They set out across the tundra immediately. There was no time to nurse wounds or stop to rest- the deadline was fast approaching for Anyu's passage back home to disappear, and she refused to miss it.

They set out on foot, with Anyu riding astride Shesh's back and Tavra alternating back and forth between wolf and boy seemingly at random. All Anyu could think about as they made their way through the frigid landscape was home- that small village and the vast frozen wasteland that surrounded it. She saw it all in her mind's eye as if it was right in front of her. The series of small, frozen lakes to the east that were the best hunting ground for seals, and to the north the boreal forest where larger, more dangerous game roamed. Her grandmother, who was wise and caring even if half-crazy, her little brother Anik, too kind and naive for his own good. It all seemed so distant to her now, like a dream life. She wanted desperately for it to be real again.

Traveling at top speed, there was little time to talk amongst themselves, and Anyu was glad of it. She felt tongue-tied, uncertain of anything she would want to say, especially to Kano and Tavra. After all their adventures, after everything they'd been through, she'd be leaving them so quickly. Her heart sank at the thought, even as it longed to be home. She glanced at the two of them out of corner of her eye several times, but they didn't meet her gaze. Their thoughts must have been similar to hers.

Anyu clenched her hands tightly around Shesh's reins as they shot out over the ice. She didn't want to have to say goodbye.

Two days slipped past quickly, and suddenly Seqineq called out for them to halt.

"Stop!" she said, her powerful voice resonating out over the open ice. "We're here."

It was a small, circular pool cut out into the ice. It was alone in the middle of the flat, featureless tundra, the only disfiguration in the surface for miles and miles. Anyu jumped off of Shesh's back and walked towards it. She peered over the edge into the water. The water was opaque, the kind of blue so dark and heavy that it was almost black. A perfect reflection stared back up at her, without any ripples or waves to disturb her image.

Anyu squinted her eyes and leaned closer. Far beneath the surface she thought she saw something sparkling, almost like a sky of constellations submerged underwater. The image quickly faded out of view, however, as if she had imagined it.

She stood staring into the dark waters, suddenly frozen in place. She felt like she could't move.

"So this is it?" She asked. Her voice was quiet, so much so that she wondered if the others could even hear her. "The way back?"

"Yes," Seqineq replied. "This is the way back to the mortal world."

Anyu swallowed thickly, her hands clenched into fists at her side. This was the end then, truly the end. She would be home, with her brother and grandmother, her entire tribe. She would return to her routine. Hunting seals and polar bears, skinning the furs for clothing, drying the meat for food. A normal life, with no terrifying gods or magic to come after her.

She took a deep, even breath and let it go. Her exhale turned into a burst of steam before dissipating into thin air.

She stood staring at the water as she spoke. "Is there any way back?" It was the question she'd both been dying and dreading to ask. She was afraid of what the answer might be- afraid it would make her hesitate or even change her mind. "Once I'm back on the other side, I mean."

"There are always passageways leading to Adlivun, for those who know how to find them," Seqineq answered gently. "Sometimes a dozen appear all at once. Sometimes the doorways remain closed for centuries." She paused and inclined her head. "It's for the spirits to decide."

Anyu nodded, absently patting Shesh's flank. This wouldn't be a final goodbye then, she told herself firmly. I'll come back some day- I'll find a way.

The thought gave her strength, and she slowly relaxed her stiff shoulders. Reluctantly, she turned away from the portal and to her friends, those she'd be leaving behind.

Tavra looked up at her with large, orange eyes and an expression close to tears. His unruly black hair seemed to stand on end even as he tried to comb it back with his hands.

Before Anyu could think of anything to say he ran forward and wrapped his arms around her torso in a tight hug. Anyu knelt down and hugged him back. She wanted to take him back to the mortal world with her, where he could grow up safe and protected in the Nenet village, away from the danger that seemed to lurk around every corner here. But Tavra wasn't Anik. He belonged here, in Adlivun and with the other indwellers. She hugged him tighter. She'd have to rely on Kano to look our for him from now on, in her place.

"Don't forget about us," he said, his tone wavering between a plea and a command. "Promise?"

"I promise," Anyu said, pulling back. "I have something for you." She reached into her fur coat and pulled out a piece of dried seal skin woven with leather. There was a beautiful design woven into it, a symbol of concentric squares and swirling lines that connected at the corners with sharp angles- the emblem of the Nenet tribe. It had been attached to Shesh's saddle at the beginning, a piece of decoration and pride. At some point it had fallen off, and with an uncanny sense of foresight Anyu had tossed it into Shesh's saddle bag, where it had miraculously remained.

"If you ever find yourself in the mortal world," she said, placing it in Tavra's hands. "You'll know which tribe to find me."

Tavra looked down at the symbol for a minute then nodded solemnly, clutching it close to his chest. Anyu smiled at him.

Behind her, Shesh made a noise of impatience- he was waiting for his turn to say goodbye too. Anyu turned and watched Tavra move to say goodbye to the reindeer, her heart clenching painfully.

Someone cleared their throat. Anyu turned around and was greeted with Kano's smile. It didn't seem quite as natural as usual.

"So," he said. He kept his tone light, but Anyu could see the effort it was taking him to do so. "This is the end of the road, huh?"

"Yes." She took a step closer to him. "Thank Denigi for me the next time you see her, will you? I haven't forgotten her help."

"Of course," he replied. "I'll have to tell her the whole story of what happened after we left. Not sure if she'll believe me, but I'll make it interesting."

Anyu laughed. "I don't doubt it."

They stood there for a few moments, neither one saying anything more. Kano eventually spoke again, clearly growing awkward with the silence.

"So you got the kid a parting present." He gestured to where Tavra, in wolf form, was playing one last game of tag with Shesh. He turned back to Anyu with an arched brow. "You have any gift for me?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Oh? What is-"

Anyu moved forward and pressed her lips firmly against his.

He froze for a moment, and Anyu was afraid she'd made a huge mistake, but then he pulled her closer and kissed her back.

Anyu ignored Tavra making a sound of disgust in the background and Shesh's amused huff. Instead she focused on the fact that despite her powers of summer that let her to heat things with her hands, she didn't think she'd never felt warmer.

She pulled back, expecting to be met with his characteristic good-natured smile, but Kano only frowned at her, his brows furrowed together.

"That's not fair," he protested. "You can't just do that before you leave."

Anyu laughed. "Consider it a promise then," she said, stepping back. "That I'll be back to visit."

He sighed, but the worried lines on his face relaxed and he finally offered her a small smirk. "I guess I'll have to hold you to it."

Anyu felt something tap her shoulder and turned to find Shesh nudging her with his snout. His large brown eyes looked as sad as Anyu felt. Anyu knew the feeling- leaving was so much harder than she'd imagined.

Kano moved forward and patted Shesh's forehead.

"Thanks for everything, Shesh," he said. Shesh huffed as if Kano's patting annoyed him but then gave him a sloppy lick that left half off Kano's hair standing on end. Kano laughed and even Shesh seemed to brighten a little.

All goodbyes had been said. It was time.

Anyu took Shesh by the reins and led him towards the edge of the strangely calm pool. She toed the edge of the water with her boot. It seemed to go down on an incline. She peered uncertainly at the still, black waters, then looked up to Seqineq. The woman nodded encouragingly.

She glanced back at Kano and Tavra for the last time. Tavra gave a half hearted wave, clutching the piece of cloth she'd given him tightly in his hand. Kano put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He gave her a bittersweet smile and nodded. Anyu stared back at them, trying to memorize this moment. Then she took a deep breath and turned back to the portal to the mortal world.

She patted Shesh's flank once. "Let's go home," she told him gently.

She stepped forward and they started to walk into the pool. To her surprise, the water wasn't freezing cold as she'd expected, but warm. They walked forward until the water was waist high and reached the very center of the pool. Anyu waited for something to happen, her heart sinking suddenly. What if the portal was already gone? What if they'd just missed the right time?

She started to turn back to ask Seqineq.

"What-"

It was as if the ground had suddenly vanished beneath their feet. They fell down beneath the water, and then it was as if the surface had never existed in the first place. There was no way to tell which way was up or down, which way led to Adlivun and which way led home. Anyu chose a direction and tried to swim as the air in her lungs dwindled and Shesh began to panic and kick out madly. She wished Seqineq had told her what to expect, because at this rate she would be more likely to drown here in the dark water rather than ever reach home.

And then, miraculously, her head broke through the surface and she could breathe. A moment letter Shesh emerged a few feet away neighing and whinnying like crazy and splashing the water around him.

Anyu took deep, grateful breaths of cold air. Only once the fear of drowning had faded from her mind did she realize that the water was freezing cold again, as normal water in the tundra should be. She and Shesh paddled towards the edge of the frozen lake they had arrived in and climbed out onto the dry ice, still gasping.

Anyu looked around them, dazed. They were at the edge of a small frozen lake out in the tundra. Tall, twisting formations of glacial ice surrounded them, blocking their view of anything far away. The ice formations were tall, imposing structures in monstrous shapes, like ice giants that had been frozen in place long ago and softened by the erosion of time.

Anyu felt like the breath had gone out of her again. She knew this place. It was the eastern hunting ground, where she and the other Nenet hunters went to hunt seals for their meat and blubber. She could hardly believe it, seeing a piece of the mortal world so real before her eyes. Adlivun felt more real to her now than this did, and yet, at the same time, it felt like she'd never left.

Shesh had recovered from their ordeal in the lake, and Anyu swung herself onto his saddle and urged him forward, her heart beating fast in anticipation.

"We're almost there," she said, almost unable to believe her own words, as he ran around the ice formations and they emerged back in the open tundra. Anyu let out a wordless cry of happiness and disbelief. There, a short ride out in the distance, was a cluster of igloos and yurts full of the sounds of people moving about- Anyu's village.

Shesh's hooves pounded across the ice, every gallop bringing them closer until they were right there in the middle of the squat structures and surprised faces. A few villagers tried to approach her, their faces surprised and mouths opening to ask questions, but she blew right past them. She headed towards the small igloo on the western edge of the village- the one she lived in with her brother. She needed to see Anik and make sure he was alright. He'd been living without her for all those weeks, and food was already so scarce- she didn't want to think about what could have happened while she was gone.

She jumped off of Shesh's back before he'd even stopped running, flung back the entrance flap and went inside. It was empty. It looked exactly as it had when she'd left. Worn seal skin coverings over the floor, various items sitting on shelves carved into the icy walls, two pallets to sleep on pushed into the back.

Anyu stood frozen, staring around the place that seemed so familiar yet strange. This was the igloo where she'd been born, where she'd lived her entire life. And she was finally back.

"Anyu?"

Anyu whirled around. Anik stood in the doorway of the hut, looking at her with wide eyes and an expression of disbelief. She hadn't realized that she'd been starting to forget his face until she saw it now. Soft black hair and wide-set brown eyes like mirror images of her own, and an oval face that suddenly reminded her so much of their mother she wanted to cry.

Anyu got over her shock first and threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight to make sure he was real.

He hugged her back, babbling out a million questions, still seeming not to understand how she was there.

"We thought you were killed in the blizzard. We sent your soul to the Otherworld, I was there," He said in a dazed voice, pulling back from her hug. "What happened, Anyu? How did you survive? I was so scared."

"I'm sorry," Anyu said, ruffling his hair. He laughed at the familiar gesture and began to look at her as if he finally believed that she was real. "I'll tell you everything, I promise." She took a deep breath. Now that she'd seen him and knew he was alright, there was something else she needed to do. "But first I need to see Grandmother."

"Oh gods," Anik said, eyes widening. "Grandmother- you're right, you should see her right away." He continued when she gave him a questioning look. "She went a little crazy when you disappeared- I mean crazier than normal. Refused to leave the shaman's tent and insisted you were alive even when we... Even when everyone thought..." He looked away guiltily.

"Hey, it's okay," Anyu said quickly. She reached out to grip his hand. "I would have thought I was gone, too. Anik, it's not your fault I was gone so long."

"But we could have gone out to look for you," he protested, his voice turning angry towards himself. "Sent out a search party or-"

"I'm here now," Anyu cut him off. She didn't have time to explain now that a search party never would have found her- not unless it had left the mortal world. "Now, take me to Grandmother."

Anik mutely nodded and led the way out of their igloo and back into the village. The shaman's tent was on the very outskirts, where a shaman could be closer to nature and the vast calmness of the tundra. They needed such tranquility in order to interpret messages from the gods and commune with the spirits. Anyu followed Anik down the path to her grandmother, a growing sense of dread gnawing at the pit of her stomach.

At the entrance to the tent, she put a hand on Anik's shoulder.

"I need to speak to her alone," she said firmly. Anik looked like he wanted to protest, but bit his tongue and nodded. Anyu smiled at him, still not quite believing that she was truly back. Then she turned and pushed into the shaman's tent.

Her grandmother sat crosslegged on the ground facing away from the entrance. Her long gray hair was braided down her back and woven with beads, feathers, stones, and any other charms that the shaman deemed a protection from evil. She wore the heavy pelt of a polar bear across her shoulders, and even beneath the bulk of it Anyu could tell that the old woman looked thinner, scrawnier. Anyu hesitated in the entranceway. She wasn't sure if the shaman woman was in one of her trances, or if she was awake.

She was saved from wondering anymore when her Grandmother spoke and turned to face her.

"Anyu," she said, her raspy voice filled with relief. The lines of her face seemed deeper, her eyes filmier than Anyu remembered. Her teeth, when she smiled, were yellow and crooked. "You've returned."

"Yes," Anyu replied, keeping her voice steady. "From Adlivun, grandmother." Her voice turned hard. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

The shaman woman heaved a heavy sigh. The dozens of amulets and charms hanging from her neck tinkled as she moved.

"It was the only way Anyu," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't have time to prepare you. Siku needed to be stopped."

Anyu raised her voice, growing angry. "So she was right," she said. "You knew everything all along. You were the one who sent me there." She swallowed. "You're Awa."

Her grandmother didn't even bother denying it. "I am." She stared into Anyu's eyes, her gaze intense. She reached out a shaky, wrinkled hand and grasped Anyu's. "There is so much you don't know," she said. "So much I should have told you." She gave a sad smile. "I understand if you want to put everything you've seen behind you and live out your days in peace. But if not..." She arched a brow. "Do you want to know?"

Anyu didn't immediately speak. Did she? Did she want to know things that could put her into danger as she had been these past weeks, that could get her killed? That had almost certainly killed her mother? She shook her head at herself. Of course she did. There was no way she could be satisfied with how things were before. She thought of Tavra and Kano, and Seqineq and Igni and all of the summer indwellers who were now free. What did that mean for her people, now that summer would return to the land? She needed to help them find out.

And maybe, a small part of her added. Maybe someday I can return.

Anyu knew her answer. She straightened her back and looked into the old woman's eyes. "Tell me everything."

XXX

And here we are, at the end of the story. A giant thank you to the moon and back to every person who has read, voted, and commented on Icebound over the past two years. It's been a long journey, and I'm so grateful to have finished it. Icebound is the first complete novel I've ever written as an author, and that was only made possible because of the immense support I received from readers here on Wattpad. I now have more confidence in myself as a writer for having achieved this goal. 

Thank you all for coming on this journey with me! <3