Aleu sat outside her den, looking at the sky, that was a beautiful mix of red, orange and yellow as the sun started to rise.

"Mother?," a soft voice called from behind her.

Aleu turned and smiled when she saw Eska walking out of the den.

"Hey darling, what are you doing up?," Aleu asked as Eska came closer.

Eska sat beside her and replied, "I felt you get up and saw you come outside. I wanted to see what you were doing."

"I wanted to get up early this morning and watch the sunrise. I haven't done that in a while. I didn't mean to wake you," Aleu said softly.

"It's okay, I don't mind. Can I stay out here with you?," Eska asks.

"Of course you can," Aleu said with a smile. Eska smiled too and leaned against her mother's side, nuzzling her as she looked up at the sky.

"It's so beautiful," Eska said.

"It is. A new day with new beginnings," Aleu said, smiling down at Eska for a moment, before looking back up.

"New beginnings? What does that mean, mother?," Eska asks curiously.

"Well… remember the story of how me, your father, and the pack moved here?," Aleu asked.

Eska nodded eagerly, her tail swaying behind her as she replied, "I remember. An ice bridge formed and the caribou crossed it to here, meaning the wolf pack had to follow them. That's when you become alpha."

"Yes, that's right. And now… the bridge has formed again and the caribou have moved back across. Which means it's time for us to do the same."

Eska's eyes widened and her ears perked up in surprise and excitement.

"We get to go across the bridge? Where will we go, mother?," Eska asks curiously.

"We're going back to Nome, my darling. Which means… you and your siblings can finally meet your grandparents and your aunts, and uncles," Aleu said with a soft smile.

Eska's tail immediately started wagging and her eyes lit up with more excitement.

"We can meet the rest of our family?!," she exclaimed excitedly. Then a bit of her excitement faded as a thought entered her mind. "Do you think they'll like me, mother?"

Aleu smiles and nuzzles Eska gently.

"Of course they will. I know they will."

Eska smiled and her tail wagged as she nuzzled Aleu back.

"Good morning, girls," a male's voice said.

Mother and daughter turn to see Taku walking out of the den. Aleu smiled and greeted her mate with a nuzzle and lick on the cheek.

"Good morning, love," She said softly.

"Good morning, father," Eska said.

Taku nuzzled Aleu back before lowering his head and bumping noses with Eska, making her giggle and rub her nose against his.

"Are the other pups still asleep?," Aleu asks when Taku lifts his head again.

"Yeah, they're still asleep," he confirmed with a soft smile.

Aleu nodded and rested her head under his chin, closing her eyes. Eska smiled and her tail wagged as she saw her parents together.

After a few minutes of silence, Aniu, their youngest daughter, calls from the den, "Oww! Niko! Let go of my tail!."

Taku's ears perk up and he pulls away the chuckle softly.

"Now they're up," he said, with a smile.

Aleu giggled and shook her head. "Sounds like it."

"I'm gonna go gather the pack, get them ready to leave," Taku said, standing up. Aleu nodded and stood up too.

"Sounds good. I'll get the pups up and ready to go. Meet you by the bridge," she said.

Taku nodded and left. Aleu smiled and looked at Eska.

"Come on, Eska. Let's see what your siblings are up to."

Eska nodded and trotted after her mother.

"Alright, break it up, you two," Aleu said as she walked in, seeing Aniu laying down on the ground, scowling at Niko, who had her tail firmly in his mouth, a mischievous smile on his face.

"We were starting to wake up. Aniu was still sleeping and Niko pounced on her and bit her tail," Tier, the oldest and most responsible pup said.

Aleu shook her head, unable to keep the small, amused smile off her face. Niko was the troublemaker of the litter, which often annoyed Aniu.

"Come on, Niko. Leave your sister alone," she said in a firm but caring voice, lowering her head to nudge Niko away from Aniu.

"I was just playing, mom," Niko said innocently.

Aniu scoffs and says sassily, "just playing? Do I look like a chew toy?"

"You don't mind when you're awake," Niko said, matter-of-factly.

Aniu rolled her eyes and replied, her tail curled up behind her, "I do when I'm trying to sleep!"

"Hey, hey, come on, you two. That's enough bickering for today," Aleu scolded softly.

Aniu's ears went back, same with Niko's.

"Sorry mama," Aniu said, nuzzling Aleu in apology.

Aleu softened and licked the fur on Aniu's head.

"It's okay, sweetie. Just be patient with your brother. He was just playing," Aleu said. Then she turned to Niko and said," and you, Mister, need to leave your sister alone. No one likes being woken up."

Niko nodded and looked down at the ground as he said," Yes Mom. I'm sorry."

Aleu gave him a gentle nuzzle to show she had forgiven him.

"Is the journey gonna start soon, mom?," Dakota asked.

Aleu smiles and nods.

"Yes, sweetheart. It's almost time," she said.

"Where are we going, mommy?," Balto Jr asks.

"We're going to meet the rest of our family!," Eska said excitedly.

Aleu smiled at her daughter's excitement and said, "that's right. The ice bridge that brought me, your father and the pack here, has formed again. The caribou have already crossed it and now it's our turn to follow. You pups will finally meet grandma Jenna and grandpa Balto and all your aunts and uncles."

The pup's eyes immediately light up and their tails all start wagging at once. Aniu was excited too, but she also felt a little nervous. She was sassy and confident around her family. But when it came to strangers… she wasn't as comfortable. She moved closer to her mother.

"Grandpa Balto? The one I'm named after?," Balto Jr asked.

Aleu smiled and nodded.

"Yes, sweetheart."

"Didn't grandpa Balto save all the sick kids in Nome?," Tier asked.

Aleu nodded proudly and said, "yes. Your grandpa is the hero of Nome. He's famous in town."

"Can we go meet him now? I wanna meet him so bad!," Dakota said.

"Me too, Mommy!," Balto Jr said.

"Me too!," Niko said.

Aleu chuckled at her pup's excitement and nodded.

"Alright, alright. We can go now," Aleu said.

"Yay!," All pups said together.

"Wait… where's papa?," Aniu asked.

"Your father went to gather the pack. He'll meet up with us by the river," Aleu said and started leading the pups to the river. The pups followed behind her, Aniu being the closest to her. They were all bursting with excitement to finally meet the rest of their family.