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Description
Aleu finally spotted her father. He was sitting on the edge of a small cliff, looking out to the sea. His body was relaxed, but yet Aleu could sense a strange tenseness about him. There was something bothering him, she knew.

She couldn't blame him. After his long journey to find her in attempts to bring her home, she returned the favor by dragging him all the way to the sea and involving him in this whole new mission to bring the pack of wolves across the Great Water to follow the caribou. In all truth, Aleu was shocked that Balto accepted their plead to lead them. As he had said before, he'd led a dog team, but he'd never led a whole wolf pack.

But she was glad that he came. Lonesomeness had began to take hold of her not long before he arrived. The raven sent shivers through her spine every time it appeared, like something great was going to happen, like it was expecting something from her. It would have been a shame if her father hadn't been with her to witness what Nava, the old wolf, had done to avoid direct conflict with Niju. She would have thought that she was going insane, had she'd been alone.

"Papa?" She finally decided to speak. She wanted to know what was on his mind.

He turned his head to seek out the source of the voice, but he recognized her figure immediately and smiled softly, almost unsurely. "Oh... Hey, Aleu."

She tilted her head. "What are you doing up? It's late, and we have to get up tomorrow to lead the pack to the caribou."

Balto's expression twisted into that of dread and he turned his muzzle towards the open, dark sea. "Huh... Yeah. Lead them."

She frowned. His voice turned strange, darker more likely. "Are you okay?"

The air grew tense. His fur prickled and his ears twitched as if they weren't sure to flatten or to stay perked to catch the sounds of the water crashing against the rocks below. There was a long silence. Balto didn't know how to express himself to Aleu. His heart felt as though it quivered in anxiety and his stomach was queasy and unsettled by all the events from his trek to this place. Why him, of all dogs, why was he the one "chosen" by this white wolf to lead these wolves? And why had it been Aleu, out of all of his pups, to be the one to start all of this?

He had to tell her somehow, that he wasn't sure about all of this. No. He had to tell her how crazy this whole thing was.

"Aleu..." he began, "Why don't we just go home? These wolves clearly know where they are going and how to get there. Why should we stay here?"

Aleu slowly approached his side, looking at him with a surprised expression. "But... Papa, they need you! They... They have to follow the caribou and-"

"I know what they want to do." Balto then objected, sitting up more and frowning at her. "But what help would I be? I'm apparently chosen for this journey. But who knows how far that sea stretches?! Niju may have been right about the pack dying if we crossed."

"No, Papa, Niju was wrong! This was our destiny! It's not just about us, remember?"

"Don't you remember what you said before you ran away?" Balto retorted, readjusting so that he sat almost across from her. "You wanted so badly to be adopted, and you ran away because you believed that no one would take you because you were part 'wild animal', as you had put it! Now you decide to join the wolves, along with those who wanted to kill us before? Aleu, this is all insane!"

Aleu gasped, and took a step away from him in shock. Her eyes were wide, she didn't recognize his tone anymore.

"And what would your mother think, Aleu? While we are considering crossing the sea tomorrow to help these wolves, risking death, your mother is sitting at home worried sick about whether or not you are alive!"

Aleu bowed her head slowly, realizing the truth in his harsh, but heartfelt words. She knew that he didn't mean any harm, but his words still stung like a bee. Her heart clenched, it felt like, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to recollect her thoughts. Then she looked up at him.

"But... I..." She couldn't speak properly.

"Don't you realize how much worry you put us through?" Balto snapped, and he stared at her, expecting a smart answer as she always came up with. He waited for her to say that everything would be okay, that this was something that they needed to do. But the longer he stared at her, the more his now growing guilt began to show itself when she remained silent. He realized how horrible he had just sounded, and he looked away, closing his eyes in an attempt to try to come up with something to say, something to make up for how much he had just hurt her.

"I..." Aleu then took in a sharp breath. She had her answer, of what was on his mind. "I'm sorry..."

And then she turned away, leaving Balto in a shadow of shame. He hung his head. How he had gotten himself into his mess, he would never know.

But... There was no way out of it.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I had a suggestion of redrawing the farewell ending between Balto and Aleu, but I decided that maybe I needed to draw a scene that for some reason I wished to have seen in the movie. I imagine that this was the night before the pack leaves to cross the sea.

Artwork is mine.
Balto and Aleu belong to Universal Studios.

Description
Aleu finally spotted her father. He was sitting on the edge of a small cliff, looking out to the sea. His body was relaxed, but yet Aleu could sense a strange tenseness about him. There was something bothering him, she knew.

She couldn't blame him. After his long journey to find her in attempts to bring her home, she returned the favor by dragging him all the way to the sea and involving him in this whole new mission to bring the pack of wolves across the Great Water to follow the caribou. In all truth, Aleu was shocked that Balto accepted their plead to lead them. As he had said before, he'd led a dog team, but he'd never led a whole wolf pack.

But she was glad that he came. Lonesomeness had began to take hold of her not long before he arrived. The raven sent shivers through her spine every time it appeared, like something great was going to happen, like it was expecting something from her. It would have been a shame if her father hadn't been with her to witness what Nava, the old wolf, had done to avoid direct conflict with Niju. She would have thought that she was going insane, had she'd been alone.

"Papa?" She finally decided to speak. She wanted to know what was on his mind.

He turned his head to seek out the source of the voice, but he recognized her figure immediately and smiled softly, almost unsurely. "Oh... Hey, Aleu."

She tilted her head. "What are you doing up? It's late, and we have to get up tomorrow to lead the pack to the caribou."

Balto's expression twisted into that of dread and he turned his muzzle towards the open, dark sea. "Huh... Yeah. Lead them."

She frowned. His voice turned strange, darker more likely. "Are you okay?"

The air grew tense. His fur prickled and his ears twitched as if they weren't sure to flatten or to stay perked to catch the sounds of the water crashing against the rocks below. There was a long silence. Balto didn't know how to express himself to Aleu. His heart felt as though it quivered in anxiety and his stomach was queasy and unsettled by all the events from his trek to this place. Why him, of all dogs, why was he the one "chosen" by this white wolf to lead these wolves? And why had it been Aleu, out of all of his pups, to be the one to start all of this?

He had to tell her somehow, that he wasn't sure about all of this. No. He had to tell her how crazy this whole thing was.

"Aleu..." he began, "Why don't we just go home? These wolves clearly know where they are going and how to get there. Why should we stay here?"

Aleu slowly approached his side, looking at him with a surprised expression. "But... Papa, they need you! They... They have to follow the caribou and-"

"I know what they want to do." Balto then objected, sitting up more and frowning at her. "But what help would I be? I'm apparently chosen for this journey. But who knows how far that sea stretches?! Niju may have been right about the pack dying if we crossed."

"No, Papa, Niju was wrong! This was our destiny! It's not just about us, remember?"

"Don't you remember what you said before you ran away?" Balto retorted, readjusting so that he sat almost across from her. "You wanted so badly to be adopted, and you ran away because you believed that no one would take you because you were part 'wild animal', as you had put it! Now you decide to join the wolves, along with those who wanted to kill us before? Aleu, this is all insane!"

Aleu gasped, and took a step away from him in shock. Her eyes were wide, she didn't recognize his tone anymore.

"And what would your mother think, Aleu? While we are considering crossing the sea tomorrow to help these wolves, risking death, your mother is sitting at home worried sick about whether or not you are alive!"

Aleu bowed her head slowly, realizing the truth in his harsh, but heartfelt words. She knew that he didn't mean any harm, but his words still stung like a bee. Her heart clenched, it felt like, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to recollect her thoughts. Then she looked up at him.

"But... I..." She couldn't speak properly.

"Don't you realize how much worry you put us through?" Balto snapped, and he stared at her, expecting a smart answer as she always came up with. He waited for her to say that everything would be okay, that this was something that they needed to do. But the longer he stared at her, the more his now growing guilt began to show itself when she remained silent. He realized how horrible he had just sounded, and he looked away, closing his eyes in an attempt to try to come up with something to say, something to make up for how much he had just hurt her.

"I..." Aleu then took in a sharp breath. She had her answer, of what was on his mind. "I'm sorry..."

And then she turned away, leaving Balto in a shadow of shame. He hung his head. How he had gotten himself into his mess, he would never know.

But... There was no way out of it.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I had a suggestion of redrawing the farewell ending between Balto and Aleu, but I decided that maybe I needed to draw a scene that for some reason I wished to have seen in the movie. I imagine that this was the night before the pack leaves to cross the sea.

Artwork is mine.
Balto and Aleu belong to Universal Studios.