Deuce Rhiannon was gone.
Coli had expected it, but it still hurt; the wise woman with her bi-coloured eyes had held a strong positive influence over her, filling the role of the mother she never had. She had never learned Deuce's full story, but she saw easily how her spirit had broken when Taliesin and little Willow left. It was only a matter of time before the Shaman followed after them, abandoning all connections to pack life - and indeed, she had been absent more and more around their empty house, until one day she simply did not return. Coli stared sadly at the small teacup she held in her hands. Deuce had been fond of brewing tea. She had left all of her herbs and supplies here; Coli would not disturb them, in the off chance that her surrogate mother returned, children in tow. But for now, it was far too quiet indoors.
The shy werewolf slipped outside onto the porch, melancholy gaze studying the tidy garden she had toiled at. Just the other day, she had been reunited with Anu here... the memory brought a small smile to her face, a light of hope shining through her present gloom. Not all was lost... there were still some who cared about her, although the numbers were dwindling. And the morose atmosphere had settled heavily over the whole pack, with recent goings-on; Cercelee's mate had been attacked, and another packmate had been killed. Murdered, right on their borders. It was a chilling reminder of their own mortality.
Lost in such dark thoughts, the lithe Optime padded down the steps to the grassy lawn, feeling the springiness of the leaves beneath her pawpads. Springtime was already making way for summer. Time was so... inexorable. Pitiless. It stopped for no one, no matter how much they wished for it to freeze in place. Had Jasper and Laurent ever found each other? Had Svara and Firefly found peace out on their own? Had Haven come to terms with his cruel heritage...? She had met so many new faces since coming here, but all of them were one-time encounters. Memories that time diluted, until she could no longer recall their faces. How were Catalyst, and Emwe, and Zana doing? For that matter... what was Haku up to? She had avoided thoughts of him for long enough - as a single father, was he treating his sons better than he had his daughter? And Auntie Mew, had she and Lubomir decided to have children? Her delicate claws smoothed the long hair of her mane, running through her fur in a reassuring gesture.
"Nobody needs you to worry about them," she whispered to herself, letting her long eyelashes flutter shut.
"Just worry about yourself."