When you finally pull yourself from the river, night has fallen once more. You are exhausted from your long swim and feeling more alone than ever. You hear a sizzling sound and look down to see the ground beneath you burning away. Another drop hits the ground and you lift your head to your shoulder; remembering the fight. Pain flares up and you screech. An answering shriek reverberates off the trees. You tense, thinking that the Warriors have found you. When nothing moves in the forest you relax, thinking it was just an echo. Suddenly, the screech sounds again, closer than before and you know it’s not an echo. A Warrior steps slowly out from the shadows of the trees and you tense before noticing the long scars that cover the Warrior’s head. As the Warrior steps farther out you realize its limping. Behind it, another Warrior steps out. This one is like you, walking on four legs. You stand cautiously as the limping Warrior comes closer. Finally, it stops two feet in front of you and extends its neck out slowly. By this time you realize the Warrior isn’t a threat. As it continues reaching forward, you stretch your neck out to meet it. The Warrior hisses as the two of you touch and you realize with shock that you are able to understand its hisses; unlike the Warriors before. It tells you not to be afraid and you believe it. The Warrior with four legs comes forward and rubs heads with you. It notices the wound on your shoulder and lets out a worried hiss. The limping Warrior turns back to the woods, telling you to come with them. You follow without hesitation.

The Warrior leads you to a large clearing where there are about a dozen Warriors lying about-some of them even look like you. Most of them have long scars covering their bodies; it seems all have had an encounter with the Hive. The limping Warrior leads you to a pile of leaves. The leaves dip in the middle, the perfect spot for a sleeping animal. You look at the Warrior and it bobs its head, encouraging you to lie down. You do so slowly, wrapping your tail around you, and rest your head on your front legs. Your body relaxes and you fall into a deep sleep.

You wake the next morning feeling refreshed and energized. You stretch, letting out a big yawn. The wound on your shoulder twinges slightly but has already begun to heal. You know that in a few days, a scar will be the only reminder of your battle with the other Warriors. The Warrior sees you standing and limps over to you. As it gets closer you ask for food and the Warrior gestures to a large group of Warriors. Their heads were bunched together, bobbing slightly, and their tails are waving high in the air. The Warrior limps over to the group and you follow. The feasting Warriors raise their heads and a couple move aside and allow you to squeeze in. The Warriors had made quick work of whatever it was they were eating so you are unable to tell what it used to be. But you are so hungry that you don’t care and you eat slowly. Eventually, you are the only one left eating. You raise your head as the Warrior with the limp walks up to you, a chunk of meat dangling from your mouth. As the Warrior crouches down next to you, you gulp down the rest of the meat. Before you can ask, the Warrior tells you that because you were born alone you have a disconnection to the Warriors of the Hive. It tells you that all the other Warriors in this clearing were like you; born in the wild. You look around, surprised at how many are like you. The Warrior than offers you a home among the rejects. You except and hiss happily; following your new friend back to the group. You finally feel like you belong.