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.”