Dead Empress Backwater so much for a low profile

March 25th; Morning, just after sunrise; overcast; 39° F, 4° C.
Same time as and a little after "this is the last song that I write while you're even on my mind"

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Viorel's disappointment was out in the open, loud and clear; but, the answer from Archer's lips was quiet. Murmured.

Oleander had had the misfortune of being nearby, which was much too close for his own good. His ears immediately pinned back and he dropped the old squirrel that he had caught on the ground.

Retreat, retreat, retreat-

Whatever had gone down, whatever had just happened with his half-brothers... whatever had made their father mad... Clover's son wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing. As fast as his spidery limbs could take him, he dashed across Backwater terrain, tail tucked and head low. He winced, scolding himself for being too far from his little thicket near Clover's herb stores. He had to hide. Now.

Pressure started building in his chest, panic stemming from the mere idea of conflict. He ducked his head as he scurried into the first patch of long grass he could find. The fit could have been better after he circled within it and settled behind a curtain of tan and green. But, the way the skyward blades splayed out from his weight, it was easy to tell a wolf laid loosely within it. He stifled his sobs as best he could, his nose and eyes burning. He missed his sisters.

Asmund had heard Viorel call for @Archer and @Kateri, the raw anger in it making his stomach drop and sending him scurrying into cover. His heart hammered and his anxiety skyrocketed, and not just for knowing his protector was so upset. Why was it directed at Archer? Without the guts to seek out and assess the situation, all he could do was suffer a flooding of horrible what-ifs.

Time filtered the adrenaline from his system, but the sick feeling deep in his gut stayed. How long until it would be safe to come out, to try and find the yearling to make sure he was okay? Just when he thought he might have summoned some courage, activity burst into his vicinity then ceased suddenly and all too close. Blood pounding through his veins once more, Asmund pressed himself even closer down against the ground, desperate to stay hidden from whatever had appeared.

But... then he heard crying. Az blinked his green eyes, fought with himself over the choices available to him then. He thought about @Isla and Sephrina and Nix and all the ways he regretted ever catching their attention, but it was @Iseldir that stuck in his head. After several minutes, the young boy was finally able to get his legs to move and creep out of cover.

His eyes saw Clover's kid, and while he knew next to nothing about Oleander himself, his likeness to the kind leader (as well as his own mother) helped Asmund feel just a little more safe than he otherwise would have around an unknown packmate. It was clear the older wolf was trying to hide, and so Az sat outside of the flora he'd dove within, back to Oli while he kept watch of their surroundings. The way Izzy had for him.

Oleander forbade himself to cry. Sobs threatened to crumble him from the inside out; he steeled himself with everything he had. Though there was nothing else to hear in the distance, he couldn't help it. Two tears fell from the black outlines of his eyes and he sniffled. He wasn't sure what was happening anymore and all this growing-up stuff had gotten the best of him.

After some time, when he felt like he had got himself together, his nose poked out from the grass. It was then he figured that he was no longer alone. Watery eyes blinked as he separated the dark forest floor from the yearling before him. His first reaction was to bare his teeth. Not so much as to show the youth straight-on aggression, but to relay the slightest warning.

As quickly as his display had emerged, it melted away as he pursed his lips and lowered his head, stepping into view. Being as tall as he was made the boy seem younger and smaller than he actually was. Like Mama. He scoffed as he turned to walk away. Everything in his body language told of his aversion toward having company. "If you're in trouble, I'm not one to save your pelt, bud." He did not want to be straight-up bitter, but a part of him did not truly care for others in the pack outside of his parents. "Go find somewhere else to hide."

they say pray it away, i swear,
OLEANDER VALLE
that I'll never be a saint, no way

Time passed and things were quiet, leading Asmund to wonder if he'd imagined the sound. Still he remained in place, just in case the youth he could smell needed him regardless. After all if he felt like this over @Archer being scolded, surely his own brother felt worse, right? He began to think of Llinnea...

A pale face began to emerge, and Asmund sat upright just as abruptly, ears up and eyes widened. It was clear he was alarmed to an extent, ready to bolt if his presence was unwanted.

Oleander made clear that it was. He didn't think to explain himself. Az's ears swept back while he grimaced and gulped, swiftly gathering all four paws back under himself to bolt. Abandoning all desire to comfort the other, he was now instead intent on putting distance between them both quickly and then finding a place to hide alone.