I can't roll with these punches

Briar sat a good distance away from here her mother and brother were buried, but she couldn't stop looking at the graves in shock and disbelief. She didn't know how to feel. She was just... confused. It didn't feel real, it didn't seem like something that could have happened. Marigold sat beside her, leaning into her side, both of them unspeaking while Briar stared off into the distance quietly. For once in her life she was completely silent and had no interest in speaking. She thought about going to be with one of her siblings, but she didn't want to be forced into speaking with them, reminiscing and things of the sort that would just end up being painful. She thought about going back to the Hallows to commiserate with Artorias, but she thought about how mad her father had been the last time she snuck away to her friend's pack and she couldn't risk doing that to him right now.

She thought about her conversation with Art about her parents and how obsessed her father had been with her mother. His whole world seemed to revolve around her and now... now she was gone. She was surprised to find that she felt less loss and sorrow from the fact that she had lost her mother and instead was more just worried about her father. She reasoned with herself that maybe the truth of it just hadn't sunk in just yet, that the mourning would come, and that her mind was just trying to distract her from it with the worry she felt over her father. That made sense.

As if on queue, she spotted the massive shadow that was her father in the distance, crossing by the recently dug graves before disappearing into a random, empty den. She frowned at the sight her head tipping slightly. She didn't like that he hadn't come back to their usual dens to sleep and she didn't like that he would be sleeping alone. It seemed like tonight of all nights that would hurt him far more than she was willing to accept. Setting her resolve, she sent her fox away to go rest with Dandelion, assuring her antlered companion that she was okay, before she got up and went to the den that was currently housing her father. She quietly peeked inside and saw him laying there with his eyes closed, but she couldn't tell if he was sleeping yet or not. It hurt her heart so much to see her dear father laying here alone, not even having any bedding or the like. For a second she considered trying to wake him up and get him to come back to their usual den to sleep there, but instead she slipped inside, gently easing herself down against his side and leaning into him before resting her antlered head on her paws. He wouldn't sleep alone, not as long as she was around.

"Briar" | "Marigold"