Mei shivered violently against the cold night air as he trudged up the mountain where he had last seen Gabu. He had forgotten how taxing it was to walk through such an unforgiving environment. In the past few hours he had covered quite a bit of ground. He wasn't sure when the last time he felt grass underneath his hooves was. Now, all he could feel was cold earth. Although the full moon did a decent job at illuminating the desolate mountaintops ahead, he could not see much of anything in the immediate vicinity.

What exactly did he expect to see? Why would his friend be here, if he was alive at all? And if he were alive, would Gabu even want to see him again? After all, it had been months since they were separated in the avalanche. He could have found a new pack for all he knew.

Of course, he knew that the chances of Gabu being alive were becoming increasingly remote. He didn't want to entertain the thought, but in the back of his mind, he knew there was a chance that he would find the body of a wolf without his friend inside.

As the ground beneath Mei gradually became steeper, he squinted to get a better look at the highlands ahead of him. As far as he could see, there was less snow on the mountaintops now than there was during the winter. Still, this place was not nearly warm enough for comfort, and steadily getting colder with every foot of altitude.

And snowier. Mei leapt back in surprise the first time he felt snow under his hoof. The ground was now a mix of rock and ice. At least he knew was getting closer to finding answers.

The little goat traveled onward, until finally he came upon a place that seemed strangely familiar. Looking back to see how far he had come he was shocked to see the Emerald Forest so far below, dimly visible in the moonlight. He realized that, except for the lack of daylight, this was exactly the same place he first viewed it from. He had finally reached the highlands where he had last seen Gabu.

The air was freezing, and Mei's surroundings were covered in a thin blanket of permanent snow. He looked for any sign of life, shivering. There had to be some kind of animal that lived up here that would know about Gabu. Another owl maybe, or even a small shrew must make its home here. However, there was nothing around him but cold snow and gusts of piercing wind. He was completely alone in this unforgiving wasteland.

Yet the place still had a strong feeling of familiarity. Though it was hard to tell, one of the many small hills up here could have been where Gabu had heroically dug a snow den for him to hide in. At last, he came upon a peculiar slope. Unlike the rocky ground he had walked on earlier, this land was quite smooth. While the snow on top was only hoof deep, it gradually got deeper as it went down. He didn't need an explanation to know that caused this. Alerting himself to any possible signs of life, he carefully descended. As he went down, he noticed snow seemed to pile up at one point near the bottom where several rocks were gathered. Was this where the avalanche had stopped?

Being a goat, Mei had superb night vision, and this meant that, even in the blackness of the night, he could make out half a dozen or so dark-colored rocks against the icy white backdrop. He decided to hop on one to get a better view of this area. However, as soon as he put a hoof on one of the rocks, he recoiled in horror feeling it sink into something the frozen corpse of a wolf. As he squinted he could make out that it had four legs and a head with a muzzle and a single ear.

"Giro," he whispered in to himself. The evil wolf who had endangered his entire pack in order to hunt the two of them now lay still as the empty night sky. Mei could not help but feel a twinge of pity for the creature. Why would nature have it that this beast should perish in the snow, while he, the weakest one, should survive?

Mei could make out that at least half of Giro's pack made this slope their final resting place. He moved onto the next dark furry shape. He recognized this one as Barry, Giro's second in command. He spent a moment contemplating each body, some that he recognized, others that he didn't. There was Zack, and his twin brother Beech, the two that had discovered their hiding spot, forcing them to flee for their lives. Yet, their pursuit was would eventually bring on their demise. Mei had found them terrifying when they were alive, but now seeing their lifeless shapes, he felt sorry them. Like Gabu, they needed to eat, and they found strength in their pack, with their own kind. Yet, he realized, whether we make it to old age, or get eaten young, we all face the endless void eventually. Could he really judge any of them for obeying the leader of their pack, the one that helps them eat to survive another day? If everyone is just playing the cruel role nature gave them, why should anyone be judged for following the instincts that they are victim to?

If Mei still had any hope left, it left him when he came upon the last corpse. Here, the face every nerve in his body had once told him to fear, yet that he had come love so much, had no spark of life. Gabu's once lively body lay stiff on its side, preserved by the permanently frozen environment around it.

Mei did not cry; he did not so much as whimper at the sight of Gabu's corpse. He was merely relieved to finally know the fate of his beloved friend. Mei gazed down with loving admiration at the body that had once been so full of life. His friend may have died, but he had lived a more authentic life than any other wolf. Using his remaining energy, he curled up against the wolf's belly, which had long since lost any of its familiar warmth.

"I made it, Gabu," he murmured as he rubbed his face against the frozen fur. "The Emerald Forest is real. It really is as beautiful as you said it would be." He giggled, "but what good is the most beautiful place in the world if I have no one to share it with?"

Curiously, as he lay against the corpse of the wolf, staring at the rising full moon, Mei felt a wonderful peace he hadn't felt in a long time. In fact, he almost laughed at his situation. How utterly unlikely it was for any of this to happen at all! Every law of nature dictated that predator and prey are never to mingle. For millions of years, all creatures lived and died in constant fear of their surroundings, never finding a place beyond their worries, a love that overcomes their pathetic animal instincts. To every animal, other species were either prey or enemies, but never friends. All odds in the universe were against a goat and a wolf ever becoming friends at all. Yet, against these odds, Gabu and he had become the truest friends the natural world had ever seen. How beautiful it was! To be one of the few creatures to experience a love that transcends the most fundamental law of nature, even for such a short time, Mei had to be the luckiest goat on Earth!

But now, it was time for it this beautiful story to end. If he could not live without Gabu, then there would be no greater way to die than curled up in his embrace, watching the full moon for the last time. In this freezing weather, and in his weakened state, he reckoned he only had a few hours before nature finally took his life and he would join Gabu in the void. Soon he would lose consciousness, and the body of a goat would freeze to that of a wolf in eternal rest. At last, he would never be alone again.

Mei closed his eyes.