Though proper healing took time, Zee had begun to fall into the familiar routine of home. On the outside everything seemed so different but underneath it all there was a lot that stayed the same. The way the evening sun reflected off the beach and into their den, the path of patrols that skirted along the same well-marked borders, the tall grass that towered over her and forced her onto boulders to make sense of paths and directions. While members may come and go, these things would always be home. The newly-rescued queen had spent very few hours outside the den since arriving back to the Armada, and while it would have been easy to spend another day hiding away in the dark comfort she knew she couldn't continue this way forever. The morning was quiet, she did not know where Sirius had run off to nor where Iris was, but she knew they must have a reason for their absences. It was peaceful anyways, being alone. She moved down from the den to where the shore met the sea, standing not too far from the bridge Sirius had once built through the shallows. It had been a place for their children to learn to play and learn to swim, and held as many good memories as it did negative ones. He'd rebuilt it since it'd crumbled under his weight, but she could still see the age in the wood and how it threatened to buckle under the gentle waves. Dipping her toes in the cold water and tilting back her head to the sun, Zee took in the sunshine and the salty ocean air and attempted to find relaxation. "Speech"

Gossamer stretched as she finished her patrol, a bundle of chamomile held gently in her teeth. She headed toward the beach with Ásta on her heels for a nice cup of tea and some unwinding before hitting the training field. She split off from her companion as they entered the Sea's Plain. Ásta would gather wood for a fire while Gossamer set up hides and ceramic bowls. She was scouting out a place to set up when she spied her mother resting on the beach. Her heart leapt to see Zee out of her den. She wanted to yell out but couldn't with flowers in her mouth. Instead Gossamer cleared her throat as she approached. Setting the flowers down she sought to flop down next to her mother, seeking to nuzzle the older woman's neck. "Hey mom, how are you doing?"

Her ear flicked back to catch the sound and Zee's heart gave a rapid jolt in return. While she'd been home for days now, it was still difficult to shake off the lingering fear that against her better judgement, told her she was in danger. She offered her daughter a soft smile in greeting, willing the stress to leave her and wishing that she could force her body to obey. "Better now that you're here." Zee caught Gossamer's nuzzle with her own, wrapping an arm around the larger girl and squeezing her close in a short hug. She noticed the flowers as she pulled away, motioning to them with her nose. "What are those for?" It occurred to her that she still knew so little about the paths her youngest children had chosen to follow as yearlings. Indigo often ran around the plains with all sorts of flowers and herbs, was Gossamer learning healing as he was? There was the question to of who was teaching her, now that Iolaire was gone. "Speech"

Gossamer closed her eyes, taking a moment to welcome her mother's embrace. Zee asked about the flowers and she grinned. "It's chamomile! You can use it to make a relaxing tea. Would you like some when it's done? Ásta is working on the fire." She gestured a short ways away to where her giant fox companion was building up sticks for a fire.

Gossamer settled down near her mother, shrugging off her hide bundle before she started rummaging around in it looking for her ceramic bowls. She glanced at Zee. "So uh, how have you been doing? Are you settling back in ok?"

Gossamer's response widened Zee's smile, and she turned her head with her daughter's gesture to see the fox who was collecting sticks to brew the tea. "I'd love some, thank you." While she'd accept any sort of food or drink her children proudly delivered to her, the idea of a 'relaxing' tea was definitely one that excited her more then the ravaged squirrels and mudpies she'd had to feign happiness for in the past. "Was it Ásta who taught you to make it? I was worrying that you and your siblings educations might have fallen through the cracks, but I'm glad you've found yourself a mentor." The question was a hard one to answer, and Zee's lip pulled in the barest of frowns. She had to remind herself that these questions were natural, but at the same time they came from her children whom she still wanted to protect from pain or fear or sadness. "I'm managing as well as can be expected." She gave back softly, tilting her head and watching as her daughter rummaged through her pack. "How about you and your siblings? I know some of them took my reappearance.. hard." Her brow furrowed momentarily, remembering the hesitance clear on their faces. "Speech"

Gossamer glanced over at Ásta to see how the fox was doing with the fire. She had it going well, they just needed to let it burn down a bit. Gossamer was delighted that her mother wanted to try her tea. She pulled out another bowl along with some chamomile flowers. She started to pull the flowers off and place them into the bowl as her mother spoke. She nodded. "Yep! I learned a lot from Ásta, about fighting as well as healing." It was very convenient for her that her companion was so unusually large for a fox.

She picked up her deer shin bone and started to mash the flowers, her pace slowing as Zee asked about her siblings. Gossamer set the bone down and shrugged. "I mean, I'm glad you're back. I thought I'd lost you forever and now that you're here it's like… a miracle. I don't think I can speak for my siblings. You basically came back from the dead. I don't know how they could be anything but happy, especially since not everyone has that chance." She though back to Artorias who had also lost his mother. A mother that most certainly wouldn't be coming back.