(A/N) Most of this chapter is a flashback, but it's good!

-start flashback-

"Was that a good supper, honey?" asked Julia. "Yes, absolutely delicious!" replied Maika. "Well, I'm going to go and water the crops for a bit... You sure look tired! Maybe take a nap, ok?" Julia kissed Maika and went outside gleefully. Maika slowly walked to his bed and pulled the covers over himself. "I love her so much..." he thought to himself, drifting off to sleep. He slept very comfortably with the sun slightly setting, emitting it's ever-dazzling glow of red as it neared the horizon.

"CATS! WAKE UP MAIKA, THERE'RE CATS!" Maika sleepily looked at his friend who was flailing his arms. "COME ON MAIKA! WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!" Maika quickly rose out of his bed and looked around. "Where's my wife, Julia?" Maika remembered that before he took a nap, Julia went outside. "Where... where is she?" Maika's friend looked at him with sullen eyes and said in a low tone, "Maika... The cats came from the east fence first, and they've managed to work their way near the houses... Julia was at... the ea... the east-"

"I know DAMN well where the crops are!" Maika shouted. "Oh no, my poor Julia... Maybe I can still save her!"

"Think, Maika! The cats got there FIRST, and there's not a lotta protection in that area. I'm sorry... but there's nothing you can do..."

"...Alright... I'll gather some food and water from the storage place while you tell everybody else about the cats, ok? You can run quicker than me, so after you tell everybody about the cats have them assemble at the hole in the old tree in the field. Quickly!"

"Right, gotcha!" Maika's friend ran off in a hurry as Maika rushed to his pantry, then the village's storage area, and then to the hole in the old tree.

"Julia... I couldn't save you..." Tears began to fill his heavy eyes. "I'm so sorry..." He sat down on a patch of soft dirt inside the base of the tree. Night had set in and he was exhausted from all the running around he did. "I guess all I can do is wait now. I hope everybody made it out OK..." Maika got back up and went to the preservatives he brought. After placing a large bag over them to protect them from other animals, he sat down and laid against the pile, drifting to sleep in the dark tree.

When he woke up, he scanned the tree to see if anyone had come. It was getting light outside, but nobody was around. "Hello?" Maika confusingly asked. "Hello?" He began to get nervous, so he went to the bag of food and took a sunflower seed and began to krpmkrmp.

He finished and still there was nobody. He looked outside and there was nobody, and back inside again with still nobody. After waiting for a few more minutes, he decided to ask Harmony if she knew where any of his friends were.

Maika took a twig from outside and reached in his pocket, taking out the orb and three bells. He carefully carved an indent at the top of the twig and attached the accessories. Soon, Harmony appeared.

Harmony looked as if she hadn't slept all night. "WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU GOT A HOLD OF ME! I WAS UP ALL NIGHT WAITING FOR YOU TO WAKE UP!" Maika was still depressed thinking of his wife, which made Harmony feel pretty bad about yelling at him. "I'm sorry Maika... I know what happened..."

"Then can you tell me where everybody else is? They should have been here HOURS ago!"

"About ten minutes after you exited the little tunnel that leads outside to this tree, one of the cats jumped on the top of it on this side. It created a blockade so the others couldn't get out... The dirt on the other side was very soft, and the cats dug easily into it... and it only took them a few minutes for them... to get inside the tunnel..."

"You mean... there's nobody?" Maika was devastated as Harmony slowly nodded her head. "No... but... didn't ANYBODY come out? Anyone at all?"

"I'm sorry, Maika. You're the only one."

"Isn't there anything I can do?"

"It's too late for them... We can hold a memorial service later, but I think you should leave here as quickly as you can. The cats have moved into this area so it's getting dangerous. To the west I've been told there are more ham-hams, so there should be plenty of shelter there. I don't know much about them since my ham-goddess friend only quickly traveled through that area. She told me that they seem friendly, though."

"I guess I don't have much choice... You should go back so we have a better chance of sneaking around." As Harmony began to disappear, Maika gathered his belongings and set out to the west, carefully checking every few minutes around him for hungry cats.

After half a day of walking and resting he came to a large patch of trees. He set his bag of food at a tree near the center of the patch and rested, gazing above at the sunlight poking through the bunched leaves. He liked to follow the golden rays down to see where they landed - sometimes on a moss flower, or on some grass, or a patch of dirt, or...?

Maika stood up and walked to what seemed to be a very large leaf. After looking around it, he walked to the tip of the leaf and walked near the middle. "I know I hear something... but what is it? It's getting louder..." A minute later, Maika had come to the stem.

"It's... this lil guy..." Maika came closer to a baby-ham that was wrapped in a few leaves. "Hmm... No notes anywhere so someone didn't leave this fella... How did you get here anyways? Well, I guess I'll just have to take you along with me!" The little baby-ham smiled and giggled as Maika lifted her up. "It's weird... I feel really strange holding you... like I've felt this sensation many times before..." Maika shook off the feeling and went to wrap the baby in some cloth he had ripped from his shirt. He carried the baby along with the bag of preservatives and continued westward.

(A/N) The next chapter's gonna finish the flashback, so I'll progress with the real-time storyline after that! Oh, and I think the next chapter's gonna be a bit shorter.