Appendices

These appendices are a retelling of certain episodes from the television series, for the benefit of readers who aren’t familiar with the series.

Warning: The chapter before this one contains spoilers. If you arrived here by clicking a link from another chapter, use your browser’s back button or click the link at the top or bottom of each appendix to go back.

Appendix 1: Kuro-san

Gabu is the happiest wolf in the world today. Mei sent him a message earlier this morning saying he wanted to meet up, and now Gabu’s on his way to their regular meeting place, looking forward to everything they might do together. Gabu has been the happiest wolf in the world quite a lot of days lately.

“Hey,” Gabu says to himself, “a field of clovers! If I can find a four-leafed one and give it to Mei, he’ll be so happy.” As he gets closer to the clover field, he realises he isn’t the only one here. A black furred goat is standing amidst the clovers with its back to him and its head bent down to the ground. Suddenly, Gabu’s last meal feels like forever ago, and he has to remind himself of his promise to Mei not to eat any more goats.

And then Gabu hears a familiar, high-pitched laugh. “Mei?” He creeps further forward, hiding in a bush, and Mei’s there too. He’s smiling at the other goat and laughing, just like he laughs with Gabu.

The black goat finds something. It’s a four-leafed clover. He gives it to Mei, and Mei’s face lights up even brighter than before. Gabu’s heart sinks.

Gabu’s at the meeting place. He’s been waiting here for a while, and Mei hasn’t arrived yet. He’s probably spending time with that other goat instead of me, Gabu thinks.

Mei arrives. “Sorry I’m late,” he says.

Gabu forces his ears up. “That’s okay. I only just got here myself.”

Mei comes closer, his tail wagging. “I got you something.” He’s holding the four-leafed clover the other goat gave him. Maybe that’s where he got the first clover too, that day not so long ago when they first found out they were a goat and a wolf.

“Thanks,” Gabu says. “Did you find this for me?” He knows Mei won’t lie to him, but he feels the need to check anyway.

“Actually, a friend found it for me,” Mei says happily. “He’s really kind.”

Mei is talking, but Gabu doesn’t know what about. He’s still thinking about Mei’s black goat friend, who gives him clovers and spends time with him while Mei’s promised to see Gabu that day. “Gabu, are you listening to me?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, Mei. I was just distracted.”

“You’ve been awfully quiet today, Gabu. Is everything…” Mei notices something behind Gabu. “Hold on, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Mei runs off, and after a while, Gabu follows him. He crests a hill and sees Mei and his friend talking together again. Both of them are smiling.

They look so happy together, Gabu thinks. So Mei only came to see Gabu because he promised to, but what he really wants is to spend time with his friend. Well, that’s fine. If he wants to do that, Gabu will let him.

Gabu turns and starts walking back to Baku Baku Valley.

He’s almost home when he hears Mei’s voice calling after him. “Gabu!”

Gabu turns sharply and runs at Mei, growling and baring his fangs. Mei gives a cry of alarm, and Gabu chases him a safe distance off the path.

“Gabu, what’s going on? I thought we were going to spend the day together, but you disappeared.” Mei has calmed down slightly from the surprise of Gabu chasing him. “Is this a new game we’re playing? You should probably explain the rules first.”

“You need to be more careful, Mei!” Gabu looks around to make sure no one’s following them. “That path can be seen from Baku Baku Valley. What would you have done if a wolf had spotted you?”

“But,” Mei looks like he’s trying not to laugh, “you’re a wolf, Gabu.”

Gabu’s ears flatten. “I know I’m a wolf. You don’t have to point it out all the time.”

Mei’s face becomes more serious. “Is something wrong? You’ve been acting weirdly all day.”

Gabu looks around one more time. He can’t see any other wolves. “It looks like you’re safe here for now, but you should hurry back.”

“Back where?”

Gabu turns away. “It’s rude to keep someone waiting.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know, your black goat friend from earlier.”

“You mean Kuro-san?”

“Is that his name?” Gabu starts walking away. “You shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

“Kuro-san isn’t waiting for me. He had to go back to Para Para Fields before it gets dark.”

“Huh?” Gabu says. He looks back at Mei.

“He came here on an errand for his herd’s Elder, his grandfather. Everyone really likes him—except Tapu, for some reason. He’s really nice and cool. He’s the one who found that four-leafed clover for me.”

“Is that right?” Gabu says distantly.

“When I saw him again, I went and said goodbye. I’m really glad to have met him.”

Gabu remembers again the look on Mei’s face when Kuro-san gave him the clover. “He sounds like a really nice guy. You should go with him.”

“What?” Mei sounds confused. Does he really not understand that this is for the best?

“I don’t think we should meet up like this anymore. It would be awful if anyone found out. You should go and be friends with Kuro-san instead.”

“Gabu, what are you saying?”

“After all, it’s best that goats be with goats, and that wolves be with wolves,” Gabu says, trying to make him understand. “I guess this is goodbye.” He starts walking away again.

“Gabu!” Mei calls after him, but he keeps walking. This is for the best. Suddenly, there’s the sound of hooves on grass and something hard hits him from behind. He gives a yelp of pain and turns around. His head is lowered, which allows Mei to look down at him. Mei looks furious, and there are tears in his eyes. “What’s all this about goats with goats and wolves with wolves?”

“Well…it’s just that goats are goats and wolves are wolves.” Gabu doesn’t meet Mei’s eyes.

“Are you saying we aren’t friends?”

“I…” Gabu doesn’t know how to explain it. “I’m just doing this to make you happy.”

“Happy?!” Mei is shouting now. “Do you think I would be happy if we never met again?”

“You would be better off with a goat for a friend instead of me.”

“Gabu, you…” Mei starts sobbing. He turns and runs away from Gabu.

“Mei, no! I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“My happiness should be of no concern to a wolf like you,” Mei snaps back.

He’s almost at the edge of the clearing when Gabu calls out, “Mei, I’m sorry!”

Mei pauses.

“I saw you getting along well with that other goat, and it made me feel… I might have said some things I shouldn’t have said.”

Mei takes a few tentative steps back towards him.

“Can we still be friends?”

They look at each other for the span of several heartbeats, and then Mei smiles.

They’re walking together in the direction of Sawa Sawa Mountain. “Is your butt still sore?” Mei says.

“My…”

“From when I hit it. I’m sorry about that.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I think I kind of deserved it.” Gabu chuckles weakly. In truth, it is still a little sore.

“Thanks for looking out for me earlier when we were near Baku Baku Valley,” Mei says. “It feels like you’re always coming to my rescue.”

“Well, it’s only natural.”

“Natural?” Mei says. “Why?”

“Huh?”

“Well, I’m a goat and you’re a wolf. That’s not very natural.” He says it carefully, as if Gabu will take it the wrong way.

“Of course it is, Mei. Because you’re such a special friend to me.”

Mei stops for a moment, smiles as if to himself, and then continues walking. “You know, Gabu, I’m always happiest when I’m with you.”

And once again, Gabu is the happiest wolf in the world.

Appendix 2: Boro

He stares over the ledge. It’s a long way down, and although he knows that wolves have survived the fall before, he also knows that not all of them have. From a nearby rock, his friends are watching with a mix of excitement and trepidation.

“Is Boro serious?”

“There’s no way he can make that jump.”

He does his best to ignore them as he backs away from the ledge, his eyes fixed on the far side. Tobi Tobi Gap is an unofficial rite of passage. Making the jump takes not only skill, but also bravery. He’s pretty sure he’s got the former—he’s been practising similar-sized jumps over less perilous gaps—and today, he feels he also has the latter.

Before he can change his mind, he starts running towards the gap. As the empty air looms closer, he remembers the dizzying drop below it, with its sharp rocks and rough slopes lying in wait for anyone unfortunate enough to fall down.

He can’t do it. At this point, so close to the edge, it’s almost more dangerous to stop than to keep going, but he tries anyway. His paws skid, sending rocks flying off the ledge, but he stops himself just in time.

“Boro, we’re still too young for that,” Hoko calls from where his friends are watching.

“Yeah, we can’t make a jump like that like an adult can,” Tomo says.

“But it would be awesome if we could,” Kazu says.

A loud, commanding voice fills the air. “Hey, what are those kids doing?” Bari says.

“It looks like they want to jump over Tobi Tobi Gap,” Gabu replies. Boro hadn’t notice Gabu watching, and he feels a little ashamed that the older wolf witnessed his failed jump.

“Ah, I see,” Bari says.

“Listen up. Today, you’ll be going out in pairs. You kids will get to learn everything the adult you’re paired with knows.”

“Hei, Bari,” Boro and the other kids say.

“And you lot,” Bari says to the adults, “don’t make yourselves look dumb in front of the kids. Got that?”

“Hei!”

“Good. Now get to it.”

Beside him, Zack starts introducing himself to Hoko, but Boro ignores them and turns to Gabu, whom he’s paired with. “It’s a pleasure to be learning from you, Gabu,” he says, his tail wagging. He knows that the adult wolves treat Gabu kind of like an outsider, but Boro feels like an outsider too sometimes, so that’s okay.

“The pleasure is all mine, Boro,” Gabu says, and they set off together. Gabu sounds just as excited as Boro feels. “Here we go!”

Over the course of the day, Gabu teaches him all sorts of skills that will be useful to him when he’s old enough to go out on hunts. Gabu shows him how to identify tracks, how to jump with confidence over large gaps, and how to cross a river quickly by hopping from stone to stone.

“Make sure to choose only the biggest stones,” Gabu says. And when a moment later, Gabu misses a jump and falls into the water with a splash, he surfaces and says without missing a beat, “And that’s how we dive into the water to hide our scent.”

“Got it,” Boro says, and Gabu beams with pride at his own teaching skills.

“Hey, Boro,” Gabu says, “what are these tracks?”

Boro gives them a momentary glance, and then sniffs at the ground. “It’s a goat,” he says, and then he catches another scent. “And over here… This one’s a deer!”

“Huh,” Gabu says, and sniffs at the ground where Boro is pointing. “You’re right. I wouldn’t have noticed that. You’ve got a really good nose.”

Gabu lets Boro follow the deer tracks himself. Before long, he glances up and spots a pair of deer grazing in a meadow below. “Look, there they are! How do we hunt them?” Boro is so focused on the deer that it takes him a moment to realise that Gabu hasn’t responded. “Gabu?”

“Ah, Boro, are you actually hungry right now?”

It’s only been a few hours since Boro ate some leftovers this morning. “No, I’m not.”

“In that case, we won’t be hunting today.” Gabu starts to walk away.

Boro hurries after him. “B-but I found some prey for us.”

“I don’t really like to hunt if I’m not hungry,” Gabu says. “If you want to hunt, you have to wait until when you get hungry. Otherwise, it’s a waste of food.”

That doesn’t sound right to Boro. More food for the pack is always better, but Gabu is older and knows best. “Okay…”

“Zack and I caught a rat together,” Hoko says proudly. It’s nighttime, and Boro and his friends have met up to tell each other their news from today.

“Cool,” Tomo says. “Beach helped me catch a rabbit.”

“No way!” Kazu says, and turns to Boro. “What did you get?”

“I found a couple of deer,” Boro says, and the others are suitably impressed.

“That’s awesome! Big game,” Hoko says.

“So, how was it?” Tomo says.

“Were they hard to catch?” Kazu says.

“Um, I don’t know. Gabu said we shouldn’t hunt it.”

“Huh?”

“That’s weird,” Tomo says. “If you find prey, you’re supposed to hunt it, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but…” Hoko gives the others a meaningful look.

“Oh right, yeah,” Kazu says. She gives Boro a look that’s almost sympathetic.

“What?” Boro says. He looks to Tomo, but he only shrugs.

“Gabu’s really bad at hunting,” Hoko says. “Everyone says so.”

“He probably didn’t chase the deer because he knew he couldn’t catch them,” Kazu says.

“Oh,” Tomo says. “Yeah, I heard that too. Sorry you got paired with him, Boro.”

“I heard that Gabu’s a coward,” Hoko says. “He’s probably just afraid of hunting.”

“Is that true?” Boro says. He knows that the other wolves don’t respect Gabu much, but he didn’t seem like a coward when Boro was with him today. Except, that thing with the deer was definitely odd…

“It’s okay, Boro. We’ll teach you how to hunt properly.”

“Thanks, guys. I think I’ll go and get some sleep now.” As Boro leaves his friends and starts walking towards the sleeping caves, he notices a familiar scent on a large rock near where he and the others were talking. It smells recent. It kind of smells like…Gabu.

“Hey, are you really smelling a goat this way?” Hoko says.

“Yeah, I told you I am,” Tomo says. “Beach said I have a pretty good sense of smell.”

“Come on, Boro,” Hoko says. “How are we supposed to teach you how to hunt if you’re way back there?”

Boro is following a few steps behind his friends. He sighs and comes a few steps closer.

“Cheer up a bit,” Kazu says.

“Hey, uh,” Tomo says, “the smell of flowers is way too strong here. I can’t get the smell of the goat anymore.”

“What?” Kazu says. “But we came all this way!”

Boro sniffs the ground. The smell of flowers is strong, but he can still smell the goat. “It’s all right. We’re still on the right track.”

Everyone turns to look at him. “Really?!”

“Not bad, Boro!” Hoko says.

The scent leads to a cluster of flowery bushes, where the scent of the goat is at its strongest. Strangely, Boro thinks he can smell Gabu’s scent again too, but he’s probably just imagining it, the same as last night.

“Is it hiding in there?” Hoko says. She runs up to the side of the bush and sticks her paw inside it, wiggling it about.

“What are you doing?” Tomo says.

“I thought I could get it out by scaring it. Looks like it’s not working. Wait, I think I heard something!”

“Really? I didn’t hear anything,” Kazu says.

Hoko goes back to wiggling her paw inside the bush, but no goat emerges.

“Hey, if there is a goat in there and it tries to run away, how are we going to catch it?” Tomo says.

“Are you kidding?” Hoko says. “Goats spend all day eating grass. They’re too fat to run very fast.”

“Yeah,” Kazu says, “and eating all that grass makes their heads go bad, so they think slowly too. You need to eat meat to get smart, you know.”

Just then, there’s a definite rustle from inside the bush.

“See, I told you I heard something!” Hoko says.

“Shh! It’s coming this way,” Tomo says.

Sure enough, the branches closest to them are starting to move of their own accord. Suddenly, there’s a sound from the opposite side of the bush, and now Boro can hear hooves getting further and further away.

“It tricked us!” Kazu shouts.

The four wolves run around the bush in time to see a white goat galloping away.

“Let’s get it!”

They run after it. At first, the goat is running slower than them, so they quickly catch up to it, but it speeds up slightly when they get closer, and now they’re running at the same speed.

“Help! Wolves! I’m so scared!” the goat cries in a high-pitched, faintly masculine voice.

Tomo, Kazu and Hoko are closest, almost catching up to the goat. It runs in a circle, the three of them following after it, and they get close enough to leap at it. Except somehow, the goat dashes out from under them, and the three wolves collide with each other and land in a pile.

Boro catches up to them, panting.

“Get off of me!” Hoko yells.

“I was just trying to catch the goat,” Tomo says.

“Where were you, Boro?” Kazu says.

Boro looks at the three of them, still lying where they fell. “Um, where’s the goat?”

“Oh, right!” Hoko says, and stands up, throwing the other two off her.

“Hey, tell me before you stand up,” Kazu says.

“Shut up!” Hoko says. “The goat’s getting away.”

The goat’s tracks lead to a river with thick foliage along its bank.

“This is as far as it goes,” Boro says.

“It must have crossed the river to hide its scent,” Hoko says.

“Hold on,” Boro says. He’s just spotted some hoofprints in the mud of the riverbank that lead upriver on the side they’re standing on. “The goat wanted us to think it had crossed the river, but it actually went this way.”

They follow the hoofprints quite a distance upriver. There are still more tracks to follow when Boro hears a rustling sound from back the way they came. He looks in time to see the goat trying to sneak out of one of the bushes on the riverbank.

The hoofprints must have been a distraction. It’s smiling smugly in their direction, but it stops when it sees Boro looking at it. By the time Boro can say, “Hey, it’s over there,” the goat has already leapt nimbly from rock to rock across the river and is running away again.

They reach the rocks, and Hoko tries to jump on them in the same way the goat did, but her paws slip on the first rock and she lands in the water. Tomo has more luck, making the first jump successfully, but then he jumps without looking and has no rock to land on. Kazu reaches her second rock, but it’s too small and she slips off it.

Now it’s Boro’s turn. He stares at each rock in turn, and makes sure to only choose the biggest ones. In no time at all, he’s at the other side.

“How did you do that?” Tomo says from the water.

“Gabu taught me,” Boro says proudly.

It isn’t long before Boro has tracked the goat to a rocky bridge over a chasm, with a gap in the middle. It looks kind of like Tobi Tobi Gap, although this gap might be just a little bit wider. He watches as the goat leaps effortlessly across. On the far side, it turns and smiles tauntingly at him.

“Damn that goat,” Hoko says.

“What should we do?” Kazu says.

“I guess we’ll have to turn back,” Tomo says. “You were really cool today, Boro. Boro?”

Boro is staring at the gap. He backs away from it, and his friends back away from him.

“Don’t be reckless, Boro!” Hoko says.

“It’s all right. Gabu taught me how to do this.”

“Gabu did?” Kazu says in surprise.

Everyone, the goat included, stares at him as he starts running towards the gap. This time, he doesn’t think about what’s below him, just the goat waiting for him on the other side. He jumps and, for what feels like several seconds, he’s in the air. And then he lands on the other side, just barely, his paws scrabbling for purchase. The goat gives a shriek of alarm and bolts off.

Boro pulls himself up and onto his feet while his friends give shouts of encouragement from behind him. And then there’s another familiar voice.

“Boro! Leave the rest up to me.” A shadow passes overhead, and Gabu lands easily in front of him. Boro smiles as he sees Gabu run off after the goat, and Gabu smiles back at him.

The goat runs this way and that, but Gabu is catching up. Gabu leaps, and for a moment it looks like he’s caught it. But then, the goat is running away again, and Gabu’s walking back towards them.

“Hey, Gabu,” Hoko says, “why did you let that goat get away?”

“Because even though I caught it,” Gabu says, “I wasn’t hungry at the time. Do you understand why you weren’t able to catch it before?”

“Because we’re still too young for that?” Hoko says.

“No, wrong answer.”

“Because that goat was faster than most goats?” Tomo says.

“Nope! Well, yes, but that’s not the reason.”

“Then why was it?” Kazu says.

“The reason you weren’t able to catch it is because you tried to hunt it for fun,” Gabu says. “For you, it might just be a game, but the goat will always be running for its life. After all, it doesn’t want to get eaten.”

“Oh,” Boro says, now understanding Gabu’s lesson from before. “So the reason we couldn’t catch the goat is because we weren’t actually hungry.”

“Right answer,” Gabu says, and smiles at him. “You’re going to be a great hunter one day, Boro. All of you are.”

Appendix 3: Jess

The moment when it happens is a blur. Mei is wandering around the outskirts of the forest, waiting for Gabu to arrive, when out of nowhere, a grey wolf with a scar on its face starts charging towards him. Mei freezes. He barely has time to register, Wait, that’s not Gabu, when suddenly, Gabu’s there too.

“Mei!” Gabu cries in alarm. He’s running towards them, and just as the other wolf is lunging at Mei, Gabu leaps and catches the wolf hard on its side. Both of them go tumbling to the ground. Gabu recovers first and moves to stand protectively in front of Mei. “Get away from him!” Gabu says, and there’s a growl in his voice Mei has never heard before.

The unknown wolf struggles unsuccessfully to get to its feet. Its eyes dart between Gabu and Mei. “Goat,” it manages to say before falling unconscious. It’s got a scar on its hind leg too, a deep, vicious looking cut that must have happened in the last few days.

Gabu is panting heavily. Mei is shaking. “He must have fainted from that wound,” Gabu says. “At any rate, we’re fine now.”

Mei recovers from the shock enough to say, “We’re not fine. He saw the two of us together. Gabu, he knows about us now!”

Gabu’s eyes widen. “He’s not from my pack. Bari told me just before I left about these wolves from Gara Gara Mountain. They’re looking for a traitor who fled to this forest after attacking their leader. This must be him; he’s got the same scars Bari told me about.”

“Does that make a difference?” Mei says.

“It might do. If I talk to him and ask him not to tell anyone what he saw…”

Mei looks at the prone form of the wolf. “Okay. I’ll hide in the bushes while you talk to him. Be careful, all right?”

“I will, Mei.”

The wolf remains unconscious while Gabu finds some herbs and places them on the scar on his leg. Eventually, the wolf stirs, looking blearily up at Gabu. “You’re the guy from before,” he says, not in an accusatory tone. He tries again to stand, but it looks like the wound is causing him too much pain.

“I’m not going to tell your pack you were here,” Gabu says. His ears are down.

“You know about me?”

“You were wounded by your pack’s leader and ran away. Your name is Jess, right?”

The wolf glances at the herbs Gabu has put on his leg. “You know about me, and yet you still help me. Why?”

Gabu glances off to the side. “I might become a traitor too, all right?” Mei stifles a gasp. “That aside, there was something I wanted to ask you. It’s about what happened before you passed out.”

“You mean when I attacked that goat?”

“Yes. Did you see anything?”

Jess thinks. “I saw you and the goat. You said, ‘Mei’, or something.” Gabu’s head sags. “What’s wrong?”

“I have a request for you. Please don’t tell anyone else about it.”

Jess seems confused. “About what?”

“About…me being friends with a goat.”

“Friends…with a goat?” Jess’s eyes widen. “Are you serious? Are you really friends with a goat?”

Mei can’t believe what he’s hearing. He jumps out of the bush he’s hiding in. “Gabu, why did you tell him that? Uh—” Both of the wolves are staring at him. No one moves.

“To think that you two could actually be friends.” Jess gives a short bark of a laugh. “I’m sorry. This has nothing to do with an outsider like me.” He’s recovered some of his strength, and the three of them are walking through the forest, trying to get Jess to the edge of the Baku Baku wolves’ territory without either of the wolf packs finding him.

Mei is in front. He leads them into the middle of a shallow stream, the water washing gently over their hooves and paws. They follow the stream for a while to disguise their tracks.

“It seems you two are experts at moving while hiding,” Jess says to Gabu.

“You could say that,” Gabu says.

“Although,” Jess lowers his voice, “you have a lot of self-control.”

“What do you mean?” Gabu says.

“To be so close to such a delicious looking goat and not want to eat it.”

Mei continues walking forward, pretending not to hear. By the sound of it, Jess also has a lot of self-control, although Mei still looks subtly around for places to run to in case he’s mistaken.

“W-what are you talking about?” Gabu says unconvincingly. “Of course I don’t want to eat him.”

“You dislike goat?”

“I don’t dislike goat. I… I love…” Gabu trails off. “Look, Mei is different. He’s my best friend. I couldn’t possibly eat him.”

They leave the stream and stop walking to give Jess a chance to rest. He lies on the grass and closes his eyes.

“How’s your leg?” Gabu says.

“Better. The pain is fading, and the swelling seems to have gone down too.”

“Can I ask you something? Why did you try to attack your leader?” Jess opens his eyes and looks up at Gabu. “You don’t have to answer,” Gabu says quickly. “I was just curious.”

Jess thinks, and then sits up, the trace of a smile on his mouth. “I also had a friend like you two.” Mei, who has been keeping watch up ahead, looks back in curiosity. “His name was Gon. We were very close.

“Our leader was no good for the pack, causing trouble. Gon decided to challenge him and become the new leader. From the moment Gon told me of his plan, I already expected some cowardly trick. I told him as much, but he was resolute.

“When Gon issued the challenge, our leader named an outcrop of rock as the location, as was his right. Before the fight had even begun, our leader had the upper paw. Gon was backed against the edge of the cliff and lost his footing. He tried to claw his way back up, but the leader pushed him off. I tried to save him, but I was too late. Gon had fallen to his death. I attacked the leader in retaliation.”

“Over there is Hashi Hashi Hill,” Gabu says. “Once you’re past there, my pack won’t follow you.”

“Thank you,” Jess says. “Without your help, I would never have made it this far.”

“It was no trouble,” Gabu says. “You won’t tell anyone about us, right?”

Jess looks between Gabu and Mei, smiling faintly. “Do you really think anyone would believe me? No, your secret is safe with me.”

He makes to leave, but Mei steps forward. “I think you did the right thing, standing up for your friend.”

“Mei…” Gabu says.

“Thank you,” Jess says again. “I think the same.” He gives a short laugh. “To think that I would agree with a goat…” He takes another few steps. “Hey, before I go, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?” Gabu says.

“Are you going to stay living like this forever?” Gabu and Mei look at each other. Neither of them has an answer. “Well then, goodbye,” and he walks past the hill and out of sight.