When I awake, you'll disappear ; Grave visiting

The heat bore onto her back, lioness body heating up under it as she passed into the graveyard. Her eyes drifted across old stones, searching for the one she chose for her sister. "Hope you don't mind that Ana was buried next to you two, Aurum and Siborno." She sighed as she approached the graves, eyes settling on the one marked Ana Thervos. And her heart crept into her throat. "Sorry I couldn't save you, Ana... But I'll be visiting you here as often as I can."

She settled down before the grave, wings of ebony and blue tucking in. "Wanted to say that.. I'm not taking the Thervos name anymore. Ares Xiu, honestly, sounds better.. and you told me how mom was.. so.." She sighed, gritting her teeth. "I'm technically part of Pretty-Mother's family. Which has gotten bigger.. She's had kids."

She fidgeted with her paws. "The heat hasn't gotten any better - but I've tried my hand at fishing. Until Moth gets back.. we're really struggling." Ares huffed, resting her chin between her paws. Her tail flicked. "Hope you've met Aurum and Siborno. Tell Aurum I'm getting better for me, please..? It'd really mean a lot.."

LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? THEN YOU GOT GOOD VISION
BOY, THIS BEAT HITS SO DIFFERENT.

Resting. She was resting a lot given how harsh her birthing process had been. Even now she shouldn't have been out and about but here she was. Trying to take it easy but also not wanting to been couped up either. Her children were a rambunctious bunch and she loved them dearly. Although it saddened her slightly about the youngest one. So frail and so weak, the tiny black cub seemed to be the quietest. The most secluded from the bunch. Sighing softly she happened upon the scene and she hadn't meant to. Not wanting to intrude she stood there within the fold of shade, eyes watching her daughter. Hearing that she had given up her own name and taken up the Xiu last name made her pause. A mixture of feelings surged through her and though she felt bad for it she was happy that Ares had taken her last name.

It solidify their family more to her, brought a sense of comfort and she was glad. It took her a moment still before the lioness finally left the shade of the mangrove trees and made her way over to her daughter, gently aiming to lightly brush her tail against the other lioness' back. "She thinks that Ana would be very proud of her. Aurum and Siborno too. She knows that Elsweyr is." Her head tilted up as she looked up to the skies. Feeling the beating rays of the sun on her back. "When things get better she thinks they should bring Ana some flowers."

— Reggan

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Arrow had missed the death of Ana. She had long since forgotten what he had been doing instead, perhaps hunting or patrolling the area, but when the news quickly spread through the camp that Ana had been murdered by outsiders, it was like a shot to her soul. The first of many it would seem, but nonetheless the beginning of a bad string of luck among many, many other strings. After all, Arrow had taken Ana in, let the child crash at her place when the nights were cruel and when she had no one else to turn to, and the nagging insistence that more could have been done before the girl's demise was both inevitable and hurtful. Among one of the many old graves was where Arrow watched Ares, listened to the words that were spoken but said none in return, looking down at her paws instead. There was a time and a place to speak and this was not one of those times, at least not this second.

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