[Flashback]Mom, Vannis, I Have Bad News[Chesh]

[Atyvn]

37th of Fall, 506 AV

The vantha boy moved at a snail's pace through the shin-deep snow, barely wanting to walk. Barely even thinking he deserved to walk. The blood on his side had long ceased its tingling warmth and now only sent a bitter sting through him even though he had salvaged his father's sleeve to cover the wound and exposed flesh. He was sure of frostbite there, but nowhere in his mind made note of it. He felt nothing except the emptiness within his chest and stomach as if the organs were not even there. He was lucky that his father's footprints were easier to track than his own in the glowing moonlight. But he was only following the tracks on pure instinct and will. Nothing but a flicker of light in the vast darkness existed within his mind which only served the purpose of getting him home. The emptiness vanished when his eyes reported the sight of the Icewall Gates and the abrupt thought entering his otherwise blank mind made him stumble. He unfortunately stumbled just before a soft dimple in the frozen earth and he fell into the snow face first. And there he lay with the snow surrounding his body. He almost wished that Morwen herself would come to take his damning soul, using the snow and ice to devour his body and leaving nothing behind to indicate that the boy had ever existed. A father and son disappearing without a trace in the Reaches was the best scenario that came across his thoughts and with that he decided to stay face down in the snow. The thought of his father appeared though and it gave him the will to get up. He knew his father did not wish to see him so soon by his side after his death. He couldn't die here and not because of this. And with that he pushed himself up, but not bothering to shake the snow off for it did not bother him. He continued on towards the gate, only taking a moment to glance at the snowflake etched into the back of his hand. What did Morwen think of this deed he had done tonight? Would she condemn him for taking one of her children? He had never heard of a negative mark from Morwen, but he wasn't going to rule that possibility out. And what of Vannis? He lost one of his best hunters tonight. Actually, he had mixed thoughts about his hold leader and what he would do or say. He looked warily to the guards at the gate once he reached it, knowing everything was bound to happen very quickly now.

[Cheshire]

It was not uncommon to see a person laying in the snow outside of Avanthal. So many people tried to best the frozen wasteland that was the Northern Reaches before they were ready. Mostly it was people from the regions south of Taldera. They did not expect to see the large beasts and they believed if they could face Morwen's frost in the south they could fight through her lands in the north. It was clear to see even the Vantha, the children of the aurora and ice, could not always best the cold. The guards could see a boy standing up in the snow in front of them. As they walked forward it could be seen that the snow around him had been dyed crimsion with his blood. The guards did not shy from the bloodied mess. Instead, one of the guards, Jaerith who had volunteered his eyes and strength for the day at the gates helped the boy's arm onto his shoulder, nodding simply to the other guard. "Go back to the gate. I'll take him to Whitevine and get a replacement for myself at the gate." Jaerith's eyes looked down at the boy, worry coloring his irises a light blue. "Don't worry kid, I'll get you to Whitevine. They'll get you fixed up." After Atyvn had been given a bed and a room Jaerith sat down next to him. "So kid, you got a name?" Being one of the high ranking members of Icewatch, he had seen the boy around town but he did not have the slightest idea what his name was. "What is your hold? You got parents, right?" There was no doubt that the boy's parents would be worried about him and wondering where he went, even if one of them was now with Dira. As the two sat in the room in the Whitevine Healing Center a young girl no older than sixteen walked into the room, her eyes turning a light pink as he looked at the boy in the bed. "I'm here to change his bandages." Jaerith gave her a small nod, a sign to allow her to move forward. "What happened to you out there? Did you get attacked by a leopard?" The girl had never left Avanthal. She had been trained to be a worker for her hold, for Whitevine, and raised to be a good wife. She had no reason to leave and see the large beasts that lived beyond the Icewall gates. She unwound the bandages that lined his body continually speaking to him, trying to get him to feel calm. "Tell me about your adventure. Are you a hunter? Oh! Maybe you are going to be in Icewatch! Am I right?"

[Atyvn]

For once, he was right on his assumption. Atyvn didn't bother speaking to the guard when he helped him through the gate except a quiet "Thanks." and a groan at finally realized wound. He was aware of the pain in his side now, but it still didn't compare to the pain in his heart. An unintentional icy glare was shot at Jaerith, but he quickly beat it down, using some common sense to remember that the Icewatchman did not know yet. He lowered his gaze away at his rudeness, embarrassed, but he still answered the man. "My name is Atyvn Skyglow." he said quietly, even though that did not answer every question. It was as if he felt the whole world knew and was bearing down on him for his misdeed. His mind told him everyone was mad with him or was going to be and he had to shut up and keep his strength. But when he called upon that strength within him, there was nothing there but sorrow. A tear slowly rolled down his cheek. Though a thought came to his mind. Wouldn't have the guard known his father? Or at least knew a man from Skyglow went out of Avanthal in a hurry. More thoughts poured in but he pushed them aside, not caring as of now, but only to remain as quiet as possible. He winced at the bandages, but played it off as nothing more than an inconvenience. His gaze turned to a darker shade of blue when he looked to the girl, regaining a little bit of his normal calm, but his eyes kept ever changing subtly from the underlying emotions. "A um... a wolf." he answered even more quiet than when he answered Jaerith before. "And... just to be a hunter." He never had desired to be apart of Icewatch, he never knew why.

[Cheshire]

Skyglow, that could have explained why the boy was so roughed up. Skyglows could become hunters. Anyone could in fact. They were not known to be the most skilled in the wilds around the city. Jaerith watched quietly as the boy conversed with the fast talking girl at his side. "A hunter! Wow, no wonder you were beaten up so bad! Were you out there alone?" Her eyes warmed to a light pink as she seemed to think of the land outside of the city. "A wolf… wow, that is impressive. I'm surprised you didn't get hurt worse!" There was the flicker of a thirst for adventure in the girl's eyes. "It would be so interesting to see the world outside of the city. My father says I am too young though. What is it like. I know it is snowy but… how big are the animals?" The girl would have kept chittering on if Jaerith did not place a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Kinna, I think the boy might need a bit of rest. I'm sure he can tell you all about his adventure when he relaxes." With a nod, she finished her work and left the room giving the boy a small wave as she left. "So, how about you tell me what went on out there? You could not have gotten past a wolf on your own. Are we missing someone?"

[Atyvn]

Atyvn blinked slowly, trying to answer at least one of her questions, but by the time he could formulate one, she was spewing out another. He did not envy her curiosity and he wished dearly that she would slow down in her questions just a little to determine whether or not he wanted to answer them somehow. The only thing he could think of was that the "hurt worse" part was exactly what happened. He gave a soft sigh when the girl left and he weakly waved back to be polite. But the pressing matter welled in his throat now because he knew now was the time that the true questions came. His feelings choked him into tears and his face reddened from the experience. "My-My father, Br-Bretn." he sobbed out quietly, looking away from Jaerith to hide his face. He didn't want to be questioned further, hoping all that was needed to know was implied through the three words. They could find out an arrow went through his father and the wolf when they found the body. Though, between the shock at the scene and the sheer luck of the shot, he was uncertain that anyone would believe him. He didn't want them to believe him. Blame it on a passing traveler or some rouge vantha or the gods for all he cared. He didn't want to speak anymore; he didn't think he deserved to speak. He looked down at the snowflake on the back of his hand absently, trying to get lost in it to somehow beg forgiveness from Morwen.

[Cheshire]

Jaerith nodded as the words seemed to stumble out of Atyvn's mouth. His eyes turned a deep ruby when he finally spoke. He knew what those three words meant. The Vantha had been in the Watch long enough to know that at times, words could explain nothing. "I see." His face was solemn. He knew that death was common in the wastes and that he needed to except the occurrence as a necessary evil. It never stopped the pain of losing a fellow Vantha though. "I'm sorry for your loss. We will send out scouts immediately to retrieve his body." It was clear to tell that Jaerith wanted to help the boy in any way possible. He was known for being one of the more sensitive members of the watch but also one of the most fierce. "He will have a proper funeral, I promise." There was nothing else that Jaerith could do now. Not until Atyvn had slept and felt well enough to return to his hold. "You should probably get some rest. When you wake up we will get you back to your hold." When Atyvn woke there would be a Whitevine to take him back to his hold, if he felt ready to return. Even now the Skyglows were wondering where Atyvn and his father were and why weren't they home? The answer would come soon enough though. Atyvn just needed to find the strength and courage to face Vannis."

[Atyvn]

Atyvn couldn't put his darkening gaze on the man and even if he did, his tears were blinding him again. Why him? Things like this never happen to people close, only to people that are only heard about because of the event, but then the events fade into distant memories and warnings from worried mothers. In stories it sounded so cheesy that the main character would lose their parents in some horrible event and that was why they did what they did, but now none of those thoughts of poor story telling came to his mind, only grief and pain. He wouldn't say anything further to anyone, it wasn't like anyone came to him anyway, and he laid down to sleep. What else could he have done? He was just a kid and the only thing that came to him was his own selfish pity. He woke when prompted, but it was a slow process. He felt dead from the exhausting day before and his body was stiff from the unfamiliar bed. He still said nothing other than a few short answers to repetitive questioning and he nodded to confirming he was ready to go back to his hold. The thought hadn't crossed his young mind that he would have to tell his mother what had happened... or Vannis for that matter.

[Cheshire]

When Atyvn awoke he was checked over before being escorted to the door. He was assured that he was perfectly fine and ready to return to his hold. What he really needed now was to go home and rest with his holdmates. They were unaware of how Vannis would react to the boy but how much would a hold leader really do to a member of his hold. They were all family, right? A Whitevine healer accompanied Atyvn on his walk back to his hold, making sure the boy got back safely. They took him as far as the doors to the hold before departing and wishing him good health. Once inside the hold Atyvn would be bombarded by Skyglows all wanting to know how he was doing, why he was gone so long, and of course, where his father was. All of them made way for his mother though. "Atyvn! My baby!! I was so worried!" She hugged him tightly, her eyes turning a beautiful lilac. "Where is your father? Is he still at the Healing Center?" Her words were rushed and excited. "Never mind that for now, we need to see Vannis!" There had been a lot of tumult after Atyvn and his father had disappeared. The Vantha would not just accept that one of their holdmates and his son were missing. That was not the Vantha way. Atyvn's mother let him through the hold until they made it to the door of Vannis' study. With a knock on the door Vannis appeared, motioning for them to come into the room. After all three were seated Vannis looked to Atyvn. "It is good to see you are safe Atyvn. You had us worried. Where is your father?"