Rook tried his best to reach out. He was met with a stone wall, as his son stared sullenly back at him, unable to repress the rising bitter thought of why now? Tomen tried to push it down, to ignore it, for he could feel his anger boiling away somewhere deep down and if he wasn't careful, it would spill over - and he didn't know how to handle it. He wasn't used to feeling like that, to letting it out anywhere other than in total private. He even bit it back when talking to Prudence.
...even if it's me you're frustrated with, angry at, concerned about... The hint of a sneer dirtied his expression as he listened. Sure, Tomen, you're the one who is uncommunicative, you're the one with secrets, you're the one who wasn't able to keep his family together like he was supposed to. You're the one who talked so grandly of passing down the pack to your son one day, and then fobbed it off on the unrelated next-in-line when you got bored of it, or it got too hard, or whatever. You're the one who needs to open up more. You can talk to me, Tomen, but like hell can I talk to you.
No. He had to keep it down. Forcibly cutting that line of thought shut, he lifted his chin a little and gazed evenly at his dad. A few seconds passed, and then he shrugged, as though it were no big deal, as though Rook were blowing it out of proportion.
"Sure." Turning away, his paws sought out that path he'd been on before this whole uncomfortable situation, wanting to leave it all behind.