slammed into the rock… and cracked it.

She tried to roll again, but an invisible force threw her across the room.

She slammed into the rock wall and slid to the ground.

Her shoulder burned.

“It comes to this….: she said, then she leapt at him.

As Balto entered Aleu’s chambers, he saw that something was seriously wrong.

His daughter was on the ground, Steele standing over her.

He had his paw raised over her head.

“Aleu!” Balto yelled.

He ran across the room and slammed into Steele’s side, throwing him away from Aleu.

Steele stood up and faced him.

“You’ve just killed yourself wolf dog,” he said, “I’m making up for all the pain and heartache you’ve put me through, and this time… things will be different.”

Balto was suddenly shoved backwards, by what, he couldn’t tell.

He hit the stalagmite behind him, hard enough to snap it in half.

Balto climbed to his feet, and felt it grab him again, this time raising him off the ground and tossing him against the far wall.

Balto slid to the floor.

Steele walked over to him, and, mindful of his strength, hit him several times in the face.

Balto was completely addled.

He stood up shakily.

Aleu stood in the corner, one paw held up off the ground.

She was beat up pretty good, but would be okay.

She wanted to join the fight with her father, and took a step forward, intending to do so.

Steele looked at her and she was flung backwards, into the wall.

Her vision exploded into comforting blackness

Steele looked back over at Balto, who had fallen onto his side.

He grinned.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time wolf dog.” Steele said.

Balto suddenly felt himself rise into the air

He hovered there a moment, kicking his legs as he hung in the air.

“How?!” Balto thought.

Then he was thrown against the ceiling.

Balto hit the ceiling, and felt one of the stalactites stab into his shoulder.

Balto started to fall, then was caught by whatever had a hold of him.

He was thrown against the far wall, breaking small pieces off of it.

Then whatever was holding him let go, and he fell to the ground.

Steele looked at Balto, as he walked over to him.

Balto was trying to stand up, trying, and failing.

“This is easier than I thought,” Steele thought.

Balto looked up at him.

Steele hit Balto in the face, making the back of his head hit the floor.

Balto felt dizzy.

Steele hit him again, and again.

Balto couldn’t raise his head off of the ground this time.

Steele just looked at him, and raised his paw in the air.

“Good bye Balto,” Steele said, “it’s over now.”

Balto looked up at him.

He knew it was true.

He closed his eyes, and waited for Steele to end it.

He heard a growl and opened his eyes just in time to see a red blur shoot across him, and slam into Steele.

Blood sprayed on Balto’s face, and Steele was thrown away from him.

Balto couldn’t stand, but he managed to roll over and see Steele, who was on the ground.

Jenna stood between them, blood splattered on her beautiful face.

She’d torn open Steele’s neck.

Steele struggled to his feet, blood soaking his neck and chest, little squirts of it landing on the rocks below.

“Jenna?” Steele said shocked. “Ve…very good.” Steele said, “you… you still… surprise…. me….”

Then Steele fell to the ground.

Jenna turned to Balto and walked over to him.

Balto still couldn’t quite stand, so he looked up at her.

Jenna’s eyes were full of tears.

“Oh God….” She said. “I… I killed him.”

Balto nodded.

Jenna knelt down beside him.

“I… I couldn’t just let him kill you.”

Balto shook his head.

“I’m glad.”

He smiled and started to lick the blood off of Jenna’s face.

Steele stood up.

He stumbled over behind Jenna.

Steele hit Jenna, once, throwing her away from Balto.

Balto stood up shakily.

Steele grinned at him, then stepped back, a look of confusion etched across his face.

Balto watched him.

Steele started screaming.

His eyes flashed between normal, and red.

Balto watched this for a moment, then he picked up a horrible stench, the smell of something…. burning.

Steele suddenly burst into flames.

He screamed anew, and fell to the ground, crawling toward Balto.

Balto limped backwards, unable to take his eyes away from the awful sight.

Finally, Steele stopped moving, and just burned.

Balto shivered.

He limped over to Jenna.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

Jenna nodded her head.

“What?..... How?...”

Balto looked back at the flaming dog, then back to Jenna.

“I… I don’t know.”

Jenna collapsed into tears.

“At… at least it’s over.” She said.

She laid her head on his shoulder.

The flaming, burning dog stood up.

Balto’s eyes went wide, and he pushed Jenna behind him.

“How?” Balto thought.

The dog’s eyes were red.

Balto could see the skin curling up off of the dog as it burned.

“A black wolf who was burned.” He thought.

“Shade.” Balto said.

The burning abomination smiled, and started toward them.

“Shade!” Aleu yelled.

The burning wolf stopped and turned.

Aleu stood behind him.

He snarled.

There was a look of fury on Aleu’s face that Balto had never seen the likes of.

“This is between you and I…” she said, “leave them out of it.”

Shade snarled again, and ran at Aleu.

Aleu met Shade half way, and they leapt at each other.

When they collided there was a crackle and a loud snap of energy, and they both disappeared.

Balto looked on in disbelief.

Jenna and Balto sat down and began to wait and see what would come of their daughter’s disappearance.

Aleu looked around her.

She was in the cave again.

She searched the room for Shade, but didn’t see him.

Alai stepped from the Shadows.

“Aleu?”

Aleu stepped back.

“Shade, you should know that trick doesn’t work with me.”

Alai smiled.

It was an evil smile, nothing like Alai at all.

Aleu felt a blast of heat from behind her.

She turned and looked, to see a glowing orange window behind her.

When she looked back to the front, Shade was there.

He was standing right next to her.

He grinned, and pushed her backwards.

Aleu stumbled into the window.

“Home sweet home.” Shade said.

Then he followed her.

Aleu looked around.

She was on a ledge, overlooking…. Hell.

Aleu saw creatures of every type wading through the molten pit below her.

They were on fire.

Their screams echoed throughout the cavern.

The sound was overwhelming, so much pain…. so much anguish.

Aleu stepped back from the awful scene, but the sounds were still there.

They penetrated her very thoughts, her being.

She thought she’d go insane if she were here too long.

Shade appeared before her.

“Welcome to my humble abode.” He said.

“Where… where is this?” Aleu asked.

She heard a screech from above, and looked up to see a red…

Aleu didn’t know what to call it; it was some sort of flying creature, a cross between a bird and a dragon.

It dove at her, and she ducked, but not soon enough, another of the creature’s sailed into her.

When its beak touched her, she heard a searing sound, as it burned her side.

She was thrown off of the ledge, and to the floor below.

It seemed that she fell forever, in reality, if that even existed anymore, it took only seconds, but in that time Aleu saw the orange stalagmites rushing up at her.

It was at least a three hundred foot drop, and Aleu knew that there was no way that she would make it.

She hit the ground.

Alai stood next to Aniu.

“Is this really necessary?”

Aniu looked at him and smiled slightly.

“Yes, it is,” Aniu said. “She must defeat Shade on his own turf, for that is the only way that he will be extinguished from our world.”

Alai went back to watching the window.

He could see as Aleu hit the ground.

He winced, for though he could not feel the pain the impact caused, he could imagine it.

“I’m sorry Aleu,” he said.

Aleu screamed.

She looked down at herself, and saw the end of one of the stalagmites sticking out of her side.

The hot rock had entered her left shoulder, and stuck all the way through her.

Somehow, the fall hadn’t killed her, though she felt pain, pain like she’d never experienced before.

Aleu tried to stand up, but the pain…. It was too much.

Shade laughed and walked up to her.

“Surprised?” he said.

Aleu said nothing.

“Nothing will kill you here,” Shade said, “nothing but me.”

“You still feel pain though, don’t you?”

Aleu couldn’t answer.

Shade laughed.

“That’s all you’ll feel for all of eternity, if I kill you here.”

Aleu looked around her.

She couldn’t imagine being here for… forever.

She summoned everything she had, and stood up, sliding the stalagmite out of her.

The pain was so much, that she could barely remain standing.

“How am I going to fight?” She thought.

Shade was still blazing.

He laughed.

“You get used to it,” he said.

Aleu looked around.

She was standing