Stone Circle grief's painful stab

the boy dropped the hare, his soft words having her auds flicker atop her skull. "thank you," she breathed, trying for a small smile in spite of the crushing grief. it was perhaps the kindness of the boy that awed her most; how different he was from his mother in so many regards. 

she drew the gift towards herself, the dog huddled small in the shadow of the gravemarker.  "I didn't understand, when Keoni - I do, now."  and, in some sense, she though the boy all the stronger because of it - she could now imagine the weight of acting with his goodness when under the slow crush of grief.