It seemed to reverberate within her bones, this unknown desire and need to be back in the darkness of the forest that she had once called home. The mare wandered, her grizzly companion trailing behind her, caramel eyes roving over the trees he had climbed as a youth and the bushes he'd hidden in when playing games of hide and seek. As if guided by an unknown and unseen force the mare came upon him, the old bear that had granted her Eytan in return for a healer to help with his aches. Time had not been kind to him, she observed as she looked at the old bear.

She stands at a distance, watching. Observing. His call rang in her ears and reverberated in her very soul and she knew that he was the reason she had come to the forest. And so she stepped out of the shadows, Eytan close at her side, and she approached the old bear. The cold, indifferent mask that she wore so well had disappeared and kindness shone in her red eyes. The bear had earned a place in her heart by granting her something she hadn't deserved in a time when she felt like she needed it most.

"Father Bear." She said softly. "I'm glad to see you again." Though she wished he were in better health and spirits. "Do your aches ail you again? I have a healer who can help." Somewhere inside her she knew that the reason he had called for her was not because he wanted to to help with the aches of old bones. Death would be taking someone she cared for once more. Another icy spike would be driven into her hardening heart.

ooc:// i don't mind if anyone else wants to join

Ktulu blinked as the forest began to twinkle under the lights of the fireflies. It had been fireflies that had led her to the old bear the first time when she'd been desperate for a companion to keep her company and chase away the loneliness that had always seemed to plague her. Now they were announcing her arrival, though they were much quieter this time around. Her attention snapped back to the old bear when he began to speak but then sadness lanced through her when his voice faltered. It hit home just how old the ancient bear was and made her realize that he had called her, more than likely, so he would not be alone when his final breath came and went.

"My time here is short, and so I turn to you before I fade."

It felt as if she'd been kicked in the stomach and all the air had been forced from her lungs. Ktulu took a shaky breath and stepped forward only to stop at the soft voice of another. Her dark head turned and crimson eyes found a mare who smelled of her home in the Foothills. She'd seen her in passing but had never spared a moment to speak to her. Circe had caught her Chieftess in a time when she was vulnerable. There was no mask of indifference or anger to cover the sadness and hurt that was present in her eyes. Sadness that was brought on by the imminent death of someone she appreciated more than she could ever hope to express.

The Chieftess turned her head away from her warrior and looked back at the old bear. Silently, she did as he instructed and went to him. What would his final wish be? She hoped to hell and back that he didn't wish for her to end his life.

There was no apprehension or fear of danger on Ktulu's face when the Great Bear turned from Eytan back to her. Even as he lifted a massive paw armed with sharp claws that could slice her to the bone and placed it on her chest, she showed no fear. She merely watched and waited for what the bear would say next. Her eyes widened as streams of light flowed from where he had touched her and into her body. She could feel its warmth as it searched out her heart, could feel the warmth as it penetrated and bound itself to her. As the light encircled her she heard the strong and steady beat of her heart.

Or was it his?

"Goodbye, my child."

"No...." Ktulu had not wanted to believe that the Great Bear's end was so near. She grit her teeth as waves of emotion washed over her ranging from sadness to anger to regret. She should have asked Apollo to come with her when she'd felt such a strong pull to the forest. He would have been able to aid the bear and prevent his death. Wouldn't he? Her vision blurred as tears gathered in her eyes. The Chieftess blinked them away quickly then turned to look at the warrior that had witnessed the entire ordeal. Her own tears had cut trails down her face and she blubbered her apology.

For what? Crying? Witnessing a private moment?

Her gaze fell as she looked back at the bear lying peacefully in the middle of the forest that he had protected. He was the forest's spirit. Its heart and he was gone. The Constrictor's gaze ventured away from the bear. He had given her something, she knew not what it was, and she felt that she had to give something in return. And so when she saw the last of the summer's wildflowers not yet covered by snow and killed by the cold temperatures of Frostfall she went to them, gathering them individually in her teeth and upon returning to the bear she laid them beside him. "Goodbye, my friend." She murmured then, her muzzle smoothing the fur on his grayed face.

Ktulu lifted her head and looked at Circe once more. The mare had seen a side of herself that she rarely ever showed even to her own family. How would she take it? Would she see her leader as weak because she had compassion for others? Would she be disappointed that she was not a completely cold blooded killer? Only time would tell. She nodded her head to her warrior, acknowledging her and granting her permission to move closer. "Death holds no prejudice." She said quietly. "And is far from kind to those of us left behind."

Whatever pain she felt at the loss of her friend seemed to pale in comparison to the pain that Circe had kept bottled inside. Ktulu had heard news of her losing her first child with Archibald, and though she wasn't present that day her condolences were with them. Losing a child was a pain she never wanted to feel, but felt resigned that she would in a world as dangerous as Helovia was. She'd thrown herself into all sorts of joyful and painful moments when she'd become a mother to not just one child, but two. A shudder rippled through Ktulu's body as she studied Circe's face.

What should she do? She'd never had to stop someone from crying before.

"Not even warriors are immune to every pain, I guess."

"We have hearts." Ktulu answered back. "Where would we be if we didn't?" They would be just like the shades that over ran Isilme if they didn't. Heartless monsters that killed for pleasure and ruined an entire land. The Grey were warriors, not monsters. They had changed, though, since she had first introduced the idea of the group to Ophelia. Now instead of fighting for those that were under represented they were fighting for anyone. It left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Brutes, I've heard them call us. What brutes we must be."

The Constrictor frowned at that, her ears tilting back against her dark head. "Brutes." She repeated. "They call us brutes because we fight for what we want. I'd sooner be a brute than a pacifistic cur."