to try to throw her off. She held on with her jaws, but his thrashing knocked her off her feet and he was dragged down with her. She quickly let go and they rolled away from each other to put some distance between them. They got back on their feet and circled each other, before leaping in for another attack. They continued exchanging blows, but neither could gain a clear advantage. No matter how much they bit, slashed and snapped at each other, they would not yield to each other. On one of their charges, they caught each other in mid-jump, and were both on their hind legs, snapping at each other. They both grabbed onto each other's necks, trying to gain the upper hand. Aniu was trying to push him over, but Mayak used his bulk to resist her pushing. He however, was using a different tactic. Instead of trying to knock her down or attack her vitals, he was squeezing her windpipe with his jaw. Aniu kept trying to push him over, but the lack of air was starting to affect her. Her vision was dimming at the edges, and she knew that if she passed out, she would lose.

She let go of his neck and gasped for air, but his hold was too tight and she couldn't get anything into her lungs. Mayak took advantage of the break in her attack and pushed her down to the ground. Now, he was using his full weight to suffocate her. Aniu's legs flailed wildly as he strangled her, but she still had a little strength left in her. She had not survived storms, waterfalls, and his previous attack for it to end like this. She would not allow him to win. Using her last shred of focus, she swung her claws right at his face and they hit their mark. He released his grip, screaming while he stumbled away from her. She sucked in air, and looked over at Mayak to see him stumbling towards a rock from his new wound. Her attack had directly hit his eye, and out of the barely open eyelid, blood oozed out. He was stunned, and now it was her turn to go on the offensive.

She ran full force at him, and the impact knocked him onto his back. She tried to go for his neck, but he put his front legs up to protect it, so she bit into them instead. She tried again and again to get at his neck, but she couldn't get through his legs. Finally, Mayak grabbed onto her with his torn up limbs and rolled over, slammed her back right into the rock they were beside. She was stunned from the hard impact, and that allowed Mayak to slowly get up. Both wolves were completely exhausted from fighting, and their bodies were covered in scratches and punctures from each others fangs and claws. Mayak's legs were shaking from being attacked so viciously, and his injured eye had now swollen completely shut. She was exhausted from the pain and the constant exertion from the fight. Both of them were on their last legs; one of them would have to fall soon.

Aniu tried to get herself off the ground, but her exhausted body wouldn't support her and she simply fell back down. Seeing her weakness, Mayak limped over to her and grabbed onto the back of her neck. Then, using his entire body weight, he slammed her head into the rock. Pain shot through her head and she saw stars, while Mayak reared back and slammed her into the rock again. Her head was bleeding from the hits, and as she fell, he stood over her and started to laugh. Her head was swimming with the pain from being hit into the rock, and she could barely see straight in front of her. She heard Mayak laughing, and could feel herself being rolled over onto her back.

"Mayak…… don't," she gasped. She could barely focus from the pain, and she was too exhausted to put her legs up to defend against what she knew was coming. Mayak kept laughing, and it rang in her pounding head, making the pain worse. Suddenly a stabbing fire in her neck replaced the pain in her head. Mayak had sunk his fangs into her neck and he shook his head, tearing it apart. She screamed as blood poured out of her body and onto the ground. Satisfied with his job, Mayak yanked his fangs out of her and watched as she bled out. 

"Oh Aniu," Mayak said softly, "Why did it have to end this way?" 

She rolled onto her side and tried to get up, but her body felt as heavy as a moose as blood kept leaking out from the wound in her neck. It wasn't large enough to cause instant death, but it was enough to ensure that she would die soon.

"Why did it have to come to this Aniu? Why did you have to betray me?" he continued, "Why did you have to fall for a dog? Another wolf I might have understood, but a dog? You're a disgrace!"

"That dog…… did more for me…… than you ever did," she gasped, "He saved me…… he sheltered me……. he started out as just a friend, but soon, we became…… more than that," her vision was starting to blur, and it became increasingly difficult for her to breathe in, "We were mates…… and we loved each other…… You killed my mate…… You're the disgrace!"

"I am not the disgrace, you are, and so is your son!" he snapped, "I've removed the dog and I've dealt with you, so that just leaves your little mongrel pup." 

"You say the dogs are monsters…….. and yet here you are…… planning on killing a defenseless pup! Besides, you don't even know where he is," she said. 

"Oh, that's where you're wrong Aniu. You left him to find me didn't you?" he asked, "All I have to do is follow your scent, and I'll find him."

"No………" she could now hear her heart pounding in her head as it struggled to pump what little blood she still had.

"Oh yes. I can find him, all thanks to you," he sneered.

"Please, no. Don't do it Mayak. Don't kill him. Don't make him pay…… for my mistake," she struggled to get up, but she was so weak from the blood loss, and the world was starting to spin around her.

"No, I won't kill your pup at first," he said, "I promise I'll bring him back to you. I'll bring him back to his mummy so that he can say goodbye."

"No…"

"Oh yes. I've won Aniu. I've won, and you and your pup have lost."

Somewhere inside of her, a fire burst into life. Mayak had started laughing again, and through her blurring vision, she saw that the cliff was directly behind him. A low growl grew in her throat, eventually becoming a loud roar. Mayak didn't pay any attention to it and started walking away to follow her trail, but she was going to make sure he wouldn't make it. She may have lost, but she would make sure that her son wouldn't suffer because of it. The fire inside her gave her the strength for one last lunge at him. He was too surprised to react when she bit into his neck and started pushing him. She kept pushing forwards until he went right over the ledge, dragging her down with him. As they fell, she faced him one more time, and saw the look of horror on his face, "You lose Mayak," she said and he screamed in terror. The rocky ground below was growing closer and closer, along with her end, but all that mattered was that her son remained safe, and that he would get a chance to grow up. Moments from impact, she closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry I won't be there for him. I hope he grows up to be like his papa. I hope my little boy becomes a champion………"

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Epilogue: A Guide's Duty

Soon, Balto had finished dragging the crate up the sled and was met by the cheering of the other dogs. While the others grabbed onto the crate, he took a moment to catch his breath. Taking one more look over his shoulder, he saw that the wolf he had howled with earlier had disappeared. 

Aniu had completed another part of her duty. While her life as wolf had ended, her new life as a spirit guide had begun. Her duty was now to guide her son in his life, and to show him who he really was. Today, she had done just that, and her actions had not only saved Balto from his own misery, but had saved countless other lives as well, "Who knows, maybe those dogs on that team or the children in town each have their own destiny. By saving them, I have given them all of them a chance to become champions in their own way," While she was glad that a part of her duty had been completed, her time as a spirit had not been without sacrifice. 

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After her fall, everything had gone black, but soon, she found herself opening her eyes on the ground. Beside her lay Mayak's body, broken in multiple places, his eyes still wide open in shock. She got up and found, to her surprise, that she could get up easily. It was as though her fight with Mayak had never happened. She was a little disoriented, but felt strangely okay. She had no idea what to make of this. The wound that Mayak had inflicted on her, combined with the fall, should have killed her instantly and yet here she was. Was this some kind of miracle the spirits had given her? She stepped back, but her paw bumped into something else on the ground. Her heart skipped a beat at this, "Mayak and I were the only one's here. Who else could it be?" She slowly looked back and the second she saw who it was, she screamed.

It was her body; her broken and shattered body was lying on the ground as well.

Terrified, she ran away from the scene until she came to a river. She tried to run from what she knew, but there was no escaping it. She had been killed, and now she was a mere spirit, a ghost of her former self. She stopped and looked at her reflection in a stream. Her face stared