The Time of Wolves 2

Chapter 6: The Curse of Hallow Mountain

It had been a long day for Balto and the rest of the gang. After meeting up with Nava, and a short break in between, everyone was again trailing behind Kemo as the overly large white wolf led the way. Kemo was the only one within the group who knew how to get to where Nava told them all to go, Hallow Mountain. At first, Balto elected to lead, believing that it may be the same mountain he ventured through during the serum run, but Kemo stated this was a different mountain entirely. So once their bellies were full, and one last goodbye to Nava, they all set off onto their new heading.

The journey, in Balto's perspective, went on longer than it probably should've. He didn't say anything, but Balto felt that Kemo was moving at a much slower pace compared to yesterday. However, he couldn't think of why his brother would deliberately stall them. Balto had already expressed how urgent he was to get Littlefoot and the rest of the gang home as soon as possible. Balto would be sure to bring this up with him whenever they stop.

It there was anyone who didn't seem to mind that much about the slower pace, it would have to be the kids. These young dinosaurs found this to be a good enough opportunity to have fun and play in the snow. It was all just a standard fair with a bit of chasing around, some hide and seek, and topping it off with snowball fights. At first, Kemo was against all this fooling around and wished to speak out about it. Balto though convinced him not to do such and to just let the kids enjoy the moment. Kemo would back down even if the act of snowballs flying pass his head would always annoy him. There indeed wasn't any harm in letting them have fun anyway. With the pace they were all going, even if the kids did fall behind, all Balto had to do was call out to them, and everything would be fine.

As the sun began to set, Kemo once again picked out a spot where they all would rest for the night. It wasn't nearly as good as the last place everyone slept yesterday, but it would have to do. However, Kemo was keen on making sure that there was some source of water nearby that took the form of a small stream. From there, the group took this time to eat, drink, and prepare themselves for bed. Though Balto had other things on his mind.

"What's all the matters here, then?"

Balto was so deep in thought he almost didn't register Boris coming up next to him, "What?"

"I know you for a long, long time to know that's your thinking too hard face," Boris said as he planted himself right next to where Balto was sitting overlooking the field where he and the gang would sleep, "So, what's the problem, boychik?"

It's Kemo," Balto sighed, "He's been acting strange ever since we left Nava."

"Well, then go talk to him about it."

"I would, but as soon as we made camp, he ran off to patrol," Balto rested his head between his paws in frustration, "He's my brother, Boris. He's the last thing I have connecting me to my past. If something's wrong, I wish he'd just tell me so I could help."

"Balto, I think there's something you should know," Boris placed one of his wings over Balto's shoulder to comfort the wolfdog over what he was about to say, "Your brother, Kemo, is a paranoid lunatic!"

"You know, despite what Stella says, you're not funny." Balto shot back.

"I'm serious!" Boris relented, "I wouldn't be surprised if Kemo thinks his own shadow was up to something."

"Uh-huh," Balto said with much skepticism, "And you're not just saying that because he tried to take a bite out of you that one time?"

"No! Of course not!" Boris exclaimed, but a look from Balto was enough for him to fess up, "Okay, maybe just a little."

Balto just rolled his eyes at this old goose's antics, but any further conversation was halted as a sudden loud – shrill scream pierced through the wood. Balto, knowing it was one of the kids, shot up to his feet and rushed to wherever it came from. In no time, he found that the source was none other than Ducky. The little swimmer was crouched on the riverbed with her arms covering herself as she shook in terror. Balto was mortified to see her in this sort of state. Ducky was, by far, the cutest and most innocent of the group. If anyone were to hurt her, there would be hell to pay. It was not long after Balto got there before everyone else arrived as well. Littlefoot and the gang were also concerned when seeing their friend so terrified. Ducky only seemed to calm down slightly when her brother, Spike, approached to comfort her.

"Ducky! Are you okay?" Balto asked worriedly.

At first, she could hardly answer. It wasn't until Spike gave her a few comforting licks did she find her voice, "There-there's something out there." She pointed into the darkness of the woods, "It was trying to get me."

Balto was quick to leap into action, "Boris, stay here and watch over the kids. Kemo, with me!"

Balto and Kemo barreled into the forest to find whoever dared scare their friend. It wouldn't even matter how dark it was, for wolves usually did their best hunting at night. They were determined to find this guy no matter what. However, it was a task that would be easier said than done. Despite how long the two canines searched, there was nothing they could find. It wasn't as if this guy got away or something. No, there was simply no trace of anyone ever being there. There was no print, no scent, no nothing. Balto knew that there was no use in continuing the search and had to admit defeat before heading back. When Balto and Kemo returned, they saw how Ducky, more or less, recovered from her traumatic experience with the help of the gang by her side.

"Look! They back!" Petrie pointed out to the others.

Everyone quickly took notice of the two walking out of the woods. All at once, they asked questions of if the two canines caught anyone. Balto knew the kids would be somewhat disappointed with the answer.

"Guys," Balto said as soon as he had everyone's attention, "I hate to say this, but we didn't catch anyone."

At the hearing of this news, the gang looked shocked that neither Balto or Kemo caught the one sneaking around them. Others, like Ducky, were frightened that whoever it was would come back to get them. One, however, was simply annoyed to hear it all.

"So, you let him get away?" Cera said with a mightily disappointed tone in her voice.

"We did the best that we could." Kemo answered.

"More like one of you didn't try hard enough." the young threehorn mumbled her retort.

Her mumbling was unable to hide from a wolf's heighten ears, "Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying," Cera said in a huff, "You're the one who went out on patrol to make sure we would all be safe sleeping here tonight. So, how did something manage to get through and scare Ducky?"

"I did search the perimeter, and didn't notice anything to be alarmed with until I heard her scream."

"Right…" Cera sarcastically stated as if she had finally found the means to put the so-called 'mighty wolf' down a peg, "Sure you weren't just taking a nap?"

A low growl escaped Kemo's throat. He was nearly at the end of his rope when it came to Cera, "Listen here, you little bra…"

Immediately, Balto and Littlefoot jumped in between their respective friends to hold them back. These two knew well enough to recognize when either Cera or Kemo were gearing up for a fight that would be anything but verbal. Considering what had transpired just recently, this was something none of them needed right now.

"Kemo, heel!" Balto said sternly, "We don't need this."

"Yeah, Cera, stop it." Littlefoot said as he wrapped his tail around Cera's chest to pull her back.

But neither was listening as Kemo looked past his brother and at the young threehorn, "You should learn some respect, kid."

"Tell me what to do, and I'll…" Cera tried to get into a run, but Littlefoot grabbed her by the tail with his mouth before she had the chance.

"Enough, both of you!" Balto commanded, which did get everyone to quiet down. Soon after, he walked right up to Kemo, and looked the towering wolf directly in the eyes, "Kemo, I mean it, calm down. If you're itching for a fight, then you can take me on. But we both know how that always turns out." Kemo stared Balto down for quite some time, but in the end, he flinched before walking off, grumbling to himself, "Cera, this isn't the time to try and show someone up. Truth is, the guy got away, and there's nothing we can do about it now." Cera huffed as she walked off.

Balto sighed to himself now that, that was all over. Those two had been at each other's throats ever since they met. If anything, Kemo's feud with Cera was shaping up to be far worse than the one he has with Borse. Why did these two clashes so badly, Balto could only guess? But, now that their fighting was over, for now, Balto could now get at the heart of the issue.

"Ducky?" Balto's voice lost its sternness as he addressed the swimmer, "Are you doing okay?"

Ducky nodded her head, "I'm doing much better. Yep, yep, yep." despite the chipper demeanor, she was still quite shaken from the ordeal.

"If you wouldn't mind, why don't you tell exactly what happened?" Balto's request caused Ducky to shudder at merely thinking about it, "Hey, it's okay. Whoever it was, they're long gone by now. You know, as long as Kemo and myself are here, nothing's going to happen to any of you. I promise."

His words sparked a bit of relief within Ducky as she finally spoke of what happened, "I just minded my own business playing along the stream when I saw something moving in the bushes. I didn't see his face, but I did see these big red eyes looking at me, and his voice was scratchy and made my back all shivering cold when he spoke."

"What did he say, Ducky?" Littlefoot asked.

"It said, 'Come find me.'"

Sleep did not come easy for anyone that night. Each and every one of them had been affected differently by what had occurred. Some were scared, some were on edge, but none were quite as affected as Balto. For the last few nights, he's been having dreams of being attacked by a red-eyed figure, and what Ducky described matched almost to a T. It wasn't just the eyes or voice that gave it away, it was what was said. 'Come find me.' those words were what Balto heard before each of those dreams ended. It couldn't be a coincidence. But Balto did his best to put it at the back of his mind. It didn't matter as long as Balto kept his resolve. He promised he was going to get the kids home, and that was what he was going to do. No matter what kind of horrors he had to face to do so.

The walk that morning almost mirrored everyone's sentiments of the previous night. The entire group walked the same pace they had before, only now in silence. Even the children didn't feel up to playing as they did before. It was as if they finally understood the unknown danger this new time could offer. Throughout the rest of the journey to Hallow Mountain, the young dinosaurs would continuously look over their shoulders in hopes to never see any red-eyed creatures stalking around. The tension was becoming so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Thankfully, one little longneck was beginning to get bored by all the unnerving silence.

"Hey, Balto?" Littlefoot whispered to the wolfdog, "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Balto was too focused on the road ahead that he nearly double-take over someone addressing him, "Oh yeah. I'm just a bit tired is all. Last night was a lot more eventful than I thought it would be."

"You're telling me," Littlefoot responded with a chuckle, "For a second, I thought you and Kemo were actually going to fight."

"Well, to be honest, it wouldn't have been the first time." Balto explained, "We've been in several skirmishes over the years. But I always manage to get the better of him each time."

"You've beaten him?" Littlefoot did his best to keep his voice down to not garner too much attention, "But, he's so big."

"Don't remind me," Balto said with a slight chuckle, "He's tried to use his superior size to win on more than one occasion, but I always end up on top."

"That's only because you cheat!" Kemo stated without looking back and surprising Littlefoot that he heard them.

Balto smirked as he knew Kemo would react this way, "Did I also mention he's a sore loser?" he said without even mustering a whisper.

Some of the other kids ended up overhearing the whole thing and giggled for a bit. It was nice to have a bit of levity after the previous night. It was well needed as it helped distract them somewhat as Kemo was leading them up a large hill. At least it was no longer dead quiet around them anymore as the other children were holding conversations with one another.

"There was something else that I wanted to talk about him." Littlefoot whispered even softer to Balto in the hope that Kemo wouldn't hear.

"I'm all ears."

"Well, is it just me or has he been acting weird lately," his words caused Balto to raise an eyebrow, "Sorry. I only ask because I don't know for long as you do."

"It's okay," Balto reassured the little longneck, "To be honest, I've noticed it too. What gave it away for you? Was it the slower pace we've been walking lately?"

"Kind of," Littlefoot replied before checking to make sure Kemo wasn't listening, "But last night before I went to sleep, I heard him come back from wherever he went after the argument. Before he went to sleep, I heard him say something along the lines of, 'We shouldn't even be here.' I don't know why, but I think he's afraid of where we're going."

That made sense to Balto. Kemo's odd behavior started immediately after they left Nava after all. But that still left some unanswered questions, mainly, what could be in these mountains to make someone as fearless as Kemo afraid? Balto had to get to the bottom of this if they were going to proceed on.

"We're here." Kemo interrupted as sat from on top of a hill.

Everyone quickly climbed up the hill to join him, and their destination is in sight. The young dinosaurs looked up and marveled at the icy peaks of Hallow Mountain. However, their relief of reaching their goal was cut short when Kemo showed that they would have to climb up another hill to reach the only cave entrance. With every step they got closer, though, they feel a sense of unease emanating from the mountain. It was as if every fiber of their being was telling them to run as far away from here as physically possible. Looking around, it would seem that nature shared the same sentiments. The tree lines lined up entirely outside the perimeters of the mountain; any tree or shrubbery within that perimeter looked to have been long since dead.

An eerie silence surrounded them all the closer they reached the cave entrance. Other than them, there was absolutely nothing alive around here. The entire mountain might as well be a void of emptiness. It was wrong; this whole place was wrong. A place that no one should've ventured lightly. But they needed to continue on. This mountain was the only lead on how to send the dinosaurs home. At least, that's what Balto kept thinking to himself with every step the group took.

At last, they made it to the top of the hill, and therefore, the cave entrance into the mountain. Just when they thought any amount of unease would cease from there, they were sadly mistaken. The mouth of the cave looks just like that, a mouth. Wide with jagged rocks protruding from the top like teeth ready to bite down on whatever may enter. Even with the young dinosaurs finding Alaska to be freezing cold, the air seeping out of the mouth sent chills down their collective spines. However, it was far too late to turn back now.

"Well, like I said to Jenna, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can all go home," Balto said to everyone before he moved closer to the cave entrance, "Well, guys, let's go."

"No!" Kemo jumped in the way of Balto before the wolfdog could set foot in the mountain, "The children should stay outside."

"What?!" Cera shouted in disbelief, "After walking all the way up here, you expect us to just stay put?"

"It's for your own protection." Kemo exclaimed.

"Protection?" Littlefoot thought out loud.

"Kemo, I think it's time you tell us what's going on," said Balto, "You've been acting weird ever since leaving Nava, and I think, as your brother, I have a right to know what's troubling you."

Kemo looked all around, seeing that all eyes were on him, and could see that this was a battle he had no chance of winning, "I don't think I need to tell any of you that this place doesn't feel right. If what Nava told me was correct, then that means the legends are true. There truly is something lurking within the depth of Hallow Mountain. Something wicked and evil. It's no place for children, hell, we shouldn't even be here for that matter."

"Oh, yes. I completely agree." Boris said halfheartedly as he walked up to Balto to pull his head close and whisper in his wolfdog's ear, "What did I tell you, boychik? Coo-coo."

"Now's not the time Boris," Balto pulled his head away from the old goose so he may address Kemo once again, "Kemo, what is exactly in there to be so worried about?"

"One who was supposed to watch over these lands, but instead went mad for reasons unknown." Kemo spoke with words passed down to him by Nava years ago, "In there lies the Wendigo."

There was an aura of confusion that swept a majority of the group. Balto, on the other hand, groaned when hearing that word and said to himself, "Not this again."

"Wendigo?" said Petrie, even though he didn't know what it was that didn't stop him from being scared, "What's a Wendigo?"

"I remember!" Ducky chimed in, "It's what that dog whose hunting us thinks we are."

"It's nothing. It's just a myth." Balto tried to ease everyone before it was too late.

"It's not a myth." Kemo retorted.

Balto snapped at his brother, "Kemo, you're not helping!"

"But Balto, if it's really nothing to worry about, why not tell us what it is?" Littlefoot asked.

Balto sighed, now knowing how Kemo must've felt when being put on the spot earlier, "The Wendigo is a cannibalistic monster that lurks around in dark forest to eat anything deemed alive. It mostly likes to go after humans. Wendigos would also occasionally possess people into also becoming Wendigos by making them eat their friends and loved ones." The young dinosaurs were practically petrified when hearing such a tale, "Guys It's alright. It's just a bedtime story human tell their children to keep them from wandering into the woods at night."

"That would explain the inconsistencies," Kemo stated, "What, did you hear that from one of your pet friends?"

"That's just the way humans tell it." Balto clarified.

"Humans believe the world is round. I don't take stock in what they think."

"Yeah, that is pretty stupid." Cera agreed with Kemo.

"It is the truth." said Balto.

Cera mockingly looked around her, "Looks flat to me."

"Well, that's because the world is so big and we're so… okay, we're getting off-topic here!" Balto hoped to get the conversation back on track.

Kemo continued on as if the previous tangent never happened, "For starters: there has only ever been one Wendigo, and he's as every bit horrid if not worse than what the humans believe. Our legends tell that Wendigo was once a Great Spirit, a guardian, and protector of the land, but somewhere down the line, he began to change. He became cruel and vile. The land he was sworn to protect, he instead found ways to terrorize. Until finally, he did something so heinous that he was forever banished from the spiritual planes and into the mortal realm. Never again will he ever be able to crossover into heaven or hell. It is said that this mountain has been his prison ever since."

"Look at the big bad wolf scared of a ghost." Cera whispered to Littlefoot, who shooed her away, believing Kemo could hear that.

"Wendigo is a Great Spirit," Kemo corrected her, "He's far more powerful than a mere ghost." With that, he turned to Balto once more, "Balto, I know you care for these children. That's why I ask you to not let them venture any further from here."

Balto looked to the kids and then at Kemo pondering on what he should do. He had to admit, he wasn't quite familiar with the nature of spirits or the legend surrounding them. But there was one thing he was sure of, and that was Kemo. Regardless of the wolf's dour demeanor, Balto has never once known Kemo to lie or lead him astray. Kemo was as earnest as they come, and, as much as he would like for Littlefoot and the gang to accompany him, Balto would not needlessly risk the children's safety if Kemo believed it to be that dangerous.

"Boris, stay out here and watch the kids." Balto said with all of the dinosaurs' groan in disappointment.

"We didn't come all this way just to sit around and do nothing." Cera spoke out.

"Listen, I trust Kemo's intuition, so if he says it's too dangerous for you guys, then I believe him," Balto walked up to Kemo signaling he was ready to head in, "Don't worry. We'll be back before you know it."

Now that Balto had said his piece, he and Kemo both went into the cave and began their venture through the dark depths of Hallow Mountain. Stepping through the cave felt like quite a task in of itself. It was as if stepping into another place and time. The air sent an unnatural chill to their system despite the amount of fur they wore. The floor beneath their feet was coarse, rough, and irritated with jagged rock and brittle ice cover it all. The sun's rays stopped just inches from the mouth, leaving hardly any illumination any further onward; it was a good thing that wolves can see in the dark. So disturbed was the atmosphere that Balto was looking for the sign that said 'abandon all hope ye who enter here' would be placed.

The two canines continued to walk deeper into the long cold dark for what already felt like an hour. There was nothing but the sounds of the brittle ice creaking, cracking, and crunching from under their feet. The two came across a three-way junction in their path in which Balto decided to use the middle pathway. Hopefully, it was a sign that they were making some real headway. However, it didn't help this uneasy feeling that they were being watched.

"So, how much do you know about Wendigos?" Balto asked to break this uneasy silence.

"Only what Nava has told me," Kemo answered, "And again, there is only one Wendigo. Those humans and their pets have really rotten your brain. Exactly why you should move into the forest with me, so you can grow some real sensibilities."

"Nah, I like Nome and my boat just fine," Balto before gearing the conversation back on track, "So about this Wendigo, is he really as bad as you made him out to be?" Kemo nodded, "What about that whole forced cannibalism thing? That holds any truth to it?"

"Oh, yes. I've heard of stories involving that." Kemo answered, "Story goes that during a terrible winter, food had become more scarce than normal. As the guardian of the forest, Wendigo was supposed to help, but he had his own twisted method of doing so. He took away the inhibitions of both carnivore and herbivores' dietary habits, so they would eat anything or anyone, friend or foe, foolish enough to be in their way. He even took away their will of feeling full, so they would never be sated from hunger ever again. You have no idea how many humans and animals suffered because of that. I didn't bring it up because I didn't want to frighten the children any further than you already have."

"I thought Nava said Great Spirits couldn't interfere with the living," Balto stated, "How was it that Wendigo got away with that?"

"Like Nava said, a rule can't be broken can still be bent, and Wendigo was all about bending the rules." Kemo answered, "Legend has it that the only reason he ended up here was that he broke one of those rules."

"And what did he do that finally warranted a punishment?" Balto asked.

"He killed someone in cold blood."

After their little talk, the two canines came across yet another three-way junction. In fact, this one looked a bit too familiar. The reason for that came when Balto saw his and Kemo's paw prints just inches in front of them.

"Did… did we just go around in a circle?" he asked.

"Can't be. We were going straight this whole time." Kemo argued.

Balto tried to wrap his head around this, but alas, he had no answers to this conundrum, "Okay, they can't all just loop around. We're going need to split up. I'll take the left tunnel, and you take the right. If we find anything, we'll howl to each other."

Kemo agreed with this plan before they ultimately split up into their respective tunnels. A few minutes down his tunnel and Balto was beginning to regret his plan. The air felt heavier now that he was utterly alone. The cold enveloping his very being as if to freeze him from the inside out. Even the shadows felt like eyes were hiding in the dark. It was like the darkness of the cave would swallow him up at any moment.

Before Balto thought he would be lost in his own deed, he heard it. A howl. Kemo's howl. Balto ran back the way he came posthaste. His heart swelled up with the hope that he would no longer feel alone in the dark. Soon he would rendezvous with his brother and be out of here. But in one fell swoop, all that hope was dashed from under him.

From right in front of his path laid a dead end. Balto halted as fast as he could, only skidding just inches from hitting the wall ahead. Balto was beyond confused by this point, he could swear that this was precisely where came from. There was no sign of a cave-in or any disturbances in the dirt. It was as if this wall just appeared out of thin air. Feeling a tad desperate, Balto hollered for Kemo and even resorted to howling for help, hoping he would be heard. But there was no reply back to his howl. Balto didn't want to admit it, but with no scent markers or other indication forced him to face the truth, the wolfdog was lost and perhaps trapped in the cold – dark depth of Hallow Mountain.

Outside of the mountain, the dinosaurs tried all their might to entertain themselves as Balto and Kemo explored the cave. However, these efforts were turning fruitless as there was not much in the way of keeping their attention. It didn't help matters that the young ones still found the quiet – foreboding mountain to be very creepy, and being so close to it made their hearts run cold just looking at it. Every minute spent there waiting felt like hours of Balto and Kemo was gone. Soon, however, one of them was becoming very impatient with all of this sitting around and waiting.

"Okay. You know what? I'm tired of doing nothing." Cera said as she got up and walked towards the cave.

Before she could make it, Boris jumped in front of her and threw up a wing to usher the threehorn, "And where do you think you're going?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Cera asked rhetorically, "I'm going to go see what's taking them so long."

"But Cera, we're not supposed to go in there." Littlefoot said in protest.

"Kemo said it was too dangerous. He did, he did." Ducky added.

Cera just huffed, "I'm not a scaredy egg like that dumb old wolf. Besides, isn't anyone else the least bit concerned about what's taking them so long?"

"Maybe Wendigo eat them." Petrie assumed with nervous fear in his voice.

"Don't say that!" Littlefoot shot back, "Balto wouldn't go down without a fight."

"Yeah, well, how can you know if they are in trouble if we don't go to find out?" Cera said with obviously no signs of deviating from her plan.

"Children, I understand your concerns, really," said Boris, "But the fact remains that Balto told us to stay here and wait for him."

"Actually, he told you to stay out here." Cera corrected smugly.

Annoyed and flummoxed by the girl's stubbornness, Boris struggled to find the right words to rebuttal her with. Cera, on the other hand, took this opportunity to sneak past the distracted old goose and made her way into the mountain. Seeing this, Littlefoot ran after his friend in the hope of stopping her from doing something foolish. Spike, not knowing what was exactly going on, also went into the cave after them while carrying Petrie and Ducky on his back. By the time Boris came up with an argument, it was too late, the children were already inside the cave and going deeper within the mountain.

"Ow, what am I going to do with those kids?" Boris went after them as well but stopped just short of the cave's jagged maw. He was a bird after all, and thus had a knack to choosing to fly from danger, "Come on, get a hold of yourself. You have to go in there to get those kids." He began debating himself, "If you don't, you'll never be able to live with yourself. Besides, if anything happens to them, Balto will kill you. Oh, don't be ridiculous, Balto wouldn't do something like that. He loves you like a father, which is why… which is why Kemo will do it for him." Boris waddled his way through the cave entrance, "Wait, children! Come back!"

But the old goose was too late. The children were already well deep in the mountain's tunnels far ahead of him. Though, they weren't traveling exceptionally fast through the icy cavern. Needless to say, the unnatural chilled air and the eerie silence struck a nerve with some of them, such as Ducky and Petrie. Despite the dark and creepy nature of the tunnels, the five dinosaurs tread onwards. Most in part, thanks to the young threehorn who wandered in with reckless abandoned unknowingly having her friends tag along behind her. Unaware Cera was of the danger she was leading them to.

"Cera, maybe this was a bad idea," said Littlefoot as he was becoming a bit unnerved from being inside the mountain, "After all, Balto did tell us to wait for him for a reason. Maybe we should just go back outside with Boris."

"Came on Littlefoot, all we're going to do is see what's taking them and that's it," Cera replied as she continued moving on, "If nothing's wrong, we'll right back out before they even knew we were here."

"Fine," Littlefoot reluctantly complied as he too was concerned for Balto's well-being, "Let's just hurry up. I don't like this place."

"Yeah, well, we're just to have to…" Cera stopped herself as she heard something off in the distance, "What was that?"

"What?" Littlefoot said in confusion, "I didn't hear anything."

"I thought I heard…" Cera looked to her friends and saw a noticeable sign of concern on their faces, "Never mind. It was probably just some dumb rock falling in a puddle." She said before walking again.

Regardless of what she would have the gang believe, Cera was quite frightened of being in the inside this mountain. Those earlier acts of courage were merely just her trying to put on a brave face for her friends. Which meant Cera couldn't reveal that she, in fact, did hear something in the shadows. A voice that the threehorn didn't recognize in the slightest. A voice she could swear she heard calling out in the dark, calling out for her. Littlefoot was right, this place was creepy. With the piercing cold air, to its deathly silence, and worse of all was this feeling of being watched. Cera tried not to bother peeking around because she assumed if something was out there that her friends would see and point it out first. However, out of curiosity, she peeks just from the corner of her eye and, for just a quick moment, saw something moving through the darkness. It caught Cera by surprise that she stopped dead in her tracks right then and there.

"Cera?" Littlefoot called out when his friend just stopped in front of them all of a sudden, "What's wrong?"

For once, the headstrong threehorn didn't have an answer, "I… I don't know," was the best she could come up with, "I'll be right back. I've got to check something out."

Cera then split from the gang as she went after whatever it was she saw. Walking over to where she saw it move, Cera saw another passageway hiding along the pitch-black confines of the cave and thus pressed on. She couldn't have seen it for but a second, but Cera was sure that whatever it was had fur upon its body. With any luck, it could be Balto or Kemo. Though it wouldn't explain why they would run right past them without hesitation. Deeper down, Cera walked before she heard something just ahead. Moving further, she recognized the sound.

Someone was crying.

That got Cera questioning: who was crying, was it that thing she saw earlier, was it just some innocent creature who wound up lost within these caves? Those questions would soon be answered as she came out from the passageway into a small cavern. Walking further in, Cera saw who was crying. It was a creature that she didn't entirely recognize. Said creature was sitting on its rear end with its fur all matted and dirty. As Cera got closer, the louder the creature's disparaging sobs became, and the more she realized that this creature was speaking to itself.

Closer, she could barely hear it saying, "…Please, please, I'm sorry… I never wanted this… oh, please forgive me… I didn't mean to… it wasn't me… it was him… it's all his fault… he made me do it!"

"Hello?" Cera didn't know why she spoke out towards that thing. Maybe she was just too frightened to hear whatever else it had to say, "Are you okay?"

The creature suddenly stopped its mad ramblings to lift his head up and turn it slowly towards Cera. From there, the young threehorn could see the antlers from on top the head, and the face, though slightly ragged, was elongated in a manner she remembered of an animal Balto once described. A caribou, a fellow leaf eater. Though that fact did little to ease Cera, for this caribou looked off. It was hard to make out exactly why, as her eyes weren't too well adjusted to the dark. But she could see that something was dripping from his mouth, and he was staring in a way that made her skin crawl. Suddenly, he got up on its long legs and walked behind a stalagmite in the middle of the enclosed space. Cera, despite her better judgment, went to the other side of the stalagmite to meet him halfway, and from that end, she saw nothing more. Somehow the caribou had vanished in thin air. More freaked out than ever, Cera turned around to head back to where she left the gang.

"LOOK AT WHAT HE MADE ME DO!"

The caribou appeared in front of Cera and gave the threehorn a terrible freight that she jumped up on her hind legs and to fall on her back. At this close of a distance, Cera could make out just what made this caribou so unsettling to her. His eyes, they stared in a crazed manner that Cera feared what was going through its head, and the liquid dripping from its mouth was none other than blood. If that wasn't enough, the caribou held onto the final syllable of its last word that it echoes off the wall until it morphed into an unholy howl, all the while inching ever closer to the young threehorn. In the act of desperation, Cera covered her eyes and prayed, pray that this monstrous caribou would go away.

"Cera?"

Cera opened her eyes again to a familiar voice. Now, where the caribou once stood was Littlefoot looking down in confusion at her. Why was he looking at her like that? Did he not hear or see the caribou that had loomed over her? The only way out of the enclosed space would have to be the passage that Cera went through, so there was no way it could've gotten away without bumping into Littlefoot. Could it have all been a part of Cera's imagination? Was she just jumping at shadows? No, Cera felt that thing's gaze on her and how she could still feel it even if she couldn't explain how.

"Cera? Are you okay?" Littlefoot said once again to gain his friend's attention.

"Um…" Cera scoped the area again just to make sure there was nothing there. When satisfied with her observation, she got back to her feet, "Yeah. I guess I was just hearing things."

Relieved that she was okay, Littlefoot was more than ready to leave, "Come on. The others are waiting for us."

"Yeah, let's get out of this place." Cera replied.

Littlefoot didn't even stop to make sure if he heard that right. Was Cera really suggesting that they forget what she started and head back outside? Not that he was complaining, this place creeped Littlefoot out more than anyplace he could ever think of. It was just odd hearing someone as headstrong as Cera go back on her own cause.

After a moment of walking back through the pass, the two dinosaurs were back where they had left. However, something was wrong. Petrie, Ducky, and Spike were missing. Littlefoot was confused, he told those three to stay put before going to get Cera. What on earth compelled them to leave from this spot. Looking around, Littlefoot saw that there were more tunnels around than he remembered. Perhaps they went into one of those for whatever reason. There was only one way to find out.

"We're going to have to split up." Littlefoot said as he turned to one of the new tunnels.

Though Cera was now more than ready to get out of this mountain, she wasn't going to abandon her friends to whatever other horrors may crawl in this mountain, "Alright, and once we find them, let's get out of here."

Littlefoot agreed to that before finally splitting up in different directions. Little did they know of the trials and tribulations they would be forced to face within the bowls of Hallow Mountain.

When Kemo agreed to this whole thing, no way in his life did he believe he would have to go through the forbidden place such as Hallow Mountain. But here he was, split up from his brother in perhaps the worst places for that to have happened. Is he didn't owe those kids for bringing his brother back to the present, Kemo would probably be done with this whole mess. Lord knows what would happen if that cougar, Lumac, found out he was away from his hunting grounds. Kemo would rather chase after that freeloader than wander around in this godforsaken place where his instincts were telling him to run away.

"Do it for the kids, Kemo," he reminded himself, "Do it for the kids."

Before he knew it, Kemo came upon an opening in which lights were shining through. Perhaps he had found the center of the mountain. The white wolf did what he and Balto agreed upon if any of them stumbled onto anything and howled through the tunnel in hope Balto would hear it.

As Kemo would wait for his brother, he would go into the light to survey the area. Walking through, Kemo looked on dumbfounded at what he was seeing. He had somehow ended up outside in a forest of which snow was pouring down. Kemo was at a loss for words, for he believed that nothing was able to grow this close to the mountain. The wolf went on guard, ready for anything.

"Kemo."

Kemo tensed up at the sound of his name seamlessly coming from the trees. However, as the voice continued, Kemo felt softened from his tension. This voice, he recognized the soft – angelic rhythm of it. But that should be impossible. Kemo was sure he would never hear this voice again, but the temptation of knowing was growing too great. So, without hesitation, Kemo ventured even deeper into the forest. The more he followed the voice, the more his hopes began to rise. Once the scarred wolf had found the source of the voice, Kemo was met with such a familiar sight. Before him was a female wolf sitting with her back facing him. Her beautiful chestnut fur shined in the sunlight in such a way that took Kemo's breath away as it did when he first laid eye on such beauty.

"Jem?"

In an instant, the chestnut furred wolf whipped her head around at the mention of her name. At that moment, her soft – amber eyes met his, and there was no longer any doubt in Kemo's mind. This was Jem: beautiful, kind, and the love of Kemo's life.

How long ago it was when Kemo and his pack once stumbled onto her scavenging for food before taking her in. There on, Kemo did what he could to help Jem integrate into a pack society, even teaching her how to properly hunt. It wasn't long after which before these two would fall in love and vow to be by each other's side through thick and thin. Kemo believed such things would last forever until that one fateful day of which his whole pack was annihilated by the human poachers. But in the back of Kemo's mind, he could've sworn that Jem was also…

"Kemo!" Jem broke the wolf from his train of thought, "My love, how I missed you so."

Jem then ran over to her mate, and Kemo also started running to meet her halfway. Once making contact, the two wolves lovingly nuzzled up against each other for the first in the longest time. It was her from the voice, scent, and gentle touch; this was his beloved Jem alive and well. Kemo no longer questioned how such things were so.

"Oh, Kemo, I knew you would find me." Jem said, still nuzzling into Kemo's puffy neck.

"I would brave this mountain a hundred times over if I knew it meant seeing you once more." Kemo closed his eyes to better take in her scent.

"I don't have any doubts about that," said Jem, "After all, we've been waiting for you."

"We?"

Kemo opened his eyes, and all around, he saw that out of the tree spawned more wolves. But these weren't just any wolves; these were all members of Kemo's old pack. Many of which the scar-faced wolf knew were slaughtered all those years ago. The further they stepped into the light, did Kemo also notice their flesh was in the midst of decay. The longer he stood there, the closer they came with hatred in their eyes.

After the initial shock of seeing his undead packmates, Kemo felt something warm and wet pouring onto his chest. Pulling back, he saw that the white fur of his chest was stained with blood. Looking back to his mate, Jem had changed. The female now possessed a bullet size hole in her chest that oozed blood. No longer did her face have the loving gaze of the mate he once knew. Instead, her face held a sadistic grin and eyes fill with malice.

"It's about time you paid for what you did to us."

If there were any time where Petrie had regretted his life decision, it would be now when he came into this cave. Why, oh, why didn't he just wait outside with Boris instead of allowing himself to dragged in here? Even the outside of the mountain freaked him out for some reason. However, there was no one to blame for his current predicament right now than himself. When Littlefoot went to check up on Cera, he specifically told Petrie and the others to stay put, but that all changed when the tiny flyer heard Littlefoot's voice call out for them. At the time, maybe Petrie should've listened when Ducky said how she didn't hear anything or how it was coming from elsewhere in which Littlefoot didn't go.

"You hear that?" Petrie turned his head to the side to hear better, "It sound like Littlefoot."

Ducky did her best to hear as well but was met with nothing, "I don't hear anything. Nope, nope, nope." Spike nodded his head to agree with his sister.

"Ducky, Petrie, Spike. Come on, guys, we found a way out."

"You hear? Littlefoot found way out!" Petrie said ecstatically as he flew through a tunnel he heard his friend speak.

"But Petrie, that's not where Littlefoot and Cera went!" Ducky called out.

However, Petrie wasn't thinking straight at the time. If anything, he was probably more anxious to leave these caves more than anyone. Petrie was always farthest from the bravest member of the gang, but the fear he's feeling since entering has been on another level. The meek little flyer found himself practically jumping at the slightest sounds or hint of a shadow. If anything, he was just so desperate to get out of here.

Now, out of that desperation, Petrie found himself flying alone and even more lost than ever before. His thoughts were running wild with speculations of what was going to happen to him. Would he ever see his friends again? Will he be lost in this scary cave forever? Or, worse, will he run into the Wendigo that Kemo said lived in these very caves.

Either way, Petrie was flying so frantically that he didn't watch out for the stalactites on the roof of the cave. Suddenly he accidentally hit one with his wing and began spiraling out of control. Such only ended when Petrie crashed through the cave wall and down a pocket on the other side. After the crash, Petrie slowly got to his feet and rubbed his sore beaks.

"Now, me wish me stay outside," Petrie said in exhaustion. The young pterodactyl looked up to see how deep he was. The hole that Petrie crashed through was only a few feet high, "It not so high. Me just fly up."

Thankfully there was more than enough room in this small pocket for Petrie to us his wings. However, when he was only an inch off the ground, everything around him started shaking. The sudden surprise caused Petrie's wings to stiffen and fall back to the floor. Looking around, to Petrie's shock and horror, the walls started moving. No, not just moving, but closing in. No sooner after realizing this, Petrie began to panic. There was already no room to fly up in such a short amount of time, but if he didn't act soon, Petrie would find himself completely crushed.

Unlike many of the others, Ducky and Spike were not entirely scared off from being in the caves. Why would they when they had each other? No matter where they were, Ducky always felt safe whenever she rode on top of her little – big brother, and Spike was happy to for the company of his big – little sister. Though, neither of which enjoyed being in this dark and gloomy mountain. Worse of all was that they had now been completely separated from all of their friends. First, it was Balto and Kemo, then Cera and Littlefoot, and now even Petrie had left them.

"But Petrie, that's not where Littlefoot and Cera went!" Ducky said when Petrie started flying away. Seeing no other options, she mounted herself on Spike's back, "Well, Spike, we've better go after him before he gets lost."

Spike nodded in agreement before setting off into the tunnel they saw Petrie go down. It was a relatively uneventful walk through the cave, mostly thanks to Spike nonchalantly slog down the tunnel. Still, Ducky didn't mind too much. So long as they were together, nothing would genuinely bring them down.

"Spike, wait. I hear something," Ducky said before hopping off of Spike, "Whatever it is, I hear it in there. Yep, yep, yep." Ducky was pointing to crevice in the wall of the tunnel. To Spike's dismay, it was only big enough to fit someone as small as Ducky, "Don't worry, Spike. I'll be right back. I promise."

Ducky went into the crevice despite her brother's worriedness. The further she goes, the more it was apparent just how much of a tight squeeze it really was. If she were a bit taller or thicker, Ducky would never be able to fit. When she made it through, Ducky saw nothing more than an empty room. How odd. She could've sworn to have heard something moving around in here. Maybe she should just head back out.

But then, the ground in front of her began to crack. As soon as it did, fire began spitting out of the crack. Soon the whole earth opened up in a fiery inferno. Feeling the heat kissing her skin, Ducky ran for the crevice she came from only for the flames circle around and cover it completely. There was no getting around it, or any other way out. Ducky was trapped.

Seeing the fire and brimstone were rising up, it caused the poor little swimmer to remember something from her past. How long ago, the Great Valley had suffered a horrible drought. Those were some tough times for the valley, but the worse was happening with Ducky and her family. Being dinosaurs that dwelled around the water for food, nourishment, and play meant their daily routines were affected to save what water they had left. It was very stressful for the whole family, but none of it took a toll on them quick like it did with Ducky's father.

No matter what happened, Ducky's father did everything in his power to keep his family safe and healthy. Even when it was their family's turn to drink from the water, he simply denied his turn so that that the rest of the family could have more. However, though a noble act, eventually caused him to become sick. Ducky and Spike saw the dinosaur they once looked up to slowly withering away. The worst part was when a fire broke out in the valley. Many of the dinosaurs throughout ended separated from one another to get to their closest escape route. Ducky's father, due to needing some more rest, was not a part of the group Ducky and her friends were with. When she and her friends freed the water, though, a dinosaur told her mother that her father did make it out, but he sadly passed away from exhaustion just before the water was released.

It was like a sick joke, to survive the fire only to die of malnourishment soon after. Though Ducky and Spike were heartbroken over the whole ordeal, at least they didn't feel alone. Their friends knew all about losing a loved one and were by their sides all the way. However, one night, one of her sisters asked where dinosaurs went when they died.

"Well, you see children, all good dinosaurs go to a land of paradise much grander than that of the Great Valley. Where they can live happily with all of their loved ones who passed on." she once told them.

However, that explanation drew out a different question from Ducky, "What happens to the bad ones?"

"They will end up in an awful pit of flames where they'll be punished forever for all of their bad deeds." her mother answered, "But don't worry, dear, your father would never end up there." That's not why Ducky asked. She was just curious is all.

However, what Ducky saw right now described what she always imagined what the Pit of Flames would look like. But why was it coming for her? She's been a good girl for as long as she could remember. The only bad thing Ducky could ever remember doing was that one time where she was mad with Spike. It was around when the Great Valley had snow for the first time when her brother's spiketailness was starting to get on her nerves, and it got so bad that she even made him leave with another herd of migrating spiketails. But that was so long ago, and Ducky made-up with Spike immediately after reuniting. So why was this happening to her?

"But I don't want to go to the flaming pit. No, no, no!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears as the flames were that of hands in the silhouette. They moved closer to pull the little swimmer into their fiery depths.

Of course, Spike was worried about his sister traveling into a deep crevice all by herself, but what was he to do? He was far too big to fit in there with her. The best to do was wait. It wouldn't be so bad, he thought. Being the most laid-back member of the gang, Spike always felt it was best to go with the flow, whether then worry too much about every small thing that didn't go right like his friends. Ducky was smart and has gotten out of worse scrapes than this. If she said she'll be right back, Spike knew that she meant it.

Though, if there was one thing that Spike found himself worrying about, it would be food. It made sense for a spiketail, who ate more than their fill, valued such a good shrubby. However, these adventures always left Spike with a bout of hunger as they would still move from one location to the next in such a short period. If only he could catch one little break, then his mind would be at ease.

Sniff. Sniff.

Spike picked up the smell of something familiar. Something sweet and mouthwatering. The scent of treestars. In times like this, Spike did what he did best and followed his nose. Walking deeper through the tunnel, Spike found himself a large part of the cavern filled with a plentiful bounty of green food. Spike's mouth began to water as moved around all the delicious delights all over. His stomach was begging him to take a bite of these treestars. Indeed, no one would mind if he took one – several – dozen of treestars as he waited for Ducky.

Spike took a mouthful of leaves into his mouth, and then promptly spat them back out. Looking at the pile of treestars he spat out, Spike saw the most hideous black liquid dripping from the plants. There was, in fact, black goo dripping from trees and plants around him. The goo covered the discarded plants Spike tried to eat and push leaves together to form what looked to be the crude outline of a face.

"What's the matter, Spike?" an eerie voice came from the face of the fallen treestars, "All we want is to fill your hunger like all the others."

Confused by that statement, Spike looked around to see any others around. As the goo shriveled up all the plants, Spike could see the ground littered with the bones of grown-up spiketails. Worse than that, the roots of the trees were sprouting out from below the skeletons' ribcages. Though Spike was never the brightest member of the group, he didn't need to be to understand the implications.

"Come, Spike," the voice began anew now that the goo-soaked leaves took the color of a hideous dark shade of crimson red, "Feed on us so we may grow!"

Spike backed away from where he came, however, the way out was blocked by vines. Spike was going to chomp on the vines to escape, but they too started oozing that same black goo. With no other ideas, he was trapped. Trapped, as the goo soon flowed all around him. The treestars surfed along with the black ooze, chanting the same phrase from earlier.

"So we may grow. So we may grow. So we may grow!"

Littlefoot had been searching for his friends for who knows how long. Honestly, traveling through this dark cave, it was easy to lose track of time. But it wouldn't be the first time the little longneck traveled through a scary dark cave. He still had memories of that time he traveled to the Land of Mist to save his grandpa from a horrible illness and ended up trapped inside of a cave for a few hours. Littlefoot knew that if he could survive that, he could make it through this predicament. So, why did he feel so uneasy about being in here?

Maybe it was the cold air surrounding him, the encompassing darkness, or may it be that no matter where he went, Littlefoot always felt like he was being watched. Maybe he was letting Kemo's story about the Wendigo get to him. He had no idea why. It's just that ever since hearing that name for the first time, Littlefoot felt an unnerving chill surge throughout his body. Such an oddity seeing that this was the first time Littlefoot had ever heard of such a character. Even just thinking of it puts a chill down his spine. No matter. Wendigo or not, Littlefoot was determined to find and get his friends out of here.

"Littlefoot."

Littlefoot stopped when he heard his name spoken. At first, he thought that it could have been one of his missing friends. However, though familiar, this voice didn't sound like one of them. If anything, if Littlefoot wasn't mistaken, this voice sounded like close to someone he once held dear.

"Littlefoot."

There was no doubt about it now. Littlefoot knew that voice better than anyone. Littlefoot ran as fast as he could to the end of the tunnel to see if his hopes were real. He entered a large area with vents along the group spewing hot steam and emitting a flaming orange glowing throughout the walls. Littlefoot was thankful for the warmer temperature, but he needed to remain focused if he was going to who he was looking for.

"Littlefoot."

And then, Littlefoot saw who he was looking for. Who he once thought was long gone, "Mother?"

Yes, that was who he saw, or at least a silhouette of her shadow reflected on the rocks. At first, Littlefoot was skeptical if this could be true. It wouldn't have been the first time something like this happened to him. He did once, not long after her passing, mistook his own shadow for her while in such a grief-stricken state. But this had to be different. He did hear her speak after all, right?

"Littlefoot," that voice only confirmed Littlefoot's hope, "My son, how I've missed you. Come, son, come so I may see you again."

Littlefoot was more than happy to oblige. He scattered around the place, hoping to find where the shadow was being cast. However, the more he looked, the harder it was to determine where the shadow of his mother was coming from. It had to be coming from somewhere, so he'll just have to look harder. With Littlefoot's concentration focused on his mother's shadow, he was unable to navigate around safely and thus tripped over a ledge and into the heating vents below. Littlefoot looked up, realizing that there was no way to climb back to where he was.

"Mother, I'm stuck!" he hollered, "I can't get out!"

"You must, Littlefoot." His mother answered, "You must before he finds us."

Before Littlefoot could even ask, a loud roar echo throughout the cavern. But it wasn't just any roar. No, Littlefoot knew this roar well. It was the same that has haunted his dreams ever since he lost his mother. The roar belongs to none other than the monstrous Sharptooth. A monster of a meat-eater who hunted down Littlefoot and his friends while heading to the Great Valley. That, however, lacked in comparison to being the one responsible for killing his mother. But, shouldn't he be dead? Littlefoot and his friends killed him a long time ago. It didn't seem to matter to Littlefoot as all rational thought left in replace with pure fear.

"Mother, help me!" Littlefoot cried out, now hearing the booming footsteps of the approaching carnivore, "It's Sharptooth! We have to get out of here!"

"It's too late, Littlefoot. He's already found us!"

Littlefoot gasped in terror as he saw the shadow of a massive t-rex joining that of his mother's. Soon both shadows began tussling with each other, but it was clear which one was winning. The shadow of Sharptooth was tearing through his mother's at a rapid pace. Littlefoot cried out for his mother, but they fell on deaf ears. His mother's shadow was torn apart until there was nothing left. Again, Littlefoot lost his mother to this monster, but that wasn't all. Now, he saw the shadow getting bigger. Sharptooth was coming for him. He was alone. Without his mother, no friends, no Balto. Just him and the unstoppable monster.

There were very few times where Cera would ever say she regrets her actions. However, she was really beginning to feel that way after entering this mountain. Cera was too proud to admit it out loud, but she was terrified of this place, and desperately wanted to leave. But she couldn't, not until she found her friends. Why would they wander off in such a spooky place like this? If they knew what was in here, what she ran in to, they would all think twice before venturing out like she foolishly did.

Cera was still struggling with what she saw. Could it have been real, or was it all a figment of her overreacting imagination? Regardless, Cera took a step of caution around each corner. Fearing that any moment, she might catch sight of that spectral caribou peeking from the shadows. Cera had no idea how much of her courage would last it that were to happen again. Even the slightest sound of a rock falling sent her on edge.

What also didn't help was the thin ice that layered the floor. Always crackling underneath her heals and echoed around. She stopped to take a break just so to not hear it for a few seconds, but when Cera stopped, the crackling continued from behind. Cera slowly turned her head around to see what horrors be there, and what she saw was darkness vast but nothing more. The crackling was no more. Thus Cera assumed nothing else.

"There's nothing here. There's nothing here." Cera continued to say to herself to ease her nerves, "It's just a trick of the shadows. There's no such thing as Wendigos, spirits, and there's definitely no such things as ghosts."

When she said this, Cera bumped headfirst into a hairy rock. Wait, since when were rock hairy? Focusing her gaze, she saw that it was now moving, and thus Cera realized that was she ran into was not a rock but was actually a massive grizzly bear. But that wasn't all that caught Cera's attention. Behind the bear was another – smaller bear than the one standing in front of her lying dead. Cera dared not speak as the large bear staggered about, his face shrouded in the dark.

"I… I didn't want it to be this way. I never wanted to hurt her." The bear said pathetically while still moving closer to the frightened threehorn, "But I… I couldn't help it. I was just so… so…" from there, the bear's face finally came in view for Cera to see, and she was horrified that it bore the same blood-stained mouth and crazy eyes too similar to the caribou from earlier, "… so hungry!"

The bear raised on his hind legs to strike Cera down, but she jumped out of the way before the bear hands could come down. With a shrill scream, Cera made a run for it in the opposite direction. She didn't care which way she was going as long as it was far away from that monster. Cera was only running a few feet before she stopped in her tracks by another figure coming from the shadow. It was tall, standing upon two legs. It staggered slowly towards the young threehorn until it came close for her to see what it really was. It was a dark skin human male who wore an animal pelt coat and pants. He also bore a blood-smeared face and crazed eyes as he approached Cera with a rusty old ax.

"It doesn't matter how much I want to, I can't stop eating. I crave even more." he said before swinging his ax at Cera.

Again, Cera jumped out of the way and started running down another tunnel. She didn't get far before another beast came from the darkness. A female grey wolf who also sported the same blood-stained mouth and crazy eyes came at Cera.

"No matter how much I eat, even my own friends and loved ones, I still never feel full." the wolf said, lunging at Cera.

Cera barreled under the lunging wolf and continued running down this path. Never, since her days of journeying to the Great Valley, could she remember running for her life so hard. Cera was running so franticly that she once again ran headfirst into someone. When she caught her bearings, Cera looked to see what she ran into. To her horror, Cera had run into the exact same caribou from before. His facial features were the same as how she last saw him, still crazed and manic as ever.

"Now, do you see what he has done to us?" the caribou said, stalking over to the retreating threehorn, "We once lived as nature intended for us to, but then, the Wendigo came and tore our lives apart. No longer do we care for the natural order of things. No more do we care for the difference between predator and prey, friend or foe, family and friend. All we care about is sating our never-ending hunger till the day we die, even at the cost of our very soul."

Cera backed away until her back hit the wall behind her. She was prepared to run again down one of the three tunnels before her, but then Cera stopped as she noticed them all blocked. The bear, human, and wolf walked out of the tunnels and began converging with the caribou onto her.

"But maybe, because your meat is different, maybe you can fill us once and for all." the caribou said, continuing to converge on the young threehorn.

Cera had nowhere else to go. With every second, she could feel the last ounce of bravery slipping away. She was trapped with four raving monsters cornering her. All Cera had to back up on was praying for a miracle as the four captures closed the distance to devour her.

Balto had no idea how long he was lying confused at the dead end, but he knew that he couldn't wait there forever. He was a wolfdog on a mission. A mission to get Littlefoot and his friends home, and right now, the next step on that path was to reach the center of this mountain. So, instead of wallowing in self-pity, Balto got to his feet and continued his way through the cave. Soon enough, Balto made it to a medium-sized cavern where he stopped to get his bearings.

"Don't worry, Balto. Kemo's a big wolf. He can take care of himself." Balto reassured himself, "I'm sure if I make it to the center, we'll end up meeting up with each other eventually."

Not soon after finishing that statement, the cavern around Balto began to tremble. Balto hesitated for a moment, wondering what on earth was causing these tremors. His question answered when a torrent of water came with such a force to push him to the wall. Balto pushed through the rushing water but would see that this was futile. The rushing water was quickly filling the cavern and was already rising up to his shoulders in no time.

Balto's heart quickened its pace. He never admitted this to anybody, but he had fears of being in this situation. Balto, on many occasions, had terrible experiences when it came to nearly drowning to death in his short lifespan. Such has caused the wolfdog to develop an acute fear of it suffering that fate. However, the rising water was coming in even quicker and, unless he could find a way out of this, one of his greatest fears would soon become a reality.

End of Chapter 6

A/N: And with that, I think we'll leave this chapter for now. Yes, I know I've been doing a lot of cliffhangers lately, but I do hope you all can wait patiently as I hope it'll all be worth it. So, I hope you all enjoyed it, and don't forget to leave a review. Till next time.