Swiftcurrent Creek I can take the fall: the pain, the pleasure

He was on his way back to the den, pheasant hanging from his mouth. He had left the den long before the sun came up while everyone was still asleep and repeated his routine: patrol some and the  search outside the territory for his son and daughter. He was going to hunt for something fresh to bring back, but he couldn't focus enough. His search had yet again procured not even the smallest hint of where they could be, and he was trying really hard to keep it together; in order to do that, he needed to keep busy, and hunting just required more focus and mind silence than he could handle right now. So, even though he preferred to bring Rosalie fresh food only, today, he settled for something from one of the caches. 

As he neared the den, the alpha scented her not too far from the entrance. He was surprised; she was usually napping right now, which was why he chose to return with food. It wasn't that he really wanted to avoid her, but talking to her was painful. He was supposed to fix things and have all the answers, and both were impossible for him to do. He had no idea what to do right now; how does a parent deal with the fact that one of his own children killed another one of his children? He saw the despair in her eyes just like he saw it in the eyes of his mate and daughters, and it made him feel helpless. So he had kept busy, not that it had been hard with everything he did every day and searching constantly for his missing children. 

He could keep going and drop the meal off at the den and then return to the borders, but he wanted to check on her and make sure she was okay. He also felt incredibly guilty for being distant. So, he tracked her down to the sunny spot she had chosen to settle in, dropping the bird as he neared. He nuzzled her in greeting before stepping back a little and asking: How are you?