Sun Mote Copse you stay on my mind

Times had been tough for Eljay. He had accepted mommy and daddy's offer to move in with them. @Elfie seemed to be doing relatively okay -- Eljay supposed that their age was both a blessing and a curse, as they might not remember much of Wiffle as they grew up but they also bounced back better, it appeared -- though @Weejay was not. Eljay wished that he could somehow do something to help her, to help both of them. He remembered all the panic when his own mommy had gone away at that age, but only for a little while. Not forever, like Wiffle. It was unimaginable what a world without his mommy looked like, so how could he possibly give his children everything they needed to get over this? It felt impossible.

But he tried. He fed them, he ran with them, he played with them, and he just hoped that his own sadness did not shake off on them too much. With everything he did, it was clear that Eljay was a broken wolf and he feared that made him a bad influence on his children, who needed someone who could reassure them everything was going to be okay right now.

Today Eljay lay outside the Blackthorn den and watched as sunlight played through the leaves of trees on the ground. Normally he might've enjoyed such a cheerful display, but now it just felt in stark contrast with how he felt on the inside. He contemplated getting up to invite his children to play, but couldn't quite find the energy to go and do something yet.