That night, it was Helaku’s turn to run the perimeter of the village while his brothers ran further out, trying to pick up the cold ones’ scents. He was tired, and hungry after so many nights on patrol, this was why his pack brothers had given him the perimeter of the village. They doubted that the cold ones could get past them.

If he had been paying attention, he might have realized that there was no stench. If he had been paying attention, he might have saved the whole pack the pain he caused them that night, but…he did not.

One moment he was running and the next he saw a pale face ahead of him in the woods. It was more instincts than anything as he launched himself in the air, his teeth clamping down on the creature’s neck, but the feeling as his jaw clenched shut was all wrong! There was not the stone flesh of the pale ones between his teeth, nor the sound of metal being torn asunder. No, there was only the soft give-way of human flesh and the sound of it being torn open as he felt human blood fill his mouth.

He immediately let go, but it was too late and he watched in horror as Cocheta fell mortally wounded to the forest floor beneath his paws. Her dark eyes watched him for a moment in pain as her life slipped away along with the blood that was now being soaked up by the ground beneath her.

Almost as soon as the deed was done four howls filled the night air. All the pack had seen what had happened and the rush of emotions that pounded through their minds was unbearable. There was disbelief, there was horror, but none of it could compare to the sheer pain that came from Dichali.

It was like his heart had been torn from his chest, as if someone was ripping his soul into shreds, but despite the pain he was running, racing towards the scene as if he could stop it, though he knew from Helaku’s thoughts that he was too late.

The thoughts of the pack were in chaos. There was Dichali’s pain, but there was also Helaku’s guilt and self loathing. They were feeling every part of it and it was tearing them each apart inside. They each hated themselves for what had happened just as Helaku was, but in addition to that they also felt the unbearable suffering that Dichali was going through.