Its Hard to Say Goodbye

Arcturus felt his mother wrap around him and felt Pan beside him as he leaned into his father and all he felt like he could do was cry as he was with both of his parents for the last time. He heard all the nice things his mom said about how he would surpass them both, but he didn't fully believe it in that moment. His confidence had been so unshakable even just a little bit ago after he had brought down the doe with his father, but now he couldn't imagine ever being good enough to be as great of a fighter or as great of a hunter as either of them. Logic of the situation didn't stick here. It didn't matter that he was far too young and small to have done anything about the bear himself. He hadn't been able to fight with his father and now his father was dying so in his mind he had failed. Even still, he tried to put on some sort of brave face as his father's eyes turned toward him again, fighting off the little shuttering hiccups from his sobs. He nodded as his dad told him to achieve his dreams and do whatever he said he is going to do and to brave, but not stupid. He took in all these last little lessons since he knew this would be the last things he'd get to hear from him, memorizing every word.

He looked to Pan when his father mentioned how Pan loved to cuddle and didn't like to be alone, asking him to take care of Pan and his sister. "I will," he promised, his voice ending up being like a rough whisper. He reached over and curled a paw around one of Pan's little clawed hands, reassuring the pangolin as much as he was reassuring himself. He was already beginning to cling to the pieces of his dad he had left and was actually relieved to have Pan to keep with him through all of this. He returned the nuzzle his father gave him, feeling a bit of panic welling up in his chest at the finality that his father's words held. Wide, blue eyes looked back and forth worriedly between his mother and father, his gray ears pinning back against his head. He couldn't be going already, right? It was so fast, it was all so fast.

"Arcturus Fatalis"