Epilogue

We're both too far gone to be saved…

It was the last day of their trip and Aleu, Rusty, Bryn, and Vance would all be going home soon. Rusty couldn't believe how much things had changed in so little time. His only son chose love over the pack, he somewhat matched wills with his police successor, and now had a son in law. Oh the joy…Rusty rolled his eyes just slightly. Aleu brushed past him for a moment, then took her place next to him. She put her head on his shoulder lovingly.

"Something's bothering you" she stated as a matter of factly.
"Dang right something is".
"You still don't like Vance…or Sirena?"
"Not really. If either of them hurt my kids or my pack, I hurt them. Plain and simple".
"Oh Rusty, they'll be fine. Stop being grumpy and be happy"
"I am happy" the wolf dingo nuzzled her, "It's just all been making me think".
"About?"
Rusty sighed. "When we came back here the first time, all those years ago, I feared I would've had to make a choice. Given our children's situations, I can't help but wonder which I would've chosen: You or Madeline.".
"You would've made the decision that made you happiest" Aleu replied understandingly, "Aniu and I both love you, Rusty. We only wanted what was best, which was the point of bringing you back here to Nome. Either which way, we would've been happy that you were happy. I know how much you loved her".
"I didn't want to hurt you-"
"Someday, Rusty, you're gonna have to stop putting everyone ahead of you and start looking out for what's best for you. I loved you, I still love you, and I always will love you. Nothing will ever, ever change that. Yeah, you have moments where I would like to give you a good whack in the head, but it's not over unreasonable little things. You are loving, sweet, gentle, and good, whether you believe it or not".
"Only because Madeline made me so. You would've hated the wolf-dingo I was before I knew her. They would hate me if they knew the truth".
"Now that we both know isn't true" Aleu objected, "Tannis and Bryn love you just as I do. What happened in the past is irrelevant, Rusty. You learned from it and you're a better man for it. It doesn't matter anymore".
"The scars of it still remain, Aleu. You've seen that first hand…the night terrors".

Aleu's ears lowered. It wasn't unlike Rusty to still dream of that horrid complex he and his mother were held captive in. His mother had been shot, but he, fighting back, managed to survive, and without his canine teeth for most of his life. The humans had removed them, and some of his fur, and sold it for a profit. But Rusty had fought back. The humans had begun to starve him and the other animals there. In a sense, he became their hero by hunting the humans down and killing them for food. It'd caused Aleu just a little distress, but Rusty wouldn't dare harm another human after all that. She loved him, and no matter what happened she'd never leave him…

"You don't have to stay" Sirena met Tannis over at his grandmother's shed.
"I do, Sirena. You need me and to be quite honest, I don't think I could picture a life without you. You need me and frankly I love being needed by you".

Sirena looked down and knew that if she could, she'd be blushing. She loved this dog sure, but it just didn't feel right to come between him and his family. Regardless, it still made the young borzoi feel loved even when nobody else seemed to notice her. It astounded her that he, this kind wonderful soul, actually did see her. Tannis put a paw on hers.

"It's gonna be alright. Everything's gonna be fine. It'll be a little tough for me, adjusting to a little more…tame life, but I'll get used to it. You're worth every single bit of it" Tannis gave her face a small lick.

The borzoi closed her eyes blissfully and sighed. Nothing could shatter their moment, and nothing would ever break them. It was love, plain and simple…

Vance sat atop a snowy hill, watching the workings of Nome below. So much had changed in so little time, what more could be done? He could see, he could move about as he wanted without fear of throwing up or having breathing problems. He wasn't even a dog anymore! And now he was set to be the guide of an entire species! No pressure in that right? The white wolf huffed out a breath through his nose.

Vance is no longer a name suiting you… He heard Aniu's voice say in his mind.
"Then what is?"
Vance was a dog who died in that town so another could rise and be the saving grace of a whole different kind. Rose from the ashes, like a phoenix.
"Phoenix…I kinda like the sound of that. Doesn't sound too spiritual in my opinion though".
But the Phoenix is relevant to who you are and what you've become. From my ashes and from the ashes of Vance, a new creature arises to take the place of another great power. Phoenix is very fitting for you.
"So I'm not Vance anymore?"
You are Vance, and you are Phoenix. You are Vance to your family, Phoenix to the whole of your kind now.
"That makes sense…"
"Vance?"

He turned and saw Bryn standing there, smiling, her tail wagging excitedly. The newly turned, and newly named wolf grinned in response as she approached and put her head on his shoulder.

"You know you're right. You don't need eyes or sight to see what's beautiful" Bryn sighed in complete bliss, "And soon you'll get to see what home looks like".
"I've already seen home. Home is wherever you are".

And with everything set, and a bright future ahead, the two slipped away calmly from the city to get their own sense of eternal happiness.

A/N: Yes friends, it's finally over. Sorry it took so long to update. To be honest, I was kinda running low on inspiration for this story until I started to realize that this is my most successful fandom on here. Seriously, I get most of my positive reviews here in the Balto fandom. Maybe I'm just better at writing animals? I don't know, it's good, but at the same time kinda discouraging because I want all my stories to be good. Yes, there will be another one, primarily based around Tannis, Sirena, their pups, Erik and of course Vulpecula. There will be drama, there will heartbreaks, and all that other sappy jazz you guys read my stuff for lol. Hope you liked.