So much had changed in such a short time. First Zelda needed a break so he stepped up to give that to her, taking over responsibilities within the pack to give her a breather. Then her sister came back to Moladian and Zelda informed him that she was handing the pack over completely to her sister. Dexter gave her only his support and understanding, sure that she had her reasons. She told him that she wanted to leave Moladian, to get away for a little while. He understood it, but he worried about her out there on her own. It wasn't that he didn't think Zelda could handle herself, cause he knew better, but he liked here where he could help protect her. Still, he trusted her decision and let her go. What really hit hard was finding out Coza was gone...and the way he was gone. Another wolf took it upon themselves to kill him. To make matters worse, his son Niyol was there. He apparently helped Coza fend off the other wolf which Dexter never would have thought possible since Niyol was never the violent type, but he felt proud of his son and yet sad that he had to see such a traumatic thing first-hand.

Losing his father was a whole new blow to the heart. Dexter needed some time to regain his bearings and find himself again. Losing his mother as a pup had been hard, but losing his father....he'd always just come to think Coza would always be around and maybe that wasn't right and yet if there was anything Coza was, it was reliable. He thought his father would pass peacefully with his family and friends around him like Moth did, but instead he was murdered. So on top of things, Dexter felt like a failure. He was the one who was supposed to be ridding this world of such wolves. He was on the hunt for them and had been his entire life. And what did he have to show for it? A son of Tobias and Devil May Cry who was a washed up wolf with dementia and probably wasn't even a threat at that time. The guilt washed over him like the ocean and he couldn't get his head back over the waves.

Niyol came back to him a changed wolf and decided he wanted to go away and get training with Orifel, a wolf from Diveen. Dexter knew he couldn't really stop him. Niyol's mind was set and that boy was always stubborn. So Dexter went against the fatherly urge inside his chest telling him to hold Niyol tight and never let him go...and he let him go. At least he still had Tuari to lean on, but at times, he just wanted his space. Time to think and reflect and hate himself a little bit more with every passing day. He was no protector. He couldn't protect his brother from that poisoned carcass and he couldn't protect his own father from a killer. He was a failure. The dark wolf stalked through the outskirts of Taviora, no destination in mind as he let his mind wander and focused on putting one paw in front of the other.