The Time of Wolves 2
Chapter 7: Lair of the Wendigo
This was a nightmare. Here Balto was, trapped in the depth of Hallow Mountain. The cavern he was in being filled quickly with water. This was, by far, one of the worst ways Balto could imagine going. Balto had always feared that this would be how he goes. This wasn't the first time he's been put through an incident involving near-drowning. The first was when protecting his friends from a bear attack; Balto and the bear ended up on thin ice and fell through. The second was when he was pushed by a fox into a raging river. The third was where he was almost sent over a waterfall. The fourth actually sent him over a waterfall. To say these experiences had put a sense of fear in Balto was putting it mildly. The picture of his lungs slowly filling with water until he eventually suffocated caused Balto to conclude that drowning would be the worst way to die.
But Balto couldn't think about that now. The cavern was filling up fast, and he to think of a way out fast. The water was already reaching up to his neck as Balto searched for a possible exit. The way he came was a no-no. It didn't lead anywhere else for some odd reason. The water was coming in hard that there was no way to push past it. That was still not enough to deter Balto from looking. The water was rising to the point that Balto could no longer stand on the bottom without his head becoming submerged, so he was forced to start swimming. But then, as the ceiling was coming closer, Balto saw an opening close to the cave ceiling.
Quickly, Balto swam to the wall that was close to the opening and began scaling it. He clings his paws to the protruding rocks along the cave wall carefully. This task proved difficult thanks to his soaked paws, causing the stones under them to become wet and sleek as he stepped upon them. It wasn't long before Balto was almost at the opening. One big jump would be all he needed to reach it. However, one of his hind feet slipped from the now slick – wet rocks and fell back to the water below. Balto scrambled to the surface quickly to see that the cavern was now filled halfway. Worse still was that the opening he had tried so hard to get to had collapsed on itself. It was now completely closed.
But something felt off. When Balto hit the water, his back arched as if he landed on something solid. But that can't be right; the cavern was filled with water. Too much for him to hit bottom. Not to mention, this was all starting to feel very convenient. Trapped alone away from everyone with his worst fear, and the only escape appeared from nowhere just to be taken away so suddenly. It all almost felt like this had all been orchestrated by someone well versed in knowing his fears or someones.
But why did his back hurt when hitting the water? Balto had an idea. A crazy idea, but it was all he had. So, the wolfdog decided to take a leap of faith. Balto took a deep breath before diving back under. He swam all the way to the bottom and wrapped his paws around a rock to help secure him under. Now, this was it, the moment of truth. Balto opened his mouth to let all the air out, and… nothing happened. No air bubbles escaping up to the surface, no water filling his mouth, nothing even making it hard to breathe. It was as if it all was nothing more than a dream.
As Balto was stunned by this revelation, his surroundings began to shift. The water around him slowly disappeared, showing that the cavern and he as well were perfectly dry. Looking over the walls, the rocks that Balto climbed on were not even close to being near the ceiling as he once believed. Turns out, he only fell less than four feet earlier. There wasn't even any sign of an opening ever existed on the ceiling. It wasn't real. None of it was real.
"Well, well, it seems he has broken through our illusion." A low gravelly voice spoke in the shadows.
"Not surprising to be sure." Another voice of the same caliber also spoke, only this one was female.
"Of course not. Water has always been so tricky. All they need to do is try to breathe underneath the surface to break it." a third voice, also male, spoke with more cynicism.
"Who there?" Balto called into the darkness, "Show yourself!"
After Balto's demand, three distinct cackles could be heard coming from the dark. Then, a paw with jagged claws stepped out of the shadow. What emerged were three vicious-looking wolverines. Their eyes were a piercing red that stared into the soul. They all held menacing grins that hid a mixture of growls and laughter. It had been some time ago, but Balto remembered these three very well. Back when Aleu ran away from home, Balto ran into these three along the way. At one point, Balto wouldn't believe in such things, but after all he's been through in recent years, the wolfdog knew better, and that was that these wolverines were Great Spirits. The Spirits of Fear.
"You three?" Balto said, shocked to three them again.
"Yes." The first wolverine spoke as they all soon circled around the wolfdog, "What a delight for us to run into you once again."
"What are you three doing here?" Balto asked. The wolverines laughed at his question,
"Us?" said the female, "What about you, dog?"
"This is our mountain," said the third, "We protect it from outsiders such as yourself.
"Your mountain?" Balto repeated, "Does that mean that you three are the Wendigo?"
Again, the wolverines laughed. This time, however, the tone of their shared laughter was that of mockery, not sinister. It was clear to Balto that he was way off base with his assumption.
"Did you hear that?" asked the first rhetorically.
"He actually believes we're Wendigo." said the female.
"What do you expect from one raised from the ignorance of dogs?" asked the third, also in a rhetoric manner.
It was clear what the wolverines were trying to do. They were content with mocking Balto, try to make him feel like a fool. Though it worked, for the most part, Balto knew not to show it. He was here on a mission, and losing it on these three wouldn't solve anything. He needs to keep a level head regardless of what they say. But perhaps if he were to play dumb, Balto could get something out of them.
"If you're not the Wendigo, then what are you doing here?" he asked, "I was told this was his mountain."
"Of course, you would not know. To think that Aniu gave birth to such a half-wit." said the first.
"Even though the Wendigo is in this mountain, it is of our domain in which he's trapped." said the female.
"Thus, we are here to guard him." Said the third.
Now Balto was getting somewhere, "Guard?"
"From the likes of you," replied the first, "From anyone who trespasses on these grounds."
"To keep them away," continued the female, "Less they risk releasing the Wendigo from his prison."
And of course, the third finished for them, "By the easiest method we have, through fear."
From there, it all began to click, "So it was you three that put me through all of that."
A maniacal laugh soon filled the cavern. Either way, it showed that that Balto was on the right track in getting them to talk. These wolverine spirits were playing right into his paw, and they didn't even know it.
"We do pride ourselves on our work," the first spoke up with a mischievous grin.
"The worst the fear, the better if it keeps you lot away." Said the female.
"Take that threehorn girl of yours. She likes to talk tough about not believing in Wendigo or spirits in general, so we thought it best to showcase some of his victims to her." the third laughed, "Pretty sure we made a believer out of her by now."
"Wait, you mean Cera?" Balto asked, which caused the wolverines to laugh when hearing the fear in his voice, "What have you done to her!?"
"Don't blame us, little dog. You shouldn't have allowed her to come inside the mountain." The first snarled.
"You were the one who left those children in less than capable hands," said the female, "Because of which they are now in this mountain right now."
"You should've just stayed home where you belong, away from the Wendigo," the third shot at the wolfdog, "Instead, look at where your hero complex has led you. Those children are now forced to face their fears made real."
Balto was left completely stunned. Could what they said to be true? In his eagerness to help the children, did he just lead them into even more danger? That was never his intention. He just wanted to help them, but he may have done the opposite if these spirits weren't lying. What had he done?
All the while, the wolverines were cackling amongst themselves. They reveled in seeing the wolfdog in this state; all of that fear pouring out of Balto like a waterfall. They even made a point to mock Balto's worries openly for him to hear. To them, it served the wolfdog right for his and the children's trespassing. Perhaps it would be best to let him wallow in his fear just to hammer it home.
However, Balto couldn't just sit there and wallow. His friends were in trouble, and he had to do something about it. Balto did remember one thing about these wolverines. The three seemed to love kicking people when they were afraid and – or down but would back off if anyone dared to challenge them. It was like facing one's fears. It would have no control over them. So, Balto stopped his sulking and faced these wolverines who still laughed before him.
"Enough!" Balto barked to end their laughter, which did work. Now that he got their attention, Balto growled to show that he was serious, "Let them go."
"Let them go?!" the first said, which caused even more laughter between the three.
"Don't kid yourself, mutt," said the female, "You may be the son of Aniu, but you have no authority over us."
"But they're just kids!" Balto shot back.
"Kids or not, there is no excuse for you to bring them here." The third retorted.
"We do have a reason to be here," Balto argued, "We were told that Wendigo could help us."
"Help? From the Wendigo?" asked the first, "Who would be foolish enough to say that?"
"Nava."
The wolverines were silenced by that name. They knew who he was and who he often communed with. The fact that Nava sent Balto and these dinosaurs to seek council from Wendigo perplexed the three spirits. After all, didn't Nava know who he was sending them to meet? Does that old wolf not know what Wendigo was capable of? But, given how Nava constantly speaks with Aniu, there might be a higher purpose if he did send them. It was begrudging on the wolverines to do this, but if Nava, and thus Aniu, did send Balto and his friends here, there was only one course of action.
"Very well," the first said, "You may pass."
Balto was more than relieved to hear that, "Then you'll also let my friends go as well?"
"We can't." the first answered again, "Once the illusions start, they cannot be undone. Your friends are as flies caught in a spider's web."
Balto bared his teeth and growled at the spirits again.
"Heel, boy!" the female snarled, "The only way your friends may be released is of their own accord."
"Explain!" Balto said with his teeth still bared.
"The only way they can break free from the illusions is to face them," said the first, "Or, like you, figure out that they are not real. Whichever comes first."
"Don't worry yourself out while trying," said the female, "The illusions cannot harm anyone. Unless the individual has some particular negative thoughts that the illusions can persuade to enact upon."
"Which means you probably should see your brother first." said the third.
"Is there anything else I ought to know?" Balto asked though he had a feeling that he got as much as he could from these three.
The wolverines snickered to each other as if they were in on a joke completely lost on Balto. After which, the first stepped forward to say, "Since you obviously have no idea what you're getting yourself into, we'll warn about who you'll be meeting."
One by one, the wolverines up with each other as they were ready to present their warning. Each speaking after the other like their minds were in unison.
"You must make it to the center no later than high noon. From here, take the far tunnel to the left and then to the right, then your destination will be in sight."
"But beware, for the Wendigo always lies."
"Even when he's telling the truth."
After that, the wolverine spirits vanished. Balto was inclined to sniff the area but knew that it was pointless. Being spirits, they obviously had no scent what-so-ever. Besides, there was no time to lose. He needed to help his friends.
Balto ran back into the tunnel he came from. Luckily, now that he broke free of the illusions, the blocked passage was no longer there, and he made it back to where he split up with Kemo. Speaking of which, Balto knew he had to find Kemo first. Judging by the wolverines' warnings, there was one negative thought that Balto knew plagued his brother. May God have mercy if he commits to it. There was no time to lose as Balto bolted down the tunnel Kemo went through with no hesitation. Balto only prayed that he wasn't too late.
There weren't a lot of times where Kemo would say that he was left speechless. However, when he was surrounded by his former packmates, who returned from beyond the grave with their flesh rotting off, that'll do it. Long has Kemo had recurring nightmares of this moment, but this was no dream. He was very much awake to witness this. Made worse was that his former mate, Jem, led the charge. Once the most beautiful wolf Kemo ever laid eyes on, Jem now possessed a bullet hole in the middle of her chest, which was pouring blood all over her front. Her face that was once kind and gentle was now twisted with malice and vengeful intent.
"What's the matter, my love?" Jem said as she closed the distance between her and Kemo, "Are you not happy to see us? The last time we saw each other was when you ran away as we all got slaughtered!"
"No! I did no such thing!" Kemo exclaimed before moving away from his undead beloved.
"Then explain yourself!" said one of his undead pack mates, "How did you survive what we couldn't!?"
"I stayed and fought." Kemo answered, "I fought for all of you, but I was outmatched. It was those humans, they're the one who…"
"How typical, Kemo's blaming the humans." Said another pack member, "Why don't you take some responsibility for your actions."
"It wasn't my fault!" said Kemo.
"We both know that's not true," Jem said, approaching Kemo once again, "Don't you remember? I was the one who told you not to go down that path. I warned you that something felt wrong, but you didn't listen to me. Now, why was that?"
"Jem, please." His voice was pleading, filled with guilt. It was in a manner in which no one would believe it came from someone like Kemo.
"Could it be that your loyalties were not to us, but to Balto?" Jem ignored his pleas and pressed the issue, "If it weren't for your obsession with finding him, you would've headed my warnings, and we would not have ended up in the ground!"
One-by-one the undead wolves howled and raved in agreement. Their voices echo throughout the cavern until they filled the entire area. Kemo tried his damnedest to drown out all the noise his former pack was spewing, but he could feel their words ringing inside his own head. These demons of the past were rattling through this brain with words that chipped away at his spirits.
"Admit it, you cared more about Balto than any of us!" said one wolf.
"You abandoned us!" said another.
"No!" Kemo refused, "That's not what happened."
"Our lives meant nothing compared to him!"
"You betrayed us!"
"That's not true." Kemo continued to argue.
"Why did we have to die from your mistake?"
"Murderer!"
"N-NO!" Kemo fell beside himself, "I didn't... it wasn't supposed to... I...", but he couldn't get the words out. These apparitions have achieved their goals in breaking the wolf's spirits.
"What's the matter, my love?" Jem asked with little to no sincerity, "Having a hard time coming up with excuses for your failure?" her face twisted into a sadistic grin. Her words were like daggers twisting in Kemo's heart, "Or, do you finally accept that our deaths are entirely your fault?" Kemo still didn't answer. Even though he was so unusually big and strong for a wolf, Kemo had never looked so small and helpless as he did now, "Hush, my love, for redemption is not lost to you."
Jem used her paw to point to a nearby cliff. Curious, Kemo looked over it and knew what she meant. From over the cliff were large – jagged – sharp rocks that sat along the bottom. The rocks were so many and spaced so close together that one would need a miracle to survive if they were to fall in. But that's what Kemo knew Jem wanted. He could see it in her eyes. She means for him to jump, knowing full well that he wouldn't survive the fall.
"What's stopping you, Kemo? This is the only way we can all truly be together again." Jem said from over his shoulder, "Go on. Jump! Deep down, you know you deserve this."
Kemo looked over the edge one last time before closing his eyes and said, "You're right."
Kemo lifts one paw, ready to step over the edge. Ready to take the plunge. Ready to be reunited with his pack.
"Kemo, STOP!"
A voice cried out behind the white wolf. Turning to meet whoever called, Kemo was Balto. The wolfdog bolted into the cavern just in the nick of time. Balto really owed it those wolverines for suggesting to find Kemo first. He didn't want to fathom what would've happened if he were only a few seconds short.
"Kemo, what do you think you're doing?" Balto hollowed.
"Balto?" for a moment, Kemo was suddenly pulled out of his trance.
"Get away from there!" Balto shouted in a panic, believing that this was a part of his illusion, "Can't you see that you're walking off a ledge?"
"I do." Kemo said with his voice so hollow, "It's what I deserve."
"What are you saying?" Balto was shocked to see his tough – older brother in such a defeatist state that he would consider walking off a cliff, "No one deserves to go out like this."
"But I do." Kemo contest, "I deserve this for killing my pack."
"What?" Balto was in disbelief at what he was hearing.
"Don't you see them?" Kemo asked, gesturing to his wounded mate, "It's my mate, Jem. I know you never met her, but believe me, it's her. This is the only way to atone for what I did and be with them once again."
Balto was confused at first as there was nothing here but him and Kemo. However, it didn't take long to figure out that this was Kemo's illusion. To see his former mate who was guilting him into suicide. No wonder the wolverines told him to come for his brother first, and, as much as Balto wouldn't like to admit it, but he owed weasels for this. For as long as Balto knew, Kemo had always held regrets for what happened that day, but never did he imagine that the scarred wolf was suffering to this extent. But unlike then, Balto wasn't going to let his brother down this time.
"Kemo, there's nobody here." Balto said firmly.
"What?" Kemo was taken back by what he heard. How could Balto not see the undead wolves around them?
"Whatever it is that you're seeing, it's not real," Balto repeated, "It's just you and me. Now please, step away from that ledge."
"He's lying!" Jem hurled her accusation at Kemo, "He can see us. Balto's just pretending because he wants you all for himself. Even now, he poisons you against us!"
Kemo was initially confused as Balto had never been known to ever lie to him. But he really wanted to believe Jem was right here next to him. Could she not be real as Balto said, could Balto be lying, or was Balto the fake to test his resolve over his beloved. The white wolf was so wrapped in emotions that he just couldn't tell.
"I can't trust what I see." He spoke.
"Kemo?" Balto spoke with the same kindhearted sincerity that the wolfdog was known for, "I'm sorry. As your brother, I should be there for you when you need it most. Now, after seeing you ready to jump off a cliff, I know that I haven't been doing a good job at that. But I will ask you to really think about what you are about to do. Is this really what you deserve? Kemo, I'm the one who found you after your pack's massacre, and let me say that it is a miracle that you're still here right now. You were kicked off a cliff after already losing a lot of blood from being shot. Either one of those should have killed you, but you survived both. I don't know how or why, but I like to believe that it's because you still have a purpose in this world. Before you make this decision, don't think about what you're going to get from it. Think about what you'll leave behind. Me, Jenna, your nieces, and nephews, we are all still alive and love you with every fiber of our being. Think about Ducky and Spike. I see how those two hang around you. Despite them being trapped in a time period that is not their own, you make those two feel safe! What do you think is going to happen when I have to tell them about what happened here? Ask yourself, would Jem really want this? After everything you told me about her, would she really want you to throw your life away like this?"
"I can't believe you're considering listening to him!" Jem roared in a manner that seemed unnatural, "Need I remind you that it was because of him that tore us all apart? Kemo, you knew me once. You loved me once. Are you going to throw our love away, again, for him?"
Hearing Balto's words did hit a chord with him. Thinking back on it, this was all starting to sound like a bad idea. Furthermore, something was very off about Jem. The moment Balto came into play, she has been acting erratically. She had become desperate to get Kemo over the edge. However, throughout their entire interaction in this cavern, Kemo found a contradiction in her statements. Something crucial that his clear head remembered.
"You're wrong," Kemo sneered at what he once thought was his beloved mate, "I admit that my wish to see Balto may have overridden my better judgment, but don't you dare say that my love for Balto was greater than anyone in my pack. Because some were greater than both you and him." he turned to Jem for an answer. When she said nothing, however, that really set Kemo's blood a boil, "You don't even know who I'm talking about!" Kemo stomped over to Jem, enraged. The she-wolf backed away in fear of the approaching Kemo until she was backed into a wall, "You of all people should know who I'm talking about!"
Kemo pounced on Jem. He pinned her up against the wall with one of his massive paws pushing on her throat.
"Kemo, please," Jem made her last attempt to plea to him, "My love, you're hurting me."
"Drop the act!" Kemo spat out with righteous fury, "I've had enough of your games. I don't know who you are, but you sure as hell are not Jem. Now, I'll give until the count of three to get out of my sight before I bite down on your neck and gnaw it until your head falls off, understood?"
After his declaration, the mock-Jem's turned from fear to smug arrogance, "Deep down, you know you deserve to suffer."
Then she just vanished. No fade, no flash, she was just gone. The first thing Kemo knew was that standing against an empty wall. Looking around, his entire pack were all completely gone. It was all nothing more than an illusion. Kemo felt like a fool that he was willing to take his own life over what might as well be the whispers of the wind.
"Kemo?" the wolf was taken out of his own thoughts by his brother, who stared at him with worry, "Are you okay?"
"I will be," Kemo answered with a heavy sigh, "Can't believe I was so stupid to think that she was here."
"It's not your fault," Balto came close to comfort his brother, "You were right when saying how we shouldn't be here. It messes with your mind. I just never knew how much you were suffering since Jem's death."
"It's not something I wish to talk about," Kemo admitted in a shallow voice, "Besides, I don't blame you for wanting to come here. You're just determined to help those kids."
"The kids!" Balto jumped in the realization of what else the wolverines warned him about, "Kemo, the kids are inside the mountain."
"What!" Kemo shouted in disbelief, "How do you know?"
"There's no time to explain," Balto quickly ushered Kemo out of the cavern, "We have to hurry. They have no idea what they've gotten themselves into."
"Do those kids ever do what you tell them?" Kemo asked as he followed after this brother.
As they exit the cavern, the two canines rushed back to the junction before splitting up yet again. When they reached the junction, Balto and Kemo were met with other tunnels that weren't there upon their first visit. It would appear that breaking free from their illusions also opened up all the secrets that the wolverines were hiding. Taking a quick whiff of the air, the two found that the children had been separated among the new tunnels. As much as they didn't want to, Balto and Kemo knew they would have to split up once again to get all the kids in the fastest manner. After agreeing to meet back at the junction when they were done, the two went off in separate directions.
For the last three minutes, Balto had been running through the dark caverns of Hallow Mountain desperately in search of his missing friends. Thankfully, after breaking the wolverines' spell over him, the eerie sense of dread that once affected the wolfdog no longer had a hold over him. Balto was free to search the place until his heart's content. But there was no such luxury to be had for that. Not until the children, who so foolishly disobeyed him again, were safe.
It wasn't long before Balto caught the scent of one of the kids. The closer he went, Balto determined that this scent belongs to none other than Littlefoot. Of all the reckless things that young longneck has done since Balto met him, following into a cursed mountain was definitely up there as one of the worse. Balto could only imagine what horrors that Littlefoot must be suffering right now. Balto needed to go to his aid. There was not a moment to lose.
Balto soon found himself within a large cavern whose floor was littered throughout with ventilation shafts. However, what should be blowing out steam, these vents had nothing seeping through them, leaving the room as a dark – empty void. It was a blessing that Balto was able to see in the dark; any other creature would probably wind up lost. In fact, it wasn't long before Balto heard the distinct sound of a child crying. That, and the scent trail, was enough to let the wolfdog know that this had to be Littlefoot. Following the scent and cries, Balto found his longneck friend deep in a ditch, bawling his eyes out.
"Littlefoot!" Balto called out to him.
Littlefoot's head shot up to the wolfdog. His eyes were swollen from all the tears, "Balto!?
Balto quickly jumped down the ditch so to help Littlefoot. However, for some reason, Littlefoot was apprehensive of climbing up to safety. He was downright terrified. In fact, he was too petrified to move from that exact spot. Balto silently cursed those damn wolverines for whatever hell they've forced his young friend to succumb to.
"Littlefoot, listen to me," Balto tried to get the little longneck to focus on him, "Listen, we can't stay here. We have to go now!"
"NO!" Littlefoot blurted out now out of his daze, "We can't leave, or he'll get us. He'll get us!"
Balto's heart shrank as he saw Littlefoot cry underneath his front paws. Again, Balto couldn't help but curse those wolverines for what they have done. How dare they do this to his boy! His boy? Where did that come from? Sure, he cared for Littlefoot dearly, and the longneck often reminded him of his pups on occasions but never before has he ever mistaken Littlefoot as one of his kids before. Perhaps his over-eagerness to protect these kids were getting the better of him. Whatever the case, Balto had snap out of it if he was to help Littlefoot.
"Littlefoot," he, again, tried to get the child's focus back on him, "I can't see what you see right now. If I'm going to help you, you need to help me understand what's going on."
"It's Sharptooth. He's back!" he answered through the tears, "I heard my mother's voice and found her in this room. But then, Sharptooth came and ate her all over again! Now he's going to get us!"
Now Balto understood. Littlefoot was being forced to relive his childhood trauma all over again. Balto had heard the stories of that fateful day where Littlefoot's mother sacrificed herself to save her only child. But he knew that if he was going to get Littlefoot out of this, Balto would have to bring in some hard truths.
"Littlefoot, you know that your mother can't be here," his words struck Littlefoot right in the heart, "You know for a fact your mother couldn't be here because she can never be here. You know full well that she's no longer a part of our world anymore." by now, Littlefoot was shaking his in denial of what Balto was saying regardless if his heart knew the truth, "Littlefoot, your mother is dead. She's been dead for a long time now. As much as you wish it were possible, she is never coming back." Littlefoot was now bawling his eyes out. It pained Balto to have to say this, but it was the only way to break him from this spell, "But don't forget, your mother didn't die in vain. You fulfilled her last wish in making it to the Great Valley. Not only that, but you avenged her death by dropping Sharptooth into a deep of a lake and throwing a boulder on his head so he wouldn't get back up. So, are you just going to lay there and let him scare you forever, or are you going to prove to Sharptooth that he's nothing compared to you?"
The more Littlefoot listened to Balto's words, the more emboldened he became. Balto was right! Littlefoot did best Sharptooth once before, and he could do it again. With his newfound bravery, Littlefoot stood from the ditch and faced the shadowy apparition of Sharptooth. That was all he was, Littlefoot realized, nothing but a shadow. A shadow that has secretly been haunting him from the back of his mind for all these years, but for no longer. The thing about shadows, they needed to be cast by something.
Littlefoot wrapped his tail around the largest rock he could lift and carefully took aim. Once he believed his target was found, Littlefoot whipped his tail, hurling the rock forwards. It shot was true as it slammed into a series of stalactites that crumble off, rendering the shadow fall in pieces. Soon, the lights from the cavern's vent diminished to darkness. Another illusion just like Sharptooth. With all things settled, Balto boosting Littlefoot out of the ditch from his back before climbing out himself.
"You doing okay?" Balto asked as they exit the cavern.
Littlefoot nodded, "I can't believe I fell for all of that. When I heard my mother's voice, I just really was hoping to see her again."
"You know," Balto sighed, "I was going to scold you for disobeying me when I told you all to stay outside, but it seems that you've gotten the message before I got to you."
"To be fair, it was Cera's idea. I think she was just worried about you." Littlefoot replied.
"Trust me, I'm sure she's regretting coming in here too." Balto affirmed before running out of the cavern, "Now, we got to hurry. Our other friends are going through only God knows what."
Elsewhere, Kemo was wondering through the tunnels looking for any signs of those rambunctious dinosaur kids. How in the world was it that he's only known these kids for barely three days, and already they were giving him a headache? The only solace the white wolf could find was that he was going chew out Boris for letting them out of his sight figuratively and maybe literally if he could get Balto on board with it.
Luckily, Kemo didn't have to search far for one of them. The scent he was following led him down a tunnel and stopped in that same tunnel with no child in sight. That mystery didn't last long as he heard cries coming from the walls. One quick look and Kemo found a hole, and peering in, he saw the tiny flying dinosaur who Balto would let ride on his back.
"Petrie!?" he yelled down at the young flyer.
"What!? Who there!?" Petrie called, put in a panic.
"It's me, Kemo! Just look up, kid!"
"Me can't!" Petrie said in a frenzy.
Kemo didn't notice it a first, but now he saw how oddly Petrie was acting since finding him. Despite this pocket within the wall was wide enough for Petrie to fly up, the young flyer was pushing against the air as if he were in a confined space. Kemo only needed to remember how the curse of this mountain allowed him to see an illusion of his late wife taunting him to kill himself to realize that Petrie could be suffering from the curse as well.
"Kid, I need you to tell me what's going on." Kemo demanded.
"Walls! Walls trying to crush me!"
Well, that confirms Kemo's theory. If only the pocket in the wall wasn't several feet deep, Kemo would just grab him. Instead, he had break Petrie out of the mountain's spell. If only he knew anything about Petrie other than him being afraid of almost anything. In hindsight, this would've been much easier if Balto were here since he knew these kids better than Kemo. But this enormous wolf was not one to give up easily. Balto was related to him by blood, so he just needed to channel his inner Balto. Or channel a part of him that he believed been long dead after the loss of his pact.
"Kid," Kemo stopped himself, took a deep breath before starting over in a calmer voice, "Petrie, I know how to get you out of there, but you need to do exactly what I say." Petrie nodded his head frantically, want to finally get out of this, "First, you need to close your eyes." Petrie did as he was told, "Now I want you to let go of the walls and fly up."
Petrie was still too scared to do that, "But if me let go the walls will crush me!"
"They won't! Trust me!"
Yes, it was a tall order for Petrie. His cowardice was just too strong to overcome at times like this. However, Petrie had to remember Balto's last words to him before leaving the Great Valley, 'I appreciate you always turning to me for safety, but I'm going to need you to face this valley without me.' Yes, he wasn't in the Great Valley, but the meaning of Balto's words still rung true. Petrie not only clings to Balto for safety, but he always clings to Littlefoot, Cera, and Spike for protection whenever they were on their adventures. Even Ducky has shown more ounce of bravery on those occasions than him, and they were roughly the same size. But he can't rely on their strength forever, especially here. Petrie had to be strong for himself.
Petrie took that leap of faith with his eyes closed by letting go of the walls that were trying to crush him. Low and behold, Kemo was right. He could no longer feel the walls pushing against him. Taking that next leap, Petrie spread his wings out and began to flap. Slowly but surely, the young flyer was hovering off the ground and making his way upwards. Petrie was so proud of his efforts that he couldn't help but open those eyes of his and look upon the crack he fell get closer with much rejoicing. That was until a huge sharp tooth-filled mouth broke through the crack and clamped around him.
Once Kemo was sure he had a good grasp on Petrie, he pulled his head out of the crack with the flyer in tow. Poor little Petrie's whole body was engulfed within Kemo's jaws, except the wings that were flapping from both sides of the wolf's mouth. When Kemo's head was inches away from the cracked wall, he quickly spat Petrie out onto the floor.
"Yuck." Petrie said as he was covered in wolf saliva, yet otherwise unharmed.
"Sorry. You were taking too long, so I decided to meet you halfway." Kemo explained, but Petrie too much in shock of being in a carnivore's mouth for even a few seconds to register what was said, "I don't say this to a lot of people, but you did good, kid." However, Kemo didn't notice that Petrie was on the verge of fainting during his compliment, "Now we need to find the rest of your friends. Let's go!"
Only when Kemo was about to run did Petrie get knocked back to his senses. As Kemo made it into a run, Petrie only barely had enough time to grab hold of the tip of his tail as the wolf rushed by. After this, the two now rushed out of the tunnel with the tiny dinosaur hanging on for dear life.
Balto and Littlefoot were also racing through the tunnels of Hallow Mountain, desperate to find their friends. So far, Balto has gotten lucky. He already freed two of his friends in the span of a few minutes. If he keeps this up, they'll no doubt make it to the center of the mountain before noon. What luck, Balto had already stumbled upon another scent. Two scents, as a matter of fact.
One good whiff and Balto recognized them coming from Ducky and Spike. Of course, those two have been inseparable since the wolfdog knew them. It would mean that he and Littlefoot will be able to handle two problems at once. A least that's what Balto thought at first before their scent diverged from each other. Ducky's seems to have stopped short of this one tunnel for no explained reason. Balto frantically sniffed around in the hope that he could find her.
"Balto, what's the matter?" Littlefoot asked.
"I'm just having a hard time pinpointing her scent." Balto exclaimed as he continued searching. In time, he saw a crevice within the tunnel wall and the distinct sound of a little girl crying coming from it, "Over there!"
"Ducky!?" Littlefoot shouted into the crevice.
Balto quickly followed suit, "Ducky, are you in there!?"
"Balto, Littlefoot, is that you?" Ducky's small – innocent voice was heard coming out of the crevice.
"Ducky, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Balto asked. He was answered with an 'uh-huh,' "Ducky, can you get out?"
"I can't."
"Are you stuck?" Littlefoot asked, "We'll try to dig you out."
"No!" Ducky cried out, "If you come in here, they'll get you."
Balto was left confused, "Who will get us?"
"The flaming pits!" Ducky exclaimed in a panic, "They're trying to get me, and they might get you if you try to help!"
"The what?" Balto left with more questions than answers.
"She must mean the pit of flames," Littlefoot chimed in, "It's the place where bad dinosaurs go when they die."
Balto did a double-take when he really thought about it. So, Ducky was afraid that she was going to hell? The same sweet, innocent, happy-go-lucky Ducky was afraid of that? Balto just couldn't comprehend such a notion. What on earth would compel Ducky to think such a thing? Then Balto just realized that her illusion might involve imagery of her being dragged to hell. If he didn't get Ducky out there immediately, who knows just how much this would traumatize the young swimmer.
"Ducky, listen to me, you have to get out of there." Said Balto.
"I can't! The way out is on the other side, and if I get any closer, the flames will grab me for sure!"
"Ducky, it's alright! None of it is real!" but Balto was only answered with more whimpers from the other side of the crevice.
Balto mentally slapped himself when he remembered what those wolverines had said. Of course, Ducky wasn't going to take his words at face value; those illusions were almost as real as they come. After all, until Balto broke free from his, he actually felt the water encompass him. By that logic, there was no doubt that Ducky was also feeling the heat of those imaginary flames all around her. The only thing these illusions couldn't do was cause physical harm to any of them. As for freeing Ducky, that was entirely up to her. This was Ducky's fear, and only she could overcome it to break away from the illusion. But, as Kemo and Littlefoot were evidence of, that didn't mean Balto could help ease her into facing it.
"Ducky, why are you so afraid that you're going to hell-I mean the pit of flame?" Balto asked with a gentle voice, "What makes you think that's something you need to be afraid of?"
"I don't know?" she whimpered, "I guess... it's because I'm afraid I won't see my daddy again."
"Your dad?"
"Ducky's dad died during a time when the Thundering Falls stopped flowing." Littlefoot told him.
"Okay, but what makes you think you're even going there?" Balto once again asked.
Ducky got control over herself before speaking, "Because... because one time I used to be so mean to Spike. When snow was falling in the Great Valley, I got mad at him and made him leave with a herd of spiketails. I'm a bad big sister!" she began crying once again.
"Ducky, you're not a bad sister," Balto comforted her from the other side of the crevice, "Whatever happened that day, I'm sure Spike has long since forgiven you. I mean, he's still with you, right?" he heard Ducky confirm Balto question, "Besides who could ever stay mad at you? Your smile and uplifting attitude bring happiness to everyone around you. That's why those flames will never harm you. You're just good for them to take you."
Hearing Balto's word did make sense to Ducky. If Spike was at all mad at her for what happened back then, he wouldn't still be with her where ever she went. Looking back, if it wasn't for Ducky, Spike would've hatched in the Mysterious Beyond all by himself with no one taking him in. Yes, she was a good big sister, and no one was ever going to tell her otherwise. So, Ducky got on her feet and took a deep breath before running for the exit at top speed. Before she knew it, Ducky ran face-first into the furry leg of Balto.
"Ducky!" Littlefoot shouted with excitement, "You made it!"
Ducky took a moment to reorientate herself from the impact to meet the face of her wolfdog friend, "Balto!" she jumped up to hug his muzzle, "You were right. The fire didn't hurt me."
"I knew it wouldn't," Balto said with a chuckle at her antics, "Now, where's Spike? You two are usually inseparable."
"I don't know," she answered after letting go of Balto's face, "I told him to wait for me right here. I did, I did."
"Then we'll find him together," Balto stated before catching Spike's scent, "This way."
The two young dinosaurs followed after Balto further down the tunnel. They did not have to go far, as the three were soon making way into another cavern. Inside were nothing more than old – dying trees with dried up leaves. It was a surprise to them all that anything once grew inside of this dreaded mountain. But one thing that did get their attention was the young spiketail they were looking for sitting in the middle of the place with a look of terror plastered on his face.
Despite that, that didn't stop little old Ducky from running up to her little brother, "Spike!" she said while hugging his leg, "Come on, Spike, we need to find the others. Yep, yep, yep!"
But Spike didn't move from his spot. No, he just shook his head frantically before burying it into the ground. Spike's behavior was becoming very disconcerting to the rest of them.
"What do you think wrong with him?" Littlefoot asked.
Balto shrugged, "I wish I knew. Since Spike doesn't talk, the illusion could be anything, and we never know."
Sure, those two may have a hard time understanding Spike, but not all of them were so unlucky. Ducky had been with Spike since the day he was hatched, and through their bond, she has learned to interpret what was trying to say. As her little brother, Ducky was going to put those skills to the test to help Spike for his horrors. First, she examined the area for any signs of clues. Not easy, to say the least, as the cavern was so barren aside from the dead plants. Now that she thought about it, there were broken branches covered in these dead leaves surrounding the spiketail. An oddity for sure since Spike would simply just eat through them with no effort regardless of taste. That then gave her an idea.
"Spike, Spike!" she nudged her brother to get his attention. Once Spike pulled his head out of the ground, Ducky push one of the branches close to his face, "Here you go, Spike."
Spike let out a gasp before jamming his head into the ground yet again. With that, Ducky's suspicions were made correct. Now she had to enact another plan, but she needed help to pull it off.
"Guys, I think I know what's wrong with Spike." she said, which got Balto and Littlefoot looking at her quizzically, "It's the leaves. Usually, Spike wouldn't mind eating plants even if they were bad, but he won't touch these. Maybe he's made to see them as scary."
"Then what do you think we should do?" Littlefoot asked.
"I think we should eat them," she answered, "If we do, Spike won't think they're scary anymore. Yep, yep, yep."
"Are you sure?" Balto also questioned, "It's just that the plants I've ever been able to eat were treestars, and those look like they haven't been alive for some time."
"We have to, for Spike." Ducky proclaimed.
Balto and Littlefoot looked at the dead leaves, then at each other before repeating, "For Spike."
The three friends each took a bite of leaves from the branches, much to their dismay. The leaves were dry, crunchy, and without the slightest bit of taste. It was enough for the two herbivores to hack up and drown their tongues in the freshest water, and for Balto, whom the only plant he was able to eat was treestars from the dinosaur times, the ordeal was even worse. But they had to endure for Spike.
"Spike! Come on out, little brother." Ducky again nudged him before taking another bite.
Spike reluctantly did as he was told and peaked out in the hope that it was safe. Instead, he saw his sister and two of his friends eating the leaves that he thought to be evil and wanting to grow inside of him. However, his friends seem to be enjoying them if their pleasurable hums with each bite were to be believed. Taking the risk, Spike took some leaves into his mouth and, even though they didn't taste good, he swallowed them after a few bites. After realizing that nothing was happening to him, Spike took another bite of leaves from the branches, and another, and another. Until nothing was left on the branches. Sure, they didn't taste that good, but it was enough to fill a spiketail's belly, which he let known with a burp.
"Hurray! Spike's okay!" Ducky exclaimed as she finished eating the leaves she had.
"Good job, Ducky. Your plan worked." Littlefoot said before swallowing the leaves in his mouth.
Balto, sadly, couldn't stomach doing such, and thus secretly spat his out behind a rock, "Yeah…great job." He said with a defeated tone.
With Spike back with them, the young spiketail gave each of them a lick across the face as a symbol of gratitude. Balto was equally happy to see that three of his friends were now safe from the wolverines' illusions and began having renewed vigor about his quest. They've all gotten this far; now they were at the homestretch. After a quick explanation to Spike what was going on, the four friends bolted out of the cavern in hopes of reuniting with the rest of their friends.
Cera was in a nightmare. All around her were animals that she was not even remotely familiar with blocking the way out, all of which were making claims about eating her. If that weren't bad enough, they were coming closer as she had her back to the wall. Cera tried to rationalize what was going on. She was a threehorn. It wasn't in her nature to believe in the superstition, but that was becoming hard to do when these guys seamlessly came out of nowhere, claiming they were made to do what they because of a spirit.
"What's the matter, little girl? Scared?" said the caribou, whose crazy eyes were putting Cera in a state of unease, "Don't worry. We'll make it quick and painless before we make it so that your insides are on your outsides."
At times like this, Cera wished she had the same courage as her dad. If he were here, he'd make these creepy ghouls run away screaming. But he wasn't here. She was all alone to fend forever herself. If only her friends like Littlefoot, Spike, and Balto were here right now. Hell, she would even settle for Kemo coming in to save her despite how much of a pain in the tail he's been.
Well, you know what they say about speaking of the devil. Though in this case, it was an over-sized white wolf. Kemo burst into the area with a hard stop once he saw the yellow threehorn backed into a wall. From the tip of his tail hung a very exhausted Petrie who's still holding on for dear life without Kemo even noticing. Now that the wolf had stopped, Petrie climbed from the tail before he would eventually collapse in between Kemo's shoulder blades. Only from lifting his head from the wolf's fur did he notice Cera.
"Kemo, look!" he shouted with excitement, "It Cera! She okay!"
"Petrie?! Kemo?!" Cera took notice of the two off behind the cannibalistic ghouls, "What are you two doing here?!"
"Well, isn't that gratitude for ya?" Kemo said, once again irritated by Cera's arrogant tone, "We came here to help after you disobeyed us by coming in here and dragging your friends along the way. You could at least drop the attitude."
"Yeah? Well, how about you help me get rid of these guys." Cera exclaimed while trying to hide the fear in her voice.
"Um… what guys?" Petrie asked, inspecting the place, "What she talking about?"
"Are you blind? They're right in front of me!" it was becoming harder to hide the fear each time she spoke.
"It the illusions, Petrie, like the one that had you." Kemo explained, "She's being made to see what frightens her."
"Oh, me have idea," Petrie flew to the top of Kemo's head before shouting, "Cera, close your eyes and move forward!"
"Are you crazy?!" Cera shot back, "I'm not moving closer to them!"
"I don't think my method for you will work for her." Said Kemo, "Your friend is a bit too thick-headed for that."
"What was that?!" Cera sneered.
"Don't pretend you didn't hear me."
"Well, if it weren't for these creeps, I'd be over there, kicking your fuzzy butt!" she shouted.
Petrie soon became worried, "Kemo, you should not make Cera mad. It very scary."
Then Kemo had an idea. For the short amount of time he knew Cera, which might as well feel like an eternity, she was always looking to butt heads with somebody. Even her own friends to a lesser extent. Perhaps there was a way to make direct that toward the figures she was imagining.
"What should I have to afraid of her?" Kemo said just loud enough for Cera to hear, "I mean, look at her. She's too scared to fend off a few wimpy looking guys."
"Hey! I'm not scared!" Cera retorted, her focus turned away from the ghouls.
"Sure." Kemo sarcastically responded, "That's why your back is to the wall, and you not even making a move against them."
"Kemo, what you doing?" asked Petrie.
"I can take them. I'm just…" Cera was looking for the appropriate excuse, "I just want to leave some for you. I don't want you to feel left out."
Kemo huffed as this was becoming too easy, "Sounds more like you're trying to make me fight your battles for you. What a cowardly move."
"WHAT!"
"Kemo, stop!" Petrie begged but would be again ignored.
"For your information, threehorns are the toughest and bravest dinosaurs in the whole world." Cera said with her usual proud smugness.
"And who told you that?" asked Kemo.
"My dad!"
And there it was, Kemo found a trigger, "From what I see, he must be a cowardly threehorn too."
Like that, a fire lit within Cera thanks to Kemo's words. First, this wolf insulted her, then he insulted her species, and now he insulted her father. That was the last straw, "Take that back!"
"No."
"TAKE IT BACK!"
"Give me a reason too."
Thus, Kemo had done it. He had done the one thing most dinosaurs feared to do. He pushed a threehorn into a full-on rampage. Cera let out a deafening scream of anger before charging forward.
"Now you done it." Petrie said, hiding behind Kemo's head in terror, "You make Cera mad."
"I know." Kemo stated nonchalantly, "That was the idea."
Cera went on her rampage. But not on Kemo, but on the ghouls that have been harassing her. She charged, she butted, she rammed her horn against every one of them. Didn't matter how scary or how sharp their teeth were; Cera fought them all. Fought until she was sure they never get back up unless they knew what's best for them. After which, she strutted other to the massive white wolf with her horn up in the air and a cocky smile on her face.
"How's that for cowardly?" she asked smugly.
"I don't know, you tell me." Kemo said without a care.
Cera looked back, and, to her confusion, the ghouls were gone. There was absolutely no proof they had ever been there, which left Cera baffled.
"Congratulations, kid," Kemo said with a voice that was hard to tell was sarcasm or annoyance, "You beat up the air. Truly you are a credit to your species. Now let's go."
Kemo then began walking off with a very annoyed Cera follow after him. At first, Kemo was making his way to the junction, where he agreed to meet Balto. He couldn't smell any of the children from where he split up from his wolfdog brother, so he figured Balto had got the others. However, halfway to their destination, Kemo was met by Balto and the rest of the kids racing over to them. Both groups had halted before they ran into each other.
"Sorry, we heard Cera scream, and we wanted to make sure everything was okay." Balto said, which caused Cera to groan.
"We're all fine here, for what it's worth," Kemo replied, giving Cera the stink eye for how she caused this scavenger hunt, "Now let's get these kids out of here before we go any further."
"There's no time for that," Balto could see that Kemo was about to protest, "I know what I said earlier, but we have to reach the center before noon. We can talk to Wendigo around that time. If we miss it, we'll have to wait until tomorrow, and I doubt any of us wants that." the children agreed by shaking their heads.
Kemo groans before giving in, "I'm assuming you know where to go." Balto nodded, "Then lead the way, brother."
So, everyone followed Balto down the tunnel, where he had his illusion in, and followed the instructions given to him by the wolverines. He took a left at the next tunnel and then a right at the next. No one questioned just how Balto knew where he was going. They assumed he found the way on his own. Either way, they didn't care, for everyone knew that the sooner they get this over with, the sooner they would leave. Soon enough, it would be so.
They found a glimmer of light close by, and just around the corner of exiting the last tunnel did they find it. This new section of this vast cave was bigger than any others they have been in today. It was a large– round icy room. Big enough for several horses could sit through and still have room to spare. It was high enough that reach the peak of the mountain itself. Light was gleaming in and reflected off the ice to brighten up the area around them. One light source seemed to emanate from the very top in the form of a bright beam that slowly approached the center. The center of which stood a pillar of ice, and on top sat the most beautiful red gem.
After seeing the pillar, Balto noticed the far wall just opposite them or what was inside it. Within this wall stood a dark silhouette of a creature he couldn't recognize. Through the silhouette, Balto could see what was clearly a wolf's head, but the body was not that of a wolf. It was upright with its arms stretched out and legs hanging down. It almost looked human in a way, but Balto could also see the subtle outlines of fur along its body and maybe even a tail. Could this really be the creature he thought were no more than make-believe stories? Was this thing Wendigo?
"Kids," Balto spoke though his voice was shaky, "Stay behind this corner. Don't follow Kemo or me in there. I mean it." The children agreed before he and Kemo entered the room.
Balto and Kemo walked half the way in and stood close to the pillar. The beam was inching its way ever so closer to the gem sitting on top of the pillar. The second that noon struck, the beam touched the gem that shot out a red ray right at the far wall area that would be where Wendigo's head was. Quickly the ice around the head began to melt, and the head soon began to move.
Out of the ice came the head of a wolf whose fur was as pure white as Balto's mother. However, this one's fur was matted, and the tips of which seemed as spikey as icicles. The wolflike creature moved its head around as it was the only thing freed from the ice. But when it opened its eyes, his gaze instantly fell on the two wolves. Only then did Balto realize what horrible mistake it was to come here.
After looking upon the two wolves, Wendigo's lips peeled back into a huge toothy grin. A grin too wide for any canine to ever muster. A grin that would haunt people's dreams and begged to tear into their flesh. But even that was nothing compared to the eyes. His eyes were nothing but red orbs. Just red on more red, with the only difference being its pitch-black pupils. Those eyes weren't even looking at Kemo, but instead, they were only on Balto. These eyes that Balto had seen in his recent nightmares were staring into his very soul. If Balto didn't feel like running away from the presence of the mountain, he sure felt like running now. Because he wasn't looking into the eyes of a mere wolf. No. These were the eyes of the devil.
"Finally." the Wendigo spoke with a deep - raspy voice that sent chills down everyone's spines, "You found me."
End of Chapter 7
A/N: And there we will end on another cliffhanger. Sorry about that, and sorry for how long it took to write. I really try to get these out as soon as possible, but personal life does get in the way a lot of the time. I also wanted this to be out by Halloween, but that didn't happen. Oh well, I guess I'll do the Simpson method and release it the Sunday after Halloween instead, or that would've been the case if the site didn't glitch up for most of the week (hopefully that won't happen again at the last minute). Hope you all enjoyed and leave a review. Till next time.