Arthritis was beginning to gnaw at her joints, stiffness becoming her constasnt companion when she rose each morning. Until this last year she'd aged quite gracefully, but now her age was catching up with her and slowly she'd found with it came pain. That hadn't bothered her too much though. Despite the discomfort, she had a wonderful youngest child, a mate she loved dearly, and a pack that for better or worse provided them all some vague sense of safety for however long that lasted under Abraxas rule. It was a much better life than she'd had before arriving in Boreas as a broken mess, or even a much shorter time ago when they experienced the same heartbreak as before when Dragoste was taken.

Lately she'd been feeling a bit worse, but she didn't bother mentioning it. She was content to enjoy her time with Zephyr and ignore the protesting on her aging body for as long as possible. Perhaps she should have visited a healer sooner, but Cae was never one to be quick to do such things. Today though, she wasn't thinking about healers. She'd gotten up this morning - or was it this morning? How long had she been out? - feeling a strong urge to wander outside the pack. It had been a long time since she'd taken to her old habit of walking far and wide, and while it didn't seem advisable given how sore she was, Cae could not ignore the feeling that she needed to leave and go far.

So she walked South, thinking she would just go a little way, see a few new things and come back. That's what she told herself, anyway. But soon she found herself a little bit disoriented, unsure of what way went back. Her internal sense of direction pushed her further southwest, away from Abaven. Once she was quite isolated, she stopped to rest by the great river she'd found cutting through the land. Shivering despite the warmth of the summer day, Cae curled up by the bank.

It would just be a little while. A short rest. She just needed to rest.

The healer journeyed by the Rio Grande for the first time, keeping an experienced eye on herbs and growing things as she passed. Occasionally she would see a salmon break the water, little tail wavering before it landed once more with a soft splash. She already knew what lunch was going to look like, with the fish practically begging to be caught. She hadn’t done much fishing in her life, and relished the challenge. She was just considering a spot to sit and wait for her chosen prey, when the scent of a wolf caught her attention. She glanced about, at first seeing nothing and no one, before she realised that the shape of grey by the rivers edge had nothing to do with rocks. She dropped the bait she had been carrying in her maw, and leaped forward, instinct telling her there was nothing natural about the way the wolf lay there. Had she been washed ashore? But no, her coat was mostly dry, just the occasional spray from the river peppered her fur. She slowed as she reached the wolf, sniffing cautiously. The woman was alive, her nose told her that. It also told her this Lady was old, her coat held a lackluster sheen, dulled and brittle. Riva gently nosed her chin, mind already flicking to what herbs she could provide, and why this Lady was here all alone when she should have family around her, caring for her. Already Riva felt a squeezing in her gut at finding someone so fragile so very alone. “Lady?’ she murmured gently as she waited for the woman to wake. She had some dried Gingeng Root, a rare herb she offered mixed with others to create her desired effect, and spread out its usefulness. She carefully pried some free of her ribbon now, knowing the woman would need the energy. In the long term this woman would need a mixture of things like Juniper.. "speech"

If she was honest with herself, Cae knew very well what was happening. Admitting it was seemingly impossible though, especially when she felt that guilt for going so far tightening her stomach. It growled in protest to it's emptiness. It'd been a few days since she'd really eaten much. She didn't feel hungry anymore. Knowing what these things meant only made her distress increase. Death wasn't something she enjoyed thinking about, but when she had let the thought cross her mind she always imagined she'd be by Zephyr's side. Say goodbye to Caelestis. Be peaceful in her den. Not shivering and alone by a strange riverbank. Her family didn't know where she was... Someone had found her though. Cae was a bit embarrassed to realize she hadn't noticed the younger woman's approach until she was right beside Caelum. Shifting slightly in order to lift her head slightly  off the ground and turn towards the woman, Cae muttered softly, "I couldn't find Abaven again..." She was feeling faint suddenly. Her head dropped back to the ground and she huffed quietly. Getting up was definitely out of the question. Would Zeph find her way out... wherever here was?

The old wolf managed to shift her head, eyes dulled with fading life would look up at the healer. Riva almost lost her breath no.. no. She couldn’t be dying. Riva couldn’t let that happen. She curled up beside the stranger, offering her her warmth. “Abaven?” she asked gently, prompting the stranger. Where was her family? She should not be here alone. She gently laid a bundle of herbs before the warm, things to help with pain and energy. She knew it wouldn’t do much, but it was something, one of the small things she could provide. “Are you hungry?” Riva asked softly, she would meet any request she could of this dying lady. “Is there someone I can fetch for you?” she would ask, her own voice growing softer. She was still determined, still hoped that against all hope that somehow this brittle, frail woman would make it through this. "speech"

Cae nodded weakly. Her vision was getting a bit blurry, she felt more and more faint but she needed to hang in there. If she made it a little longer, maybe Zephyr would show up... Or maybe it would all prove to be a bad dream. Maybe she wasn't really going to die. "My home." If only she'd made it back before she felt so terrible. If only. Her breathing was becoming labored and slowly Cae was coming to terms with the fact that this truly was the end. There were no more sunrises ahead of her. No more days spent chasing after her energetic daughter, or snuggling up beside Zephyr on a cold winter day. She wondered for a time if there were more of her older children alive. Had they been alright since then? Having seen her oldest daughter a few times and seen the pain on her face, Caelum could only wish with all her heart that the girl had gone on to be happy afterwards. Maybe somewhere far away she even had grandchildren she'd never met... Shaking her head slightly, Caelum sighed a wheezing sigh. "I... I would have liked for Zephyr to be here, but," a ragged breath caught in her throat causing her to cough for a moment before continuing, "He's probably too far." Her hope that he might prove her wrong was slowly diminishing, but she was no longer panicked at the idea. It was alright if he didn't make it. He'd been there when she needed him most, he'd been there with her through hell and back as their lives were turned upside down more than once and together they'd salvaged their broken relationship. Even if the periods between disaster weren't terribly exciting, they were good and she was glad to have lived a long life by his side. At one point she had thought that things between them were over and would never be the same again. On the one hand they had been different and there was no ignoring it, but on the other they still didn't let it destroy their only happiness and she was forever grateful for that. But now? Now it all came to a close. Hard as she fought to remain awake, her vision was dimming and breathing was becoming more and more labor intensive. She felt sorry for the girl who stuck close to her side. It must be dreadful to witness life's end up close. Still, it was time and Caelum couldn't keep herself here any longer. "You know," she murmured as her eyes slid firmly shut and she relaxed into the grass, "it's never too late for a happy ending. I almost stopped believing that once, but it's true. Things didn't end how I wanted, but... I'm happier than ever with my life." Cae was almost shocked by how true it really was. She was content. Fulfilled. Yes, she might have liked to have her husband and daughter by her side, but she'd made peace with the situation and was glad to focus on the positive things. It was odd how she could feel herself leaving herself. Slowly pulling away, the consciousness of her mind growing dim and her breath slowing until it stopped as her story finally drew to a close and Caelum was no more. -Exit Caelum via death-

Abaven was her home. Riva would not forget it, holding it close to her heart. The faint hope that this Lady would gain the chance to see it again seemed slimmer with every passing second, with each, soft, rattled breath that escaped the cage of Cae’s chest. Zephyr. she memorized the name. She would find him for her, she would tell him of the lady that thought of him in her last moments. she didn’t even know her name. Pain moved through Riva, as she knelt gently in the soft earth, head close to the dying woman, her paws offering comfort. She could see the dull pain in the eyes of the other,and knew, as a healer did, that this was it. There was nothing she could do. She wanted to wail, and fight back, rage against the death approaching. She sensed that Cael wouldn’t want Riva frantically dashing about the place, finding the right herb, the right moment, some way. She needed family and friends around her. Instead, she only had the stranger. But Riva wouldn’t let her down. Heart in her throat, a sob building quietly behind her eyes, she held this stranger. “i’m glad you found happiness” Riva whispered to her past the pain. She took in a deep breath, and soft and slow, musical words would fall from her lips. “Listen, listen. Remember the wane. Of sun’s fury and waving grain We fell and fell And danced along To croon a knell Of rights and wrongs And My son, my son Remember the burn When leaves were fire and seasons turned We fell and fell And sang a song To weave a cell All autumn long And Down in the vale Hear the reaper swing, the reaper swing the reaper swing Down in the vale Hear the reaper sing A tale of winter long” And so she sung to this wolf, her last goodbye. When she knew that the Lady was gone, Riva rose, stiff and creaking like the last few minutes had aged her greatly. She placed a gently kiss on the brow of the wolf now gone, and raised her head, howling her sadness to the sky. "speech"