Tyr's hesitant pawsteps fell as he moved once more toward the heart of the packlands. His encounter with his brothers... with Baldur had driven him to hide himself away for a time, lurking at the edges of the packlands... like the coward he was. He hadn't had a positive epiphany and come to the conclusion that he was secretly a good person, hadn't gained confidence, and hadn't returned to rejoin pack society. No, Tyr felt no better about himself than he had when suddenly confronted with his adoptive littermate, confronted with his guilt, confronted by the sight of the brother he'd betrayed. He was calm now, though, as he seated himself on the cold ground and steeled himself. Mismatched eyes gazed dully down at equally mismatched paws. His thin coat had always done little to keep out the winter chill, but his time here had given him some small reserved of fat beneath a pelt thicker and silkier than it had been in his life. He had it good here - but he was not meant for such things. Ready now, he raised his small head and sent up a call for a high ranking member of Valhalla. Erani, or her betas, it didn't matter which. It was time. Speech

Erani

It was a long, tiring season of Winter. Wolves were sick, Vahva was dead, Meili was dead as well? She was sure others were dying beyond Valhalla. She had no idea where the hell her Digamma Tertiary had vanished off to. Caerul and Alsander were run off their paws on each patrol because of the lack of backup. Cormalin helped where he could, and Sephiroth was on his own with Surreal down with the illness. To make matters even more trying, Imena was sick with a cold, Friction was caring for Isis, Cecily was ill, Jinxx was so bad he had recognized no one, and had attacked Sephiroth in a fit of the sudden aggressions that came from this plague. Gael had inexplicably vanished; again. Baldur and Thor had left. There was a slim ray of hope, however. Out of the plants she had tested on Surreal, Alfalfa and Horsetail had shown more success when used, than anything with the Alder Buckthorn in the mix. Agrimony was also off the list of use. They were that much closer to figuring out the cure for this malady. Her weight had dropped a bit, from her constant attention to the ill wolves, more of which continued to crop up. Quintus, for instance. She was taking a walk after escorting him to the Quarantine area in her expansive den. Thus far, no one in close contact; the healers, and visitors, like Falk, had caught the illness. The pack was still under firm regulations that washing after treatments and visits was required. The flow of rabbits had petered out recently. Twig, was, of course, pregnant. Erani had no doubt who the sire was. Alpine?s scent was thicker than tar on her fur when they had come back. Erani had refrained from demoting Alpine for his lack of attendance at the battle training session. And for his extended absence from the pack. She had refrained, because they needed the extra patrolling power in the high ranks. Especially now. Heart break on Lyric?s side was not something she could completely punish him for, despite the terms he had fully agreed to at the start. Eventually, Lyric would recover. If she ever came back. Lyric had been absent since the meeting. Her scent was stale now. Chrysanthe?s too. Erani was increasingly worried. Both Alpine and Twig had seemingly disappeared, too. Erani had a mind to sniff out their last trail and follow it, but only after she was sure the illness was gone, or at least beaten back for her to investigate the disappearance. Sarak had approached her, telling her of the possibility of Azalea being pregnant with his children. A bright light in the midst of the darkness. It was a reminder that not all was bad in these times Children would be coming. Although she knew Azalea?s distaste at having children, she was sure that bone in her throat would likely be easier to swallow, with the fact that they were Sarak?s children, and not some tyrant northern king. Tyr?s voice filtered through the air, calling for Erani, or the betas; the call was an open summons for the high ranking wolves. Erani?s heart eased with relief. At least now she was sure he was alive. He had stopped showing himself around the pack since the last pack event, and she had been worried, with the rising plague, that he had fallen ill, and died. Her path turned abruptly toward his call, and she quickened her pace to a trot, reaching the young male quickly, despite her weariness, ?Tyr.? Her voice was slightly hoarse, but warm, and relieved. She embraced the male gently. ?I?m so glad you?re alright, young one.? Her voice was honest.

Erani came promptly to his call, and the cowardly part of Tyr wished greatly she had not. He wished he could have left, escaped without needing to face her disappointment in him. She looked so tired, so worn as she moved forward to embrace him. Steeled as he already was for what he was going to do, Tyr didn't flinched away, only swallowed hard as guilt rose up to choke him. He turned his mismatched gaze away as she spoke of how glad she was to see he was all right... because he wasn't all right. He wasn't, and never had been, and never would be. Before his cowardice could make him change his mind, Tyr moved back from her embrace and spoke bluntly. Practiced as these words were, there was hardly even a hint of his usual fearful stutter. "Erani, I'm leaving Valhalla." There. It was said, the words hung in the air between them like fog. Green and gold eyes stared down at the ground rather than at his alpha - former alpha, he amended - but his whole demeanor was tense with determination. This was the only way he could see forward, the only way to keep Valhalla and Erani from suffering the same fate as his siblings... broken and grieving because his cowardice caused even more wolves to die. Speech