Hushed Willows oh, where are you now, pussy willow that smiled on this leaf?

auntie lily. he didn't know whether it was a simple term of endearment or something more literal. were they related? he nodded, the oh-so-familiar feeling of missing his mother tugging at his heart. it was an ache that had never gone away, especially as they brought her to life once more (if only briefly) in conversation.

i remember olive and seabreeze, cam responded, warmth in his voice. they had helped raise him, too. a thought occurred to him, though he didn't want to entertain it for fear of being wrong. but it was worth a try—? are. . .are they here? he asked, but then another wolf had joined the scene and his attention drawn by the sound of his own name.

he squinted at the pale young man, finding that he recognized him, though no name in return entered his mind. he remembered reif, and the brown-cream boy; this wolf must be their brother, he thought. hallo, he said awkwardly, not knowing how to proceed without a name. i—

still another wolf came, this time another female, one of the most striking creatures he'd ever seen. cam tried not to gawk as he stared at her silvery pelt and alluring gaze. it's. . .fine, he murmured, eyes raking the ground before returning to her ethereal face. i'm cam. my mother, lily, is buried here and i've come to visit her grave. in the roses, he said once more.

did they love the roses as much as elysium had? it was a cemetery, now, with more than one departed soul tucked away beneath the flowers.