Blacktail Deer Plateau that western skyline

Dauntless had taken the disappearance of their mother very hard. Of all the pups, he was the one most attached to his parents - needing their constant guidance and support in order to feel confident. His world had been turned upside down when she stopped returning to the pack. It was like she was there one day and then just vanished. Dauntless had spent his days scrutinizing the other adults of the pack, his little mind trying to ascertain Khoe's whereabouts by their chatter. But he was not able to comprehend anything useful. He was too young to properly appreciate the passage of time, and so he just figured she would eventually reappear. Some of the time he was able to play with his siblings and be completely distracted, but other times he kept anyone in the vicinity awake with his pitiful crying. As the weather started to turn colder, Dauntless's anxiety grew. His dad was always busy, it seemed, with leading the pack and Dauntless was growing restless with the need to learn how to survive. However, without the comfort of his mother, he was scared to stray too far from the den. He did not want to disappear like his mother - out there in the scary world. What was this new place anyway? Dauntless wished they were back at Morningside Cuesta. At least they had all been together. To Dauntless, this place seemed cursed.

Today, Grayday was there to watch over the pups while they played and so they all strayed far from the den. Dauntless explored a little bit, but lately he found that he just did not have any energy. His appetite had sharply decreased in the last few days, mirroring his depressive mood, and it wasn't long before his body responded with lethargy. He made his way over to a shaded grassy area near a group of trees and flopped down on his stomach, his little legs splayed like a frog behind him. He heaved a heavy sigh and looked up at the sky ponderously with his dark brown eyes.