Dawnlark Plains listen to the wind blow, down comes the night

"yes, we do," aditya agreed, shuddering as he thought back on the worst of his fever. how she'd pulled him from the depths, eased his pain. god's sake, he'd thought her his own mother, in the throes of sickness! she deserved more than just simple gratitude. . .but where was she?

his thoughts were interrupted by grayday's gruff voice, lending some insight to the matter. his lips fell in a frown as the words soaked in. she had left, not gotten lost.

"why would she do that?" he asked, the slightest offense creeping into his tone. "we gave her a home, fed her, cared for her. . .hell, she cared for us. why just leave?" it wasn't that he doubted his father-in-law, far from it. he was starting to doubt himself, though. flint, his own recruit, vanished. kaevo, whom he'd invited in, hadn't lifted a paw and had been asked to leave. raid, who he'd taken under his wing, was still distant. and now forrest--with whom he thought he'd had a special bond.

was there something wrong with him? was his character judgment not as sound as he had once thought it to be?