Morningside Cuesta ...a stone, a leaf, an unfound door

Grezig’s own mind was turning a million miles an hour, though her face remained as serious and somber as ever. She wasn’t sure what to do about this situation. She had to think. She turned her face away from the boy, her brows drawing together in a single betrayal of her inner turmoil. Here is what she knew: Illidan was too young to search for his brother on his own. He should stay with with Liri and Kavik. Liri and Kavik were busy trying to set up a pack. Elixir knew nothing of Illidan’s situation so there was no reason for her to get involved (plus Grezig did not trust the half-breed’s ability to track very well). So, it came down to her. If her alphas allowed it (for Grezig already thought of them as alphas), she would attempt to search for the boy’s brother. But… was the brother all that was left? The boy had not been forthcoming with information about his parents. Grezig needed to know more before making a final decision.

“Illidan,” she said, “I will look for your brother if you want me to. But before I can, you need to tell me about your parents, or any other siblings. The more I know, the easier it will be to look for Ephraim. Will you tell me how you became separated from your family?” She looked at his face, her expression open and as pleading as she could make it. He was young and she was unsure if he understood how important this was, so hiding things from him would only make him less likely to tell her anything. “Please,” she added, as an afterthought, although her tone was genuine.

It might seem odd that a wolf like Grezig would care enough to go searching for the brother of a wolf she barely knew. It came down to common sense in her head. Illidan was clearly upset about the loss of his family, or at least, his brother. She was not aware that it was more of a jealousy thing than that he actually cared about him. But, regardless of that, depressed pups were no laughing matter. They could grow up to be reckless, aggressive, suicidal, or any number of other negative traits. A depressed wolf could bring down the mood of the entire group. And Grezig still did not like that she did not know exactly where Illidan’s parents were or if they were currently on the warpath trying to find their son(s). It would be better for all involved if this terrible situation was resolved as quickly as possible. That was Grezig’s motive behind helping Illidan. That was what drove her to continue looking at the boy now, hoping he would give in and tell her more about himself and what had happened to him.