Mei skipped happily through some luscious green meadows on her way home to Sawa Sawa mountain. The warm and fuzzy feeling that her time with Gabu had left her with still remained. After a while she tired herself out and began to walk the rest of the way. She wished she'd be able to spend all her time with Gabu, it would be much easier if he was a goat so he could be a part of her herd. After this thought she almost immediately mentally scolded herself for it. She loved Gabu completely. wolf and all and shouldn't want him to be any different. Now she instead wanted Gabu to be able to be apart of the herd, as a wolf even if the idea seemed very surrealistic. If she only could explain about Gabu to the others and make them understand. Feeling a little depressed, she began thinking about what the herd was up to. Grandma and Tap were probably worried sick as usual but since she had disappeared during a wolf attack she wouldn't blame them. Her lips formed a small smile as she was nearing Sawa Sawa mountain, it would at least feel nice to be home. She jogged the remaining distance when she spotted the herd. Fortunately the herd wasn't having any meeting so she didn't interrupt anything important. She was greeted very cheerfully by the slightly shocked herd. Their excited voices quieted down when Mei's grandma reached the circle that had formed around Mei.
"Mei..."
Before being able to speak, she felt the air exit her lungs as her grandma embraced her in a surprisingly strong hug. A hollow feeling grew in Mei's chest as she felt tears against her pelt and heard her grandma's shaky voice.
"...I thought I had lost you..."
"Please, don't cry, I'm fine..."
"Where were you? I was worried sick... and ready to start grieving."
"I'm so sorry, I just... panicked when the wolves came. I got lost and couldn't find my way back to the herd."
"How did you make it out of there alive?"
"I just found a good hiding place and waited until the wolves left, that's why it took so long..."
"It's alright, I'm just glad you're safe but please be more careful!"
"I will I..."
Mei couldn't finish her sentence as her grandmother squeezed her a little too hard once again. She didn't complain, she just felt relieved seeing a much happier look on her face. The circle around them had quietly left, not wanting to intrude. They didn't notice that one goat remained until he coughed before speaking.
"Sorry, if I'm interrupting..."
"Oh hi Tap, not at all, is there something on your mind?"
"I'd like to Mei... in private, if it's okay."
"Oh sure! I'll leave you two to it!"
Mei gulped as her grandma left them. She'd had a very hard time having to lie straight into her grandma's face and it wouldn't be any easier with Tap. She prepared for the scolding that was to come when Tap opened his mouth.
"Are you okay?"
"Huh? Well, I guess so..."
"So, can you tell me exactly what happened back at Boro Boro hill?"
"Well... I just got behind the rest of the herd and got lost."
"You didn't sneak away intentionally or anything?"
"What? No..."
"And here I thought you could tell the truth for once! Why don't you trust me?"
"What are you...?"
"I saw you! Sneaking away, leaving the rest of us!"
"I was just..."
"Going to see a friend? Do you mind telling me who?"
"I can't tell you, how did you know?"
"I saw that friend of yours, that wolf!"
Mei just stared at him in disbelief, tears forming in her eyes. They had been caught, just because she was stupid enough to get followed. Was her life with Gabu over?
"Have you told anyone else?"
"Not yet, I'd like to hear your explanation before I decide what to do."
"Well... Gabu isn't like the other wolves, he's..."
"You named it?"
"He already had a name, they have families too, you know."
"How would I know that? I can't really go up and chat with them, unless I want to get eaten!"
"Gabu wouldn't eat you..."
"How could you know that?"
"He said he wasn't going to eat goats anymore."
"And you took his word for it? How can you be so naive? Let me guess, he's a vegetarian!"
"He has to eat meat, it's not like he has a choice..."
"And that makes it okay? Who knows how many lives he has ended just to sustain his own..."
"Shut up! I don't care what Gabu has had to do! I still... love him!"
"You... love him? What the hell is wrong with you? We've been friends for as long as I can remember and you just met that monster!"
"Gabu isn't a monster, he's the kindest person I..."
"Enough! If you're too blind to realize the danger I'll have to tell the others. This is everyone's problem now!"
"Wait, please don't!"
Tap walked off with a hurt, angry and determined expression on his face. Due to fear and desperation, Mei quickly chased after him trying to stop him. He ignored her attempts to hold him back and didn't listen to her pleads. Suddenly Tap stopped, causing her to bump into him. She realized that they both had walked in right in the middle of a meeting. She didn't listen to what the others were saying, she just watched as Tap's speech changed their expression from shock to disbelief to fear and disgust. Their judging and piercing gaze struck her with fear and immobilized her. When Mei looked at her grandmother for support she was only met with a look of sadness and disappointment, making a feeling of abandonment overtake her. Suddenly a question from the elder goat caught Mei's attention.
"Mei! Is what Tap has told us the truth?"
She felt sick to her stomach and could hardly breathe. Feeling like there was no point to keep the lie going, she nodded meekly. Hearing the gasps and whispers around her made her tremble slightly as she tried to block them out by focusing on the elder goat's speech.
"I'm just as shocked you all are, never in my whole life have I heard about anything like this happening. Seeing as this is a very unusual situation, I'll need some time to decide what action we should take. For now Mei will have to be exiled to ensure our herds safety"
Mei's heart began pounding and her breathing became shallower at the mention of exile. From what she'd heard it was punishment for very serious crimes and was rarely given among the goats. She would be completely restricted and not be able to roam around freely. Considering the herd was likely to disown her, she'd not only be isolated from Gabu but also from everyone else. Her legs began to feel weak and her vision became distorted. As she felt her legs give away, everything around her was replaced with darkness.
