Hati could feel Terra and Kable staring at him after his outburst, boring a hole through him with what he perceived as disapproval. He stood stubbornly in the awkward silence that followed, feeling nothing but the burning in his lungs as he struggled to continue breathing. This whole scene was wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. His father did nothing but curl up beside his mate, sharing her touch for the last time. They had all given up. Hati gritted his teeth, panic and despair creeping into his defiant expression. Skoll moved then, looking to him wordlessly before slipping away from their mother to shift upright. As those golden shoulders rose, shaggy mane unfurling, Hati trembled. He did not know what was coming, but he was an emotional wreck, far less stable than the afternoon the two princes had fought in the training grounds. If his brother was coming to slap some sense into him, Hati would not back down. Not today, not even in front of their dying mother, he would --
-- Skoll's arms wrapped around him, hugging him. Hati's knees buckled, sagging into the embrace as he clutched at his brother's broad back. He was shaking, or maybe they both were. They needed each other, the sun and the moon. He couldn't bear this weight alone. He did not want to hate. Ayita spoke then, her tone halting as she struggled. Hati stiffened as he heard his name, pale eyes watering with tears. This was it. He murmured a faint response to his brother before they parted, and he shuffled forward obediently, drawing near Liam. Their mother addressed Skoll first, offering him a simple adage as well as a parting gift. He expected nothing more when his turn came, but he still shuddered with anticipation, blinking back tears as he listened.
His mother's horse... Ayita was entrusting him with her horse. A startled sob escaped his lips, and he glanced away for a moment, overcome with grief. He worked so hard at the stables, trying to find some talent that would make her proud, and now she had seen fit to bless him with her last living link. He nodded, biting his lip and silently promising his mother that he would do as she asked. He always would, anything for his mama. When he turned back, Ayita was speaking to Lottie and Liam was offering him the silver moon pendant. He accepted it dully, holding the cold metal in his palms. It was intricately crafted and elegant, but it would always remind him of this sad day. Hati swallowed hard before slipping the chain over his neck, letting the pendant settle heavily over his sternum. He was not about to forget.
"Je t'aime maman... toujours, je t'aime..." he whispered, though he sensed she could no longer hear him. His cheeks were wet, though he barely realized he was crying, the small sobs shaking his shoulders. The silence was oppressive, everyone waiting for the inevitable. The wheezing breaths faltered, gradually halting altogether. It wasn't until the husky siblings let out their throaty cries of mourning that he finally broke down, burying his face in his hands as he rocked back and forth. Ayita Catori had been taken from them, and her family was plunged into grief. Hati moaned, stumbling backward until he could shrink against the wall. It wasn't fair.
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