Things for Tanglewood recently had been... difficult, to say the least. So many people were dead, missing, or had simply left, and Aurum couldn't even begin to imagine the stress weighing down on Vigenere's shoulders. Hell, the lion wasn't even technically in charge of anything for the moment, and it still felt like about two tons was stacked up on top of his broad shoulders. Despite this, the angel was trying to keep a positive viewpoint on things. After all, if all of Tanglewood just called it a day and packed up, then it would guarantee their death, and that... that was enough to give Aurum nightmares for weeks. He couldn't lose this place, especially not so soon after he had returned. This was his home, for better or for worse, and he would be here for everyone within the swamp until he took his final dying breath. He could only hope that final breath wasn't too fast approaching, considering he had people he needed to be around for, such as his family. He had already abandoned Asvini and the others once before – even if it was for their own good – and he had no intention of ever doing it again.

However, even when trying to put a positive spin on things, at times it was just... hard. It was hard, dealing with everything that was going on at the moment. Sometimes, the lion just wanted to be able to shut off his brain, and relax, even if only for a few minutes, and that was exactly what he had decided to do. He had just been sitting in town, having finished lunch and been getting ready for whatever his next task of the day was, when he spotted a butterfly. Immediately, he was hit with the childish urge to chase after it, reminded of the days when he had been just a cub, bolting after the few butterflies in the city to practice his hunting skills. Had it been any other day, perhaps the lion would've resisted his more primal urges, but today? He decided to say fuck it, and took off after the butterfly, chasing it out of town and into the thickly clustered trees of the surrounding swamp and forest. He was careful to avoid the towering trees and gnarled roots and logs beneath his paws as he continued to run, the colorful big in front of him bobbing and weaving elegantly through the leaves, seemingly without effort. If it were really a piece of prey, he probably would've gotten frustrated and given up by now, but since it wasn't he just threw his head back and let out a whooping laugh, letting brief happiness flood through him.

Although Aurum hadn't actually been chasing the butterfly because he expected it to lead him to anything, it seemed as though luck was in his favor that day. After several minutes of running, the proxy was unfortunate enough to accidentally hook his paw on a log, and go stumbling forward through the trees. The lion let out a grunt as he hit the ground, a heavy sigh leaving him. As he slowly pushed himself up, he fully expected the butterfly to be gone, and his childish wonder to be crushed. However, he was so very wrong. Instead, when he looked up, he found himself in a small clearing, tucked in the middle of the swamp. The grass beneath him was firm, although still slightly wet, and the place was surprisingly bright. However, that wasn't what was so spectacular about it. No, that was the butterflies. Hundreds of them, all flapping their wings and whirling around the sky of the clearing, as if in one massive cloud of colors. Aurum found himself just staring upwards, falling backwards onto his flank as he muttered, awestruck, "Holy shit, I never even knew this was here..." He had no idea what was attracting the butterflies to this particular location, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

Aurum nearly jumped out of his fur when Delilah's voice broke through the calm air, despite the fact that her tone was warm, and gentle. He simply hadn't been expecting it, too entranced by the creatures wildly beating their wings to hold themselves afloat all around him. Sometimes he felt a little bit like them, rapidly beating his own wings in order to avoid being drowned in a mountain of his worries, and his grief. It seemed as though Delilah understood, considering the context of her motherly words when she continued. It didn't surprise him that she held such a tone, considering her practice with Flint, and many others. It actually served to remind him of V, causing yet another soft ache within his chest to emerge. He shoved the woman who was like an adoptive mother to him from his mind, filing that thought for another day, when he could face it more properly. Facing Delilah, he rumbled as he focused his gaze downwards, on n orange butterfly that had come to rest on one of his large paws, "...It is. I'm doing my best to cope, though. I wouldn't be of much use to Tanglewood if I was depressed all the time, now would I be...?" He trailed off for a moment, his one eyed gaze still focused intensely on the orange butterfly, its coloration reminding him far too much of his sister's soft pelt. He muttered, his voice cracking, "I miss her."