Stone Circle In eyes of father to son

Even days later, Ujurak still had difficulty standing without his legs shaking enough to send a tremor through the earth. The grueling sprint, the fear, the waiting all chipped away at him. So much of his energy, had drained away. He did not feel strong. Still, he stayed by his family's side. His father, mother, and littermates. All the while, waiting. The stone prince wasn't even sure what he was waiting for.

Was he waiting for his father to die? Was he waiting for some miracle that made him better? Wolves grew old. He knew that. Wolves die once they grow old enough. He knew that too. But.. what came next? What happened after someone...dies? He knew that in the spring, the flowers would come back. That the tree would have leaves.  But wolves didn't come back. At least, no one told him that they did. But no one was treating this like the autumn leaves. Astrid laughed about the autumn. She wasn't laughing anymore. No one did.

The endless barrage of questions within his own mind disturbed his rest. Or perhaps tonight it was that feeling of being watched. Ujurak lifted his head to see his father's eyes through the dark. His voice came out in a hushed whisper, for their family still slept nearby.

Faðir, are you not able to sleep?