He was ready for winter to be over. Each day that passed only heightened the angst in him. For months it felt as if he'd be walled in, prevented by the snow and the cold and the hunger from doing much of anything. In some sense, he'd come to resent the fact that it had disabled him from doing the one thing that was truly of the utmost importance: finding his brother. Nios had to be out there somewhere, he knew it. His swarthy, sable-furred litter mate was too strong and too smart to have been struck down by the elements. A part of Mirren believed that he'd chosen to shack up with one of the neighboring packs, or returned to Sequoia Vale, or even sought out Ruiko and Aeylen. To that end, the tawny yearling hadn't given up hope that his brother was alive, and just as soon as the snow was gone he wouldn't wait another day to begin looking. But his thoughts of Nios slowly faded away as his eyes fell upon the sharp angles of the rock den mouth. Its entrance was guarded by the deadened remnants of brambles, slung across the rock and each covered with a thin dusting of old snow that hadn't melted or been swept away by what little wind managed to blow through the thicket. Somehow, the sight of the den and the fact that it was empty─that the whole thicket seemed empty─was as disheartening as knowing that they had all been slowly starving and unable to do anything about it. Just as he was unable to help his brother. Just as he'd been unable to help the children, who had all but perished save for @Bane. Mirren gulped hard. It felt like the place he'd grown to endear─that was a piece of Nina and everything that she represented to him (home, love, acceptance)─was withering away. A shallowly inhaled breath escaped effortlessly through his lips. Today, he was fragile, lessened by all the little things that, if put together, were enough to overwhelm him. But tomorrow would be kinder, he felt it in his weary bones. |
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