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He'd left only a few hours after burying her, he knew he had a short period of time to allow himself to mourn. He had to call a meeting soon, too much had been left to stew without proper address and he couldn't let his grief stop him when nothing else would wait. So he was still in the first wave of his mourning when he arrived at the shrine. He's managed to stop crying some time ago but it would be obvious to see when looked upon but Torin was beyond the point of caring about that right now.

The man would stop at the clear scent marker, the tiniest hint of pride creeping into him as he smelled his nephew clear in the markers, clearly, he was taking his new duties seriously. But as he tipped his head back the realization of what he was about to drop into his nephew's lap settled like a rock in the pit of his stomach. He'd finally sing the melancholy song, asking for his nephew and for Pegasus, knowing he couldn't simply take a packmate away from the alpha with no notice.

Original Coding by Shelby

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Célestin's head cocked to the side as he heard his uncle's call, noting there was a tone to the song that told him of some sadness. He felt some dread come over him and the man swallowed hard, setting his paws on the path that would lead towards the border, though he didn't rush as he might of otherwise. He arrived in time, his tail beating the air weakly as he spotted his uncle and an uncertain smile gracing his features. He closed the gap so it was a comfortable distance between the two wolves, but as he observed his uncle he could see the rawness in his eyes, a sign of crying?

That took the rainbow man aback, his uncle hadn't been one for open emotional expressions when he'd been in Lirim, but as he'd observed at the festival it seemed as he'd matured he'd become more open but that didn't make the sight of his clearly upset uncle any less distressing. "Torin?" He asked, uncertainty creeping into his voice.

Art by Blue-Onyx

The gilded leader once again ventured into the shrine, this time with worry wringing in the pit of his stomach. Torin’s call had been forlorn even for a wolf’s howl and he feared that something might have happened to the westward pack without his notice. Had Lirium been attacked while he and Cel celebrated in Valhalla’s festival? He doubted it, Torin had been there too after all and he had seemed fine then. A chill gripped him suddenly; what if something had happened to one of his children. He found himself running at full tilt to meet the call and when he saw Torin, puffy eyed and melancholy fear gripped his heart in an icy fist. “What’s happened?” He asked, nearly frantic with worry. speaking Thinking   You

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Somehow it felt both like a million years and two seconds between his call and the young men he'd summoned would arrive, both of them clearly uncertain, worried upon seeing him in his state. Torin swallowed hard, suddenly unsure how he could even vocalize what he had to, even after having told his niece. He ducked his head for a moment, screwing his eyes shut and taking a few deep breaths.

"Célestin," He began, watching as his nephew's eyes grew wide with uncertainty. "This morning I- I found your mother. She'd passed away last night, her last moments were spent with you're- my father. He told me she wasn't distressed in those final moments, that he'd done everything he could to give her comfort." Even if Zell had adopted Jewell in her final moments he suspected his nephew wasn't about to start considering him his grandfather.

"She's been buried beside your sister, I- I figured you'd want to know, and I want to offer you a chance to visit her grave." He swung his gaze towards Pegasus. Somehow he didn't suspect the young man would stop his nephew from visiting but he wanted to make it clear he wasn't about to steal the boy away.

Original Coding by Shelby

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Célestin wasn't certain if he'd simply missed Pegasus when he arrived of if he'd arrived after him but as he became aware of his friend he shuffled closer to him, seeking comfort in the proximity of his friend. Torin seemed to be composing himself and then would meet his gaze, and begin speaking. He felt that unease harden into a pit, growing in his stomach as his uncle spoke his name allowed. The rainbow man didn't speak as Torin explained what he'd been through, but as the reality of what his uncle was telling him started to sink in Célestin felt his legs starting to shake, growing weaker. At that moment he would seek to lean into Pegasus, looking for support emotionally and physically from his friend, decorum be damned.

Torin said he wanted to offer Célestin a chance to visit the grave and he nodded numbly. "I'd like to go and- and say goodbye." His voice wavered as he spoke his thoughts aloud, saying it made it feel real. Then he sought out his friend's gaze, trying to seek comfort in him. "Can you come with me?" He whispered, unable to voice his weakness in front of his uncle but the truth was he wasn't sure he could face this alone, even with his family around him, he felt certain he'd be unable to even make the journey without Pegasus there to help.

Art by Blue-Onyx

His paw moved to pull Célestin closer, his tongue gently cleaning his ear in an act that he hoped would bring him comfort. Things had seemed so cheerful yesterday, now today the sky was overcast and gloomy and seemed to permeate every corner of the world. “Of course I’ll go with you.” He said, resting his chin against the mottled boy’s head and drawing him closer in a tight embrace. Sadness clung to his friend like a stench and his heart broke just to see him so hurt. A protective part of him wanted to fight whatever had caused him so much harm, but a far more rational part of his mind knew that bracing him against the storm was all he could do to help. He felt powerless, more than he had with Philomena, more than he had with his brother, he felt hopeless and lost, because he feared this would be what would finally tear them apart. More than his triste with the maned woman, more than learning that Célestin was part of a family he swore to destroy, it was this loss, and no doubt the need to reconnect with his family that would sever their ties once and for all. speaking Thinking   You