In the following days the remaining animals at Animal Farm made a number of decisions. The dogs were the first to decide. Some of them decided to go to safe houses with the Animal Welfare League and try their luck with humans. Some of the dogs decided to head to the unknown and take their chances in the woodlands.

The goats determined that they also wanted to go to the wilderness. After much discussion they came to the conclusion that they would be safer in the distant, rocky mountainous areas, where the foxes couldn't reach them. Some of the dogs offered to walk them there and to protect them, if needed.

As Mollie told Clover, nothing was black and white, and there was no guarantee of safety for any of the animals. Not all humans were the enemy, and conversely, not all animals were friends. There was still so much work to be done and Major's dream remained a whisper in the breeze.

The young horses and hens decided to live with Clover and Amy until they knew what they wanted to do in the long term.

The ducks were loudest in their decision-making. The drakes were determined to go it alone in the wild, while the females continually clucked frantically, "Think of the children!" Eventually a consensus was reached that satisfied both sides.

Only the sheep wanted to stay on at Animal Farm. While the other animals held meetings to determine their future, the sheep had gone up to the now empty farmhouse and taken the spoils back to the barn.

The box with moving pictures was plugged in and immediately the sheep, both young and old, were enthralled. Battles broke out over which shows to watch.

As the other animals said their goodbyes to each other and prepared to leave Animal Farm, the sheep barely raised their eyes to those leaving.

The young horses and hens were amongst the last to go. Clover, Mollie and Amy had come to help them make the walk to their new farm.

Clover pulled Bessy the sheep aside.

"Are you sure you want to stay? What will you do?"

Bessy wavered as she saw the very last animal, a donkey, heading out the barn door. In a flash of reality she realised the sheep were alone.

"Benjamin!" she called. "Will you stay and protect us?"

Benjamin looked over to the crowd of sheep at the television and then back to Bessy.

"No-one can help anyone who doesn't want to help themselves." He shook his head sadly. "One day your fleece will need shearing."

Bessy again wavered, but then her attention was distracted by a loud noise and laughter from the crowd of sheep. Her choice was made. She returned to the television box and re-settled with the other sheep.

That was the last sight of the Animal Farm barn for Clover and Benjamin as they walked out of the door side by side.

On their way out of the farm they stopped at the wall which had once held the Animal Farm commandments. There was only one thing left to do to it.

A year passed by and stories filtered back of the animals that had left Animal Farm.

Some of the goats had been spotted by the birds, living high up in the rocky mountains in great numbers.

The young horses had been seen galloping across various paddocks - some with human riders, some without.

The ducks, it was told, were now living at the pond of a human aged-care facility. Through winter they were seen being fed large lumps of bread by the elderly residents.

In spring the ducks had been spotted putting on an event at the pond. They proudly glided by the elderly residents, chests puffed, as their newly-hatched ducklings swam behind them. The grandchildren of the elderly were seen laughing delightedly and running alongside the riverbank to watch the baby ducklings.

No-one had seen the sheep since the day the other animals had left Animal Farm. The last of the year's hay would soon be running out and the land was overgrown from neglect. The wall, which once held the Animal Commandments, was covered with ivy. Underneath the spreading vine, a single word could still just be seen. Choices. This was Clover and Benjamin's final message.

Benjamin made the choice for his future in his own way. He was often seen in various fields around the town. The local humans and animals had learned to leave him be when he was in their fields. He had no enemies or friends, though once he did accept another straw hat from one of the local children to protect his aging head from the elements. When he was ready, he would then move on to the next farm.

And every so often Benjamin was seen standing in a garden near a large memorial rock, with two old horses, a pig and a young girl. As they stood in silence, the horses and donkey would occasionally flick their tails to keep the flies off each other in the warm spring sun.

An inscription was painted on the rock. Amy had studiously copied the words that Clover had learnt to scratch onto the ground with help from Mollie and Jeremy. The words were Boxer's thoughts from his final hours on earth. In his last days Boxer had come to understand that it didn't matter if someone was a pig. It didn't matter if someone was a human. And it didn't matter if someone was an animal.

The inscription on the rock captured Boxer's final words:

The only thing that truly matters, in this world, is love.

The End