Louis was sitting on a rock in a pine forest. Beams of light came in through the trees and light up the snow that sparkled sunlight. Louis was strangely cold and saw a beam of sunlight two feet away. He scooted across the rock and sat in the sunlight. It was…cold. Even the sun beams were cold. They were colder than the rock.

He looked to his left and saw Lori sitting there. The sunlight shone on her brown hair and her gold and green eyes looked like they were looking right into him. Like she was watching his soul and thoughts bounce around in his brain. Their eyes meet and all of a sudden the harsh cold disappeared and the world became warm. They both started leaning toward each other, their eyes closed and…Louis sat up suddenly. He was back in his grass nest in his room.

It was just a dream. Louis thought.

He quietly walked up out of his room, through the family room, and out of the burrow.

It was just a dream. It was just a dream. Louis told himself or was it? Before Louis could think anything else he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey buddy." Louis turned around and saw Manny standing behind him.

"Hi." Louis said.

Manny sat his trunk on the ground and Louis stood on it. Manny lifted it up to his tusk and Louis sat down on it.

"Are you ok?" Manny asked

Louis sighed.

"I don't know." Louis answered. He pulled up one leg and hugged it to his chest.

"Wanna talk about it?" Manny asked.

"Do you wanna hear about it?" Louis asked in turn.

"Sure, I have time." Manny answered.

"Ok, so, there's this girl, and I know I have feelings for her but I don't know what they are. I had feelings before for-" Louis paused and looked up at Manny who was listening intently.

"Someone." Louis finished.

"Peaches, I know." Manny said.

"Really?" Louis asked in surprise.

"Louis, everyone knew. Why do you think we call you Weiner?"

"Ok, well, it's not the same. The feeling is different." Louis explained.

"Ah, it seems that you have a case of L-O-V-E my friend." Manny said.

"No way, it's just a weird crush." Louis said dismissively.

"Whatever you say, Weiner." Manny put Louis back on the ground.

"Thanks for the talk sir." Louis thanked him.

"Anytime." Manny said cheerfully and Louis disappeared back into the burrow.

VVV

Lori woke up panting with sweat dripping down her face. She needed air.

She climbed up the tunnel to the front room and exited the burrow, and immediately after her head was outside took a deep breath and let the cool night air that greeted her fill her lungs and calm her down.

She fully left the burrow. Lori had so many emotions stacked up inside her. Surprise, grief, sadness, loss, loneliness, she couldn't bare it and sunk down into sadness. She sat down next to the burrow entrance, put her head in her hands, and sobbed.

It was the dream, no, nightmare that left her like this. It happened every Monday; this nightmare would come back and haunt her, right on schedule since she was six.

She was with another little boy drawing in the dirt with sticks. She would tell him she was hungry and go inside the burrow, and get something from the pantry. And, on her way out, her mom would always be standing in her path, asking her if she left the little boy outside. She always said yes, her mom always ran up and out of the burrow, and the little boy was always gone.

Obviously this was traumatizing for Lori. The disappearance of her brother had always been a mystery. He had most likely been picked up by a bird, but it could have been many things. Lori had been inside for a couple minutes, so it could have been a choice of predators.

One more thing also happened on schedule every day, Lori blamed herself. If she had never gone inside, maybe he would still be there.

She had started walking and now saw a large shape against the lightening sky. It looked like a mammoth, so Lori tunneled over to see if she knew them.

When she popped up out of the ground she saw walking next to her Manny who was delved in his thoughts, but snapped out of it when he saw Lori and stopped walking.

"What are you doing here?" Lori asked.

"I could ask you the same question." Manny said smiling.

Lori must have looked bothered because Manny picked her up and sat her down on his tusk facing him.

"What's eating ya kid? You look down." Manny asked as he started walking again.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Lori said sadly.

"You're going to have to at some point. Maybe that's why I'm here." He said keeping his eyes on the trail.

"You're probably right." Lori said, taking a deep breath. "When I was little, I lost someone important to me because of a decision I did, or didn't, make and I can never re-do it. Every Monday I have a horrible nightmare about it." Lori explained, tears coming to her eyes.

"Who did you lose?" Manny asked.

"My brother." Lori answered, sniffling.

"Want to tell me about him?" Manny asked gently.

"He was, funny, nice, and smart, I was the crazy one and he was like the voice of reason."

"I know how you feel." Manny said, wiping away her tears with his trunk.

"I used to have a mate and calf before Peaches and Ellie. I decided to move my family to The Alps early, to get past the hunters, and maybe my family would be safe. We didn't take the regular route. Right before the climb up the mountains there was a cliff, and instead of climbing up before and walking along the edge of the cliff we stayed below it, but they were waiting for us, and I couldn't protect my family. I learned later in life that if they had never died, than I never would have meet Ellie, or had Peaches. And that," He paused, now totally spaced out. "is a gift." He ended.

Lori was stunned. That was such a dramatic past for such a mellow guy.

"Just remember that everything happens for a reason. A good friend once told me 'you gotta let go of the past' and I believed him, and look at where I am now." Manny said.

"You know, if my bother never disappeared, than I never would have met all of you." Lori said.

"You mean you never would have meet Louis?" Manny asked.

Lori blushed. "You know about that?" She asked

"Nope, just a lucky guess. You're good at hiding it, just don't hide it forever." Manny warned her.

Lori turned around, and the sun was starting to rise. Her parents would be looking for her.

"I gotta go, my parents will be wondering where I am. Thanks for talking." Lori thanked him.

"Anytime." Manny said putting her back on the ground. Lori burrowed away toward her families burrow.

"Anytime." Manny said, walking off toward The Oak Tree.

Manny: 1pt

ha ha. We will learn more about Lori's brother as the story goes on.