Alna had heard the news about what had happened and was distraught when she knew how heart wrenching it must have been for Holly to see what she must have saw. Today was a mission for Alna and it was to set out and be there for her friend. The one who became her best friend after they had first met in the old Sonticus lands. The first time that she felt like that Sonticus was somewhere safe and secure to be knowing that Holly was her friend and would be with her no matter how hard things would get. Quickly and with as great of stride that her young legs could take her Alna would run calling out for Holly, "Holly!, Holly where are you!?" the more that she called out the more the thoughts of seeing her best friend cry brought tears to her own eyes. How and when she found Holly were the only things that kept replaying as to what she was going to do first.

This time she was going to be the one there for Holly and if Holly needed a shoulder to cry on for days on end then Alna would be there for her. Best friends forever and that was a promise Alna intended to keep. After all had she not upheld the promise they made together she would be disappointed with not only herself but she believed her father would be disappointed in her for not upholding that promise. With all that fuel keeping her going her cries for Holly would ring out louder and louder not caring who might hear them but one thing was for sure and that was to find her best friend forever to be the pillar of strength now in these times of need. Things were changing within the pack not just by the lands but by the name and who was going to run it? Alna believed that her family and those who remained of Holly's family within the pack would have to stay close if they were to remain together.

She couldn't save her! Her herbs were useless!  She couldn't save her mother! She had tried so hard, so so hard to stop the bleeding and stanch her wounds, but nothing was working! Her mother's life had slipped away, and Holly couldn't take it. She cursed herself for not spending more time with her mom and less time with her herbs, she felt like it was her fault that her mother had done what she did. She knew she was falling deeper, but herbs could only do so much. She shredded the leaves between her paws, the mint and the lambs ear, just shredding them to pieces as she cried. She had never cried like this before, and it hurt her body physically to cry like this. She hadn't heard Alna calling for her, everything was blocked out. She had fled from the battlefield, tearing herself away from the scene and she didn't stop running. First auntie Avalon was taken, and now...her mother. Why? Why did her mom insist on fighting someone she couldn't beat? Not even that, but fight in the condition she was in? She shook her head back and forth,brows furrowed as she tried to think about all the reasons. Her brother was stronger then her...and she? She was too weak. Too powerless to do anything. Unable to contain it, she shook until her maw opened, letting loose a scream that cried out to the world her loss. Little did she know that Alna was coming to save her from her sorrows. "Speak"

Alna heard the scream like it was a beacon beckoning her to go to Holly. With her momentum still going Alna would come across the distraught Holly. Only one thing came to Alna's mind and from her heart as she came up to Holly and gently nuzzled her friend's neck, "Holly?... oh Holly I'm here" moving swiftly to the left a little providing her own shoulder for her friend to cry upon. The young gal noted the torn leaves on the ground when she looked at Holly's paws but wouldn't bring it up to ask why she torn the leaves. Some things were best left alone to avoid further problems and she felt that Holly would speak to her in due time. For now it was Alna's turn to comfort Holly and so she would stay right there. Everything was crashing down all around them and what scared Alna more than ever was the thought of what Holly might have done had she not been apart of the pack then.

This was going to take every fiber of her being to not cry as well just like she had seen with her parents. Allen was strong for Nona when she was down and he didn't cry though maybe deep inside Allen did cry so thus it was something Alna to try and emulate here. Her own heart went out to Holly and one thought was to ask her folks if they would be willing to adopt Holly into their family if things were going to keep going further down the spiral of what was life. There somethings that couldn't be reversed this Alna was beginning to understand ever since she became apart of the pack but that didn't mean she couldn't try to alter how it was going to go later down the road.

Why why why? Why didn't her herbs do anything?  Why couldn't She do anything? Her body painfully shuddered with the crying, her eyed hurting with the amount of crying. Her angel had shown up then, and Holly subconsciously leaned over and buried her face in her best friends shoulder. She cried and cried for what seemed like forever, her heart broken and her mind a mess. She was usually the calm one, the one that could see the good in everything. But not this time. Her mother had been taken from her. And she regretted not spending more time with her mom and less time with her herbs. Maybe that would have kept her mom here...if only she had spent little more time with her. But she didn't. And now her mom was gone and her father distant. She was too late. She blamed herself for what happened. She hadn't realized just how far gone her mother was. She seemed fine at the wedding, and now..."I...I couldn't save her..." She couldn't cry anymore, her tears stopped coming as if she had run dry of them. She buried her head further against her friend until her head was resting nearly on Alna's paws. It just...it felt like the world was on her shoulders. And if Alna wasn't here, she wasn't sure what she would have done. "Speak"

Just hearing the words pour from Holly's maw made tears spring to Alna's eyes as she felt her friend bury her face more against her shoulder. No matter as Alna would stay still for her only gently rest her head on her friend's neck holding her in a sort of hug, "Holly, I don't know if I'll ever have the words to tell you how you that I'm sorry for all that has happened... but promise me you won't give up on helping others? please don't give up on that... Holly I know you gave it everything you could to try and save her but sometimes we just don't have everything the way we want them... but no matter what I say or do can bring her back as much as I wish we could all just wave some magical stick and everything will be fine and dandy all I can say is I'm sorry for everything" now the tears started to fall from her own eyes. Alna didn't know exactly what to say in this situation but she tried and it wasn't out of trying to be malicious or anything just her inexperience. Holly wasn't born in her family but now Alna felt like Holly was more than just her friend but more like a sister who was born in a different family and the pain Holly was going through somewhat reverberated through Alna. No matter what though Alna didn't have any intention of moving until Holly felt at least a little better.

Now thinking about what she just said however Alna realized that something else must have stirred within herself. Something a bit more mature and was that an attempt to speak of the reality of how things were. Though the young girl also realized that she might have just said something incredibly stupid to Holly and how would her best friend take that? would she despise Alna for that or would she know that Alna was just trying to say something to maybe help even if the choice of words were wrong. No matter though best friends were suppose to be there for one another and thus she would continue to sit there and hold her friend close to let her know that there may be a brighter tomorrow no matter how far off that tomorrow might be.

She tried so hard to get herself under control, and the fact that Alna was here helped her alot. Holly had been the first one there when Alna was new and alone. And now, Alna was here for her when she needed someone. She remained quiet as Alna spoke, her ears held to the back of her head, but in a sense, Alna was also right. She couldn't dwell on it as much, there was nothing she could do about it now. Unless of course, Juniper had found some magical stick that Alna was talking about it. But she knew even that wouldn't or couldn't happen. Lifting herself up, she nuzzled Alna's chin, a small smile peeking through all the sadness and heartbreak. "You're right...I just...I felt so helpless...I've done so much with herbs for my siblings, but...they couldn't do anything for her.." She sighed heavily, her heart still felt like breaking but she still managed to hold it together. And it was all thanks to Alna's strength. She hoped that her friend would never have to go through something like that, and if ever life dealt her a bad hand, then Holly would make sure to be there for her just like she was. "Thank you Alna...you made me feel a little better. I..I thought I was useless but...I don't think I can save everyone no matter how badly I want to." She sighed, now that the tears stopped a little, she turned her gaze to the sky as if searching them for the answer she wanted. "If she wasn't happy here...do you think she's finally happy up there?" "Speak"

Alna returned the gesture and nuzzled Holly's cheek gently before letting out her own sigh, "I don't know the answer to that but at least up there I believe she isn't in pain and maybe running around without any injuries to hinder her movement... and I'm sure she would want you to continue practicing with your herbs to help those around and I'll do what I can to help maybe my ma might even help if you ask her though she's been off deep in her thoughts". There was a gentle smile creeping along Alna's lips as she kept her attention on Holly before she spoke again, "We're in this together as best friends forever just like when we first met you were there for me when I needed someone and now I'm here for you, and I won't ever leave you... you may not be my biological family but to me you are my sister and will always be my best friend". Every word that Alna had said she meant it. Though the pup had not had any experience with what Somnium truly was so she had no idea how Holly's mother was up there but that also meant Alna needed to try and make Holly think its a better place for Arian now than what had happened recently.

Gently Alna would once again curl her head around Holly's neck in a hug. Somethings in this world were just down right cruel to even the most innocent lives that live in it and Holly was one of those victims in it. Together though they would move on and face what there was in the world. Oh how she would be devastated if she lost her best friend to her Holly was more than just a friend as she told Holly. Something popped up in mind for Alna to ask Holly wondering what her answer would be, "Would you want to be apart of my family, Holly? that wouldn't make Cypress not your father but you would also be apart of mine and Noen's family too but only if you would want that too and we got it cleared with your dad and my folks too perhaps bring our two families together so our voices are stronger and make a difference". There was also a benefit to all of this Alna thought deeply on it what if this did make their own voices stronger and help sway those into a better path either way it couldn't hurt to try and see what Holly thought.

She listened to her friends words, knowing that one way or another she was right. She turned her gaze skyward, seemingly searching the skies as if she could see her mom up there. The question that still begged at her mind, was why? She wished she could ask her mother that, so she could at least know the answer...but even she knew that not every question had an answer to it. Maybe this did, but she would never know. "You're right Alna...wherever she is, she could be running around with family I've never met before! Like grandma's and grandpa's and uncles, maybe even her dad..." It was true, right? Is that what happened when someone went to heaven? She imagined it was like one big pack, when you got there everyone was waiting for you to play and hunt and run with them. That was a better place for her mother then...somewhere she could run and hunt and just be free. A life without worry, even if it meant leaving your family behind. Was that how dad felt? Did he want to go play with mommy? And hunt with her? She knew her mother couldn't really do those things with her injured hind leg, much less with two of her legs out of commission...it made her think. Slowly, she began to let go of the sadness she'd been holding onto for days. Her tail wagging gently as she leaned into Alna. She was so lucky to have a friend like her! She knew that if Alna hadn't shown up, Holly was sure to have been depressed for a long time. And that was something she didn't want to be, sad. She liked being happy, and if her mom could be happy somewhere else, then she was happy for her. "I'm so glad we met, Alna! I do feel like we're family. And no matter what we'll always stick together!" She snuggled into her when Alna placed her head over her neck, and Holly would twist her head up to place an endearing lick on her friends cheek. Her ears perked at Alna's question, or rather, suggestion about joining her family. So she would have two families? She didn't know why, but the idea enlightened her! Alna was more then a best friend now, Holly wanted her as a sister too! Standing up, she smiled at Alna. Her gaze much brighter then it was before as her tail wagged. "Yes! Let's do that! I would love to have you as a sister, Alna! Then we could always be together!" She giggled as she pawed at her friends nose, she was definitely feeling much better. Then a thought struck her! "Hey Alna? Let's make a promise to each other! Let's promise to always be sisters, and always stick together no matter what!" Come hell or high water, she knew that if Alna ever needed her, Holly would be there for her. "Speak"