Whitefish River I Used to Think That I Was Made out of Stone

All Ira could do was give a soft hum. If Hiero had already spoken to the Newcomer then maybe she could cross that off her list, though she still would have to meet with her to welcome her to the pack herself. It was a surprise to her as well to find that for once the Saints were not the cause of something, though maybe that shouldn't come as a surprise. The Saints no longer resided in the mountains, but somewhere near Moonspear. It was far from her and eased some of her worries, though there were still other issues laying there. Yes, well at the very least the Saints seemed to have moved far from here. Somewhere to the West and out of our fur for now...

What came next, however, took the Count by surprise. He apologized, a somber look filling his features as his eyes couldn't quite meet hers. What could cause such a reaction was beyond her, but it was more than concerning as her brows furrowed. What followed though...left her speechless. Gone? The Empire had disbanded? They had been quiet recently, but surely they had handled themselves, Reiko was...dead... her mouth opened to speak though nothing came out as the news slowly processed.

Reiko was dead...and so was her husband. It felt fake, like some twisted cruel joke, and while Hieronymous was a jokester, she knew he was not the kind to joke of something so...horrible. She felt numb, like the woods around her had fallen leaving her in a void, a space that only she and Hiero took up. Golden eyes dropped, staring blankly at the forest floor as her mind raced to deny the fact. She hadn't seen her friend in so long now, she couldn't be gone. They had so much to catch up on, they had to introduce their kids and bring the packs together she— she couldn't leave... she couldn't go...

Ira had never been the type to cry, too used to hiding her emotions behind bricks and keeping a stoic expression, but now...something stung more than the light watering of her eyes. Reiko had been one of her first friends, maybe even her first if family was excluded. Her apprentice...she was too young to die... swallowing a lump that had begun to form, Ira managed a short  reply, not daring to look up. How?