The Life of Aleu: A Destiny of Change

Chapter Six: The Enemy is Within

 The next morning, Aleu and Nagu planned carefully to have all the patrols set up while they were out. Nuk would supervise patrols to the east, Aga would keep the west, and Aleu and Nagu would lead a group due-North to the border to locate the human village just beyond it while seeking additional signs of bears or rogues.

Finally, around sun-high, Aleu and Nagu had finished all of the arrangements and had set out with two others. The walk there took almost two hours, but they made it safetly. Now Aleu sent Nagu with one other to the north-eastern border, while she and Honeysuckle combed the North-western border; thier biggest priority was to watch their borders with finding the human settlement being second.

Almost an hour went by with very little conversation. It was a long trek, as the snow had started to come down in a cold wind off the side of the mountain. Aleu was thankful she had her fellow wolves near at paw so it wasn't likely they would lose anyone in the storm. Regardless, the wind was still blowing, and it was nearly impossible to scent anything from more than a few meters, making patroling next to impossible. They walked onward through the deepening snow.

They had reached the mountain after what seemed to Aleu like another hour. It's monolithic size made it so most of the wind blown snow was going over the tree tops in this area, making it seem darker than it was on the upside. Regardless of the decreased lighting, Aleu was glad to be out of the cold wind. The next part of the mission was the hard part.

Aleu gulped as she stared up toward the ridge above them. It wasn't a truly steep climb, but from her current standpoint, it seemed daunting. Aleu gave the order, and their assent began. They treked upward without stopping for more than a minute for almost another hour. At one point, the fourth wolf, a male named Drexel, almost fell into a chasm hidden by the thick snow. Aleu was sure to be more careful after that.

When they finally arrived at the top of the ridge, Aleu looked back at her territory. 'Funny'. She never would have guessed it were so large and beautiful from the ground. Before her was a wondrous seen of a pine forest with dense clouds pouring from the mountain face, seeming to hover just above the treetops. She could also see the plains, and the gorge from where she stood. She suddenly felt very tiny; 'Her entire world was just a tiny speck in the face of the whole of the land.' She stood for a moment, and breathed in the view.

After a moment, her thoughts were interrupted by Nagu, as he urged her onward, down the opposite side of the ridge. Aleu could see a small river running along the base of the mountain. She guessed the village would be set right beside it somewhere.

Aleu's patrol didn't have to try very hard to find the human settlement; Aleu scented the familiar smell of pine and hickory smoke, and began tracking it along the side of the mountain. After they had treked a few miles, they finally managed to catch a glimpse of a few small wisps of smoke rising from what was undoubtedly chimneys. They approached carefully when they had gotten close enough to hear some of the activities below them.

Aleu and her patrol had found the settlement, and had gone right up to the end of the tree line, trying to ensure they would stay hidden. With that in mind, Aleu and her patrol were safe to explore the outside of the village. She went with Honeysuckle, while Nagu went around the other way with Drexel. While she and Honeysuckle were exploring, Aleu noticed three familiar structures. One was a an animal farm with yak and sheep wintering in the barn. The other two were a large smoke house, and a hunter' tannery. The latter concerned Aleu the most.

When they met up again opposite the mountain side, Aleu described her findings, while Nagu had nothing significant to report. Nonetheless, the hunter's tannery, and the animal farm were a serious concern. If any rogue wolves started attacking the farm's livestock, the hunter would likely come and find them. Bears they could handle, but a hunter might mean the end for her entire pack. The very thought made Aleu feel slightly ill to her stomach.