Redhawk Caldera WSS: Prologue

He chuckled softly at her comment, and reached out to gently nuzzle the golden-tinged fur at the top of her head, which highlighted her brow as neatly as a crown might. "That's 'cause pretty much everyone else is a loser," He commented snidely, though there was nothing but warmth in his eyes when he looked at his little sister. She'd grown so much, and it saddened him...Knowing that he had, indeed, been away and had missed so much of her life. He wished that he'd said something, explained things to Alyx, Quetzal and Primrose but...He hadn't wanted to ruin their childhood by telling them that their mother was actually a terrible person. While he resented his mother, he cared enough for his younger siblings that he'd tried to stay away from colouring their relationships, in hopes that perhaps things would work out better for this generation. 

Her question surprised him, and left his posture to slip slowly to one of a fairly ashamed wolf. She shouldn't have had to ask that question- but he hadn't exactly done his best to establish the fact that he still thought of his siblings very, very often, and that he cared about them greatly. But thoughts couldn't reach across the distance and hold them tight when they needed to be consoled, or listen to them when they needed someone to talk to. "I wanted to see you. Sure, I wanna see the others too, but," He said, and it felt wretched to admit just how disappointed he was with himself. He knew, as a proud creature, Alyx would be more keen to know how he felt about her, in particular, rather than in the family as a whole. "I've missed too much," He said. After all, he no longer needed to lower his gaze to look at his younger siblings. He couldn't just grab them with one paw and pull them close, or outrun them at a trot. Now, perhaps, she was old enough that he could speak more openly about why he'd left. 

He sighed. "I'm sorry I've been away so much, but I hope you understand...That I couldn't stay." He said slowly. "And I couldn't really tell you why I left. Not really." He said.