Grief

 Graea winced as she blinked her eyes open. A quiet groan left her lips and somewhere nearby a stool scraped over a stony floor. Her eyes snapped open and her ears pricked as she tried to turn to the sound. She realised she was in her human form and blinked down at her hands before looking around. It took a few long moments for her to recognise the den in the dim light. The fire was out and a single candle burned. "Graea?" Naia's soft voice murmured from the darkness. The woman stood and walked to the pile of furs that supported Graea. "Mother!!" she screamed "Mother, she's awake!". Graea flinched at the volume of her sister's voice and tried to sit. As she moved a searing pain shot through her shoulder and she cried out. As her hand flew to her shoulder she found it bandaged.  Slowly, recollection dawned.

"Daddy!"

The scream was loud and long and howled. It echoed around the cave until even the shadows seemed deeper and darker. The tormented voice rang within the cave for what seemed like far too long until it faded and was drowned by the sobs that wracked Graea's broken body. Naia stood ashen, rooted to the spot with horror. Graea was the strong one... the fighter... the protector. Yet here she sat broken down and in tears. Naia collapsed to her knees just as their mother ran into the cave. Her eyes were swollen and red, voice hoarse from the endless howls she cried out into the night sky for her lost mate. She stared at Graea for a moment, no words able to form in her grief-stricken state. She sank to the ground beside Naia, arms folding around the weeping woman and shook her head over and over again.

Somewhere in the corner of the cave, Graea's scream had prodded the consciousness of her brother, slowly awakening him. His wounds were not severe, but the drow's blast had stunned him. Clumsily he struggled to his feet and shifted to face the three females. Graea's sobs quieted as she watched him, her eyes narrowing as she recognised the determined look on his muzzle. "Solus....." she warned in a low voice. "Solus! No!" She struggled to the edge of the bed, ignoring the pain in her side and her shoulder and the painful shivering of her muscles. But she was too late.

Claws scraping against the cave floor, Solus cast one last look at his mother and sisters and darted from the cave and out into the night. He howled a long, mournful call as he ran towards the lunar pool to find the scent of the drow. Crying out in pain as she got to her feet, Graea stumbled after him, pulling a thick woollen tunic over her bandages and snatching up her hunting pack. Dynae looked on in horror as her daughter fled the cave. Her howl would echo in Graea's ears for months afterwards, but the determination to bring Solus back would leave the golden haired female undeterred. Ignoring the pain in her side she ran on, towards the pool, nostrils flaring as she followed her brother's scent.

As she broke into the clearing and the moon lit the pool with an even more powerful glow than usual, Graea realised that Luna was also mourning her lost Guardian. She circled the pool, trying to pick out her brother's scent as Luna wept into the glowing pool. Pain and grief finally took their toll on the weakened female and as the scent of blood filled the air around the clearing she howled like she had never howled before. The heart-wrenching, plaintive cry would be heard for miles around, chilling those who heard it to the bone. Eventually she dropped to her knees, head in her hands and wept.