A/N: Ok so it's been brought to my attention that other writers (including my ol' pal Omnitrix 12) have been leaving quotes and such in the beginnings of their chapters that correlate with that chapter. I have decided to do something similar but also very different.

In the beginnings of my chapters, in the author's note, I will ask a riddle of my readers. I will then post the answer to the riddle in the next chapter I write and the cycle will continue. I encourage those who solve the riddle to private message me the answer and I will tell you if you are correct or not. If you are correct, I will recognize the first few people in the next chapter.

Good luck and please no cheating.

Riddle:

"What is always at the end of Everything?"

37: Close Call

It was the barking that woke me. At first I was reluctant to open my eyes as the sound of dogs was not uncommon in Nome. After all, the best and fastest way to get around was with a dog sled. But for some reason the dogs seemed to get louder, as if they were getting closer. 'That's strange.' I thought to myself. 'I don't remember any trails that run by these boats from Nome.' But then something shifted beside me and growled slightly and I remembered something else about Nome. Wolves weren't allowed anywhere near it. Not alive at least.

I jumped to my feet and woke Aniu with a nudge. When she was awake as well, I told her to stay down and to not make a sound. She dropped to the deck against the back wall of the wheel house and when she looked back at me, I could see fear in her golden eyes.

I turned away from her before she could see the fear in my own, and bounded out onto the deck to analyze the situation. I braced my forepaws against the gunwale of the eastern side of the boat which also happened to be the starboard side as the ship pointed north. I looked out across the empty land between us and the forest but couldn't see anything to the south or east. I ran to the bow, past the wheel house where Aniu was hiding, and leapt onto an old crate that was sitting in the prow of the ship and gazed out towards Nome, searching for any sign of the source of the loud clamor. I didn't have to look long, as a team of dogs with a sled and musher in tow were making their way straight towards our boat. And by now they were already less than half a kilometer away. I had maybe a minute to either find a way to defend the ship or have Aniu make a dash for the trees while I held them off.

But there was no way I could come up with a plan that quickly that would have even the slightest chance of succeeding. My only thought was, 'they've found us and now Aniu and I must pay for my carelessness. I should have known better than to stay so close to Nome.' No doubt the dogs had caught Aniu's scent and were out to hunt her down.

They were closing in at full speed and I couldn't decide on a course of action. I knew that I had to keep myself out of sight so I crouched against the deck so only my eyes and the top of my head were visible over the horizon. If we ran then we would undoubtedly be spotted and neither of us would ever get anywhere near Nome again, Which didn't solve my whole "Find The Truth In Nome!" problem. But if we stayed to fight, we might win as the narrow plank was the only way onto the deck from the ground and the dogs wouldn't be able to swarm us all at once if we kept them bottlenecked. But if we managed to kill, or injure and capture enough of the dogs, the others might stay and fight but they might run back to Nome to alert the other dogs and humans. Then there was also the musher to consider. It didn't look like he had one of the humans' guns on him, but it was hard to be sure.

The dogs were only two hundred meters away now and closing fast and I realized that my indecision left us with only one option: there was no time to run now, we had to defend ourselves. I crawled to the boarding plank in order to remain undetected and when I passed Aniu she looked at me with a mixture of hope and fear. I knew she wanted me to tell her that we would be alright but I couldn't force myself to say it, so instead I tried for a confident smile and nod. But before I could see her reaction, I turned and continued to the plank.

'At least we have the element of surprise.' I thought as I tried to reassure myself. the dogs were only twenty meters out now and their barking was louder than ever.

Then they were fifteen meters away...

Then ten...

Then five...

Then three...

My heart raced as I caught the scent of the racing canines that ran towards us and I crouched even lower as I prepared to attack. But when I expected them to stop, they just kept running. They passed the bow, then the middle of the ship, then they swung around the stern and turned towards Nome and raced back at the same breakneck speed, baying the whole time. I stayed glued to the spot, still crouching low, expecting a fight, as I stared after them, dumbstruck. I didn't move until the team had faded from sight and I could no longer hear their infernal barking.

'I guess they hadn't found us out after all.' I thought, barely believing Aniu and I's luck. As I made my way back to the wheel house, I saw Aniu stick her head out the side door, an expression of pure confusion written across her face.

"Weren't they supposed to attack?"

I couldn't help myself, I laughed. It was a weak, nervous laugh but a laugh none the less. Aniu's confusion only deepened as I walked past her and settled back under the blanket in the small cabin. She soon joined me after one last look northwards and we nestled closer to each other as we prepared to sleep off the mornings excitement.

'After all,' I reasoned. 'We didn't need to go into Nome at this very moment as we had eaten yesterday and if Aniu had to go too, then we would have better luck at night anyway when there were less people out.' I also didn't want to leave Aniu alone after what had just happened. It had scared me to the core and I had the feeling that the sled teams appearance had the same effect on her.

The next time I woke was just before sunset. I sat up and stared into the distance admiring the scene. The sun hung in the western sky over the endless expanse that was the ocean and painted the distant water and ice a dazzling orange while the sky above boasted a vibrant yellow and light pink. The scene was beautiful and timeless. With every passing second a new detail became more distinct while another escaped attention.

But when Aniu woke, sat up, and even yawned, I knew that nothing would ever come anywhere near her beauty. She was more gorgeous than a thousand sunsets and sunrises. The way her gleaming, flawless coat sparkled in the dying light. Her glowing eyes that seemed to contain all the kindness and wisdom in the world. She was the embodiment of perfection itself. When she noticed me staring at her, she graced me with a small smile and nuzzled my neck. I returned the gesture but ended it when I remembered the reason we had woken.

It was time to try our luck in Nome...

A/N: Ok everyone remember to try your luck with the riddle and don't forget to review and tell me what you think.