It's wild like the river It's warm like the sun

Gossamer closed her eyes tightly as tears fell across her cheeks. Her mother wrapped an arm around her and she cherished the feeling of the affectionate embrace. She'd missed that simple gesture so much. Zee held her close in a tight grip that would normally have sent her squirming away but this was not a normal occasion.

Her mother had come back from the dead. How could she react with anything other than sheer elation? Who else had been given a second chance to embrace a loved one?

Denial may have been her initial, and strongest, reaction to her mother's death but doubt had only increased as the days went by and especially after her failed search. She had been on her way to dealing with her mother's death. Seeking to push through anger in search of the acceptance that some of her siblings seemed to have come to so easily. She'd been a mess, a mix of hope and surrender, tipping on the later when her mother reappeared seemingly raised from the dead.

She still could barely process what was happening and instead focused on melting into her mother's embrace, feeling that solid form and silently praying she wasn't dreaming. She was dimly aware of the others arriving, in particular Mortis as his wings wrapped over the whole group of them. Her tears fell harder. This was everything she could have hoped for. Often during the day they'd all go their separate ways, meeting for group lessons, but often each pup getting absorbed in their own interests. The only thing that seemed a constant in her early child hood was everyone returning to the den in the evening. A pile of warmth and family. That's what they were now. Her heart ached with happiness to experience it again.

Eventually, Zee let her go and Gossamer stepped back. A paw wiped at her eyes as she tried to get the tears out of the way so she could see her mother clearly. Her tail continued to wag wildly as she gazed at her parents. "You must be hungry. Can I get you anything from the stores? Anything for any injuries? If you want to sleep in my den you can. Oh wait, actually its a mess, maybe not. Unless you like the smell of abscess root." Her words bubbled up in a rapid stream as her mind continued to process what was happening.

Aris spoke about someone doing something to her and Gossamer nodded quickly though she figured Sirius had probably already dealt harshly with anyone who had hurt their mother. At the mention of Azure, Gossamer's tail wag started to slow to a stop.  Yea… where was Azure. Her heart started to beat faster.