Lost Creek Hollow As information

Bad news.  Her ears flipped back a moment as she listened.  The pack had gone and lost another member.  The ones that disappeared were simply insulting, but the ones that left when it was not their choice were more weighty.  She hadn't gotten to know Cortland at all, really.  Their meeting at the border and perhaps a few quick brushes by inside the territory had been all there had been.  I'm sorry.  That is not something anyone should have to find by themselves.  Combined with that she obviously hadn't been able to guard him wherever it was he'd gone to -- her reach only went so far.  What else could she do?

Yet she was not the type to assume that he wanted comfort -- Pheiros wanted to show that he was strong and pass through this all by himself, then her overstepping would be an insult.  She'd let him make the choice, What about you?  What do you need?  Or want? But since that wasn't particularly clear, she explained a bit, We had one pup left here last year who decided that when his parents left, he wanted to join the adult ranks early.  I don't expect you to make that choice, nor make one now, but you are the one in charge of your future.  And you'll not be left out in the cold unless for some reason that's what you want.  Just tell us where you are on your path, and where you're going and we can help guide you.  If he wanted to be treated as an adult, sure, they could see about having him prove that he was ready.  If he was not, well... There weren't exactly a ton of adults in the pack that would be able to take him under their wing, so it probably rested on Terance and herself if it came to that.  Arbiter was practical, at least, and the only rational thing was to focus on those who could still be helped.