Aww, sad times are sad 
' (520)
She could see the troubled expression plainly across her brother's face, she was pretty sure he felt bad for how he acted toward Liliana, but there was something else too. She wasn't really that good at reading people, but when it came to her siblings she knew when something was up. She could tell something was troubling him and it was more than just his normal nervousness. She let out a sigh, her breath clouding the cold air, and looked ahead of them. Before them, in the distance, she could already see the village, snow having coated many surfaces. She could smell the Great fire and see it's smoke plume, still burning as it had for so long.
She was eager to start her duties again, even if she couldn't yet feed the Great Fire herself. She could gather fire wood and help out with other pack tasks. She was finally feeling like she could settle down and just concentrate on pack life. Evadne lumbered close to her side and Ocèane took the opportunity to catch the rope lead that was attached to the mare's make shift bridle she had fashioned from rope she had found. Even though she had assured Claudius that the horse was safe, she still wasn't used to settlements and it would be foolish to let her walk unguided in case something spooked her.
As she reached for the rope, Claudius spoke up. What she heard next was something she wasn't expecting at all. "Mother left?" How could she leave, this was home. This was were they were born, where they grew up. And she had left? Ocèane shook her head in disbelief, "She couldn't have left just like that... left you here," she started but her brother continued, explaining that she had left because something had happened. And what about Noir, she didn't remember him mentioning her, and come to think of it, why didn't she greet her at the borders too? All of a sudden she really wanted this conversation to stop, she wanted to childishly stick her fingers in her ears and hum a tune so that she couldn't hear what he had to say next because she knew it would be bad.
“It’s N-n-noir, Ocèane. Noir… died.” The words hit her like a wall, almost knocking the breath out of her. "Is this some kind of joke...?" she heard herself mutter in disbelief, but wasn't consciously aware of having uttered the words. Noir couldn't be dead, she was just too... too young, too innocent, too... Ocèane forced herself to stop, she felt like her head was going to explode. She was uncomfortably aware of her heart beat, the dull thudding ringing in her ears, but she knew it had broken. Her heart had broken and it was never going to heal. With her free hand she reached up to pinch the corners of her eyes, stifling tears that threatened to form, and wiping them away. She didn't look at him when she spoke next. "H-how did it happen?" her voice was too shaky, betraying how hurt she really was, but she had to know.
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