Hushed Willows A crackpipe full of dreams

This entire situation was so unprecedentedly bewildering. But the sound of Silas's voice caused Tambourine to sag again, this time in relief, despite the disappointing update contained in his message. Stark and Banner might be missing but at least they weren't alone; they had each other. And perhaps there were others out there and they would return his call soon too.

Suddenly, he remembered the stranger, who now encouraged Tambourine to join him and his group. He invited Silas too. The silvery youth didn't know what to say. It was a nice offer but he was reluctant to leave the Keep. He'd lived here his entire life. What if Stark and Banner came back? And how could he trust some random stranger? He didn't even know the guy's name.

The word "survive" rang in his head, though. He'd been ignoring his hunger but it was there. He'd been ignoring the chill in his bones but it was there too. He wasn't even nine months old and, aside from Silas (and maybe others, though the silence stretched...), he was on his own. Tambourine wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but he knew he couldn't survive without help. Even if he teamed up with his fellow abandoned pack mate, they were too few and inexperienced to make it through the winter.

Confused and heartbroken, Tambourine replied, "I want to talk to Silas." Once he joined them, then perhaps they could make a decision together. "Who are you?" he asked in the next breath, wondering why he'd shown up here in the first place and how come he was so readily offering the two young men a home at all.