FANG POV
Four hours later, I realized I was going to have to stop. I hadn't slept for over twenty four hours, and I had been carrying Max's body -- no, I had been carrying Max -- for almost all of that time. I was exhausted, and, although I didn't want to admit it to myself, I was desperately in need of a little food and a few hours sleep. If I passed out in the air, I was going to drop Max. That wouldn't be so good.
I landed in the forest and immediately there was a problem. What was I going to do with Max? If I left her in the woods, some animal might come and… I didn't want to think about that. But I obviously couldn't carry her with me to get food. So I would have to catch something.
Catching food is something I'm not proud of. None of us like killing anything. But it was the squirrel or Max, and the decision was obvious.
Sorry, squirrel.
I put Max down next to the fire so she'd stay warm as I worked on her. I ripped up the rest of the two jackets from my backpack and also ripped up the t-shirt I was wearing under my shirt and wrapped them around her stomach to protect the gashes on her sides, and I wrapped up the worst parts on her arms and legs, too. I got water from the river and washed off the worst of the blood on her and even splinted a few of her broken fingers. There wasn't much else I could do for her, so I left it at that. Stretching out on the other side of the fire, I was suddenly a little nervous about going to sleep. You always had someone on watch, always.
But it was just me now.
I missed the Flock more than ever. Were they all right? I felt a stab of guilt realizing that I was slowing down my progress to save them by bringing Max along. But the choice was another obvious one. I wasn't leaving Max. I was doing the best I could, and that was that. No way around it.
I sighed and closed my eyes, promising myself I would wake up with the sun in about two hours. That's all the sleep I needed. No, I needed more, but that was all the sleep I could afford right now.
"G'night, Max," I whispered into the silent forest. The wind snatched up my words and carried them off, maybe as far as wherever Max was right now.
Maybe just across the fire to the ears that didn't hear a thing I was saying.
"Miss you," I continued. I turned on my side and closed my eyes, reminding myself to wake up in two hours. Maybe an hour and a half.