Things had been too quiet for far too long. The parents of the two missing children were restless, but there was so much else going on, and... well, the Cove pack seemed to always take everything in stride. There wasn't panic, there wasn't this large upset, there weren't even search parties and he couldn't tell if this was just normal, if the parents had accepted that broods didn't always make it to adulthood, or if something was off. Regardless, nothing was going to plan, and he was far from getting the attention he so desperately craved.

It was wearing on him, and his limbs trembled as they took him to the water's edge. Bowing his head to drink, he tried to calm his thoughts. He only managed to inadvertently block out the approaching foot steps from behind.