Walk | Talk | Think
He had been out again within the Gulley, scouting the area and assessing the damage that was being done by the storm. Likely he was being a bit excessive about it, constantly venturing off to keep tabs on the areas that were no longer passable, other areas that might eventually pose a threat, but all it took was a quick reminder for him that if he did not do this, if he slipped up somehow, then it was his family's safety at steak. They were what pushed him to keep up the demanding work, to patrol and scout and lead them around the dangers both within and without. The last thing he wanted was to lose one of them to inattention.
His work was put on hold the instant he heard his sister's call, and as soon as the sound touched his ears he could feel his anxiety rise. Not in any of the days since they had moved here and founded Secretua had Maia ever called for them. Her sons, yes, but never for the family as a whole. Combined with the weariness of her voice, the weakness he had detected about her howl, he knew something was wrong. Quickly he set a course for her, dark paws moving swiftly through terrain that was entirely familiar now with as often as he traveled through it. Rune needed to reach his sister, and fast.
Only his pace faltered when his nose identified a new scent present within his territory, distorted practically beyond recognition by years apart and the scent of a neighboring pack. Instantly the dark fur along the grey wolf's back rose and his body tensed reflexively. Secretua had an unwelcome visitor treading in their midst, wandering about close beside the pack's sheltered densite. Was this why Maia had called? Fearing the worst, Rune set out again at a more reckless pace, desperate to reach his sister before the intruder did.
He might have been familiar with the terrain, but he still managed to find the scent of the intruder ahead and along the path he made and followed it right up to Maia's den. A growl rumbled low and threatening from Rune's opened muzzle, his lips drawn back to expose teeth as he hurried to his sister's aid, ready to dive in and drag out whatever wolf had dared step into his territory, into his home, all the way into his sister's den, and punish them for their insolence.
Except he found no stranger within. Instead what, or rather who, he found stopped him short, cut off the growl that he had voiced with such conviction, and practically stole the breath right out of his lungs. The sight of his absent father captured and held his attention wholly, for a moment making him oblivious to the ailing state of his sister. What the hell was he doing here?! Rage, enough for both himself and Maia, flooded him, threatened to cloud out all sense of reason, and whatever anger he had felt at the thought of a mere intruder lurking within his lands multiplied and continued to grow. He had no business being here, no right to set foot upon his border let alone stumble his way right into the heart of his family's home. He could have easily reached across his sister and grabbed the male by the scruff to physically drag him from the den if he just let go and gave in.
But at last his gaze shifted downward, taking in his sister and her son. He might have been overwhelmed with an overpowering anger, but inside the den there was only sadness, quiet and somber. His rage felt entirely out of place with the situation he found himself in, and even when he realized what he had failed to notice in his blind fury, the sickness that clung to Maia's scent, it still made his legs tremble where he stood, added an unwanted quiver to his voice as understanding set in. She was dying too? "Maia?" he croaked, for once unable to hold up the steady, frowning mask that he constantly wore. He breathed heavily, unable to process everything quickly enough. His father was here. His sister was dying. And he was unequipped to deal with both at once.
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