Thomas stayed with Eryan, giving her company though not saying a word more. There was nothing he could say to make her feel better or ease the pain she was suffering. He looks at Eryan with concern and sadness but still one part of him whispered the depressing optimism of<span style="font-style: italic">well at least she wasnâ€™t here to see the blood and carnage</span>â€¦ it still was of little true comfort though.<br/><br/>When the warning howl came, Thomas gave a heavy sigh and finally got up. He reached over and gave Eryan a couple comforting pets along her neck before collecting his plate and heading back to the mouth of the cave. He thought about saying something reassuring or positive but he knew she would see them for the lies they would be. So instead he just quietly made his way outside with a slight limp at first as his scarred calf refused to function properly for a few secondsâ€¦ another lasting â€œgiftâ€ left by the Claws in their attack.<br/><br/>Thomas was starting to get past the depression that had settled over him but now it was moving into being cranky with lack of food in his stomach not helping things. Despite this, Thomas remained calm as he came out of the cave, setting his plate near the fire to warm up for when he came back to it, and looked out in the direction Seravi and Kakasha had gone off in. Luckily for Damian, Thomas failed to notice he had slipped off and come back while Thomas was keeping Eryan companyâ€¦ or simply was not caring at the moment as he kept his eyes and ears out for the two women.<br/><br/>With every second and minute that passed since the howl, Thomas grew tenser and more uneasy. They had sent out a warning but not a call for helpâ€¦ and with all the â€œcubsâ€ Thomas did not feel it a wise idea to risk more people. He hated not being able to do anything, feeling as if every day that passed by bound his hands more and more while the Claws got more and more freedom. Sooner or later something was going to give or break and Thomas just hoped it was the Claws and not them.<br/><br/>When the second howl came, Thomas let out a sigh of relief and waited tiredly for Kakasha and Seravi to emerge from the forest. He waited anxiously as they approached and stood there looking at them a bit expectantly once they settled down. Finally he asked them directly, â€œSo what happened?â€ the words asked in a calm and level tone though his rubbing his shoulder indicated otherwise. It was something he had picked up since the Clawâ€™s attack as the scarred shoulder became painfully stiff when it was particularly coldâ€¦ or in this case: when he was really stressed and tense. Depending on what he heard there might be a few trees in the near future that would be regretting having set their roots nearbyâ€¦