"Hutch!" Butch screamed. The jackal climbed down the rocks to the ravine below.

Finn gasped and hurried after him.

"Finn," Jay cried, "wait!" He scrambled after his brother.

When they reached the bottom, Butch was holding Hutch's body in his arms. Soft sobs escaped the teen as he clutched his brother.

Finn rushed over to them. "Hutch! Are you ok?!"

Butch shoved him away, "get away from him!"

Finn's eyes filled with tears, "I'm sorry! I..."

"If it wasn't for you he'd still be alive! But he's dead..." He held his brother's mangled body to his chest. "He's dead!" Butch hunched forward and sobbed, his mane falling in his face.

"Finn!" A female called running towards them.

The pup turned around, "mama!"

His father was right behind her. "What happened?" He asked.

Butch turned to face them. Nia gasped. Blood ran down his cheek and his eyes were full of hate. "He's dead!" He shouted, "they killed him!"

Ace walked over to them. Hutch was limp in Butch's arms. Blood dripped down his face from the cut in his forehead, and his limbs were bent at an unnatural angle. Butch hiccuped as he held back his sobs. Ace knelt down and softly brushed Hutch's mane back from his face. Then he gently picked the boy up. "Let's get back to the village."

"My baby!" His mother gasped as she hurried over to the alpha. She took his body in her arms, "what happened?"

"He fell off the climbing rocks down the ravine," Ace said quietly.

She cried while clutching Hutch to her chest. Her mate appeared in the doorway. "Come inside Butch," he said guiding his remaining son into the home.

Finn flinched at the glare Butch gave him. Nia held him to her side and patted the side of his head.

After Hutch's mother calmed down she turned to Ace. "Thank you for bringing my baby home." A few tears slipped down her cheeks as she said so.

"We'll prepare a burial for him tonight." Ace said with a dip of his head. Over the years he'd had to bury many jackals, but it never got it any easier.

She nodded.

"Would you like Nia to help prepare his body?" He asked.

"Please. I don't think I can do this on my own." Small hiccups left her throat as she smoothed Hutch's mane.

Nia nudged Finn over to his brother, "Jay. You take Finn home now. I'll see you two this evening."

Jay nodded and the two pups headed for their Adobe home.

"Thank you for your help Nia," whispered the female as she set down an oil lamp.

"It's no problem Kora," Nia said while wetting a cloth. She wiped the dried blood off Hutch's forehead.

Kora sniffled as she cleaned her son.

"Hutch was a good boy," Nia said while detangling his mane. "He would have been a fine warrior someday."

"Thank you. I know he would." She sighed as she set down the bowl of water. "I'll be alright." Her eyes gazed over to the hallway to the boy's room, "I just hope Butch will be."

Butch lay back on his bed staring at the ceiling. Hutch was gone, and he wasn't coming back. He turned on his side and clutched his pillow to his chest. The room felt strangely empty without Hutch. One thing was for certain, he was going to get that pup.

"You children aren't going to the climbing rocks anymore," Ace said sternly while folding his arms across his chest.

"That's not fair!" Nadia protested, "this whole thing was Finn's fault!"

"You will not speak that way about your brother," he snapped. "Finn didn't mean for anything like this to happen."

"Maybe not. But if he wasn't so weak and pathetic Hutch would still be alive." She snapped.

Finn was hiding behind the door listening. He flinched at his sister's words and tears threatened to spill. It wasn't his fault. Was it?

Sorry this is kind of short. Trying to build up the plot. Please review!