Alexander had decided he could wait in Avalon no longer. He couldn’t quite remember the way back to Ethne, but he knew it was in Auster, and after getting the directions he could, the yearling had set off in search of his pack. There had to be a reason his mother had not come for him, a reason that no one in the pack had. Something had to have happened. Worry made his stomach unsettled as he traveled, hardly wanting to rest, though by the time he had made it to this forest he had needed to. There were other Falls here… but it was not the Lazuli Falls that his family called home.

The sound of the falling water made him feel homesick. He could picture the pool of the falls, the cave system he and his family lived in. He took a drink of water from the river before moving back and laying down. He was tired, a bit hungry, but he didn’t feel right hunting when he didn’t know the fate of his kin. He couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding that hung over him. A nearby sound caught his attention and the boy would look up to the branches to see that he had been joined by his companion Keeneye. Seeing her was comforting. He relaxed a little, turning his attention back to the river as he let his mind drift in thought.

"Speech" 'Thought.'

Dagrún stalked along the river, eyes scanning for prey that she could catch and bring back to Ethne. She knew these waters would run with salmon from time to time but she was doubtful that this was the appropriate season. Ideally she'd catch something drinking near the riverside that she could sneak up on. Instead of finding prey she found one of the packs yearlings.

"Alexander! What are you doing here?" She bounded along the riverside to join the boy. She'd known he'd been off training somewhere in one of the other packs but she didn't know the details. Her stomach dropped. Who all was supposed to be keeping up on the boy? Had anyone been communicating with him throughout the ongoing events in Ethne?

Alexander had no idea how long he lay there, staring at the water as it moved. Keeneye kept a watch on the yearling from the trees, giving a cry to alert him of another approaching. His green gaze would flick up to see one of the pack’s combatants, and he blinked with surprise. She seemed just as surprised that he was here as well. He frowned, ears tilting back as he answered her.

“I was in Avalon for a bit. My mom was supposed to come get me but never returned.” The yearling got to his paws. His stomach had started to churn. “I got worried, so I left to try and make it back home. I was pretty lost until Keeneye found me.” His brow furrowed. “Dagrún… something happened, didn’t it? Something prevented Mom from coming back to Avalon.” That much he was certain of. But what could have been so important that she would leave her son?

"Speech" 'Thought.'

Dagrún's heart sank as Alexander spoke and she felt the slight sting of anger that Bellamy or at least another family hadn't gone to talk to the poor boy. She felt this sort of news was best delivered by another loved one but delaying the news for longer was only going to make the anxiety continue to grow. She sighed. "Sit down, Alexander, something bad happened." She moved to sit next to him, trying to be as comforting as she could but knowing there was no good way to deliver this news. It was going to hurt, it was going to hurt badly, and there wasn't much that could stop it. "Your father passed away." Dag opted to keep it simple for now, leaving the cause vague and the situation the pack was in by the wayside to give the boy a chance to process the news of his father's passing.