"Griz!" Ivy dropped to her knees beside him.
His eyes fluttered, unfocused, lips moving with no sound.
The fireflies returned, circling them in trembling light.
"Don't you dare leave me now, not after what we've been through!" she whispered, tears breaking her voice.
The morning broke, thick with the hum of cicadas.
"Ahhh, the heat's here," one insect buzzed. "Perfect time to mate!"
Ivy turned to them. "Can you not do that here?"
"We've got a bear sleeping right next to us," she muttered.
"Who cares? The season's short , I just want to mate!" the cicada snapped.
Ivy stared at the tiny insect, too drained to argue.
Somewhere behind her, Griz's faint breath brushed her neck.
Then, without warning, Grizzler roared , eyes flying open.
"GAAAAH!!!"
"Oh, he took that personally! Retreat, brothers, retreat!"
Grizzler rubbed his eyes, half awake, half asleep. "Morning…"
Ivy blinked at him.
"Really? You wake up screaming and scare off the locals," she muttered.
Grizzler groaned, dragging a hand over his face. "Guess I'm not dead yet..."
The morning light caught his tired grin, and for the first time, she let herself breathe.
His smile faltered as the memories clawed their way out of the dark , the memories, sharp and merciless, flooding through like a broken dam.
Sounds echoed in his mind.
"GIVE ME THE HONEY, OR I WILL KILL YOU, HUMANS… OH RIGHT , THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND ME."
"Vein! Gash! Namir… devour them all."
Ivy's smile vanished. "Griz…?" she whispered, her voice trembling again.
His paws dug into the earth as the roar in his skull swelled.
"Griz?!"
Grizzler rose from the ground, staring as the wounds stitched themselves closed.
This body… kept me alive, he thought.
He took a slow step. He knelt beside Cougar first, fingers trembling, then turned to Namir.
With hesitant steps, he reached out and held him alongside Cougar.
Ivy stayed silent, watching, afraid to break the fragile calm settling over him.
"Griz…"
They walked without a word until Grizzler halted.
"Flowers," he murmured, as if the word itself carried a memory.
"Huh?" Ivy blinked, unsure if she'd heard him right.
Grizzler knelt, laying Namir and Cougar side by side, then brushed dirt over them with his paw.
"And… riverlight," he murmured.
"Do you know where I can bury them?"
Ivy's throat worked; she swallowed, searching for steadiness.
"Do you know a place with a river nearby?"
She swallowed again, forcing her voice to stay steady.
"There's a bend in the river," she whispered, "where the light lingers and the flowers remember."
Grizzler nodded once, the movement heavy with meaning.
"You're too kind, Deer… too kind," Grizzler whispered.
"What?" Ivy asked.
"Nothing," Grizzler said, lifting both felines.
Ivy knelt beside him without a word, her hooves trembling as she steadied herself beside him.
They walked… walked… walked… and the world stretched endlessly, until white mountains rose ahead.
They reached a river shimmering with life , animals of every kind moving in quiet rhythm.
Every creature turned to look at them with unfamiliar stares.
"Welcome to our place!" a beaver said cheerfully.
"Eh?! What's that smell?!" another beaver blurted. "It stinks!"
Ivy let out a faint smile, but when she saw a group of deer, her gaze dropped immediately to the ground.
Grizzler's eyes flicked to her , a silent question he didn't dare ask.
The murmurs of the crowd faded into the river's steady rush.
Ivy's ears twitched, but she said nothing.
Among the deer, a young fawn tilted its head, watching her with innocent curiosity.
Grizzler's paw brushed against the ground as he began to bury — a quiet reminder: you're not alone.
Then he murmured, almost to himself, "Thank you, Ivy…"
Grizzler's paw sank into the soil, slow and deliberate.
The river carried his words away, soft as breath.
Ivy's smile trembled before she bolted toward the deer.
The deer turned in unison, their ears flicking at her sudden approach.
Then one of the older stags stepped forward, his eyes narrowing with quiet recognition.
Ivy stopped a few steps away, her chest rising and falling. "It's me…" she said softly.
The old stag kept staring, as if trying to place her. "Ummm… I've seen you somewhere."
He paused, then shook his head. Ivy's ears twitched in panic.
"No, I don't know you , we deer all look alike," he chuckled.
All the deer burst into laughter.
Grizzler smiled faintly as he brushed the dirt from Cougar and Namir's graves.
"Goodbye, Cougar," he murmured.
Grizzler's smile lingered, tired.
"Goodbye, Ivy."