Arion truly was not sure where he belonged anymore. After his father had abandoned both him and his mother the smudge had accepted the loss. He knew that Inkheart was not going to return to the family he had left behind and R had been okay with that. At times, he even pretended that father had died in order to deal with the thought of being abandoned — or, that he never had a father.  He had very few memories of Inkheart so it was easy to pretend that the obsidian wolf did not exist. Even his mother very seldom mentioned her former mate — whether it was because she still hoped for his return or despised him for his permanent absence, Arion did not know. And now he would never know.

After discovering his mother’s broken body the boy had remained by her side for what felt like weeks. He would rather be abandoned by ten fathers than experience the death of his mother. She had been ripped away from him far too early — there was so much they still needed to experience together. She was supposed to become a grandmother and dote on little Celencio’s… she was supposed to see her only son grow and make a name for himself… Now, he did not know where to go or what to do. He had brushed by the borders of the Pines to let his packmates know he was still around, but he couldn’t return — not yet. There was a hole in his heart so big he felt as though he would never heal.

After spending several days curled up next to Zia’s body the smudge had gathered the strength to dig his mother a grave at the base of the mountain. He would tell his packmates when he was ready and allow them to grieve her loss, but for now he was being selfish. She had been his mother — the only thing that had ever truly mattered to him — and she had been violently ripped away from him. It wasn’t fair, he thought to himself as he had kicked dirt over the silver body of his mother, teal eyes dripping with salty tears that stained his dark fur. The boy had lingered around the gravesite for a few more days before reluctantly dragging his frail body away, his stomach roaring with hunger pains.

Not yet ready to face his pack, Arion headed to the falls in pursuit of a distraction. He knew he would have to return to the pines soon, the boy was reluctant. There was nothing left for him there; no family to tie him to the land. Despite the relationship he had formed with the sisters, it was not the same. The only family Arion had ever known was gone and it would never come back.

Transfixed by the rushing water, the smudge hovered at the edge of the rapids. He had not noticed the presence of the grayscale loner, and even if he had he would not have done anything. Conversation was not high on his priority list. Nothing was.

Although he was startled by the presence of the silver girl he did not acknowledge her presence at first, his sea green gaze was still fixated on the rushing water before him. Her voice caused an ear to twitch, his forehead knitting together as he gave a small shake of his head in response to her question. She could not help him with what he needed; there was nothing that could bring back his mother. More than anything, Arion wanted to be alone, which was a strange concept for the sociable yearling.

As the girl spoke a second time the smudge finally glanced over at her with a curious expression as her words filled the space between them. He was perplexed by her contradicting words: she claimed she would not speak much if she lingered, but she had already said a mouthful. His throat was dry from lack of use and he had to swallow a few times before offering his own voice. “If you stay you don’t have to say anything. Or you can leave.” Arion shrugged to show his indifference. He was not going to force the monochrome girl to stay when he wasn’t even sure if he wanted the company anyway. The smudge was thankful that he had encountered a stranger first after discovering his mother’s body; he did not know if he would be able to remain so composed in front of his packmates. If the Pine wolves had not discovered Zia’s body yet Arion would have to deliver the news, and he did not know if he was ready for that just yet. 

Arion did not expect the response he received. While taken aback at the girl’s proposal to stay, he did not let it show. His features remained smooth as he tore his sea-green gaze away from the silver girl and allowed them to focus on the spiralling water once more. His heart hurt too much to protest her decision — as long as she was not irritating he would be able to handle limited company. The girl had stated they did not have water like this back on the Plateau — what Plateau? — which immediately spiked his curiosity despite his delirious state. Arion was so accustom to the falls and the rapids that he couldn’t imagine ever living near still water; how odd. Perhaps that was why the girl seemed so peculiar; perhaps the still water had some strange side effects…

Before he got a chance to speak the girl’s voice disturbed the silence once more, this time asking him about his pack. He nodded quickly in response, his teal orbs fixated on her silver frame. The next set of words to drip off her tongue caused a glimmer of a smile to break across his maw. “Very boring,” he mused aloud, the tip of his tail twitching slightly. “You from the Plateau then?” He paused, voice hoarse from lack of use. “Have you not seen rapids before?” He truly did not care where the girl was from or what she had/had not seen. If she had met him prior to the death of his mother he would be much more talkative and inquisitive, but now he did not care. He was simply trying to pass the time since neither of them would leave. 

“We have a waterfall as well,” he commented absently to the girl’s response, his sea-green gaze fixated on her silver form. The falls were one of his favourite hideaways, especially when he wanted to be on his own. Like Arion, his littermates had been withdrawn as of late. While he knew that they were dealing with their own demons, part of him wondered if they were leaving him alone on purpose. If they were, he was thankful. R was not ready to face his packmates just yet. Speaking with strangers soothed his mind much more than conversing with his friends, for the silver girl was completely unaware of the loss he had experienced.

He shook his head softly at her words, a faint smile toying with the corners of his lips. “I still obsess over them, too.” The words rolled off his tongue effortlessly, his gaze returning to the rushing water below. He would not admit aloud that he had been considering flinging himself into the water, to see what would become of him, prior to her arrival. Despite these dark thoughts, it was a place that he had visited a number of times during his childhood. Although he never ventured too close to the waters edge, he would become transfixed by the rushing waters and hours would pass before he realized that both his bottom and paws had gone numb. “Sometimes, not as much as I’d like to.” He paused, considering what she had said about returning (more than once). “It’s certainly a good place to avoid small talk.” He was trying to be funny; trying to push away the dark thoughts that lingered in the back of his mind; trying to forget about how his life felt as though it was tumbling around him. Trying, trying, trying.