shall return your breath and heartbeat to your body. Do you understand, my son?” 

Balto gulped, the sound of his fading pulse still throbbed against his head. I . . . I understand. He agreed to the spirit. What must I do?

“Step into the light and don’t be afraid,” She instructed the wolf-dog. “Once you do, your earthly body will grow cold, for it has been touched by Death’s immortal hands. Your heartbeat and breath shall cease, and you will have crossed over, leaving your old life behind you.” 

But . . .! Balto asked. I thought I could go back!

“You will . . . only in a matter of time, my son,” the spirit only said as the hybrid’s body felt as if it were being drawn closer to the bright light of the other side. Although he screamed and tried to escape from the unseen grasp that Death’s hold had on him. Before he knew it, he had traveled through the pure light of the darkness . . . the noise of life had disappeared from him and the body he left behind.

With a gasp, the red and white she-husky was drawn out of her comforting sleep, groaning a little as she lifted her head up and looked at her mate’s sleeping body. Her instincts had told her to wake up, but she didn’t understand why.

“Balto,” her voice whispered into the air as she checked the status of her mate. She gazed at him, glad that her words of getting sleep had finally gotten through to him, but she let out a gasp once she noticed something was wrong. His body was unmoving and he wasn’t breathing . . . She gasped again. “No . . . no, Balto!” She placed her ear against his chest, hoping to hear a heartbeat . . .  

I can’t . . . I can’t feel his heartbeat . . . A tear trickled down her white face markings. He’s not . . . he can’t be . . . no, NO! She nudged the grayish-brown fur with her tiny paws, hoping that it would move on its own after a quick shake, but his head only collapsed onto the blanket and straw, motionless.

She let out a loud howl as tears poured down her face. “NOOOO!” The tears dripped onto his fur as she continued to mourn, loudly calling anyone that could help her. “BALTO!

His soul was now floating above the tragic sight. Even he had tears in his eyes as the hybrid watched the she-husky suffer in her loss; she had no idea that Balto was only temporary dead, and there was no way he could tell her so.

She’ll just have to wait for now . . . I’m sorry, Jen, Balto sighed as a mysterious fog twirled beside him. He gasped, looking at the figure that was forming within the mist. Ah, Aniu! His eyes lit up in the hopes of speaking with the white wolf again, but his guess was wrong. Instead, a dark raven cawed from the fog and emerged, floating beside the wolf-dog. Remembering his recent encounter with Aniu, he was sure that this was just another of the shape-shifting spirit’s other forms . . . but he wasn’t quite sure yet. Are . . . you are Aniu, aren’t you? It cawed again, flapping its wings towards the bar ceiling and eventually going through it. 

Huh? It just . . . He remembered that he was now dead, so the raven’s actions made sense. Ah, I see. You want me to follow you into the other world . . . Understanding what to do, he also slipped through the wooden ceiling, away from the area where Jenna and now her human family was trying to revive his body and shedding their waterfalls of tears.

The sky was painted dark navy as the wolf-dog and the raven soared into the sky; the colors of the Aurora Borealis filled the sky with its many waves of rainbows that passed through them. Balto was completely in awe by the sight, but the cry of the raven kept him focused on his journey into the afterlife . . . and his hope to return to the world of the living once more. 

The black bird soared in the air, gliding with the midnight wind as if it were dancing with it. It cawed again, causing a star-lined path to form in the sky, leading into the Northern Lights.

“Follow me, my son,” The raven spoke in Aniu’s warm tone, finally speaking in a voice that Balto could clearly understand. “This road leads to where the others await your arrival.” She let out a caw, passing through the glittering path and into the aurora. Hesitating for a moment, he stepped through the lights, not knowing if he would ever return back the way he came. 

The feeling around him was warm yet cold – the touch of death. The wolf-dog could barely see once he first stepped through the barrier into the afterlife, for the brightness of the eternal sunshine blinded him temporarily; only a few moments later could Balto gasp in awe at the world that he was invited to witness firsthand.

So, this is what it feels like to be dead . . . He finally thought to himself as his fiery eyes gazed upon this new place that would soon be his home once he actually passed on for real.This is amazing . . . and I’m flying! Oh, wow . . . 

It wasn’t all clouds and angelic choirs as he had once heard the afterlife was, but it was so beautifully perfect, he knew that there were no real words to describe the marvels of this place. His eyes saw a series of mountains in the horizon with a large entrance into a mysterious cavern – that was the only thing that he could explain to himself as “real” in the whole place – where the raven was perched on a thin branch that grew out of an old tree stump. The dark-hued bird cried out, as if the call the hybrid to its side . . . to the cave.

I wonder what’s in there? He asked himself as he carefully took step by step closer towards the cavern, which suddenly had a series of randomly timed flashes emerge from its doorway. But . . . she must want me to go inside here. Balto took a gulp, pausing at the entrance with many emotions dancing through his head: fear, curiosity, the sense of sheer adventure . . . he wasn’t sure where exactly Aniu was leading him to now, but if it was anything as adventurous as his previous journeys – the strange dreams that led him on a quest to find his first-born daughter . . . the voice that called him to gather his courage and accept his wild genes to save people who were counting on him – he had a feeling that he had to be prepared for anything. 

Aniu? He called out into the cave, but his voice wasn’t audible at all. He could hear what he said inside his head, so he continued to use his thoughts in order to communicate. Aniu, I’m here . . .

“My son,” The familiar, motherly voice of the White Wolf entered the hybrid’s ears with that same love and devotion that she had long ago. “I am here and I can hear the voice inside you. Come closer to me, and I shall escort you to those that request a visit with you.” 

Balto’s ears were steady and unmoving, for he was no longer afraid now that he could see the majestic Great Spirit herself, standing ahead of him with all of her shining glory. Her extra-furry coat was pure ivory, glistening even within the walls of the dimming darkness of the cavern. Once the hybrid had reached her, she motioned her head forward and walked ahead of her earth-bound son; he followed carefully behind her, entrusting his life with the White Wolf that happened to be his own mother.

After walking continuously for what seemed like five minutes, the two lupines passed through a bright entrance within that very same cavern. The room inside was filled with pure light, bright enough for Balto to gasp at the much more beautiful figure of Aniu, for the whiteness of her coat shone as if the brightest stars in the sky had all glowed at once. 

What is this place, Aniu?Balto asked. He couldn’t recognize very much at all in the room. The walls were covered with sketches and pictures of animals and spirits, some were similar to the ones he was introduced to by Aniu in his dreams when he was a new father. Where are we?

“This is our meeting place, the Gateway of Souls,” Aniu explained, turning her gaze further into the sparkling room made of rock. “Here, Great Spirits like myself can summon others from other worlds to meet with the souls of those that have passed. Only we have the power to bring the living here and return them whence they came, but time is of the essence.” 

Balto’s mouth grew wide with awe, especially by how powerful these spirits, although most were unknown to him, really were. That’s amazing, Aniu . . . but who will I meet here? You said that there was someone waiting to meet with me, right?

“That is correct, my Son,” The White Wolf let out a howl, one that didn’t sound like any wail that the hybrid had heard from a wolf before. This one almost sounded like tinkling chimes crashing against each other; it was truly a magical sound that could not be explained in any other way. Once she stopped her cry, she turned to her son, still maintaining her expressionless face. “Come; the first group of visitors is waiting to see you again.” 

Again? Balto thought, forgetting that his thoughts were his words here. I’m afraid I don’t understand. Are . . . are these others that I have met once before, Aniu?

The large wolf nodded. “You see, these that have requested to meet with you are ones that either have known you personally in your own life some way or those that are connected to you by your legacy. Each one has something that they wish for you to have knowledge of, but what I do not know.” She sighed softly, but it was noticeable to the wolf-dog. “I, unfortunately as a Great Spirit, am not allowed to go inside with you for each meeting, but I will await your presence when you are done.” 

Balto bobbed his head slightly. I think I understand.

“Good, we’ve arrived at your first meeting,” The White Wolf pointed her muzzle towards a dark tunnel. “You must make this journey alone, but I shall await your return once your five minutes have expired.” 

Balto let out a gulp of nervousness, for he could feel a strange presence