whatsoever of harming you.” “Ah…may I ask what you are?” “I walk a line between life and death. Anyone who knew me died long ago; they thought I was dead, but in truth, I had been prevented from truly dying by the Hushed Well.” He paused. “I assume no one has been able to explain the Hushed Well to you yet?” Jenna nodded, and the creature continued.

“I shall tell you, then. The Hushed Well is anything but an ordinary well of water; it is not even six feet deep. The appearance of a well is incidental; it randomly occurred out of the Well’s actual form. It is a portal, a gate into an enclosed area that is essentially a void, where existence itself is doubtful. Anything that goes in ceases to be, at least in the normal world. Once inside, living beings are held captive by the Null Crystal, an ancient green stone that created the Hushed Well long ago. It feeds off life itself, transforming anyone it swallows into a walking corpse, torturing them but keeping them alive for a time. I was once one of them; the Well claimed me, but I was the first and only one that was able to escape without being killed.” “Killed by what?” “The Keeper, a creature the Null Crystal created in order to hold those the Well claimed captive. It feeds on those who have been in the Well too long, allowing new lives to be added.” “I remember someone telling me that anyone who got out was wounded so badly they died.” “Yes. I was wounded as well, but I managed to survive. Because the Null Crystal’s power is still on me, I have become immortal, but I do long to die; I have become tired of this world.” “So you can’t die naturally or be killed?” “Correct. The only way I can pass on is if the Null Crystal is destroyed, and I would have done that, but its power will not allow me into the Well, since it knows I want to destroy it. At least I do not feel the pain it inflicts. Now then, about your husband…” Jenna perked up. “Yes, why did they kidnap him?” “When the Sheruna were cursed, their lives were bound to the Null Crystal. That is why they cannot leave the Well; the Crystal will not allow them. Whenever one of them is dying, the Hushed Well forces them to fall in, and it engulfs them just as it does other wolves. In order to life the curse, the Sheruna must give the Null Crystal someone else to torture in their place.” The blood drained from Jenna’s head. “Balto…” “I am afraid your husband is bound for an ill fate. If he is not rescued tonight, he will bear agony equal to that of the entire Sheruna pack at once…and it will never stop, because the Crystal will never let him die.” “But why him?” “They need a wolf-dog. The curse will not accept another wolf, because the Sheruna were the wolves that were cursed, but it will not accept a dog, because it will not recognize a dog as being under the curse. A wolf-dog is both at the same time, and thus will be accepted by the Null Crystal as a replacement.”

Jenna felt like she was about to burst into tears. “Please, I have to get to him before it’s too late! Please tell me where the Hushed Well is!” “Be calm, my lady. I know you must love your husband a great deal. Do not lose hope; I will take you to the Hushed Well at once.” Jenna gasped. “Are you…you will? Oh, Erebus, thank you!” “Do not thank me yet; I will tell you how you may thank me in time. We must reach the Hushed Well tonight. During most times, the Well acts as a one-way gate, engulfing someone randomly when the Null Crystal needs more life. However, at every full moon, the Well opens fully for a few short minutes, becoming a two-way gate in and out of the anti-reality it contains. This is when the Sheruna can break their curse; one of them will take your husband inside, give him to the Keeper to be subjected to the stone’s power, and leave while the beast is distracted. Hopefully, we will save him before then, but if we cannot, you must go in and rescue him.” Erebus looked at the sky. “It is nearly midnight. That is when the Well opens. We have little time. Climb on my back, and I will take you.” Jenna moved up onto his back, and he turned to face away from the forest. “I can get us there shortly, but I will have to make greatest haste. Hold on tightly.” He took off, and Jenna wrapped her paws around his shoulders, clinging fast to him. He ran with incredible speed; Jenna imagined they were approaching the speed of a train. It was exhilarating, but she was too anxious to truly enjoy it. Finally, she was on the last leg of her journey. She could almost feel Balto’s embrace again.

“I’m almost there, my love.”

The entire Sheruna pack had become almost wild with anticipation, filled with energy that could not be spent, talking with one another about how overjoyed they were that the end was finally at hand. Balto watched them, guarded by two large sentries, wondering what they were waiting for. He guessed it had to be some specific time. What role he could possibly play was still a mystery he hadn’t figured out. Rodama suddenly walked up to the sentries. “It will soon be time.” The sentries stepped back, and Rodama bit onto Balto’s scruff, pulling him roughly through the crowd of gathered wolves. “Come hither!” he shouted, and the pack began gathering excitedly around the well, leaving a path open for Rodama. He dragged Balto up to the well, looking to the sky. “We have waited so long…” Balto looked up, seeing that the full moon had reached its peak. Rodama spoke again. “And now, we shall again live as we once did.” He forced Balto to look down into the water of the well. Balto could see his reflection easily; the water was black and glossy, like shoe polish. Suddenly, his reflection vanished, and the water turned turbulent. Starting from the center of the well and expanding until it filled the entire circle, a whirlpool drove into the depths of the water, swirling with blinding speed, but not going anywhere. “You first, wolf-dog,” Rodama sneered, shoving him face-first into the vortex.

Erebus and Jenna finally reached the clearing that contained the Hushed Well, stopping in the trees to avoid being seen. The pack was standing around the well, staring intently at it, not moving a muscle or saying a word. “The Well is open,” said Erebus. “I can feel it.” Suddenly, everyone in the pack started or gasped, looking around at one another or at different parts of their bodies. “I think it worked!” one of them said, and the members of the pack began talking excitedly among one another. Soon, water splashed from the well, and Rodama climbed out, a huge smile on his face. “FREE!” he cried, and the whole pack cheered, embracing each other and laughing gleefully. Erebus growled. “He is already in the Well. It has to have been only a few seconds since it opened, though. Listen carefully, Jenna; this is what you must do. I will fight the pack and open a path for you to reach the Well. You must jump inside at once. When you are in its world, you will see many wolves, the ones it has swallowed. The pack has not been relinquished by the Null Crystal yet; they will not be until the Hushed Well seals again. Thus, anyone who was not under the curse will be able to escape the Well, and this will be their only chance. Tell them that anyone who was not bound to the Hushed Well should leave immediately.” “What about the Keeper?” “You must deal with the Keeper. I do not know how, but to get to the Null Crystal, you will have to either kill it or stop it from attacking you. Now, when you reach the Null Crystal, you must destroy it. That will free your husband from the curse, and you both will be able to leave. You will have only a matter of seconds to escape through the portal before the annihilation of the Well is complete, and if you do not make it out, you will die. Do you understand what you have to do?” Jenna nodded. “Yes.” “Good. We must not delay.” With a roar, Erebus charged out of the trees, and Jenna followed, looking right at the Hushed Well. “Don’t stop, and don’t look around,” she thought. “I just need to get into the well.”

Rodama and the rest of the pack looked toward the trees, and many of them screamed and scattered when they saw the bony creature in the lead. Rodama had no idea who that was, but he certainly remembered the face of the second…she was the wolf-dog’s mate. “They are trying to free the vessel!” he yelled, and the pack’s fear vanished, replaced by fury. “DESTROY THEM!”

Erebus leaped into the pack, bursting a massive hole, scattering the wolves as he clawed faces and bit throats. “Godspeed, Jenna!” he shouted, and she ran ahead, ducking and dodging incoming bites and flying bodies. She looked up to see Rodama himself standing between her and the Hushed Well, growling with rage. “Stay back, mongrel!” he snarled. Jenna narrowed her eyes and lunged forward, yelling Balto’s name. Her teeth met Rodama’s face, and he gave way before her, tumbling backwards over the well. He stood up, bloodied and nearly insane with fury, ready to attack Jenna. But he was far too late; she took a deep breath and dove into the Hushed Well.

Silver and white light flashed on and off, alternating with total blackness, revolving in a chaotic sphere around Jenna and she tumbled…down? Was it down? Gravity seemed to be gone; she could only tell she was tumbling because it was caused by dozens of vicious kicks that came from everywhere, but had no sources. It was as if the water itself were slamming her body brutally. Jenna could feel somehow that she was moving, but she couldn’t tell where she was moving to; everything looked like the inside of a ball made of light. The air had long since been knocked out of her lungs, but she didn’t feel she needed to breathe, either. The pressure of the water was utterly crushing, and she felt like her eyes and eardrums were about to explode. Desperately, she reached out, trying to touch the side of the “sphere” she was trapped inside. Then, just when she felt as if her body had taken all the abuse it could handle, her paw touched the side of the