Jenna’s soul to hell, because she had done nothing warranting it, it is why she was chosen as the sacrifice in the first place. Shade wasn’t going to send her here, to me, because that would be contradict his purpose, so he sent her to the plain.”

“Where’s that?” Balto asked.

“It exists in your world as an island, it is a… purgatory of sorts, a place where the two plains, spiritual and yours, meet, and co-exist.”

“Where is this plain?” Balto said.

“You know someone who has come from there.”

Balto thought for a minute.

“Aleu. The plain is the island, isn’t it?”

Aniu nodded.

“How do I get there.”

“One has only to believe.” Aniu said. “You can seek more council from Nava on that subject.”

Balto nodded.

“Where is she, once I get on the island?” Balto asked.

“I do not know.” Aniu said. “My powers do not reach there, and neither do Shade’s”

“So at lest she’s safe.” Balto said.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Aniu said. “Things roam that island, things that have escaped from our plains, some things are good…”

Balto interrupted Aniu.

“Like Muru?”

Aniu nodded.

“He is one of mine, but Shade has things there as well, terrible things.”

“Can… can I see her?” Balto asked.

“You can see whom ever you want.” Aniu answered. “Just close your eyes, and think of her.”

Balto did as he was told.

Nothing happened.

“Try again my son.”\

Balto sighed, closed his eyes, and thought of her, formed a picture of her in his head, and remembered the times they had spent together, before the pups, when it had just been the two of them.

Balto heard a crackling sound, and opened his eyes.

“Jenna.” Balto said.

Tears came to his eyes.

Jenna was standing on a mountain, blowing snow al around her.

Balto noticed a blue aura around her.

The image faded, and Balto turned back to Aniu.

“Is…. is she dead?”

Aniu sighed.

“This is the complicated part, yes, for all intents and purposes she is dead, however, it wasn’t her time, her time comes later.”

“Can you see it?” Balto asked.

Aniu nodded.

“How long?” Balto asked.

Aniu sighed.

“Such things are not meant for the living to know, because you do not understand the impact a single death can have… I cannot tell you.”

Balto nodded.

“So she’s dead, but… not?”

Aniu nodded.

“In a way. As long as she roams that plain, she can be made alive again, but only as long as her soul remains intact.”

“But she’s dead now right?”

Aniu nodded.

“So how can she die again?” Balto asked.

Aniu sighed again.

“Balto, when the living body dies, the soul, the very thing that makes the person the one that you knew, leaves their body, and crosses onto one of two plains. Mine, if you were good, or Shade’s if you were not. Here there is nothing to hurt you, and there never will be, and in Shade’s plain, rules are put in place to keep you from being destroyed… however, those rules don’t exist on the plain, and the things that have escaped from Shade’s realm can destroy a soul, if that happens… Jenna will be lost.”

Balto nodded.

“So she’s in danger?”

Aniu nodded.

“I’ve got to go after her…”

Aniu nodded.

“Yes you do, as I said, it is not yet her time, she isn’t meant to die yet, she still has much to do, as do you, but that doesn’t mean something unforeseen will happen, and change things.”

Balto nodded.

“Thank you mother, but I still have one question.”

“And what is that my son?” Aniu asked.

“If Jenna died, then why did she come back with no memory?”

When Shade was killed, everyone that had been affected by his power was restored. However when the rule tried to put Jenna back in her body, something wouldn’t let her go, and the rule was forced to improvise.”

“Are these rules… creatures?” Balto asked.

Aniu sighed.

“The workings of my plain, I do not even fully understand, so it will be impossible for you to.”

Balto nodded.

“Anyway,” Aniu said, “the way the rule improvised, was to create a new creature.”

“So in a sense,” Balto said, “Jenna was born all over again?”

Aniu nodded.

“Given only the basic info of who she was, and how to live.”

“Well that explains a lot.” Balto said.

Aniu nodded.

She turned to walk away.

“Mom…” Balto said.

Aniu smiled and turned.

“What is it my son?”

“Well, I was just wondering if… well, if you could enlighten me a little on my past, I mean… I never knew my real family, I don’t even really remember you, just your voice.”

Aniu nodded.

“It is natural for you to want to know, and you should.”

“I was born, for the first time, many, many years ago, almost at the beginning of time. I grew in my pack, and eventually I became leader. At this time all of the wolves of the earth were one pack, one family, and we existed as such for a long time, but when I was older, a wolf I thought was my friend, betrayed me, and all of the wolves, except the ones that he had gathered. His name was…”

“Shade.” Balto said.

Aniu smiled.

“You are learning my son. Yes, it was Shade. He betrayed and killed me, and my entire family. It was at this time, for whatever reason, that I was chosen by the rules to be the representative of good for the world.”

“You see, I appear in many forms, not just wolf, according to whom I am trying to speak to.”

“So have you been human?”

Aniu nodded.

“But I am, and always will be a wolf, I just take different forms to better my cause.”

“And what is that?” Balto asked.

“To spread goodness, and peace throughout the earth, so that when people die, they come to me, and not Shade.”

Balto nodded, “… and his is to get everyone to come to him.”

Aniu smiled and nodded.

“You surprise me my son, you learn quite quickly, and your senses serve you well, but be wary, the quest for more knowledge can be one’s downfall if one seeks the wrong knowledge, as Talkeet did.”

Balto nodded.

“Back to our story.” Aniu said. “Shade was killed by one of my pack who had remained loyal to me, but not before he managed to imprison them on the plain. When he died, the rules chose him to be the representative for evil. When that happened, the war truly began.”

Balto looked confused.

“The war, the war for what?”

“The war for the souls of the earth.” Aniu said. “See, humans seem to think that only they possess a soul, but they are naïve, everything, from the smallest ant to the smartest human, possesses a soul, and that is what the war is for.”

Balto nodded.

“So, my pack was stuck on the plain.”

“Wait a minute.” Balto said. “Why didn’t you just save them, if you were so powerful?”

“The rules prohibit us from taking direct action. It is one thing for someone to be made to follow me, but to influence them to the point that they take action on it, and believe themselves… that is what I strive for, and what the rules allow me to do. You see, I wish that I could pull Jenna from the plain myself, but…”

“The rules prohibit it.” Balto said.

“Yes,” Aniu said. “So my pack was imprisoned on the plain, and I could not rescue them, so I sent them food.”

“Indirect influence.” Balto said.

“Exactly,” Aniu replied, “but Shade indirectly destroyed whatever I sent, after he figured out I was influencing them.”

“So what did you do?” Balto asked.

“I knew that I had to send someone to them, to get them to come home, to lead them, so I came back to earth. I intended to find a wolf, have pups, and hopefully one of them would be sensitive to the spirit world, as you are.”

“That’s me huh?” Balto said.

Aniu nodded.

“But I thought you said that you would find a wolf, I’m half dog.”

Aniu sighed.

“That was unintentional. I had found a mate whom I loved very much, but… but he was killed, as was our entire pack, by a bear.”

“So where does the dog come in?” Balto asked.

“I wandered, aimless, having almost forgotten my purpose, so overwhelmed by grief was I, I… I just wanted to die, to give up I suppose. It was then that I met your father. He was a sled dog whose team had stopped for a few days in the area, and he saw me crying, and talked to me. One thing led to another, and I still don’t fully understand it, but not long after that, you were born.”

“What happened to my father?” Balto asked.

“He was a sled dog.” Aniu said, “and he had to leave when they did.”

“Oh.” Balto said.

“Yes,” Aniu said, “it was unfortunate that you should have had to grow up without a father, or… or