Niju cackled wickedly drawing Cole's attention.

"See here.", he said clearly trying to draw the pack's attention, "Our wise leader, who visits with the great Aniu only in his dreams, has brought a mutt to guide us."

Cole and Balto both frowned as laughter rang out around them. Cole remembered Steele doing a similar thing back when he first visited this world, and he wasn't about to let it happen a second time. Then the laughter died down as Yak spoke up.

"What's a "mutt".", he asked.

"Beats me.", Nuk answered.

As much as Cole wanted to hurt Niju for such an insult, Aleu seemed to think the same thing which got Cole thinking he should stop her as he could see the smile on Niju's face as if daring her to do so. Luckily, it seemed Balto had recalled Cole's help from when Steele bullied him as well and he tried to get his daughter's attention.

"It's all right, Aleu.", he said as he came to her side.

Aleu calmed down seeing that Cole and her father were calming down while not taking their eyes off Niju.

"His blood may be pure, but his motives aren't.", Balto stated.

"I agree.", Cole said also, "It's not the first time anyway."

Aleu then looked determined and after giving her father and Cole a look, she climbed up a rock so the clan could hear her better.

"I say Niju is afraid to cross the Great Water.", she said.

The clan gasped while Niju looked more cross.

"I am not afraid, but crossing the Great Water is impossible!", he countered, "We cannot swim it. We would all die."

"Not necessarily.", Cole said plainly, "If the caribou could cross it, why not us?"

Unfortunately, Niju didn't hear or if he did he pretended not to as he climbed up a rock to say his piece.

"So now I, Niju, say Nava must step down as leader and let a true leader take his place."

Nava had stepped up to where Niju was as the wolf descended and looked firm.

"I will step down Niju, when a true leader takes my place."

Niju growled and then lunged at the elder wolf only to be intercepted by Nigaq who managed to knock him aside. Niju got to his feet as Nigaq stood defensively in front of Nava with Sura by her side.

"If you must assault when our leader speaks, you only act out foolishness.", Nigaq said sagely, "I urge you to consider what I say."

Niju snarled at Nigaq and turned to Nava.

"I will be a leader who does not depend on foolish dreams!", he sneered as he turned to leave, "Those who will, follow me!"

/

Much to Cole and Balto's horror, some of the clan, including Yak, Sumac, and Nuk, went with the wolf elsewhere until they were seen no more. Cole saw Nava descend with his daughters helping him while he and Balto went alongside him with Aleu already there.

"You okay?", Cole asked Nigaq as he came to her.

Nigaq smiled shyly.

"Nothing I'm not used to.", she answered.

Sura rolled her eyes.

"If I had a piece of meat for every time she said that, I'd be more well-fed then that slob Nuk.", she said playfully.

Cole couldn't help but snicker at the jest and noticed Nava looked cheerier as the elder wolf had made his way down.

"Your sense of humor still amuses me my little green leaf.", he said to her, "Just as your sister rainbow still feels a need to be my wall of protection."

Cole looked confused.

"Green leaf?", he wondered, "Rainbow?"

"That's what our names mean.", Sura answered, "My sister Nigaq was born with a rainbow over us so she was named after it and since a green leaf had fallen on my head, that's what Father named me after."

Aleu then looked interested as Nava lead the group to a ledge overlooking the bay and where ice flows were seen floating.

"I admire your insight Togo.", he said turning to Cole, "You claim that if the caribou could cross the Great Water, then why not us?"

Cole was a little surprised as he had not anticipated the elder wolf had heard him.

"How do you explain how the caribou crossed?", he asked, "What if we could find out how they did it?"

Balto looked on board.

"We could do the same thing."

Nigaq looked interested.

"And what would that be?", she asked curiously.

Sura looked concerned.

"Niju does have a point though.", she advised, "We dare not swim the icy waters for the distance is too great."

As she was talking, Cole thought about the herd of caribou he saw in Balto's vision. They were running at first, but then they were hopping from one ice flow to the other like it was some kind of hidden path. He was brought out of his thoughts when Balto's voice rang out.

"I had theses dreams, but I don't even know what they mean."

"Each of us has a unique gift.", Nava said sagely, "Perhaps your dreams show us the way."

Nava then lurched to one side and Sura quickly got to him to help keep him steady while Nigaq came over to lend some support.

"Easy Father, we'll help guide you back for rest.", she said as she helped her sister walk Nava off.

/

As the trio left, Cole thought Nava seemed so wise and knowing. Like Gandalf from "The Lord of the Rings" movie he had seen back in his own home world. Aleu must have been thinking the same thing as they walked up to Balto who looked certain.

"This has gone too far, Aleu and Togo, and it isn't our battle."

"How could it not be?", Cole asked, "The clan is in need of aid and we can provide it."

"Yes, Papa, Togo has a point.", Aleu agreed.

Balto could see that he was outnumbered, but wasn't going to back down easily.

"Look, this could get very dangerous.", he advised, "Despite my dreams or anything else, I will not put either of you in any danger."

Cole rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, like the time I risked my neck to protect you from Steele when we found his team in the brush, or when I helped you take on the bear as we searched for them?", he thought to himself.

"But this isn't just about us anymore, Papa.", Aleu stated bringing Coel back to reality as she faced her father, "This is about something bigger. Don't you see? We're supposed to help them and Togo seems to know that. I'm sorry, but whether I stay or go should be my decision."

Cole was stunned. Aleu had clearly made up her mind, but then a wind blew by whistling, but Balto seemed to know what it ment.

"That wind is a sign that winter's coming early.", he said while turning to Aleu, "Your mother will be worried sick. We all leave in the morning."

He headed off while Cole and Aleu stayed for a bit.

"Togo, why does my father have to be so stubborn?", she asked.

Cole looked thoughtful as he and Aleu headed after him.

"Well, it's like most people say back where I'm from my dear Aleu, children need to be free to lead their own lives."

Aleu looked interested.

"Togo, thanks for backing me up back there."

"Actually, it seems like I was doing the backing up for you.", Cole answered, "Nava sure seems to know a lot of things."

Aleu couldn't disagree with that as they found Balto settled in a patch by some rocks where they too settled before slumbering unaware that Cole's tag was shimmering again as the raven flew in circles above their heads. Cole opened his eyes to see Balto running across the same icy way with the raven cawing and circling while large ice slabs rose and fell creating loud crashes. Cole bolted after Balto, but then he saw the caribou herd crossing ice slabs to a land before the slabs drifted away and time seemed to speed up. As quickly as it was seen, Cole felt springtime and summer before going into autumn and finally winter again where he saw the ice flows the caribou crossed form again. He snapped awake just as Aleu did and she looked Cole's way surprised.

"You saw the caribou too?", she asked.

"You mean, you saw it also?", Cole asked equally surprised.

"Of course, I saw it.", Aleu answered before noticing Balto still slumbering and lowered her voice, "Should we tell Nava?"

Cole nodded and the duo headed off. As much as Cole felt like leaving Balto alone, he felt the wolf dog would be fine for a bit before he continued following Aleu.

/

"So, you think Papa's dreams were visions to guide us here like the bear was?", Aleu asked.

Cole nodded.

"I do and I think it was Aniu who was doing it somehow.", he stated.

Aleu looked awestruck.

"You seriously think she could do that?"

Cole was stumped.

"Maybe, but if she's your grandmother, I'm betting there's more to her than first appearances."

Cole looked above and noticed an aurora forming before noticing Nava at the ledge where Aleu once was with Nigaq and Sura alongside him.

"I wonder why he's there at this hour.", Cole said turning to Aleu, "Want to go ask him?"

Aleu nodded.

"I would like to know why Niju is against moving the clan so much.", she added, "And why he's afraid."

Cole looked concerned. Niju could be scared, but not for moving the clan that was for sure. It had to be something else, but what?"

"We'll find out when we get there."

Cole and Aleu came up to the rocks, but their approach was not unnoticed as Sura turned to face them along with Nigaq.

"Sister, looks like we have company on our session."

"Session?", Cole asked as he and Aleu came closer.

"We feel you're confused.", Nigaq said before smiling and turning to Aleu, "Father is expecting you."

Aleu went to Nava's side just as the elder wolf spoke.

"A star dies, and another is born. All is a great dance of balance.", he said before chuckling and turning to Aleu, "You have questions."

Cole was surprised.

"Did he hear us as we came over?", he asked.

"Nah, he just knows.", Sura answered turning to Cole, "So Togo, I feel you want to talk about Aniu?"

Cole sighed.

"I fear that Aniu died while Balto went to Nome."

Nigaq looked understanding.

"Death often appears when we least expect it.", she said sounding wise like her father was, "But do not fear the grip of the earth my friend."

Cole looked interested as Sura spoke after her sister.

"In life, Aniu was a great friend and a loving creature. Her white fur could remind us of all the winters we had and her voice was so caring. Like she was the first wolf alongside our father to ever walk the earth itself."

Cole then heard Aleu talking.

"Why is Niju against moving the clan?", she asked Nava, "What is he afraid of?"

"Niju is not a coward.", Sura said as she, Nigaq, and Cole came up to Nava and Aleu, "He is not afraid to die, but he is afraid of change."

"He would rather face starvation than leave the land he believes is ours.", Nigaq added.

/

As storm clouds gather, Cole felt a song coming on as Nava spoke again.

"This world through which we wander is wonderful and strange.", he sang before turning to Aleu, "The only truth we can really know is that everything will change."

As rain fell, Sura sang while rain began to fall and the wind picked up.

"Like the rain that fills the ocean."

"Like the storm that shakes the pine.", Nigaq sang while joining in.

"We are all a part of the grand design.", Nava, Nigaq, and Sura sang in unity.

Cole backed up and noticed his tag glowing. He turned and it then showed Niju with the pack members he had taken.

"This has been our home forever!", he called out, "This is where the clan belongs."

Cole shivered as the other wolves continued the song.

"We were born beside this river. And we filled the night with songs."

"We must fight for what belongs to us.", Niju sang alongside the others, "What is yours and what is mine."

Cole saw him swipe a bone from another pack member and drop it. The rest of the pack fought to get to it, but ended up in a huge pile as Niju jumped on top of it.

"We are all the masters of our own design.", he said sneering.

Cole turned as he found himself stepping back as Sura sang the next line unaware he had done so.

"The land no more belongs to us."

"Than the eagle owns the sky.", Nigaq sang after.

Cole's eyes darted back to seeing Niju as he bullied other wolves while singing.

"We must fight for our survival. If we don't we'll surely die."

"We are one with what surrounds us, brothers to all we see.", Nava said sagely.

"We are wolves.", Niju's voice countered, "We take what we need to stay alive and free."

The wind had died down, but the rain had now turned to snow as Nigaq sang the next line.

"The one thing we will surely learn."

"As we walk the path of time.", Sura added,

Cole was unaware that Balto had awoken while Sura and Nigaq sang the next line together.

"No one can ever rise above."

"We are wolves, the masters of!", Niju's voice rang out once more.

This time, all four wolves sang together.

"We are all a part of the grand design."

Cole couldn't help it, but as he faced Niju, the vision shifted back to the totem pole back in Nome.

"What could this mean?", Cole asked himself before it showed Jenna by her window looking worried, "Wow, Balto wasn't kidding about Jenna looking worried."

Then the vision changed to Muk, Luk, and Boris back on the boat. Muk was looking bummed while Luk was looking like he was comforting him and Boris looked at a loss.

"Don't worry boys, we'll be back before you know it.", Cole told them though he doubted they could hear him.

Then Cole's tag dimmed and went to normal as Cole thought of going to Balto and try to convince him about staying. Just as he had gotten close, he noticed Balto already awake as moring began to break over the horizon.

"Balto, I know you're not going to-", Cole started, before noticing Balto's expression, "What?"

"I thought about what Aleu said.", Balto said smiling, "And maybe we do need to help out Nava and his clan. Are you with me?"