Whitebark Stream I tried to call you home

He felt sick with stress. On his journey home through the plains, the discovery of his dying brother-in-law left him feeling even more hollowed than before. His paws were made heavy by exhaustion but he carried on, eager to be close to his family again - even if it meant bearing the burden of grim news.

Sunny had abandoned Dawn on more than one occasion, had left his young daughter time and time again - something that affected the latter enough to force her departure. His actions had been selfish, Artyom knew, but his kind heart was always open to forgiveness. Sunny's soul was a troubled one, but the gilded ranger wanted to believe that his intentions were never bad.

Just as he reached Whitebark's outskirts, a despaired call sounded from nearby. Concerned, Artyom veered through the trees in its direction to find the slumped, sobbing form of their newest recruit. The Alpha emitted a soft whine, moving to close the space between them as quickly as his aching bones would allow. 

"Taikon," he spoke, voice laced with uncertainty as earthen eyes took in the telltale signs of grief on his pack-mate's face. He wasn't sure how much more heartache he could handle; "Aphrodite...?" It was to her he'd been closest to, after all, so came to a fair assumption that their missing medic had been found - not quite in the manner that they'd hoped.