Fengen.... or Tarkus» and after saying this he walked away. He did not know where he was going, but knew that he would certainly feel better away from Tarkus.
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CHAPTER VIII
Balto continued to see Fengen, who was now recovered, for a whole week. The two wolves started telling each other about the adventures they had lived and continued for whole afternoons. Balto told Fengen about the fact he was raised by a goose, the serum run during the diphtheria epidemic of 1925, how he met and then fall in love with Jenna, the journey he took with his daughter Aleu, and the race he and his son Kodi ran to beat Duke.
And then Fengen told his story, from the moment he born until the moment he had to escape to save his pup after the hunters killed Aniu.
«When we will return to Nome, I want you to meet Jenna and Boris» said Balto one day.
«Looking forward» answered his father.
Suddenly the eyes of both wolves filled with something that burned their eyes: tears. however, these were not tears of sadness, but tears of joy.
«I missed you so much» Balto said, as he stroked his snout on Fengen, who repeated the same movement.
«So do I,» said his father. «Your children are proud of you, aren't they?».
«They are,» answered Balto. «but they say I shouldn't trust you. Kurat says there's something wrong with you». At that moment Fengen's face suddenly became serious, as if Balto had offended him. The latter, however, did not notice it.
«And do you believe it?» Fengen asked, looking at his son with an icy stare that nearly scared him.
«I don't know. With all the things that have happened these days, I don't know anymore». Fengen nodded, but his face remained still serious.
«Dad» said a voice coming from the entrance of the cave. Balto turned around and saw Kodi.
«Kodi,» said Balto. «what's up?». Kodi approached his father but paid no attention to Fengen's presence.
«I need to talk to you» said Kodi.
«Tell me, what's the matter?»
«Not here. I need to talk to you privately».
«Right». Balto agreed, but he had no idea what his son was going to tell him. Father and son then went on their way, and Kodi took Balto as far as he could from Fengen, in order that he couldn't hear or see them.
«So, what do you want to tell me?» asked Balto.
«there's only one way to know if he's lying» answered Kodi.
«Which is?»
«We need to take him to Tachar. Only then we will know if he is lying». Balto looked around to see if anyone was watching them. Seeing no one, he looked at Kodi and then whispered:
«Are you sure you want to do this? I believe he is not lying to us»
«Yes, I want to. To me, and I think to all other wolves, he's too mysterious».
Even though Balto was against the idea, he knew it was the only way to know if his father was lying.
«Okay, Kodi,» he said. «who else is going to come with us?»
«Tarkus and Kurat»
«Kurat too? Why?»
«Tarkus said he would come only if Kurat came, too». Balto and Kodi returned to the cave, where they saw Fengen talking to Tarkus. They were unable to hear what they were saying to each other. Tarkus was the first to notice their presence.
«I told Fengen where we're going to lead him,» said he. «I told him we are going to lead him to Aniu and he can't wait to leave»
«I' m looking forward to seeing your mother again, Balto» said Fengen. «When are we going to leave?».
«Now, if you want» said Kurat appearing next to Balto and Kodi. His tone of voice was a friendly one, but his face was very serious.
«So, what are we waiting for?» said Tarkus.
When they finally left it was night. The forest was bleak, dark, sinister as were its noises and shadows, and all that lurked behind them.
The moonlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, the low branches looked like skeletal arms and hands; Balto felt like he was being watched. The sound of a cricket made him gasp. He stopped.
«What's up?» asked Fengen.
«Oh nothing,» answered the wolf. «it's just that the forest makes me a little nervous»
«Come on, let's go!» said Tarkus, who was the leader during the journey. «We must move quickly»
The ground was damp, there were stones, the wind moved the leaves and created ghostly noises, the shadows looked like fierce animals ready to attack the group, the only light was that of the full moon that accompanied them on their journey.
Who knows what was hiding in that forest, maybe there were wolves behind the bushes, maybe poisonous insects, or... but Balto shook his head to banish those thoughts, but as much as he tried to calm himself, the fear of being in that forest haunted him. The feeling of danger lurking inside him, taking away his courage, and making him shiver with cold.
After almost an hour of walking that seemed interminable, the group reached Tachar. In the night, the waterfall looked more stunning than ever and the moonlight gave it a fantasy atmosphere that far exceeded the one that Balto, Kodi, Tarkus and Handya had perceived when they went there in the daytime.
«But it's gorgeous!» said Fengen.
«And you still haven't seen anything,» replied Balto smiling. «You haven't seen the cave yet». And after saying that, the wolf ran in the direction of the waterfall, disappearing into it. Under the astonished eyes of Fengen, the other wolves did the same. Kurat, however, was the one who had taken the longest time, because before going into the waterfall he whispered something in Fengen's ear:
«If you don't want to, you can stay here» he said. and then ran in the direction of the waterfall. In his tone of voice, Fengen perceived a tone of defiance. He slowly approached the waterfall, took a deep breath... and crossed it.
Fengen could not believe his eyes when, after crossing the water, he found himself inside a huge cavern illuminated by crystals as blue as the sky on a cloudless and sunny day. But the wolf was eager to see Aniu again.
«When is Aniu due to arrive?» he asked.
«Oh, don't worry» answered Tarkus. «she'll be here soon».
Minutes passed, but no sign of Aniu. Hours passed, but nothing. Everyone began to feel tired. They needed to sleep.
«Whose idea was it to bring my father here?» asked Balto softly to Kodi. «was it yours?»
«Not really» answered Kodi. «it was Tarkus' idea». Balto looked in the direction of Tarkus, who was facing the altar where Aniu was supposed to appear. Kurat approached Balto and Kodi.
«Where is Aniu?» he asked.
«I don't know» Balto replied, and then turned to Tarkus.
«Tarkus,» he said. «do you happen to know where Aniu is? She should have arrived a few hours ago».
«Aniu?» said Tarkus. «she won't come». His voice had changed completely: from a shy and insecure voice to a dark and ominous one.
«What?» asked Kodi, even though he already knew what the answer would be.
«Why did you bring us here?» Kurat demanded. Tarkus laughed a little, but it was very ominous, as if a demon had taken possession of his soul. he turned around. What they all saw left them speechless: his eyes had become as red as the flames of hell.
«Oh God» said Kurat. «Damn it! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!». Fengen approached Tarkus.
«Tarkus,» said he. « Why are you doing this?», and right then he said something that left everyone speechless, but especially Balto: « I told you to do it when they were sleeping, in order we could kill them!».
Balto's heart filled with sadness and anger at the same time.
« Dad,» he said. «are you serious?». Fengen turned to face his son.
«Come on...» replied his father. «do you really think I'm your father?». Kodi and Kurat looked at Balto, who was barely trying to hold his tears from falling; these tears of rage were wetting his muzzle, which by now was more gray than brown because of his age.
«What do you mean by that?» Kurat asked, growling.
«Don't you remember me, Kurat?» continued Fengen. « I once swore that I would make you suffer. And now it's time!». A thick fog began to form around Fengen and envelop him. His fur was no longer as black as night, but as grey as storm’s clouds. His eyes were no longer as blue as clear water, but as yellow and sparkling as the sun.
Kurat understood immediately who he was: the wolf who attacked Handya when he was a pup.
«Who are you?!» cried Balto. «How do you know everything about my past?»
Fengen looked the wolf straight in the eyes; they suddenly became sparkling even more.
«You told me» he said. Balto suddenly began to feel weaker and weaker. It was as if his soul was slowly abandoning his body.
For the wolf it was as if he had been running with all his strength for a very long time without ever stopping; his mouth began to lose its capacity to produce saliva and therefore became dry. His muscles could no longer support his body and therefore began to sleep, not caring that their rest would have made
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