like Aazule exploded.

"NO!" Balto screamed.

He turned back to Jenna, who was laying on the floor.

"Bal... Balto, I'm... I'm not.. not going to... to..."

Jenna's head fell to the floor, and she vanished.

"NO!" Balto yelled again. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NOOOO!"

Steele laughed.

"This is better than I thought." Steele said.

Balto turned to him, just as he heard a rock slide to the floor.

Shaulaaine turned his head, just as the massive pillar fell on top of him, crushing him.

"Why does this always happen!" Steele yelled. "Why! Why, Why, WHY! Why can't I ever win!"

He turned and ran toward the door, but a falling piece of rock pinned him to the ground.

Balto wanted to stay and watch a rock crush him, but a large stone falling beside him, reminded him of his own need to escape.

He started to run thorugh the open path to the snow beyond, but he stopped and looked back, seeing Jenna's unmoving form, the red bandanna she'd worn so proudly, for so long, fluttering in the breeze as the world collapsed around her.

He sighed and darted forward, biting the bandanna and dragging her clear of the fortress, as the great portico* collapsed.

Finally he stopped and fell to the snow, sobbing.

He couldn't believe it.

"She's really dead." He thoguht. "Jenna's... really..."

He stopped and just cried.

After about ten minutes of this he felt a warm breath on the back of his neck, and felt two paws wrap around his neck.

"It's alright Balto..." she said.

"Jen... Jenna?"

He turned his head back to see...

"JENNA!"

He jumped up, and in the process flung Jenna off of him, and into the snow.

"Oh gosh!" He said running over to her. "I'm sorry Jen I..."

Jenna stood up and shook herself off.

"Shhh."

She smiled.

"It's alright Balto."

He smiled back and stepped closer to her.

"Jen I.... I don't know how to tell you how that felt, losing you, well..."

He paused.

"Let's just say I didn't like it, and I never want to go through it again."

She smiled again.

"Let's go home Balto. I want to see my family."

"So you remember them now?" Balto asked.

Jenna nodded.

"Balto.... when the other... me died, it gave me a body to go into, it's me, the real me."

Balto smiled.

"I love you Jenna."

She nuzzled him.

"I love you too."

He looked at her.

"Let’s go home."

Two weeks later Balto and Jenna had returned to Nome, and everything was back to normal.

Peace had returned to the town of Nome.

The End