Gabu moaned as the empty feeling in his stomach forced him to awaken from his slumber. He now understood why no wolves hunted there. After leaving Mei he'd had to spend almost all of his remaining time to hunt for what little food there was. Looking up towards the sun he realized it was already midday. Considering he had hunted long into the night and hadn't found a suitable shelter until it was nearly dawn, this didn't surprise him too much. He pushed through the branches of the fallen tree he had slept under and got up before stretching his back. The tree hadn't been the the most comfortable place to sleep but on the bright side there was a lake not too far from it. Even if he couldn't satiate his hunger he would at least be able to clench his thirst.

As he wandered towards the lake he started to think about finding a better place to stay. He knew that if he tried to stay by the lake permanently he'd probably reach the brink of starvation and he didn't like being hungry for various reasons. Upon reaching the lake he almost gasped. The vibrant colours of the trees and flower patches in combination with the serene and crystal clear lake made for a breathtaking scene. The previous night's darkness hadn't made the lake's beauty justice. While lapping up some water the lake's reflection showed that his face and fur were rather filthy. Keeping clean hadn't been his top priority but seeing it was a warm day, he jumped into the lake with a large splash. The water was perfect, cold enough to cool you down but not too cold. No one had ever really taught him how to swim but since the water was clear, he could see where it was shallow enough for him to walk. While looking down he realized that the lake had a small amount of fish in it. Since the fish kept to the deeper waters he thought that he might as well teach himself how to swim, not wanting to pass up a meal. Trying to mimic the movements of an otter he'd once seen, he managed keep himself on the surface without touching the bottom of the lake. After slowly swimming into deeper and deeper waters he became more and more confident. After a while he managed to catch enough fish to satiate his hunger. Feeling tired but satisfied he swam to shore to take a nap and dry himself off.

Mei groaned as she forced her eyes open. She was startled since she couldn't see anything but calmed down when her eyes adjusted to the darkness around her. Getting up from the hard and cold surface she'd been sleeping on, she felt a slight headache. She realized that she was standing in a cave, but how had she gotten there? Thinking back she remembered what had happened before everything had faded to black. It seemed a bit extreme to have dragged her to the cave while unconscious, she hoped that it had all been a nightmare but she highly doubted it. Looking around she spotted the cave's small light source and began walking towards it. A small smile appeared on her face as she reached the cave's small entrance. The bright light from outside was suddenly blocked by two goats.

"Oh... hi there! Do you mind... if I go outside?"

The two goats just ignored her and turned away from her, still blocking the exit. She wasn't really familiar with the goats but she still felt a bit hurt. It made sense that she wasn't guarded by anyone she knew too well, the elder goat wouldn't have picked her grandma or Tap. Just as she was about to give up, she felt a deep hunger in her stomach.

"Excuse me! Could I go out to eat, I'm really hungry..."

Still no answer. As she waited her hunger grew more and more. After awhile she was nearly on the verge of tears when she heard a loud rumbling emitting from her stomach. To her surprise, this made one of the goats react and he began talking to the other.

"She really seems hungry. It couldn't hurt to let her out for awhile, right? As long as we keep an eye on her."

"Sure, as long as she doesn't try anything funny."

"I won't, I promise!"

To her relief the goat seemed to take her word for it, since he moved out of the way. She quickly ran outside towards a patch of grass in case they were going to change their mind. They still seemed to want as little to do with her as possible but she was now far too occupied with gobbling up the area's grass to care. After eating herself full she began pretending to eat so that she could stay outside as long as possible. It was a very pleasant day and the sound of birds singing in the trees soothed her. She became a little depressed when she realized that she wouldn't be able to explore the beautiful day or even talk to anyone, she missed Gabu. While thinking about Gabu she suddenly remembered that she had promised to meet him. Now she began to get a little anxious, she knew Gabu wouldn't be mad at her but he'd probably get really worried. Being deep in thought she failed to see the goat which approached her until she heard a familiar voice.

"Learned your lesson?"

Looking up she found Tap with a smug expression on his face. When he looked back at her, his expression quickly changed into one of guilt.

"Sorry... are you okay?"

"Not really..."

"Well... the elder goat can be a little harsh but you know he's just looking out for the herd, right?"

"I guess..."

"Hey... maybe I can talk him into loosing up a little on the punishment..."

He was interrupted by one of the other goats who seemed a little irritated.

"Hey, are you done yet. She has to go back inside!"

"Okay, just a minute!"

He turned back to Mei, speaking a bit more quietly.

"I have to go now but I'll be back as soon as I can. Hopefully you don't have to stay here too much longer, see you later!"

"Yeah, bye."

She stood and watched as he began walking off to the rest of the herd. Her eyes were focused solely on the direction he had wandered to until an irratated voice told her to go back into the cave. Even if she was still a little angry with Tap she knew his heart was in the right place. As she entered the dark cave once again she felt a bit sad that Tap had have to leave, she hated being alone. Since there was nothing else to do, she laid down on the cave floor to rest. Feeling depressed, she began thinking about the time she'd spent with Gabu instead of her current situation. These thoughts relaxed her enough to fall into a not entirely restless sleep.

Gabu felt incredibly rejuvenated as he opened his eyes. The hunger had yet to return to his stomach which made him feel much more at ease than he'd been the previous night. The orange light of the sunset made the lake even more beautiful than before and he just sat quietly, soaking in the sombre atmosphere. He couldn't wait to show the place to Mei. The huge grin on his face faded away when he realised something. He was supposed to have met Mei in the midday but it was almost evening now. Quickly getting up on his paws, he rushed towards the entrance of the forest in a state of panic. As much as he loved her curious nature, he knew it could easily get her into trouble. If she had grown bored waiting for him she could either have gone looking for him or just gone home. When he reached his destination he felt completely lost. Mei was nowhere to be seen or smelled and he knew there was no way for him to find her at this point. He could only hope she had gone home safely and not gotten too mad at him.

As he wandered back he tried not to worry or imagine what could have happened to her. Barry's attack on her came to mind, if he or anyone else in the pack ever hurt her he had no idea what he would do to them. Thinking about his old home, he remembered the clam that was still there. This would be as good of a time as any to get it back. Around this time most of the wolves were either out hunting or back home sleeping. Besides if something had happen to Mei... He quickly stopped this line of thinking, Mei was most definitely safe at home and he would just find the clam in Baku Baku valley. After walking for a while he reached the entrance to Baku Baku valley. It seemed pretty deserted but he made sure to keep in the shadows, just in case. Since the pack was rather large and his smell wasn't too distinguishable, he wouldn't be recognized, hopefully. While walking he suddenly heard the voices of some wolves not too far from him and immediately froze in place. After gathering his courage, he carefully move a little closer to hear their conversation.

"I don't know what's Giro is thinking, forcing us go after Gabu when we have much bigger problems."

"You know how he is, thinking about "honour". Besides he's probably still pissed off after that hunt at Boro Boro hill."

"I can't believe we didn't manage catch a single one..."

"Well, I heard that someone managed to catch a goat earlier today."

"Really?"

"Wipe that stupid smile of your face! It's not like we're getting any..."

Gabu had to struggle to sit still and silently as the wolves left the area. It was a miracle he hadn't started howling right there and then, Mei was dead! As he sat and sobbed quietly in the darkness a glimmer of hope forced it's way through his bleak thoughts. He couldn't be completely sure that goat really was Mei, it was highly likely but not entirely certain. With a determined look on his face he began up to climb upwards towards one of the valleys higher cliffs. This was where the wolves stored all their food and left overs. If there was any way to find out Mei's fate it would be there and whether she was dead or alive he'd make sure none of the wolves ever touched her again. Not wanting to look down, he focused on the highest point of the cliff. A puzzled expression spread over his face when he spotted a shadow moving above him. His expression became one of fear when he heard a familiar calling to him from above.

"Not surprising to see you here Gabu! You always were a greedy bastard!"

Gabu watched silently as he saw something very fast coming towards him. The small rock struck him with immense force which caused his grip to loosen from the rocky wall. He felt himself falling with a numb pain over his face as he could here Barry's cackling laughter over the howling wind. Gabu suddenly felt a quick but sharp pain over his body before his vision was abruptly cut to black.