The colorful forest gleamed in the morning summer sun. The deep blue ocean rolled gently onto the shore. The howls of the pack made us feel safe and relaxed. My jet black paws scratched the Earth as I waited to pounce. I tackled my brother and sent him flying down the hill. Mom called us for dinner.

When we arrived at the mouth of the cave, mom had a freshly killed bison calf lying on the dirt covered floor. We quickly ate the food and ran towards the mouth of the cave. Mom stopped us. Her majestic silver coat shimmered in the mid-day sun. We knew to sit and listen to what she had to say. The pack always listened when she talked. Her wise but soft voice was well known throughout the island. “Be careful when you go outside”, she warned. “The walking apes have been spotted close to our territory.” “Be on high alert while you are playing.” Her warning had me on edge.

As we walked toward the clearing were we played, I kept thinking about what mom said. The island was always free from danger before. There were never any threats to watch for. I hoped the pack would take care of the problem fast.

When we got back home, we found mom sleeping on her soft straw bedding. I curled up next to her and almost instantly fell asleep. While asleep, I dreamt about the island. It was
huge. In my dream, I had to protect the island from the walking apes or it would be destroyed. But in my dream, there was no mom.

I woke up abruptly because a mosquito bit my ear. Mom was pacing at the mouth of the cave. When she went into the light, I noticed a large gash on her front right leg. I wanted to ask her what happened but she gave me no answer. I was very worried.

Weeks went by and mom was still on edge all of the time. I wished the walking apes would just go away but they never did. The pack was patrolling more often and almost every week, a new pack member was missing. Nobody would tell us what was happening. I wanted more than anything in the world for things to be normal again.

When I fell asleep, I woke up repeatedly. When it was light out, I woke up but mom was nowhere to be found. I smelt blood. Mom’s blood! The more I walked towards the mouth of the cave, the more I knew she wasn’t coming back. I was scared. The only thing I could think about was “Mom’s gone.”