Bitterroot Valley you hit me yesterday because i made you cry

the look he cast towards the slight steps taken by his company wavered warily for only a moment before a heavy weariness settled over him and a sigh pushed free from his snout. limbs slackening, he leaned back to allow himself to sit whilst regarding valiant with eyes much softer, better suiting the serene sage rolling within them. at the unfinished sentence to tug from his lips, a frown pressed against reif's features as his head tipped to the side. why didn't he finish? had he forgotten what he was going to say or something. his mouth had opened, ready to loose a rough prompt when he...apologised? stiffening a little, brows knitted tightly as he felt slight panic wriggle through his chest. had had done something bad? something that required an 'i'm sorry' to shake off deeply embedded claws of guilt? the assumptions kept rolling forth as a muscles twitched within tightly clenched jaws when he mumbled once more.

it hurt his head, this little rollercoaster valiant had taken him on to get to that statement. what had he thought, it could not have been what he just said because there was certainty with those facts, not the doubt encrusted 'thought'. and why apologize? "you don't need to say sorry, it's not your fault right?" a dangerous question. he couldn't really see valiant doing something bad, there was a pure glow to him and those wide, doe like eyes but why say sorry. his eyes shut briefly as the rest of the statement caught up to him. no one at the willows, so cam hadn't been lying about that. not that he'd thought he was but...no room for doubt now. swallowing thickly, he urged his mind not to wander down the dark path of wondering what had happened to his family; what had seemed to wipe them from the face of this damned earth. and, what was that...a...a new pack? his eyes flashed open, sharp as a thin blade as they cut towards the boy and he stood. "what?" it tumbled messily from his lip as he bristled, short pelt spiky like an angry cat. "they..they can't!" an indignant, childish wail. "they can't do that they...no they can't, it belongs to elysium i don't care if there's no one left it's still, it's ours" 

breathing quickly, he glared off towards the leer of those jagged peaks. to think of these strangers parading about his home, stealing the willow's whispered secrets and sleeping in the dens he'd rolled about in with his brothers....no! the earth seemed unsteady as his tail lashed to relieve some pent up energy, scattering the vibrant hues of silken petals as they took to the breeze. the question barely made it through the fog that was slowly engulfing him but he latched onto it, used it to reel himself in and away from the claws that had been making to clutch cruelly at his mind. he couldn't break down..no, not now. working to steady his breaths, he shook his head listlessly. when had he last seen them? "it's been a long time..remember when the whole world started shaking and breaking? i was out one day and some damn rocks cut me off from the pack so i left the mountains they weren't safe. i was gone a good while before i met cam, remember him? he told me that everyone had disappeared" his paws shuffled through the fallen flowers, blinking regretfully at them before looking back up to valiant and whispering "i wonder what happened to them"