Chapter 1
The Smell of the Night

"I am Rey. This is Heaven and I must get to Hell before the elders awaken." Covered in mud from head to toe, the small figure whispered to the wind the reason why he kept awake.

Among the edges of some remote region not many of the living know of, under the cold, shadowy blanket of an eternal night, was a little boy who kept running without stopping. Not that there were many children running aimlessly on the borders of Paradise. In fact, he was one of three and the only one who kept in constant motion when he should sleep.

The place was referred to by the adults as the “Ever-Changing Forest," a place where there was no moon to peek out and no small animals such as frogs or singing insects. Constant change abounded there. The screams of trees that broke each other. Ferocious beasts that roamed in search of food. Bottomless precipices at every corner. Roots and branches as sharp as knives. Dancing lights that rose and fell. Mud and rotting leaves. Icy gusts of wind that blew like lightning. Ghastly figures of corpses on dismembered bones. And death himself in a wandering hood.

Rey wandered so deep into the forest that he believed not even all the adults together could find him or keep track of him and his companion. His master's directions never quite managed to move him, and though they still rang in his head, he laughed at them, for they seemed absurd to him. However, the mire of the thick forest of giant trees was getting deeper and the lights that helped him to avoid dangerous situations were dimming. Little by little, the place began to resemble a red mud swamp that made it difficult for the little boy to advance.

Between dangers and frightening shapes in which he could die if he was not careful enough, Rey came to the point where he had no choice but to stop. Parting his chapped lips, he stuck out his tongue and opened his mouth as wide as he could.

He needed to catch his breath if he intended to keep running. The sharp eyes that lit up with the whiteness radiating from an infinite Pythagorean star, which bordered the pupils and matched their dilated size, ceased to see into the gloom. With the fading of the floating lights and the impending darkness, there was enough reason for the little boy to be terrified. He knew where he was going, but not where he was. He could not go back the way he had come, even if he set his mind to it. The floating boulders would hit him, whether he walked into them or if they fell on his head without warning. One false step would mean falling into an endless pit. Getting any closer to a tree than he should have would provide him with another injury. Some beast that, if he could see, might be stalking him warily, preparing for the best moment to strike. But even with all this, he felt no fear, not even in the slightest.

He said, "I am not in the forest, but the forest is with me. I don't feel lost if I have a target. I don't need to see if I have a friend who can be my eyes. Why worry about noises if they can't harm me? And for my tiredness, it was enough to stop and catch my breath." He said this as one who believed he could do everything.

Eventually, Rey was forced to slow down and rest more often. The fruitless search made him feel so frustrated that he was unaware he was running with much more weight than he really had.

"Am I, the one who can do it all, being led around in circles?" he wondered somewhat worriedly.

Focusing his attention on his companion, Rey ignored the huge cart he pulled with his neck and the giant boulder on his back.

The cart he pulled bore the presence of trees, mud, rocks, darkness, and the weariness of his body, while the imposing solidity was almost on the verge of crushing him. But he could not notice, see, or touch either of these two objects, because they were as real as his thoughts. For him, thoughts, worries, problems, stress, and negative ideas did not hinder him in the slightest. However, they were responsible for the mantra, "I must get to Hell... before the elders wake up..."

Rey repeated this as a driving force, until it began to lose form and meaning, until it became empty, hollow, and purposeless. Over time, the words spoken by the elders proceeded to occupy the space in the little boy's mind, until he could no longer manage to stop thinking of the accusing voice repeating the word, "De Bastador!" in his head, or of the edge of an immense sword that would cut his throat and bring about death.

It could be said that the set of such words combined with memories of a not-too-distant past were the main reason why Rey was running aimlessly in the endless forest that made up the boundaries of Paradise within Hell.

"He named me Rey. But they called me 'monster with an indecipherable heart.' A flawed, rage-filled shell, without rationality, tactics, or strategy. A creature in which only the pleasure of satiation would keep him alive. He would become a danger, a De Bastador capable of eliminating everything around him, they said. I saw uneasiness in their looks; in Dad's eyes I saw that he was disappointed. I must get to Hell, but... How much longer must I keep running?”

Trembling knees could no longer resist the weight of the big rock on his back, and he fell into the mud; his throat could not free itself from the noose that was choking him, and he could hardly breathe.

"Heroclades was not wrong... This mud gets deeper, and I can hardly go on. If my strength is not enough..." Catching his breath, he stood up again and looked in the direction of where he thought his companion was. "When reasoning is all that's left in this body, maybe I'll go further. Surrender is not an option for a warrior." The little one spoke aloud, "If we are not to find a way out, perhaps... finding shelter is a good idea.”

Using a forced sound through his closed mouth, the little feline affirmed in response to the comment Rey had made. Tired and dying, and able to see in the dark, she had stayed ahead by jumping over the floating rocks in an attempt to avoid having to swim in the mud. And she used her tail to pull the hand of the little one who could not see.

That friend that Rey had been depending on to help him move forward in the dark was a guardian cub from Paradise. He had found him with his master on his way to the training point on the first day.

In the light of the magical realm, the Paradise guardians stood in splendour on four legs, which concealed reckless nails that protruded at will, white fur with black stripes down the back to the tail, protruding teeth, yellow eyes, long whiskers, and pointed ears. On all four legs, an adult was as big as a person. But the feline was no higher than Rey's waist. She was dirty, her eyes looked tired, and her ears drooped. She was not as skinny as the little white-eyed one, for the latter had given her all the food he had.

He moved on and on. The moment that so troubled the little boy became apparent. Tiredness and muscle pain turned to stiffness that forced him to stop once more. Bringing his hands to his knees as he bent his body forward, Rey let go of the tail he was holding and, in a bitter click of his tongue, understood that he had lost the fight against his body's sensations. Losing and giving up meant the same thing to him, but how could he go on if, even though his mind was intent, his muscles and strength refused to respond? Rey trembled like a leaf about to fall, but his gaze remained straight with the intention of continuing to move forward, even if he had to do it with his hands.

No matter how hard he tried, even for all that he had stretched his life to the edges of death, he could make no further progress.

Rey was forced to admit defeat and stop trying, something that would bring him no results. He didn't plan to blame the little animal, as he couldn't do any better himself.

"If I can even see, could I have found the way out on my own? No. Now I am the one who also lacks the strength to compensate for my lack of knowledge."

Sinking into the mud, he had no choice but to kneel down and lean on a nearby rock.

"Heroclades was right. I must go back and continue training. I am still too weak to find an escape. But..." Rey raised his head. "If I must stay among the great ones, I must at least arm myself with whatever it takes to fend for myself and survive among them.”

In an arrogant way, he was reluctant to take the situation as a defeat, so he interpreted it as an opportunity to learn, to become better.

"But how?"

The Paradise guardian cub, seeing the behavior of the little one, looked sideways. With its mouth open and tongue out, although it was well fed, it had so far taken a lot of extra effort to move the parts of its body that allowed it to move forward. The feline approached the rock on which the little one was leaning and, after licking his hand, squealed in her language.

Rey didn't understand the squeak, but at least he had an idea of what it meant. Ignoring once again all that he was carrying, including the extreme exhaustion and lack of energy that overcame him, he stood up and let himself be guided.

After hopping a few times, the feline pulled her companion close to the hollow trunk of a tree.

Rey reached out to touch what made up the entrance to a safe place and said to himself, "To survive... it's better if I stay in a safe place. At least until I recover..."

The little guy, almost in his bones, made a crucial decision to change the order of his priorities and with this temporarily abandon his search and stay in the cave that his companion had found so he could take refuge from the slimy mud and replenish his straggling body.

Rey breathed as one who was beginning to understand that "deducing," reasoning, and thinking would be more useful than putting his physical abilities to play. A good ability to use logic, as the situation demanded, would be of vital importance for his survival, as in that moment when he realized that readjusting his priorities would make him better.

Inside the cave, Rey believed that the sticky unstable ground, which wavered between solid and liquid, had a life of its own. That it was like a sleeping giant just waking up very hungry.

Intent on shedding the mud, sweat, and blood that covered his body, the little boy shook himself again and again, however ineffectively, to get deeper into the interior, where the moisture could not reach him. That was the only place around that would provide safety for him along with his inseparable furry companion, who efficiently shook the water from her fur and stretched out on the ground to satisfy the needs of her heaving lungs.

The little guy began to understand that even if he felt safe from all that lay beyond his new shelter, it didn't mean he was safe from what he could feel. He had stopped running, he had stopped the activity that had tired him so far, but, still, he felt defeated. He sensed an enormous weight on his shoulders and a thick rope around his neck, two factors that would not let him stand. "I need to lie down on the ground," he thought. Extreme fatigue was stalking him. His own body had him cornered, and he didn't understand why. Once lying on the rough ground made up of roots, Rey felt a sensation coming over him that promised to bring even more darkness, neglect, and weakness.

"Something else is being done out there," he said to himself, alarmed, after time passed and the rain began to fall. "I hear it falling from above. Dripping all over the place. Hitting the ground and wanting to keep going. Willing to end up being sucked into the blanket of dust and fallen leaves."

He could not see, nor did he know, what rain was. He could only listen and analyze.

"The brittle boulders that usually rise into the air, the ones I always hit my forehead with while running blindly, are being engulfed by the ground, I'm sure. The ground is dangerous. Not to be trusted when awake. I was able to realize it in time. I'm fine here; it's safe. Yes, the ground here is still sleeping and not sticky like outside. As long as I have this place, I don't have to keep moving until I get my energy back. Even if it is very slow and I am agile. No need to risk it. Running makes me want to stop, makes me weak and short of breath. It makes me tired... I have shelter, but no food. Maybe that's why I don't regain my energy? The water keeps falling. It doesn't give up. But, no matter how much my stomach rumbles, it's better to keep waiting, to wait for the Earth to go to sleep... I could have stayed inside the tent Heroclades created, even if it meant sharing a bed with him. Still, sleeping well and safe will not make me strong enough to solve my other problem—Mother, Father and the others. Yes, they who now sleep, but just as the water awakened the Earth, the light will awaken them and at that time they will come for me, wherever I am. As long as it is within this circle... I think... Perhaps it is the most convenient time to close my eyes, to surrender. To, perhaps, sleep as they do. To rest for a while, an instant; my comrade is also lying at the entrance. She can see and take care of me, entertain herself watching the water fall. Instead, I see black, even if I close my eyes tightly or open them as wide as I can. Everything is dark to me... I wonder if Heroclades knew that perhaps not being able to see would prevent me from escaping?"

Inside the cave, not only did the floor made up of roots or the presence of the furry companion provide security for the little one, but, between his bruised fingers, the child of beasts held an instrument he had created with his hands and teeth. A rustic spear fashioned from wood and the coiled horn he had found in the dead skull of an immense animal that, when alive, with its elongated legs, ran as fast as the wind. He, too, spent much of his time in a tree. He learned by seeing firsthand how one of those animals, which fed on grasses, could rival the claws and teeth of the smaller meat-eating animals. All thanks to the elongated horn on its forehead and its aggressive behavior when cornered. He would always take aim at the enemy and then run away.

"I don't know what sleep is, or how it feels, or how it could benefit me. I have only just understood one of the many factors so fundamental to living. But I, who have never slept, can remember the first time I opened my eyes. Not that I can remember how to wake up..."

Silence. Then, more doubts that increased the weight of the stone he carried on his shoulders,

"And, if perhaps I never wake up, would that be the same as dying? Will I become something hard and fleshless? Hmm...."

Memories. Rey didn't have many of those. The uncertainty was terrifying, as was the not knowing. But it didn't mean the little guy wasn't willing to face the risks.

"I was faster than the Earth when it wanted to swallow me. I was smart enough to learn how to evade and fight the Guardians on my own. I was able to make my own fighting tool. I managed to face the darkness and continue to see it without losing consciousness," he said to himself with an arrogant tone, the same that his master told him was used by the great heroes he had seen in his life. Heroic individuals who did not fear death. Heroes who had gone through countless ordeals to prove themselves worthy.

But the infant, practically without a past, between the darkness and his thoughts, lost the way out without realizing it. In spite of everything, his arrogance only made him believe that he was winning the confrontation, when in truth it was already too late to escape in time.

What kind of imaginary perception can someone who lacks a past, life experiences, reveries, or longings have while walking straight into the world of dreams? Could someone submerged in the absence of consciousness of a mind cluttered by reparative tasks even experience unrealities? Could he experience fantasies? Revelations?

…

"What is this unpleasant feeling that invades every part of me? It won't let me go," the little boy said to himself in the lucidity of a dark world.

"I must run, move. My weapon, I have to attack. It's not like the Earth that tried to swallow me. This time it's from all sides. I can feel it, but I can't see it."

Carefully, he opened his eyes and the black finally took color. Without ceasing to be black, it became white and ended up inhabited by subtle colored lights. Rey rubbed his tired eyes, and the effect became more intense.

"Yes, yes, I can see him. It's the darkness! It's the one trying to devour me!" he affirmed in his almost lucid dream, as he kept his eyes open. "Argh! Pain! The darkness becomes mowing. My eyes hurt! My head... something is crushing my head! I can't move! My heart, beaten, oppressed, and torn by hands I can't see! My arms, my legs, and chest are moving, vibrating all over the place, on their own. I can't stop them no matter how hard I try! They don't answer me. What is this?"

 Between cramps, the little boy trembled. He couldn't stop his teeth. Neither could he stop the cramps, nor fight the paralysis of his limbs.

"Get away from me, get out from inside me, leave me alone!"

Turn after turn went the little body exposed to the cold temperatures of the night.

"Why does the world twist and turn so much? Argh... Are you against me too?! Aaagh! I feel angry. I want to destroy without using any more logic. If with strength I can compensate for the ability to reason, why continue wasting my time? I have no strength... Show yourselves! I'm here!!! If you need to hide it's because you are weaker than me!!!!! Purring... this I feel is fear. I must purr."

Agitated, he struggled without backing down, both on his way to the dream and in real life. The little boy's body writhed about the place, his mind breaking free and eclipsing the darkness. But he was not necessarily aware that his body, mind, and soul resided in two worlds yet in one. He was also unaware that both sides did not endorse the same rules. That every living being was infused with the natural fear of death. A fear that only a few had the power to overcome, and they were those who had to live the longest. Those whose screws were loosened.

In the face of danger, madness is the rust that corrupts the chains that bind life, which loosens the basis of natural and common sense. The absence of sanity is the strength of those few, the weakness that life could not use to its advantage. Weakness with which the little one had never been born, meaning that he was not sane, for never having been afraid to die, and the reason why life along with death came to meet the energetic little one.

Rey tried by all means to reason, and what better way than to ask himself questions within the space crowded by geometric figures?

"What is this? Where am I? It's not the same darkness, or is it? Two colors and laughter…are they making fun of me, those shiny balls?"

 Distinguishing the two cylindrical spheres, Rey was able to identify himself and also the path there. Managing to move, he chased them until he could hold them in his hands. They both moved, as if trying to escape. Reflexively, he put them in his mouth until he decided to return them to freedom and try to talk to them. Rey opened his mouth, but the sound didn't come out.

"I can move, feel them, and taste them, but my voice doesn't come out. I can't hear them either, if they try to tell me something like, 'Don't swallow me, please!' Aaah, I don't know what I'm saying... It feels good, but not real, a dream, maybe. What will it be?"

 Dreaming implied being asleep, and he slept, it meant he had lost.

"I can't neglect myself! I need shelter! I must find shelter! I can't submit! I must fight! I must keep moving! But... the pain is no more. It's cozy..."

Through the place, made up of hundreds of passages in different directions that were at once an open space devoid of paths, Rey kept walking, leaving the two spheres behind until he came upon something of his height. The black lump had no face or distinguishable features, but the same eyes.

"Who are you?" asked Rey as soon as he could find his voice.

The similarly shaped body did not respond, though he did raise his hand and point his index finger at the questioner.

"What do you mean, that he is me? No matter how much I move, he seems to look at me the same way I look at him."

 Again, though he was able to speak, his words stopped flowing. The little boy felt enraged and as he had energy, he felt more inclined to use the way of force.

"Say something, answer my question... you irritating, annoying... Stop! Stop! Don't point at me anymore! Go away!!!!! I'm warning you, Agrr..."

The lump lifted his shoulders, turned around, and disappeared like someone who doesn't want conflict.

"He walks away. He doesn't seem to want to come back. I have won..."

Rey watched the black lump leave.

"Now I'm alone. Everything feels far away, like it's falling... a new, less complicated world. A place where there are no reasons for me to worry. I can be vulnerable... sit, rest, and close my eyes. The world where I am not a monster, a devastator!"

 Rey closed his eyes and could not open them again, but thousands of white dots, those that were once suspended and formed paths, fell on him. A rain of stars that pushed away the smell of water, the scent of wet earth and other sensations that accompanied being awake.

"Ohhh! No! I've crossed the line without realizing it. I will not let their assumptions become my reality. They are wrong, I will show them. But, for that, I must leave this false world. The world that is not here and has no form. I must leave it behind."

 Using his fingernails and fingers, Rey tried to force his eyes open, even if it meant tearing off his eyelids.

"I'll go out into the colorless darkness! From here! From my rest. I have no time to rest, it is not allowed... I must fight, then fall in order to rise again and again. To show them not what I am, but what I can become, until the red liquid pouring out of me snatches my grip on my spear. Even then I will not be defeated, even then I will not surrender."

...

On the outskirts of the cave, amidst the pouring rain that was so dedicated to its task that it was falling non-stop, footsteps were gradually becoming distinguishable. The ears of the furry watchman at the entrance located the alarming footsteps of a quadruped approaching the rustic cavern. In response to the sound, the animal emitted a characteristic immature roar, typical of its undeveloped throat, but with the same purpose as the adults of its species roared. To warn the invader, also to prevent him from continuing to rest, who had fallen to the ground and was writhing from side to side as if his back were itching.

After having taken all the air he could, as well as if of will, the little one stopped writhing and opened his eyes, reflecting in them the purpose of facing the danger once again, whatever it was. Victory would be the only one that would keep him alive.

"So that's sleep? Ha-ha-ha! I managed to escape, I did it! What can't I do?" Rey said arrogantly to himself, still agitated, gritting his teeth as much as he could, trying to stop them from continuing to crash in the frantic way they were doing, as well as shaking every bone in his body.

"Pain, sweat, blood, and victory will keep me alive. They will keep me from the shadows. I have returned. I'm here... What more do I need to keep moving forward?" The answers came to his mind. "Food to fill my belly and clothing to cover my body..."

The floor of the cave was not only covered by the mud that had seeped and stuck to the infant's body, but it was also painted with blood and other fluids. The red liquid that was still coming out of the little one's open wounds, as if it were a good, inspired artist, was spreading around the place without seeming to want to stop.

Tired, hungry, and badly wounded, the unwanted puppy between a werewolf and a vampire, repeating in his mind another mantra as a last resort, "Surrender is not allowed," he said over and over again. "I may not have a last name, but I will fight to the end, until I can't move, and even then, I'm not giving up. Life is about fighting. Giving up is not a way out. I know what I am and I'm going to show him what I can become, what situations I can face. I, Rey De-Heavens. For me... Surrender is not allowed!"

Rey could no longer ignore that his body was about to break, but also that it was crucial to make himself look strong when he was weak. Between tremors and much effort, the infant stood up using his two legs and one of his hands, while in the remaining limb he held his rustic spear and pointed forward. Angry with everything that stood in his way, Rey let out a warning roar, but unlike that of his companion, the frequency of his vocal cords could not make much difference. The sound he could emit was not intimidating at all, but the firing of energy and causing an abrupt change in his body's features, resembling more like flesh-eating beasts, was.

"A guardian of Paradise. How is that possible? I waited until everyone was asleep before entering the forest, precisely so I wouldn't have to encounter any of them. Umm, this one is different..."

Aloud, Rey added, "He smells blood," ready to attack with all his might.

"I wonder if it's just as desperate as we are?" he thought. "A badly wounded beast, one that didn't get food and doesn't have a hole like this, is an easy target. It could be devoured by the earth if it stopped moving. Just like us. This is all or nothing... whoever wins gets the cave and gets the loser's head as a reward."

For every second, Rey felt the sound of the rain increase greatly until it almost became deafening. He didn't realize it, but both his sense of smell and hearing were amplified thanks to his lycanthrope transformation.

Time was dragging on and the little boy was getting impatient. Rey wanted everything to be over as soon as possible. So much so that he thought of shooting out with the intention of being the first to attack. But, after sensing his companion wanting to do the same, he added aloud, "No!"

 Putting hunger and desperation aside, aware of his lack of strength, he decided to reason.

"What am I thinking about? He's going to attack us sooner or later... Yes, he has no choice. As long as he's out there, he's in danger. We have the advantage, enough to make a difference... On the other hand, I'll have this spear in my hands and I witnessed the arts to defend myself against one of them, but I lack experience in real combat against a guardian and I don't plan to run away like the wind as soon as I have a chance to escape."

 With a clear mind, he decided to speak up so that his companion could hear him. “Back off. Let him come into our territory...you'll have to give me the signal when he's close enough for me to attack him. Don't worry."

Step by step, ignoring the warnings, in the rain, the big cat beast approached the entrance to its own cave. It was enraged, perhaps because it was hungry and had very little patience.

The small furry feline continued to shriek with all its might, at the same time retreating back into the cave as instructed by its smooth-furred companion. Although they did not share the same language, the two could understand each other, which had made teamwork more efficient.

With its full head already inside the cave that belonged to it, the eyes of the guardian with a broken fang became imposing; the gigantic teeth designed to shred flesh vibrated with each powerful exhalation the weary creature made. Then an overwhelming, razor-sharp claw invaded the floor of the place. Despite being covered in mud, it caused the roots and stones to cry out with its sharpening. Water trickled down the long, lush fur that promised to rival against the solidity of iron armor, to fall and nearly flood the site.

"Rey, she stopped screeching. The next sound will be the signal. The smell of wet skin intensifies, the ground shudders, the growl lengthens..." the infant repeated inwardly, but suddenly everything stopped. "Ahhh... Seeing in the dark would be so convenient at a time like this..." he thought.

Rey was petrified on the spot without even breathing. But he who could only feel his enemy getting closer and closer, had not remained catatonic, but held the spear even tighter and waited more and more eagerly for the perfect signal to kill. Committed to waiting for the signal, Rey planned to stay even if the beast took a bite out of him and tore his arm off. Such was the trust he had placed in his companion.

Paying better attention, he thought, “So, this is the scent of the night?"

He kept thinking. He had nothing else to do, for time was dragging on and seemed not to end. "It is strange that now the scents camouflaged by the rain become more distinguishable to me. My nose has improved. But in spite of everything I feel, the color my eyes see does not change. As if looking into me, as if I were resting with my eyes open. In my ears, do not stop the purring grunts of a hungry carnivore, tired and in agony. It could enter the cave, but it will never enter the inside of my head..."

Raising an arrogant look and baring his teeth, Rey continued to think, "I pity you, nothing more. How does it feel to think you have the upper hand? I can feel you breathing on me. Maybe you think you have me cornered, that it's too late for me to escape, don't you? You're wrong. It's not me, it's you who's cornered, and before long, you won't be able to escape me. I have no motives left strong enough for me to oppose against the natural course of the death of such a being as you at my hands."

An idea flashed in the darkness of the little boy's thoughts, one that seemed to resemble another rock falling on his shoulders above the one he was already carrying.

"Oh, wait, you and she are the same species. Does this mean I'm losing the good in me? No, I've already lost it. Everything was lost the moment I made this spear to kill and not to defend myself. Umm? What would it be like if right now she, the closest being to me, found death at my hands? What would I feel in such a situation? I wonder if I would lose the only protection I have against loneliness. I am willing to take a life. But, now that I think of it this way, I am not prepared to do so if it means sacrificing her. Is this hesitation? Why am I hesitating in a fight when I should be moving forward? This approaching beast wants to kill me. What's the problem if I have the same intentions... that something doesn't go right? When I decided to fight in here, it was for my own good... but it is more convenient for it to fight outside... Why is it taking so long to give the signal? Why is it taking so long?"

Inside the cave, the larger one roared with the intention of subduing the first opponent, who would neither duck his head nor stop baring his teeth at him. A verbal warning that could prevent a direct confrontation.

"Know your place!!!" angrily growled the beast in his language.

The little feline opened her eyes as wide as she could. It looked as if it had taken root in the ground. She refused the thought a few times, but could no longer refuse to acknowledge who was in front of her. The water could camouflage the smell, but the vision did not lie to her. The tone and timbre of the invader's growl aroused a whole storm of feelings. Sensations as difficult to confuse as life itself. Surprise, happiness, nostalgia, and disappointment ended up transformed into desolation. She realized that, even though she was in front of her own father, those grunts meant tragedy. They told her that she had lost the recognition of someone precious, as well as that she had lost the value of her existence as a daughter.

On the other hand, at the end of the cave, the little boy was drooling from such a deep state of concentration that he hadn't even breathed. With heartbeat dropping, the infant justified that grunt, accompanied by silence and delay.

"If the guardian growled and still doesn't attack, maybe it's much weaker than us and is just threatening us?" the little one thought. "If I manage to demonstrate my willingness to fight through threats, then maybe I could intimidate and win the fight without having to kill him, yes!"

 The infant, imitating his opponent, reciprocated the rabid roar and bared his teeth even more. From within the darkness, a sharp impact intercepted him.

In response to this confrontation, the even more offended beast with one of its claws struck the boy, who was imposing on it, and then roared again, proposing to stay on the ground.

The little feline ducked her head along with her ears, recoiling her body with concern when she saw how her companion had been assaulted so violently. Immediately, her blood boiled inside her veins, as her father abused and roared on the floor at the creature that had helped her so much so far. The one that had found her during the day and carried her on his head so that she could see in the distance. The same one that so far had always helped her in his tireless search. How could it not do so when witnessing such a moment? Of course, it wasn't necessary to go to the extreme of giving the attack signal either, but at least to verbally intervene.

"I ended up taking the first hit. I was wrong. Excruciating pain! That's not weaker than me, it never was... It was my carelessness to think of the enemy's life and not wait for the signal. Argg! This wouldn't have happened to my father, or my master, or any of those thinking of killing me. If only I hadn't been so focused on being good... I can still stand up... I'm not dead. Threats won't mean anything..." the little boy said to himself as he lay dying on the ground.

Within seconds, the infant was back on his feet and placed his spear in front. The beast once again raised his right claw and exposed the edge of the inside of the curvatures of his fingernails.

The five cruel executioners vowed to bestow death with the next blow. Already the infant's skin had been cut in five until even the bones of his arm and ribs were left, the flesh unprotected from fur and already battered, almost falling to pieces on the floor as blood splattered the walls. Her father, or her friend. It was the choice for the little feline who tried to verbally intervene, but was ignored. She kept her head and body down in submission, but also realized it was the perfect position to jump. At the last second, she made the decision. Her heart was racing and emitting the characteristic "signal" sound as she charged as fiercely as she could.

The beast was unable to lower its right claw in the direction of the infant. In response to the attack of the small feline of its own kind, it was forced to change its movement and first get rid of the aggressor and then accomplish its goal. But in the chaotic environment the beast noticed his carelessness. Even so, it was already too late to be able to do anything.

"The actions. Yes!!!" the infant said to himself when he heard the signal.

"To fight is to take life and death by the hand as you dance in a field full of possibilities. If you want to learn to dance within such a tempest, don't focus on the possibilities. Focus on your body and don't be afraid to improvise."

Heroclades' words were remembered by the little boy, as his body responded to the rhythm of the sound of battle.

Thrusting his entire being forward, the rustic spear was thrust against the chest of the distracted beast. The point of the well-sharpened horn pierced the fur that in hardness was compared to steel. It pierced the flesh, hit the ribs, and then, perhaps because of the inclination, slipped out and continued its way into the interior of the colossal body, reaching the heart.

Opening his mouth, the infantryman gulped in a mouthful of air to clench his teeth and keep pushing, even as the blood of his enemy tried to tear his grip on his weapon.

The desperate throbbing of an organ on the verge of shutting down spread through the place. Bang, bang... bump... The infant's bloodied hands, though they holding the spear as tightly as he could to keep it from slipping, seemed to merge with the inside of the beast. The elongated trunk became a throbbing organ. If Rey could see at that moment, he was sure he would see the dying heart of his enemy in his hands. No matter how hard he squeezed his fingers, the unpleasant sensation would not go away. It stayed there. As if its only intention was to make him feel guilty.

"The strength in me is fading and the spear in your hands is responsible," the heartbeat said. Still, the little boy was already determined to give his life, instead, not to let go and keep pushing.

The pain in her chest was immense, but the frequency of the cry the little furry one emitted when she was slashed by his claws grew larger and more hurtful. Memories of the same cry of one of the hatchlings she had abandoned hurt her heart in a worse way than it could have, a spear thirty times larger and ignited into flames. The beast, less blinded by hunger and irritability, surrendered all its will to fight as it turned its face back to the little furry one suffering on the ground. She glanced, sniffed, and then screamed at the top of her lungs, what could be described as a baby's cry.

For reasons beyond Rey's control, the huge invader roared with all the power of his rage, yet he did not let go of his weapon. He couldn't stop the puffs of air; he was losing his concentration and calm. He didn't realize that it took so long to kill something alive.

"I want to go assist her. She is suffering," he said to himself in desperation, as he also heard the little girl suffering. The infant screamed and tried to keep pushing, even as it choked on the spurts of blood that shot from between the entrails of the huge carnivorous beast.

The furry little thing used the fine frequencies of her throat to communicate agony with every breath. When she closed her eyes, she could return to the past, that place where a comfortable den sheltered her. Where everything sparkled and she could see her mother, a father, and siblings rejoicing. They touched each other to feel affection, to build intimacy, to share smells in a game of happiness. But when she opened her eyelashes, she saw the opposite. In a not so ornate and cruel present, something caught her attention. Her father's sad face, the one he wore when there was nothing to eat, and they had to spend the night on an empty stomach. He was crying too, and his crystallized eyes showed something she hadn't expected. That her dad would be disappointed in himself for having had to perform such a low act and at the same time happy to be able to find an end to her suffering.

Indeed, compassion took the place of necessity when the noble guardian of Paradise saw the situation he had brought about. Two offspring of different species badly wounded, almost on the verge of death. The animal felt useless. He had always seen himself as an incompetent and cowardly parent.

"It is not yet too late to do good... I hope you can forgive me and find honor in my sacrifice," he said.

With what little life he had left he decided to lie down in front of the entrance to his cave and stay awake until the last beat of his heart.

In the process, Rey sensed that his opponent had no intention of continuing to fight. He listened as the beast turned and brought his spear, which seemed to catch on the way with a rock and break into pieces.

It had all been very strange for Rey and although he still could not see, using his hands he searched the ground in the hope of finding something sharp that could help him defend himself.

The animal, with its gigantic body, without removing the spear from its chest, walked to the exit and, after lying down tired on the ground, covered the entrance so that no other invader would star in the slaughter that he was about to carry out. Watching the rain to wipe away his tears, he felt everything fall into darkness until after taking a last breath he felt no more.

"Did I make the best decision?" the beast wondered uncertainly.

The little boy was still using his hands, like a blind man searching for his staff on the ground, for he was reluctant to believe in what he could not see. With his fingers bathed in the blood that still pulsed, Rey could not erase the unpleasant sensation conveyed by the beating of a heart in agony. Suddenly, the metallic smell of the red liquid became light and illuminated inside the darkness of the gloomy place.

Next to eyes that could see, a mechanism in the depths of the little one was triggered. In him was awakened the impulsive urge to take the opponent's blood to the sages. To taste the liquid, to swallow, and consume it.

Rey had not felt such a thing in the past.

"Why should I refuse to satisfy this curiosity that has suddenly come upon me?" he asked himself.

And so, forgetting for an instant all that was going on around him, he tasted the liquid left by his fallen enemy.

In a single sip his heartbeat calmed down. With this he was able to think more clearly, smell, see, and breathe better. The wounds on his skin also partially healed. His fangs increased in size. He felt less tired, and the enormous burdens he was carrying no longer seemed significant enough to crush, stop or hang him. From his back the slumbering, malformed muscles of two wings awoke to the point of wanting to come out.

At the precise moment that Rey got his tongue covered in someone else's blood, he felt that his body triggered functions he had never known before. But the internal mechanisms were always with him. They were part of the nature inherited from his mother, only that until now they had remained dormant, and someone else's blood was the key that turned them on and made them work, so to speak.

Although he was amazed, even more was the concern he felt for his friend herself that compelled him to return to the moment. Rey threw two questions into the air that undoubtedly held more importance.

"Where are you! Can you hear me?"

The little feline, as soon as she heard her name being called, decided to take advantage of every exhalation he gave in order to make his vocal cords vibrate, even though they were weakening with each passing moment.

Rey moved closer to where the crying was coming from. Close enough to kneel down and hold out his hands, he examined his companion and immediately drew conclusions.

"She's breathing faster than normal," he said to himself as he felt the heat of a wound and several exposed organs. She's in pain. She's in pain." Rey tried not to move the small body. "She's not responding to me anymore... she's dying. No, no...no. No. No!"

The infant, ever the optimist, was now thinking of the worst-case scenario, but it all made sense in his head. He had won an impossible fight, without fighting or having the conditions. Life had the right to claim something in return for his unearned fate.

....

Drawn by the unimaginable, never-before-heard whimpering of the little one she was chasing, between the body of the beast and the rocks at the entrance to the cave, an intangible shadow poked its head out. There she was, not life, but the one who in a certain way opposed her and was dressed in black. Curious, she looked inside with her violet eyes, as if to confirm what her ears could not believe. The small shadow that hid a dagger between the robes she was wearing did not know how to react, nor how to comfort someone who was suffering. She was also too shy to attract attention and reflexively disappeared from the place as soon as she perceived being detected.

Gritting his teeth to the point of grinding them, Rey knew he could not let himself be entertained by unimportant things when he still had to find a solution for his companion's condition. Atypical as the situation was, more darkness at the cave entrance posed no threat, nor did it help. The little boy, directing his attention to the one who needed it most, with a left arm movement pierced the palm of his opposite hand with a piece of the broken spear. Showing no discomfort from the pain, he hurt himself as much as he could for the purpose of making himself bleed.

"Take of my blood!" he said in a trembling voice, breathing deeply to try not to let out the water that dripped from his nose. "Go on, swallow... It will do you good to take blood! Like it did me... See, open your eyes. Look at me. My wounds are getting better."

The blood from his hand dripped into his furry companion's mouth, ran between his teeth, bathed his tongue, but continued to the floor.

It was the only logical solution in his head. The little guy believed his companion would be able to recover, just as he had healed if they did the same.

"Where did I go wrong, why is everything going wrong? She's not swallowing," thought the little boy. "Yes, that has to be it. I have to turn her face up and drop my blood in the middle of his mouth."

Blindly, Rey grabbed his companion's head and turned it upward. Dropping the liquid into the half-open mouth, he was met with a sound hardly compatible with life. The sound so characteristic of someone drowning in water. A bubbling, gagging, and intentions to vomit. Suddenly, a whole stream of fluids gushed out from inside the feline's stomach and splashed over Rey's body. Only at that moment, the little guy realized that he was causing more harm than help and stopped his attempts to force his companion to drink blood, to caress her with his hand as if he were apologizing.

It was hard to accept, but the nature of the two of them was different. As different as their bodies were. One had fur, the other did not. One had big teeth, the other didn't. One walked on all fours, the other did not. Of course, one had no business recovering, while the other did. No matter how much blood the feline received, the feline's condition was not going to improve.

With eyes bulging with resignation and water that made them look crystallized, the little one exhaled all the air in his lungs, accepting the obvious.

"I have a second choice," he thought as he wiped tears from his face. "I can wait for the daylight to return, wait for the arrival of the elders, but I don't know if this darkness wants to lose its battle against the light. Aaah, the falling water doesn't want to do its part either. It's just me, no one else. I'm not leaving you behind, even if I have to live for you."

Resigned, Rey realized he could do nothing but stay awake to care for the little guardian until he himself came out of critical condition. To encourage her when she lost the will to go on living, to share body heat whenever she was cold, to feed her if she was hungry, and to clean her whenever needed.

...

The water seemed to fall with less ferocity. It had become a soothing sound. A lullaby that, together with the tedious monotony of silence and tiredness, gradually took back the will from the eyes of the little lycanthrope puppy. Even so, he remained unwavering. Warming his mate's body, breathing for her whenever necessary. Yes, Rey would close her mouth with his hands, put his lips over the feline's nose and inflate her lungs as many times as it took.

...

"For the first time I feel happy," Rey thought as he scratched his heavy eyes, then glanced at his companion. "Your wounds have improved in appearance. They don't stink anymore; they're not still bleeding either. She can breathe and no longer feel cold. Should I clean her body one last time?"

Rey lay down on his knees resting his hands on the ground and began to lick the feline's fur. "Even though my tongue isn't rough, it still gets the job done."

His cleaning completed, walking to the exit, Rey touched what were large bones and with it wondered, "How inconvenient it is not to be able to know how much time is left. Although it has been so long that the flesh of the huge beast decomposed. It barely tastes to me," he said, bringing a piece of bone to his mouth. "Is it because perhaps I feel indebted? It is because of him that I still live and have been able to eat without leaving the cave? Even though I no longer crave it as I did at first, because of the bad smell and the bad taste, I can still consume it. I also got these clothes with which I protect myself from the cold... I know that many questions do not make sense, but I would like to know the reason why my situation ended up like this. I could learn. No, I need to learn. But, for now I must be patient."

...

"Ah, I'm skin and bones," he said to himself as he poked the skin on his retracted stomach. "I have no flesh under my skin, maybe... I'm decomposing."

He touched his face, looked at his hands.

"But I'm still alive. It doesn't make sense that I'm rotting. I've lost so much weight from not eating, not even the bones are left of the dead guardian. Oh, at last the water stopped falling."

The little boy took as deep a breath as he could.

"It's time for the ground outside to sleep. I think it's safe to go out and get more food for myself. Although, come to think of it, she doesn't go limp like I do. Maybe she's asleep... yes, she seems to be. Now that she's asleep, nothing can harm her, it's a divine protection that comes with this strange place. In any case, I won't be able to keep running away. I don't want to leave her behind. I also don't want to die from not eating and if everyone sleeps, this is my chance to prepare for tomorrow.

Rey took his first steps out of the cave.

"The path of a strong man is lonely if he does not know how to take care of those who accompany him. Not so, Heroclades. Let loneliness embrace me on this journey. Will I overcome hopelessness and stay sane in the process?" he asked himself. The ground was hard, not trying to swallow him.

Using half of the spear as a staff, Rey managed to move forward without stumbling. In his heart were the answers, he could sleep like the others and wait for tomorrow. It was the easiest way. He would not have to face hunger, nor any other enemy that might be awake. But it wasn't the right thing to do.

"Treat it as if your life depended on triumph to achieve a goal; it's the right thing to do," he said to himself.

The little guy walked slowly and even if he wasn't being guided by his companion, this time he wasn't bumping into floating rocks, he wasn't tripping over roots, and he wasn't alarmed by the various noises of the night. All because he was acting calmly.

"Before, when I was running with a thirst for freedom, I used to run into everything," thought the little boy. "Now, it's different. I don't have to worry about leaving no trail. I can explore this forest, train, and become strong. The trees, it seems, are the only ones who stay awake, even after so long... he said they were my best teachers. But how can I learn from them?”

As if it were a helmet, Rey carried on his head the skull of the huge animal against which he had fought. He protected himself from the cold with a dense cloak made of leather and striped fur. Several bone knives made up part of a rustic belt slung over his right shoulder, though his feet were still bare, and nothing else covered him.

Sniffing with his nose and feeling with his hands, Rey continued to move deeper into the darkness, taking as a reference that the cave was at his back.

Gradually the night stopped being so dark, and Rey could make out silhouettes around him.

"Oh, it looks like it's getting light. I must go back," he said to himself. "Little by little I can see everything around me, although the objects do not retain the same appearance."

Returning to the cave Rey waited for the little guardian to wake up, but it didn't happen.

"Ummm? She doesn't open her eyes no matter how much I move her. She's not dead, as her chest still beats and inflates for air."

Sitting up and willing to wait, Rey watched the cave light up in different shades of gray. Nothing was black, or entirely white, but between those two shades even the cracks in the wood became distinguishable.

"If I'm able to see everything, it's daytime, But why is she still sleeping?" the little boy wondered as he ran his hand over the feline's head. "My stomach rumbles a lot. Time keeps passing; it's even colder. I can see something white falling from above and coating the ground outside the cave. I have to get help! But first I must be able to get to where they are to ask for it," he said to himself as he walked out of the cave and into the forest.

This time, being able to see, he didn't have to be guided by his staff, and perhaps he could find what he was looking for. Still, no matter how far he walked, Rey could not find a course to follow.

"I've got it, I'll mark the trees on the path. That's a good idea. As long as I'm moving, I can't fall asleep, although somehow my stomach seems to be rumbling more.”

Rey set off. Though he couldn't feel his feet and was sinking on the white snow with the unicorn horn, he marked the trees around him. 

"Exploring seems to be a good remedy against sleep. Umm? Sleepy, I'm still sleepy even though it's daytime. Shouldn't one's body rest only at night?”

Rey remembered; he had no choice but to talk to himself.

"‘Eternal night,’ is what Heroclades said. Even if I don't know the meaning of eternal, maybe it's still night and I'm the only one awake. Does that mean I can see as clearly as if it were daytime?! Hmm. That's an interesting possibility. Come to think of it, I can smell things I couldn't before. A sweet smell, a scent that enters my nose and goes straight to my stomach. If so, maybe it's edible."

Directing his gaze to the ground, he continued.

"Whatever it is, it's coming from under the ground. I must make my way. My hands and fingernails are all I need."

The little one set to work. He scratched the ground again and again and kept digging until he pushed the dirt aside.

"The smell gets more intense. Come to think of it, even though the depth of this hole is already more than twice my size, I can still see as if it were daylight. Even if this hole becomes my own grave, I'm happy. Very happy. To be able to see in the dark is all I wished for, as well as to be able to find food."

Tearing off the large tuber, the smile on the little boy's face cracked.

"I'm not so happy anymore. If I could have seen in the dark from the beginning, she wouldn't have had to end up so badly. Also if I had been stronger... strength means a lot when knowledge is little... How to get rid of this feeling that twists my throat, and this burden that crushes me? My happiness becomes a burden. I don't think it's fair, how far would I be able to go if I didn't have to carry this burden?"

Between thoughts, inside the hole, Rey bit into the big root as if it were a piece of smoked ham. Bite after bite, he grumpily sniffled over his failure like a cat eating while someone was touching its tail. Satisfied with the mashing, Rey took a mighty leap out of the hole. After turning around, he looked in the direction of the tree.  

"I have to be more careful, compensate for my lack of strength with intelligence. Just like before. The scenario doesn't change whether past, present, or future. Look at everything. Pay attention, don't just see for the sake of seeing or listen for the sake of hearing. Discover what is hidden before the eyes of those you see. I will keep walking. I will start walking and I will walk more and more. If the burden grows heavier, I will drag it harder."

Like someone squeezing a wound with the intention of trying to soothe the pain with more pain, Rey continued.

"Oops? I've been through this place before. It looks very familiar, but the logs don't have my markings on them. ‘Hard to learn, very easy to forget,’ said the Great Wise Wizard... I feel like I should remember. I'm overlooking something. With a little more time, or a dozen steps, the answers will come... I have no choice. What better teachers are there in this place than the trees that make up the Ever-Changing Forest? They didn't get to that size or become what they are without first resisting the bites of time, fighting the wind, the rain, the earth, my teacher told me. Umm? Come to think of it, my wounds have healed. Maybe these trees have the same ability. If so I have to check it out."

Indeed, Rey with one thrust, cut the bark of a trunk with the blade of his horn. Then he sat down to wait. It was not instantaneous, but after a while the trunk returned to normal and rather than healing it seemed to move.

"The tree moved. So that's what this is all about."

Answers came to his mind.

"This place is called the Ever-Changing Forest, because of the trunks recovery and with this cold white stuff falling from above I have no way to go back the way I came if I just keep walking," the busy young man thought. "Hmm? My fingernails have hardened from digging for food, and if I climb one of these trees, what can I find at the top?"

With the thought in mind, the little boy stood up and lifted his head as high as he could.

The trees around him were immense and imposing. Those with less thick trunks were the smallest in height and measured around twenty-two meters, while those with thicker trunks reached up to three thousand meters. The bark covering it looked smooth, and bottle-shaped, the branches emerging at the tops with a diameter of three hundred meters, but none of them had leaves at the end.

After taking a deep breath, Rey made his hand into a claw and dug his fingernails into the thick, sturdy bark of the widest tree he could find. Upright and without a rope, Rey climbed to exhaustion without paying attention to the two loads he carried from his neck and over his shoulders. When he was tired and thought he could take no more, at that moment when hunger took possession of his stomach again, Rey looked up and realized he hadn't even made it halfway up, though he could even see the ground he had left.

"At this point, if I start wondering if I'm lost... I'll just add more doubt on my shoulders," he said to himself. "But have I been too ambitious?" he wondered.

Rey's face was pale, his nails worn down, and the cold and the air lashed him hard like a whip with the purpose of knocking him down. He had nowhere to shelter and no food to eat. The height was intimidating and the summit unreachable. His life depended only on the sharpness of his fingernails and toenails, but the trunk maintained its solidity while his claws were about to give way. If he released his right hand, took the unicorn's horn, and used it as a support once it was wedged in, Rey could rest a little, but it was not an easy task. The panic took him by surprise, making him get frizzled on the spot. The stone on his shoulders became heavier and the cart pulling at his throat even bigger. His mind became chaotic. It was impossible to remain calm when he knew that the next move could be a failure and represent death. His left hand was about to give way, his two feet as well. Without the grip of his right hand, would that be the end? What could he do? Had he wasted his time? Was his desire to live that much? Could he repent, go back in time, and acknowledge that he was wrong?

"No! I don't want to live a life of regrets. If I made the decision, I'm going to try. To the end! Otherwise, I wouldn't even have started. To the end, even if I lose my hands, my feet, my eyes, or my mind. Still, to the end. So I can't keep climbing, huh? Who here has the authority to stop me from continuing?" he shouted as loudly as he could. The roar felt liberating, and the large stone he carried on his shoulders fell away from him, just as it burst the rope that tied the wagon to his neck.

With his right hand, the little one took the horn and struck the bark. It wasn't deep enough; it could split, so he had to do it again. Holding on with his left claw and his toenails, Rey continued to pound the log. Both his feet failed, but not his right hand or what he held in it. With the horn buried he had a chance to let the edge of his nails regenerate so he could position himself to stab at the tree again. The climbing process became less monotonous for the little guy. After that moment, whenever he could, he would put a piece of bark in his mouth, chew it, and swallow it. He also drank the sap before it froze and rested on the spot and then continued to do so until he felt hungry and repeated the process. The air became more violent, and the temperature even colder as he ascended.

Suddenly a huge black shadow passed behind the little one.

Rey pressed his teeth together, at the same time pulling up the corners of his lips. He thought he was the only one awake, but he was happy to be wrong. Without a second thought he jumped into the void as fast as he could. This enemy was different: unlike the previous one, this one emitted bloodlust.

The black shadow passed again, and ten cracks opened on the trunk, at the height where the little one was. A shriek ensued.

Rey opened his hands and turned his body in the air with the intention of looking his opponent in the eyes. And there it was, an immense being whose outstretched wings reached up to three meters long. The feathered beast had dark brown eyes, a black beak towards the tip, though pale yellow at the beginning, two legs covered with feathers from which ten pairs of nails as curved and sharp as those of ligers peeked out. It was the other end of the local food triangle. These birds were the perfect predators of the unicorns. With their claws they would grab him and lift him into the air and then drop him, while the ligers were the natural predators of these birds, who were careless when they had to eat.

"At this height if I fall against the ground, not even by passing your tongue through the earth will you be able to consume from me. You'd better catch me," Rey said to himself with a plan in mind.

The great feathered animal shrank its wings, increasing the speed of its descent. At just the right moment, Rey slowed his fall by opening his limbs and positioning himself vertically to crash into his attacker. Dodging the edge of the claws aimed at him, the little one managed to bury two of the knives he carried in his belt inside the beast's mouth. The remaining dagger was left in the chest of the bird, which fell uncontrollably, and Rey jumped back to the tree.

The feathered beast could not open its wings in time, falling into the void with a crash. Rey could hear him thrashing against the branches of the small trees until he was out of sight.

"It was a good trade, my daggers for your heart," said the young man who had no sooner finished tasting his opponent's blood than he continued climbing as if nothing had happened.

The cry of some featherless chicks caught the attention of the little one. The one who had already forgotten to look up and just kept moving forward realized that he was already at the top of the tree. When he turned his head, he saw that he had not climbed the biggest tree, and even so, although there were fewer trunks, the blizzard was so thick and white that it even prevented him from seeing the tip of his own nose.

"So, this is the top," he said to himself. "It's much colder. I can hardly see anything. Oooh, by focusing on the ground I was not able to see the grandeur of the trees. By insisting on climbing I was not able to notice the top. By wanting to get to the top I tore another life from this world, and now that I am at the top, I still can't find my way. I am lost, making mistake after mistake, but I am still alive. I can't let the weight of doubt return. Amended as many times as I can a product of bad decisions made; I will keep moving forward regardless of the consequences.”

He could hear the desperate shrieks just above, as if guiding him to keep climbing.

"They are not to blame; they are going to die without their mother's warmth. I must take responsibility. As much as it pains me..."

The little one, guided by the sound of the hungry chicks, reached their nest and after preparing his right claw, with one thrust he extinguished the life of those who cried and then devoured them without wasting a single piece of meat. The nest was warm, the structure offered good cover from the blizzard and a pleasant smell of new life. It was a house on high that had been built with a lot of hard work and dedication, Rey noted.

"I said I didn't want to live a life of regrets, so I can't regret it," he said to himself. "It's nice to have a family to protect you."

Rey remembered how on the other side of a lake of light he could see a whole family of felines playing, family which made him feel sad at the time.

"I can't think about that, not now. I must keep moving forward. I have someone waiting for me and it depends on me... someone I will learn to take care of, so I won't live alone anymore."