Survivor

Chapter 11

Pov Dan:

As I arrived at the designated place, Jack and Mia came toward me, relieved, and hugged me. "Dan, you're okay!", Mia said cheerfully. "We were really worried. Where's Xaver?", Jack added. I could no longer hold back my tears and sank to the ground, crying. "Dan!" Mia and Jack knelt beside me. "What happened?", Mia wanted to know. I couldn't answer her. In my mind, I kept replaying the moment Xaver was taken by the humans, and I couldn't help him. "Dan, where's Xaver?", Mia pressed. "Gone. He's gone!", I shouted, sobbing. Mia and Jack looked shocked. "Gone? What do you mean by that?", Jack asked. I looked up at him and explained, "T-the humans... h-have him. I-I couldn't... I couldn't help him. I left him behind!" I broke down in tears again. The frightened looks of everyone were on me. "Oh God.", I heard Mia say quietly. "Xaver was kidnapped?"
"What are we going to do?"
"We're at the end.", I heard the concerned voices of the others. "Dan. You have to do something. As the future mate of the Alpha, it's your responsibility to take charge of the pack for now.", Jack explained cautiously. "I can't do that.", I replied weakly. "But you must. We can't lose our heads now.", Jack urged. I looked up at him and met his determined brown eyes. He was right. Crying wouldn't help. I nodded slightly and stood up. My gaze swept over the pack, and I realized that not everyone was there. "Where is the rest?", I asked hesitantly. Mia looked down and replied sadly, "They are no longer with us. We really tried everything to save them, but they were either already dead or died shortly after we found them." It felt as if someone had ripped my heart out. Of the nearly thirty pack members, only nineteen were left. I had lost almost half of Xaver's beloved pack; I had allowed them to die. And all because I wanted to find Xaver. I ran my hand over my face. Why was this all happening? "What should we do now?", Jack asked. "I don't know!", I replied, stressed. I was at a loss; I simply didn't know what to do next. The fact was, we couldn't go back for now; it would have been too dangerous. "We need to stay here for the time being. It's too dangerous in the camp.", I explained. "But... we have nothing here. No bed, no food, and no roof.", came the protests from the pack. "I know, but for now, we have no choice but to hide and wait. We'll use the small cave at the foot of the mountain to sleep. It's not the best solution, but it should work for now. Take everything you need and stick together." The pack organized themselves and followed my orders. Jack and Mia each placed a hand on my shoulder and looked at me encouragingly. "We'll manage.", Mia said, and I nodded slightly.

By evening, everyone had found a place to sleep, and we had formed small groups for various tasks. Since the night was quite cool, we had to make a fire. I sat a bit further away from the pack and buried my face in my knees. Suddenly, I felt someone sit down next to me. I looked up and saw Mia's white hair. She stared into the distant darkness of the forest and then smiled at me. "What do you want?" I asked dejectedly. I just wanted to be alone. "Nothing, just sitting here.", Mia replied. "But I don't need anyone around me right now.", I countered. A light chuckle escaped Mia, and I looked at her in confusion. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, it's just... everything is kind of ironic right now. You had a fight with Xaver, and now he's gone."
"Thanks for the reminder." Mia looked at me with pity. "I don't mean to blame you. I just want to say that no one could have expected this, and you're doing a good job. We couldn't save everyone, but the ones who are here are uninjured and doing relatively well." Mia glanced at the wolves sitting around the campfire, entertained by Jack. "You're wrong. It's my fault Xaver was taken, and we lost so many. I can't take care of the pack."
"Dan." I looked at Mia questioningly. "Bad things happen in life. The question isn't how we could have prevented them, but how we deal with them and overcome them."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is that you shouldn't worry about how you could have saved Xaver and the others. You had to make a choice, and you did. The past can't be changed, but the future is in our hands. I'm sure you'll find a way to solve the problem." Mia's words contained so much truth, yet I couldn't fully accept them. "Maybe you're right. But if Xaver were here now, we wouldn't all be so desperate. He's the only one who knows how to lead a pack, and now he's been taken. I'll probably never see him again."
"That's not true. There's surely a way to rescue Xaver; we just need some time." I nodded slightly. "I wonder where they've taken Xaver and how he's doing."