Kai wandered somewhat blindly along the forest path, feeling lost and uneasy. He had walked this same path twice before. The first time, he had been full of adventure and wanderlust, determined to prove that his lofty ideals about the world were all correct. The second time, he had been reluctant and feeling very sorry for himself. Everything had gone wrong. He had made a mess of his life and he was trying to solve that problem, but every time he tried to fix one thing, something else happened.
But that hadn't held a candle to this.
Sighing, the blue wolf paused and glanced up at the sky, watching as the moon arced higher over the tree tops. Later, he would need to wander back to the company of his companions, and think of something to say. But what did you say at a time like this? How did you say, "sorry that your entire pack is dead and none of your plans will ever come true...oh, yeah, and it's my fault."
Well, that wasn't totally fair. It wasn't Kai's fault, not really. But he couldn't help but feel like it was. If he hadn't left...if he had stayed, and learned to command under his alpha-king father....
...But no. What's done was done, and there was nothing else he could do.
