Hushed Willows A crackpipe full of dreams

When Silas reported the direction he thought the leaders had gone, another option occurred to Tambourine: they could go looking for them. For a split second, his heart lifted. He knew his friend was an experienced tracker. If anyone could find Stark and Banner, he could. But then the reality settled into the pup's bones like the chill in the air. Silas could be the most talented tracker on the planet but going scouting through the unfamiliar wilderness in the dead of winter would be even stupider than staying here, wishing and hoping.

Tambourine stared at the side of Silas's face as he reasoned through the options. He wanted to stay too, the younger boy could tell, but in the end the risk of death was probably too real. With that said, Silas seemed reluctant to trust this random stranger who'd showed up at their borders. Tambourine blinked over to Reek, belatedly registering his latest words. He didn't know or trust this guy either but he was beginning to wonder: what choice did they have?

A silence fell between the three of them that Tambourine broke with a slow, "What if..." He drew in a breath, looking around at the snowy willows, thinking of all the memories he had made here. His pale eyes then drifted back to Silas's face. "What if we left them a message, somehow? Or a sign? Then we could go with Reek," he continued slowly, exhaling another long breath, "but if Stark and the others come back, they'll know where we went..." It sounded a bit silly even as he said it. How could they even accomplish something like this?

But with each passing second, Tambourine was reluctantly coming to accept that would have the best chance at surviving if they were with other wolves. And seeing as the wolves of Marauder's Keep had left them here (willingly or otherwise), they needed to find another group to take them. Really, it was sort of a serendipitous blessing that Reek was here at all and that he was extending this offer. Tambourine and Silas might not know him from Adam but what if he hadn't come at all? And they were just left alone here without anyone? To die?

"We gotta go with him," he squeaked.