Chapter 13: Acknowledgments and Afterthoughts.

Afterthoughts:

Writing the final chapter of the "Salvation" trilogy was like closing another chapter in my life as well as Balto's. Salvation, Part 1 and Part 2 were the first fics I ever wrote, and I spent this entire year looking forward to writing the finale. Of course, there'll be other "Heritage of the Wolf" fics after this (there's a list of stories in the first season further below), but this opening trilogy has been a part of my year for so long it feels closing it. That having been said, I'm also relieved. I know I said I'll be careful promising you guys stuff from now on, but I can you tell this safely, I'll never write another story that's longer than two parts again for a long, long time.

Part 1 was the origin story of Balto, Jenna, and Steele. It was all about how they came to be locked in the love triangle that complicates their lives, and eventually seals their fates in the serum run. Part 2 was about change, and the process of accepting change. And finally, Part 3 was about Balto not only accepting his responsibilities as a leader and a hero, but as a savior (which is why this fic is titled 'Salvation').

My highlights from the entire trilogy would be, Balto proposing to Jenna, Balto rescuing Jenna and taking her to his trawler for the first time, Jenna rocking the Old Mill, Balto saving Jenna from Steele and Devil, Balto going to Jenna's home for the first time as Rosie's new pet, Jenna's first trip to Balto's meadow, the town voting Balto as the team's new leader, Balto, Jenna, and Kaltag facing Steele in the town's square, Balto confronting Blaze in the Old Mill, Steele's trial, and of course, Balto and Jenna's wedding. And of course, almost none of these scenes would have be written the way they did if it hadn't been Murray Gold's score from the Doctor Who soundtrack, which is why I've included many of them in this trilogy, from the tender beauty of "A Lonely Decision" to the bold heroism of "All the Strange, Strange Creatures" and "I Am The Doctor", to the bittersweet longing of "Rose's Theme" and "Martha's Theme", to the gentle childhood hope of "Amy In The TARDIS", and finally the kick-ass confidence of "The Majestic Tale (Of A Madman In A Box)".

Like I said, this may be the end of the Salvation trilogy, but it's only the beginning of the "Heritage of the Wolf" series. Here's the newly revised list of stories for season 1. If any of you ever read some of Cyberwulfe's fics, you'll recognize some of these as remakes of those.

* "Salvation, Part 1".

* "Salvation, Part 2".

* "Salvation, Part 3".

* "Framed".

* "Solitude".

* "Chronicles".

* "Lone Star, Part 1".

* "Lone Star, Part 2".

* "Untitled".

* "Reunion".

* "Untitled".

* "Survival of the Fittest, Part 1".

* "Survival of the Fittest, Part 2".

Now let's talk reviews. I was very happy when it came to the reviews for this trilogy. I've received a lot of thoughtful, diverse and helpful comments about these three fics. I don't want to sound needy, but I really thrive on feedback when it comes to my stories, it helps to give me the confidence to keep pressing on and finish my fics when I'm not sure if my ideas are any good or not, and it helps to me improve from my faults. Though I do have a note for an anonymous user that's been commenting. I'm going to say this as gently as I can. You gotta stop writing reviews that are just telling me to go on. You have no idea how frustrating those are for me. I get a message in my inbox telling me new reviews for my stories have been posted, so I read them and the only thing they say is stuff like 'Pleeeeasssseee connnnttttinnnueeee!'. I know you're trying to help, but like I said, it's frustrating and it's not gonna make me write any faster. Your account is anonymous so I'm guessing you've never written a story before. So you have no idea how hard it is developing an idea for a story, mapping it out, fleshing it out, breaking it down into chapters, writing it (the hardest part), rewriting it (the easiest part), spellchecking it, posting it, and then going back over all these chapters to fix any mistakes I made the first time. All this stuff takes months to do. So all I'm asking is for you to be a little more patient and understanding. And the next time you review one of my stories, please write more than one sentence. I'm sorry if this hurt your feelings, but I always ask people to be honest with me, and I try to do the same with others, so I hope you'll understand.

Okay, now that I'm done venting, let's move onto the acknowledgments. Below is a list of thank you's to the guys and girls who reviewed not just this story, but all three installments of the Salvation trilogy.

Acknowledgments:

* Kodiwolf321 - Even though I'm pretty sure I've already said this three or four times now, you have no idea how grateful I am for you reviewing my first story last year. No one ever forgets their first reviewer.

* Mojotheomegawolf - Thanks for commenting on Part 1 and Part 2 for me. And thanks for making those reviews more than a few words long. The writer's block I was going through at the time was horrible, and I really needed another author's opinion about my quality of writing. I promised that you someday Part 3 would be written, and it feels great finally being able to keep that promise. After all, you've been more than a good friend to me.

* WolfdogmeetstheLionKing - So far, you are the only person out of the many people who've reviewed all three parts that has commented on the music. Choosing tracks for these stories is half the hard work, and it's a relief to know that it hasn't gone unnoticed. You haven't posted your review for this story yet (since you usually wait until the end), but whatever it is, I know it'll be great.

* Animation Universe 2005 - This is the fifth story of mine you've reviewed, and counting. Thanks again for being so patient these last ten months for Balto and Jenna's wedding.

* Chickweed001 - Well, even though you only posted one review, I admire your honesty for confessing that you were too lazy to do it before. Besides, like the old saying goes, every little bit counts.

* Guest User - Even though I would like for your reviews to be longer than one sentence, at least they let me know that you were reading. And I'm grateful that you've been following this story so loyally.

* Exmoorpony, The Ultra Grand, DemonKing97 - You guys each contributed only one review, but each of those reviews touched my heart because they also let me know you guys were reading, which at the time was something I thought no one was doing.

Copyrights:

* Balto, Jenna, Steele, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, Dixie, Sylvie, Rosie, Boris, Muk, Luk, Gunnar Kaasen, Doctor Curtis Welch, Emily Morgan, and Doc are all copyrighted to Universal Studios and Amblin Animation.

* Devil, Wilson, Cookie, Jared, Kemo, and Chee are all copyrighted to Cyberwulfe/

* Thomas Jones, Evelyn Jones, Joseph Jones, James Avery, Daniel Sutherland, Samuel Edwards, Billy Edwards, Ethan Edwards, Frank, Sheriff Marcus, Blaze, Grace, Derek, Zeke, Mark, Jimmy, Mac, and Rocky are copyrighted to The Cool Kat.