~11~
The brilliant rays of sunlight reflected off the snow, covering the landscape in a white glow. Alo could hear the wind rustling through the trees as he cracked open his eyelids. He tried to stand, but his muscles strained against him. His mouth felt dry and his stomach continued to ache in pain.
“When was…when was the last time I ate?” he asked himself as he forced his body to stand.
Alo attempted to break the ice that froze his fingers; however, his body felt extraordinarily weak. He gave up on his endeavor and decided to focus more on getting back to the village. Squinting his eyes, Alo took in his surroundings; he noticed he had been in this part of the forest countless times.
“The village shouldn’t be far from here. I just need to…get back to the village…right?”
Alo waited for the response from his optimistic inner voice. Silence. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the encroaching feeling of loneliness as he took his first few steps. The wet snow sent numbing pain through his body with each movement as his muscles shook in agony.
“It hurts…but at least I know I’m alive.” he mumbled to himself.
Alo continued his journey through the forest at a humble pace; he was worried that each step might be his last. The sun began to approach its zenith when he finally reached the village gates. He walked through and looked around before collapsing to his knees. He couldn’t believe what laid before his eyes.
“What…what happened to my village?”
The buildings were reduced to debris as Ursine corpses filled the streets. Blood from the disfigured bodies stained the ground. There was nothing left; not even the cry of a cub, or the groans of a survivor. There was complete and utter silence.
Tears began to well in Alo’s eyes as he looked to the carnage. Patwin, Bono, the chief, the villagers whom he despised were wiped from existence. Alo fell onto his side, grabbing his head and tucking in his knees.
“I am going to die here…aren’t I? Why would the gods let this happen?”
Alo laid still until a surge of emotions reanimated his body.
“The Hunter’s Lodge!”
As if his body was possessed, he shot to his feet and began to run to the place he called home. The place where, until Hinto arrived, he actually felt safe. Alo sprinted past the bodies, trying to ignore the faces that once scoffed at him and the cubs that used to laugh and play in the snow, pointing at him whenever he passed by. The thought he had when he was leaving the village suddenly filled his mind. Alo always thought that he would become a ghost to the village, never being acknowledged; even with their piercing stares. He never imagined that he would become invisible like this; not at the cost of so many lives.
Alo froze in front of the remains of the lodge. His body once again collapsed under his grief. The lodge was no different than the rest of the village. He could not even recognize what it once was; it was nothing more than a pile of wood and metal.
“My home…” Alo muttered as tears matted his fur.
“Well, nothing lasts forever, runt. I’d wager that was the last good thing you had in this world.” The voice echoed with a laugh. “Might as well lay down and let the curtains close on this life. Maybe you’ll have better luck next time.”
“There…there really is nothing left, is there?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Alo reared his head back and let out a ferocious roar that steadily transformed into a cry of sorrow.

Bono looked up from the snow as he finished collecting the arrows Alo had lost on the hill. The roar of an Ursine could be heard from the the village and gentle wind started to blow from the same direction.
“Blood?” Hinto asked himself as he took in the scent of the air.
Hinto looked his map.
“I’m only two miles away. I hope everything is alright.”
Hinto gathered his things and started to run back to the village. As soon as he arrived be slumped over to catch his breath, only to be greeted by the overwhelming scent of Ursine blood. He slowly lifted his head, gagging at the sight of the massacre. He tried to focus, but the sight of the dismembered bodies shook his core. Fear took hold of his mind as memories began to flood his thoughts.
“No. Calm down. Breath. I can do this.” He said as he pressed his eyes shut and balled his paws into fists. “I need to find that voice. There must be at least one survivor. Hello!” he shouted. “Is anyone here!?”

Alo’s eyes jolted open.
“Hinto. Hinto is here.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, runt. Like he would be happy to see you after what you did to him.”
Alo ignored it and began to shout back.
“Hinto!”
Hinto’s ears twitched as he heard his name.
“Alo?!”
Without second thought, Hinto began to run towards the lodge.
“Alo!” he yelled as he saw Alo sitting in the dirt and snow, his face covered in grief; but his eyes, relieved.
“Hinto…” Alo muttered as Hinto approached.
Hinto shed off his gear as he slid on his knees to embrace Alo in a hug. He squeezed him tight before realizing what he was doing.
“Are…are you alright?” he asked as he let Alo go. “What happened?”
Alo was reticent for a moment, as the embrace had caught him off guard; he then inched away.
“I don’t know. The village was like this when I arrived. And the lodge…”
“Don’t worry about the lodge, at least you’re safe. Did you see any survivors?”
“No…not a single one.”
Hinto finally began to notice Alo’s physical condition as he shook violently; his fingers frozen to one another.
“Alo…what happened to you…”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It matters to me.” Hinto said as he took off his vest, laying it across Alo’s lap.
“But…the lodge.”
Hinto got back to his feet and retrieved Alo’s bundle of arrows.
“Here, Alo. I…got these for you.”
Alo reached out and held them close to his chest, allowing more tears to fall.
“Alo, try to warm up; I need to look for something.”
“Look for what?” Alo asked as he watched into step into the rubble.
Hinto started to move wooden beams and an assortment of debris until he reached down and pulled out a dusty cloth. He blew on it, then beat it with his paw, ridding it of some of the dirt. He cautiously returned as he tried to avoid any cuts or scrapes.
“Hinto, what is that?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Hinto quickly responded.
“…What are we going to do now. Hinto…what could have done this?”
“Would it be crazy to say that it was that creature we saw?”
Alo looked down to his arrows and clinched them in his hand. He felt as if so much had happened in the past few days. It was hard to grasp it all at once. It was a miracle that Hinto had even decided to gather his arrows, let alone help him.
“Alo, I fear we will need to camp here for the night.”
“Are you insane!?” Alo yelled in disbelief.
“No…it’s just that…you aren’t in any condition to travel. I need to nurse you back to health first. That and…” Hinto started to trail off.
“What is it Hinto?! What could possibly justify staying in a place like this? All of these Ursine are dead. The smell of blood. And this.” Alo said looking to the former Hunter’s Lodge. “A reminder of everything I’ve lost…”
“Alo, please, it would just be for the night.”
“No! This was my home. This was the only thing I had left to hold on to. The memories of the Ursine that raised me, protected me…the Ursine who gave me family. Seeing it like this…is just too much to bear.”
“Alo, I know, but-”
“No, you don’t know, Hinto. You could never understand what it feels like to lose everything over, and over, and over again!”
“I’m scared too Alo!” Hinto shouted as he let a tear run down his face. “I’m terrified of whatever did this. I don’t know if it was that beast, but I don’t want to wander around the forest at night when we are most vulnerable! I don’t want to be surrounded by all of this…blood…death…, but it is what we need to do to prepare for the journey ahead.”
Alo went silent. He had almost forgotten that Hinto was in the midst of this as well. They now shared some form of trauma; Hinto may be the only one who could understand.
“Okay…where are we going then?”
“I don’t know yet, Alo. A part of me wants to take you back home with me where I know it’s safe. Or maybe there are some cities or villages with libraries or something that could tell us what that beast was. Or maybe we should focus on telling others about what happened here.”
Alo’s stomach began to growl as he winced in pain.
“Alo, you haven’t eaten, have you?”
“…No. Not for a couple of days”
“I think it’s decided then. I’m going to set up a camp for us. Try to stay warm and if you need anything just shout. I’m going to go look for food; survivors too.”

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