Sun Mote Copse If you could see what I see, you'd be blinded by the colours

Normally, Bronco would have ignored his mom when she called. He was busy chewing away on an elk antler, sharpening his teeth- or so he figured. The more he chewed, the sharper they'd get, right? Then he'd be a force to reckon with. The elk antler was very sturdy though, and thus far his teeth were no match for it- nor were his jaws. But he still worked away, and his parents didn't seem to mind that he spent a lot of his downtime chewing away on it. It kept him quiet and still, and that wasn't a bad thing. But when his mother's call raised the fur along the back of his neck, he stiffened and his eyes narrowed. He'd heard that tone of voice before- or something similar to it. That shrillness...That horrible sound meant that she was really, really upset. 

He left the elk antler and loped toward the lake where his mom's call had come from, only to see a confused a tentative looking Nellie, and her mom laying down next to dad. He missed Nellie's question, but moved closer on his own to investigate, only to see that Colt's sides weren't moving, and his facial expression was calm and blank. Nellie didn't look terribly stressed, which perplexed Bronco- but then again, she hadn't had the same experience he had. He'd been out in the wild with his mom, and she'd had to hunt for them, and he'd witnessed everything. Bronco knew what death was- he'd seen his mom kill to feed them. She'd explained that it was necessary- and that everyone, even wolves, died eventually. She'd explained about infections- and now he simply couldn't believe it. 

He stepped back, exhaling sharply, and shook his head. "No!" He barked, anger and sadness sharpening his tone. Tears filled his eyes. "Dad can't be-" He said, shaking his head. He flattened his ears, glaring down at his dad almost spitefully. How could he die? From an infection? Infections were for weak wolves! Then again, his wounds had been so deep, so painful...But he refused to believe it. Bronco spun on his heel and dashed off before his mother or sister could say or do anything.