She wandered through the fogs and in the hunting ground of her afterlife. He paws brought her to the willows of the west. Something about the place meant something to her. It was just like the trees in lirim only it was the only one here. Her childhood was spent in the roots of a willow so the tree was familiar to her. There were so many faces her, in her mind but she singled out the one that may mater.

She approached the sleeping form and gently placed a paw on his forehead. Had he come to dance among the stars with her too? Blaise had before. Stags and many prey were here, none seeming afraid. The area around the willow was covered in grasses and flowers, with many herbs around it. This was her dream of dreams. She wasn't even aware of the anguish she had left behind her. "Uncle Torin? Did you come to play here too?" she knew blaise had asked her not to leave when the sun rose and she wanted to wander again, but she didn't know about her own death, didn't understand why he had wanted her to stay. "Where is everyone?"

To say that he'd struggled to get to sleep that night would have been an understatement, even with Derecho there to offer him comfort and the gentle rhythm of her sleeping; which usually would have normally lulled him to sleep. It was a fitful, restless sleep he fell into at first, drifting in and out. Hours later he finally succumbed to sleep proper, exhausted and emotionally aching. For a time he was surrounded by dark, blind and deaf to the world. Then slowly he felt warmth, the pleasant scent of lush spring time foliage, a contentedness. Then he felt it, a gentle pressure on his cranium and slowly his eyes fluttered open; the sight that greeted him was familiar if not slightly off, wrong. The world around him was like a small slice of Lirim; he was snuggled among the roots of a willow and more importantly, standing before him was his niece, grinning down at him as if nothing had happened. Torin's mind struggled to grasp what was happening, he felt sluggish; like he was wading through a thick swamp. At first, he was confused why he wasn't in his den, he wondered where Derecho had gone. Then slowly the events of the previous morning played out in his mind and as he glanced back up at his niece he felt his body respond with lightning quickness. Torin sprung to his paws, wrapping his niece up in the biggest embrace he could manage, tucking her against his chest and under his chin, he was crying again this time an equal mixture of grief and joy. He wanted to ask her what happened; how it'd happen. But her words were slowly coalescing into meaning and it was dawning on him... she didn't know. "Naeva..." Torin rumbled, his voice soft as he started to speak. "We are very far away from home right now." He pulled away just slightly enough to meet his niece's gaze. "It's a long journey to get here and I was the only one who could come today... and I'll have to go back soon enough. But yes, while I'm here I'd love to play." "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

He sprang up, unlike blaise though she saw tears in his eyes and down his face. He was crying. Why was he crying? Then she was wrapped in an embrace like he hadn't seen her in years, which while no one ever saw her wasn't like he hadn't. She had seen him just a few weeks ago at the meeting where he had girvined her. Not a pleasant memory but she had figured he had a good reason for it.

Then he was pulling back and speaking. A long way from home? And he spoke like she wasn't allowed to go with him. She definitely wanted answers but she wasn't about to push for them. "Why are you crying? And why are you talking like I can't come home with you?" she was confused by him. It didn't make any sense to her.

Torin felt his heart breaking further as his niece questioned him, he sighed. While some part of him wondered at the posibility of a ghost that didn't know it was even dead yet he wouldn't allow himself to dwell on that; right now Naeva was facing down her own untimely passing without even knowing it and Torin knew he needed to be strong again. Like he'd been for Jewell and the boys, in this moment he had to stop being socially awkward, easily hurt Torin... no right now he needed to be Torin the Alpha, Torin the protective uncle. Even if she was just a figment of his sleeping mind Torin knew he couldn't just leave Naeva here without any answers... though he was uncertain... it made sense to him that if she didn't know she could be at peace and did he really have the right to ruin that? Torin sighed. "Naeva you- you can't come with me." He wrapped her back up in his embrace, unable to bring himself to look at her again. "Earlier this morning Blaise- Blaise went to see you and, well he found you. You must have woken up to watch the sunset or the snow or something but you looked peaceful." He paused, taking a deep breath to try and gather himself for what he knew needed to be said next. "Naeva you've passed away." "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

Torin took her in his embrace again and she was just as confused as before. She didn't understand. His words. His tears. Everything was confusing. This place was like home yet it wasn't. He was speaking, but it was like it was from far away to her. Blaise. Blaise went to see her? But they had hunted and played just last night she thought. The pang in her chest that should of been wasn't there though when Torin went on. Dead. She was dead. "But I.... My heart...... It only hurt like i had heart burn.... then i woke up..."

Her ears fell in disbelief. She wasn't old enough to die was she? Why had she died? How come she had to die? It wasn't fair.

"I'm so sorry Uncle Torin." She pressed her head into his throat, feeling for the first time in forever like a pup. She needed to come to grips with this then, that way whenever someone else came she could maybe help them. That was who Naeva was, her own distress needed to be forgotten, she needed to bury it. She knew her family. Blaise would be fine, their mother could die of heartbreak from this, Priscilla might blame herself, and Celestin he would be fine so long as that other boy stuck around. But Torin, he needed her now. He was here now. "Are you okay Uncle Torin?" She was burrying things again. That's what she was best at, putting on that mask and smiling through everything.