Stone Circle she's got her eyes fixed on the floor

the smile to have began tentatively stepping forth at the matriarch's arrival was quite quickly impeded by the woman's drawn features. it was, she supposed, simply not the valette that she had grown accustomed to beholding and therefore was perturbed by the enervated figure before them. brows knitting together, her own misgivings were promptly dropped as jaws loosened to ask was everything okay for it was not disdain that polaris was hit with, there was a weariness to the woman that polaris suspected went beyond the disappearance of a singular member. but the earth kissed wolf swoops in first and the words to slink free at the motion of her tongue seem to sweep the earth from under the startled girl as a strangled noise pierces the air. 

'cougar attack...cougar attack???' 

wide eyes tear haphazardly out across the verdant twinkle rolling out before her, as if she could see the scars upon the land and prepare herself for what she might be told next. easthollow, tranquil easthollow with its ethereal stones standing permanent sentry..how could they let this happen? ears slunk back against her head, paws buzzing with the same sickening energy she'd felt on the whitebark stream borders...the yearn to flee before the news could crash upon her being. what if something had happened to west?? and he would've...he'd think she'd abandoned him like she had papa before...her behind hit the earth hard as trembling limbs buckled her into a forced sit. 

was this punishment for stealing alsek away? had she been playing into the earth's wicked intentions this entire time? her need to protect him from the clutches of harrowing death resulting in it deciding to follow and toy with them? she could almost have loosed a sob at his little question posed to valette, wanting to screech at whoever thought it fair to shadow him so. 

she needs to talk, she has to...say something. her lips felt numb as she stirred her heavy tongue with a great deal of effort only to whisper with hoarse shock "cougar attack?" maybe no one had died, perhaps they had chased it off and it was a victory for the wolves of easthollow, a victory for the good. yet she could not shift the dread that had settled snugly in the depths of her bones, something very bad had happened here when she was gone.