He arrived with the others, as his father’s call indicated that he should, but the boy did not lift his ocean eyes to meet anyone else’s gaze as they filed by one after another. Pripyat did not wish to see the signs of damage that had been done upon some of their bodies, especially that of his father’s, who before he imagined could not possibly suffer any more scars but had proven him wrong once again. His own body was unscathed, more or less, but the guilt that hung about his neck was unbearable. Logically he knew that what had happened could have been helped. The slate brute couldn’t be blamed for anyone else’s misfortune, but as there was no one to point a finger to it was easiest to point on at himself.
The weather was certainly out of his control and when the white flurry began to block vision and smell the youth had been rendered helpless. Pripyat had wandered here and there, hoping to come across someone, until he was force to take refuge himself. He had not been there to rescue anyone, to keep any buildings from collapsing, to find his mother who had been missing, to round up the animals. He had only been allowed himself to become trapped himself and in need of rescuing. And though they all were now assembled, he still felt trapped. Still felt just as useless. The boy stared hard at the ground, his jaws clenched hard and his ears prone to falling back against his skull whenever anyone’s voice rose.
Even when his mother arrived and provided a short lived flood of relief at the knowledge of her safety he did not lift his head, but kept it bowed and listened passively as the others around him spoke. Jefferson spoke the most, and Pripyat tried to block out the words. Jefferson wanted help, suggestions, but what help could he possibly be? The others chimed in, wood, animals, snow... The words blurred into one another. Once Geneva spoke of Raven Beacon and the guilt doubled just then, for Pripyat felt he would rather be there and left alone than expected to help fix problems that he had no idea on where to begin. His home ruined, his father maimed, his pack confused and many homeless and all he could do was stare hard at the ground, hoping that perhaps it might open up to swallow him whole.
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