I venture outside of my burrow for the first time today. There is an eerie silence. I bark out to the surrounding burrows, Come out! But no one replies. There is only silence. I go around poking my head to every hole barking for a reply, any sign that there is another living soul around. But there is none. They are all gone. The reek of death is high, and coming from every hole is the stench of rotting bodies. I have no reason to continue trying. What is the point? I am the only Pika left alive, and I am almost to my life’s limit anyhow. I sit on my rock and cry. I mourn for all of the Pikas: my dead friends, family, and enemies. I mourn for my beloved Unique, still lying dead in our burrow.