Sleeping Dragon friday night lights

In the back of his head, Hvitserk had known the raccoon that he’d found to be dead. It hadn’t moved nor breathed since he had first seen it, so, despite his lack of further investigation, he’d known. There had been some part of his mind that had insisted it wasn’t Mars, though. That he must have stumbled across an entirely different creature, and that Twix would confirm just as much the moment she approached—but she hadn’t. She had confirmed the opposite, in fact, that the worst of fates had befallen her previously missing brother. The boy didn’t know what to do as he watched her do so, either. He had seen plenty of dead animals before, but always had they been a meal, not a member of his family. To lose someone that was close to him, he couldn’t even fathom how it might feel.

Creeping closer, the boy lowered his head down towards the living raccoon and offered her a gentle nudge, careful not to touch her brother. “S’okay,” he said, unable to form any other words. What was he supposed to say? Do? He’d learned many things since he was born, some on his own and some with the help of others, but never had anyone pulled him aside and explained how to go about dealing with a death. If he were to kill someone, he knew what would come after that, but for someone to die naturally? He just didn’t know. Never had he attended a funeral or seen the stages of grief, consoled someone or buried a body. Whilst he had the capacity to understand that something had to be done, he didn’t have the experience to know exactly what that something could be.

“I’ll help,” the boy told her, but gave no specifics. Whatever she wanted him to do, whatever had to be done, he would help her. Even if by helping her he’d have to find out what had happened to Mars and who had done it, he’d keep at it until the answers she wanted were found. Hvit had easily forgotten all about how he wasn’t supposed to leave the mountain, and was willing, now, to venture as far as he might to make his friend happy again.