Swiftcurrent Creek I'll stay awake 'cause the dark's not taking prisoners tonight

She pressed against him, burying her face in his fur, and he rested his head on her back, embracing her for as long as she needed it, each sniffle and tremble tearing into his heart. He drew in her scent as well, letting it fill his lungs and soothe some of his own sadness. She was here and safe, and at least he could do something to help her. He felt so damn useless lately; he was unable to find his missing children, unable to save his murdered child, unable to reach into Zephyr's darkness and pull her out...so to be able to help his daughter right now made him feel like maybe he wasn't a complete failure. He tightened around her, his heart gripped painfully by his love for her and all of his children. He had never felt such a deep and terrifying love before he became a parent.

Her tears finally stopped, and her breathing grew more normal. When he felt her pull away, Kavik opened his eyes and looked down at her, concern in his gaze. His brow creased some at her first words but smoothed out when she continued. Yes, it is, he rumbled softly, nodding once. She had every reason to feel sad right now. As much as it killed him to think about how he couldn't keep this from affecting her, he would never want to make her think her feelings were wrong or unsupported. And, you can always come to me when you feel sad or anything else. Even when she was an adult, he hoped she would still come to him for comfort. 

He watched her closely when she fell silent again, following her gaze to the water. He could see her wheels turning. She was processing something, that much he could tell. She was turning something over in her mind and trying to make sense of it. He knew because he often handled things the same way. 

He wasn't at all prepared for her question; it was a conversation he didn't wish to have with her while she was still so young, but he couldn't lie to her or vaguely brush off the subject, not if he wanted her to come to him with things in the future, and not if he wanted her to continue to feel like her emotions were valid. She spoke again, pulling him from his inner conflict, and he nodded. Yes, what we eat is dead, he began, watching her even though her gaze was still firmly on her tiny, dirt-speckled paws. How could he explain death in a way she could understand? It was such a complex subject. When something is dead...it's body is still here but it's soul and awareness are no longer here. Kavik had no idea if that made sense. Images of his deceased daughter flashed into his mind, then, filling him with despair, but he continued, wanting to make sure she understood. When someone dies, they can never go back to being alive, and if they're someone we care about, it's very sad, and there isn't much we can do about it except be sad and try to continue on. He paused, wanting to give her the chance to process what he said and ask questions if she had any. He wondered how she even came to be thinking about this but waited to ask, since he didn't want to overwhelm her. Neither he nor her mothers would have told her about what Zephyr had done or even that one of her younger siblings had died. Maybe she had overheard them talking about it. He was usually very careful to make sure none of the children were around when he spoke of such things, and he hadn't done much talking about it lately, honestly, preferring to deal with things by occupying himself with his alpha responsibilities and searching for Helios and Zephyr. He supposed it could be possible, though. Regardless, he didn't want her feeling confused about any of it and would help her work it out to the best of his ability.