The dark king had hoped that his children wouldn't notice, but it was stupid to think so. They weren't pups, they were yearlings now and they no doubt had noticed at least some of the tension between their parents. Miccah couldn't remember how many times he had slept outside the confines of the communal den where his family resided in the past few weeks - more times than he cared to admit. But this, this he had never imagined. Sure...they had had their minor disagreements in the past but this certain instance was all on Miccah. This was his fuck up to fix, and he had no idea how to do it. Aideen had left in a fit of anger, barely taking the time to inform the Woodlands king that she would be back, but 'in a while.' Miccah grit his teeth, frustration welling within him. He knew she needed this, needed this time to wrap her head around him withholding the demise of the Pines pack from her, but now he was left to pick up the pieces of her disappearance.

Was his frustration rational? No, but he was hurting. In more ways than one. And gods, he was tired. His mood had long since gone to shit, either due to his exhaustion or heartache, the dark king didn't know. It was probably both. Somewhere in the chaotic mess within him was a swirling pile of guilt. Had he been wrong to remain loyal to his dead matriarch's and past partner's wishes? Yet, this had been his mate and current partner, the mother of his children. The woman he had confided in about everything - except in this one thing. Albeit, a big thing.

Miccah stopped in the middle of his patrol. Where once the borders had always provided him solace, the dark king just felt even more restless. His thought's plagued him, them mostly consisting of Aideen and their children. Huffing out a short breath of air, Miccah left the borders. As if worrying about his wife's return wasn't enough, he knew he had to speak to his children. He had avoided the conversation long enough, not knowing how to explain that their mother was gone and he had no idea when she would return. And it was his fault.

He would check with Flair first. Enia seemed closer to Aideen, but it had been a long time since he had even spoken to his fiery daughter, or at least it felt that way, so he would seek her out first. Miccah was not looking forward to this conversation.

"speech"

Burtn @DA, Colourize-Stock @DA, Momotte2stocks @DA, Celem @DA & Dawnthieves.de

Yeah she’d noticed, impossible not to. When she was a pup, her parents had been this, almost inseparable, entity, acting and feeling as one, even when they were apart. When that first started to change, Flair had assumed it was because she was growing up, seeing things different and all that; They also didn’t have to guard the children as much, and so it seemed natural enough that they would separate out more. It wasn’t really until her little brothers were born, that the fiery girl realized something was different. It was subtle then, her parents sharing the joy of their new litter, despite their issues, and clearly excited to play family. But things had only gone down hill from there.

Now her mother was gone, off somewhere that no one knew. She’d promised to come back, but still Flair felt a gnawing deep in her stomach, a fear she couldn’t shake. She wasn’t one to go around worrying, any fears she’d had before, she faced head on. But this one was different, there was nothing to confront, no way to fight through it. All she could do was ignore it, trying to invest all her attention in the work she now needed to do even more thoroughly, without her mother to handle the usual duties. She tried to spend as much time as she could with her brothers, looking after them, playing and teaching what she knew of hunting.

There were times, though, when the little rascals became too much, and she sought time to herself to breathe. For a moment she felt relief, a taste of that freedome she used to gain from roaming on her own. Then the fear returned, and she started looking for something else to preoccupy herself with. It was in such a moment that she came across her father, the intent look in his eyes causing her to pause. “Hey Da,” she greeted awkwardly, shifting her weight from one paw to the other as she waited to hear what he wanted. Perhaps he had something for her to do.

At her greeting, the dark king looked away for a moment - trying to find the words he wished to say but barely even able to form a simple greeting. He was not a man that often let words portray his feelings, relying more on his actions yet even now those failed him. All their first litter had ever known was their parents happiness when they were young, and now all Miccah could show them was their struggle. It was a crushing feeling, failure, one he had strived over the years to rarely feel. Yet now, it seemed to be his only companion. Miccah looked at his daughter than, his wild fiery princess, and smiled slightly. No, he was wrong in that thought. At least, he still had his children. When he was not at the borders now, he had tried to spend as much time as he could with his youngest: Adimar and Bero. However, he had been lacking in spending time with his daughter.

He moved closer to her and bent his head, letting his muzzle touch her crown for just a moment before lifting his head and sighing slightly. Where to begin? "I..." He was at a loss for words. He wanted to apologize, needed to apologize, but the words couldn't leave his throat. After a few moments, he finally settled on two words. "Thank you." For being strong. For staying. For taking care of your brothers. Yet those couldn't leave his throat either. I'm sorry.

"speech"

Burtn @DA, Colourize-Stock @DA, Momotte2stocks @DA, Celem @DA & Dawnthieves.de