2024-06-26 - Feelings Are

Aaaaaaand then Pertemarth was gone.

Not gone and never to return, at least, but gone for a long while - a sevenday. The inhabitant within Canyon at this point understood that days and nights came in succession of each other, but measuring time by how many of those had passed by was a concept they were still trying to get a hold on. Numbers? What are those?!

In any case, the inhabitant within Canyon did understand that Pertemarth would not be coming back later today, or tomorrow, and possibly/probably not the day after tomorrow either, but some days after that. And Gwillanth, of course, was sad about it. Losing the pillar of stability that was Pertemarth was a raw pain, and the inhabitant within Canyon couldn't help but feel that part of the world had collapsed around them too, leaving them fully crushed under the weight of The Mother once more. The fact that she happened to be more physically apart from the clutch than usual didn't change that.

That being said, Gwillanth The Mother was as stately as always, even when "pining." They had no idea what "greens," or "blues," or "golds," or "bronzes," were, but if anybody came into The Mother and the clutch's vicinity to criticize Gwillanth for being sad, the inhabitant within Canyon was more than willing to barrel roll themself and their containment into the offender for their impudence. The Mother couldn't help but feel what she felt any more than anyone in the clutch could, and they didn't think that all those strangers out in the big wide "out there" were necessarily any different in that regard. You couldn't reasonably criticize anyone for feeling any more than you could criticize them for simply existing. The Mother just was, and her feelings just were, and that was that.

The inhabitant within Canyon would have tried to comfort The Mother, but she clearly put a bit of distance between herself and the clutch because she didn't particularly want their company in this moment. Maybe Shayled could help her feel better, like Gwillanth thought she maybe could. In the meantime, the inhabitant within Canyon just stayed where they were, without being fully cognizant of the the fact that they themself were feeling dejected, despondent, and outright sad, let alone why they felt that way.