Bearclaw Valley When they say 2% milk, I don't know what the other 98% is

He didn't expect to find another pack on his way to the mountains from Easthollow, so it was much to his surprise when he found some newish borders just south of the stone circle. He sniffed at them, curious, and gazed into the opening of a strange-shaped valley.

Should he stop here and ask about his family? Timberlake supposed it was worth a shot—leave no stone unturned, right?

The young man lifted his head and howled, feeling that familiar mix of anticipation and nerves. He was hopeful for good news but always on edge for the bad news as well. He had avoided much of the latter on the trip, but the trip was far from over.

dated for the 5th-ish. @Merrick and other related woofers

a cry rising over the valley and its new melt. merrick yawned, grunting with a low and full pleasure as he nudged astara affectionately and rose to answer it. dark limbs carried him in a comfortable trot to the borders, where he grinned madly, head low-slung and steps slowing to an odd stalk.
"what can i do for you?" the young coywolf inquired, single eye burning with a pride that warned the newcomer should be cautious. this was bedlam, after all; his visitor might well find himself locked up.

The wolf that answered his call wasn't much older than Timberlake, but he didn't know that. He might have been many seasons older with his worldly appearance and—gulp—the missing eye. The Sameth youngster found himself focusing on the dark hollow before remembering his manners, coming back to himself with a small start.

Uh, sorry, he answered, shaking his head. The stranger disconcerted him (it had to be the eye, right?) and he struggled to gather his composure again. I'm Timberlake. I'm looking for some of my family. Sunny, Valiant, Easy, Dauntless, Winterbourne— He remembered his initial neglect to mention his mother and siblings at Easthollow.

And my mother, Pema, and littermates Radcliffe, Meadow, and Padma. Sorry, I know that's a lot. Do you know any of them, or where they could be? Timberlake fell silent, waiting with bated breath for the creepy wolf's response.

merrick felt as though he had unsettled this kid. mission accomplished, then — an upward curl of his lips revealed teeth in a vague and glinting smile, his roughened but handsome features shining affably. "i haven't heard any one of those names," the young coywolf murmured with apology.
"did they up and leave you behind?" merrick inquired, tone earnest but words cold. why else had this boy arrived here? just looking for relatives who had probably abandoned him? "in my experience, setting up camp and waiting for them to come back is best."
or killing them.

just a cameo. taylor is watching them out of earshot. feel free to skip.

Ask yourself, how did I get here? It was the bear-boy, Merrick, who kept him here, and he has disappeared. He is either his best self, or his worst self. He's not sure.
When he catches his smell, it doesn't take long for him to draw near. He watches from the safety and disguise of the undergrowth, wide glass eyes that slide back and forth from Merrick and the stranger. The bear-boy possessed secrets— about matricide, about pain, about madness.
Taylor wants to crawl inside his skull. Keep a hand out just in case the lid shuts on him. There is someone who believes that he is whole and unbroken. In another world, he might've been able to shed real tears at that.
But then again, in that other world, no one would need to tell him so.

Nothing here. Timberlake tried not to look too disappointed as he shook his head in response to the young man's query, cocking his head in curiosity at the suggestion. I mean, I guess, he replied dubiously, though he didn't really want to stay around here. He wanted to keep going.

They didn't leave me, he insisted, sounding adamant. Part of my family lives around here, and part up north. I'm originally from here but moved up north, too. Maybe that was too much information. But it was worth sharing, just to kill the supposition that they had left him behind.

They would never!

Timberlake didn't even notice the smell of the other wolf nearby.

"every one of your family members somehow disappeared from the wilds and conveniently didn't tell you?" merrick mocked, teeth showing in a mean laugh. "my aunt up and abandoned me, along with my mom. she lives right next door and had no idea i was here."
the mad boy lashed his tail, features growing less harsh, more contemplative. "you can crash with me if you want. eat something." the stranger was young, a clear innocent who would not survive the hazing of merrick's wolves. but bone was bone. 
he waited.

His brows drew together and down in a slight frown. I'm sorry about your family, but mine didn't abandon me, Timberlake insisted. I made the choice to go north, and now I'm just looking to see where they ended up. As to the offer of hospitality, he barely gave it a second thought before shaking his head. No way he was staying with someone who was so adamant about betrayal.

Timberlake was way too positive to focus on the negative aspects of his childhood. (Even if they somehow were true.)

Thanks, but I think I'll keep going for now, he replied. He let his face soften a bit as he added, But maybe I'll stop by on my way back home? It was more of a pleasantry than anything; he wasn't really keen on going anywhere near this place, except to visit Easthollow and say hi to Valette.

He began to take small steps backward, waiting for some sign of dismissal. Not that he, you know, needed permission or anything. It was just polite.

children were stupid. wolves were foolish. merrick wished suddenly, bodily, to rush forward, to crush the smug lips until until until there was only twisted bone, exposed teeth, ruined flesh.
screaming.
"don't come back unless you intend to do some screaming," merrick resolved, tail flinging high over his slim hips. 
no place here for the weak, those in denial. only those who could embrace the truth of themselves would the bears permit to live.
the others, sacrifices.

What the young man said next made his blood run cold. Timberlake stepped back even further, a look somewhere between disgust and horror twisting his features. There was no rebuttal; what could he possibly say in response?

All he could do was get away from here as quickly as possible without turning his back to the valley, at least not until it was well over the horizon. 

Timberlake backed off, too flabbergasted to even mumble a word of gratitude. He would specifically avoid this place on the way home.

a grin spiraled into a black howl that followed the fleeing boy like a dirge, nipping at one's heels, haunting the ears. let him be made mad. let them call him so. as long as he was feared, merrick saw no reason to care.
he stalked proudly back the way he had come, bright nape flaring with adrenaline, and soon broke into a small trot that carried him, tongue lolling, to the thick stream within the valley.