Blackfeather Woods If we have each other we’ll be just fine

@Rowan ?

She had grown restless and took a walk outside the den. As she was walking the the forest she passed patch of the land that had been recently filled. It seemed to be where @Istoira had buried her pup Ravaryn.

She sat by the rock that had been placed to mark the location of her lost pup and looked up to the sky. “I’m not sure what I believe in anymore but I hope your safe wherever you are. May Nightstar watch over you where I cannot.”

Even though Mother had told him to stay with his siblings, he decided they could look after themselves. He wasn't sure if they were following him or not -- he was too busy following Mother. He paused when she did, listening to her words. He squinted -- a common gesture when he was learning -- before jumping forward from the bushes.
"I cannot!" He called, charging straight to his mother. In ways, he was simple.

He bounced in front of her, standing on the grave. He reached up on his hind legs to lick her muzzle because she seemed sad. He wanted her to be happy. Why was she sad? Was it the ground? She was looking at it a lot. 
He stared down, baring his teeth at the upturned earth with a soft gargle of a growl.

She was drawn to the sounds of her pup coming after right behind her. She hadn’t noticed him at all until he called out. He reached her nose and she felt his gentle tongue. “You were supposed to be inside.” She stayed in a matter of fact tone. “I guess you can stay little one.”

His head tilted up, blue eyes gleaming. They'd change to his inherited royal gold soon, but not yet.
"Stay here." He stated firmly, plonking himself right under his mother's chin, licking her chest. Hairs came off on his tongue, making him cough then sneeze. Icky.
He gently headbutted her in a feline way, letting out a groan of exhaustion. Falling Star had kept kicking and biting him all night.

"Why sad?" He'd picked that phrase up when she was speaking to Moonshine after he'd stolen her stick. Then got told off, but he was the favourite -- in his eyes -- so it didn't bother him much.

Her little ones had so much to learn about the world. She found it hard that he must learn of death at a young age. Moonshadow herself didn’t know how to phrase it so he would understand. “Little one.” She started with a sigh. “I am sad because my brother is lost. Somewhere of which I cannot find him.”

She used the tone.
The tone was the thing he knew the adults used when they didn't want to say things fully. Like why his mother kept pushing him away and making him eat the meat she gave him. 
His brows furrowed as he waddled backward, still on his haunches, to see her face. He liked her eyes, they looked like the leaves with the light on them. 

Lost. When something couldn't be found, right? How can she lose a whole brother? He'd always found falling star just fine, following his scent. Or his goofy ass, whichever trace he found first. Maybe she wasn't as good tracker as him.
This was a long thought process.
Now, how to make her feel better...
"I look!" He bounced up, his tail wagging. If she couldn't he certainly could. He was the best tracker by far. He darted away and plunged his nose into the dirt, inhaling it then immediately spluttering and sneezing.
He shouldn't have done that.

She watched her son with wonder. They were so precious and pure. Not ruined by the world as she was, not abandoned by the one who was sworn to protect them by blood and by whatever means necessary, one who was supposed to teach them, love them, and feed them. She promised not to do the same.

She walked after Rowan as he darted off and inhaled a heep full of dirt in his nose. “Breath in lightly just so to pick up a scent.” Moonshadow thought perhaps since he was up night as well teach.

After he'd cleared his respiratory system, he listened to his Mother. She'd lived longer so she knew more than he did. He gently put his nose down, not planting it on the ground this time, and inhaled softly.
He could smell the earth, the water that had fallen of it. The scent of the pack and a whole host of other critters he'd learn to probably tune out one day.

He looked to her, not knowing what to do now. It was easy enough to follow the scent of something you'd grown up with but something foreign? Completely new. 

She walked over to her pups side and lowered her muzzle to the ground taking in the scent he did. “That little one is the scent of a rabbit. Once you and your siblings are a little older, i will teach you all to hunt.” The other pups are asleep and she couldn’t travel far from the den.

"Wrabbit." He repeated. He wondered what they looked like. Big like Mother or small like a beetle?
Were they smooth like rocks or fluffy like Issy. Oh...

"Where Issy?" He asked, wondering if she too had gone missing. Maybe she was with his uncle. He liked Issy lots and missed her fluffiness and her care. She didn't let them adventure much but played with them more; probably because she wasn't so tired all the time.

She knew that the question would come up at one time or another and she thought she had the right words to say. She had rehearsed it so many times and yet she was left speechless.

She sighed before continued. “She...she had to go do things. I don’t know when she’ll come back.” Her heart seemed to break as she spoke cause she didn’t know why she left.

He tilted his head, one ear flopping.
What did she mean? "Things" was very vague. It made her seem sad again.
"She hunter brother?" He didn't know the right word for finding -- that or he'd forgotten in the moment. But he thought it would be likely she was going to find Mother's brother because it would make her happy and Issy liked to make Mother happy.
They were always happy together.

He didn't understand why wolves sometimes didn't come back. Not yet.

She felt as though she wanted to cry, wanted to just curl up around her babies and weep. She’s lost so much and now that Istoira was gone she felt the pain all over again. But the mother did her best to hide her grief with a smile when around her babies. “Yeah..she did.” Was all she could say.

His ears slicked back as he leaned against his Mother's leg. 
"It be ok." He didn't know much about the world but surely how bad could it be? He was happy and then sad but he was always happy again not long after. 

He stood with her for some time until he heard his siblings crashing along and ran to greet them. They totally got so lost.

She smiled softly at her pup and nudged her little one. “In time my love.” With time and especially when her pups grow up. She had much to teach them and she hoped maybe that could fill the emptiness in her heart.