This was a massive undertaking, and it would have been an impossible one without the help of my Dream Team of research helpers.

 My usual suspects: Betty Martin, Lisa Schiermeier, Nick Giaccone, Frank Moran, David Toub, Jennifer Sternick, Jennifer Sobel, Claire Demarais, JoAnn Mapson, Jane Picoult.

 Two ladies with the grace to help rape victims find a fragile peace: Laurie Carrier and Annelle Edwards.

 Three terrific young women who let me peek into the life of a teenager: Meredith Olsen, Elise Baxter, and Andrea Desaulniers.

 The entire team at Atria Books and Goldberg McDuffie Communications, especially Judith Curr, Karen Mender, Jodi Lipper, Sarah Branham, Jeanne Lee, Angela Stamnes, Justin Loeber, and

 Camille McDuffie.

 Laura Gross, who goes above and beyond the call of agent duty on a daily basis.

 Emily Bestler, who said all the wonderful, right things I needed to hear when I gave her a book that was like nothing she’d ever seen before.

 Joanne Morrissey, who gave me a refresher course on Dante and whom I’d most like to be stranded with in hell.

 My own personal comic book superheroes: Jim Lee, Wyatt Fox, and Jake van Leer.

 Pam Force, for the opening poem.

 My Alaskan hosts: Annette Rearden, and Rich and Jen Gannon.

 Don Rearden, who is not only an excellent writer (one who probably regrets ever saying, “Hey, if you ever want to go to the Alaskan bush . . .”) but also generous to a fault with his own knowledge and experience. And who guided me into the bush and, months later, to my last page.

 Dustin Weaver, the comic book penciler who said he thought this might be fun. Quite simply: You drew the soul of this book.

 And finally, thanks to Tim, Kyle, Jake, and Sammy, who give me my happy endings.

 In the very earliest time, when both people and animals lived on earth, a person could become an animal if he wanted to and an animal could become a human being. Sometimes they were people and sometimes animals and there was no difference.

 All spoke the same language. That was the time when words were like magic. The human mind had mysterious powers. A word spoken by chance might have strange consequences. It would suddenly come alive and what people wanted to happen could happen . . . all you had to do was say it. Nobody could explain this: That’s the way it was.

 “Magic Words,” by Edward Field

 Inspired by the Inuit