Left Alone

He had his chance, and he blew it. The land had been amassed with wolves, ground stained with blood. Hellstrom had been outnumbered, as the young man could infer after his lack of success of finding an opponent. Abaven had emerged victorious, and now they were returning home. Most had relocated to the Estuary where the healers would tend to the wounds though being fit as a fiddle, Tinaro would be one of the first to arrive home. While some would hold their heads high, his own chestnut crown would hang low with guilt, shame and depression. If only he could have fought.

As he made his way through the territory with night upon the world, he caught the scent of a child. No, this wasn't Tordo's; it had to be another pup of the pack. By the looks of it, he couldn't pick up the scent of a nearby adult. Why did children have to be out alone, especially at night? Seeing as it was along the way to his own den, he would stop by a check on the pup. Swiftly padding across the plains and through the trees, he hopped he wouldn't startle the child by his sudden appearance. "Are you alright, little one?" he softly inquired, approaching the girl slowly from the side.