I wanna hold you 'till the break of dawn Auster’s spring had come and gone, and with it things had been happening in Ethne. Things that Gavroche felt detached from. More and more the yearling had been sneaking off to do this or that, but with how busy the grown ups had been it seemed they didn’t really notice his trips to visit with Trixy or explore Auster. But now that the weather had warmed and summer was here Gavroche had slowed down a little. He had spent the past couple of days closer to home, and he realized that even though he had been having a lot of fun with Trixy and enjoyed her company that he was starting to feel sad too. Things were so different from the first summer he had… when all of his siblings were alive. There was regret too… Well, feelings mixed with regret. While Gavroche had loved the times he spent at the Hallows, and living alongside Dusk, he couldn’t help but feel bad that he hadn’t spent more time with his big brother before his passing. The illness his brother had gotten had been so rough on him, sapping his strength and making him sleep most of the time. He seemed to be in pain too, eating little, and that amount seemed to get less and less the sicker he got. It had… hurt coming back to see him deteriorating. Gavroche let out a soft sigh, curled up on the beach as he watched the waves of the shimmering shore kiss the sand. It was… okay to grieve and feel sad, right? Loss wasn’t meant to be easy. Gavroche shifted his head on his paws. His chest felt heavy, almost as if there was a massive rock sitting right on top of it… and his heart felt low, so low that it felt like it was trying to fall through his chest down into his stomach. His stomach felt cold and achey, almost like it was in knots… Gav closed his eyes. His head hurt too, like something was squeezing it really tight… A long sigh passed his lips. He didn’t want to think about these sad thoughts and grieve. Was it because of the change of the weather that he was reminded of his brother’s loss once more? A trigger that made him realize just how much time had gone and been wasted… His brother had seemed okayish at first, just small differences in his energy and appetite. He had bullied Ikuchi more back then too, teasing him for being dumb or eating so much, but Gav knew that if anyone else talked to their brother like that then Baecette would have kicked their tail. Tears began to prick at his eyes. He wanted to go back to that summer, before things really got bad, back when Baecette felt well enough to joke. Back when he was alive. But there was nothing that could bring his brother back from the dead. But… would sitting here full of regret really do anything for Gavroche of his family? …and would Baecette want to see him sad? No, Gavroche told himself. His brother had loved his family… he shifted again, lifting his head off his paws. But… What could he do to lift his mood? Gavroche forced himself to stand. It wasn’t as if he could make the summer go away. The sunlight shimmering down on him and the water was here to stay. His gaze shifted away from the water back toward the direction of the pack territory. Was that why he had been trying to stay away from home more? Less about having fun… and more because of the distraction it served when it came to his brother? Gavroche hummed softly, tail flicking behind him. So being away from home could help, and Trixy’s presence helped. She made him happy… she could break him out of his thoughts no matter how heavy they seemed to be. Laying still just made him feel heavy… Could a walk maybe help? He didn’t really want to do much when he felt like this, but staying still was only making him think of how sad he felt more. First one step, then another, would begin to lead the yearling down the stretch of shoreline. The waves lapped at the sand beside him, a reminder that even when the world weighed upon you, time kept moving. Gavroche let his gaze fall to his paws. Life would continue on, even if his brother wasn’t here. This wouldn’t be the first summer to come back around, and it wouldn’t be his last. Another step, and then another… …and it had to be okay to be sad, to grieve, because that was part of life. That wouldn’t go away either, but there were things he could do to help ease that sadness. His thoughts again shifted to Trixy and Gavroche tilted his head back, calling for his friend. If anyone could chase the sadness away right now, it was her. --- Word Count: 833 "Speech," 'Thought.' Hear the crickets sing a riverside love song

_{Art and code by Asena; lines by Cassarts}

I wanna hold you 'till the break of dawn With Summer in Auster Trixy was as lively as ever, if not more. She could never keep the smile off her face, nor the wag from her tail. Beau was living with Ethne for now and she was working hard to get stronger and make a name for herself. She would be two soon enough and she was doing her best to do everything she needed to to make Norad rise from the ashes. Nothing would stop her. She had been at the Gardens enjoying the warmth that came with summer when a call for her rang out. Her head shot up and her ears pricked. That was odd, no one ever had called for her specifically before. Though she probably should get used to it if she was gonna become a leader. As Artifex of Norad she would probably get called for a lot. Though she recognized this voice. Gav was calling her. Strange, they hadn't promised to hang out today, but then again she wouldn't complain. She stood and began moving. She covered the ground as quick as possible moving to the shore where Gav had called from. Her lips were turned up in a grin and as soon as she laid eyes on him Her tail stood and wagged at him. She came up to his side and she ducked her head to look him in his eyes. Her grin spread over her lips as she spoke to him. "Looks like you could use some fun Gav. What do you want to do today?" She could see something up, and the best thing to do in her mind was give him something fun to do to forget the stress and stuff of life. Walk, "talk", Think Hear the crickets sing a riverside love song

_{Art and code by Asena; lines by Cassarts}

words 286
total 1119

Trixy didn't let him down. Before long his galaxy-marked friend had arrived with her big, comforting grin and that allowed Gavroche to relax some. There was even a small way of his tail. She knew him so well, able to tell he needed the distraction right away. Her family had been in Ethne when Baecette had passed… but had she known? Has he ever brought it up? He wasn't sure she had noticed him by the graves, either. Trixy had been wanting to defend Norad’s honor after all… she had been busy. Gav could hardly blame her for that. Family was important, and their pack had been too full to take Beauregard and Tanelan’s family in as true members. They were doing their best to support them all the same.

“I don't know.” Gavroche answered her question honestly. The small smile he managed faded, ears fell and his gaze shifted out to the water. For a few moments he said nothing, the weight of everything splayed out across his body like a blanket.. and Gav felt the threat of tears again. They were pricking his eyes and threatening to flow over.

“Summer makes me think of when I was little I guess, back when my siblings were all doing well and we were smaller… I guess I wish things were better right now… that I had more time before I lost my brother…” He looked over at Trixy. “Summer makes me think of when I came back from the Hallows and everything was normal… before Baecette got sick and no one could figure out what was wrong.” Not even herbs being used to treat his symptoms helped. And it was clear that this summer was different… Everything was different.

He looked back to Trixy. “So… I need you to think of the most possible fun thing you can think of…so fun I couldn't possibly be sad!” His eyes were full of hope. He knew she could do it.

-----

Words: 328
Total: 1,447

Bellatrix

She Pushed her ears forward and gave Gav her full attention. He didn't know what to do and she would do her best to help her friend. She aimed to throw her body in front of his facing him to stop him from walking though when he started to look like he was going to cry. Her paw aimed to touch his chest to the left of his white marking. Concern etched on her face and her once wagging tail stilling.

He started telling her what was wrong and she could see why he though calling on her was a good idea, but fun was going to be the last thing they did today. Had anyone told him it was okay to be sad about this stuff? That he was allowed to feel? Did his dad really not teach him like Beau had taught her that feelings were okay to have? Instead of popping off with some idea for a game or fun to distract him she moved, aiming to wrap Gav in a hug, her haunches lowered and front legs aiming to pull him into her fluffy chest so he could be properly hugged. Her cheek aimed to touch the top of his head and to give him as much comfort as possible.

"I don't know if you have ever been told, but it's okay to feel sad Gav. It's part of being alive.... But you can't do it all alone either..... my Dad says death is a part of life, and that those that are dead live on in our hearts. You gotta remember all the good, try to forget the bad, okay? Your brother probably wouldn't want you to remember how he died or anything but the good when you spent time with him as a pup." She did her best to comfort him and give him the best advice she could. Shouldering everything alone was a bad way to live though, if you couldn't tell your friends that you were sad and not okay, were they really your friends? She moved to sit back on her haunches with her paws on his shoulders and look at him in the eyes.

"We can still play if you want, but how bout we just walk along the water and you tell me all the happy stuff about your brother and living in the hallows okay? Also I bet if you asked him sir Artorias wouldn't mind you visiting some of your friends, like miss Dusk, and taking a little stay in the castle so you could feel better. I know if it was me and someone was feeling like this, I would let them stay in Norad for a while until they felt better." She gave him a soft smile. She had met dusk before and talked to her about her knowing Gav, and having saved him when he was a baby.

"Talk, 'Think.'
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make

words: 484
total: 1931

Gavaroche

Trixy moved him into a hug, and the young winged male would lean into her, feeling those emotions wash over him. Tears welled up in his eyes and threatened to spill. He squeezed them closed, a soft whimper leaving his lips. It hurts, Divinities above it hurt. His ears pinned against his head. He wanted to remember the good and shut out the bad but it was hard. Gavroche feels as though he really didn’t get to know his brother as much as he had hoped to, and knowing that he was gone now, unable to have fun or smile, or even pick on them it felt like his heart wanted to fall through his chest. He didn’t want to face that truth, and the bad overshadowed the good. His friend pulled back and Gavroche opened his eyes, meeting her gaze with his tear filled one.

“I just want to forget…” Gavroche confessed, turning towards the water. His pace was slow as he stepped on the wet sand and allowed the waves to lap at his paws. “I was still pretty little when I wound up at the Hallows. I had snuck out of the cave and was looking at some plants near the waterfall when a hawk grabbed me. I was flying for the first time… and I had never been more terrified in my life.” Which was why he didn’t mind not flying now.

“The hawk carried me to a spooky forest between both of the packs. I fell from its nest and thankfully Dusk was there. She deterred it from pursuing me. Divinities only know how I managed to avoid getting more than bumps and bruises.” A miracle, probably. A sigh passed his lips. “Dusk saved my life more than once too, I think. She brought me back to the Hallows and was caring for me. We did a lot of stuff together.” Speaking about Dusk was easier at least. His body language ever shifted a little bit. It had gone over his head that Trixy had spoke of Dusk as if she knew her. “Dusk really is amazing! She is strong and pretty, fearless… she has this super neat weapon she uses with her tail, too! It’s called Whisper.” The slightest traces of a smile appeared on his lips.

"Speech," 'Think.'
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make