Dawnlark Plains in the blink of an eye

everything had changed between this sunrise and the last. the world had shifted, colors dimmed a bit. grayday was dead, and with him, the morningside aditya had come to know. it would never be the same, he knew that, and he grappled with that feeling now, watching the dark velvet night brighten to pastel as the sun burst over the horizon, a magnificent orange orb. his golden eyes reflected the light like tongues of flame--two small burning candles, in vigil for his father-in-law.

aditya hadn't been able to sleep much last night, instead staying close to catori's whelping den, where he'd spent most of his time lately. he watched the stars shift and travel across the sky, wondering if some stargazers' theories were true: that the silvery pinpricks were the spirits of the deceased. which one was grayday's, if so? there were millions.

he felt more comfort in his own beliefs, that grayday's soul would be born again into another, whether wolf or other creature. an endless cycle of rebirth, until one great existence catapulted you into bliss forever. maybe grayday had achieved that. he had lived a wonderful life as a brave and kind family man, after all. either way, his physical suffering had ended, and any emotional torment he had faced was gone.

but he'd left them behind to deal with it. however much grief aditya felt in this moment, he knew it paled in comparison to what his mate and her siblings were feeling, as well as catori and shale. padding a short distance away from the den, so as not to disturb anyone in there, he gave a soft, lilting call to @Dawn, hoping to give her his love in this incredibly difficult time.