was Siena's age, not as thin and wolflike. She didn't know, but Ania did. She felt guilty, but she felt as though she could not tell her, that she would be hurt and offended by the truth. "But, ah, she feels hurt and offended now, because you haven't told her." said a nasty little voice inside her head. Ania, however, ignored this little voice, though it troubled her often. "Mama! Mama!" Siena rushed into the hole. 'I think that I am part husky! Please tell me that's not-" At the defeated look on Ania's face, Siena stopped. "You're not saying I'm.... right?" Ania nodded. "What? It's true?" Siena sounded hurt. "Why? How could this happen. Who was my father? Did he die?" Ania sighed. "No, he did not die that I know of. We got in a fight. I left him then. I don't know where he is, what he is doing, or if if he still even remembers me." "Why did you have to mate him? Why?! Didn't you think how your pups might not fit in to any world, dog or wolf?!"Siena's voice was getting sharper all the time she spoke. Ania answered her calmly, "I loved him." Siena looked like she was trying to decide weather to cry or to scream. Then she said in a would-be calm voice, ''Mama, I love you, but I think it's time for me to go out on my own. I think I should go and find a mate and some friends. I hope you'll forgive me for screaming at you, and I hope you will let me go and not get mad at me. You've taught me everything I need to know. I think I'm ready." Ania sighed. She knew her daughter was right, so she answered, " I think you are right. I do forgive you for screaming at me. I will not be mad to let you go. However, before you go, I need you to know one more thing." Siena looked puzzled. "What?" she asked. Ania nuzzled Siena, and replied, "I need you to know that I love you and that I wish you good luck.'' Siena smiled and nuzzled her mother. She walked out of the den and bounded into the distance.

Winter had come, and Ania was begining to wish she had not let Siena go. She was very lonely, and was often sick. Ania coughed and wheezed a lot. She had dug her den much deeper into the hill so it was warmer. When Ania was well, she would hunt as much as she could and store it in the back of her den for the days when she didn't want to get up. It was one of the days when Ania felt like she could get up and hunt, when Ania came back to the den with two rabbits in her mouth and smelled a husky in her den. The scent was vaguely familiar. Ania dropped the rabbits and went to the back of the den to investigate. There was a husky lying still at the back of the den. He looked up and saw her. Ania suddenly realized that she new this husky from somewhere, and the only husky she could remember was...."Oni?" breathed Ania, not daring to hope. The husky looked hard at her for a moment and said, "Ania. It's me. I thought you were dead! Anyways, I was missing you." Ania grinned, remembering their first meeting, said, "Anyway, Oni. I've missed you, too. She walked over to Oni and lay down. She did not say anything. Everything that had needed to be said had been said. After a few minutes, Ania began to wonder why Oni was here. "Why did you come here? Is something wrong?" she asked him. Oni sighed and looked her. "Yes," he said. "Something is very wrong. Let me tell you. My owner was going to try my team out with another man. Everything went fine until we crashed. Oh, Ania, it was awful. Our sled banged against a rock. The man yelled, and we heard a rumbling sound. We were at the foot of a mountain, and we saw an avalanche coming down. We all ran as fast as we could, but the avalanche fell faster than we could run. It overtook us, and we were buried in it. Some time later, I woke up and dug myself out of the avalanche. Apparently, I had slipped out of my harness when the avalanche fell on us. My team was nowhere in sight. I had no choice then but to try to get home. I walked for a long time. My side was hurting, so I began to search for a place to spend the night. I found your den, Ania, and by then I was so tired that I did not care whether an unknown wolf came and ripped me to pieces. I had been lying there for a very short time when you came and found me." Oni laid his head down and did not say any more. Ania was shocked. Did Oni really need to stop because his side hurt? He was a champion sled dog. Ania did her best to hide her anxiety. "Does your side still hurt?" she asked, trying valiantly to sound offhand and failing. Oni looked at her suspiciously. "Yes. Why?" Ania looked at the ground. "Oh....I....was just wondering...." Ania faltered. Oni didn't look convinced, but accepted her answer. "Do you want something to eat?" Ania asked. Oni nodded, but when she brought him his food he didn't touch it. He asked her suddenly, "Where is Siena?" Ania was expecting him to ask a question like that, so she said immediately, ''She has left to go find a mate and some friends and to try to survive on her own." Oni looked a little disapointed. Both he and Ania were silent. After a few minutes, Ania got up. She nodded at Oni and walked to the entrance of the cave. She was very worried. Oni was weak and sick. If she took him on a journey back to the town, he might not make it. If she kept him here, he might not make it either. For now, Ania decided, he would stay, and she would try to help him as best she could.

A few weeks later, Oni was no better. If anything, he was worse. He and Ania were both coughing and weak, and Oni's side was hurting him worse than ever. Ania was standing by the brook, staring into it, thinking. Ania was worried about Oni's side. She didn't know, but she suspected broken ribs. She was also worried about how sick Oni was. He had been eating and drinking very little, sleeping or talking to her most of the time, and only coming out of the den (with help from Ania) for an occasional drink at the brook. Ania spent most of her time outside hunting. She couldn't do much or go very far now, because most of the time she was sick. Ania never caught much, because she spent most of her time outside sitting by the brook and thinking about Oni. He kept trying to persuade her to not go hunting so often, and that they already had pleanty to eat if she got very sick, but Ania had her own reasons to spend most of her time outside. She hated to see Oni so sick, so helpless, when he had once been a famous racedog. He was now injured beyond Ania's help, and she was beginning to wonder whether that she could only watch and wait until......She shook her head. She did not want to think about those things. She heard Oni softly calling her name. She walked into the den. "Ania, I'm hungry, do you think you could get me something to eat?" She took this as a good sign. If Oni was hungry, he must be getting better. She brought him a rabbit from their little pile. He ate a few bites and said to her, "I've been feeling odd lately. I wouldn't call it weak, just...tired; almost floaty." Ania laughed nervously. She wasn't sure what was wrong, but she knew that this was very odd and she couldn't help thnking....Still, all she said out loud was, "Oh. I'm sorry.'' Oni looked at her and said, "It doesn't feel uncomfortable, just odd." He turned back to his food, and seemed to be trying to choke it down, but somehow it did not seem that he could manage it. He managed to eat a little bit. Ania was pleased, but she was also worried. He ate something of his own will, something that hadn't happened for a few, long weeks, but it also had seemed very hard to do so. Oni looked at her, obviously expecting her to walk out of the den, but she had no such wish. Suddenly, Oni said, "Ania, I think I'm going to die. This.....feeling that I told you about, I think the reason I feel unusually tired is because my body can't take my being so weak and sick any more." Ania felt a rush of panic. She wanted to tell him to stop talking like that, but her throat felt too dry. She wanted to run as far away as she could, but she knew she couldn't. She knew she had to stay with Oni and see him through this. Oni looked at Ania and said, " I am giong to die soon no matter what you do, but before I go, I want you to know how special you are to me. If I were to choose one death, it would be lying beside you." Ania couldn't control herself anymore. "I don't want you to die!'' she cried. Oni looked at her very calmly and said, ''Ania, I am going to die." His voice was growing raspy. Ania almost said 'no' but changed her mind and said, '' Oni, I love you and I want what is best for you. If you want to die and not be in pain, rather than stay alive and be in pain, I accept that. Goodbye, Oni. You were a great friend. Oni looked at Ania. He couldn't speak, but Ania knew what he meant. His head fell back, and his last breath left his body. Oni was dead.