Phoenix Maplewood It was inevitable.

Ukko is on the borders when he hears the call and his whole body turns cold, bearing the frost at his tips to penetrate the warmth his body is able to maintain. The last time he'd seen Scarlett, she told him the grave news but he refused to believe it. This howl couldn't be real, either, and whom it belonged to is just mistaken. The longer he stands there, though, the more it sets in and he feels regret build inside his chest. He could have done more. Visited more than he had, hunted for more, offered more help to Reek than he had. If he hadn't been avoiding his leaders as much as he had, he could have been there for Scarlett more.

He bites back the bile that builds up in the back of his throat and howls, long and sorrowful. The ending is cut short, broken, when he chokes out a mangled sob that his friend is gone. His chest grips in pain and he tries to move on with what he'd been doing but he only stumbles away from the territory aimlessly.

Only post for Ukko.