His mother was gone. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but since she hadn't come to the most recent pack meeting, nor had she shown up afterwards... he had to start to accept it as truth. The only problem was, he really didn't know how to live without her. She'd been there for him through everything, even when he'd been too weak to practically do much of anything after the volcano's eruption. She'd been his constant, his strength - and without her he couldn't help but feel painfully small. He could barely even talk to his own family, let alone really benefit Abaven in any capacity. He knew a few measly things about healing, and that was practically it. Spirit wasn't even sure why they kept him around. He'd been trying desperately to be optimistic, to remind himself that he was learning and getting better, but... he wondered if it'd take him his whole life to ever begin to contribute. The thought was a painful one, and without his mother there to bolster him up he felt like curling into a ball and hoping he'd never have to face the world again.

That was precisely what he wanted to do now, and it was hard to will himself to do otherwise. Especially when he felt the burning tears prickling at his eyes. He didn't want anyone to see him like this and be reminded of just how weak and sad he was - that thought hurt even worse than anything - so for now he tried to find a spot in the thickest patch of grass he could find, flattening it down and curling up quietly. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day, he thought somberly, briefly raising his head to watch the colors begin to fade from the sky as the sun began its rapid descent below the horizon. He was certain that it couldn't possibly be any worse than today.

Gloom knew their time within the pack was short, Void had promised to take them away from the pack for a time to find their missing mother and brother, and Gloom's head was filled with the knowledge that it might be worth trying to stock up on some resources before they left... and yet she wasn't skilled enough at anything but fishing to know what even to bring. And fishing was what had drawn her out of her den for the first time since the meeting. But she didn't exactly get very far as the scent of her brother caught her attention. More than anything Gloom was desperate for familial affection and the desire to feel that comfort overwrote her plans, and dainty paws carried the girl towards the place her brother had bunkered down. He looked so sad, so dejected and Gloom felt her own mood matching his own. "Are you okay?" She asked, her voice still rough from lack of use. Gloom didn't even really wait for any sign her brother had acknowledged her, settling herself right now to him, and leaning into his form, hoping to rest her head on his back, too small to encompass her much bigger brother. "speech" think  You

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The prospect of going with Void and Gloom to search for their missing family was equal parts relieving and terrifying. He didn't really want to leave Abaven, not when he'd just begun to feel like he was settling in and really getting his bearings. He was looking forward to more lessons with Meadow too, and the thought of putting that on hold didn't settle well with him. But... neither did the thought of never seeing his mom or his brother again. Not that he'd been close to Desolate at all, but still, family was important and getting them all in one place seemed like the most worthwhile pursuit right now. It'd be hard, but he needed to go with Gloom and Void, Spirit knew that now.

His thoughts were disrupted entirely by the familiar sound of Gloom's voice. Jerking his head around, he had the brief urge to rise and properly greet her, but his sadness outweighed that urge. He felt defeated, which unfortunately wasn't a terribly uncommon feeling these days. "I-I- I don't know," he stuttered. He wasn't the type to lie, but he didn't want to worry Gloom either. He was intuitive enough to know that she was struggling too with their mother and brother's absences, and he didn't want to make her fret over him, not when they needed to focus on leaving soon. Before he had time to explain further she was lying down with him, and her presence was enough to make him feel infinitely better. Not that he didn't still feel dreadfully small and sad, but she made him feel better. "Are y-you okay?" That seemed far more important to him, as he shifted to press closer into her.