Overture Downs eternal youth

there's a chill in the air that he's certain can only mean one thing, and the thought excites him. snow. he's always been enchanted by winter, by the ethereal feeling of the land when ice cloaks it for the winter. it will be some time before that happens, he knows, but he's already impatient for it. it will be another experience to share with @Pheiros, another lesson to teach him and hopefully another opportunity to see the boy's eyes light with joy. lately it seems his son is the only reason for his happiness.
he's away from his home when the ground starts to shake beneath him, scouting in hopes of finding another place to explore with pheiros. his breath catches, stomach flipping as he fights to keep his balance while the earth rocks under his feet, and he suddenly wishes he hadn't left home. i have to get back, he thinks as the tremors die down, inexplicably fearing for his son. he turns, still dizzy and disoriented. he doesn't even see the flash of white fur, nor does he register the foreign scent on the breeze. all he knows is that he needs to get back to pheiros.
the weight upon his back barely registers before his legs collapse, and he crashes to the ground without time for conscious thought, head striking a rock with a horrific crack. blackness consumes him, and he does not feel the piercing sting of claws against him. he doesn't feel his skin splitting, entrails freed, throat lacerated and spitting warm life into the grass. cortland tobias mayfair ends as he'd lived: quiet, peaceful despite the violence of circumstance, drifting slowly back into the vastness that had birthed him as if falling into a deep sleep.