Haunted Wood you will be my salvation

immediately following this.
attn: @Santiago Arcos

santiago explained their complicated situation, none of which made much sense. what's ursus? famine asked, then: what happens when packs are mad at each other? the nightwalkers liked to solve their problems with fighting, but he wondered if that was always the right answer. wasn't there something else they could do that wouldn't put everyone in danger?

i'm alpha pup, you know, famine sighed. he hadn't earned the title, but had been promoted by default which made announcing his new title feel.. he couldn't explain. does that mean.. do i have to go, too? he hoped not; if all of the adults, plus him, were meant to leave, then who would take care of the babies? surely, that would be his first priority as leader of youth.

Santiago can see the pup trying to wrap his mind around the information he bestows upon him. The pup asks questions now and Santi would be horrible not to answer.

“Ursus is another pack of wolves. They’re much worse than us though, very violent.” At his next question he hums. “They can settle it the easy way or the hard way. The easy way being to talk shit out. The hard way being war.” He offers to the pup emotionlessly. 

At the pups next sentence he can’t help but chuckle at. “No, thankfully you won’t have to go. You need more training before that.” He sighs a smile still on his face. “The rest of us will though. Don’t worry, everyone will turn out fine as long as we play it smart.” 

what if someone gets hurt? famine asked, vanity's babies aren't big enough to be alone yet. he'd gotten used to taking care of himself out of necessity, but they still needed their mom around. what would they do if something happened?

an anxious breath hitched in his throat. maybe i can come. santiago said that all famine needed was more training which he could easily get. i'll help, really, and me being there might make ursus not wanna fight anymore, right?

Santi almost has sadness seep into his eyes at the pups antics to attempt to find a peaceful outcome for the pack. “Then we will get them out of the fight as quickly as possible. Hopefully Vanity’s pups will be old enough by the time the war hits. Even then, don’t think like that. She’ll make it out alive. She’s tough.” Towards the end he smiles at him regarding Vanity.

Santiago shakes his head languidly. “Lo siento, but you can’t. It’s too dangerous. I’m sure it would only deter them from attacking you. Not the rest of us.” Then he tries to laugh it off again. “After all, not all of us have those cute, convincing puppy eyes of yours.”

yeah, b-but, famine stammered, you don't know that. being tough didn't mean anything; he'd been tough trying to fight a bobcat, and where had that gotten him? were he alone, who knows what might have happened?

what if vanity ended up alone? then he would be alone, too. please, santi, famine plead, his eyes starting to well with emotion, i can be strong, too. he could protect them, if someone would just give him the chance! i'm alpha pup, remember? i can be strong, really.

Santi’s blood pressure skyrockets when the pup begins sniffling and panicking. He has no idea to remedy any type of situation having to do with pups. He’s not educated in the sort. That’s doesn’t mean he won’t try. 

So his best attempt is touching the pup only slightly with a large, black paw. “You’re right. I don’t. What I do know is, is that we will be victorious. We all have each other’s backs.” 

Please Santi. The words come out as a plea and he almost has flashback of the pup he killed when he was in the ring. Blinking rapidly and shaking his head, he reels himself into reality and focuses his own silvery hues onto the pups. “You’re already strong and you will continue to get stronger.” He says strongly and perhaps a bit distantly. “But we cant risk you there.” He says softly this time.

we can’t risk you there.

famine laughed, or snorted, at the idea of someone caring. both of his parents were gone; he’d never met his late sire, and his dam escaped motherhood before her children could speak her name. his siblings were all disappeared, none of them stopping to even give a heads-up, and now his adoptive family, the nightwalkers, were dwindling, too.

they could risk him there; he had nothing to lose and he was willing to go, but that still wasn’t good enough? what benefits could come from refusing enlistment in a time of war? famine was young, and he knew that, but he was willing to do anything to keep his family safe, dying included.

santiago wouldn’t understand, though. he couldn’t understand the way famine felt, that unique betrayal which had been brewing in the back of his mind since infancy. 

no one wanted him. 
he was expendable.

these words weren’t spoken, but shown with the wrinkling of brow. multiple times he opened his mouth to speak, instead releasing mucus and tears rather than sound. they were going to leave him, everyone, and famine would be alone again. 

well, better to get a head start; he looked once more at santiago, then turned away to walk back to eirwyn’s once whelping den.

The monochromatic wolf’s heart completely sinks when a bitter snort is released from the pups mouth. Then the tears start flowing and fuck, Santi is no good at these situations.

Shuffling towards the pup, he ushers the pup against his chest and gently put a heavy paw on his back.

“What’s wrong, pequeño?” He asks rather sweetly. None of his usual teasing slyness is to be found. Only a soothing, deep voice.

guardian’s expression became.. unreadable, something that he’d learned as a coping mechanism. those emotions were still being processed, but his mind had already exited their conversation, leaving him somewhere between present and absent: an ambivalent witness.

he sighed and turned away from santiago. nothing, guardian sniffled. he lifted a charcoal paw to wipe a string of snot from his nose, saying, i don’t want to talk anymore. either way, he would continue staring at his companion until given permission to leave.