The Return - A Short Story

Chapter 5 - The Upright

They spent more time trekking vaguely northeast. Stevva knew instinctively they were going the right way. It was as if the Flatlands were calling to her personally. She wondered if Berrun could feel it, too, but didn't ask. She liked to think only wolves of her heritage had this special connection to the Land.

It was a day in which they were traveling through more thick forest, and a light drizzle was falling. There was a coolness in the air, but Stevva didn't find it to be unpleasant. She was actually thankful for the rain after days of walking in the hot summer sun. The duo of wolves suddenly looked up when they heard a loud wail coming from further ahead in the woods.

"What was that?" Stevva stiffened.

"Not a wolf or a prey animal, that's for sure," Berrun grunted. "Come on."

Stevva was about to follow him when another similar wail sounded. "I want to see what it is," she commented.

"It's none of our concern," pressed Berrun.

Stevva ignored him. This was her journey after all. She didn't need him to tell her where to go and not to go. Carefully, she stalked through the undergrowth. Soon she came upon a small brook which was running through the woods here. Near it sat a creature. Stevva tried to sniff what it was, but the wind blew in the opposite direction and the drizzle didn't help, either.

Then it raised its head and let out another wail. Stevva took a step back and hid in the bushes as she realized it was an upright. Carefully, she studied it from her hiding spot. It was a young individual, not even half-grown, and it was wearing dirty pelts over its hairless body. Its skin was a dark brown, different from the pinkish tone of the upright who had seen Stevva in the settlement, and covered in bruises and scratches. On top of its head grew some closely-cropped black hair. The little upright was sitting by the brook on its knees and kept making the same wailing and mewling noises. Stevva was surprised to see that it looked like there was water coming out of its eyes. Or was that the rain?

Berrun crept beside her and get a soft grunt of disgust. "Ugh, as if it isn't bad enough they're everywhere in the settlements, now they're in our woods, too?" He looked expectantly at Stevva for a response of agreement, but Stevva kept gawking at the upright pup. She was completely transfixed by it, much like she had been with the other one back in the settlement.

"Stevva. Let's go. It's none of our business. Let it die here," Berrun pushed. "That's the least they deserve for almost hunting us to extinction in the past."

Stevva turned to him with a yank, horrified at the suggestion. "We're not killing it!" she growled.

Berrun flicked an ear. "That's not what I said. I said to leave it to die."

"That's basically the same," Stevva grunted. "He's clearly lost."

"He?"

"I think it's a male."

"So what's your plan, then?" Berrun sounded more annoyed with the moment. "Helping it isn't worth it."

"Yes, uprights have been awful to us!" Stevva agreed fiercely. "And still are, sometimes. But you know just as well as I do that this pup is innocent. He's lost and hungry and I think we should do something." She hadn't expected to feel this passionate about helping the little upright, but she knew it was the right thing to do. She was frankly horrified at Berrun's other suggestion.

Berrun let out a growl of frustration, but then shook the drops off his pelt and nodded. "Okay. Fine. Let's suppose we do help. If that upright sees us, he'll no doubt start screaming. Maybe he'll even hurt us with a boomstick!"

Stevva studied the weeping upright pup. He seemed completely harmless. "Nonsense, he can't do a thing. And we're too deep into the woods for any other uprights to hear us. I think what we should do is guide him back to the nearest upright place."