Gossamer had obtained the rank of Lieutenant and then had swiftly been sidelined by a respiratory illness. She was still recovering and had planned to get some training going but first she had a promise to fulfill. She told her sister Briar that when she achieved the rank of Lieutenant she would head to the Hallows for a visit to share the news. It was a long trip and she needed to take several breaks but soon she arrived to the spring of Auster and the border of the Hallows. Gossamer hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say and whether or not this was appropriate. It was a troubling time. With the loss to the pirates and Zee's passing, was this too small of a thing to travel all the way down here? Her sister had a litter of pups to raise after all on top of her duties as a ruler. Gossamer fidgeted for a moment, before tipping back her head and calling for her sister. She'd said she'd be down here when she achieved her rank and she was going to keep that word.

With the departure of her father and younger siblings, their life in The Hallows had fallen back into some state of normalcy. There for a while she was beginning to wonder if she would know what normal felt like when it came, but she supposed this was it. With half as many pups to keep track of she suddenly felt like her day was so much more open and she realized that this was how it had felt before everything with her mother took place. She loved her family deeply and she was always more than happy to help when she could–and grateful that she had the resources to do so–but she would be lying if she said she wasn't glad that she could focus all of her time on her children and Hallows family once more. A small part of her felt guilty over that fact, but she tried not to think about that too much and instead be grateful that she could get back to the projects she had put on hold and return to teaching and loving their pups.

As she was working on a few things in their lengthy preparations for the annual Bonfire Festival, she moved around the pantry and kitchens within the castle, taking inventory of what they had and what they still needed to gather. Her work was interrupted by a howl from the pack's border, causing her to pause for a moment to listen. With how distracted her thoughts were, she almost didn't recognize the voice and was about to let one of the warriors or Artorias answer the call, but with a start she realized who had come calling. Briar quickly abandoned her work and moved swiftly from the castle, finding her way down the familiar corridors and down the courtyard path till she could trot out across the plains that surrounded the castle walls. The figure of her sister was easy to spot and she grinned as her turquoise gaze landed on Gossamer, her thickly braided tail swaying behind her with happy surprise.

As she moved toward her sister, she remembered a promise that she had made Gossamer take the last time they spoke and suddenly the visit became all the more exciting and had her moving even more quickly to join up with her sister. At the very least, if that wasn't what this visit was about, she sincerely hoped she didn't bring more bad news. Briar wasn't entirely sure her heart could take it. She looked to Gossamer hopefully with an eager grin as she stopped in front of her, asking, "Did you get Lieutenant? You did, didn't you?"

"Briar Carpathius"

Gossamer fidgeted, using her paw to try and smooth some out of place fur she hadn't noticed when she'd sat down. Not that her sister would probably care that much, but there was still some part of her that felt she ought to be a bit more presentable when calling for a queen. She noticed movement and looked up to see her sister approaching. Spirits it felt like it'd been far to long since they got to share happy news that wasn't immediately eclipsed by something devastating.

"Did you get Lieutenant? You did, didn't you?"

Gossamer grinned and nodded. "Yes, finally! Oh, Briar it's so good to see you again." She stepped forward seeking to nuzzle her sister's cheek in more affectionate greeting. "How are you holding up? Is everything going well with the pups?" Gossamer could only imagine trying to raise a young family while dealing with the loss of a parent and a bizarre autumn that seemed, at least to her, more of a curse than a blessing.

As she had hoped, Gossamer quickly confirmed what she had suspected and her smile broadened into a full out, proud grin while her tail wagged excitedly behind her. "That's amazing!! Congratulations!" she replied enthusiastically, hopping lightly in place as she giggled and leaned forward to return her sister's nuzzles. After everything that had happened as of late, it was nice to have something to celebrate, but even outside of that context she was always genuinely happy to see any of her siblings or family achieve what they had been working toward. She knew this was something that had been a goal of Gossamer's for so long and she always wanted her siblings to succeed.

She stepped back again after she shared those affections with her sister, giving Goss her full attention while she was asked about how she was holding up and about her pups. "I'm doing okay," she replied easily with a soft smile. Things had been undoubtedly hard on all of them with the passing of their mother and she was certainly no exception to that, especially with playing host to their father and youngest siblings for a time in the immediate aftermath. "The pups are doing well and growing like weeds," she added, chuckling softly mostly to herself at her own joke. "They've been the motivation I've needed through all of this, if I'm being honest. If nothing else they're a reminder to keep going and keep up with the normal routine, you know?"

After a beat of silence she nodded back toward the castle behind her and asked, "Will you stay and visit for a bit? You're more than welcome to stay as long as you'd like, but stay for the night and rest up before you head back at least. I'm sure Art and the pups would love to have you for dinner."

"Briar Carpathius"

Gossamer felt her heart leap at her sister's joyous response though it soon settled as the conversation turned to the present and the effort it took to keep moving on. Briar spoke of keeping a normal routine and Gossamer quickly nodded. It'd been crucial for her to keep up on patrols. It took her mind off of brooding and the walking and exercise had helped her to feel like she was moving forward physically, even if it was taking a bit for her emotions to catch up. "Agreed. I'm not sure if going through this a second time makes it easier or harder." She supposed in some ways it made it easier. She'd already worked through most of the grieving process the first time. Now that she was older and had more experience she could recognize the stages she was going through and acknowledge them. It certainly didn't mean the process was painless by any means, but she didn't feel quite as lost as she had before.

Briar asked if she'd stay for a bit and Gossamer nodded. "I'd love to! It's been quite a journey. I'll need a little time to recover before making the trek back." As anxious as she was to start her duties as Lieutenant she was practical enough to take stock of the journey.

Briar nodded with agreement at Gossamer's musing over whether this second time was easier or harder than the first. "Yes... I guess at least we really know for sure this time. I don't think I ever really believed it the first time... but I was able to actually get to know mom this time, so... That's been hard in a different way." She shrugged and gave a little shake of her head. There was no real good answer since it was ultimately hard to lose a parent regardless, but she had to admit that she was probably better prepared for it this time than she had been back then. Being older and with a family of her own at least made her feel like she had more to fall back on and better understood the world as a whole.

As the conversation shifted and she invited Gossamer back tot he castle with a hopeful glance, her sister's acceptance made her smile happily and she gave her a nod. "It's definitely quite a trek now that all of you live up north." She turned and started to lead the way across the plains to the castle that sat at the top of a gentle hill. "It seems like the pack has settled in well up there though," she mentioned as they walked, glancing over to Gossamer. "At least that's how it seemed the couple of times we've been up there to visit. The Col is certainly a more robust home than the plains was." She had been impressed by the market that they had set up and the wide array of caves that they had turned into dens and such when she got a tour from their father during their first visit after the move. "How are you liking the north versus the plains?"

While they chatted, Briar brought Gossamer in through the castle gates and through the gardens to the large front doors of the castle, pushing one open and holding it for her sister till Gossamer had stepped inside. She walked down one of the corridors that brought them to an open room that had windows along one wall that looked out into the gardens and a copious amount of furs and pillows piled in sitting areas of sorts. Briar chuckled softly when she found her antlered fox companion sleeping on one of the pillows and she walked over to Marigold, tapping her on the head and making the gold cross fox pop up immediately. "Briar! Ah, I um, thought you'd be out longer." Briar rolled her eyes and replied, "Yeah yeah, go tell Artorias that Gossamer is here to visit and that we'll have dinner with her tonight." Marigold looked past her to peek at Gossamer and gave the Armada woman a smile. "Ah yes! Lovely to see you again, Gossamer. Right away!" With that, Marigold darted out of the room and Briar glanced back at her sister with a little chuckle before settling on some of the pillows and motioning for Goss to do the same. "I swear, I think she just gets worse with age."

"Briar Carpathius"

"Yes... I guess at least we really know for sure this time. I don't think I ever really believed it the first time..."

Gossamer nodded. She'd been unable to take the news the first time, being so young and having no physical evidence had prompted her to leave the Armada for a short time. She'd journeyed all the way to the ice bridge, even attempting to cross it in hopes of finding her mother. Her attempts had failed but she'd never given up hope on seeing Zee again. This time there was no denying it.

Briar turned and started to head to the castle, Gossamer swiftly followed along, moving up to walk beside her sister but slightly back to make sure she was going the right direction. Sure, she could see the castle from here but she didn't want to go stepping into any holes or entering the courtyard from the wrong direction. "Yea, I really like living up in the north. It feels more secure. The plains were lovely, don't get me wrong, but it certainly felt more exposed." It was unfortunate they lived so far away now but Gossamer still believed the move had been a good decision. "I assume all is well with the Hallows? I admit its hard for me to imagine your pack anywhere else."

They entered through the front gates and into the castle, strolling down the corridors to a room that overlooked the gardens. She chuckled as Briar woke her snoozing companion and sent the fox on a mission to find Artorias. "Good to see you to," she nodded to the fox before settling down on one of the cushions. "That's about the opposite of Ásta. I can hardly get her to sit still. She's out visiting family but if she's back early she might show up at the gates. I'm sure you'll recognize her." Gossy giggled. It wasn't every day one met such a large fox. It still amused her endlessly that Ásta was so much taller than Kylfa, her snow leopard.

"So the pups, let's see, they'll be turning a year old this summer? Are they starting to find their interests?"