Lachesis' answer was short, his attention clearly focused on the den behind him; No surprise there..! Orren simply nodded in understanding, lowering himself to the ground to wait quietly. Head resting on outstretched paws, the hare half forgotten by his side, the boy tried to embody patience, knowing that being antsy wouldn't speed up the process; He remembered as much from last year. The burly lad's experience with childbirth was very limited though, other than his sisters' last year, where he had been more concerned with his mother than anything else, the only one he'd been through was his own, which obviously he didn't remember. All he could do was watch and wait, trusting XIX to take care of Naia and everything that went down.

Copper ears perked up and his head lifted when a voice sounded from the den, too weak for him to make out the words. The healer quickly answered and mumbled voices left the den, Orren lifting himself more, straining to hear; Is it over? The soft rumble of conversation continued, and he bit his lip, staying patiently in his spot, having no idea what was happening inside. He wouldn't understand it, didn't know anything about complications or the trouble of labor, all he knew was that mothers went into their dens, and after an ungodly amount of time, they came out with pups. But that didn't happen this time. Instead he heard the voices rising in volume, Lachesis' voice, shouting her name louder and louder; You can't! Now true fear gripped the young Baranski's heart and he scrambled to his feet, creeping closer to the den entrance. He came close enough to hear his name, spoken in an eerie, ghostly echo of the voice he knew so well. The weakness dripped from Naia's tongue, and while Orren was still trying to process her request – Tell Inali? Tell her what..? – he heard the medic's soft whisper of goodbye. Goodbye? NO, why goodbye?!

Face twisted in horror, the prince backed away from the den, ears lying flat back against his skull. The stench of blood hung stark in his nose, wolves blood, her blood! No… No, no, NO! This wasn't what was supposed to happen, this was their last happiness, their hope for a future! "Naia!" He cried out desperately, but all he got in answer was XIX, leaving the den to face him, ghostly expression confirming everything beyond doubt; "No!" The scream was almost unintelligible, a roar of raw emotion. In reply he only got a demand, uttered in a voice full of grief, but still enough to bristle his hackles. He didn't want to find anyone, what did it matter anyway? All he wanted was to run, run as fast as he could without stopping, outrun this latest tragedy of his life, to someplace where they were still alive.

As if the fickle gods feeble attempt to make up for their taking, Karina suddenly materialized, looking at him with such innocent, clouded eyes. He had no answer for her, the last scream had killed his voice. It didn't matter, already she was pushing past Lachesis, into the den. She was here, like he wanted. Orren still didn't understand why it mattered, what was the point when Naia was already dead? In this moment he cared nothing for the pups or their survival, the little monsters who had taken her life away. He spun on his heels and ran.

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