Swiftcurrent Creek goodbye to you

It was a morning like any other and Valtýr was blissfully unaware of the grandiose journey he was about to undertake. At just two months old, he could scarcely pick up the deep emotions that troubled his parents, and preferred to cuddle instead. He was not nearly as perceptive as his sisters.

Before dawn, Tuwawi roused him, and the chubby pup protested with a squeak. He fell in and out of sleep as he was groomed, wanting to do nothing but dream, and cried at first when Njal and Tuwa left his side. Eventually, he piled back in with the other three, and fell back asleep, his tiny bat-pet wedged beneath an armpit.

However, it was not to last. Light crept into the den and a certain tension in the air made him uneasy. "Daddy?" he whispered for Njal, spotting his silver feet from inside the burrow. Val nudged the others and waddled towards the foyer. "Moooooommy?" he wheezed, hugging the walls of the den for security and checking to make sure Smush still clung to his puppy fuzz. He peeked his head out into the still dark dawn. What was going on?