His parents were dead. Just like that. He'd only left for a few hours, stealing away in the midst of the night to bask in the cool spring air. The southern continent was still largely new to him, with so much to explore, and he found himself enthralled with the vastness of the land, enjoying how desolate it seemed to be compared to the lands where he'd been born. He couldn't have been gone for more than a few hours at most. And when he returned, he instantly noticed something was wrong. Warily, with fear pumping in his chest as he leaned into the darkness of the den he shared with his parents, he leaned forward to nudge his father. It was with startling realization that he noted the den was completely silent. There was no sound of his parent's quiet breathing, and there was no sign of movement from either of them. Though their bodies were still warm, neither of them so much as budged as he began to switch between the two of them, feeling panic instantly grip his chest. "Dad," came his small voice, the normally stoic boy feeling suddenly anxious and afraid of the very event that he'd been preparing himself for since he'd begun to understand just how old his parents were compared to most wolves. "Mom?" There was no response -- there was nothing at all, even as he felt tears beginning to well in his eyes. Though he'd expected this to happen eventually, he hadn't expected it to happen tonight. And he hadn't expected them to go together. How was such a thing even possible? Why had they done this to him? The pain was nearly unbearable for the boy and he felt a sudden rage flaring in his chest as the reality of their death hit him. It was the most pain he'd ever felt, worse than any small injury and he felt a fury that he didn't know he was capable of. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He didn't want to leave them here, but he also didn't know what he would do with them yet. His limbs quivered as he slowly pulled away from them, retracting from the den, feeling despair and anger and everything in between wash over him like the waves of the ocean. His parents were fucking dead. He'd never really gotten the concept of death until now and the finality of it all was terrifying. They'd never talked to him about dying, about the fact that he might someday be alone, that they'd never come back. All he wanted to do was cry. Unstable paws carried him through the darkness, away from the pain as he let the shadows wash over him. Slowly the trees that had formerly provided him cover grew more sparse, until there was nothing between him and the sky. Overhead the stars gleamed, bright and strong, as though taunting him. A low growl left the boy's lips as he found himself trailing through the thick grass of the plains, his steps aimless and random, no particular destination in mind. He just needed to move.

The dove was returning to the plains to stargaze, since her last trip hadn't gone so well. Northerners were appearing every which way, and she was beginning to feel like she would never get to truly enjoy her home again. Not that there was anything she could do about it, the Goddess had long since decreed the rules that were set in stone, and to disobey would be a capital crime. With a sigh, she wandered across the plains in search of a nice little knoll to rest upon and watch the fading stars. Dawn would arrive soon, the sky at the eastern horizon was already changing from black to purple. The spring brought with it her season, and she was experiencing her second heat. However, she didn't let it change how she went about her life. Soon, she would head to the cove and visit her aquatic friends, and see if they had returned from their small migration inland. Perhaps she would do that this afternoon, when it was warm and the sun was out. As she settled her rump upon the soft grass that wavered with every small breeze, her whiskey tinged gaze would turn itself skyward. The cosmos were infinitely brilliant, and she found she could never be sad when the stars were out. They were far too magnificent for such emotions to remain. Her ebony dipped plume thumped lightly against the terra, a fain smile playing at her inky lips as she looked up at the galaxies far above. One day she would join them, and that didn't scare her. Not one bit. To be among those stars would be a blessing in itself, and for that she would thank the Goddess as her time neared. But that would not be for a long time now, she knew that. Heavy footfalls grew louder, approaching from behind her. There was an air of distress about, and she whirled around to see what was amiss. Part of her thought it might be Shai, returning from his endeavors with the northern wolves. She still couldn't believe what had happened, even though it was really nothing but a rumor so far. However, his being missing was almost enough to convince the ashen femme. The figure that approached was a young one, despite being very nearly bigger than she was. Their crimson eyes were glassy, and though she knew instantly that this was not one of her fellow tribesmen, that maybe she ought to help. Slowly she would rise to her feet, as this child looked rather clumsy as he stormed across the verdant grassland. She was silent as she moved, not daring to make a sound yet. As she drew closer, her brows knotted in concern, audits laying closer to her skull. There was the stink of death on him, faintly clinging to his oddly patterned coat. " "Ni o wa ti o dara si, ọmọ?" " Her soft lyrics murmured, similar to the sounds of a calm sea lapping at the shore. She trotted quietly in the same direction as she boy, watching him nervously as he stomped across the terrain. She kept a good deal of space between them, as there was no reason to trust a northerner yet. Still none. "SPEECH"

Steel had never expected this moment -- he'd never been prepared for it. His parents' age had been the elephant in the room, a topic that was rarely discussed and yet always present, lurking in the back of his mind. It'd be there since he'd first been introduced to the concepts of mortality, since learning that he had siblings far older than himself, and since learning that one of them had died when he'd been just a child. But still this moment gripped him by surprise, stunning him into a dazed silence as he wandered, his head spinning with confusion and rage and unfathomable sadness. Even the night sky above could not steal his attention. The night was dark, though the billions of stars that twinkled and shone seemed to cast a great light over the plains; it was not difficult to see where he was going and it was with a desperate sort of hurry that he moved, as though he might somehow escape the pain that had suddenly found him. Though his crimson eyes were wide, his cheeks stained with tears, he saw little more than his own two paws as he trudged on. Two hundred and eight, two hundred and nine..., counting his pawsteps as though he might somehow forget how to return to the den he had come from if he did not pay close attention. The boy hardly noticed he had encroached on the space of another until he heard a voice, feminine and delicate, though the words she spoke were foreign to his ears. Quickly his frantic pace slowed to a halt, the fur on the ridge of his back bristling at her sudden, and admittedly unwanted presence. "What do you want?" came his sharp inquiry, his voice small and quivering with emotion that he didn't have the energy to hide. Though she didn't seem threatening, he noticed quickly as he turned his head to eye her, though he realized suddenly in his panic that he had lost count of his steps. This realization only made him more agitated and he found himself quivering as he watched her, at a loss -- where was he going? What was he supposed to do now?