Despite the rose mushrooms and the support of the swarm, Kindhearted's wound got worse. They stopped the bleeding and his fatigue from blood loss was expected, but it was the first time they saw this kind of wound. The skin around it burned, and after a couple of days, the smell and color became bad, and the pus filled the wound. They tried to clean it, but the pus appeared every time. If the soldier wolf first walked and ate well, he now only lay in the queen's room.

Bug was holding his head, embracing her mate in her human form. She whispered words of love and encouragement, stroking his black fur. Kindhearted lay with his eyes closed, breathing shallowly, so weakly that it could hardly be heard.

The atmosphere in the nest had become mortifying for the past few days. Storge watched her parents from the tunnel, unable to force herself to enter the room. Her brothers were at a loss, her father was on his deathbed, and her mother was struck by grief. It was the worst kind of thing she could ever imagine. No one said anything to her, no one blamed her, but that didn't make things any easier. She was her own worst critic.

'Why did I help Diego? Why did I think humans are any different from what my mother said about them? She loves us so much and always protects us, so why did I think she could be wrong?'

Storge felt a gentle touch on her neck from her brother's nose. Rainstorm came to see their parents and found his sister, lost in her thoughts and self-accusations.

'It's not your fault, humans are vicious and cunning, remember?'

How could she not remember? It was such an important lesson that their mother had taught them, but she ignored it so easily. No amount of comfort could alleviate her guilt.

Rainstorm sat beside his sister. His closeness should have calmed her. But sitting like that and watching their father's life leave wasn't the way to go. Storge stood up, the desperation turning into determination. Rainstorm worriedly called her. However, she didn't stop.

'I'll be back soon.'

Hoping he wouldn't follow her, Storge rushed outside. The workers she encountered on the way and the soldiers outside the nest were confused by her. Where was she going to and why, when the sun had just started to set? She didn't have time to explain and only ran as fast as she could. If there was an answer or a way to save her father, it would be among those who had harmed him in the first place. Only humans could save him.

She crossed the creek in two leaps, scaring small birds and frogs away from the grass. It was no use wavering now. With every minute, the village became closer and closer, and the air was filled with countless unfamiliar smells. As the young she-wolf approached the bushes on the edge of the man-made meadow, she paused to catch her breath. The sky grew dark and most of the villagers returned to their homes. Storge closed her eyes and inhaled the evening air, among the chaotic mixture of all kinds of smells, there was one she was searching for. She had memorized it during her second encounter with Diego - the smell of human medicine.

'Here.' when she could finally smell the right fragrance, Storge cautiously headed towards the small building.

Just like her mother told her, people lived in nests on the ground. They built their dens from stones, trees, and metal. They erupted tunnels and cut the exits to their homes in these tunnels. If she had seen it before she met Diego, maybe she would have been intrigued and fascinated. But now it looked weird, even grotesque. Without even a drop of curiosity she headed straight to the place where people kept their medicine.

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The exit was blocked by a piece of wood, but the side exit only had a thin crossing of branches. Storge jumped in, but suddenly, something blocked her body. It was not strong enough to prevent her from entering and broke and shattered with a ringing sound. Storge sniffed the remaining pieces of the strange material on the floor. They resembled thin ice on puddles in winter, but did not melt under her breath.

'I have no time for this.' She looked around. There were so many items in this place. Countless small containers and jars were inside the large wooden containers, which stretched from the ground to the ceiling. Storge changed into a human and grabbed the bag hanging from the wooden door that blocked the exit. It looked a lot like the one Diego had. In a hurry, she sniffed around trying to find the best medicine possible. She grabbed and opened countless jars, throwing some inside the bag. Then, she found a small container with metal instruments.

It reminded her of the metallic smell still coming from Kindhearted's wound. 'Maybe, if we could remove the metal that pierced his flesh, he will get better?' It was a wild guess, but Storge also put this container in the bag. She grabbed jars that gave off the same smell as Diego had after treating his wounds, and they put the container into the bag as well. And then someone opened the door.

Humans, a man with gray hair and a boy, stupefied by the sight of an intruder in the trashed room, froze at the doorway. The boy held something in his hand that emitted light like a little sun. The light hit Storge's golden eyes, and she hissed.

"What on earth...?" said the man, but he couldn't finish his words. It was time to flee. Storge transformed back into her wolf form and grabbed the bag filled with medicine. Carrying the valuable cargo in her mouth, she leapt out the side exit and raced back to the den.

There was no guarantee that the medicine she found would help. But it was worth trying to bring in any last resort she could think of.

Her sudden appearance with a bag full of man-made things startled the swarm, no less than her rushed departure. The wolf ants sniffed at the alien items, recoiling each time from the pungent smell. The queen looked at her daughter with worried eyes, but did not reprimand her for her rash act. She inspected the contents of the bag and sorted the small jars and instruments into two piles. Once everything was sorted, she began treating Kindhearted's wound. Storge shuddered, feeling the foul smell coming from the wound. She wanted to help in any way she could, but her mother sent her away.

Together with her brothers, Storge sat on the meadow outside the nest. The night was time for work, but right now, neither of them could continue with any task. Three wolves flinched every time someone came out of the nest, but a long time passed before the queen finally stepped out. She looked gaunt. The last few days filled with worry and anxiety had left their mark on her.

The siblings stood up, looking at their mother with eyes full of hope. Bug sat down on the grass and changed into human form to tell them, "He is sleeping now. I have removed the bullet and cleaned the wound. I also used some medicine, but for now, the dose is small, as I don't know what the correct one should be. Let's wait and see."

'Bullet… So that's what that piece of metal is called,' thought Storge, and lay down on the grass. The wave of relief after stress and exhaustion made her fall asleep outside the nest.