Steady didn't like the fog. As a guardian, it completely worked against his vision and made it so much harder to see far away. Plus, the moisture in the air seemed to make scents harder to follow. He growled, as if it would scare away the low-lying clouds. It didn't.

His heart seemed to stop when Valette's call rang out. It sounded different; urgent. He immediately kicked off with his back legs, and fogged be damned, he ran as fast as he could, dodging trees as they came into view. He spotted Valette, though he was much closer since it was hard to see in any real distance. The smell of blood hit him and, assuming it was her, nosed her to see if she was alright. His hackles were raised in alert, but he found nothing. Until he stepped to the side and the body came into view. He didn't seem able to register it at first, as if his brain flat out refused to. He stepped forward, and, confirming who it was, growled lowly. His teeth flashed in anger at the condition of her body. Not only did they kill her, but they took her head—as a prize? 

Steady swallowed thickly. As the pack's only guardian, he felt it was his responsibility to keep all of his family safe. Althaia and her pups had not been with them long, but he felt just as responsible for her as he did the others. And he had failed her. It was a long few minutes before Steady could bring himself to look to his Beta. Do you recognize the scents here? he asked. As Valette had been to many of the packs, maybe she could identify who did this. He lowered his head again, sniffing around. As a new, familiar, scent reached him, he couldn't believe it. Witchhazel was h-here, he said to Valette, his voice breaking.

He frowned as Valette pointed out that any scents other than the blood were hard to pick up, but he couldn't argue with her. He lowered his head to the ground, hoping to find something they could track, but it seemed pointless. When Valette began to ask questions, he lifted his head to look at her. It was clear she was upset over this, and Steady moved to her side to try and comfort her. As a Guardian, Steady had been in fights, so blood didn't mean a lot to him. However, he had never seen it in this amount, either. 

When she came here, she told me some of a troubled past. I knew she was running from someone, but I don't know who, he confessed. Looking back now, he wished he would have asked more questions, pushed Althaia to tell him more. But, it would have caused her pain. And he had no idea this would happen. 

At the mention of the pups, Steady responded immediately. I'll take care of them, he said. I think they're old enough to start eating regurgitated meat. Though their mother's milk would be good for them still, they may be able to survive without it. He hoped, anyways. They need to be kept in the heart of the territory, and not allow anyone to come into the territory unless they are a member of the pack. No visitors, he said. 

He looked back to Althaia. She needs to be buried. Her body is going to attract everyone within a few miles. You don't have to help if you can't, he said. He wouldn't blame Valette if she didn't want to do. It was a hard task for anyone. 

A corner of his lip rose as Valette voice her hope that they didn't return. He hoped, too, but if they did, they would have to deal with him. He would make sure of it. While Althaia had not been a member of their family for long, that didn't matter to him. He was taking this personally, since they had the balls to do it on his borders.

He gave her a nod. I appreciate you helping out with them, he said. He knew he should show more gratitude for her for that, but right now, they had business to do. He nodded again when he was placed with the responsibility of moving Althaia's body. He was bigger, stronger, and it would be easier for him. He paused as Valette expressed again the hope that the murderer wouldn't return. It would be a long time before Steady forgave himself for this happening and putting that fear into Valette.

He grabbed the body by the skin of her shoulders, and began to drag it to the spot where Valette was digging the grave. When his Beta was finished, he pushed the body, as gingerly as he could, into the hole. He paused then, looking down at Althaia. I'm sorry I failed you, he said, his voice barely above a whisper. But, he knew he would do what he could to not fail her children. Then, he began to shuffle dirt into the hole to bury Althaia. 

Steady did his best not to look at the body directly, as it only reminded him of his failure. Instead, the images in his mind were of Althaia, alive and well. He had heard that some wolves believed in some afterlife, that when a wolf died, a part of them went somewhere else so that they could live on in peace. Steady wasn't sure it was true, or if he really believed it, but if it was, he hoped Althaia was there, along with the rest of his lost family.

At Valette's words, Steady craned his neck to look try and look at himself. He couldn't really see, but he could smell, and he smelled like blood and death. Looking back to Valette, he said, I'll come with you. I don't want to go see the pups smelling like I do. He turned to head that way, assuming they would walk side by side. Steady didn't have much to say, as he was still processing this turn of events. What would he say to the pups? How was he going to convince them that he was their parent now? He didn't know.