Caelum was dead.
It hadn't taken Zephyr very long to find Caelum after she'd passed. It was rare she left Abaven's lands for long these days, and when she did leave, she was always quick to return. Luckily, he didn't have to worry about Caelestis needing him - she was too independent for his liking now, and it'd been a long time since she truly needed her parents, anyway. He left in search of her, following her scent to the edge of the winding river called the Rio Grande, wondering why on earth she'd gone so far from Abaven's borders.
He hadn't been at all mentally prepared for what he'd found. She'd been fine just a few days ago, hadn't she? Sure, they'd both been slowing down, with age taking their toll quite obviously on them both, but he'd truly expect to see her smiling face when he found her. Instead, something had felt plainly off about her scent, and only when he finally found her - lying peacefully there, as if in a deep sleep - did he realize what had happened. He spent a long while there, curling behind her as if somehow the force of sheer will might bring her back, but she never stirred and he felt everything inside him turn cold. She wasn't even fully rigid yet, still almost warm when he pressed his snout to her neck, and as much as lying with her hurt he felt it had to be done. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye, or tell her how much he loved her. The world was a cruel, unforgiving place though and perhaps he shouldn't have been so surprised by the one thing he cared about most in this world being torn away from him. First his children, so long ago, and her... and now he was reliving it all - a hundred times over - except this time, there was no one to blame, not even himself.
No amount of pain could compare to the heartache Zephyr currently felt. No, he wasn't even sure that heartache was the right word at all - it was raw, crippling pain. It ravaged him at his very core, shredding his already quite fragile heart until he was sure the pain would destroy him completely. Though he knew nobody was at fault, he couldn't help but feel as though he needed an outlet for it all. Perhaps someone more rational might've thought to head home, to find Caelestis to let her know where her mother was, but seeing her lifeless body sent all rational thought straight out the window. He couldn't think, couldn't even move for some time, and when he finally was able to bring himself to shaky limbs all he could think to do was to move.
He paced, far stretches along the river, most likely much farther than he really ought to be.. given his age and his own declining health. Perhaps if he ran so far he'd simply collapse of exhaustion, and the painful thoughts that swirled inside his head like a cyclone would grow silent. He wouldn't get such a compassionate relief, though, and instead found himself wandering inside a swamp. Muck, thick and heavy, clung to his limbs and weighed him down as he trudged on, a sneer evident on his lips. He had lost it - his emotions were hazy and hard for even him to discern, cycling from pure anguish to deep rage in a matter of minutes, causing his limbs to quiver and his head to sway side to side as he walked. Every so often Zephyr would begin to mumble something softly to himself, his words indecipherable, but clearly quite anguished.
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