Author's Note: A song appears in this chapter
Chapter 5
After sleeping for hours with a sleep deprivation from the sled riding, my eyes opened to find myself in a cave. My belongings are no where near me. I didn't see Balto close by me. I realized it was just me in the cave. I got up from the sled to look for him, but he was nowhere. I also started to call for him, but I hear nothing except the echos in the cave. The sound of quick paw movements were coming close and I thought that could be Balto.
It turns out to be a dark black wolf came at me quick and pounced me to the ground. I try to defend myself, but it took the advantage of pressing my arms to the ground.
"Tell me why I should not kill right now?" he asked.
"Where is Balto?" I asked.
"Maybe I know or maybe I don't know." he said as I started to become angry and struggle to free myself.
"Since you're human, I see no reason why I should let you live." he added.
His paw was raising up as he's prepare to strike, while closing my eyes.
"Niju!" a voice came towards the end of the cave.
"Do you even know better how to treat our visitor?" a white-gray elderly wolf told to the black wolf.
The dark wolf growls and walks away. I got myself up and dusted myself off.
"Forgive me for my fellow brother Niju and greetings Eli." the elderly wolf greeted me.
"How did you know my name?!" I asked unhappily after I was nearly killed.
"Again, I'm sorry for the trouble, my name is Nava and Balto told me about you." he answered.
I lightened up a bit to notice about Balto's name was mentioned.
"Aren't you the clan that took in Aleu?" I asked.
"Why of course, I do believe that Balto told you about her and leading her own clan." Nava answered again.
"He told me a thing or two about his daughter and the clan." I said as three other wolves coming in the cave.
"Where's Balto?" I asked.
"Like I said before, we may know or maybe we don't know." Niju insulted and anger grew inside of me.
"All I know is that he could have been captured by Axel or his minions and Balto had saved me when I first met him." I said.
"I'm sure your friend would make it out alive since he's part wolf." Niju added.
"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE HE IS AND YOU CAN'T tell me where he is?!" I raised my voice in rage as the two wolves including Niju went into a defensive stance.
"My dear boy Eli… Balto left you here under our protection for now as he went back to Nome to see his family is safe. We sent a clan scout to see if Balto made it back to town and escort him back here to you safe and sound." Nava reassured.
I wasn't even sure I could even trust the clan.
"When you're meet me by the tree to find me." he instructed me. The wolves started to disperse including Niju, I begin to worry about Balto.
After sitting in the cave for a while, I started to think about a reason why Balto left and why didn't he wake me up. I decided to find answers for myself. I started to follow towards the end of the cave where I found my belongings. I strapped them on my back and exited out from the cave. I looked around to a clan going about their daily lives.
As I was just walking by, the wolves whispered quietly to say… "It's the human."
Others would say… "Is he a threat to our clan? Why is he here? Who is he?"
I continued to walk by ignoring them, even passing by Niju and four other wolves that are with him. As I found myself isolated towards an open space that the only thing could be there was a tree. At first, I looked around the tree to see there is a figure in the tree. Out of curiosity, I moved closer to see the figure and it moved. Being spooked and scooted back away from the tree to see, Nava merging out from the tree.
"You think you're the only one that has magic?" he jokingly asked.
"I don't know… I try not to live my life being a sorcerer… in fact, I don't even know what to live for." I said in questioning myself.
"I'm sure you do have some questions that you wanted to seek about your past." he stated.
I sighed and not even sure to describe about myself. "What do you think I should live for?"
"That's not for me to decide. It's up to you. Your family raised you with belief that is unknown to my wolf clan or any clan." Nava answered. "I'm sure you got yourself a book from a building that has a cross."
I looked in my bag to see the small Gideon Bible that I had after I left Nome. "You mean a church?" I asked.
"If that's what it is to you?" he asked to clarify.
"Yes… unfortunately I lost my faith, even I took a scan through it when I left Nome. Before than, my family raised me as a Christian and I slipped it away after my family's death. It was a possibility that I found it back again, but I'm still unsure." I answered.
Nava and myself started to walk towards the cliff and sat there looking at the moon raising.
"It is never too late to found your beliefs again. Even having the tattoo in the palm of your right hand." he said.
I looked at my right hand to see the crucifixion cross.
"I feel like I needed it back. I just don't remember how." I said with uncertainty.
Nava let out a chuckle and a small laugh. "Your father had the same question too when he's growing up. When he met your mother, his belief was lost. His wife helped him with the aid of her creator-"
"You mean God… in meaning that my mother was a Christian, when my father got it back, he became a born again Christian." I interrupted.
"I do have a feeling that you beginning to understand about your family's belief and one day you'll decide to have it back again." Nava added.
I beginning to think if I didn't got back to civilization in Nome without Balto's aid, I wouldn't be able to make it to that church in Nome.
"Why do I have the tattoo of a wolf like my father?" I asked.
"Your father came across with someone. He saw a wolf was wounded from a small hole that was pierced inside the wolf." Nava begin to tell me a story.
"A bullet from a hunter." I guessed.
"Yes. Your father took the wolf in and cared for him. Unfortunately, the wolf didn't make after your father had done his best to save the wolf. The wolf was buried by your father. Days later, your father wonder somewhere to a tribal village and they gave him a wolf necklace." he continued with the story.
I grabbed my necklace to see the image of the wolf. "How did my father got the tattoo with the necklace?"
Nava continued once more… "Your father got the tattoo of the cross when he married your mother. The tattoo of the wolf came after receiving the necklace and your father had the similar dream like what you had. He also uses the powers that he had to protect you and your family. More importantly, protecting on what he had believed in."
I started to understand how it came to be with the tattoos and my family's gift.
"But I only got the tattoos from a dream and the necklace when I made a trade for fur as I once was hunter. I don't even recall saving or trying to save a wolf." I said.
"Are you sure?" Nava asked.
I couldn't recall when I saved a wolf when I was travelling to Alaska. "I really don't know or remember."
"Maybe I could have some a little assistance." he offered for help.
"How?" I asked.
"You may see me as an old age wolf, but you didn't know that I'm a shaman." he answered.
"Please… I don't mean to be in disrespect, but I don't believe in sorcery. Especially, how I was meant to be raised." I said with disapproval.
"I'm not saying you should, but what I'm saying is that I could help you understand how you have received the dreams and the tattoo." Nava reassures me.
"I guess I have no choice for now." I said.
"You'll not be deceived in anyway or being tricked. If you give me a chance for trust, I'll be able to help you." he added.
He came closer to me and placed his front paws on my head with his eyes closed. I don't even know how it is going to work, until I felt light headed and my eyes begin to go blurry. Seconds later, we found ourselves in a forest. It took me a bit to know that we're back in Washington State.
"I'm sure this may give you some hints to know what happened." Nava tells me about my forgotten memory. We looked around to see a wolf-dog and different on the appearance from Balto. The wolf-dog was trapped into a bait trap, it's leg was caught in the bait. It started to make painful howls and howls for help. Footsteps were moving in to see it was me.
Nava looked at me with a smile. The memory started to reconstruct that it was my first year when I set out for Alaska. I watched my past self trying to calm the wolf hybrid. It's growling begins to subside as it begin to know that I'm trying to help it. I see myself pulling the trap, but it's not coming off. I kept trying repeat after repeat, until I realized I can't save it.
"I don't understand, I gave up to save it." I told Nava.
"Don't talk. Just keep watching to know the resolution. He reassured me.
I became desperate and thinking that I'm unable to free the wolf-dog. I may thought about dismembering it's leg from the trap, but I know it wouldn't be right. The wolf-dog however, was calm and it tried to bark lightly to get my attention. I looked back to see the wolf-dog was muzzling my lab and started licking my hand. I decided to pet the wolf-dog back to express my gratitude of gaining the wolf-dog's trust.
"What happens next?" I asked. Nava gave me a sad expression as his head and ears were lowered.
I looked back to see the baited wolf-dog started to muzzle my knife holster as it was trying to tell me something. I grabbed the knife from my holster and I see the wolf-dog lowering his head and closing it's eyes.
I understand what it was trying to tell me to do. I never in my life killed a wolf, dog, or a wolf-dog. I tried to reason with it, but it lightly barks to tell me that "he's done, I know it has to end, and I forgive." The wolf-dog was asking me to do a mercy killing, before the hunter comes. Lightly hugging a beautiful animal, my knife was ready to make it's mark on the animal. I petted it for the last time before it closed his eyes for his peaceful restful death. My hand clenched tightly with the knife and stabbed the wolf-dog. It was a shock for me for doing something that I couldn't even forgive myself. As I was stabbing the wolf-dog, I started to cut his fur so I could have into my hands for remembrance rather than having the fur be given to a hunter. After I collect its fur, my past self dashed away in time before the hunter came for himself to collect his prize. He then realized it was taken, I walked closely to know who the hunter was. It was Axel in his living form!
I gasped to know that Axel was killed by my own hands before being attacked by his spirit form as a bear. And again, when I killed the spirit form of him as a bear, the bear form he came as was a vengeful spirit bear form. My gasping took a whole new level with my heart beating quickly as I started to lose my breathing.
Closing my eyes to make the past cease, only resulted me and Nava back to the present. The unbearing nerves took hold of me as I got myself onto my knees. The puzzle pieces had finally completed filling the matching puzzles that I had a gift that was carried down from my father.
"Not everyone's story of a journey could begin with happy beginnings, it doesn't mean that you can't change the way you're raised to be or be someone who you are." Nava told me as he slowly walked towards behind me.
I looked at my tattoos and beginning to realize what kind of powers that are in store of me.
"Your powers hold variety of different abilities, your wolf tattoo could let talk to any type of wolves and dogs, change into your wolf-dog form, and use your abilities to think and move fast like rain. Your cross ability however, is something you need to find on your own." he added.
"I guess I would about the ability when I do one thing." I said.
"What is it?" Nava asked.
I looked around to see a few trees moving from the cause of the wind, the water's below raging, and I walked towards an empty cave to hear echos from the wind.
"I'll like to have some time alone Nava, if that's alright." I asked.
He bowed his head with his eyes closed for a few seconds in an agreement. He quickly smiled and walked back towards his clan's home.
I started to walk deeper into the cave and hear echos. As I finally walked out, I hear trees clapping as if a song was about to start. The winds blew with rhythm along with the waters crashing below in waves. The voices from somewhere unknown and not from anybody nearby. The rain started to come down slowly.
Song begins. Sounds of The Saints - Audio Adrenaline (Author's Note: 2015 Song belongs to Audio Adrenaline and Label from Fair Trade Services and Columbia Records)
Oh I love to hear the song of creation
The wind and the rhythm of the rain
Oh the thunder it speaks of your power
But there's something in the sound of the saint
I've been washed in the roar of the ocean
Found peace in the echoes of a cave
And the trees of the field they clap their hands
But there's something in the sound of the saints
From the lips of those you saved
A redemption song will rise
With a sound so full it cracks the sky
The voices from nowhere grew louder as the rain starts the speed up in the night.
Whoa oh ooh we sing allelujah
Whoa oh ooh we sing amen
Hear the sound of the saints as we march on the Zion singing
Allelujah amen
Singing allelujah amen
The rain begins to pick up the speed and the air in my starts clearing up.
I will hear the chorus of the angels
A forever symphony of praise
I long to hear the voice of my Savior
And He hears us the sound of the saints
From the lips of those You saved
A redemption song will rise
Every tongue every tribe hear the church Your bride
My eyes begin to close and my hands begin to slowly raise up in praise with tears of joy.
Whoa oh ooh we sing allelujah
Whoa oh ooh we sing amen
Hear the sound of the saints as we march on to Zion singing
Allelujah amen
Singing allelujah amen
I started to sing along.
Our hearts will rise our songs shall be
Jesus Christ our Savior King forever
Our hearts will rise the saints will sing
Of Jesus Christ our Savior King forever forever
I dropped down on me knees and asked God to forgive me and ask for Jesus Christ to come back to my heart.
Whoa oh ooh we sing allelujah
Whoa oh ooh we sing amen
Hear the sound of the saints as we march on the Zion singing
Allelujah amen
Singing allelujah amen
[x2] song ends.
The voices begin to fade as the rain begins to make it's quick end.
I was still on my knees and felt much joy that I haven't felt since I was a child.
"My God I miss you… My Dear God I miss you so much… please forgive me." I prayed to myself.
A dove quickly flew by and it was a sign for peace and forgiveness. I felt peace started to flow through me.
"I guess you found it again." Nava's voice came as he approached from the clan's home.
"To be fairly honest, I believe He came back for me as I found Him again." I corrected Nava.
Nava lightly smiled. "Nava! Nava!" a voice came from somewhere.
"I believe my clan's scout has returned from Nome." he made a prediction.
We hurried back to the clan's home to see a wolf came from traveling. The wolf was dark blue colored and he was panting for breath. I tried to offer him water and he accepted it as he was drinking the water from a bowl that I brought along. He was thirsty that he took his time drinking water before he could talk.
"Please forgive human." the wolf apologized.
"You don't have to in this matter, you were thirsty for water and my name is Eli." I reassured the wolf.
"My loyal scout, what is the news.?" Nava asked.
"Nava… I just came back from Nome! It appears to be that some parts of town was in shock." he said.
"What happened there?" I asked.
"A… a dark black robed human… and his minions raided and the town and left." he added.
I gasped in concern.
"Is the town safe for now?" Nava asked.
"For now it is… yes." he replied.
"Excuse me… I hope I don't mean to interrupt, but have you seen two red and white colored huskies, a goose, and two polar bears?" I asked.
"As a matter of fact… they're here with me." he said as he moved over to see Jenna, Kodi, Boris, Muk and Luk are presented.
I came over to hug and apologize of the current happenings in Nome.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"We're okay." Kodi answered.
"Have you guys seen Balto?" I asked. They went into silence as their heads came down.
"Balto… he went to search for my owner Rosy." Jenna answered.
"Well… at least he'll be able to bring her back safely for sure." I said to try to keep their hopes up.
"Eli… some dark creatures took Rosy and the robed man had made Balto go after him as a diversion, but like Rosy, he was taken as well." she added. My fears had become essculated for the fact they're in danger. Nava had his paw on my shoulder for reassurance to not let my anger take hold of me.
I started to think about what I was going to do. However, the polar bears handed me a note that was left after Rosy and Balto were taken.
Dear Eli…
If you wanted your friends to live, you must come meet me near the outskirts of Solomon. If you bring your wolf friends along, your friends will pay the ultimate price like your family had face.
Axel
My emotions took control without releasing tremendous anger that I crumpled the note. I took a few deep breaths and try to debate what should I do.
"Nava… I need your clan to stay out of this fight, your clan could create more stakes." I warned.
"You cannot face Axel alone, you're not strong enough to fight unlike our clan has fought these creatures before." he stated in his own defense as I continued to refuse."If you fight with him alone, you'll be weaken and destroyed quickly."
"No he won't. I think he finally knows I wouldn't be alone. He's afraid and he knows since I finally know who he really is. I'm sure it is a tactic to draw fear." I assured Nava.
"How?" he asked.
"I know he doesn't have anything to lose. I only had was a family, he took them from me." I added.
"I cannot let you fight with this evil sorcerer alone." he warned me again.
"I know… I'm not afraid to die though. I have dealt with death already and I'm reborn. I'm going to stop him." I stated. Nava gives in and understands that my battle with Axel is also a family matter.
"You and your friends should be on your way and you what needs to be done." he said as I nodded with agreement. He starts to walk away as I stopped him in time before he leaves.
"Nava… thank you… I know I haven't been myself for years, but I could give you some credit for helping to found myself and believe in my faith that I have lost since after my family's death. Also that I couldn't done it alone as well." I thanked him.
He turned back to say… "Good luck! I know you'll be able to save Nome and your friends. More importantly, humanity itself." He continues to walk away from the clan.
"Well… I think the six of us should be on our way." Jenna, Kodi, Boris, Muk and Luk agreed and we set off to rescue Balto and Rosy.
We journeyed towards southeast to try to get back to Nome. We continued on for two days until we reached Nome. Arriving towards the wrecked fishing boat, I couldn't bring everybody and creating more danger.
"Muk and Luk… you two and Boris should stay back here until Jenna, Kodi, and I return here." I instructed. Muk and Luk saluted like soldiers as if they're immediately ready to take orders. Boris rejects at first, until Luk hugs him and all three of them head towards the boat, as I yelled that I'll bring them back.
As I prepare the sled I could only notice that there is only one leash for one dog to pull. Kodi went somewhere and came back with another leash to strap with the sled. I strapped Kodi and Jenna to become lead dogs for this sled ride.
"You both understand that you're in possible risk of being harmed or killed from Axel." I try to confirm facts to them.
"Eli, I'm from a sled dog team remember, I could even take team, even if it's not mail." Kodi acknowledges as Jenna muzzled him with a lick.
"I'm sure I might not be a sled dog, but I do know that I'm willing to put myself in risk to save Rosy and Balto." Jenna acknowledges.
I nodded for the both them and climbed onto the sled's runners.
If something could stop us, nothing will, as we have the aid of God. I thought to myself.
"Alright Jenna and Kodi. Mush!" I commanded them as they begin to mush for a rescue mission.