Algaepup

   I scanned the cave, drinking in every detail of this earthen place. The rough, hard-packed walls of dirt, the thick roots of the trees above mixed in, some draping from the supported ceiling and others strengthening the sturdy entrance. I turned around on my makeshift bed, built of feathers, thin sticks, and tufts of grass found while exploring with my friend Blaze. 

   She barked out to me now, her shining orange coat that gave her name shining in the sunlight. I stood up, noticing a aching pain in my stomach, and wondered when was the last time I ate. Two, three days? I loved my pack, but there was scarcely enough food to feed everyone, and some had to sacrifice for the good of the pack. But I would do my part. My last pack, the pack of my family, beat me with words and claws. I whimpered at the thought of it. At the thought of it, I let out a low whimper, pulling up my scarred paw instinctively. I focused on the present again, glancing over at Blaze.

   Blaze and I had similar pasts. We both came from other packs, tortured and hurt, saved by Luna, our queen. We had coats of unique colors, shining and bright compared to the stark, bleak coats of our packmates. We were besties. But there was something else. I think... I think I love her. Whenever I was around her, I felt the fluttering of feathers in my chest, was worried about everything I said but loved every second we spent together.

   "Algae!" she joyfully exclaimed! "Are you okay? You kind of spaced out for a minute there." I could feel my face starting to heat up, but she quickly continued, "Great news! I asked Birch, and she said today is our day to eat!" Birch was our pupsitter, an observant but overworked and exhausted young female. I wondered where she was now, but then I saw something in the corner of my eye.

   It was Russet, one of our hunters, and she was carrying something that made my stomach pains twice as strong. It was food. She was carrying a quail carcass, a bit thin, but food is food. I felt my mouth watering and could only imagine the savory taste of the bird. I padded out with Blaze at my side, and watched as Russet tore through the skin of the quail and pushed me a portion.

   Blaze and I stayed outside, in a small nook, far enough away from the cave that we could not be seen. The two of us feasted on the bird, hungrily gulping the bird quickly, without stop. Blaze must have seen the hungry look on my face, so she pushed me her last bite.

   "Here. You look like you need it more than I do." I nodded graciously and consumed it all in one bite. But there was something... hard in it. I tried to breathe, but just pulled the sharp bone deeper into my throat. I gurgled, the bone digging into my throat and choking me.

   I screeched as Algae started choking, a large bone lodged in her throat. There was blood everywhere, and she was gurgling, getting weaker by the second. She fell onto her knees, blood pouring out of her throat. I yelped as I saw her life start to drain from her. In that moment, I realized what I had always known. I whispered it out loud "I love you Algae."

   And she choked out her final words "I... l ov  e... y oou to-"

  And she was gone.

   And something inside me died.