A few hours later he was awakened by the sound of paws. He sat bolt upright, his ears straining. Was whoever it was who took Hayyim coming back for him? Then he heard a voice.

"This is it. This is the place, Emet. This is where you must stay," It was a voice of a female. Avel walked forwards until he was standing by the doorway of the cave. The moon was out and he could see it was two lion cubs. One was older than the other. The older one was a female. The younger one was male and was Avel's age.

"What are you doing here?" Avel asked.

The female cub looked at Avel suddenly, "Who are you?" she asked. Avel was silent. The female indicated the young male by her side. "This is my brother," she said. "I can't take care of him any more. I have to leave him here. Neither of us would survive if we stayed together. What else is there?"

Avel looked at the young male cub, obviously Emet. "You don't want to stay here, do you, Emet?" he asked.

"Nuhhh," came the reply. "Nuhhh."

"He doesn't talk," his sister added. "He won't be any trouble, and he doesn't eat much. You must take him."

Avel thought for a while. A companion would be good. Avel would teach Emet to live out here just like he had been taught by Hayyim.

"Can he hear?" Avel asked.

"Some," his sister said. "Reads lips very well if you go slowly. He just can't speak. He'll be no bother."

"Well," Avel said, "All right."

The female was suddenly brisk. "Emet," she ordered, "You must stay here."

"Nuhhh," Emet wailed, then began to cry. "Nuhhhh!"

"Hey," Avel said, coming out into the snow and standing near Emet. Emet looked at him. "I know how you feel, but it'll be all right."

Emet's sister walked away. "Stay here, Emet," she called. "Don't follow me."

"Come with me, Emet," Avel suggested gently, remembering too clearly the night his mother had abandoned him.

Snuffling, Emet followed Avel slowly into the cave. He turned around once and moaned, "Ahgh." It sounded as if he were trying to say the word sister.

That night they ate the food Avel had collected that morning and slept together, a small bundle of fur in the back of the cave. The next day they left Hayyim's cave. There were too many memories for Avel. Besides, he could never repair the damage. They started looking for a place of their own.

A few days later they were searching for food when Avel heard a voice say "Who's there?" It was a young voice. Out of a nearby cave came a young male lion cub, just about their age. His fur was filthy and matted. His eyes were marbled white and blue. He was blind. His head wagged back and forth as he tried to sniff out Avel and Emet. "I heard you," he said. "No use pretending you're not there. There are two of you. I know creatures who have fallen on hard times when I hear them. And smell them. What are your names?"

"Pretty good," Avel said. He and Emet each took one step towards the blind cub. "I'm Avel Lo-Ahavah, and this is Emet. He can't talk."

"What are you doing around here?" the cub asked.

"Trying to find…a new place to live. Our old one was destroyed," Avel said. Then, in an attempt to change the subject, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Ha-or Tov, meaning 'Good Light.'" The blind cub laughed, "My mother had a sense of humor, you see. She said I was the light of her life. She didn't mind that I was blind. I've never seen light, but it must be a happy thing. Like laughing. Warm like fire but never burning. We were very poor, but Mother laughed a lot."

"Where is she?" Avel asked.

"Dead," Ha-or Tov replied. "She was the only one who ever wanted me. Now nobody wants me. I was a good light for her, it seems." then he paused. "You two hungry?" he asked.

Emet had been watching lips, so he knew what was going on. He nodded. Avel replied for both of them. "We are."

"Not much here," Ha-or Tov said, indicating the cave he had come out of, "But you're welcome to it. You're also welcome to stay if you like."

Avel shrugged. Ha-or Tov seemed nice enough. Emet seemed to like him. "Sure, why not?" he said.