Duskfire Glacier at aaktuktuk |<

Veteran drifted through his normal rounds like some cross between a zombie and a wraith. He knew he should be feeling something intensely painful, but strangely, it felt more like something was missing from his heart instead of added to it. There was a hole, sucking and devouring, attempting to pull all the rest down inside. Veteran fought it, but it was there, and he could sort of see how Tzila had succumbed. 

He somehow found himself face to face with a great white wolf, a stranger, and yet... Veteran couldn't bring himself to voice his usual questions, or feel his usual suspicion. Some blunted instinct within the boy alerted him that the man smelled of Moonglow, and he was therefore a friend. Dully, Veteran voiced, "My dad just died. His wife too." He felt detached from his own voice. 

His ice-blue eyes landed on the offering, lingering there for a long moment before drawing back up to the man. "Can I eat that?" he asked finally, realizing it had been ages since he'd eaten. Before dad died. Before Tzila had rushed to follow him to the grave. Try as he might, Veteran couldn't recall dining since he was camped out with the Moonglow wolves.