Rudder stood there stumped, They're... dead? The familiar smell of his pack was evident in the air with a heavy mixture of blood. But... I... I should've been there. I could have saved them! The world around him turned silent, as if his ears turned off to it. He stared blankly at the ground as thoughts of regret crept into his mind. If only I was there. I could have helped. They wouldn't be dead!

The cub's eyes watched as a small rock, displaced from Kaaili's paw, rolled down the scree. Without any real thought, he continued to observe the small rock until it collided against a huge boulder, one that was probably three times his size. He remained transfixed on the boulder for a time, his thoughts turning from regret to realization. I could have... could have... All his dreams, all his imaginary adventures, faded into nothing but black and white images to the smell of blood surrounding him, so potent that he could smell the color of it.

He was kicked in the stomach by the cruel force that is reality; he was only a pup, nothing more. He wasn't a super strong wolf, he wasn't destined for greatness by some wise-owl's words; he was an ordinary pup. The words of his father crept into his mind, "Don't day-dream too much, you will get disappointed eventually." What hurt the most was that he will never, ever hear him say that again. He'll never get to play with his siblings, lay beside mother or show off his skills to his father. That pain sunk deep into him.

He took one final look up the scree at the mountain that he once called home. He had always imagined to leave it for an adventure... but not like this. The young cub then followed closely behind the others; his walk somber, his poster defeated and his spirit broken.

The trees were still green and full of life, looking the same, like the disaster up the mountain had never happened. There were squirrels up in the branches, and birds clogging up his ears with their whistles. Jalil saw a rabbit dart out from the undergrowth, but he wasn't feeling hungry. His appetite had fled him as soon as the boulders fell.
More than anything, he wished to find the wolf that had howled. The sound seemed to come from the Eirir Hills, which he assumed meant that the Eirir had encountered trouble as well. It could be a lone wolf: they were usually found in the Eirir territory, seeing as the Rretili had little patience for the exiled creatures, and few wolves dared to climb the dangerous scree alone.
He turned to Kaaili. 'I would howl, to see if that wolf would answer, but that would alert any other wolves in the area...and we can't survive an attack with just us, right?' He hoped Kaaili would give him some guidance- he was by no means a leader, and wasn't quite sure of what to do.

"Let's not howl," decided Kaaili. "Not yet. It's too dangerous." Then again, though, traveling out of the familiar territory of the Uutar was also dangerous, yet here they were. Her tail stuck straight out behind her as she picked her way down the rocky slope and descended under the treeline. Two bluebirds huddled in a nest with their chicks and the sight of that family, whole and together, made Kaaili's heart ache. "Maybe if we reach a place that's easily defendable, like a cliff. I'd rather find them first, though."

She hated to be the one making the decisions. It was so new, and she didn't want to make a mistake and get her only kin killed.

Rudder quietly followed behind them, not giving ear to what was being said. He simply observed their surroundings with a blank stare, things he once imagined of seeing now mean little to his young eyes.