Alec leapt over the boulders, landing on the other side in the snow, as Marco did the same, right behind him. He stumbled in the snow, then turned and watched the Wilvox follow. It leapt up, too, and as he had hoped, the beast, unable to climb, and slipped on the rock and got lodged in the narrow crevice between the boulders.

It wiggled, trying to break free, but it could not. Finally, it was trapped.

Alec turned and examined the beast, breathing hard, flooded with relief. In pain, scratched up, the small bite on his leg hurting, and the big bite on his arm killing, Alec finally realized the nightmare was over. They were alive. Somehow, they had survived.

Marco looked at Alec, eyes filled with admiration.

“You did it,” Marco said. “The kill is yours.”

Alec stood there, hardly a foot away from the helpless beast, which was snarling, wanting to tear them apart. He knew he should feel nothing but hatred for it. But despite himself, he pitied it. It was a living thing, after all, and trapped, helpless.

Alec hesitated.

Marco reached down, picked up a jagged rock, and handed it to him. Alec held the rock, sharp and heavy, and knew that one decisive blow could kill this creature. He held the rock, feeling the cold weight of it on his palm, and his hand trembled. He could not bring himself to do it.

Finally, he dropped it in the snow.

“What is it?” Marco asked.

“I can’t,” Alec said. “I can’t kill something helpless. However much it may deserve it. Let us go. It can’t harm us now.”

Marco stared back, shocked.

“But it will break free!” he exclaimed.

Alec nodded.

“It will. But by then, we shall be far from here.”

Marco furrowed his brow.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “It tried to kill you. It wounded you—and me.”

Alec wished he could explain it, but he did not fully understand it himself. Finally, he sighed.

“It was something my brother once said to me,” Alec said. “When you kill something, you murder some small part of the world.”

Alec turned to Marco.

“Let’s go,” Alec said.

Alec turned to go, but Marco held out a hand and stepped forward.

“You saved my life,” Marco said, reverence in his voice. “That wound on your arm you received because of me. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead back there. I owe you.”

“You owe me nothing,” Alec replied.

“You risked your life for me,” Marco said.

Alec sighed.

“Who would I be if I did not risk my life for others?” Alec said.

They clasped arms, and Alec knew that no matter what happened, no matter what dangers lay ahead of them, he now had a brother for life.

CHAPTER EIGHT