What is Love?

Three

Weend up bringing several of the carcasses with us. Divan forbids us toeat them until later, saying that the herd he had encountered on theway up had gone back south. Putting our noses to the ground, we areable to faintly smell the almost foreign scent of a heard of elk.

"Theremust be hundreds of them!" Faladae exclaims, jumping around in thesnow, around us.

"Thousands!"Divan barks, bowing down with his tail wagging playfully in the air.

Iwatch with cheer as they romp for several moments. Huen is sittingnext to me, yawning.

"Mika,"I call, and she turns to me.

"Ithink you should be the alpha-ess." I tell her with a smile, andshe snorts.

"Youwish." She grins at me, and trots off.

Shefollows the scent of the elk, and the rest of us are on her heels.When Divan and Faladae notice we're moving still, they will catchup, I'm sure.

I'msurprised at how quickly I've grown to trust Divan. I hadn't beentoo sure of him at first because of how strange he was, but now it'salright. It's his ideas that will save our pack. I glance back atthe rest of the pack as we move through the trees and smile. They areall excited and ready for the upcoming hunt. The last elk hunt we'dbeen on had been our first ever hunt, when I was only ten months old.An entire herd had accidentally wandered up north to our territory,and we had feasted for nearly two weeks.

Divanpauses as we reach the edge of the trees. Everything has gone silent,even the birds, and we begin to hear a strange sound.

"Getdown!" He snarled at us, running back to the trees.

Huendoesn't move, staring up at the sky with his tail tucked againsthis belly. A strange and terrifying bird is flying towards us, thewings on the top of its head spinning so fast and unnaturally that itis blurred.

"HUEN!"I bark at him in fear as it gets closer and closer.

"Staydown! Stay down!" Divan yelps as I ran out to my pack-mate.

Igrab Huen's scruff and try to drag him back to the trees, but hedoesn't budge.

"I'mscared! What is that?" I hear Neva whine to Divan, who doesn'treply.

He'stoo busy yelling at me to come back. Huen finally begins to moveagain, and we bolt for the trees. There is a loud sound, and we aresuddenly showered in snow. Another one, and Huen falls to the groundwith a yelp.

Islide to a stop, just within the trees, and spin around. Divan getsto me before I can go back. The snow around Huen is red with blood ashe struggles and whines.

"It'stoo late! The hunters got him!" Divan snarls at me as he leaps ontomy back,shoving me down.

Thereis another loud noise and Huen stops moving.

"Run!All of you!" Divan snarls at the others. "Stay in the trees, butget out of here!"

Theywaste no time in fleeing- it is only I who wishes to save Huen. Buthe is dead, his eyes stare out at us, yet he moves no more.

"Getup, we must run or we will end up like him," Divan growls at me.

Idon't want to, but I know I must. I get to my feet and chase afterhim and the others. The strange bird is landing near by, and Divantells me to slow down. If they see us, we are dead. I don't knowwho 'they' are, but I would rather not find out. I hope I neverdo.

Theothers wait for us back where Faladae made his first kill. The youngpup is whining, hiding underneath Neva.

"Divan,what was that? What happened to Huen?" Mika growls, but she isshaking.

Sheseems to be strong, but she is just as scared as Faladae.

"Ilike to call them Hunters. They are cruel, unmerciful beasts. Theykill us off for sport. They leave us to rot or take us up into theirbirds of metal. You never see those who are taken again." Heexplains.

Ishiver, and lie down. Huen is dead, and I could have saved him if I'dbeen stronger.

"Don'tthink that you failed Huen, Mana." Neva whispers to me, as if heheard my thoughts. "

Idid fail him. I could have saved him and the pack could have keptgoing, all together." I reply, and Divan turns, listening.

Hedoesn't say anything to me for now, simply listens.

"Hewasn't going to survive anyway. He had the sickness we sometimessee in other animals. He didn't have long. Mana, you know we can'talways be together. I'm getting old, older than any of you. I won'tlast forever."

That'sright; I had forgotten that Neva was almost seven years old. He onlyhad a few more years left.

Faladaelightly nuzzles my leg, and I lick his head. I don't know what tothink right now.

"Mana,if you had died as well, we would have even less members of the packto survive with. Whenever you see that metal bird, I want all of youto flee. Understand?" Divan tells me.

Hiseyes are narrowed and dark to enforce the seriousness of the command.

"Yes."I murmur, and we get to our feet.

"Let'skeep moving. We need to find a way around the hunters so we can getto the elk sooner."