Though it was the tail end of winter, that morning was a bit chillier than expected, as if to remind the residents of Auster that nature was the true master of their world. The snow that had fallen the night before was soft, powdery, though all it would take to clear it was a bit of sunlight and a daytime high of a couple more degrees. But the approach of Auster’s warmer season was strange to Bellamy. After all, her mate, Gavroche, had loved the coming of spring. He had loved the warmth and the burst of fresh flora. It was amazing how the world was able to slip into such a long slumber and then come back anew, strong as ever, for another year. Part of Bellamy dreaded spring. As much as she missed Gavroche now, she was sure she would miss him more when there were more things reminding her of those good times. But…would it be right to be sad when she saw his spitting image playing among the green? Bellamy frowned, furrowing her brow in thought as she padded throughout the territory of Ethne. She had been keeping as busy as she could now that her paws were healed, knowing that her active patrols, and the patrols of their combatants, would continue to keep the pack safe. She refused to lose any more members of their pack. A sigh passed her lips, gaze drawn toward one of the herb patches Gavroche had once tended as she passed it. Perhaps young Dorian would care for them once the season turned. She was sure that Gav had shown him where they were all located. Speaking of her son… Bellamy had not spent as much time with him as she would have liked. Being the Leader of the pack kept her busy, and she had been doing so much running outside of Ethne. Bellamy made her decision and came to a stop. She raised her muzzle skyward and called for her sandy colored son, hoping that he wouldn’t mind coming to join her. "Speech" 'Thought.'

Dorian packed the last of the herbs he felt that he could fit into his bag without damaging the herbs he was able to find and flipped the flap of the bag back over the opening to keep them contained with a sigh. The chilly weather of winter had made his herb gathering trips more difficult and less bountiful than he had grown accustomed to with Auster's usually warmer weather. Logically, he knew that the weather would change and it would warm up again come the spring, but the dreariness of it all wasn't helping his already bleak mood. It felt more and more like he was simply going through the motions without a direction. He knew that they would always need herbs, that their supplies should always be stocked, and that he had to continue on with his training, but without his father to guide all of those things he felt a bit like a ship without a rudder. Turning back toward the pack lands from the more southern reaches of Auster, he did his best not to think too deeply about anything and focused instead on just getting home.

Dorian was just crossing back over the border from the Grapevine Cathedral and making his way over Cattail Creek when his mother called for him, pulling his attention away from his path for a moment to listen. His immediate reaction was to wonder if something was wrong, if someone was hurt, but after a beat he realized that her tone didn't make it seem like that was the case. He sighed again and gave himself a shake to get rid of the momentary rush of adrenaline and worry before he turned his path to head toward where the call had come from. It took a little bit to make his way around the territory to where she was waiting, but as he approached he gave her a little smile. "Is everything alright?" he questioned, still not quite able to shake the feeling that something was always going wrong.

"Dorian Kedieo"

Bellamy would wait, though it wouldn’t be long before her sandy colored son was making his way toward her. The woman had been trying to focus on holding herself together with Gavroche’s murder, but she knew that her children would need her too. They needed her to stay strong. The truth of the matter was the reality of Gavroche’s passing had not yet set in. Bellamy didn’t want to believe that he had been stolen from them, and that soon he would come back, just fine, smiling and warm, just like he always was. A delusion of love, unfortunately. When that reality settled on her it would hit hard, but Bellamy didn’t focus on that. She was focused on her yearling, closing the distance between them. She wouldn’t speak at first, choosing to wrap her head around her son and hug him close. It felt like she hadn’t done enough of that either, just letting her little ones know how much she loved them. “No one is hurt.” She would tell him gently as she drew back. She could smell the herbs he’d gathered, and that made her heart ache a little bit. The bag he had… perhaps he would benefit from a bigger one. She had made another for Gavroche at one point, one that wasn’t as long in the strap so he wasn’t practically tripping over it. But his old one… she couldn’t think of a wolf more deserving of that gift than Dorian. Her expression softened. “I just wanted to speak with you.” She motioned to the herb patch. “...and show you these later. Your father had been planting some herbs here in Ethne. When the warmer seasons come you should continue with them.” She chuckled softly. “Though when your sister’s little ones grow up… you might long to get out of the pack for a bit. Puppies do like to gnaw on whatever they can get a hold of.” Bellamy looked back to her son, her smile faltering for a moment. She saw so much of her mate in each of her children. And pretending like his loss didn’t hurt them wasn’t healthy either. It would be best to make her intentions clear. “...I… I know his loss is taking its toll on all of us… I think spending time together is important. I can help you sort the herbs you gathered if you want, or we can do something else. Anything you want to do, my little one.” She didn’t want to think about anyone else being stolen away… but after Gav… she could not deny there was a possibility of it. "Speech" 'Thought.'