Broken Antler Fen Home Once Again

A week after telling Brandy she was off on an adventure, Ambrosia galloped towards the scent of the borders. The sun beat down on her from directly above, and the tawny woman loosed an excited howl as she crossed the scentline that was distinctly Sebastian's. As much as she loved to travel, to see new things, she always got a burst of puppy-like energy when she was home once again. Her daughter came first to her mind, but wondering of Sebastian made caution smack her in the face. Would he be cross with her for leaving? Surely she wouldn't be needed in a time as this inside borders, not when it was her job to scout out anything of use to the Broken Antler Fen pack. Already were her sides curving closer, defining her hips and ribs more clearly than they were supposed to.
 Ambrosia slowed as she grew closer to The Cove, once again taking in the once beautiful terrain she knew as home. Would she be able to see it in full bloom, thriving this Summer? Or would she need to wait until Winter had taken its claim over the land again? Would they be able to survive that long? This was supposed to be the time wolves ate what they could, to prepare for such cold and hungry months. After going through the rainy months hungry, would they have to scavenge for another year?

Food was scarce. A result, a skinnier wolf. Even though food had been divided and shared as equally as possible, he still felt like starving. And it showed on him. He had just woken up from a late slumber and came out of his and Bran's den in the Cove to stretch, yawning as he did.

That's when he saw Ambrosia. He hadn't even known she left. "Ambrosia! Where you been?" he asked while walking over to greet her with a nudge. She was technically his mother in law now, so he had to treat her like close family.

Someone did, in fact, come to greet her: her daughter mate, Aduin. She'd never had a one-on-one talk with him, and only actually knew what he was like through Brandy. He gave her a friendly nudge, and a smile graced her pretty features. The boy actually closer to her age, she knew, but its not like it really mattered: They'd already gone over that he'd better treat her right. 
          "I went around the mountains, Aduin! Have I been missed this past week?"
In reality, she was asking if Sebastian was cross with her for leaving: surely his brother would know?

He shrugged, not actually knowing if anyone knew she left. "I don't thnik anyone knew. But things haven't changed much in the past week. It's pretty much the same." Or at least, it felt the same to him. He sat back onto his rump, tail swishing slowly. He was sitting before his mate's mother, and there were some things he wanted to know.

"I know it may not be your place to syay, but why does Brandy doubt herself?" he asked out of concern. "I just want to help her."

Never once had Ambrosia known her daughter to be doubtful in anyway, but the copper female had indeed voiced worries about the relationship. Her main fret was that Aduin would find her too much, too annoying, and leave her. Staying, at that point, would be too much for her, she'd said. The tawny woman laughed, however, and settled herself in a sit. 
        "Please, I'm the only one that DOES have a place to talk about her. She worries that she'll run you off by being too overwhelming, or too troublesome. I tried telling her that had to be part of your reasoning TO love her, but she didn't seem comforted."
She readily gave up the information, not because she wanted to share Brandy's inner thoughts but because she could see that the dark male was worried for her, and obviously wanted to fix it before it became an issue. Surely, this was her son in law earning her good side.

Aduin cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What..B-But I would never do that." He could not find any reason that she would think that. Not once had it ever crossed his mind that he would just leave her. Everyone had flaws, he just didn't care about them. Didn't see them as big. "Do you think she will think about it differently if I told her?" he asked hopeful.

Ammie had cut herself off on purpose, and was glad he asked her for what to do instead of either being too stubborn for that, or to wing it. Asking showed he really was worried, and he did in fact care. 
     "I think talking about it would help you two a lot. I think she's fighting with herself trying to decide how likely it is. Once she realizes you aren't going to get sick of her antics, she'll likely calm down."

He sighed in relief, knowing there was some way of fixing it. It was good to know that Ambrosia was accepting enough of their relationship to help with some good advice. "Thanks, Am...It's all right if I call you Am, right? Or mom. I don't know" he quickly said, suddenly feeling flustered. Having a nickname for Brandy felt right for him, but her mother? He jsut needed to know if he was allowed to, since it accidentally came forth.

Ambrosia giggled at his fumbling, and reached forward to lick his ear to comfort him, much as a mother would. Perhaps her daughter wasnt the only one to need reassurance. Odd as it felt, she did actually see herself as his mother in law. Only now did she feel bad for the altercation when they announced their mateship, and the tan and black woman felt a need to finally apologize.
    "You can call me either, I don't mind. As cranky as I can be sometimes, I truly do accept you and Brandy. You're as important to me now as she is, like my own child."
 She meant every word, though hoped he wasn't weirded out or offended by her motherly nature. Her tail thumped against the ground happily, and Ambrosia figured her trip had definitely had the desired effect.

He smiled lightly, feeling his cheeks grow warm at her motherly touch. It was something he missed, it almost brought back sad feelings, along with sad memories. His tail wagged at her words, his ears perked up. That made him feel more comfortable around her. "Thank you. That means a lot to me, and Bran."

Once she'd calmed his worries and it seemed there were no other questions, an inquiry of her own soon nagged at her. One that would not be ignored, no less. She didn't hesitate on asking, and was in no way shy about it.
"Where are the two of you in your relationship? Are you mating?"
Brandy was young, and the tawny female wasn't sure she could approve of THAT, even though she was already pregnant at her daughters age. Not of her own will, or with a mate, of course, but that wasn't the point. Raising a child so young had been hard on the woman, and she didn't want Brandy to have to share the same fate. However much the idea of little grandpuppies was appealing, it was much too soon. Luck seemed to be on her side, however, for Brandy hadn't yet gone into heat.

Aduin nearly choked on air when she said that. His smile faltered and he started sputtering, slowing his breathing to a usual nervous rate. His eyes bulged at the word 'mating'. His hair stood on end. He couldn't even speak right, too busy sputtering while trying to catch his breath. Finally, after catching his breath, he spoke.

"M-Mating?! I w-wouldn't! I mean, she's so young!" he stuttered nervously. "I don't e-even know how!" That was partially a lie, since Seb had told him some of it.

Despite her seriousness, Ambrosia couldn't help the flurry of laughter that broke from her throat. She was just too mischevious of a wolf not to, even if it hadn't been her intention. 
      "Aduin, Aduin, relax! It's okay. Nobody can really stop it, other than Sebastian. You two are both adults. But even he can only really tell you not to have puppies. That age will always be between you, its how ready you are is what matters."
She, for instance, had not been ready. When Midnight jumped her, well, she had little interest in a amte or a family: it'd always been far in the back of her mind, shadowed by her ambitions to rise in the pack. A darkness overcame her cheerful lemon eyes as she remembered, half-forgetting her daughters mate was before her for a couple of seconds.

Aduin calmed to a normal state as she attempted to calm him. But he did think over her words. When would they be ready? Soon? later? Would they ever? The unusual question pried at his mind s if searching for an answer within. It found none. "Ok..I just don't thnik I am..." He let his words stop and cut off as he stared up at Ambrosia, noticing a change in her cheerfulness. "Is something wrong?"

Zoned out, Ambrosia jumped ever so slightly as he started to speak again. She assumed he was going to say he wasn't ready, but a worry for her cut himself off. It was a bit odd, the care from another, but she remembered Pearls advice. Everyone here saw her as family, saw each other as family, right? Perhaps she needed to start acting like it. Now, however, was not the time. Memories were already playing behind her eyes, reliving those awful nights that she spent alone afterwards, after finding out the monster had impregnated her. 
      "I-I'm okay. Just.... Remembering."
Obviosly, this was not a good type of remembering, and for sure one she'd rather not go through. Looks like she had no choice. Her black ears wilted to the sides, and her frantic eyes searched around for an escape only to find there was none, she would have to stick this one out. Perhaps talking would help?

Aduin put his face closer to hers, trying to look for that feeling of sadness she had earlier. "O-Okay" he murmured, concerned for her. Something was on her mind, and even though he did not enjoy prying normally, this was different since she was like family.He just needed to double check she was okay. "If you are sure, then okay." he started to stand up and walk away, feeling as if he was prying a little too close to personal things.

Ambrosia's eyes averted from Aduin, and a small whine escaped her throat. He stood up to leave, and the tawny woman stood with him. Words were falling from her inky muzzle before she could stop them or think about them. They needed said, it seemed.
      "Perhaps I dwell too much on the past. I wasn't ready when Brandy was forced upon me, and it will forever effect me."

His brows knitted in confusion, his gaze moving across the ground as he tried to think of what she meant by 'Forced On'. Then it came to him as his mouth went slackjaw. Brandy was..was a result of a rape? That surprised him so much. "Y-You mean...I am so sorry" he said as he went to give her a wolfish hug.

By the confusion wrought across the black males snowy face, Sebastian hadn't told anyone of her unfortunate reasonings for leaving her pack. Even more so, Brandy had not told her mate, and that was the fact that surprised Ammie. Her daughter had never hidden it, not that she could with the scars over her eye. It wasnt something thatd ever seemed to bother her, her making and brutalization. Most assumed it was her father who hurt her, of course, but it was not as such. Aduin came to her in a sort of hug, and after a moments hesitation she returned the gesture with a sad smile.
      "I'm surprised Brandy hasn't told you, which probably means you don't know where her scars came from."
There were few scars on the fiery female, but the most noticeable were the three adorning her pretty face. Three slash marks across her eye, and she hadn't told the one she wanted to spend her life with?

Aduin waited a short moment until she returned it, then broke the wolfish hug. She deserved it. But then she spoke about being surprised that Brandy kept it a secret. Why be surprised? Unless she knew how she came to be. And she hadn't told Aduin, the one she wanted to spend her life with? Their was a slight prick inside. A harsh one at that. Something he only felt after knowing his sisters would not return.

"What? The scars? You mean the ones on her face?" Why not tell him? They were supposed to share things like that. Sure, he hadn't told her about the fire that took his home. But he normally kept that from others unless they asked.

The contact felt nice, for physical bonds had been ruined for her beside her daughter. For so long, she wouldn't LET anyone touch her, even her own sister or parents. And after she left to raise Brandy on her own, there was nobody else to be in contact with unless she was fighting. 
Aduin seemed further surprised at this news, and she shook her head with a heavy sigh. Her lemon eyes glared down at her heavily scarred paws and mumbled to herself,
          "I swear, sometime's I would swear I hadn't raised that damn girl."
She turned her gaze back to him, softening and giving a bitter smile.
                "The scars, across her eye yes, are of my doing. Just as I'm the reason she has no survivng siblings."
Ever so slightly, the tawny woman began to tremble, and she was unable to keep his gaze; flicking them back to her paws in shame, shoulders bowing slightly as if a great weight sat upon them.
                         "One of the puppies, i-it looked like... Like h-him. I blacked out, and by the time I came to she was the only one alive, having fallen out of the nest."
She left the gorey memory to herself, unable to share that even if she thought someone would want to hear. The boy was jumpy enough without having that only memory of his mate's siblings.

Aduin listened carefully as she spoke. A deep sorrow filled his eyes as she went on. What did she mean it was her doing? Who would scar their own child? No, there had to be a reason. A sufficient reason for it. And then she went on, talking about her being the reason Bran didn't have siblings. 

Then came the reason. He had to hold back a gasp, suddenly fearful and eyes wide. The experience was so traumatic on her that she..he couldn't even think about it. "Ambrosia...I..." He couldn't even bring any words out. He felt regret for asking, for bringing those memories of hers back to surface.

Ambrosia was fighting not to lose her cool, though even she had to admit it was easier after talking to Sebastian and Pearl about it. The hardest part next to the actual guilt was seeing people's reactions, worrying that people would lash out at her or, worse, be afraid of her. The tawny woman saw the sympathy building in his eyes, and as he struggled for words she held up an inky paw.
             "Stop, Aduin. It's okay. You have a right to know and if Brandy won't tell you I had to."

Aduin stopped upon her command. She was right. He did deserve to know. Which meant Brandy deserved to know about him. "I need to find Brandy. She deserves to know about me." He turned to leave and took a couple of steps, but then stopped to turn back and give a comforting nuzzle into Ambrosia's neck fur. "Thank you." Then he turned and he was gone.

He understood at once, and a shy smile spread across her face. It deepened at his touch, and she gave a lick to his face, and then he was gone. Ammie trotted forward again to the Cove, yawning and ready for a nap after a long time of travel.