He could see their panic but was confused by it. The girl barked and squealed in an excited show of both fear and puzzlement. The boy, who Halcyon was only able to see when she ran down the embankment, was curled up and visibly shivering against the cold of the early spring. The girl beckoned him inside and the boy gazed around, wondering where Aithne and Praetor had gone. Was it alright for him to barge in like this? He might be a high ranking wolf now but did that just give him the right to enter the alpha’s den? Still, he was genuinely concerned for the pups so he shrugged his shoulders and shook as much water as he could from his soggy pelt before crawling down the embankment and into the cozy den.

Though he was wet, his larger body already started emitting heat into the dwelling and given some time, it would be warm enough for them all. Light brown eyes gazed at the two smaller pups who had only just been born a few weeks ago. They certainly looked similar to their parents but he couldn’t help but notice the smaller size of the male. Realizing that they he was the runt he smiled and laid his head down on his paws so he could better see them. Halcyon had also been born a runt, his brother, Mugen, taking everything for himself. He felt a sort of kindred spirit to the small boy and he offered a kind smile. The girl was still in a frenzy and she said something hurt her. He looked outside at the rain and cocked his head to the side. “You mean the rain?” How did the rain hurt her? Unsure of what to do (having spent hardly any time with wolves younger than himself) he chuckled and carefully returned to the den entrance.

“It doesn’t hurt, see,” he said, poking his nose into the downpour. The sting of cold water made him flinch and he twitched his ears. Maybe it could hurt smaller pups? He looked back and smiled again. “When water comes down from the sky it’s called ‘rain’. If a lot of it comes down then that might be bad, but you’re in no danger now.” Looking down, he saw the small trickle of water leading into the den and with a quick swipe of his paw, he stopped the flow of water so now only a tiny puddle rested at the bottom of the embankment. Crawling back inside, he curled around the two cubs and offered them warmth until their parents returned. Happy there was no real threat he rested his head back on his paws and looked at the two of them. “I’m Halcyon by the way. What are your names, Your Majesties?” Not many wolves liked the formal way he spoke, but he was taught to treat royalty with the utmost respect, even if they were cubs. Perhaps, if he had still been a prince, others may have called him in such a way. But the title had been ripped from him and his siblings. Halcyon vowed that he would not let that happen to these pups.