Aleu at this time was roaming around near another rocky landscape, but was feeling pretty winded and exhausted from the heat of the overhead sun. But even so, she was beginning to regret her rash decision from the other day.

"What am I doing?". She asked herself, "I'm running away, but I have no idea where I'm going. I gotta get out of this sun."

Then, she felt a slight breeze behind her. She turned around quick to see a raven fly over her while still cawing.

"Are you following me?", Aleu asked.

The raven said nothing, it just flew to a tree nearby and cawed twice before moving aside to reveal a cave in the side of the mountain. Aleu rushed toward it for she had a faint memory of Cole showing her and her siblings about finding shelter.

"Remember now, if the sun can't touch it, the area will be cool to the touch.", Cole had told her, "It will provide shelter and rest for hot days."

Aleu reached the entrance and suddenly felt more at ease.

"At least it'll be dark and cool inside.", she said to herself as she entered.

The moment the coolness came unto her, she collapsed and drifted into a deep sleep unaware that not far away from her cave, Balto and Cole were nearing her.

"Your daughter certainly got a good distance away.", Cole admitted.

Balto looked unsure.

"Yeah, I know."

Cole raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, we'll find her Balto.", he assured, "She's tough as nails and I'm sure she'll be alright."

Balto felt better knowing his friend had faith in him and Aleu. Then he looked curious.

"Togo, what would Nigaq and Sura be doing if they're following us?"

"I don't know.", Cole answered with a shrug, "Maybe they want to help us out."

Balto recalled the fox encounter and had a different opinion than what Cole had said.

"Not if they can trick us.", he said a bit annoyed.

Cole looked a bit miffed, but then let it go.

"But if she didn't do what she did, we probably wouldn't have picked up Aleu's trail."

Balto tried calming down, but found it hard in the burning sun. Cole then felt a rock land beside his paw making him pause and turn to see a cave nearby. As he approached, he sniffed in case anything was in there. Luckily nothing seemed to be home so he went in with Balto following. The cool shade gave relief as the two settled near the natural spring in the corner and got hydrated.

"Think we should take a break before we continue.", Balto said yawning.

"I agree.", Cole said as he settled down beside Balto.

The moment their head touched the cool rock, they were both asleep.

/

Aleu stirred as faint singing came to her wolf ears. She didn't know what it was, but she got to her feet feeling much better than she did earlier and headed deeper into the cave. The deeper she went, the louder the singing became. She then remembered another lesson Cole had taught her back in her puppy years.

"If something is faint when you hear it, that means it's far away. The closer you are, the louder something is."

Following the advice, Aleu continued onward and noticed that the rock around her seemed to sparkle like the whole place was filled with magic making her pause. Then a cracking came from under her and she stumbled into a shallow pool that wasn't far so she wasn't too dazed. She got herself up from the cool splash and then a drop of water fell on her nose making her look up to the stalactites on the ceiling where water dripped but was brought out of her daze as the singing became clearer.

"Praise for the red dawn. Grass that we walk upon."

Aleu continued on as the song continued.

"Praise for the river's whispered tune. Praise for the wind brother. Praise for the earth mother."

Aleu came into a large area where a small stack of crystals shone in the darkness that she looked around as the song continued.

"Praise for father sun and sister moon."

Aleu got to the crystals to see a field mouse standing with it's back turned to her and clearly into his singing as he sang the two lines again.

"Praise for father sun and sister moon.", he sang, "Hey-ya, Hey-ya, hey-ya."

Aleu felt elevated as she took a breath and howled along with the mouse's singing. Then the mouse noticed her.

"Your singing is quite beautiful.", he said politely.

Aleu felt a bit shy.

"Oh, thank you.", she said to him, "Sometimes I just can't help myself."

She then felt a bit bad for interrupting the mouse's singing and quickly tried making amends.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt you?"

"Oh, no.", the mouse said keeping his polite tone, "I love to hear wolves sing. It's one of my specialties."

He then scampered down a little ramp to gather a small crystal and flip it upward.

"You also have a keen sense of smell.", he added with a sigh of awe, "Such wonderful creatures you are."

Aleu often thought she wasn't a wolf, but she wasn't about to let it make the mouse afraid of her.

"Who are you?", she asked.

"I'm Muru.", the mouse answered looking her way as he adjusted the crystal pile, "Son of Kahu and Quilac, both of them simple field mice. That answer tells us what we are, but not who we are."

/

Cole stirred as he heard wolf howling outside the cave. He turned to Balto still sleeping soundly as if the howling couldn't be heard by him at least. Cole got up and headed to the cave entrance to see Nigaq and Sura howling to the heavens above, but paused as they noticed him approaching.

"Oh good, you're here."

Cole looked suspicious.

"Are you the ones who hurled that rock towards me?"

Sura looked a bit embarrassed.

"Guilty."

Cole looked firm.

"Why are you here?", he asked, "And why are you helping Balto and me?"

Nigaq looked his way the way a sister would to her confused brother.

"Togo, my sister and I are here to help you and Balto find his daughter."

Cole raised an eyebrow as Sura stepped in.

"Maybe we should explain it like this.", she said as she headed into the cave with Cole and Nigaq following. They paused and looked up so Cole did the same and saw some illustrations he believed were Inuit of many animals of Alaska sparkling like constellations in the night sky.

"How did I not see that before?", Cole wondered.

"When every creature in the world is born, a spirit stands beside them.", Nigaq said sagely, "To light their way through the long, dark night and sing them songs to guide them."

While this was going on, Muru had been explaining the same thing to Aleu.

"Why?", Aleu asked.

"Because each of us has a destiny that sets us all apart.", Muru told her.

And by some miracle, Muru and Sura said the same thing at the same time.

"The path is different for you and me, but the journey begins in the heart."

Muru placed a crystal in the light's path bathing the illustrations in a rainbow of colors before he started to sing while Sura and Nigaq started singing the same thing to Cole.

"You must go to the east. Go to the west The road is rocky and the way is far. It's a dangerous trail, a difficult quest. If you want to know. Who you really are."

"There are voices all around you.", Nigaq sang.

"To comfort and to guide you.", Sura added.

"Fathers and teachers. Powerful creatures.", they sang in unification.

"And a voice that sings inside you.", Muru sang to Aleu.

After a pause, Aleu noticed a couple drawings of scary creatures get her attention.

"Or you can turn back around. Run along home."

"Back to the place where your friends are."

"Perhaps that is best.", Sura sang to Cole, "You need the rest."

"Who wants to go on a ridiculous quest?", Nigaq added.

And though they were far apart, they all sang the following together.

"Unless you want to know. You truly want to know. Unless you want to know. Who you really are."

/

Cole and Aleu just stood as images of wolves and ravens came more apparent until only the wolf images remained.

"Who are you? Who are you?", the voices continued to chant, "Who are you? Who are you?"

Aleu paused as the chanting became soft and came to an end.

"Muru, are you my spirit guide?", she asked as the cave returned to its original setting, "Are you here to help me?"

"Have faith and trust in yourself.", Muru's voice came from the silence, "And make the journey."

"Muru?", Aleu asked not seeing the mouse anywhere, "Muru?"

She then noticed a mouse illustration on the wall that looked like it had always been there. She then noticed an opening in a wall nearby and took it while back with Cole, he had noticed that Nigaq and Sura had vanished once more.

"They probably left in the opening.", he decided before Balto's voice came to his ears.

"Togo?", he asked as he rose, "Everything okay?"

Cole noticed him as he came over and thought fast.

"Yeah, just . . . just a feeling.", he answered, "Well, we better get a move on."

Cole and Balto had just reached the outside of their cave when a roar of a bear reached their ears.

"Oh dear.", Cole said rather worried, "We better pick up the pace."

Balto and Cole did pick it up and found Aleu on a ledge with a large grizzly bear looming above her as if ready to swipe her. She had tensed for the moment, but didn't feel it as Balto jumped out and bit into the bear's arm making it pause while Cole got one of its feet and made it trip.

"Papa, Togo.", Aleu said in surprise.

As the bear tripped, it managed to swing Balto to a tree nearby and stun him for a moment.

"Glad you're still speaking to me.", Balto said smiling that Aleu wasn't mad at him anymore.

"Less talking, more saving!", Cole snapped as he avoided the bear's claws as it tried getting up.

The bear came towards Cole and Aleu though both went around and avoided it only for Aleu to hide under a tree the bear tried to break apart while Cole helped Balto recover.

"Save yourselves." Aleu said.

"What and miss all the excitement?", Balto asked as he got to his feet.

As Balto got to his feet, Cole hurried over only for the bear to swat him aside and close to the edge.

"Togo!", Aleu called out.

/

As Cole got his senses back, he noticed that there was another ledge below the one he was near. He turned to the bear as it seemed to be guiding Balto and Aleu towards him.

"Inner knowing.", the white wolf's voice came to his ears.

Was the bear trying to get them to go this way? Cole had to take the chance.

"Balto, Aleu, when you get near me, I want you to jump."

"But we'll be killed.", Balto called out as he and Aleu had come towards him.

"And we'll be killed if we don't.", Aleu countered.

As the bear came close, Cole just grabbed Balto by the scruff of his neck and jumped off the ledge with Aleu following. Sure enough, the ledge was there and the moment they landed, Cole looked up at the bear who vanished as if it was never there. He let go of Balto just as the trio got to their feet and caught their breath.

"Togo, how did you know the ledge was here?", Balto asked in awe.

"When the bear hurled me over there, I saw it.", Cole answered, "It was like it wanted us to go this way."

Aleu looked impressed.

"I was thinking the same thing.", she answered, "Why did you come and find me?"

"We came to bring you home, Aleu.", Balto said.

Cole looked unsure.

"Or at least that was the intent."

Aleu frowned.

"No. I don't wanna go home not until I find out who I am."

She started down the ledge as Cole and Balto observed.

"That's ridiculous, Aleu.", Balto said to her trying to get to her, "You know who you are."

"No, I know what I am, but not who I am.", Aleu answered as she continued to descend down the rocks, "And I'm not stopping until I find out."

Cole looked impressed.

"She takes after you alright.", he said to Balto.

Balto sighed as he could see he couldn't change her mind now that his friend was on her side.

"Then Togo and I are coming with you.", he said as he and Cole began coming after her.

Aleu rolled her eyes comically while sighing.

"Oh, Papa.", she said smiling.

/

Cole then sniffed the air and turned to Balto.

"Hey, you smell that?"

Balto sniffed and looked more perky.

"It's saltwater."

"That would mean we're near the ocean.", Cole added as he and Balto came down further, "Guess we'll find our answers soon enough."

As they got down from the rocks, the ground became grassland and open area as the trio came to a view of a wide-open meadow with a beach far off. The cawing made them look up and see the raven circling overhead.

"I sure would like to know why I keep seeing that raven.", Balto admitted.

Aleu looked interested.

"You and Togo have been following a raven?", she asked.

Balto looked a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah. I know it sounds dumb.", he continued, "I've been seeing a raven in my dreams."

"Or he was having a vision and the raven was guiding him somewhere.", Cole put in, "Whatever the reason, it brought us here."

Cole looked around and pondered as he recalled the rhyme the wolf part of the totem pole back in Nome had told him.

"A vision leads to a clan where tensions grow. Away from home is the only way to go."

Not far from them, Nigaq and Sura observed as the raven continued circling.

"Aniu sure knew about Cole learning right away.", Sura stated.

Before Nigaq could answer, she remembered something.

"We should inform Nava that our visitors have arrived."

Sura nodded and headed off with her sister.

"Togo isn't what Nava had foreseen, but maybe he can help us.", she said hopefully.

Nigaq looked to her sister understandingly as they continued on to find Nava whoever he was.