i can't go back to where i used to be

The horned boy curled in on himself, tucking his tail over his nose as he hugged himself. He was lonely, and tired, and he still didn’t think he would ever be warm again. The ice that he had floated on seemed to stay with him even though he’d been de-thawed for days. Erys was cold not because of the temperature, but because of his longing for the ones that would never be returned to him.

He missed his brothers. Their warm similarly sized rolly polly bodies next to him. He would have warmed right up had the two of them been there for him. But they weren’t. Erystotle had been sent away, though he didn’t know it was to save his life.

Erys didn’t want to be unhappy, or seem ungrateful, because he was grateful. He just felt.. blah. The boy needed friends, needed someone to lean on and look up to. He would have flourished with pups his own age, but there were no pups here in Kesali. Or if there were, Erys hadn’t seen them yet.

The Atlas boy lifted his head to look out the hole in his den, he hadn’t really left this new little home he had been given. He was still recovering, as made evident in his sunken eyes and pale pink skin.