Arrow Lake when I go, don't cry for me

Ketzia is taking @River, @Trench and Argent to see Stigmata's grave the following morning of his death. AW.

When day broke and her trio awoke, they were quick to notice the absence of Stigmata’s morning greeting. While the General had lavished most of his attention upon his older brood, as they were of the age for guidance, he still made time to greet their own.

The mother dove swallowed as the questions arose, feeling a surge of annoyance that all of this time, Takiyok had held her grudge against the basilisk and had guilted him to weariness. Her own demands of him likely hadn’t helped, and she felt the sting of guilt cut fresh through the raw grief that already tore her asunder within.

It hadn’t been easy to explain to them that Stigmata would no longer be able to keep his vigil outside their den at night, nor treasure the few stolen moments they had with him in the mornings or during their night wakings. The concept of death was fresh—gruesome, terrifying and yet very real.

And so she led them to him, her own form eliciting a small shiver at the mound of fresh dirt which her husband lay beneath. Her graceful muzzle swung down, unable to keep the tears and grief from her features any longer, and she openly wept, nudging to all three of her children, nodding toward the grave that held their legacy. “Your father lies here. He is at peace now,” she murmured, the emotion thick upon her delicate tone. “He loved you very much.”

In the wake of Stignata's death, discomfort had returned. Of typical Nyx fashion, all she wished to do was run away, hide from the stress and tension that weighed upon her shoulders following this latest trauma. She held no true bond with the Diaspora wolves, not even to their fallen General, yet despite her regular outings there was something that kept her coming back. A vow made to Stigmata, perhaps, and the one he'd made to her of a glorious future.

It came as no surprise to the tawny Ostrega that her ashen leader's resting place already had visitors that morning, so she remained in the background when she spotted a golden mother and her young cubs. The delicate wolfess spoke to them, voice thick with emotion, and gathered them close to her as she wept. Nyx felt something akin to guilt (why had she been unable to support her own babes in this manner, as was expected?) stir in her chest, creating knots in her gut and a dryness in her throat. She turned her face away, not wishing to be caught staring at this family's tender moment, and quietly begun her exit to allow privacy.

Stigmata's absence had been conspicuous. It was very unlike him to not visit, as he did every morning, and River grew concerned. Forming a multitude of queries, she poised them in a very uncharacteristic manner. River sputtered, navigating the nervousness that fluttered dangerously in her chest. When Ketzia revealed the fate that had befallen Stigmata, River's interrogation stilled. A sense of desolation replaced her alarm, and although she didn't fully comprehend what death entailed, she had gotten the gist. 

River, Argent, and Trench were then lead to Stigmata's gravesite, and Ketzia began to weep. It was alarming to see their mother so vulnerable; River reached up and gently bumped her muzzle against Ketzia's. Their attention was drawn to the mound of dirt, and River looked on it with scrutiny. She did not voice her sentiments, nor did she redirect her attention from where their father laid. River's dull gaze settled, and she suddenly felt disconnected from their new reality; how would they go on without Stigmata? 

River felt everything and nothing all at once, and the intensity of her emotions nearly paralyzed her. There was too much for River to process; her ears folded, and her heart sank as she fell victim to her first impressions of grief.

They drew toward her grief, confused by it, perhaps, or moved by it. River’s gentle touch to the underside of her chin stirred a gentle croon from the mother, who took the solace her daughter extended to her and finally allowed the dam of her grief to flood over. She did not believe it wise to teach her children to suppress emotions—and so the family mourned the loss of the man who in many ways, had brought them all here together.

Argent clipped a low growl, causing the ivory sylph to glance sharply up. Nearby, a honeyed woman studied them. “Hush, my little warrior,” the mother bear murmured, bending down to nudge the silver boy and sidestep from her family. “Stay here and keep one another company. I wish to speak with her.”

Argent placed himself between his two siblings and Ketzia cast them one more glance before maneuvering toward the woman, her ears sliding forward with intent and her tail lifting higher, testing the woman before her and who she was to Diaspora.

@Ketzia I am shit and forgot about this. Will withdraw Nyx and hopefully we can have a fresh one soon.

Their eyes fell upon her, though Nyx did not dare lift her gaze to look upon them again. She simply continued on her way, raven-tipped lobes tilted back and her tail tucked low in a communication of her harmlessness.

Nyx picked up her pace only when the golden beauty moved away from her children, veering toward her with an upward arch of her feathered tail. The agouti Ostrega spied this only from the corner of a yellow eye and, mistaking the gesture for a display of dominance that she didn't have the energy to compete with, muttered an apology as she hurried from the scene.

Before she would greet her, the honeyed woman swept from view, whispering an apology at the unintended intrusion on their family moment. Ketzia watched her leaving form wistfully, feeling devoid of the usual guilt she would have felt at another leaving her presence in such a manner. Instead, blanketed by the darkness at the sudden loss, the pale sylph turned back to her children, her eyes settling upon the resting place of her mate before she went to them, answering their questions as she tried so very hard to not crumble before them.