The Sunspire weather-beaten in a losing battle

He wasn't surprised to find that the topic of conversation would be their future. What did surprise him was that his cousin wanted to include him in the decision of where they would go next. Not that Merrit had ever made him feel like his opinion wasn't important, it was just strange to be considered old enough to weigh in on such important matters. He was suddenly nervous about what to say, though he kept his expression thoughtful as he considered each option proposed to him. 

Merrit first mentioned a pack nearby that was once allies of their former pack. It sounded safe, but then so had legion, and look where they ended up—back where they started, just the two of them with no place to call home. On the surface it sounded like a good plan, but he was hesitant to try the same thing again and expect a different result.

He was intrigued by the idea of exploring. He didn't know much outside of Easthollow and the mountain they currently stood on. It would be interesting to see what else was out there. But the idea of joining another pack steered him right back to the problem with their first option—what if that pack failed too, and they were dispersed yet again. He wanted to explore new places, but only if he had a safe place to return; he craved the stability of a home—like he had felt in Easthollow before everything fell apart. 

Starting something of their own. It sounded difficult and would mean they might spend a while trying to reform a home again, but something about having something they created caused a flicker of hope in his chest. It had been a long time since he felt that. Maybe they could build up a pack and keep it stable. Maybe they couldn't. He was finding he was willing to try even if the outcome was the same as the first two choices. Something about this plan made him feel like he could actually do something worthwhile.

Like our own pack? he asked, showing more interest in that than anything else in months. Where would we even start? How would they go about this? He didn't know the first thing about starting a pack, and he feared he would be more of a burden than anything else.