and as you leave there are children playing at your feet

Her blood chilled. An entire year without Poem, who was like her front left leg? She couldn't believe it. "Oh, Poem..." she croaked. How many tears could they cry before their grief abated? Theory closed her eyes tightly, pressing her head into the hollow beneath Poem's chin. She was struggling to breathe. Slowly she focused on her bodily functions, listening to her own heart beat and counting out her breaths. It took some time but she was able to return to reality after a few moments - even if she wished this reality would shatter like a night terror, revealing that it was all a cruel trick.

"I can't lose you again," she said earnestly, even as she knew that her sister couldn't break her word. Poem wouldn't make a deal that she didn't intend on keeping... and the kind of wolf who would do this to her sisters certainly had some creative ideas regarding punishment and retribution. It was vital that Poem held up her end of the bargain, probably for the welfare of the entire pack. Theo wished things were simpler. In a different lifetime they could just run away, but with Shaye's passing and the mantle of Abaven heavy on her shoulders, there was no escaping for either of them. "Did they hurt either of you?" she asked, her eyes flashing briefly with an immutable fury. Did she even want to know the truth? It wasn't like she could abandon the pack and crusade across Boreas in their name. They had responsibilities now.