Beppe did not like to see the little pearls of tears that formed in his son's eyes, and he closed his own for a moment, opening them only once they had been raised to the ocean. The sun was setting behind them, casting its light across the sea, while the darkness seemed to rise from the water in the distance. It crept across the sky, towards the two empty wolves that sat upon the beach. The disruption of leaving the den had surely upset Otto, and each time the child muttered his question Beppe had to turn away for a moment, swallow hard and muster words. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to leave the lands the pups were born, but following the river downstream had not given him his children or his mate back, and the wolf didn't think he could hang around the place that he had had them last. They were down the river, lost forever, and the male had to accept that. It was a powerful creature that wouldn't stop until it reached the many lakes it drained into, miles of miles of winding water that carved at the rock as it went. A bundle of flesh and bones was nothing compared to its brutishness. Having followed that beast to Ghost Lake, Beppe had given up on ever finding the rest of his family again.
As he did every night, when his only companion asked him where his brother was, Beppe held his breath. Beppe could remember how they had curled up in the den, the pups all together as if they were a single furry creature, with their parents curled around them. It was strange to think that life could take such a sudden turn, but it did, and like the river it was carrying him on to something new. So, here he was, the newest thing he could handle. The Insieme house lay behind him, a silent sentinel, a reminder and a safe haven. That was where they would sleep this night, and perhaps Beppe would be able to get some rest, cradled by the ghosts of his past, the lullaby of the sea rocking him back and forth.
Otto was so quiet, and if this hadn't been the case before the incident his father might have been even more worried. It was clear that the pup was confused and lost, but the ebony wolf didn't have the heart to tell him where exactly his brother was. Instead, swallowing, he said softly, "You'll sleep with me again tonight, k?" As the boy rearranged his body, Beppe stroked his fur with his free hand. It was a comforting motion, as if it was serving to remind him that his son was still there, and he did it repeatedly.
After a while, as darkness started to seem permanent, the wolf stood up slowly, holding Otto to his chest. With a last glance to the sea, he walked up towards the Insieme house, where it sat proudly despite the years of salt that had worn away its paint. The quiet creaking of the front door as Beppe pushed it open was familiar, and the scents that somehow remained in the air were comforting. Feeling a tiny bit of relief after so much grief, he trudged up the stairs to his old room. It was rather chilly in there, and he placed Otto gently on the bed before moving around to close the window. The salt air seemed to have permeated everything, the bed covers, the wood, the books that sat in a shelf in the corner. Beppe sat down on the bed beside his grayer son, smiling faintly at him for a moment, his eyes watery, before laying on his side facing the boy. Pulling him closer to his chest, where everything seemed safer, the wolf sung defeatedly, "Oh hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us, and black are the waters that sparkled so green..."