Death changes things

Torin knew he needed to talk to Naeva soon, he'd sought out Priscilla and Blaise already. Célestin was also on his radar though he'd yet to talk to the boy; he seemed happy enough. Torin hadn't failed to notice that his nephew seemed attatched at the hip with the pack's other young fighter. He couldn't help but be put at ease by that, his nieces and nephews hadn't had many peers their age and he was glad at least one of them seemed to have found a friend. That didn't diminish his worry for the others any, and he still wanted to be sure he wasn't neglecting his nephew's emotional state just because he seemed fine but he'd had to make a priority list...

As for Bas... well at this point all Torin wanted was to know the boy was alright... It seemed the tendency to wander off could be passed down simply with his mother's name. These thoughts are what passed through his head as he lay in his den, Derecho at his side snoring lightly still. He gently smilled, nosing at her side gently so as not to wake her up.

Then he heard it, his nephew's howl. It was raw, filled with pain. And Torin suddenly stiffened, feeling as if the world was tilting under him. He didn't know what could have caused such an intense summons to come from Blaise but he knew it couldn't be good. Torin moved quickly and smoothly to his paws, racing out of the den entrance and out towards where he'd heard his nephew's call from.

The scent struck him first, even this far out from it. The mingling smells of death and vomit and he felt his stomach twist painfully. What was he about to walk into? As he approached he just heard his nephew, Célestin, his words filled with venom and pain. He picked up his pace. As he approached he could just make out the image of Célestin and Blaise, gathered around their sister Naeva... there was an ethereal stillness to her and he knew...

"Célestin stop!" He barked, a grimace pulled across his face. "Not- not right now." He knew from what his nephew had told him that right now Célestin was harboring some resentment towards his brother but this... this wasn't the right time or place.

Torin wanted to collapse where he was, wanted to howl in anguish. He wanted to scoop his little niece up in his embrace and never leave her. But right now he couldn't even allow himself the grace of tears. His mind was instinctually jumping to what he had to do, what was required of him. He doubted Jewell would ignore this call and he knew, she couldn't see it. Not at first, she'd need to be braced for the death of... her daughter. She'd need him to be the rock, need him to hold her up while her world started crashing down. He need to be strong, for Jewell, for all of them.