Hushed Willows the dragonfly it ran away.

Harlyn did her best to stifle the panic that threatened to take her. Somehow, she had never considered that perhaps Pippin had decided to return to the Hollow. As much as she had loved their former home, she knew in her heart that it was gone to her family forever. It would never be safe, not with the cougar lurking there still. She had no reason to suspect that her former best friend had killed the beast, and thus she saw only terrible danger in Pippin's future if he had indeed found his way back to that place.

Stark's voice kept her in the moment, and she turned to hold onto his steadying presence by holding him in her gaze. What he said made sense, as little as she wanted to accept that it may be the reality. He spoke then of what Mordecai had told him about why they had left, and Harlyn felt the guilt rise in her throat again. She had never told them about the cougar for fear that it would jeopardize their place in the Keep. She doubted that Tavi would have taken them in had she known the demon cat may have been haunting their steps.

But months had passed without a sign of the beast, and Harlyn had little reason to think that her family's place might somehow change because of the truth now. Still, she felt guilt burning in her as she resolved to tell him now. "There was a cougar that resided near the Hollow. Did he tell you?" Harlyn said slowly, quietly, doubting that Mordecai would have shared this information already, "It preyed upon us. It attacked Mordecai first, then my beta. Soon after it took Little Voice and then Shikoba when she tried to protect him. My beta was changed, and he left us, I assume in pursuit of vengeance but... it could have been for other reasons."

Harlyn paused to turn her gaze away, the memories causing heat to rise to her cheeks. "My pack dwindled until we had no choice but to leave. There weren't enough of us to hold the Hollow, and I could not stand continuing to raise my children in the demon's shadow," the druid took a breath before shutting her eyes, worry consuming her again, "Pippin could not have returned. He just. He can't have gone back to that place." It had seemed like home once, more so than any place ever had. But now it was a nightmare in her memory. Pippin couldn't be there.