They were dirty, exhausted, and clearly starving, but at least Odette didn't smell any hint of rot. That meant all of them had survived.
"Everyone, come out! It's me, Odette! I'm back!" she called out.
"O-Odette?"
"Odette! It's Odette!"
"Odette is back!"
One by one, the children emerged from the burrow. Around ten of them stepped out, five of whom were carrying babies in their arms. They surrounded Odette with glimmering hope while the babies crying softly in their embrace, probably hungry after not eating anything after some times.
"Odette… I-I knew you would come back someday," Lilie, the oldest among them, said through teary eyes. "Everyone else is dead. There's only us left…"
"W-what happened?" Odette asked shakily.
"Our pack was attacked by two enemy packs," Lilie explained. "The elders told the children and pregnant women to flee first, but the area was already surrounded. No one could escape, except us, because we knew about the burrow…"
