They made it back to the cave just as the sun was in its final stages of setting. Under an ever-darkening flaming sky, the two silently sat in their places in the crystal cave. They knew that they were safe there- if they stayed quiet enough, virals would have a difficult time finding them. The bones of their prey lay scattered across the floor, bloody and smelling of death.

'I have an idea,' Black Talon said.

'What?'

'Years ago, before I came here, I used to live in a canyon up north beyond this mountain, past a stream. If we could somehow get there, to that canyon, we might have a chance... there's only one easy way in, and if we somehow blocked off that entrance, it would be extremely difficult for a viral to get in...'

'Are you saying we should go there? How do we know virals aren't in that area too?'

'We don't know, but it would give us a good chance of survival. We can hide much easier in that canyon and the forest surrounding it, it has plenty of caves and cracks in the rocks.'

'Honestly, that's not a bad idea. But, it'll be hard leaving this place. This is my home... I grew up here...'

'I know. But it's what we must do to live. We have to leave.'

'Okay, just give it a few days... I want to say goodbye to this place...'

Black Talon nodded, understanding. He knew the difficulty of leaving a home. He knew it all too well.

With a sigh, he put his head under his wing and shut his eyes. He was remembering again. He was remembering before. That was the last thing he needed.

---

A night of no sleep. Neither Black Talon nor Fleet Claw managed to rest. Black Talon was used to this- it was not uncommon for him to have sleepless nights. After all, in his previous life as a rogue, he had learned to stay alert always, for death crept around every conceivable corner. Fleet Claw, on the other hand, was not used to such nights. She tossed and turned, waiting for the impossibility of sleep. One would occasionally check if the other was awake, and pleasantly discover that they were not alone in their restlessness. At one point, they even had a small midnight conversation, wondering about the whereabouts of the other packmates. But finally, after long, dragging hours of never-ending wake, the sun began to appear on the horizon.

'It's about time,' Black Talon muttered dryly. His head ached a small amount, and felt heavy too. He rubbed an eye.

Fleet Claw yawned loudly, stretching her body out. 'I really hope this all blows over soon...' She said, looking outside of the cave hopefully.

'Why? Do you really think that will happen?'

'Of course! And we'll both be alive to see the day this all ends!'

'You really think so?'

'Of course I do!'

Black Talon scoffed. Chances were they were going to die because of the virus, sooner or later. For all he knew, both could be dead in the next few minutes. To survive long enough to see the virus end? That was not going to happen. It was a nice idea, but very unlikely.

'We should go soon. We need to hunt more prey, and keep a surplus supply in case food becomes scarce.'

Fleet Claw nodded enthusiastically. She had always loved hunting. The thrill of the stalking, the adrenaline pumping through her blood during the chase. The only part she was less than eager about was the actual act of killing. It was quite messy, and she never liked the look of sheer terror in the eyes of her prey, so she was sure to end their lives as quickly as possible.

Then, she remembered Black Talon's words from the day before...

If she found it difficult to kill prey, which was completely necessary for her survival, how on Earth could she bring herself to take the life of one of her own friends?

I really hope it never comes to that... She thought to herself, nervously. Suddenly, for one second, an image flashed in her mind. Black Talon, with a bite mark on his wing, begging her for mercy as she looms above him, claws at the ready...

Then, instead of him, Razor Feather. Thorn Tooth. She instantly scrunched her eyes shut.

Stop! It hasn't come to that yet... There's still hope. You don't know they're dead yet. You don't know they're virals. They are strong, they will be okay!

'Fleet Claw?'

She opened her eyes, and saw Black Talon looking at her. She couldn't read his expression easily, but his eyes betrayed a hint of concern. Nonetheless, he seemed to ignore that feeling.

'We should go now,' He said.

---

The three trotted through the forest. Normally, the calls of birds and small Pterosaurs could be heard echoing past the huge trees, but with each passing day, it seemed less and less of them would make their calls.

'Stay close,' Black Talon growled. Fleet Claw nodded, carefully stepping over the plants and twigs on the ground.

There was a rustle in the bushes.

Their heads quickly perked up. Fleet Claw sniffed the air, and her eyes widened as she processed the scent.

'It's Razor Feather!' She chirped. 'I don't think she's a viral!'

'Fleet Claw?' Her voice shot through the bush. 'Is that really you?'

A bundle of silver feathers stepped out of her hiding place. Razor Feather revealed herself to Fleet Claw and Black Talon. Her watery eyes had tears in them. She lifted a clawed hand to her head. 'I've gone insane, haven't I? I'm seeing things...'

'You're not! We're right here!'

Razor Feather emitted a muffled sob. 'I must be dreaming! I never thought I would see anyone again!'

She ran forwards, tearfully weeping, to Fleet Claw. Fleet Claw placed a caring wing on her friend, cooing at her. 'It's okay, we're right here,' she comforted.

Razor Feather dug her head into Fleet Claw's shoulder, sobbing in her joy. Her eyes were sealed shut, tears spilling out of them.

Then, she opened them, and her slit pupils slid over to face Black Talon.

'Black Talon! You're alive!' She exclaimed, and wriggled out of Fleet Claws grip to scurry over to the small, dark Acheroraptor. She quickly nuzzled him, and he flinched, blinking in surprise.

'Razor Feather, I'm so relieved,' He mumbled, awkwardly patting her shoulder.

'I knew you were okay! I just knew!' Fleet Claw chirped happily. 'Is Thorn Tooth okay? He's nearby, isn't he?'

Razor Feather froze, and turned to look at Fleet Claw. 'I... I don't know where he is...'

Fleet Claw stared at her in silence. 'When was the last time you saw him?'

Razor Feather sighed. 'During the attack I saw you escape up that tree. I was running from whatever those...things... were. All I remember was Thorn Tooth running away from the pack, sprinting into the forest. I don't know if he was bitten or not, but there was blood all over his sides. I haven't seen him since, I haven't even caught a whiff of his scent...'

'Don't worry yourself,' Fleet Claw said to her. 'We'll find him. He's the toughest of us!'

Black Talon made an unsure noise in response to the statement. Then, he remembered something. A promise.

'Razor Feather? Are you still interested in hearing about before?' He asked, curious.

'Yes, of course! But only after we find Thorn Tooth. He wanted to know everything too,' she said.

---

The three had hunted and caught five rodents and two birds. They carried the corpses back to the cave. On the way, they caught a glimpse of a viral rodent, confirming their fears- the infection could spread to other species. They were very lucky the wind was not blowing towards it, otherwise it would have smelled them.

They sat by the cave, eating the torn apart corpse of one of the birds. They left the other dead prey in a pile deeper in the cave. Fleet Claw had told Razor Feather that in a few days, they would leave and head towards the canyons Black Talon used to live in.

Black Talon did not speak the whole time. Instead, he listened to the conversation between Razor Feather and Fleet Claw. He wanted to talk at more than one point, but he did not know how or when to enter their conversation. And so, he just watched, wishing to participate but never actually doing so.

'How did you stay alive?' Fleet Claw asked with a small tilt of her head, chewing on the wing of the bird.

'Hunted during the day, ate whatever I needed. At night, I would sleep on trees or small crevices at the side of the mountain.'

'Did you see anyone? Anyone you recognised?'

'Yes. You remember Soft Feather, right? You, I, Thorn Tooth and she got in trouble once for running into a patch of stinging nettles because Pad Foot dared us to do so.'

'Ha-ha, yeah! Those were the days!'

'She didn't attack, but only because she didn't see me. I wish she hadn't become one of them...'

'Me too. I miss the way things were, and it has barely even been a week! Us coming back from hunting, lecturing Black Talon on the pack rules.'

'Don't forget all those times we stayed up late into the night just talking to each other, about the most ridiculous things!'

'Then they became really deep! Thanks to Black Talon, ha-ha!'

The two glanced at Black Talon affectionately, smiling at him. He raised an eyebrow, listening carefully. They still stared at him, and he slowly drew his head back, very confused. They kept on staring, their eyes widening and their smiles growing to become almost scary. He lifted his lips into a strange grin that more resembled an unpleasant grimace.

Suddenly, they burst out laughing, snorting and snickering in glee. Black Talon lowered his exaggerated grin into a very small, but genuine, smile. He had always secretly liked making his friends laugh- in fact, he loved it.

'Not as stoic as you let on, are you?' Razor Feather nudged him, still laughing. Quickly, Black Talon shook his head and neutralised his face, returning to the eternally bored expression he loved to wear.

The laughter began to trail away, like the light of the setting sun.

'So, Black Talon... how did you find this cave?' Fleet Claw asked.

Black Talon felt glad he didn't somehow have to shoehorn himself into the conversation- they brought him in by their own will.

'I found it a long time ago, after I left my original home by the canyons. I needed to stay somewhere well hidden, and this place was it.'

'Wow!' Fleet Claw commented, genuine interest radiating from her eyes. 'Is this where you would sneak off to every few weeks?'

Black Talon nodded.

'It's very calming,' Razor Feather stated, looking around at the crystals. 'I can't wait for Thorn Tooth to see this place!'

'He's going to love it here! It's so peaceful, so quiet, it's perfect for him!' Fleet Claw exclaimed happily.

The three smiled and laughed, and when the night sky veiled the world, they shut their eyes and tried to sleep. Somehow, even with everything that had been happening, they were able to sleep soundly. They knew that they had each other to survive the infectious epidemic, and that was enough for them.