Hushed Willows somebody's got to tell the tale

backdated a few days

he traveled around in a daze, stupefied, unwilling to dwell much on what had transpired. it was a nightmare, that must be it. but each morning, he woke, the roar of the bear still echoing in his ears. . .and ariel and lily were still dead, and aliac missing, gone with only a trail of blood left behind. a living nightmare.

a more superstitious man would worry over each and every fault and flaw that may have led to this utter destruction, but cortez knew fate had no hand nor paw in it. bears, particularly mother bears, were particularly irascible. who knew what had spurred the gal on to commit such acts against the wolves of elysium? nothing they could have done would have stopped her.

'twas not fate, but luck—awful luck. it was the way of the world. you lived, and then you died, and no wolf knew the hour of their death, nor the cause, until it was upon them.

cortez drifted glassy-eyed through the trees, heading to the den @Olive shared with her wives. everyone grieved, but he feared for his sister the most, apart from the children. the shakti was resilient, sure, but she was also sensitive and loving, and had just lost her lover and a couple of good friends. he could only imagine how much she reeled from these blows; he'd scarcely seen her since the incident.

in his mouth was a carefully wrapped bundle of chamomile. he didn't know much about plants, but he did know that it was soothing to those in shock. perhaps it would help his sister. he set it down outside the den and gave her a gentle chuff, waiting to see if she'd emerge.

if/when you have time <3