Duskfire Glacier Remember when, I was young and so were you

gross phone post, seems bugged.

His wife, their child. Missing. From dawn til dusk and dusk til dawn, he howled for them, pleaded for their return. His vocal cords lasted a week before they fettered out, for two days he spoke with a rasp, the remnants of his strained cords still slightly present. Rye secluded himself to a den far away from everyone else, staying in his families den wasn't manageable, Rye could not bring himself to return, his families smells still strong on their beds. A painful reminder of what had been so unjustly ripped away from him. Fear filled his belly and left no room for food, for the latter days of the week he did not eat, hardly drank, and barely slept. His hair grew into an unkempt mess, wiry, furled and dingy. There was no worrying over self care while his family was out there somewhere.

Rye tried to remain patient the first week, understanding traveling on a schedule is nearly impossible to keep uniform but as the first week passed, it began to sink in his family may be gone. As much as he wanted someone to blame, there was only himself. He made the choice to stay and now he was cursing his name, and cursing himself for not being a better father, a better husband. Things needed to change.

Rye hauled himself up and out of his temporary den, trotting to his families den to collect his medical satchel. He tossed it around his neck and headed for the melt water with a small scrap of food. He hoped to run into someone along the way, to let them know of his few week departure.

Watch me make 5,000 assumptions. I'll make edits as necessary. :)

Meerkat went into isolation following the pack's emergency meeting. There were so many reasons why she needed time to herself to decompress from that whole situation, though she hated to admit the main one: she was hideously jealous and resentful of the connection between Issorartuyok and Lane. Real or imagined, the yearling couldn't get past it.

There was still the matter of her trip to the caldera. The little green monster currently inhabiting her head told her there was no way Issorartuyok could go with her now. Or is it Tatkret? her inner voice asked snidely as Meerkat walked solemnly through the evergreens growing at the foot of the glacier. You're being an idiot, you know that? she scolded herself with a sigh.

Nonetheless, she decided to find someone else to accompany her. When she spotted Rye ahead, it felt a little bit like fate. "Rye!" she called out, hastening toward him. "You're friends with my mom, right?" she blurted, apropos of nothing, before giving him a once-over, blinking and asking, "Hey, what's going on?"

She had been too busy obsessing about the perceived relationship between Issorartuyok and Lane, she had almost forgotten about the no-shows. "Where's Imaq and Liak?" Meerkat asked, absolutely dreading the answer.

S'all good!

Meerkats voice called to him from behind, Rye stopped in his tracks and turned to face the yearling. He attempted a smile, it was lopsided and tight but he held it for a few moments anyway. The scout asked him about her mother and his friendship status, Rye took a beat to ponder that same question before relenting with an affirming head nod. He wasn't entierly sure anymore. Then Meerkat quickly moved on, Rye was reluctant to say, great shame encompassed him. How could he let his family slip from his grasp? His heart pulsed and squeezed with Meerkats last question. His eyes averted, head hung low, she could help, he just needed to put his pride aside.
"They're—" He started shakily, building the courage to admit his failure. "Missing. They went for a trip and were supposed to return a week ago. I screwed up and didn't go with them. I thought they'd be okay, I didn't think it would turn out like this." His voice was as coarse as sand but Rye was thankful for it as it helped hide the anguish in his voice.  

The way he slumped, it was answer enough. But Rye took pains to explain the situation. Meerkat's heart went out to him even as every other organ in her body seemed to clench. A mother and her young son were lost. How could she have spent days moping while Rye was dealing with this?

"Oh fuck, Rye," she whispered. "Let—let me help you find them," were the next, shaky words out of her mouth. "Where were they headed? And where have you already looked?"

Only after the words left her mouth did she realize what she'd just signed up for. Her skin started flushing hot and cold. Could she do this? What about her road trip? What about the weather? She only barely bit back the whimper that clawed up her throat, wishing she could snatch back her words and cram them down there too.

Concerns over Wintersbane and the leadership bubbled to the top of his mind but was quickly popped, Rye wasn't going to let himseld fret over the packs leadership. Nor the former alpha, Lane and Eldrich were both highly competent medics. Still, a shard of remorse went out to his pack family, he was going to leave them in a time they needed to stick together but he counted on their generosity to understand why he had to leave. 
"Thank you Meerkat," He rasped. "They were only supposed to hop rivers and ponds near here, maybe visit our neighbors too. I have checked the woods surrounding our claim but have been too hesitant to venture any further in case they were just late and came back. Now I plan to search every corner of these lands to find them." He wasn't going to come back until he found his family, that was a promise. "But I don't expect you to follow me, this could take weeks, or months. I know our home is in very vulnerable spot right now, and they could use you here." He wanted to secure her help, to lock the offer in but the hotah managed to choke back the urge to cry, to beg for her help. She was an experienced scout, she held knowledge he could use but his pride had already been beaten down to a speck, he couldn't bring himself to beg. The glacier needed her most.

Of course, even if she could could unsay the words, would she? When Rye spoke again, her heart broke for him. He swore to leave no stone unturned in his endeavor to locate his wife and child. Meerkat could only nod her understanding, even as her insides wanted to wither at the thought. How many days, weeks, months had she spent poring through the wilderness in search of one wayward wolf or another, only to come up empty-handed? When had it ever panned out?

"But," Rye said and the yearling's slightly panicky eyes drifted back and forth across his face as he gently rejected her offer, insisting the search might take months and she was needed here instead. Despite herself, her lips parted to argue, though he was right, of course. And he was giving her an out, without realizing how much she needed one.

"Oh, Rye..." she said rather uselessly, her expression and voice full of sympathy. "You're right. The pack is in a weird spot right now. But I want to help. I was planning on going to the caldera anyway, so I can search between here and there, then leave word with them to keep an eye out. You could come with me, unless you think splitting up and covering more ground would be a better idea."

Meerkat hoped he would go for the former option, though she said nothing else, leaving the choice up to him. Wishing for him to accompany her was entirely selfish and her problems with petty jealousy did not hold a candle to what Rye was going through right now.

Where had he gone wrong, what paths had he chosen that lead to the fragmentation of his family? When would the constricting guilt release its vise grip?  Meerkat, her pity for him, the sorrow held in her voice, in her face, her idle actions; or lack thereof. She was Ryes last bastion that maybe, just maybe things were not as bad as they felt but the simple pain she felt for him said enough. It was indeed a nightmare.
Meerkat offered Rye to accompany her to the Redhawk Caldera, he was half tempted to accept but the man reluctantly shook his head. "Splitting would be ideal, as you said, more ground can be covered if I head in another direction, better chances of catching sight or smell of them." He was sure she already knew that though. "If they come back, tell your mother and eventually I'll hear the news. Thank you for everything Meerkat." He feigned a frail smile. "I need to get going. I hope to hear from you." If nothing else asked of him, Rye would drink from the melt water then head for and out the boarder.    

Her heart sank a little when he insisted on going their separate ways, though Meerkat made sure not to let her disappointment show. There was only concern on her face as Rye thanked her and said he needed to get going. All she could do was nod and assure him he would most certainly hear from her, no matter what.

Soon, he was gone. Meerkat stood there a while longer, feeling sorry for her pack mate and worried about Imaq and Liak. Only after several moments did she remember her mood prior to running into Rye. It felt especially silly now. She shook her head at herself and began to walk, trying not to panic about what she'd just volunteered to do. She just needed to take the search one step at a time, starting by pointing her toes toward the caldera.