She'd been waiting for this. It'd been a long time, another year would soon be coming to a close. So much has happened...so much that she had not expected. This was the year she had been broken, this was the year she had lost someone permanently. The old one suddenly feels lost, standing on the edge of her world and her son's. So...small. She thinks this is what a leaf must feel like, fragile and quivering on the edge of a branch. She absently notes that the leaves are dying now, crinkling and turning the winter colors of orange and brown. Even in her world she sees the marks of the season, the branches seem sparser now. She had been preparing for this. She had collected and searched, exulting in the success of each small endeavor. For her family, for her children's children and for Reate. And now Reate was gone. Lilith rubs her thumb over the smooth stone in her hand, ever conscience of the fact she held a part of the unicorn's soul. With a deep breath she stows the stone back with its brethren and tucks the pouch safety away. For almost a year she had collected rocks, gems and minerals to gift to him. As always she'd been too late when it truly mattered. With a rueful sigh she decides to leave the collection tucked away in her home, somewhere she wouldn't see them regularly.

There had been good this year too, she'd found Noa after all. A sunray in all of this loss, just thinking about the excitable fawn makes her smile slightly. That was good, no, better than good. It was a chance she still did not think she deserved but the little one would not be abandoned now. Or ever for that matter, not if she could help it. She was also beginning to see who her son and grandson were outside of the forest as well. It was priceless, being let into their own worlds amazed her. And yet, even in that there had been trouble, the next year will be no more certain than the last. For the first time in what seemed like forever she was scared, scared that the family would tear apart, scared that more death would come. There was no one she could tell her fears to, the last one she could vent to was dead now. Her family had bigger things to worry about than an old woman's worries.

She squares her shoulders, tomorrow was waiting. The change hurts but it always does, now she stands in her forest form once again. The presents are loaded up, brightly wrapped packages with too much tape keeping them closed. The first stop is her son's home, he deserved a lot more than this gift but this is all she has for now. His presents are carefully stacked besides his door. He'll find a Christmas sweater, gingerbread cookies, a few boxes of different teas and a necklace waiting for him. With a smile she resolves to visit him tomorrow and moves on. She finds the spot that Noa seems to frequent and leaves a package for him too: a sun blanket and a few gingerbreads.

Those gifts were the easy ones to deliver. Now she'd have to leave this safe place and go back to the forest. The very thought of the place makes her uneasy, too many memories cluttered up that place. Over there the loss felt....to fresh. Too close. There's also the fact she hasn't seen or smelled Aurik around for a long time, he's the only member of the family she still doesn't know how to find. But first, it was time to go to Nilo's place. She steps through the portal and is pleasantly relieved to be carried straight there. She's extra stealthy on this visit, she doesn't want to disturb either Nilo or Van. She tucks their gifts in a safe corner. For Nilo there's a a Christmas sweater, another sweater to make up for missing his birthday, there's also some assorted yarn and scratch art paper. For Van she leaves an extremely elaborately wrapped pet rock complete with googly eyes. There's also a Christmas sweater (it wouldn't do to leave him out of the fun), a Cthulhu Santa and a chestburster plush. She giggles slightly, she still found it funny he liked stuffed animals. For both of them there's gingerbreads and matching sun and moon rings. Once she's finished sorting the gifts in their piles she moves on.

The last stop will be the hardest for her. She is not ready to go back, not ready to be so close to those stones but she owes her son this much. Warping to the forest leaves her shaky and uneasy, heart beating a bit too fast. It takes her a few moments to settle down. The doe makes her way slowly to the tree Aurik used to favor, the smell of the forest is too overwhelming for her to know if he'd been there recently. With any luck he'll find these. He receives blanket, gingerbreads and a poppy charm. His tree is given a rub and a poppy is left upon the presents so he'll know it's her.

The doe quickly leaves, journeying back to the woods around Achillies' house. A nice nook is found and for once Lilith quickly falls asleep. Tomorrow is the day she'd been waiting for.