Jenna,” she replied. “I live in a town called Nome…and I’m really hungry.” This was still true; even for what she had eaten, she was still famished. “I’m so sorry I had to steal some of your food; I know I didn’t earn it, but I was so hungry I couldn’t see straight, and I didn’t know where else I could…” “Please, please, there is no need,” said the hunter, whose manner had completely reversed. “If you are a dog, it is clear you are only out in the wild for a tragic or very important reason. You may eat your fill of the meat here. Come with me when you are done; the elder will want to speak with you.”

It was about twenty minutes before Jenna stopped eating; when she felt like she had eaten half the carcass, she finally got up and followed the black hunter to the place where the elder was waiting, thanking him many times for his generosity on the way. The elder greeted Jenna warmly. “I am Drezan,” he said. “Welcome to our place of rest.” Jenna nodded. “My name’s Jenna. I wanted to thank you for your hospitality.” “Think nothing of it. I hope the hunters did not frighten you?” “Oh, it’s fine; I just didn’t know how they would react to me stealing your food.” “It matters little; the caribou are plentiful these days. Now then, I must say I am rather curious about you. What is a dog doing this far from any place where humans live?” “Well, it’s, um…it’s my husband.” It suddenly struck Jenna how much she missed Balto, and how she feared for his life, so much that she had to pause a moment before continuing. “The night before last, we had just gone to bed when about half a dozen wolves came into the house. They just…grabbed him and dragged him away. I…I tried to stop them, but one of them knocked me out. They were long gone by the time I woke up. I was only able to follow them as far as this place.” “Wolves, you say? Half a dozen?” “Yes.” Drezan called out for the sentry that had found Jenna eating, and he ran to them. “Yes, Elder?” “When you spotted those wolves running past here last evening, how many do you think there were?” The sentry thought for a moment. “About half a dozen, I suppose.” “You saw them?!?” Jenna shouted, excited by the prospect of hope. “Did you see them…pulling someone along, or something like that?” The sentry nodded. “One of them was carrying someone on their back.” “It seems we did see them,” said the elder. “Obviously, we cannot be certain who they were, or what pack they belong to. Is there a reason you can think that wolves would want to kidnap your mate?” “I’m afraid not; he’s a wolf-dog, but the only contact he’s had with wolves since he was a puppy was with a pack that one of our daughters joined, and they wouldn’t do a thing to harm him. All I know about the wolves that carried him off was that the skin on one of their legs was…slimy. It felt rotten.” The elder seemed now to be deeply lost in thought. “So familiar…” “What is?” “That makes me think of some kind of story…but I cannot seem to recall it. Something from the elder before me…” He shook his head. “I simply cannot remember; it was a vague story not often spoken of. I may not be able to tell you, but I know who can. I have heard tell of a great sage that lives many days from here, someone who knows all the stories of the elders. I do not know his name, but I know where you may be able to find him. I will tell you what little I know.”

Jenna set off that afternoon, having been sent by Drezan in the direction of Killatch Plateau, a forested landform several miles away. Supposedly, the sage he spoke of lived in a bizarre turret-like rock formation somewhere among the dense woods there. Though distinct, the “structure” was rumored to be impossible to find if one did not use a certain dead tree as a directional guide. Thus, Jenna was headed for this tree, known to be somewhere on the south end of the plateau. Reaching the plateau wasn’t the problem, though; it was when she managed to climb it that the difficulty began. The forest covering the top of the plateau was so thick it was impossible to see anything from a distance. Making a note of where the sun was in order to tell how to make her way south, she headed straight into the trees. The situation made Jenna a little uneasy; since everything looked the same, and the trees were so closely spaced, she had to rely on her sense of smell to tell her if anything was nearby. Fortunately, she detected nothing, but that didn’t do much to comfort her, because the farther she went on, the more she felt like she was going in circles. She decided to have faith that she was on the right track and forged ahead, but deep down, she still had a feeling that she was getting nowhere. Just as she was about to sit down and try to think of what to do next, she heard a rustling in the bushes ahead. She snapped to attention and stood up, shocked that she had been so distracted as to not have smelled such a nearby creature before. She backed up a couple of steps, uncertain of what she was about to face, but suddenly, her fears were alleviated as the creature came out of the bushes, and she saw that it was nothing more than a lemming. It started when it saw her, and then tried to flee, obviously considering her a predator. “Wait a minute!” Jenna called urgently. “I’m lost! I need help! I’m not going to hurt you!” For a moment, there was silence, and then the lemming emerged from the bushes again, slowly. “Who are you?” it asked, with a timid voice. “I’m Jenna,” she replied. “What’s your name?” “Zimm. I’m Zimm. You’re lost?” “Yes. I’m looking…” “I…I’m sorry, but…I’m not sure I can help…” Zimm looked like he was about to cry. “What’s the matter?” Jenna asked, concerned for the poor lemming. He looked up at her. “There was a stoat. It attacked my family and me. We all tried to run, but…I think I might be the only one that got away…” He was shaking with fear and grief now. “I need to run, or it might come after me.” Jenna shook her head. “Not if I can help it. Where’s the stoat?”

Zimm led Jenna back to his home as quickly as he could, stopping a short distance away and gesturing forward. “There it is,” he said quietly. Jenna could see a long white stoat digging at a tangled bunch of tree roots, trying to get at something inside. Judging from this, Jenna assumed that at least someone from Zimm’s family was still alive. “What are you going to…” Jenna was off before Zimm was even finished, charging the stoat and barking angrily. The minute the stoat saw her, it jumped a foot in the air and took off with a squeal, cutting a trail through the snow as it dashed away. Jenna followed it, but only for a short distance, to make sure it was gone. She turned around to see Zimm slip into the tree roots, which seemed to serve as his home. “They’re alright!” he called happily, and Jenna walked up to look. Through some holes, Jenna could see Zimm kissing his wife and children. “I thought it killed you,” Zimm said, almost crying with joy. “Well, it would have,” said his wife, “if not for her,” she said, nodding towards Jenna. “Thank you so very much.” “Oh, no, it’s nothing,” Jenna said. “I would like to repay you,” said Zimm. “Did I hear you say you were lost earlier?” “You did. It feels like it’s been days since I first entered this forest.” “Yes, it can be confusing, but I’ve lived here my whole life. Where are you trying to go?” “There’s a dead tree on the south end of the plateau. I’m looking for it.” “The Broken Angel? I know where that is. Come along; I will guide you there at once.”

Balto couldn’t figure out where he was, or how long it had been since he had been borne away from Rosy’s house on Ugaal’s back. It was no use trying to talk to any of the wolves; they were all silent. With nothing to do, he slipped in and out of sleep, thinking of why such a thing could be happening to him during the hours he was awake. However, he also thought of Jenna. There was no doubt in his mind that she was already on his trail, but with the speed the wolves were traveling, he did doubt she could catch up. “I hope someone from out here will help her,” he thought. He dearly hoped no harm would come to her as a result of her pursuing him; he was far less concerned about his own safety, at least until he knew for certain what was happening. He counted several days’ worth of travel, over harsh terrain and barren land. The wolves were skilled hunters, and in spite of the hostility of the environment around them, they were able to catch sufficient food for themselves and Balto. “At least they’re feeding me,” he thought. “That might be a good sign.” As time passed, he wondered more and more what sort of situation he was being brought into. The gruesome appearance of his kidnappers had hardly escaped his notice, and neither had the fact that the farther they went, the more normal they appeared. When they finally stopped, and Ugaal dropped Balto to the ground, they looked just like any other wolves, though it was clear something was still wrong with them. As Balto looked around, he realized he had never seen a pack so gloomy. Everyone walked about with heads hanging. A few, especially the puppies, even had tears in their eyes. Their manners changed whenever they looked at him, though; their faces would light up with some kind of fanatical hope, as if they were an oppressed people for who a hero suddenly appeared. Rather than think them strange, Balto was inclined to feel sorry for them, even though he had no idea of what brought them misery.

“Welcome to the Sheruna.”

Balto started and turned around, surprised at hearing one of the wolves speak to him. It was Rodama, who stood by wearing a strange smile, the emotion behind which Balto could not detect. “I am Rodama, elder of the pack.” Balto nodded. “Well then, with all due respect, why did you kidnap me?” “It is not nearly the time, wolf-dog. There are still three days left.” “Until what?” “The full moon. That is all I am inclined to say right now. You are not going anywhere, so you may as well make yourself