By: Emily Wang

There was silence. Neither Ivy nor Nyra uttered a word. Ellie say Ivy roll her eyes, and she thought she heard Nyra give an exasperated sigh.

“This isn’t a good idea Ellie. Be sensible. You know it isn’t,” Nyra said sternly.

“Yes,” Ivy agreed. “We shouldn’t go to the OtherSide, it’s too dangerous.”

“Come on Ellie, let’s get away from this place.” Nyra finished, trying to take Ellie’s paw in hers.

“Ow!” Ellie yelped. Nyra had grabbed her left forepaw, the one she had broken.

“Oops, sorry.” Nyra mumbled.

“It’s nothing to worry about. It’ll heal eventually.” Ellie said, shrugging.

“Let’s go, you two are taking forever!” Ivy groaned, nudging them both in the direction of the nearest city.

Nyra and Ivy turned around and started walking to the other city, but Ellie didn’t move. They about 3 yards before they turned around and noticed Ellie standing exactly where she was when the trio had had their conversation.

“Why aren’t you coming?” Nyra asked.

“I can’t, don’t you understand? All our friends are being herded to a place they’ve never been before. There are animals just like us, afraid of what will happen next. There are children, Nyra. And they might never grow up knowing what freedom is. I can’t let them all suffer like that if I know we have even the slightest chance to save them,”

“Ellie, do you hear yourself? That is ridiculous! Do you want to get yourself killed?” Nyra looked angry. But Ellie didn’t know why. Didn’t she care about what happened next?\

“I don’t care, Nyra. I want to do something about it, whether you think it’s okay or not.” Ellie argued stubbornly.

Nyra and Ivy exchanged a look Ellie couldn’t recognize.

“You always get your way. But whatever, we’re not in charge of you. You can go die pathetically trying to save everyone. It’s not like we didn’t do anything to stop you from being so foolish.” Ivy sneered.

“Nyra, let’s go. Ellie’s clearly too stubborn to listen to us. Not like she ever does. It’s not like we need her.” She muttered and dragged Nyra away.

Ellie couldn’t see Nyra’s face, but she didn’t need to. She could hear them whispering, and she had a feeling was about her. She watched them walk away, out of sight. But for one brief moment, Ellie thought she saw Nyra look back at her in regret. Why didn’t they feel the need to save the others?

A single teardrop ran down her face and landed in the dust below her. It dried instantly, as if it were never there at all. Ellie stood there for a long time, and all she could think of was how scornful Ivy had sounded. What had changed between them? It seemed like just yesterday they had been children, laughing with each other in the meadows. Now who was this new hurtful, snarky new Ivy? Ellie didn’t know. She doubted she would ever have answers.

She spotted something shimmering in the dim light. Ellie walked over and picked it up. It was the OtherSide’s crest. Ivy or Nyra must have thrown it to the side, assuming it was useless. But Ellie slipped it into a small bag she had been carrying. She didn’t know why she was keeping it. She just had a feeling it might be important.

Ellie looked at the mountains that casted a shadow over the trees. The place had an ominous vibe. The trees near the mountains looked withered and sad, like they were afraid of something. The mountains seemed taller now, more intimidating. Ellie stared at the mountains once more. That was where she would go. She would go to the Place of the Splitting.