Broken Boulder i just want to be better than your head's only medicine

He shook his head, bristling with fear at the terror in his brother's tone. "I'm--I'm not taking you back, Alarian," he said, his voice shaky at first but firming as he went on. "You're happy here. You've got Delight, this pack. . .how can I take that away from you? I can't. I won't." He pressed his muzzle into the unkempt ruff of Alarian's neck, breathing deep.

"I'll take Eris, if she wants to go," he whispered. "But you're staying. And I'll come back to stay with you. I'll tell them you died, or something. Fake my own death. Slice my fucking paw open and bleed all over the place. They'll never know." It was foolproof, right? His words came rambling, trying hard to solidify the small pit of bravery in his stomach.

The rest of him was cowardice. Nothing but fear and cowardice.