Swiftcurrent Creek moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars

The summons caused his head to whip around, turning sharply toward her with a defensive spiking of the hackles along his back. When the cool jade of his vision latched to her pale figure, the dark shadow immediately relaxed. Ketzia appeared far thinner than he had last remembered. Along her slim frame, portions of her bones could be seen jutting from beneath her creamy cloak. Before he could react, she had jolted forward to remove the space that separated them. Trench stood, slightly quivering against the touch of the chilling winter air. The expression on his features was all but unreadable, though he did not appear displeased to have found his mother there… only slightly surprised. It was several miles from Diaspora, from what he could tell after having departed the pack’s borders.
 
“I went to Diaspora and waited,” the young boy remarked to her in a tone of voice that had aged to that of a young teen. “No one came to the borders. I waited as long as I could.”
 
The words carried a heavy weight as they were released into the air. In spite of this, Trench did not appear to be weathered by them. It was curious for him to think that the boundaries of his former home were so poorly guarded that he could wait there for hours without sighting another living creature. Had Diaspora fallen into such disrepair since he had wandered away from it? What had happened to them?