Atreides was still cocooned in shock, still hiding from the reality of the situation, hiding from the hurt and anger beneath layers of apathy. He couldn't summon up enthusiasm for anything, a natural sort of laziness augmented by a puppyish existential dread and apathy brought on by... the Event that Changed Everything. But when Dad called to them, Trei couldn't and wouldn't ignore it, trotting along behind Sirius with a disconcerting blankness to sit heavily beside her before their dad.
And then with the sight of his dad, a stab of fear cracked through the apathy strongly enough that he had to stifle a whimper. Was his dad going to die? He looked really, really awful and so different than the vibrant male he'd been before. He looked even more sick than Narcissa did now. Was he going to leave them too? The thought was more terrifying and painful than even the memory of the bears - that had happened so fast and was softened by distance and time and the natural resilience of puppies, but the thought of his father dying?
No, Dad couldn't die. Dad was the strongest wolf in all the world. He was the best, and the best couldn't die. Trei shoved his fear back down with determination and mustered a smile for his dad, even if it was a bit subdued. Dad had enough to worry about without Trei being a big baby. Atreides was the boy, he had to take care of his family. He couldn't be a crybaby. "Hi Dad."
