Ahuel Hlei'u

Navira's grey head hung heavy as her troupe of canna padded silently back into the prison cafeteria. It was very late, but she knew that most would still be awake and gathered in the common area, waiting for the last search party to return for the night. Hopeful eyes would all be drawn to that final band of dogs, expecting some news about the missing cadets.

As it had been in all the days before, they had nothing to present. Now, three days into their desperate search for the pups, Navira felt ashamed to even look her clanmates in the eye, let alone offer them another encouraging ralf of words about how they'd find something tomorrow.

Instead, she padded right past the lot of them, companions probably still in tow looking just as crestfallen, and sat down hard in the middle of the room, shoulders slumped under the heavy burden she bore. It was all her fault. The chief shook her head hard, but that cloud of grief just would not go away.

There was nothing that she could say to her clanmates now to make it right. So, instead of trying to garble it all into words, Navira took the Why'o path instead. She threw back her head and belted out a sorrowful howl, singing her sadness to the watching Why'os.

She was sorry. It was all her fault. She desperately missed bold Haka'far, brilliant Kira. Jarri. Lendri. Kitchi. Every single Why'o cadet, gone without a trace because the chief hadn't paid their feelings enough attention. She hadn't been there the night they'd left. She hadn't even realized that they were really gone the next day. All of her frustrated feelings over the last few days came rolling out in her sorrowful howl.

Not Ayou'far Hali. No. It wasnt' a farewell song. They would find the cadets. But it was a sad song nonetheless, a shout to the heavens to return the missing safely...and to speak words that Navira could not bring herself to say right now.