onto Nathon, then turned to Dusty."How much does he owe?"
Dusty grimaced. "A hundred and fifty large bones."
Now, it was Kodiak's time to make faces. "Wow, that's a lot. How the heck did he get in that far?"
"Apparently, he went to Mugs. And more bad news. We can't find a replacement dog to do the mail run for a while."
"Don't look at me. My family is already screwed up. Did you see what Sira did to Nathon this morning?"
Dusty leaned in to see, then winced and backed away. "Ouch. What did they do, play football and forget not to tackle?" Dusty was referring to her owner's children, who were always hurting themselves while playing football.
Kodiak remembered something that Dingo had told him about the big news story that made the front page this week. "No, that's some retriever down south. Nathon tried to sneak up on Sira."
"Speaking of Sira, when do I get to meet your niece and nephew?"
"You mean you haven't met?" Kodiak was genuinely surprised."We're gonna have to fix that."
**********
Jenna backpedalled and screamed."It's Steele! He's here! And he's dead!"
Aleu stared into space."Steele. Black and white huskey, full of himself, angry at dad. Correct?"
"Yeah. How did you know? Did you meet him?"
Aleu shook her head. "We never met face to face. Steele was the one who told Gasi Mordos that I was still alive."
**********
Dusty was pleased to meet Sira, but Kodi was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, seen only by Sira, the air behind Nathon began to shimmer.
Sira pretended that she didn't see it. Like that would help.
Nathon spun and kicked, perfectly imitating the move Sira had done on him. He missed, however, because his target wasn't there.
It was above him. Then, it was on him. Kodi was here. He could actually turn invisible, not like Aleu. And, he could fly.
Another dog darted around the corner. It was Susan, from the mail team. She was also Nathon's sister.
Susan paused for a moment, to catch her breath. She had obviously run for quite some time, if she needed a breather.
Susan looked Kodiak in the eye, and said,"They're here."
**********
Nome was in an uproar. A small group of wolves had just ran into town and into an alleyway, where they had just sat.
They were waiting. Wolves were the most patient creatures you could find if you wanted waiting. After all, they were hunters.
Kodi and Sira ran around the corner, and saw the wolves.
Like flipping a switch, thier personalities changed.
"Esteemed and raised few,"began Sira,"We regret to inform you, that our mother, Aleu, is unable to join us at this selected moment."
"As her heirs, we are to take her place until a time comes when she, the Alpha of the Northern Ice Pack, may join us,"Kodi added.
Susan, amazed at the sudden change, turned to go.
One of the wolves noticed. "You may stay, sister of the missing, until the Lost Alpha releases you. Of course, that is not an order."
Susan, glad to be able to see real live wolves in action, sat near the wall of the alley. She noticed another wolf study her with distaste.
"Then, we shall begin. We, the Alphas of the land, have called this meeting to discuss matters most important. You, the Northern Ice, cannot-WILL not- stay in the land."
"May we enquire why, oh noble ones?" Sira and Kodi now spoke in well-practiced unison. It was clear that this was protocol in the wolf's domain. Susan had a feeling that they already knew.
"The law clearly states that there can only be ten packs residing in a territory at a time. Any more would upset the balance of all. You must either leave, or join with an excisting pack."
"Or, they can die!" A new voice interrupted. All eyes turned to look upon the intruder. A large silver wolf, flanked by ten other wolves of various size and shape, blocked the entrance of the alleyway.
"Who are you to intrude on our meeting?" A wolf-dog in the group called out,"You don't belong here."
"You don't belong anywhere, half-breed,"said the wolf, earning a collective gasp from the group. Nobody called this leader half-breed. "You wouldn't happen to be related to these...freaks, would you?" she refered to Sira and Kodi.
"As a matter of fact, she is." Aleu's voice was heard over the din of laughing wolves and the silver wolf's voice."Now back off."
The sternness in Aleu's voice made Susan shudder. She had never heard anyone that stern, not her father, not her mother, not even her person. Aleu was scary.
The silvery wolf spun around, and revealed Aleu standing just behind her.
"Surprised to see me, Gasi? Or should I use the english translation, Storm Killer."
Gasi Mordos was thouroghly angry. She whacked the closest animal to her-which just happened to be Susan.
Susan went flying across the alley and banged her head against the back wall if the alley.
Aleu's eyes flashed. "So, you want to be Alpha, do you? Well, here's your chance. You are now Alpha for one month. If, at the end of a month, you still wish to be Alpha, then you are Alpha forever, no takebacks. But, if at the end of a month, you think being Alpha isn't as fun as you thought it was, come back here and find me. Nava!" Aleu spun to face a box that was at the entrance of the alley,"Go and tell the rest of the pack about this minor change." The box bulged, and a grey wolf stepped out from the wood. He ran into the edge of town and dissappeared.
Aleu spun back to Gasi Mordos. "You want me dead, huh? Well, you got your wish. For the next month, for all intents and purposes, I am dead. When I awaken at the end of a month, you must have made your choice. Dismissed, Alpha." Aleu's eyes glowed for a second, then stopped. Susan quietly grunted, then was quiet herself. Aleu tumbled to the ground in a heap. Her eyes were lifeless, though she still breathed.
Without a word, Gasi Mordos turned and left. Nome was safe. For now.
Susan stirred. Sira looked at her with concern. She didn't seem to be worried about Aleu.
"Are you okay, Susan?"
"We...are fine." Susan's voice seemed echoed, like there were two people talking.
In fact, thought Sira with surprise, there are two people talking. One of the voices was Susan's, and the other's was Aleu's.
Sira, Kodi, Gasi Mordos, Susan, the Council, Nathon copyright JackOdd/Aleuisbest
Balto, Steele, Jenna, Ralph, Dusty, Aleu, Kodiak copyright Universal