Alora

It was a rainy dawn, rainy and cold, without the usual colors that flood the sky when the sun rises, but only a dense dark gray, so dark, that I had not realized that it had begun to dawn until it was already late, the sun was completely above the horizon and if I did not find shelter soon, with my bioluminescence in the dark storm, the humans would have no trouble seeing me.

I felt a pang of fear in my stomach as I realized my recklessness and my mistake in wandering so far from home until so late. Stupid me... I was so young and irresponsible back then... But I had no time to waste, being out in the open, so close to human towns in broad daylight is very dangerous.

I quickened my pace as I made my way through the forest, almost running, trying to find a safe shelter, knowing that I wouldn't reach the pack's den in time and the sun was getting higher, I didn't doubt that the humans from the nearby villages had already woken up. I just hoped that the storm would keep them from going further into the forest.

My paws sank into the mud and leaves as I ran, my fur soaked, the water had managed to penetrate even the dense layer of hair on my mane and had soaked it, making me feel cold and making it feel heavy around my neck, while the dense strands stuck to my body and forehead from the water.

I was so young and so impulsive, I had always been told not to leave the den unless I was with someone else, but that night no one wanted to go with me and I went alone, I could almost hear the scolding of my companions, telling me how worried they were about me, telling me that I shouldn’t have gone out alone, that I should have come back earlier… And they would be right, they were, because I didn’t escape the scolding when I finally arrived the next night.

Even during the day, the clouds were so thick that it was still dark, and zaherix like me are adapted to seeing in the dark, but our bioluminescent spots, a blue flower in my case, would give away my position to anyone, and not just humans moving near the area, because with this rain I doubted I would come across any, but not predators. I don't see myself being able to survive a bear or a pack of wolves attack on my own…

My paws continued to splash against the soaked forest floor, the sound of my footsteps hidden by the roar of the rain. Some of the mud puddles were really deep, almost up to my elbows and it was hard to see them covered by leaf litter, so I couldn't see them until my paws got caught in one, then it was hard to pull my paw out of the puddle and I was covered in mud. I was about to protest from a fairly deep puddle when the soaked ground gave way a little and the mud ran in a small avalanche down the hillside, making me slip and roll.

I fell into another large mud puddle, my whole body ached, I was muddy from paws to hair, frozen to the bone and it didn't look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon. I felt like crying out of frustration, but then I noticed something strange.

It smelled like humans.

I sniffed around trying to detect where it was coming from, but the rain and mud made it difficult. I felt another pang of fear in my stomach, if there were humans nearby… it could be very dangerous, too much…

I stood up again, trying not to slip and tried to get away from that area as quickly as possible, I didn't take my eyes off the undergrowth, trying to make out human figures in the rain, my mistake was not looking at the ground.

I think my scream must have been heard by Mahgek from behind the clouds when the trap closed around my back leg.

That's why I smelled humans, because there were traps…

I couldn't free my leg, no matter how hard I tried, it hurt too much. I curled up and cried, praying that night would come and Hankta or Diana would find me before the human who set the trap or worse, some predator. The rain kept falling, I couldn't say exactly how long I was lying there, in the mud, soaked and with my paw caught in the trap, until finally something found me. I panicked as soon as I heard distant footsteps getting closer and closer to me, I feared the worst and prepared myself for the worst, fearing that I would never return to my clan and they wouldn't know what happened to me.

The footsteps were practically on top of me, I closed my eyes and then I heard a voice. "That's an ugly wound... poor thing..." I was paralyzed by surprise, I didn't say anything, I didn't move and I must have worried him because I felt a nuzzle against my soaked mane "Little one? Please tell me you're alive..." and finally I reacted, I wasn't going to die, because another of my species had found me, I dared to raise my head and look at him.

I saw him sigh in relief that I was alive, he really was a rare singing zaherix, covered in scars, with a shameless blanket covering his back and ornaments all over his body made of clay beads, fangs and feathers, he looked wild and dangerous, but he looked at me with a frown of genuine concern.

“Relax, I already got rid of the humans, I tricked them into leaving, they won’t find you, you’re safe.”

“Were humans coming?”

“Of course!” I noticed that he was trying not to laugh and looked away rolling his eyes “They heard you scream, and who doesn’t, and they knew that something fell into their trap, they didn’t want to wait for the storm to end to go for their prey. Luckily for everyone I heard you too and I was faster than them.”

He approached my injured paw and began to try to free me, but I couldn’t get his words out of my head.

“Luckily for everyone?” I asked as I watched him try to force the trap open with a stick.

“Well… Lucky for you because you don’t get killed or captured, which I can assure you is worse. Lucky for your clan because they don’t miss you…” He used a rock to lock the teeth of the trap while he caught his breath. “Lucky for the rest of our species because it doesn’t reveal that we’re real and we’re still safe. And lucky for me because I got to meet you.” And he grabbed the trap with his paws to finish opening it.

Chank!

Suddenly I was free, but he had hurt his paw.

“Are you okay?” I asked worried.

“Yes, yes… I’ve had worse…” He said trying to downplay it, but it was obvious that it hurt too much, he couldn’t even step on it.

“I’m sorry you got hurt trying to save me.”

“It’s not your fault, and I’m happy to help,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been taking shelter in a cave not far from here, do you think you can walk?”

I stood up, everything hurt, I had forgotten how I had fallen and rolled down the hill earlier, but I managed to stay on my feet and after a few trial steps I felt safe enough to walk. I nodded and he smiled at me and began to lead me to his cave.

The path was difficult, the terrain was still as difficult as before and now I was limping on my back leg and he on one of his front legs.

After a long walk he finally pointed me to the entrance of the cave, you have no idea how relieved I felt to see that we were already there.

“My name is Golfo, by the way” he said stopping next to me once we were out of the rain.

I dropped down on the floor of the cave with an exhausted sigh “I’m Alora” I replied and gave him a grateful smile, I really was so grateful that he had come to my aid. “And your clan?”

“My pack? I don’t have one, I’m a traveler, I live alone.”

“Oh!” I found it sad to hear that, but he said it so calmly and with such a sincere smile… “And you like living like this?”

“Really?” He seemed to think about it for a moment, I thought maybe he would say no and I could invite him to stay in my pack, but he soon shook his head with a smile and replied “I love it. Traveling makes you meet a lot of interesting people and wonderful places. After everything I’ve seen… I don’t think I could go back to living in a clan, that’s not for me.”

“Oh! Wow…” I said trying to hide my disappointment. “Sounds interesting.”

“And you? What about your people? Why were you alone and they weren’t with you?”

“I decided to go for a walk alone, I didn’t realize what time it was and it was too late and with the storm…” At that moment a thunderclap echoed the complaint and I lowered my head in fear, I was terrified of lightning and thunder at that time. He stood up, came over and sat next to me, a paw on my shoulder to comfort me. “They must be very worried about me.”

“That’s good.”

I looked at him with a frown wondering if he was an idiot or something, then he saw my face, chuckled and said, “That they care about you means they love you very much.”

I was exhausted, I usually go to sleep as soon as the sun has finished rising and now, despite the clouds, it seems like it is high in the sky. It had been a very long night followed by a catastrophic day and I needed to sleep. The sound of the rain and our wounds freshly cleaned and healed with leaves and pieces of cloth that Golfo had, the warmth of his body next to mine and his sweet words… I was about to fall asleep when a loud noise startled me.

It hadn’t been thunder and when I felt Golfo get up and walk away, I turned around and saw a huge bear coming out from the depths of the cave towards us.

I couldn't run with my injured paw still and if I tried to escape the bear would catch me, I had no way out, but I didn't expect Tramp to limp towards him and stand up to him to protect me. He was also injured and didn't seem much stronger than me, if he fought the bear would tear him apart, but instead the bear stopped and looked at him.

“What do you think you're doing?” Tramp said calmly “She's a guest, not an intruder, and she's hurt. A trap.”

The bear lowered his head and growled.

“You know very well who the traps were for. You know that, so don't look at me like that… What if it had been you? You'd want me to help you… You know I would have helped you too. Aren't you ashamed of coming here to try to kick poor Alora out? You should think about it…”

The bear grumbled and went back to the back of the cave. Then I saw Golfo breathe a sigh of relief and sit down next to me again, taking the opportunity to check the wound on my paw, his was no longer bleeding, but mine was much worse.

“I get the impression that you already knew the bear,” I said, waiting for an explanation. Serious mistake, never pull Golfo’s tongue.

“Why do you think I take refuge in his cave? He’s an old friend, but quite grumpy with strangers. He’s scared, lots of humans trying to hunt him.”

“Poor thing…” I looked at my wound and felt sorry for him, thinking that like the trap that caught me, many other traps must be waiting out there. “And you’ve known him for a long time?”

Golfo laughed, lay down next to me, and started talking and talking… not just about the bear, but about many other adventures. He told terrible jokes, and he really liked talking about legends of gods and demons… I know that many people find it boring, tiring, but I was fascinated by it. Every word, every story, the adventures, the wonders…

A thunderclap rumbled and I was startled again, but this time it wasn’t just the thunder, but the terrible downpour that was falling, which made the mud run over the cave that fell at the entrance of it, even dragging the trunk of a tree.

I was paralyzed with panic, standing, watching the collapsed entrance, but I felt Golfo’s head against my shoulder in an affectionate gesture and I looked at him, he was so calm.

“Relax… we have a bear, he can open the exit, don’t worry…”

I went to protest, to say something that I don’t remember what it was because I felt his head against my mane, I almost heard him purr hiding his entire head under the thick fur of my mane. “We’ll be fine, trust me”

I lay down on the ground again, he sitting next to me. I was still uneasy, the entrance to the cave was almost completely blocked, the few gaps left weren’t enough for me to get out and if more debris fell from the rain… “Gulf, could you… could you tell me any other stories?” I asked, searching for something to distract my terrified mind.

He nodded “Of course! What kind of story would you like?”

“Do you have any stories about something similar to… this? Any that would help me feel safer?”

Gulf sighed sadly “I have one… one about two strangers who took shelter in the same cave during a terrible storm… There are similarities, yes… but I don’t think it’s a comforting story, no matter how romantic it may be.”

“Do they end badly?” I asked and he nodded. I didn’t know if he was in the mood for a story like that, but… I was curious “Tell it anyway.”

He hesitated, but I insisted and he finally began to tell the story. It was a story, as he said, about a storm and two strangers. One was already in the cave when the other arrived injured to take shelter. At first they felt uncomfortable together, but soon they became friends and fell in love while waiting for the storm to end. They confronted each other, dreaming of how they would return to their herds when the storm passed. A beautiful story, but when the lovers finally declared their love, the river overflowed and a flood flooded the cave completely. They died.

I was crying, the story was so sad and so beautiful.

“When they found them and dug them up, they discovered them hugging each other, as if they had tried to protect each other,” Golfo continued speaking. “Some say it was pure coincidence, that it could have been a reaction to fear, but I have first-hand information and I know the truth… They were in love, and they still are, together, in the afterlife.”

“It’s nice to think that…”

“I don’t think so, I know.”

“I wish we could have such a pure love without such a tragic ending… the same thing happens in all love stories…”

“Very nice, lovebirds, but I’m hungry,” said the bear, approaching. “Move aside.”

We both moved and after a swipe and a push, the trunk broke, the mud and rocks rolled away and the entrance was clear enough to get out.

It wasn’t raining anymore, the sky was almost clear and the colors of the sunset were beginning to paint the sky. How come I hadn’t noticed the time? We had been talking all day.

“Come on, princess, I’ll walk you home, in case there are more traps or your leg hurts too much…” Golfo offered and I nodded, watching as he began to walk beside me.

It took me a few more hours to get back to our lair and the girls were waiting for me anxiously and worried, they almost killed me for being careless and then they started checking my wound as if it was worse than it was, I got the scolding of my life, but… my mind was somewhere else at that moment… with the mysterious solitary zaherix who had saved my life.