Talon was oblivious to the horrible realization he was about to face. Painfully naive, he simply radiated joy as they finally emerged from the cool waters, shaking off his fur rather awkwardly. It was not very easy to shake his body vigorously as he wanted to, so he settled for a half-hearted sort of shake. Water still clung desperately to the boy, making him seem even smaller than normal; as though he was naught but skin and bones. Excitement radiated from the very core of his being as he began their short journey towards his home. He was able to move much more rapidly than normal, feeling comfortable around Euphrosyne and not at all self-conscious like usual, his tail waving proudly behind him as they entered the flat territory of Seracia. He knew he should call for the King to alert him of a stranger in the lands, but he neglected to, eager to introduce his new friend to his mother and sisters. If she got in trouble, he would take the blame for her; the King seemed nice anyway, and not at all like he was the kind of person who would hurt someone for something so silly. The land was nothing miraculous -- certainly not nearly as lovely as the island they had found -- but it was home, and he was content here. The air was simply blossoming with the scent of other wolves, but he noticed something strange as they approached his den. His mother and sisters' scents were stale, as though they hadn't been around today. His smile faded as he drew himself closer to the den, suddenly oblivious of Euphrosyne's presence as he peered inside expectantly. Nothing. Gone. They always came home in the evenings -- always. He felt an awful sinking feeling in his stomach, and suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy. Why wouldn't they come back? Had they been hurt? Had they left him like his father? No... Misty would never leave him! She told him that. As hard as he tried to not appear affected, Talon had always been a sensitive boy... and as he suddenly realized that his family was gone, his lower lip began to tremble and his body began to quiver slightly, making him look as pathetic as possible. "I... I don't think they are coming back," he whispered, his voice soft, but audible in the empty den. His head was bowed, his eyes closing as he stood in the dim light of the structure, simply wondering why.

>

It had been an absolutely amazing day. Not only had she seen an amazing island covered in emerald green sand, but she had met this lovely young brute. Now she was following Talon to go met his mother. She couldn't wait to talk to the fea that had raised such a sweet wolf and maybe even get some advice from the woman for when Euph eventually had her own family. She had always wanted to have her own pups one day, she just hoped they had the temperament that this pup had. With a sniff she could tell that they were crossing into pack territory. She was nervous, wondering if maybe they should have called for someone to meet them at the border since she was a stranger to their lands, but Talon didn't hesitate so the brown-marked fea didn't either. She brushed it off, figuring that maybe this pack had some sort of rule that if strangers were with a pack member it was okay. Euph smiled and followed him up to what she assumed was his families den. She waited expectantly, but he suddenly stopped in his tracks so she did as well. She waited for several moments before speaking, "What's wrong? Have they gone hunting or something?" His whispered words made the smile slowly melt off her face. She looked down at his little, wilting form with confusion before looking around the den and smelling of the air, noticing that even the freshest scent had long since gone stale. Her heart sank into her stomach and her ears folded back against her skull. Her emerald gaze drifted back to Talon, wondering if he was right, if they were really gone. Where could they have gone? Surely they wouldn't have just left the little three-legged boy like this. His form trembled and her heart broke for him, crushing sadness for the pup resting on her shoulders. She sank to the ground beside him, sitting on her haunches as she lifted one banded forelimb to gently pull him to her side, cradling him there. He was just a little scrap of a thing, all alone in the world. Euphrosune kept thinking over and over, what could have happened to his family? Surely something must have happened, they wouldn't just leave like this. "I'm so sorry..." was all she could think of to whisper as she held him to her side. Speech,

It seemed a bit of a jump to automatically assume they were gone ... but he knew in his heart that they were. He remembered his mom talking about a lady she had met, who she wanted to bring her family to. Talon had grown uncomfortable at the prospect of leaving, but he hadn't exactly considered that they would have gone without him. Talon was, by all rights, rather naive for a boy almost a year old -- never subjected to much hardship, and certainly not given a chance to see the cruelty of the world, he was more innocent than he ought to be. And he certainly had never expected that his mother might abandon him so easily. His body quivered as Euphrosyne pulled him near, and he felt as though he might collapse entirely. Besides her, and Kangi, he had nobody else in the world. The boy let a whimper fall from his lips as he leaned into Euph, feeling even more helpless and afraid than ever before. "Why would they just leave?" He asked softly, his voice so low to barely be audible at all. It didn't make much sense to him. His gaze adjusted to plaster itself on his older friend's face, the depths of silver brimming with tears and confusion alike. "or.. or.. what if they're hurt somewhere?" He gasped a little, trying to stifle a sob from leaving his lips. It was all too upsetting, and hard to deal with. "Should we.. go look for them?" He wouldn't want to go on his own, but Euph made him feel rather brave, much more than usual. "But.. then if they come home, I won't be here and they might really leave for good." His voice was high-pitched and frantic, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he found himself growing anxious and worried -- he didn't know what to do, but knew he had to do something, because the awful sinking feeling in his tummy was not going away and he knew something was very wrong. He continued to lean into Euph, grateful for her presence, not knowing what he would do if he were alone right now. With another whimper he shifted to bury his face into her white fur, suddenly feeling more exhausted than ever.

>

It broke Euph's heart to hear Talon like this, her own eyes brimming with tears. Her ears pricked forward to catch his quiet whispers, letting him lean into her and bury his face into her fur. She wished she could make everything right and bring his family back to him. She wanted to take care of him, to save him. Her mind raced, trying to think of a solution for the lost pup. She thought of an idea, but she almost didn't want to mention it because she didn't want to leave him alone. It was the only solution she could think of though so she felt like it was only right to at least suggest it. "Talon... What if you stayed here and looked for them and waited to see if they came back, and I'll go looking for them. I don't have a pack or family so I can go all over Alacritis looking for them." She leaned down and gently licked the top of his head. "If you think you'll be safe here on your own... I'll do it. But not unless you promise that you'll be safe here and you'll stay with your pack until I come back, okay?" She still wasn't entirely sure about the idea, but there was no other way to really cover all the bases they needed to cover to look for them and she refused to let him simply not know what happened to his family. She slowly eased down onto her stomach, curling her body so it was a simi-circle around the little wolf, her kind, emerald eyes meeting his how that she could be face to face level with him. "For this plan to work, you'll have to be very, very brave. Can you do that, Talon?" Speech,

Never had he expected such an outcome to the day; his day had seemed so promising when he'd first awoken. Talon had promised himself he would leave the borders of Seracia, and hopefully make a friend -- and he had. But with this new addition to his small circle of trusted wolves, he felt as though he had lost his family. It wasn't Euphrosyne's fault, and he had a hard time believing it was his fault, even though it felt painfully like it might be. If only he had gotten up earlier, he might've caught them and tagged along! The boy found it very hard to keep himself from sobbing, but he really didn't want to seem stupid in front of his newest friend. With a deep sigh, he struggled to maintain himself, detaching himself from Euph's side and trying to straight himself so he stood a bit taller. "I.. I can do that," he replied, shaking his head slowly. She told him to be brave -- something that was so hard for him -- and he wanted to show her that he could be strong. Talon didn't want to seem like a child anymore; he was almost a year old now. "I'll wait for them. B-but ... you promise you'll come if I need you? I won't even leave Seracia." He trusted her, and trusted that she would try to help him... and he would be here in case they returned! It was perfect. He would have to be brave like Euph asked, and ask some of his pack mates if they'd seen any of his family or knew where they'd gone to. "I'll do it." He reiterated softly, leaning to recline on his hindquarters, needing some further stability. Tears stained his cheeks, and he pawed at his face, hoping it would make him look less silly. He didn't like crying around anyone, and didn't want to seem weak. He had to be strong. "Can you stay with me until I fall asleep though?" Silver gaze was fixed on hers, his body trembling ever so slightly -- his tone pleading. He'd never slept alone before, and knew he would have a hard time doing it tonight.

>

Euphrosyne was so proud of her little friend. Even considering staying here alone was incredibly brave. When he asked if she would promise to come if he needed her she imidiately without hesitation nodded, a smile on her muzzle. Of course she would. She could never stay away from him if he ever needed her help. She couldn't imagine a time when she would ever turn her back on Talon. She blinked the tears out of her own eyes as he wiped at the tear stains on his own cheeks, a sad chuckle bubbling out of her chest at his question. "Of course I will," she responded. She couldn't say no to the small, trembling boy, it was impossible. She shifted her position slightly, keeping her body curled into a semicircle, but leaving plenty of room for him to curl up against her side if he wanted. "I'll even stay here tonight with you if you want and I'll set out in the morning." Speech,

Life was not fair. Talon had always liked the idea of karma; of good things happening to nice people, while the bad ones were punished. But why did he deserve abandonment? He'd never done anything bad in his entire life! Another soft whimper escaped his lips, feeling so unbelievably helpless and sad. He had always been rather introverted, even as a pup -- and he felt even more like retracting into himself, not wanting to see or talk to anyone. But he would, for his family's sake, and try to figure out where they had gone. She laughed gently, and it elicited a smile from the young boy, despite the tears that continued to well in his eyes. "I'd like that a lot, Euph," he nodded readily, glad she offered to spend the night with him. Talon knew he would feel better after a long night of sleep, especially after swimming all the way to the island with the green sand and back again. He was never very affectionate with anyone besides his family, but he liked Euph and was comfortable around her -- as well as feeling very vulnerable and afraid. He was willing to curl against her belly, folding his limbs so he was merely a ball of fur and bones. It would not take him long at all to fall asleep. Before he fell unconscious, though, he whispered softly, "Thank you." - exit Talon -

>

Euphrosyne watched as the young teary-eyed boy curled up against her side, making her smile as he shrunk down to a little ball of fur. She curled her body around him protectively, her body and tail almost completely encircling him. She had instantly hit it off with the little brute and after this whole mess had happened with his parents she felt such a strong need to take care of him and watch out for him, she couldn't deny it. It was going to kill her when she left him in the morning, but for now she'd protect him and help him sleep soundly. Before long he was falling asleep among the circle of white fur she had made around him, the two of them just a small bundle of fur in the middle of this lonely den. Her ears perked up to catch his soft thank you, her expression melting from concern to affection, maybe even love. He had crash landed into her life and she hoped she could watch him grow into the lovely brute she knew he was going to be. She desperately wanted to find his family for him, to reunite Talon with his family. She gently brushed her tail over him as she gazed down at him, sighing softly as she lowered her head to her paws and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep as well -exit Euph- Speech,