Aurelia sat in the familiar den, the space resonating with a silence that was both chilling and soothing. Of course, she could make the space appear however she wanted it, but she still couldn’t help but looking around Caedes’ den as she remembered it. Everything was so meticulously organized in the surrounding space - how it looked before her violent exit from life had disrupted it. The rows of jars filled with precious healing herbs and barks, the carved shelves adorned with parchments. Ingredients, perhaps. Maybe the occasional map. The candlelight that softly illuminated the cozy space flicked shadows over the work surfaces.

The air was thick with the pungent aroma of pine, sage, and crushed herbs. The mingling scents created a comforting blend that enveloped Aurelia like a warm embrace. In the den, the only sounds were the occasional splashing of a natural spring at the back, its rhythm melodic and soothing like a lullaby. She leaned against the cool, smooth stone wall and let the sensations wash over her. Despite being a mere imitation of its usual life, there was a strange tranquility in this place. It was like a glimpse into how things used to be, how she desperately longed for them to be again.

"Aurelia Veratti"

When Caedes began to dream, his consciousness drifted into a realm where the past mingled seamlessly with the present. It was easy, falling into this vivid place, like he was truly there and yet his senses were limited to only the space within his den. And his den. Exactly as it was before the devastation he had wrought in the wake of Aurelia's death. Everything was the same, and he didn’t know whether he hated it or appreciated his dream for offering him some semblance of mercy in light of what was looking more and more like a nightmare.

The familiar aromas of crushed herbs, the warmth of a fire, the place he had worked hard to make comfortable yet efficient. He moved through the space with his usual grace, his heart pounding as he approached the spot that should have been stained with her blood. But instead of the horrifying scene he expected, Aurelia stood there, her scent vibrant and her fur pristine. Why had he been blind to her presence until now?

Caedes froze, his breath catching in his throat. His gaze locked onto her, disbelieving. She was alive, her markings shimmering in the dim lighting; not like the macabre dullness while his cousin wore her fur like a grotesque cape.

“Aurelia?” He whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of hope and sorrow. He moved to her to investigate, reaching out, as if to confirm she was real, his emotions swirling in a tempest of grief, regret, and somehow something much more longing. The sight of her standing there, whole and unblemished, struck him to his core, shattering the barrier he had built around his heart after coming to terms with that night and his own self hatred. He felt the torment anew.

In that moment, the den seemed to breathe with him, the splashing of the spring mirroring the beating of his heart as it grew more intense. The lighting flickered, shadows casting in strange ways, like they were mimicking the blood spatter on the floor as memory flashed to life within his mind. The illusion of her was so perfect, so achingly real, that he felt the weight of his guilt and sorrow lift, if only for a fleeting instant. Even if this conjured up image of her were to curse him and blame him, he’d be at peace with it. He wanted it. This dream, this vision, this cruel reminder of the friend he had lost. It was all he could do to stare at her, emeralds so intense, so searching, as his paw came up to brush fingers against the azure of her cheek.

"speaking"

She watched his approach, silhouetted by the flickering glow of the nearby fire pit, a haunting apparition in the dim confines of the den. His eyes, wide and filled with emotion, were engrossed by her presence. She noted a hesitation in his steps, as if he feared his next stride would shatter the illusion, scattering her to spectral fragments in the wind. She remembered those eyes. How they always held such a calm, stoic demeanor, but now they were filled with so much uncertainty and pain. It was unsettling to see him like this. Aurelia. His voice echoed around her, fragile like thin ice over a deep, dark abyss. He seemed to be battling with his own demons, his eyes flickering with confliction. She wished she could reach out, soothe the heartache she saw in his gaze. But she feared it would take more than just a simple touch to heal his battered soul.

His sorrow-filled eyes, a deep emerald ocean of pain and regret, were drawn to her like a moth to a flickering flame. She felt his gaze on her cheek, the lingering warmth from his touch still tangible even in the chilly air of the den. A soft, melancholic sigh escaped her lips, curling into puffs of frost in the frigid winter air. She longed, not for the first time, to ease his burden and soothe his troubled mind. To reassure him that he was not to blame, that his guilt was not warranted. “Thank you, Caedes.” she finally said, her voice coming out softer than she wanted - her own emotion beginning to flood to the surface. “Thank you for saving them.” It had been her last request, that he save her pups, and he had fulfilled it, even when the odds were stacked heavily against them. Even as the instability of their father ravaged the room around them.

"Aurelia Veratti"