It was sort of funny, really. Arrow had been the first person that Aurum had ever seen die when he had first joined Tanglewood, and despite not really knowing her, the female's death had hit him hard. Perhaps it was just because he was reminded of the crushing constant presence of death over all of them, or perhaps just because he had finally been beginning to consider Tanglewood family, and anybody dying would've elicited that reaction. Still, ever since Arrow had done the tango down to hell, Aurum had taken deaths particularly hard, with Leroy's being the most recent and also one of the worst. Still, the way that Aurum showed his grief wasn't like most others. Rather than locking himself inside, closing the doors and the shades and having a good long cry with a tub of ice cream, the lion preferred to get outside and do as much as he could in order to never think about the fact that one of his loved ones had just died. Was it a healthy method of grieving? Hell no, far from it, but that didn't mean he was going to stop. He didn't even know what to do with himself when he finally processed his emotions, and he had enough of actually thinking about the fact he would never see Leroy again when he had found the other's bottle of whiskey on his porch. For now, he just wanted to go back to not thinking about it, and push it aside so hard it would probably end up with bruises.

As a result of his constant roaming, Aurum was the first one to come upon Arrow, confused by the many different scents that assaulted him as he got closer to the tree she was in. It seemed like there was the faintest old scent of Tanglewood, but also the smell of death, and the sharp tang of blood. All of it skyrocketed his anxiety up to eleven, and he found himself picking up the pace and flapping his wings a bit until he came to the tree that Arrow was in, blinking his one good eye up at her. He opened his muzzle, about to ask her who she was and why she was here, but there was a strange twinge of familiarity that ran through him at the female's appearance, and after a long moment of silence, he mumbled in disbelief, "Arrow...? Is that you?" It seemed so incredibly unlikely, for the female to return after all this time – especially at such an unhappy one, considering Leroy's death – but there she was, clear as day right in front of him, along with the addition of two little flightless wings. He rumbled after a moment, sheepishly looking down and dragging a paw over the earth, "Ah, shit, suppose you wouldn't recognize me. We only interacted once or twice. Er, I'm Aurum. Used to be Wormwood. I was around for a little bit before your... you know. It's, uh... it's surreal to see you back." His ears pinned down to his head for a moment before he sighed, "I wish I could welcome you back with happier news..."

It seemed the group must be a popular spot for the undead.

Though, the boy does not like to think about that part so much. Dying was not pleasant. To him, it was not funny. Not funny at all.

But, he'd no idea of her death, nor her life, or existence at all. Such was the natural way of things. It was impossible for someone to know everyone, and, frankly, this boy, in particular, did not know many at all. Neither from his original life, nor within the place he takes refuge now. Being concealed from society was fairly self-explanatory as to why he has not seen many faces, or had many see his own. Though, to be honest, he is not so sure he wants others to see his face now. It is reminiscent, still, of his origin. It still displays his death, quite a bit on-the-nose, and it still belongs to someone others may recognize as a tool, a weapon, a force of destruction, aggression. He'd never wanted that. He just wanted to live, at this point, and for others to live, too.

And, he is trying. Trying to make this place his home. Trying to erase that past. Let others know who he really is, and find out who others really are, too. But, it is scary. It is terrifying. Much of the inner territory is still foreign to him. He knows the marsh well, and the cabin he rests within, recognizes as his real home now, with his father. And he will need to face that fear. And he has. So, he will continue. Continue until it's not scary anymore, until it feels so natural that he does not even think about it. If that even is really possible. Despite everything, he's always been a dreamer, and that hasn't changed so far. Only faltered, here and there. In the end, the world still proved good, and he wished to prove himself right back.

He walks up towards his father's side, head held low as he listens quietly to the others' words. A former member; they seemed to beat around the bush what exactly had caused her to go away. But, he wasn't stupid. He did not immediately jump to any conclusions, but he could draw his own assumptions. His glowing eyes land upon the female's paw, a slight frown upon his features. He blinks, seeming about to say something, before closing his mouth once more and looking to her face. "Hello, ma'am," he greets quietly and politely with a nod. "Um, if you don't mind me asking - are you al-alright?"

When Roy came up beside him, Aurum smiled faintly, glad once again to see his son out and about, especially showing up to something like this. He couldn't help the faint chuckle that left him when the tiger called Arrow ma'am, and his tail gently flicked against the boy's back in an affectionate greeting. He also offered a soft look to Moth, sure that the other must've been thinking about Leroy, with Arrow returning. When Arrow mentioned him changing his name, the lion couldn't help but smile and chuckle, faintly amused at the prospect of being called kid – it had been a long time since he had been considered one, but Arrow was his senior within Tanglewood, anyways, "Yeah, changed it. Felt like "Worm" didn't quite fit me anymore. Got promoted too, I'm a guardsman now." He couldn't help but feel faintly proud, telling the female about his accomplishments. Although they never got close before her death, he had respected her as the guardsman captain ever since he had heard she held the position, and now that he was right under where she had been, he couldn't help but feel warm inside. He then mumbled, a soft chuff leaving him, "Glad to hear you like the name." It really did feel great, having Arrow back in the group, even with the new addition of the ironic reminder of her death. He was sure that many had missed her, and perhaps her presence would provide some comfort for Crow after Leroy's death... maybe.

It was then when Crowley came up on Aurum's other side, stopping just a bit behind him and expressing his concerns over someone just hopping back up from the dead. A soft chuckle left the angel as he answered, shrugging his shoulders, "It doesn't happen that often, but I believe it has happened a few times in the past to others, yes. I think Goldie died once... or twice, I'm not sure." He wasn't sure if he would come back if or when he died, or if he was just completely incapable of dying because of his status as an angel. He preferred not to think about it, just as he preferred not to think about now whether Crowley could die, especially after that whole fight thing. Unfortunately, it seemed as though death was going to be a running theme with Arrow's return, considering she had asked the question they all had been thinking. A soft and sad sigh left the guardsman before he responded, his one blue eye darting down to stare at the murky earth for a moment as he spoke, "Uh... yeah, actually. It was uhm, Leroy. He died maybe a week or two ago. Had a huge stroke, probably caused by the cancer he found out he had... I'm sorry you had to find out like this." He wasn't sure how else she would've found out, besides maybe searching for a grave that bore Leroy's name, but this felt like the more direct option, and the one that would allow Arrow as much time to grieve as possible. Still, his heart sank at sullying the happy occasion of Arrow's return with the news of Leroy's passing.