K, short author's note: I love you guys and will try to incorporate any suggestions you have (hint hint) LOVE YA! Ttfn (ta ta for now)

BTW, Alex does have human ears, they just don't work, they're there for decoration purposes only.

Snake sent a remorseful look at Alex. It had been a week since the revelation. Alex was even more closed off than ever. Snake had found out more details about him, such as: he has a tail, and can see in the dark. The unit was standing at the edge of a large cliff. Wolf and Eagle were in charge of carrying the climbing gear. They were supposed to climb down this mountain and set up camp in a secure location. It was part of their survival training.

"Wheeeeee" Eagle shouted as he zoomed down the line to the bottom.

"That's not how it's done Eagle" Eagle had practically free fallen off the edge. Fox attached his gear and went down in large leaps. Snake followed him, Wolf was supposed to go next, but something was stopping him.

Almost invisibly, Wolf was shaking. He looked over the edge and quickly pulled his head back. "Oi…" he muttered. Wolf jumped when a hand was placed gently on his shoulder. He turned and faced Cub. He had forgotten that the boy was there. Probably to make fun of his silly fear.

"What do you want, double-oh-nothing (AW HECK YEAH!)?" He expected a smirk and than for the brat to upstage him, but he didn't. Alex gave a small smile and nodded at the cliff.

"Being brave is not being fearless, it's having the ability to overcome those fears." Alex whispered this at Wolf and continued nodding his head at the cliff's edge. There was some faint yelling from over the side. The rest of the unit was beginning to wonder where they were. Alex gave Wolf another smile, this one Wolf returned and he made his way down the cliff.

*Line break*

The sun was just setting below the horizon. The unit had gotten a bright, blazing fire going. The fire was casting long, dancing shadows over the trees and all the soldiers were looking relaxed and satisfied.

"By the way, I meant to ask you, what happened earlier?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." It was so obvious that Eagle was suggesting the 'cliff incident', but Wolf didn't want to admit that anything happened.

"I was having second thoughts, and Wolf helped me." Everyone got silent when the boy spoke. It was the first time that he had spoken in front of Eagle or Fox, and only the second for the other two. Alex blushed slightly and pulled his knees in closer to his chest.

"Awww! Wolfie! I didn't know you were so nice!"

"Yeah, well don't get used to it." Wolf sent Alex a thankful look and Cub smiled back slightly. Snake noticed the exchange and smiled to himself. Fox and Eagle started feeling left out, so they smiled too.

Soon it became a lovely, cliché campfire scene. They all sang happy campfire songs and roasted marshmallows. Everyone thought it was normal until…

(I had the strange urge to leave off here but I'm not that mean)

... Fox jumped dramatically.

"Cub! What's wrong with your eyes!?" Alex and Snake had forgotten that the other three unit members didn't know about his glowing eyes. His eyes didn't actually glow, they just happened to reflect light like a, you guessed it, cat. It was one of the reasons that Alex looked like he was wearing eyeliner beneath his eyes. In a cat, the dark markings under their eyes were a symbol that they were a hunter. The lines reflected light into their eyes making it easier to see in the dark.

Alex shrugged and pulled his knees even closer. He looked like he was trying to curl up into himself.

"They're contacts."

Eagle jumped up and ran at Cub. Staring him in the eyes he said "really!? I want some! That is so cool!" Alex shrugged again, standing up, he turned and went into his tent. The tents were suited for two men each. Since there were five people, Snake and Alex shared one, Eagle and Fox shared another and Wolf, being the leader and the one to assign the positions, got his own.

Snake opened the flap of the tent, he was hoping to talk to the boy, but his position with his face towards the wall said quite clearly that he was in no mood to talk.

"Cub?" Alex stayed as he was, not moving. "I know what you did for Wolf." It was more a simple statement and Alex still didn't react.

Snake started to drift off to sleep. Right before he flew off to dreamland, he heard a voice. He wasn't sure if he imagined it or not.

"Goodnight, Snake"

*line break*

Snake stretched, well as much as he could in his small tent, and rolled over. The pallet next to him was cold. Alex wasn't there. There was no warmth left in the sheets so it was obvious that it had been a while. Snake sat up straight. Where had he gone? What if he was hurt? Or kidnapped? Thoughts chased themselves around in his brain.

He went outside the tent. Wolf and Eagle were heating up the remainders of last night's rations over a small fire. Fox was leaning up against a large tree sharpening a branch with a knife, and Cub… was nowhere to be found.

"Morning sleeping beauty," Snake waved a hand in greeting.

"Have you seen Cub this morning?"There were shakes of heads all around the campsite.

"Did he go missing?" There was a hint of panic in Wolf's voice. If they had lost Cub, or gotten him killed, there were to be serious consequences.

"should we go looking for him?"

"Yay! A scavenger hunt! First one to find Cub gets… this chocolate bar!"

"No, Eagle, we're not going on a 'scavenger hunt', and why do you have chocolate?" Fox started chasing Eagle around the clearing, striving for a bite of chocolate, while the 'adults' talked.

"I think the best thing to do is to wait here and see if he comes back."

"What if he's hurt though?" Wolf pondered this for a moment more.

"If he's not back by sunset, we'll go looking." The day passed by slowly, they had eaten the last of their food at breakfast and by lunch-time, they were starving. Eagle had come back from a scouting mission with a couple of berries and edible bark, they did their best to enjoy it, but it just wasn't the same as real food.

"Did you hear that?" It was about two o'clock in the afternoon. There was a slight rustling in the bushes to the right.

"Show yourself!" Wolf was desperately hoping that it was a person and not some sort of monster badger.

Cub stepped out of the shadows looking sheepish. Over his back he had a string with five large fish on it.

"Cub! You're back! And you have food!" Snake quickly checked Alex over, concluding that he had not been hurt. Fox and Eagle were in charge of skinning the fish and Wolf pulled Alex aside for a little talk.

"Don't leave camp again without someone with you ok!" Alex nodded "but, um, thanks for the fish." Alex smiled widely and they all enjoyed a lovely dinner of red snapper and berries.

A/N: Kind of a crappy ending, I know. I hope that the length of this chapter makes up for last chapter. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. :D