and out of the water, crawling away from the well when they were on land. They looked back, and a few seconds later, the Hushed Well caved in and exploded, the stones plunging into the ground and a geyser of water shooting up into the air, vanishing into thin air. All around them, the wolves of the Sheruna pack were consumed by the same white fire that had eaten the whirlpool, vaporizing instantly. Erebus, who had been standing and watching the well since he felt the destruction of the Null Crystal, now sighed deeply, his tattered flesh and bones mixing as they slowly turned to dust. “I can pass on now,” he said quietly. “Thank you, Jenna. I am happy you succeeded.” “And thank you, too,” Jenna said, watching as what was left of Erebus broke down and scattered to the wind. The two of them looked at where the Hushed Well had been, and noticed that there was nothing there, not even a hole; the ground was covered with an even snow coat, and everything was normal. They looked at each other, pausing a moment, then embraced tightly and began kissing one another over and over. “I was so afraid I wouldn’t reach you in time,” Jenna said. “I didn’t know if they were going to kill you, or…I’m just so glad to have you back!” “I never doubted you’d come to save me. I knew you were strong enough.” They nuzzled each other, overcome with happiness. “So,” Balto said, “tell me how you found me.” “It’s a long story, but we’ve got a long journey home. By the way, when they took you here, was there a dead forest involved in any part of the trip?” “No.” “Can you smell your way back along the trail they took from Nome?” “Sure. Why do you ask?” “Because I think we’ll want to go that way. If you want to hear why, just listen.”

THE END