Hushed Willows Are you coming home.

Ever since that huge creature came and stirred up trouble her mommy was gone nowhere to be found. The familiar scent of her gone from the den that she shared. Where did she go?. Minnow wondered this often and currently laid in the grass outside the den and waited perhaps her mom would come home soon.

He was a curse. He was so sure of it now. Everyone he loved, died. He had been so happy with his new family, even with the mishap between Minnow and Nocturnal's packmate. Now his sister in law was dead and Aliac had gone missing. There was a blood trail and then...nothing. He walked around like a zombie, the only thing carrying him forward being the fact that his kids needed to eat. He currently dragged a rabbit back toward the den and spotted Minnow, his gaze softening "Hey wanderer.." he said warmly and sat down, sighing softly.

Her dad seemed to be lost these days but Minnow never really took notice to it until now. “Mommy gone?” Her speech had only just began to develop and she struggled with words but she knew who mommy and daddy were and that’s all that mattered

He turned to look down at her, startled at how forward she was. The deep aching inside his heart grew and he wondered how to tell a child her momma wasn't going to come home. "sometimes during fights we get hurt. Your Momma..she was hurt really bad. Nobody can find her" his voice cracked and he shifted until she was pressed against his side. "Sometimes when we get hurt too bad or get too sick, we can't get better and we go to sleep. Except this sleep is forever" he felt horrible, having to try and explain death to such a young child.

She was so confused but his tone of voice made her sad. The little one didn’t know what to do or say so she merely curled next her dad and stayed quiet. So mommy wasn’t coming home... that upset her and she let out a whine.

He gently pulled her close, his chin holding her against him in a silent embrace. He closed his eyes and fought against the tears, silently praying to his father wherever he was. He needed guidance, he needed help. He didn't know how to do this. He felt the rising panic and inhaled, breathing in Minnow's scent and getting what was probably the last traces of Aliac's scent. It calmed him, a feeling of peace settling into his mind. "I know it hurts...but one day it will get better. You have me and your brothers. We can be happy together" the words were both for her and for himself. He began to groom her, in long soothing strokes.

She have her version of a growl which was more like a whimper but hey. Minnow was mad and she showed it. “I want mommy.” She still didn’t quite understand what he meant by sleep forever. “No sweep foreva..”

It hurt that he was left behind to get the anger and hurt from his children. He knew they didn't understand that he was hurting just as badly but man....it made it worse. His eyes filled with tears and he looked away, sniffing "I want her too Wanderer...but we can't do anything except continue our lives. I'm sorry she's gone...I miss her every single second" he whimpered, voice cracking. "I know you don't understand but she was hurt and she ran away. Nobody can find her. She isnt coming home" he laid it out, plain and clear. He couldn't be like his dad, he couldn't be like Olive or Lily. He didn't know how to explain these things to kids.

Mommy wouldn’t of just left, she couldn’t leave. Who would cuddle her when her brothers kept to themselves. To her eyes he came a bit harsh and she kept quiet this time except for a small whimper as she curled up into a ball and cried to herself.

He flinched as she curled away from him and cried, ears flattening back against his head. He felt like he didn't matter to the kids, like Aliac was the only parent that got the credit. Who was the one who hunted every day? Who played endless games with them? Who was the one who went out and searched day after day, non stop and didn't even eat until he found her when she was taken? Apparently not him. 

The bitterness was Immediately regretted and he crawled closer to her, tucking her to his chest and holding her tightly "I'm sorry baby..im sorry. I'm scared too. I want her back. Im confused. But we gotta stay strong together okay? I'm here, I'm here and no matter what I'll never leave you Minnow" he tried to soothe her, expecting to fail at it. A dark thought crossed his mind, that perhaps theyd be better off raised by a woman or at least a man who knew what he was doing better. 

Dad....please help me i dont know what to do! 

Her daddy curled up around her and the only thing that came to mind to do was bury her face in his fur. She felt better at least a little bit and she felt protected, she felt loved, she felt safe.

He couldn't help it, he lifted his chin and tucked it over her small frame a few tears of his own dripping to the floor of the den. He fought to swallow down the lump in his throat and gently rocked her back and forth, silent for a long while before speaking again. "When I was able your age, younger maybe I lost my mom. She had run away and never came back. We never knew what happened. I know it hurts...it's confusing but...Im gonna do what I can to make it easier. How about tomorrow i take you for a walk, we can explore somewhere new?" maybe showing her he understood would help. After all...Sunny understood loss all too well, more than any wolf should ever have to.

She rested near her father for a while as she listened to what he said. Everything was a little misunderstood by the pup but one word stuck out. “New?”

He chuckled softly as the crisis instantly averted and he nodded, a sudden idea coming to him. "Me, you, Valiant and Aeryn can go to see your aunt Dawn, it's a trip full of many new things" he said softly. The idea calmed him and he hoped she found it as good of an idea as he did. He also hoped Valiant and Aeryn were agreeable to this idea too because it was happening one way or another.

She was happy and she made sure he knew it and her brothers get to go that made her more happy. She shook her little tail as she licked her dads nose. “Yay!” Minnow smiled as she looked at her daddy.

A heaviness lifted at the sight of the darkness leaving his daughter's expression and he leaned down, ruffling the fur of her chest and tickling at her with his lips and laughing "We will go in a few days but until then I need you not to wander. Stay inside the pack and close to the dens okay? Promise me" he said his tone serious but still warm.

Minnow laughed as her dad tickled her again with his nose and she smiled but frowned when he said she couldn’t wander. Why did he always ruin her adventures. She pouted. “Okayyyy” She finally agreed to his terms

He breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if all kids were this easy to make agreeable "Thats my good girl. Now how about you go play, I have to get some things done" he said and peppered her head with a few more playfully rough kisses as he stood up.

She nodded her little head and licked her dads cheek and ran off to go see what other adventures she could find around the territory.