Sota hesitated near the door of Audra's room. She was gone - he hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye, but sometimes that was just how death worked - and he mourned for her loss. She was someone Sota had considered a dear friend, though he hadn't spent nearly as much time with her as he found himself wishing he had. That was how that always worked, too. Even for a wolf that tried his hardest not to take anything for granted, he found himself wishing he'd spent more time with her.

Not in a heavy, all-consuming sort of way though. Audra was at peace now and after all she had been through it seemed like an act of kindness to let her rest. Not for the rest of the pack - already he was beginning to feel the ripple of grief wash over The Hallows, a loss that would never fully fade but he knew would lessen in time - but he was comforted by the fact that she was finally at peace.

Lowering his head, he released what he'd had clasped between his jaws. The gardens around the castle weren't exactly flourishing right now but he'd managed to find some slightly wilted daffodils, pretty in their own right even if they weren't perfectly bloomed. The gesture was not only for her, but for the rest of the pack as well. Even if her absence had left behind a gloomy, dark cloud, he was insistent upon brightening things up a little. That's exactly what Audra would've wanted, he knew that. Fighting back the faint tears that burned at the corners of his eyes, he arranged the flowers carefully around the door to her room before moving on to the next occupied one, dropping a few there as well.

Gloom spent a lot of her time right now sleeping, that and getting up to feed herself and relieve herself on occasion were about all she was capable of right now and even those last two were probably not as frequent as what would be healthy. She didn't know... Audra had been the healer. The scar on her foreleg ached whenever she thought of how Audra had taken care of them, not just Gloom but the pack as a whole. Not that her sleep was deep most of the time right now. The sound of paws and a rustling beyond her door roused the grieving woman. Her eyes slowly opened to the room she'd once shared with the earthen woman, they were sore from having cried herself to sleep only a few hours prior.

She should have just gone back to sleep but her stomach took its opportunity to remind her she wasn't exactly feeding herself much lately. Sighing she pulled herself from the now too empty bed and shuffled her way to the door. The somewhat drowned daffodils at the threshold stopped Gloom once the door had been opened. She looked down at them, a complex swirl of emotions flowing through her. She was living in a crypt, clinging desperately the last things she had of Audra.

"Oh..." The sound was a whisper, and it took all her strength not to collapse and immediately start crying again. She didn't even see the tiny wolf that had left the flowers, all she could focus on was them  resting inches from her paws and the way it made her feel to see them.

"Speech"

Image by Madandcat

Sota knew as well as any that the grieving process wasn't something to be rushed, and he had no intentions of hurrying anyone along in the process. Audra's death had impacted so many wolves, for so many different reasons, and though Sota was one of those wolves he had a tendency to just... keep on moving. Bringing little bits of joy to his packmates had begun to feel like a calling of sorts, especially as he got older. He was not a fighter, nor a protector - he could hunt just fine for himself but it wasn't like he was a huge asset when it came to taking down large prey to keep the wolves of The Hallows fed. He was no healer, nor was he a historian, and though he was a damn good scout he tended to spend most of his time in around the castle, especially as he got older. What he could do was bring some happiness to his packmates and friends, and he had committed himself firmly to this duty.

He hadn't meant to disturb anyone in the process, though he was always receptive to company. He heard the movement of claws against stone as he shuffled along, only turning to see who might be joining him once he heard a quiet voice from behind him. Oh! He didn't know the woman personally, but recognized her as someone who'd been with Audra at the most recent bonfire. They'd been very close, Sota had gathered as much, but beyond her name he didn't know anything else about her.

"Oh," he started softly, looking a bit sheepish at being caught in his flower-dispensing. Carefully setting down the remaining bundle, he swiveled his body around to better face her. "Sorry if I disturbed you, miss. I can move the flowers if you don't want them there." Ears flattened apologetically. He knew grief was a strange beast, and even a kind gesture could be perceived negatively - he waited for a response, fully ready to scoop up his flowers and move along. He wouldn't be offended no matter what she said.