Silver Creek crimes against children are so easy to get away with.

Artaax stared as his sister attempted to explain. She had left because heda had left? On some level, it did make sense to him. On some level, he remembered the hurt he had felt watching his family come and go to Trigeda, to Seageda, to search for Wildfire, to fight in wars both near and far, all while he stayed behind, always. He knew that pain very well, but there was a far greater issue here on the very notion that had always kept him in check, even when he felt his most miserable at being left behind and alone.

Heda had told him to stay. Dragedakru did not disobey their heda.

"She told you to stay," Artaax replied indignantly, "She told us to stay, to protect one another until she returned. She didn't tell you to follow." He shook his head, truly finding it difficult now to follow the rest of her logic. "The rest of us remained behind. What did you need someone else for? Your argument is idiotic," he finished, anger simmering underneath his words. Artaax was not a particularly emotional wolf. He did not operate based on the whims of his feelings. But this was a simple matter of logic - if she was angry that Thuringwethil had left them all behind, how did it make any sense for Bat to do the same?