away."

Both of them smiled at the thought, and she turned to Balto, grinning. "So, think you can handle one more day of travel?" she asked.

"Just as long as I don't have to run for any of it," he replied.

"Good. I'll send some scouts ahead along the river. Chances are that one of them will find the way," Atka finished, and they were soon on their way.

It felt a little surreal for them to be travelling along with a pack that, only hours ago, was trying to chase them down. As they travelled up front with Atka, they would occasionally glance over their shoulders. They was no further danger, but their apprehension had yet to wear off, resulting in them repeating that action every few minutes. They continued to follow the river, and at regular intervals, one of the wolves would break off to widen their search. Atka's guess of north was more of a generalization, so he used his scouts to cast a wide net in the hopes of finding something that would point the way. He was eager to not only return Balto and Jenna to their home, but to also return his pack to their land to begin starting over after Tikani.

It was a couple of hours before they got their first clue in the form of a sharp howl that rang out. From their angle, it came from slightly to their left. Rushing towards it, they were a little surprised to find the wolf who howled was actually cornered against a tree by another red-brown wolf.

"I won't ask you again. What has happened to Balto and Jenna! Where are they!" the wolf demanded in a voice they instantly recognized. The sight of a familiar face gave them much relief, telling them they were closer to home than ever.

"We're right here Anya," Balto called out. "Sorry if we caused you a little fright there."

"Balto?" she asked, turning towards him and appearing completely dumbfounded. "How is this… but these are… why would Tikani-"

"Tikani's no longer the one giving orders; I am," Atka cut in. "There have been a few changes while we were out, and if you'll allow it, I can explain everything to Maska."

"This is… I... sure, yes... I can take you to Maska," Anya said, her jaw hanging open as she tried to take everything in. She quickly rushed to Balto and Jenna, giving both of them a quick nuzzle in greeting. "I'm so glad to see you two are okay. After you didn't return with Maska we feared the worst."

"Thanks - it's good to see a friendly face after so long," Balto said.

"I'm glad I could brighten your day," she replied, breaking into a grin. "So, how did you manage to pull this off?"

"It's... complicated. I guess you could say... the way home found me, just like you said it would," Balto explained.

"Well, I don't just say these things because I like the sound of my own voice."

"Hehe, that's true. Actually, I think it would be best if I left the explaining to Atka," Balto replied. "I'm sorry to just say hi and run, but we'd really like to get home before dark."

"Of course. You're probably exhausted from your days of travel," she said. "We're currently at the northern border of our territory and I'm sure you can find your way from here. I probably won't be the only one happy to see you safe and sound," she said, before turning to Atka. "Alright, if you'll follow me I can take you to Maska. I'm sure he'll be very interested to know what's happened over the past few days." Atka nodded, and told Faro and Salin to take everyone else back to their own territory. With that, they all went their separate ways: Balto and Jenna went towards their home, the pack towards their home territory, while Atka followed Anya to find Maska. There would be much that these two alphas would have to discuss, but Atka hoped that it would be a fresh start between their two packs.

----------

"But mom, they could be out there!"

"Rosy it's getting late. We can look for them tomorrow."

"I'll just go up the street. I promise."

"… Okay, but I want you back in ten minutes. It's getting dark."

Rosy already had her coat on, and with her mother's permission she stepped out the front door. Jenna had been missing for three whole days now, and she hadn't seen any sign of Balto either. She went up the mostly empty street, peering through the low evening light, hoping to find some trace of them. She looked under porches and down alleys, but found nothing. When she reached the end of the street, her face fell at the prospect of having to spend another night without the dogs she loved so much.

"Where are you two? Why would you run away like that?" she asked, sniffling a little as she turned back towards her home. She'd taken no more than two steps before she heard a haunting cry ring out across the tundra. It was the howl of a wolf, and one that she'd heard before. The last time she heard that howl was when she was very sick. It was the howl that announced the one who saved her life…

"Balto!" she cried and turned around to see the brown half wolf bounding towards her with a red husky by his side. "Jenna!" She ran out to them, catching them mid-stride to pull them into a tight hug. They eagerly licked her face, tails wagging in the joy of seeing her. "Where were you two?" she demanded. "I've been so worried about you. I missed you so much."

'We missed you too," Balto thought, glad to feel the safety that came whenever he saw Nome. They were home, safe and sound. In the end, that was all he needed to be happy.

----------

Atka lay down in the den, his mind buzzing from the day's events. He'd become the alpha of his pack, saved Balto, and even started to mend fences with Maska - all in one day. He knew his mind should be focused on his new responsibility, but there was something else nagging at him; something about her. 'Where did you go?' he thought.

The dirt crunched behind him, and he was surprised to see none other than Aniu at the entrance to the den. It was as though his own thoughts had summoned her. "How did you get here so quickly? What's going on with you?" he asked. A bystander wouldn't have heard any reply from her, but Atka did, right in his own mind. Her voice was heard by him and him alone, and she told him what he wanted to know. She told him the reason for her long absence, and his face fell when he learned her story. "You mean you're… Oh my... I'm so sorry. So you're here as a… spirit?" he asked, pausing as the replies came to his mind. "Ah, that makes sense. You know, you hear about these things in stories but you never really believe them until you see them. Thank you again for being my guide. You have no idea how many you have saved today… Oh, I guess you do… You're very welcome… He's important? Why?"

From the way she talked, it sounded like she had a very keen interest in Balto, something that puzzled him a bit. "Out of all the wolves and dogs in the world, why do you have such an interest in him? What makes him so special to you?" he asked. When the reply came, his eyes grew wide. "He's your… So that's where he gets his wolf half from," he replied. "If that's so, then why don't you tell him that? He should know… So when will the time be right for him… Okay, I won't mention it to him, but you shouldn't keep this from him for too long." She nodded to him, and told him her plan. "Soon… you'll tell him soon. But how?"

"I have something in mind…"

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Epilogue: Hopes and Dreams

He was running. He didn't know why, all that mattered was that he kept on running. The landscape was desolate, with nothing but solid ice in all directions. The sky was dark, but it had a very surreal quality to it. The whole land seemed unnatural, but he didn't stop to dwell on it. He just kept on running.

He heard a groan behind him, followed by a sharp crack. He looked back and saw the ice cracking and crumbling. Now he had a clear reason to keep running. He raced to stay ahead of the crack, but it always matched his speed. He swerved left, but the crack was quick to follow. He pushed his body forward, managing to stay ahead of the ice that seemed intent on swallowing him. Suddenly, the ice crashed ahead of him as well, rising to form a wall in front of him. He had heard of sled teams encountering them – pressure ridges in the sea ice – but he had never heard of one rising so quickly. With peril behind and a wall ahead, it was as though some force intent on stopping him was controlling the ice itself, but he would not give up without a fight. The ridge rose at an angle and he scaled it, hoping to find safety on the other side. The ridge rose steeper, and he could feel his paws sliding on the ice, but he pushed forward. He reached the summit, but the ridge shook before crumbling beneath his feet. He fell, expecting to hit the icy cold water, but instead landed hard on a swaying piece of ice. He was floating on a small white island on an inky sea. Looking around, he saw other pieces of ice, but any continuous ground had crumbled and broken up.

He thought he was alone in this landscape until he heard a cry above him. He saw a large, dark bird – a raven – flying overhead. The call was sharp, meant to grab his attention. It circled a few times before starting to fly away, and as