Stone Circle Danse Macabre

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.