Ten

Ten
There are ten of us now.

There’s me, Jay, Cloud, Flutter, Ash, Leaf, Ivy, Smoke, Dew, and Stormy.

We’ve been together for a long time now. We’re packmates. Loyal to the end. Comrades. Family.

And today we are running.

Holes have opened up in the ground. Thorns run through them, and the holes go deep into the earth. They keep opening. It’s spontaneous, flowing, unpredictable.

Stormy and Ash are behind. Stormy is snapping at Ash to move quicker, or else he’d die. Ash, the poor thing, looks terrified. He’s our youngest, and he’s always been scared of Stormy and her attitude.

They keep running, until I hear a scream.

I turn around, and so do the other nine. Stormy is stuck in one of the holes, clawing at the dirt, but the thorns push her down, until she disappears.

And then, she is gone.