Blackfeather Woods we would say anything just to hear what we want, right or wrong

The morning he had tried to hunt was the closest to normal that life had felt in a long time. Though @Takiyok had taken up the role of primary breadwinner during his illness, he wanted to be able to assist in tending to both himself and the pack. Feeling useful to her, especially after she had worried after him and cared for him, was a primary objective.
The grouse he had found sheltering beneath a tree had caught his scent with a shift of the wind, and the hunt had failed. Even though he carried no prize, the very thrill of being able to hunt at all sent a pleasant tingle through him. The memory of his skill began to return, and he began to wander to find another target as the sun drifted behind clouds. Winters were always quiet. The song birds had long abandoned the wilds for warmer places. The trees rustled their branches, empty and without the soft wistful calls of their leaves. The only common sound that broke the silence was the crows, who had learned to ignore him as he moved through his home.
Toward the border as he searched for another promising hunt, Taikon found Zephyr looking lost and sorry. A familiar scent of infection drifted through him. Clearly, neither of them had been okay. The approach of the prince was cautious, as though moving toward an animal that might bolt at any moment. Even though Taikon's immediate reaction was to rush to the aide of the boy, he maintained distance, knowing well there was nothing he could do. Zephyr, he breathed, worry leaking into his tone. We are both excellent at getting ourselves into shit, heh, he jested, though there was no real humour in it.
He assumed, based on nothing, that Rowan had been helping tend to the boy just as the zealot had to him. He assumed that Zephyr didn't want his help. And so, Taikon offered no more than a distraction.