The sun had hardly begun to rise when Eulogy's eyes flew open wide, her body shaking from the nightmare that had plagued her. Her body lay stiff and still, fearful pants leaving parted jaws as her gaze tried to find something to focus on. She tried to steady her breaths, watching as the darkness of the horizon started to break up with the first touches of dawn. Her mind was too rattled to even remember what had been in her dream, just knowing the pain and fear that it made her feel. It was enough to leave her in that position until the sun started to peek across the plains, washing everything in a tender light. Only then was she able to bring herself up onto her paws, dragging her still weary body out of the darkness and into the first rays of sunshine. Eu stood there for a moment, breathing in the cold morning air, feeling the dew drops soaking her chocolate coloured legs. It was grounding, reminding her of where she was; home. She was safe here, besides her emotional turmoil that still followed her each and every day. The reminder of her broken heart was here, just as much as her home was. It was a battle of feelings, often struggling just what to feel as each new day started, trying to find something positive to go to sleep on. Clearly whatever that had been last night wasn't enough to chase away the nightmares. Being alone was harder on her, not only the regrets of her far past plaguing her, but the closer interactions as well. Her family being swallowed by the fires, her never finding Spirit, or even home. They still refused to leave her, hanging heavily over her head. It was a constant reminder in the back of her mind, how she had abandoned her pack, family, her children... Eulogy had always struggling with strength and self worth, and the recent events didn't help at all. Every breath felt like she was only drawing more and more water into her lungs, she was sure that she would soon drown.

A sigh left her maw, fogging before her deep blue eyes as she turned towards the river that wound through the plains. It had been a few days since she had checked in with Spirit, someone who's mind worked in much the same way as her own. Had he been struggling to settle in as much as she had? While it wasn't a sense of being welcomed or not, Eu knew that it was still difficult. He might still be asleep, it was barely morning, but her paws moved towards his den anyways. It was odd, to not have all her babies in her den with her, but she gave them all their space. It made it even harder to sleep though, so used to the warmth of him at her side. Daintily she picked her way across the grassy plain, her soaking legs enough to shake the trembles from her dream.

Silently, Eulogy poked her nose into the den that claimed the scent of Spirit, blinking to try to adjust herself to the darkness. "Spirit?" She called softly, sitting just outside the mouth of the den. Gentle eyes tried to seek him out, longing for the comfort of her son. "I came to check in on you, how are you holding up?" It would seem a simple question, but the female knew the weight that it bore. Soon after they had come home, their home was raided by Winterfell. Two of his brothers had fought in it, both coming out with their own sets of injuries. It had put a bit of a rut into them settling in, at least to herself it had. Things felt shaky in the air around them, and it wasn't just the promise of winter that bit into her skin. She meant to go check with Theory as well, wanting to make sure that everyone was faring well. The duties of a healer had taken up her time, constantly checking to ensure that the worse of the injuries were healing right. It was enough to keep her away from the children that she so willingly would lock in her den with her to waste the weeks away. That made it harder to shake the guilt that she was struggling with during this whole time, even towards Spirit, who had returned with her. The boy was similar to her in so many ways, that she had a good feeling that he, too, was struggling under the weight of the world. Hopefully a little talk would help him, if not finding some comfort in her presence. Eu knew that she needed it, after her restless night. Just the simple act of being with someone you love was enough to chase away some of the aches.

Spirit was struggling to reacclimate to live within Abaven. How was he even supposed to begin getting used to life here? He was used to his mom, and traveling with her close by his side. It became quickly apparent to him once they returned home that he was likely beyond the age where he should be sleeping curled against his mother for comfort... and so begrudgingly he'd found a den in the plains for himself. It was small, but the nearly-claustrophobic space was strangely comforting for the nervous boy. Finding things to grasp on to - whether it be the too-small den he'd claimed as his own, or even the little bird friend he'd met recently - seemed to help keep him grounded. He had an tendency to let his mind wander, a coping mechanism from the trauma he and Eulogy had been through together, and upon return it was becoming increasingly harder for him to stay in the present. Sometimes he still felt like he was in the southern continent, searching doggedly for their family in completely unfamiliar lands. Occasionally he saw those place from above, as if he himself were a bird, soaring high above the lands. In his imagination he was free and untouchable, hardly anything like he really was - a scared boy who didn't know how to do anything, not even how to talk to his own siblings. He'd been trying to sleep a bit longer before his mother arrived, but he'd been lying in silence instead, wide awake with his mind running with alarming speed. The sound of her pawsteps was familiar, and he recognized it before she even had to speak. The chilly air from outside the den seemed to follow - or maybe opening his eyes simply made him more aware of it - and he shivered as she moved into the mouth of his den. How was he? It was a heavy question, and one he didn't fully know how to answer, even to her. The raid had been a source of anxiety for him, though unlike his mother he hadn't offered to help, mostly because he didn't know how. Instead he'd hidden away, hoping that it would simply pass and that everyone would be fine. And they were all fine, though some had taken more injuries than others. "I'm okay. Fine," he corrected himself quickly. His stutter was generally nonexistent around her, at least most of the time. And compared to everyone who had participated in the raid, he was fine, regardless of how felt, and complaining felt unfair. Had Eulogy wondered where he'd been then? Surely her mind had been on other things, but he felt ashamed for not being present regardless of what he himself had found in the meantime. "During the raid, I... found s-someone I wanted to show you. Here."  Slowly lifting himself upright and stretching his forepaws, Spirit padded out of the den and plopped down beside her. Lifting his head to the sky that was gradually lightening, he let out a short, quiet call. Within less than a minute a tiny little finch came barrelling out of a nearby tree, landing straight on his back. "I'm gonna call her Strawberry," Spirit admitted, hoping the name wasn't a childish one, but deciding he liked it even if it was. He wasn't good at being alone, at least away from Eulogy, but he'd found someone that he felt he could relate to.. even if it had wings and couldn't really talk to him, but he didn't think that mattered very much. As if barely awake herself, the red and black finch nestled into the fur of his neck, blinking sleep from her eyes as she tilted her head at Eulogy.

The soft voice of Spirit soothed her soul in almost an instant, just the sound of his voice able to melt her stress away. She breathed out a soft sigh, although his answer left her with more questions, she decided to let it go. Fine was good enough, she supposed, and didn't want to push him further. Emotions were confusing enough as it were, and the two of them had been through quite the past few seasons. After they finally found home, their home was laid siege, and she had been forced to heal her children. Eulogy swallowed back the feelings that tried to rise in her throat, suppressing the memory of the scent of blood that had wrapped around both Desolate and Void. "Fine" was a rather decent answer then, in the long run. She just hoped that he would tell her if there was something more going on, knowing that all this change was a lot to take in. She had little time to further chew over his answer before he stated that he had found someone. Eulogy's ears pulled forward as she peered curiously into the den. He had said someone, not something, and she had to admit that she was eager to know who it was. She never liked the idea of leaving the boy on his own, they had grown quite close during their little, erm... adventure, that being away from him was like having a part of herself missing. But after returning to Abaven, she had bridges to mend with her other children, leaving Spirit to the wayside. It hurt her heart deeply, but the idea of him having someone else in his life was a welcomed relief.

Eu shuffled over a touch as the brown and white mottled boy came out to join her at the mouth of the den. A smile pressed on her lips for a moment as she leaned down to nuzzle behind his ear, pulling back just as he let out a little call. Blue eyes searched around the Plains, waiting to see who would arrive. What she wasn't expecting though, was for a little red and black bird with pretty white dots that settled across her son's back, nesting into his coat like she belonged there. Eulogy bent down slightly, sniffing at the little thing, but kept a respectful distance. What an adorable little critter, she rather liked it already. When Spirit said that he was going to call her Strawberry, an even wider smile split across her features. "I think Strawberry is a delightful name," she said softly, settling down beside Spirit as she gently jostled her shoulder against his own. "Where did you find such an adorable little creature? She seems quite taken with you," she commented, noticing the way that the bird was tilting its head at her. It seemed to have no fear of wolves, or it was just a very good judge of character. Her face wrinkled upwards as she made a soft cooing sound at the little bird, having an intense feeling of wanting to scoop it up and just pinch its tiny little cheeks. She hadn't been this enthralled with something since she had seen her own puppies, letting out a gentle giggle as she poked a little closer to this so-called Strawberry. "Welcome to the family, Strawberry," whispered the woman, humming softly as her chin rested on the top of Spirit's shoulder. Leave it to her gentle, soft spoken one to find quite the unlikely friend, but an adorable one none-the-less.

His mother's presence always calmed him - she had been a constant even when he'd been very sick following the volcano's eruption, and knowing she was near gave him enough strength to carry on. He wasn't naive enough to know that she herself struggled with her worth, with returning to Abaven and facing their family again - same as him - but just knowing she was here, and he was never truly alone, helped him immensely. Even if he wasn't entirely sure how he was really doing, everything aside... in the end it was okay. He was happy to be home, even if adjusting to life within Abaven had and would continue to be a struggle for him. He was home, exactly where he belonged, and the rest would work itself out. He had to believe in that, and his mother at his side made hope that much easier.

Though not quite sure how his mother would react to his new friend, but she seemed pleased, and Spirit allowed himself a small smile as Strawberry came to him and nestled into his fur. "Isn't she so cute?" He seemed more cheery now than when she'd first came to see him, his stuttering now slipping away from him. He wasn't quite sure why she'd taken to him, nor why he'd grown so fond of her right away, but she seemed eager to stick around. Spirit wouldn't question their bond too much. Much like his bond with his mother, he found that Strawberry's presence helped him feel more grounded, and helped keep his thoughts in the present, rather than floating in the clouds - like they had a tendency to often do. "I was exploring the plains, during the raid," Spirit explained, somewhat sheepishly. "I found her then." It was hard to not think that she was some kind of sign, sent to him from a world beyond, but either way he was happy to keep her around so long as she wanted. Strawberry seemed equally as pleased to see Eulogy too, blinking sleep away from her eyes and letting out a soft, happy tweet as she tilted her head toward the older wolf.