She weeps and her guardian watches. Time went by as she simply mourned for her parents and Halcyon stood like a statue, offering her the comfort of simply not being alone. It was a pain he wouldn’t wish on his greatest enemy and yet the most important wolf in his life was now experiencing it. He sighed quietly and pulled Aster into a wolfish hug, holding her close as she cried. Finally, she quiets and speaks, telling him the death of the king too. He doesn’t say that he already knows (Pine mentioned that Praetor had not been seen and they all feared the worst) as she confirmed what they all thought. Instead, he simply shook his head and lowered it in sorrow. Moladion had lost two of its finest wolves.

Suddenly, Aster is on her paws, wearily trotting back towards Iromar, talking about her brother. Halcyon rose as well and calmly trotted in front of her, blocking her way. Kind eyes gazed at her as he spoke for the first time. "You can’t go back there, Aster. Aranck would kill you. I will not let him hurt you, but I cannot protect you from an entire pack of his followers. I tried to find Lazarus but there were too many wolves. His scent was there and I am sure he’s alive, so long as he keeps his head down and stays out of Aranck’s way." He couldn’t know that, but right now she needed to know her brother was safe. Perhaps Halcyon would make another trip into the pack, when things calmed down, to see if he could find the young prince. For now, he would stay by Aster’s side to ensure that she remained safe.

Moving by her, he gently guided her away from Iromar in the hopes he could get her to follow him to a safer location. He didn’t know if another wolf had caught his scent and the further they were from the moors the better. "You need rest and eat. I know you may not feel like it, but you have to keep your strength up." They walked up the dried riverbank until Halcyon found a patch of tall grass that would offer a comfortable place for the princess to rest her paws. When he was sure she was safe, he left her side to fetch a meal. It didn’t help that prey was scares, most animals having left in search for more water elsewhere.

But as luck would have it, he stumbled upon a young elk calf that must have died of dehydration. Tearing off a leg, after much work, he dragged the meat back to Aster. Placing it before her, he sat like a watchful guardian. When he was sure she had eaten, he finally asked. "What happened to your father, Aster? Pine had told me about Athine, but she didn’t know what happened to him. We all suspected but…" He let his words trail off, a sob caught in his throat. Quietly, he waited for her to tell him of the events that had led up to the mighty king’s death.