Time passed and Avel and Hayyim grew close. Hayyim taught Avel the places to gather food, and other things he had learned about how to survive. Avel was almost happy. Though he could never quite forget how his mother abandoned him like she had. It still hurt. He still cried about it sometimes, though mostly at night after he was sure Hayyim was asleep.
Avel had helped Hayyim to make the cave more homey. Hayyim had explained that while he'd been orphaned two years ago, he'd been living in the cave for only a few weeks before Avel came.
One day Avel was out foraging for food. He and Hayyim took turns. Today was an especially good day. He'd found several edible plants that grew in winter time, plus he'd had a run in with a beaver. The beaver had been distracted that day and had caught too many fish for himself and his family. He gladly gave the excess to Avel.
When he arrived back at the cave, he was surprised not to smell smoke. Since it was always winter here, they had to keep a fire going constantly in the cave to stay warm enough. The fire was totally out, ashes thrown all over the place. The door was lying on the ground. There were signs of a scuffle, as well as scrapes n the floor as if someone had dragged Hayyim out of there. There was also a piece of paper, but he couldn't read what it said. Avel ran out into the snow again, calling, "Hayyim! Hayyim!" He ran as far as he could, but there was no sign of Hayyim. It was getting dark when he realized the awful truth. Hayyim was missing. He was all alone again. He went into the cave and, just like on the night when his mother had left him, wept.