what you've done already. Your voice is incredible, your music sweeps the world off its feet, and you've given me the most amazing gift that no other dog could give. Don't be afraid to show me your face, Balto. I won't be afraid if you're not."

   "No!" He cried aloud, " I can't! I can't show you!"

   "But why? I'm not afraid."

   "You would be; I know you would. Everyone else has. Even my mother...my poor, unhappy wolf mother never wanted to see my face. Even my husky father never saw me. He left after I was born! I wear this mask to hide away this horror, to protect you from what lies beneath it. Please, can't you respect that?"

   "I do, Balto, but I told you don't have to be afraid anymore. I trust you more than any other dog in the world. I trust you as a teacher, and I trust you as a friend. Can't you trust me?"

   He then sighed, and looked at her, his face clearly showing pity.

   "Jenna, I trust you as well. You're the only friend I've ever had, and you're far more than just a mere student in my eyes. You've shown me compassion, and friendship and... and...love." He then took my paw, "I would do anything for you, I would jump into the Siene if you told me to, but please, I beg of you, don't make me do this."

   "Balto, I…" Jenna realized that the hybrid was clearly uncomfortable about this, and merely trying to take his mask off was somewhat disrespectful. Perhaps he really was that embarrassed of whatever was behind it. Jenna sighed, as she tried to control her curiosity. "I'm sorry I asked. I was just curious, that's all."

   Balto nodded, "Thank you, Jenna." He walked over to the piano, and slowly opened the folder of his composition, "Now then, shall we rehearse our song?"

   Jenna nodded, as she walked up to the piano. Balto turned to the very end of his piece, and much like she did with the song he sang to Jenna on that first day, he took a deep breath, and slowly lifted his wolf-like paws, creating a slow and gentle symphony, and began to sing.

   "You have come here…in pursuit of your deepest urge…" He sang in a deep, somewhat seductive tone, "In pursuit of that wish which till now has been silent…silent. I have brought you, that our passions may fuse and merge…in your mind, you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me…now you are here with me…no second thoughts. You've decided…decided…" He then slowly made his way over to husky, and suddenly, Jenna began to see a change in the hybrid. It almost felt like he too was in a trance, but this time, he moved in a more entrancing way, far than he did when they first met.

   "Past the point of no return…" He continued, his body slowly swaying side to side, "No backward glances…The games we've played till now are at an end…Past all thought of if, or when…no use resisting! Abandon thought and let the dream descend! What raging fire will flood the soul? What rich desire unlocks its door? What sweet seduction lies, before us?" On saying that last line, a sly smile appeared on his lips, which made Jenna blush.

   "Past the point of return…the final threshold! What warm, unspoken secrets will we learn…? Beyond the point of no return…"

   Jenna hadn't noticed it, but this song was certainly romantic, almost 'sexy' in a way, and she felt like he was singing his heart out at this point. She knew she had to somehow upstage him, perhaps even try to match his skill. It was his piece after all, and she definitely wanted to make him proud.

   "You have brought me…" She began, as her crystal-clear voice flowed smoothly out of its throat, "To that moment where words run dry…to that moment where speech disappears into silence…silence. I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why. In my mind I've already imagined, our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent. And now I am here with you, no turning back, I've decided…decided…"

   The husky decided to lead the masked wolf-dog over to the guest room with the satin bed, for reasons she couldn't fully understand. However, as she sang, Jenna could feel something rile up in her body. At first it felt like some kind of chilling sensation. It felt different from whenever she sang on stage or during practice. It was a new kind of feeling, an incredible, but dark sort of feeling. She could feel it in her bones, her hairs standing on end, and her body trembled with ecstasy. She wasn't sure why she was feeling this way, but since she started singing it began, and there was no way she could stop it.

   "Past the point of return...," She continued, flashing an artful expression on her face, "No going back now, our passion play has now at last begun," As she sang, the husky slowly made her way across from Balto, playfully rubbing her bushy tail against his cheek. The hybrid shivered, as he wasn't expecting her character to somehow change, but he loved it either way.

   "Past all thoughts of right, or wrong," She then made her way over to the bed, and placed a paw on it, "One final question," She slowly rolled onto her back, her slender, furry body being displayed for the hybrid next to her, "How long should we to wait, before we're one? When will the blood begin to race, the sleeping bud burst in to bloom, when will the flames at last consume us?"

   She then laid down on her side, as Balto slowly caressed her face, smiling, his eyes glowing. He then slowly lifted her head with his paw, as they both sang, their voices almost matching in power and passion, "Past the point of no return…the final threshold!" They then drew their arms around other, as they held onto each other for dear life, "The bridge is crossed, so stand, and watch it burn!" They both trembled, almost like they couldn't control the emotions that were flowing through their bodies, their voices slowly down and becoming soft, "We've past the point...of no...return…"

   The song was complete, but neither dog made a sound. They continued to stare at each other, almost like they truly believed in each other, and the love they felt had encompassed them both.

   Suddenly, seemed to have a look of sadness come into his eyes, as he softly sang a line that was not present in the song they had written, "Say, you'll, share with me…one love…one lifetime…lead me, save me from my solitude…say you'll want me, with you, here, beside you!" His voice then became a loud cry, a sob of desperation almost, "Anywhere, you go, let me go too! Jenna, that's all I ask of…" In a swift motion, he grabbed the mask that lied the secret that Jenna had longed to see, and one that Balto finally decided to reveal, and tore it off from his face.

   "Then what?" Steele asked the husky, who seemed completely frozen in fear, "He tore of the mask, and then what happened?"

   Jenna was practically shaking with fear at this point, but she had no choice but to continue...

   Time seemed to stop, the entire lair became dark, with the candles barely illuminating the walls around the two dogs, who were almost frozen in their spots. Balto had suddenly broken that barrier between him and his face, for the first time in many a year, and he let the ebony mask drop to the floor, presenting the face before the husky, who was mere inches away.

   However, she realized at that very moment, as her expression turned from shock to complete and utter horror, as that terrifying visage stared at her with a kind of terrible, sick grin, she could feel a scream almost come out of her chest, but nothing came out.

   The face was a dull red, but it wasn't normal. By God, she wanted to, she had to look away! But she couldn't, there was no way she could look away from that monstrous face. The fur from the once enchanting hybrid's face was somehow not there, it simply was not there. All that was left was that redness, that dull blood tissue that had somehow incased over his face. She shook with fright as she saw that his nose was not present, but instead of a regular cartilage, there lay a large, black hole, from where she could see the inside of it clearly. As her gaze shifted to his mouth, the fur on his chin was still present, as it was on his ears, but that didn't exactly help much. She noticed with disgust that his lips were no longer present to shield that horrible grin on his face. It wasn't exactly a grin, it was more like the entirety of his canines were showing, up to the part where they ended on his cheeks. His yellow eyes continued to stare at her, as they seemed to be lodged inside large, black holes. His face truly was a skull head; the rumors had been proven. He truly had a face of death.

   Neither of the dogs made a sound, and they scarcely breathed. The rest of the world seemed to fade away, and all that was left was the husky, staring with complete shock at the gruesome image before her. Somehow, in some horrible way, the incredible dog that she once knew was now somehow replaced with this creature, his desperate gaze turning into that of pain and anger. Suddenly, Jenna's