As Chirin stands by a pool of water near the wolf's den, he hallucinates the wolf's reflection in the water next to his own. He turns to see the wolf, but realizes he is alone. Chirin stands alone in the mountains, yelling for the wolf, as the snow begins to fall, and as the movie draws to a close the narrator informs the viewers that no one ever saw Chirin again, but that the faint sound of his bell can still be heard in the wind on a snowy night as he wanders the mountains; forever alone.