Greatwater Lake I was afraid of getting betrayed

Things were changing around him, he could feel it. Though young still, he understood that death, out of everything that existed in the world, could present the most changes. It didn’t matter how strong something, or someone, might be imagined to be, the second death struck close to their lives, it was all washed away. Everything was stripped back down to the roots it’d grown from, forced to either regrow what lives once existed, or wilt away and act as if they’d been the ones claimed by such icy talons. Xan, however, fell into neither category. He was saddened by the Queen’s death, yes, but it did not crush him in the same way it might someone else. To think of her passing made his chest ache and legs grow stiff, but such things were occurrences he could push his way through. He missed her, and was disappointed he’d never really been given a chance to get to know her on his own, but he had the stories. The tales his father had shared with him, words that portrayed a strong woman. Those allowed him to miss her, but prevented him from falling and crumbling under the weight of her ended life.

With things being more or less fine with him—or as fine as anything could be when in relation to Alexander—he’d decided to set out on a journey of sorts. His last expedition had resulted in him crossing paths with another boy, someone he knew and had acted terribly towards long ago. To make up for all that, he’d attempted to help him out, but his request to bring him into the pack was denied and the younger child sent away on his own. That had seriously pissed the Inuit off, leading to him verbally lashing out at Blackfeather’s leader, and then storming off and sulking for several days. Eventually, he’d gotten over it, which was a relief since sulking didn’t really fit him. A great deal of time had passed since then, and he was ready to go out and see more of the land for himself once again. He had considered taking the path he’d previously gone along, mildly curious to see if Leo was still in the area, but was set upon a different course after speaking with his father. Given the idea of checking out a lake, he chose that instead of searching for the face of someone he could do nothing for.

Xan eventually reached the grand pool of water, finding it to be a curious sight. He could recall, vaguely, spotting it off in the distance back when his father had first brought him to the woods, but to see it up close provided a whole other idea of it. It was visibly appealing, the surface reflecting the satellite’s glow and painting a distorted portrait of the waning gibbous moon. He was glad to have decided on checking it out at night, since the brightness of the sun’s light bouncing off of it would have hurt his eyes for sure. It’d been a wise decision, to him, and one he surely wouldn’t regret. Even as he approached the edges of the shoreline and felt the chilled water lapping at his ankles, he did not regret his choice of destinations. While it was cold, he did not feel bothered by it, and was instead placed into a state of peace and serenity. It was new for Xan to be so relaxed, and he felt confident that nothing could ruin it for him.