Torin was generally pleased with the turning of the season, he knew soon enough they'd need to start focusing on training Frostbite's pups but for now things were less hectic. In these moments of peace he found himself wanting to check in on the various members of the pack, none more so than Ara or Novel, he had a vested interest in making sure they were comfortable. So he'd set to wandering the lands hoping to pick up one or both of their scents, he knew they were often together and he couldn't help but smile at the thought of the clear happiness they brought each other, he couldn't help but wonder if he might ever find someone to stick that close to him for that long. Blind as a bat he was. He sighed, not feeling much of an urgency, he was simply enjoying the warmth. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

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Ara hadn't been the most productive member within Lirim, but she knew the usefulness of a healer wasn't always gained from being proactive. Surely she could do more, but she was growing old, and her energy was growing more scarce by the day. Hopefully the rulers here still found use for her and Novel - if it came down to it and someone became gravely ill, they would do whatever they could to help, both with their small stores of herbs as well as offer whatever knowledge they'd gained in their long lives. Once she might've felt guilty for being so quiet within the pack, but she was long past the point of worrying about things she could not change - they had been nothing but kind to her and for that, she was grateful with the arrangement. Though the spring was a welcome relief, the previous season hadn't been kind to Novel nor to herself, and their days left on this earth were growing scarcer. It was all she could do now to live in the present rather than worry about what little futures they had left. A morbid thought, perhaps, but a realistic one. She and Novel hadn't discussed these things too deeply. Instead they'd been focusing on mourning the loss of Elohim these last few weeks, which was what she herself was currently doing. The day was a lovely one and she'd collected a bundle of deep purple periwinkle flowers to lay on his grave that sat at the base of a small willow tree, mostly for Novel's sake. The gesture was simple but strangely cathartic even for her, and she felt a rush of sadness and nostalgia come over her as she laid the flowers down on the small mound of dirt that they'd used to lay over her companion's form. She hadn't noticed Torin until he was just out of the corner of her eye, and she slowly lifted her head, a slow smile crawling across her lips as she lifted her head. She offered him a dip of her head in greeting, hoping he might come and chat with her. As much as she felt complete with only the company of Novel lately, the arrival of warmer weather made her feel more social and she knew she ought to reach out to some of her packmates when she still could. She used a paw to straighten the bundle of flowers before pulling away from the grave, twisting to face him properly. "Good morning, Torin. How are you enjoying spring so far?"

Torin finally spotted the aged woman and as she looked at him, offering a dip of her head and a smile he couldn't help but mirror her slightly, adjusting his course to join her. In truth, Torin knew very little about what went into healing but he had noticed the aged pair gathering plants every now and again and trusted that they were at least doing their best to keep their supplies stocked, they'd been lucky to mostly remain peaceful and the services of the elderly women wasn't really needed. Though he made a mental note to ask about their ability to talk to Anoixi and Fawn. With their mother gone the two older women were the only experienced healers left and he felt the urgency of teaching the young wolves while they still could. But for now he was simply content to be in the moment. He cast a quick glance at the base of the tree, noticing the telltale mound of earth denoting a grave and for a moment his own now mostly suppressed grief surfaced. He blinked a few times to keep himself from breaking and settled himself in front of Ara who'd turned to face him. "Good morning," he greeted, "I am enjoying the warmer weather and the return of the herds. It's always a load off my mind to know we'll be well fed in the coming seasons. And I hope spring is treating you well." He paused, his gaze sliding towards the gave again and he slowly pulled his attention back to Ara suddenly fearing the worst. "If I may... Can I know who the grave is for?" "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

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Speaking to any of the younger wolves in the pack interested in healing had definitely crossed her mind. Perhaps with the warmer days ahead of them she could find the strength to seek them out and offer a proper lesson of sorts. She knew any guidance was better than none though, so perhaps striving for perfection wasn't the best route. Either way, that wasn't on her mind today, only for a fleeting moment when Torin came into view. The thought passed about as quickly as it had arrived, I her thoughts returning to the present. The smile she wore was genuine as she regarded him, glad for the company and he headed her way. "The warmth is more than welcome. It's a welcome relief, that's for sure." Though they'd purposefully chosen to settle in more temperate lands, winter still had it's struggles no matter where they chose to reside, and Lirim's lands were no different.

"Spring is well so far. Hard, but.. we're surviving." For now, she thought to herself, but knew better than to mention. Ara cast a sideways glance to the grave, finding no shame in it nor in discussing it, despite the fact that it might be difficult. "This grave belongs to Elohim, Novel's companion. Perhaps you saw the two of them together at the last meeting? They've been together since we were children. His death wasn't unexpected, but was still… difficult. Especially for her," she explained solemnly, letting out a low sigh as her gaze drifted from the flowers on the mound of dirt back up to Torin. "She hasn't been doing well lately, and I feel losing him has only made things harder."

He listened carefully as Ara spoke, he nodded as she spoke of the warmer weather and furrowed his brow as she mentioned it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, again his gaze sliding to the grave, without his wanting it to. Though Ara did put his fears to rest, though obviously, any death was a sad occasion. He thought back to the last meeting he'd held trying to remember if he'd noticed the companion Ara spoke of, an orange creature with paws like he'd never seen before. Yes, so he had a name to the face. Though he wished he'd learned it before the creature's passing. He frowned again as Ara mentioned the death being hard on Novel and he couldn't help but sympathize. He hadn't spent a day where Neava's death didn't haunt him at some point or another. Just one more source of stress on his already heavy shoulders. "I am sorry for both you're loss." He recognized that while Ara spoke of the companion with some level of detachment, he doubted she was quite as separated. "If you or Novel can think of anything to help or to make either of you more comfortable please let me know." It was all he could really offer, he had concerns for both of them. The last elderly wolf Lirim had had, had left and to this day Torin still worried about him. He wasn't about to let either of the elderly women in Lirim want for comfort. "Silent Treatment" & Deep thoughts

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Somehow, Ara had learned to treat death with a stoicism that only years of life experience could've given her. Only the thought of losing Novel for the second time, and for the final time, shook her to the core.. not that she'd made much mention of it. Death was part of life, and had been since she was young. As a child she'd realized quickly her parents were older than most, about her age now when they'd passed, and she'd experienced what the end looked like. Elohim's death hadn't exactly surprised her, but she hadn't been fully prepared for it, either. She nodded, openly appreciative of his words. "Thank you," she replied quietly, pausing as if taking a moment to refocus her thoughts. "I appreciate that offer, but we're as comfortable as we can be here. It reminds us of our youth, when life was... simpler." Ara thought to say when things were easier, but they'd been anything but easy back then. Briefly she thought back on all the trials they had gone through together. Things were much easier now, though more difficult in some ways as they tried to navigate the end of their days together. "I did want to give you something, though. I know you mentioned one of the children in Lirim might be interested in healing?" Her memory wasn't great, but she remembered a conversation regarding this when she'd joined last year. "I won't be needing this for much longer," she said somberly, slowly lowering her head and twisting until the satchel she always carried fell off to the ground. It was currently empty of herbs, only some loose petals from the periwinkle flowers she'd gathered remaining inside. It had been tattered when she'd found it, though was even more worn now, and smelled strongly of the various plants she'd used it to carry over the years. "Maybe one of them might be interested in this. It's proved immensely useful to me over the years." She shrugged, hoping it found a home that might use it as much as she had, but she'd never been tied to material possessions and in the end she knew it didn't matter too much where it ended up.