What remained of Sage's dead corpse was found on the outskirts of your territory today. The area smells strongly of coyotes. Fox and Sorrel say Sycamore had persuaded the young wolf to go with her and got him killed.
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The entrance of camp rustled as Sycamore padded in, dragging a brown and black corpse alongside her. "Sycamore!" Chestnut's frantic bark came from across the clearing. She ran up to her pup and let out a gasp of shock. "Robin!" The other pup-mother approached her friend, eyes widening as she saw what Sycamore was dragging. "Sage! No!" She buried her muzzle into her son's cold flank. "What happened, Sycamore?" Chestnut asked, grief filling her eyes. "Sage and I wanted to kill a coyote but there was too many." Robin's head shot up as she finished and let out a growl. "You killed my pup!" Robin took a step towards the pup. "How could you!" The little pup shrank beneath her pelt. "I'm sorry—" "No! Get away from me." Sycamore bolted to her siblings, who were staring wide-eyed at their denmate's body. "Robin, it wasn't her fault." Robin nodded, still gazing at her pup. "I know." Pumpkin and Hazel trotted up to their mother. "Why is Sage sleeping?" Pumpkin prodded her brother. "When will he wake up?" Robin nudged the little pups away. "He won't." "Why not?" Hazel sniffed Sage's muzzle. "He's dead, Hazel. He won't be coming back." Hazel's eyes widened, too startled to speak. A tear ran down the small she-pup's face. She buried herself into her mother's belly. Pumpkin just stood there, as stiff as a rock. Robin shook her head and looked away from the body, up at the fading light. "Don't worry young ones. He's safe up there. We'll see him again one day." Hazel peeked her head out of Robin's belly fur. "Really? When?" she squeaked. Robin smiled, tears streaming down her muzzle. "When it's our time to die, we'll see him again." "Are you sure?" Pumpkin asked. "I promise."
