Hushed Willows mama, please—let me back inside

reif always had mixed feelings when it came to the much more frequent journeys that had him leaving the little safe haven of his den whether they were alongside his mothers or little escapades with his siblings. on one paw, the amount of things to investigate out there was beyond amazing and whilst his siblings would seem to get most of their kicks out of the thrill or rolling around play fighting- reif would become engrossed in every little thing the world had to offer around him- seen obsessing over things as seemingly insignificant as a blade of grass. but on the other paw, it could be very overwhelming. whilst his brothers seemed to grow in confidence every day, reif would not be able to understand why they didn't seem to grow as distressed by the large numbers of wolves milling about and the noise, the better his hearing got the more skittish he grew. same went for the light, he'd constantly be seen wrapping himelf into tiny balls with paws too big for his body slapping down over droopy ears when things got too active.

nevertheless the need to discover could not be quenched so he'd continue to put himself through this anxiety to explore the amazing things around him- even if to those around him he'd seem quite unimpressed by anything around him, not expressing his joy quite like most pups did with their ecstatic yips or squeaks. 

so when both atwood and ariel's presence was clearly missing from the den after a short doze, curiosity would play its part in drawing the creamy boy from safety and after many conflicting moments- shaky steps had him waddling in the direction of the strange noise until he could bear to go no further, ears flat against his head in an effort to protect themselves from the bitter assault of his senses. he was a decent distance away but that didn't stop him seeing and hearing the scene, little eyes widening in what should be horror but was in fact...wonder. there were so many wolves and frequently he'd have to look away and regain himself before allowing his attention to shift back, needing to squint against the lingering blurriness of his gaze. the monster was like nothing he'd seen before and he'd watch with his little jaw hanging open as it swung heavy paws and threw the wolves aside as if they were the small stones he rolled back and forth with atwood and sundance. but unlike the rocks, vibrant colours burst free from the wolves as they were tossed.

first was the friendly woman he'd gotten used to associating her scent with safety like his parents- a face he'd perhaps never recall after this day but still he watched curiously as the beautiful crimson liquid painted the floor. inhaling shakily, he'd have to lean down onto the ground and bury his face into his paws for a few long moments before looking up once more. awood...his brother stood amongst the fray and reif had no idea how he wasn't screaming, so close to all that noise. a shudder would run up the little boy's spine and then..his mother is delivered a similar fate to the nice woman. a little frown creases his features as he studies the scene, so curious to see the way the skin is torn as effortless as ripping apart a leaf and more of that bright liquid splashes out as his mother falls with a thud reif can practically feel through his bones. not sure what to feel about this his eyes fall to his own body- suddenly wondering is he too filled with that odd liquid? it makes him feel weird and suddenly the yells and shrieks no longer sound like they're underwater but instead bearing right down on his small form. with a bewildered whimper he pushes his paws hard against the ground.

of course this wouldn't appear odd to anyone who might come across him, he'd just seen two wolves brutally slain and one his mother! but that is not the cause for his distress at all, whilst he'd observed that with a strange detached curiosity it was the sudden overwhelming attack on his senses that threw the boy headfirst into spiralling distress and with a neverending string of cries he'd push paws hard around his head- little teeth gritting together so hard it was a shock they didn't shatter to pieces.