It was nighttime, and in the middle of the windswept snowfield, an abandoned human camp provided shelter for an unlikely pair of travelers.
Audrey had gotten a glimpse of man's remarkable creativity tonight, from building an artificial shelter to crafting a wooden display that effectively embodied a simple truth in nature; larger and stronger beasts lording over smaller and weaker ones. It was quite intriguing.
Though she knew that with most animals, things were seldom that black and white. Even a weaker creature could use cunning and circumstances to tilt the odds in their favor. This hut alone was a testament to that.
Only the strongest and most daring of tiger packs would take on a mammoth, and yet through the use of simple wooden spears, humans brought down the mightiest of mammals, and regularly enough to use the tusk they've collected as the framework for a makeshift shelter. Though it was simultaneously a sobering reminder of why humans were feared and despised by most animals.
If spears and fire torches weren't enough, they knew how to utilize the landscape by trapping their quarry in gorges or running them over a cliff. While lacking man's boundless imagination, hyaenas themselves often had to rely on their wits and strength in numbers to take on big game and compete with much tougher adversaries. It was necessary when their main aptitudes were just endurance and a nasty bite.
Given her current company, Audrey recalled an experience from last summer and it wasn't a pleasant one. In her clan, she was a popular choice to act as a distraction or as bait, which she detested but had to oblige every time, less she be seen as nothing but a freeloading burden.
Like with the rhinos, she remembered running through the forest but this time her pursuer was a tiger. He was a lone wanderer and barely an adult, likely searching for a new pack. His impulsive response upon being provoked into a chase proved that.
Audrey hadn't been running aimlessly. She had been luring the big cat to a predetermined spot, away from the forest and onto the open brushland prairie, with nowhere to climb. The trick was not to get caught along the way.
Motivated by the tiger's furious roars, Audrey ran faster and saw the trees fanning out to reveal a vast plain covered with long, dry grass, with herds of plant-eaters in the distance. The tiger kept chasing her, oblivious to the dire mistake he had just made.
By the time he recognized the change in scenery, it was already too late, as Audrey saw two other figures cutting through the grass, zeroing in on the tiger. He was fixated on her and only realized that the tables had turned when two hyenas were flanking him from opposite sides.
Audrey watched her clan mates pile onto the tiger and the three rolled into the tall grass and behind some scrubs. Following the sound of a vicious scuffle, the tiger managed to break free and flee, his backside bleeding, and the hyenas gave chase, herding him into a second ambush.
Audrey didn't join in and watched with a forlorn expression as she saw three more figures prowling through the grass, encircling the fleeing tiger from all sides. Snarling, tearing, and pain-filled yowls were soon heard in the distance. It felt cruel and pointless to her, but her leader was adamant about being on the offensive, less their enemies got the upper hand, and a massacred sabretooth was a good way to maintain a feared reputation on the plains.
"Are you done gawking?" Diego's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, making the hyena feel silly for daydreaming like a frivolous pup.
"Sorry...just...thinking." was all she could say in response.
Shivering a bit, the tiger was busy rummaging through some belongings left by the humans.
He sniffed and sneezed before grunting in her direction. "Mind coming over here? I need a check-up."
"Ehh...sure." Audrey listened and walked over, seeing two brown pelts on the ground, which was free of snow but still icy cold, intertwined with some wooden shafts.
"Please tell me these aren't tiger hides cuz I'm freezin'." Diego said in a sardonic tone. Lowering her head, Audrey gave the pelts a sniff and smiled.
"No...it smells like bear." Her answer made Diego smirk a bit and he grabbed one pelt with his jaws, before draping it across the ground.
Audrey figured she had the other pelt to herself. It was better than lying on the cold, hard permafrost. She grabbed it with her jaws and started dusting it. Diego made an annoyed grunt and shielded his face as dust particles flew his way.
"Yghnow..." Audrey said as she lowered the pelt "...I'm not the biggest fan of humans but this is admittedly impressive."
"Impressive?" Diego replied halfheartedly as he circled on the pelt and dug his claws into it before lying down. Audrey suspected that he wasn't too concerned with hearing her out but she kept going.
"Well...yes. I mean look at this." she admired the architecture once more. "We have to search far and wide to find shelter but the humans just build their own wherever it's most convenient for them."
"I'm sure the mammoths would be less than impressed." Diego deadpanned. "I wouldn't fancy seeing them wear tiger fangs as a necklace either."
"Yeah...but I mean, if you hunt for a living, why not make full use of your kill?" a sheepish Audrey tried to elaborate as she hunkered down on her pelt. "I never would have thought of a dead mammoth as anything else but meat."
"Looks like someone has a heart on for those hairless bipeds." Diego smiled wryly as he rested his chin on his paws. "Now you just need to learn how to beg and heel and I'm sure they'll happily take you in as their slave."
Audrey frowned and looked aside. She couldn't imagine living such a miserable existence in bondage, like those "domesticat" wolves that stayed with the humans.
"You don't have to be condescendin' about it..." she found herself muttering. Diego's expression didn't change.
"Can't help it. It's an integral part of my caustic feline charm..." he shrugged his shoulders "...besides, you keep asking for it."
Audrey grunted and lowered her ears. This was getting harder and harder.
"How am I asking for it? Is this how you act around your friends?" she blurted but quickly regretted it. She didn't want to start arguments.
"Naahhh..." Diego was unmoved and waved his paw "...me and Manny usually single out Sid when he runs his mouth. If it makes ya feel any better, he's more fun to tease."
Audrey perked slightly at the mention of those names. Diego grew an uncertain look, as if he had let something slip.
"Why him?"
The tiger shifted. "Well...not to put too fine a point on it, but he's kind of a nitwit. His mouth is faster than his brain, making him an easy source of entertainment."
"That doesn't sound like the way friends should treat each other." Audrey said dourly.
"Buzzkill much? Sounds to me like you don't have many friends." Diego shot back coolly while Audrey tensed. His comment stung hard.
"It's just some friendly banter...well...minus the banter. Sid doesn't have the wits for it."
Audrey was beginning to wonder if Diego had been a tad liberal when describing the other two tigers he was traveling with as "friends". She felt compelled to learn more.
"So you're friends with him just so you can tease him and feel superior?" she asked, in a more accusing tone than she had wanted. The tiger cocked a brow but remained calm.
"When you put it like that, you're making it sound like I hate the guy?" he asked in a tongue-in-cheek way.
Audrey said nothing and seethed silently. Part of her wanted to say that was exactly what she thought but another part was hesitant. Though it pained her to admit it, the tiger had read her correctly.
"...you're certainly giving mixed messages." she managed to say.
"Look, I ain't gonna lie. Sid can be a real idiot sometimes...well, a lot of the time. He's also an uncouth slob and tends to ramble... a lot..."
"Sounds like you hate him." Audrey thought.
"...but..." Diego sighed and paused for a moment "...the guy also has a good heart."
This piqued Audrey's interest. She hadn't heard Diego ever praise anyone other than the time he admitted that one of his friends saved him from being killed by their pack leader.
"Is he the one who saved your life?" she asked, hoping to spark a discussion. Though she could guess the answer. Having a good heart but little brains wasn't a winning combo in a fight, especially against the alpha of the pack.
"No, that was Manny." Diego admitted. "Sid ain't the most impressive physical specimen, he's pretty much the weak link in our group."
"So why do you keep him around?" Audrey asked, more befuddled than before. After some thought, she tried to probe by adding, "Sounds like he might slow you down?"
Diego whistled. "That's cold, Audrey."
"You're one to talk." she retorted. "I thought tigers were all about "survival of the fittest". Why would you even care about him having a good heart?"
The tiger watched her pensively. Though once more, Audrey sensed no anger coming from him. If anything, he just looked slightly uncomfortable.
"Why are you so curious?" he narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you so tight-lipped?" she countered. "Is it so hard for you to say a nice thing about your "friends"?"
Audrey was amazed that she was able to say that. She wasn't sure where this boldness came from. Maybe because with her and Diego, there was no pecking order, and for all his rudeness and snark, he never came across as someone who blew a fuse easily (unless he woke up from a coma).
"No...I'm just being frank..."
"So you're saying it's a bad thing that your friend has a good heart?"
"No..." the tiger fumbled before lowering his ears and exhaling "...it's just, Sid...he can be quite sentimental, unbearably so."
"How?"
Diego let out an involuntary snort. "How? I don't think you could handle the truth."
"Try me." the hyena shrugged.
"Alright...umm...after I barely survived Soto's attack..."
"Soto was your leader...right?"
"Yes, was...anyway...after I survived my brush with death, Sid was so overjoyed...the moron hugged me and kissed my head. Can you believe that? Glad we were at Glacier Pass where nobody could see it, otherwise I'd never live it down."
Blinking, Audrey giggled a bit and for once, Diego didn't look too annoyed. Despite everything, he seemed to look back at that memory somewhat fondly.
"Ha-ha..." he said dryly "...now do you see why I like taking potshots at him? Don't tell me someone like that wouldn't wear thin on your nerves if they weren't your friend."
"He doesn't sound so bad." Audrey honestly didn't see what was so wrong with showing concern for a friend. That Sid sure sounded like a very odd tiger though. It was hard to imagine one of them being this openly sentimental.
"What about the other one? Manny, was it?" she added. "Is he like Sid?"
"Not even remotely... fortunately." Diego shook his head.
"Then how is he...if it's okay to ask?" Audrey inquired. Diego rolled his eyes.
"Manny? He's... a lot more jaded...kinda like me." he admitted with a bit of a forlorn look. "Things were pretty crappy under Soto's rule...but Manny..." he sighed "...let's just say he went through a lot before I met him."
This just piqued Audrey's interest more. She hadn't seen Diego express sadness before. Whatever happened to his friend, it must have been bad.
"So...you're saying Sid helps keep your spirits up?"
"Guess you could say that..." Diego shrugged "...his upbeat attitude ain't infectious but...it makes for a nice distraction when things look bleak..."
"...like when you're trudging through miles of frozen tundra, half-starved and being pounded by endless blizzards." Audrey finished, having no trouble envisioning the tigers' predicament. Her clan went through the same ordeal when she got separated.
"Bingo."
"And Manny...he's more like you, right?"
To her surprise, Diego let out a small, almost bitter chuckle. Audrey worried that she had offended him somehow.
"I wish...don't get me wrong, he and I share a similar sense of humor but...I sometimes envy him."
"Why?"
"...Manny's a much better beast than I could ever hope to be, despite what happened to him. I never met a guy as principled as him, nor did I think I ever would." Diego admitted. "Meeting someone like him..." he sighed "...it makes you think about things."
Audrey was hesitant to ask, cognizant that this might be a delicate topic, but her curiosity got the better of her.
"So...what happened to him then?" she asked but fidgeted as Diego looked at her. Had she overstepped? Had she asked something that was too personal?
"I see you've been paying attention." he snorted lightly. Audrey couldn't tell if he was expressing annoyance or begrudging admiration for her attentiveness.
"I'm sorry." Audrey's ears dropped flat against her head. "I didn't mean to be intrusive, I was just...curious..."
Diego didn't say anything, as if thinking things over.
"Guess I did ramble too much...though I suppose there is no harm in telling..." he looked aside with a grave expression.
Audrey relaxed and smiled, unaware that she would immediately regret her question.
"He lost his mate and son. They were both killed in front of his own eyes."
Audrey's face fell in horror. "H...h-how?"
"Humans." Diego grimaced. "Wasn't very long ago...so as you can imagine, he was in a pretty bad place when I first met him. He had practically lost his will to live."
Audrey felt tears welling up in her eyes and she made no attempt to hide it as she hung her head. She couldn't imagine going through such a devastating loss, especially outliving your cub and watching them get slaughtered. It made her think of her mother and how things could have turned out differently on that fateful day.
"You're crying for..." Diego paused, his expression awkward "...for a tiger?"
"That's horrible." Audrey sniffed, barely keeping her composure. "Nobody deserves that...the poor tiger..."
After an awkward silence, Diego sighed. "Look... it's not all gloom and doom...there's more to Manny's story."
"More?"
"Yes, more." Diego nodded. "So...as you can gather...Manny had every right to loathe humans but...he handled it differently than my pack."
"Your pack? Wait..." Audrey's brow furrowed "...were Manny and Sid part of your pack?"
"Eh...no. Manny met Sid while traveling alone, and I only met them recently. But I'm getting ahead of myself." Diego explained. "See...I was part of the Half Peek pack and we had our own troubles with a tribe of humans."
"There were no humans in our valley when I first joined Soto...but then a tribe of them showed up a few years back and things turned sour real quick. It all began when two scouts got speared while patrolling, Soto didn't take it well."
Audrey didn't know how much tragedy she could take. "Was he close to them?"
"No." Diego said coldly. "Make no mistake, Soto was not the sentimental type, he wasn't pals with anyone and I doubt he ever cared about any of us, at best he respected some of us. He openly admitted that he "trusted me" but he also wasn't above threatening me with a little death if I failed my task. In hindsight, I have little doubt that he was more upset that these humans "dared" to attack his pack and so he retaliated, and then the humans retaliated, rinse and repeat."
He shook his head. "The humans suffered a few losses but my pack took the brunt of this pointless feud. There used to be around a dozen of us, but the humans cut us down in half. By the time I met Manny and Sid, only I, Soto, and three others were left. But Soto still wanted to even the score."
What Diego was describing sounded like an all-out war and his pack were on the losing side. Audrey wondered if any of the tigers that fell were close to Diego, if he had a mate or anyone else he shared a close bond with, but she didn't feel comfortable pressing that far.
"You said this all happened recently? When the other animals were migrating south?" Audrey asked, trying to gain more context.
"Yup, we should have been following the walking buffet down south, but by this point, Soto had become obsessed with vengeance. He didn't care that there was next to no prey left or that our valley would soon become a freezing wasteland, no matter how much the rest of us griped..." Diego scoffed "... revenge was the only thing on his mind."
Audrey noted bitterness in his tone. It was understandable. She couldn't blame him after being roped into an unending cycle of bloodshed and vengeance. Her clan tried avoiding humans whenever there was any sign of them, as most animals did, but Diego's leader evidently took a drastically different approach.
"And how did your friends get involved?"
Diego went silent for a while, once more looking aside with an uneasy glance while drumming his claws. Audrey didn't know why. He had little trouble talking about his friends before. Was he grieving for any fallen comrades?
"Them? They...just kind of wandered into our territory, aimless nomads with nowhere really to go. You know about Manny already and Sid...well...he had a falling out with his family. Seems they were a rather dysfunctional lot."
"You mean...his birth pack?"
Diego blinked before nodding. "...yes, his birth pack. They just gave him the slip and he eventually bumped into Manny. Though...eh...I guess he would have had to leave anyway. That's how we tigers operate, we don't stick to our birth pack for our entire life."
"So...what happened when you met Manny and Sid?"
Once more, Diego hesitated to answer before sighing. "Um...Soto was looking for new recruits, he was running low on muscle after all. Since I was his most trusted ally left at this point, he appointed me to meet them."
As he kept talking, he seemed to relax, once more growing a small smile. "But spending a few days with them reminded me what a pack should be like. After I got Manny to open up about his past, I thought he would agree with Soto for sure."
Audrey blinked. "But...he didn't?"
"No, he did not." Diego chuckled, a bit somberly. "Manny is a very stalwart guy, he cannot stand animals that will kill for pleasure or vengeance, with no exceptions."
Audrey listened in disbelief. "Even after humans killed his family?"
"These weren't the same humans, but either way, Manny didn't care for vengeance. He knew that was a futile quest, it would not bring his family back, it would just cause more senseless death." Diego explained. "Actually... at that point, he didn't care much about anything, but befriending Sid and me gave him something worth fighting for again."
"That...that's very admirable. So I take it you betrayed Soto?"
"I had no choice, there was no reasoning with that guy. He wanted to hurt the leader of the humans at all costs, so he planned to kidnap and kill his infant son."
Once more, Audrey froze in horror at the prospect of an infant being killed.
"But don't worry...that didn't go anywhere." Diego assured her.
"Did you...did you ever agree with Soto?" Audrey couldn't help but ask.
Diego seemed taken aback before exhaling. "I had my misgivings...but I'd grown accustomed to this way of life. Soto's mantra of "might makes right" was very intoxicating, as were the few compliments I could get from that hardass. When your leader is that difficult to please, getting any sort of praise from him makes you feel like you really accomplished something, y'know. Fortunately, Manny and Sid opened my eyes in the nick of time."
"We confronted Soto at Half Peek. Needless to say, he was furious and tried to execute me, almost did. But Manny blindsided him and slew him..." Diego snorted sardonically "...well... technically it wasn't Manny who delivered the final blow. He knocked Soto into a rock wall and some icicles finished him off. Sid took care of one of the goons and the other two ran for the hills."
Audrey winced at the mental image of someone getting impaled by icicles but she didn't feel much sympathy for Soto. A beast as bloodthirsty and unreasonable as him deserved it.
"And that's my story, you know the rest." Diego finished while the winds outside continued howling.
"So...you're happier with your new friends?"
"Happier?" Diego chortled. "I haven't felt this free since the first time my dad took me out to learn the finer points of stalking and pouncing. Being a shameless renegade was the best choice I ever made."
"Wow...that's some story." Audrey smiled, feeling an odd sense of comradery. Your first hunting trip and first real kill were a universal rite of passage any predator cherished.
"Mmmm...I suppose it's not too shabby." Diego shrugged his shoulders with some pride.
"I...I knew there was something special about you when I found you!" Audrey beamed.
Diego's brow fell. "Don't make this awkward."
"But it's true, you and your new pack have a sense of honor I never would have expected from tigers, especially your new leader."
"He's not our leader per se..." Diego insisted "...he just makes most of the decisions and we trust his judgment."
"So I was right." Audrey offered a big smile.
"Okay, look. I think you're getting the wrong impression." Diego insisted. "I might be reasonable and all but make no mistake, I'm still a ruthless killer that shouldn't be taken lightly."
"Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't be a nice guy with a sense of honor." Audrey pointed out. "I'm technically a killer too but I still chose to save you from freezing to death."
"Can we just say I have my scruples and be done with it?" Diego insisted indignantly.
"I'd love to meet your friends, especially Manny." Audrey continued, barely registering his response. "A beast as honorable as him only comes once in a lifetime."
Diego raised his brow. Again, he seemed a bit uneasy.
"Kay...slow down there, don't get too ambiguous. You're still a hyena and they're still...tigers. I'm not sure how they would react to you."
Audrey's mirth waned a bit. "...I know, but if you can be reasoned with, surely your friends can be too. No offense, but you seem to be the most... difficult of your trio."
"None taken." Diego rolled his eyes but still had an air of uncomfortableness about him. "But don't take my warning lightly, and...um...who knows if we will find them before we find your clan."
"Oh...I suppose that's true." Audrey lowered her ears.
"Look at you? You're more excited about meeting some tigers?" she thought. She really did sound pathetic.
Diego crossed his paws and lowered his head on them. "And your pa...ehh...clan can't be that far away. But if we find my guys first... just keep your distance and let me explain things first, better to be safe than sorry."
"Sure...I'll...I'll do the same if we find my clan." Audrey said awkwardly. She didn't actually think that she could do much there but fortunately, Diego was savvy about the likely outcomes.
"Swell...I'll climb up the nearest tree as soon as you catch a whiff of them." the tiger deadpanned. "But you can't do the same."
"Yeah... I can't." Audrey replied while flexing her fingers, her somewhat dull claws remaining locked in place. "Must be good to have extendable claws."
"It sure is. If I grab hold of something, there is no escape." Diego smirked while showing off his razor-sharp claws before yawning.
"But if you don't mind, I'd like to catch some shut-eye. We're leaving first thing tomorrow."
"Of course, so would I...hope there is no blizzard."
"Don't jinx it." Diego mumbled with his eyes already closed.
Audrey figured he didn't want to be disturbed by any further chit-chat and looked out of the hut. The winds continued to howl but the skies were clear, allowing the moon to illuminate the landscape.
All things considered, this day ended on a more positive note than the last one, and she went to sleep with an easy mind.
Accustomed to waking up at the crack of dawn, Audrey got up, stretched herself, and yawned but was surprised to find herself alone in the hut. Diego's bed had been abandoned.
Her sensitive ears picked up scratching noises from outside, prompting her to exit the hut and look around. It was still relatively dark, with the valley being cast in the looming shadow of one of the twin mountains, leading to a sharp divide in the middle of the distant hills where they turned bright yellow and then dark blue again.
Searching through the camp, Audrey found her companion leaning against the tower of wooden faces with his front limbs extended as he dug his claws into the wood and raked it.
"Good morning?" Audrey said while approaching him, confused by what the big cat was doing until she realized that the terror bird face had been scratched up so much that it was beyond recognition.
"I've seen better." Diegos snarked as he finished his handiwork and plopped back down on all fours. "But at least the weather is ripe for long-distance travel."
Audrey watched him incredulously, prompting Diego to look back at his work and shrug. "What? It's a type of recreation for felines, and I needed a scratching post for it." he said with an air of impunity.
Audrey gave him a light scowl. "And you couldn't have used a tree?"
The tiger grew a smirk and gestured with his head. "Don't see many trees out here? Do you?"
Taking the bait, Audrey looked around and blushed after remembering that they were in the middle of a snowfield with only a few scattered conifers coated in snow.
"Now come on." Diego walked past her. "I plan to catch an elk by tomorrow at the latest, meaning you're going to find them before then."
Flustered, Audrey blinked and seethed anew as she watched him walk away. He had played her like a fool to divert attention away from his petty act of vandalism. But she supposed there was no point in arguing about it now and she gave the scratched-up structure one last glance.
"What a pity...but not like anyone else is going to see it..." she thought as she followed Diego.
As the hours went by the sun gradually rose over the horizon, its rays bathing and providing some warmth to the frigid landscape. Slowly, the trees became more numerous again, leading to a patchland of pine forests and snowy clearings.
It was Audrey's job to get back on the trail of the elk herd and eventually, she found their tracks again. Diego followed behind, faring better than yesterday but his movement was still somewhat janky, despite his best attempts to hide it.
Audrey couldn't stay quiet about it forever, eventually looking back and telling him that they could take a break whenever he wanted it.
The tiger shook his head but instead of some snarky comment about being mollycoddled, he offered a compromise.
"Tell you what? Once you find a grassy meadow...one that isn't buried under five feet of snow, I'll gladly take a break. Deal?"
Audrey understood. It would mean they had made genuine progress and stayed ahead of the blizzards.
"Deal." she smiled before the breeze carried a distinct scent to her, the smell of frozen meat.
Curious, the hyena quickened her pace and upon reaching a hill, she spotted a gully.
Inside it, there was a small cluster of trees, and below the canopy was a carcass, clearly that of an elk judging by the large antlers. Swarming the carcass was a flock of crows and ravens, feeding on the well-striped corpse.
The snow around them showed clear signs of a struggle, the elk wasn't a casualty of the weather. Audrey slid down and trotted closer, causing the birds to scatter and fly off. She sniffed the elk's rib cage and identified, unsuprisingly, the scent of teratorns.
But there was also the scent of tigers. Two tigers at least.
A little further ahead, Audrey saw two trackways, both showing big cat paw prints heading through the gully and deeper into the forest. The implication was clear to the hyena but she wasn't sure how to feel about it. Could it be Diego's friends?
"So what happened here?" she heard Diego as he caught up with her and observed all disturbances in the snow. "I guess someone else is tracking the elk too."
"Yes." Audrey nodded. "It was brought down by two tigers."
"Tigers?" Diego glanced at her, sounding surprised.
"Yes, very recently too." Audrey looked around. "Probably last night. Do you think these could be your friends?"
As she observed the trackways a second time, Audrey realized that Diego was being oddly quiet. As she turned back to him, his eyes widened for a second but he stayed composed and shrugged.
"Dunno...maybe they are. Can't say for sure with my nose being clogged up and all."
"Oh, right..." Audrey's brow furrowed. That was rather inconvenient for them.
Though his response sounded rather underwhelmed to her. She would have expected him to be a bit more excited at the prospect of reuniting with his friends. Then again, Diego was hard to read.
"But it must be them...I don't think any other tigers would have stayed north for this long?"
"...maybe." Diego mused. "But... I'd rather not take any chances...if it's not my friends, they might not be too friendly. Picking are slim up here, which makes carnivores like us... hostile."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, if you find any tigers nearby don't be stupid and try to talk with them. Leave that to me." Diego told her in a tone that effectively said "Don't play stupid".
"I'd rather not have you be torn apart if you stumble across some starving strangers, or maybe even Soto's surviving goons. They probably wouldn't be glad to see me, and you? You'd be an easy target for them to vent their frustrations on."
He was right. Audrey realized that her short time with Diego had made her forget that their species were natural enemies. She's been getting complacent.
"...but why would they be mad at you? I thought you all hated Soto."
"We did, but those other guys are a bunch of pricks..." Diego said bluntly. "They didn't like me and I didn't like them. We were pack mates but not friends. Some hunger pangs are as good an excuse as any for them to get rowdy."
"I see now...I understand." Audrey nodded and lowered her ears bashfully.
"Just so we're clear." Diego said as he walked past her and Audrey followed. "But at least those elk can't be too far away."
"I'm touched that you care this much about my well-being." the hyena told him.
"I'm just paying my debts." Diego replied gruffly. "Which is why I want to catch an elk sooner than later. One doe oughta weigh more than a reindeer and saiga combined. Not to sound greedy or anything, but I'd rather not bust my ass while also going hungry."
"This again." Audrey vented inwardly but had other things on her mind.
"Sure, I'll track them down." she reassured him as she walked parallel to him. "And I won't let a bear get the drop on us again. I promise."
"Very comforting." Diego deadpanned.
"But...say we do find your friends before my clan..." Audrey asked off-handedly "...can I travel with you guys then?"
Diego looked away and frowned, still balking at the idea. "You'll have to then...won't you?" he asked rhetorically. "That will be fun to explain to my buds."
"I'm sure they'll understand." Audrey reasoned before walking ahead to search for the elk herd and look out for any dangers.
She may have been overly optimistic, but she was hoping to meet Diego's friends. If nothing else, it had to be better than her clan.
So the last two chapters showed things from Audrey's perspective mainly because I thought it would be interesting to see Diego telling his backstory from an outsider's perspective, while the reader clearly knows which parts are true and when and where he's omitting or twisting certain details so he wouldn't be perceived as a wackadoodle by his new companion, and Audrey gets (fairly accurate) accounts of Manny and Sid's character without knowing what species they really are. You also get the gist of what the Hyaenodon's status with her clan is, which is rather similar to both Sid and Diego's ordeals.