Her whole body felt like it was being crushed by some extraterrestrial force. After all the loss, the Rye Queen could manage losing her subordinates - who seemed to simply come and go as they pleased - even after they pledged their loyalty to the Field's cause. Drestig. Well, his case was different. He was the love of her life, her equal, the father of her children, and the one thing that made sense in her life in a very long time. Now, even after his death, where she felt like everything shouldn't have made sense, Jessie forced it to. The pepper-and-salt colored woman had a pack and children she needed to take care of - both of which she had neglected since her mate's death.

When she had come upon Chimera's scent leading out of the borders that day, she had meant to give him space, just as she had needed her own, but something else had forced her on its own track. And so, she followed his trail. After all, just how much was too much space? One child already did not want to see her, at least, that's what it seemed like. Percy had been in the lore for quite some time and still made no effort to seek her out - to make a connection even though Jessie had ensured that all of their rescources had been used in order to find their missing child when she had gone missing so long ago. Unknowing to her, these thoughts only made Jessie push harder to her ultimate destination, frustrated with herself. The last thing she wanted to do was fail her second litter. She let out a bark when her son's form came into view, her ears folding against her head as she approached. Other than a soft utter of his name and a gentle butt of her nose against his cheek in greeting, she did not know what to say.

She felt small too. Jessie knew that she had the pack at her back and they loved her just as she appreciated and loved them, but it did not take away from the fact that her equal was no longer standing by her side. With Drestig here, everything just seemed to make sense again, especially after Hotei's death. Now, it just seemed like a large puzzle that she certainly couldn't solve on her own, as much as she would have liked to. Chimera's yellow gaze was all it took to ground her, remind her of why she had come out here in the first place. His voice, just as she felt, sounded so small. All she wanted to do was reach out and embrace him, but she settled for a soft caress of his cheek. The Rye mother had never been one to initiate physical contact so freely but she loved her children and she wanted them to be happy. Her rough facade had been broken by what she felt like was he failure. Her lip trembled as she spoke, "I'm so sorry, Kasai." In this apology, she felt like she was apologizing for a million things.

While she was in pain, nothing hurt more than her children in pain. Emerald eyes shut tight in the embrace, desperately wanting to take away Kasai's pain. Anything to lessen the suffering that he was feeling. When he spoke, Jessie felt a twinge in her heart. No, she wanted to say, none of what happened was fair. Drestig was taken too early. He was the one that was suppose to live on out of the Rye founding couple. The woman caressed the back of his neck, in what she hoped was a comforting manner. When he spoke again, she felt cold on the inside. This was part about what being a mother and eader was about: promoting and keeping hope alive when everything felt like it was falling apart. The woman pulled away so that she could look her child in the eye, "We fight for one another, love one another, and we stick together, because that's what's important. We take care of one another because family is forever and one of the most treasured things you'll have in your life." Emerald eyes sparkled with what could have been passion or a slight mist in her eye. Her children, foremost, and her pack were the most important things in her life - her family. And it was now her responsibility to take care of these wolves with her life.