Miriam stood at the entrance of the woods, as the stars shined brightly in the sky. Moon full, down upon them into a shimmer. She was greatful for the man to come with her, but expressed during their travel he did not have to. As a mother, she felt it was her responsibility. Though if he came, she could not stop them.
Her voice softened, but she gently whispered, "Asmoses?"
She gave him a way out- with Moonspear constantly towering to their left as a reminder of where he belonged, he knew that he could always cut loose and excuse himself to return to the pack so he could resume his patrol and check in on his sister...But he did not feel comfortable leaving Miriam out on her own. Without the confounding fog, he trusted she could find her way home- but he did not trust that she could defend herself should she be outnumbered by rogues. Hence, with a calm but alert air he continued along by her side, keeping a wary eye on the horizon for any who might approach with the intention of disrupting their search.
Once they reached the Weald, he nosed her shoulder gently and strayed a bit from her side so that he could branch out a bit. Still, he could hear her voice and see her moon-dappled form luminescent in the patches of light that filtered down through the trees, gossamer and sylphlike. He kept her well within his sight both because he did not want to lose track of her- but also because he enjoyed stealing a glance at her. She looked even more captivating when she stepped into a silver beam of light.
"Asmoses?" He called out, his voice intermittantly piercing through the darkness in response to hers, calling out- in hopes that they might get a response.
Miriam nodded toward him and drifted away as well. She did not realize he was staying close, nor' giving glances. Her focus was on her son, and she constantly called out for him, "Asmoses!" with a hope, and a dread to her voice. She looked under every branch, into the bushes, and her nose so close to the ground, it almost seemed like she would swallow the earth itself.
"I don't smell anything," her ears flattened as she softly said with a tearful expression. They only just started, but there was no scent, no sign, no other wolf, "where..."
Back and forth their voices flew, almost as though playing a game of Marco Polo in the woods. His searching partner's concern seemed to grow as they moved, and he could hear it in her voice. It wasn't long before she came toward him, which he interpreted as a sign that she might be losing hope. Her features certainly said that, at least. "It's alright," He said. He, too, was disappointed- it would have been lovely had they found Asmoses here- so close to her home, and at his suggestion. "We'll find him. He might've wandered through here a couple of days ago and found a spot to hole up in on the far edge of the forest. We'll keep looking, okay?" He said.
At some point, they'd have to call the search, though, and head back. What was he supposed to say to her then? Hopefully, they'd search and find him and if not, hopefully he could at least come up with something reassuring to say to her in that time.
"Should I.. Wander? Should I leave Neverwinter?" Miriam didn't continue, she stopped for a second, and let loose some of her thoughts, "leave to search for him? I don't want to loose Liliana- but I don't want to give up searching for him." It was a conflict of interest, she wanted Asmoses to know she was constantly looking, but couldn't simply let Liliana think she abandoned her so.
At the moment she did want to go back home and comfort her daughter, but she also needed to find him so.
"I don't know what to do."
She had questions, and he wasn't sure if she was asking him or simply asking herself- but Bronco did not have the answers for her. He knew she likely felt as though she wished she could split herself in half and both search for Asmoses and remain close to take care of Liliana. He frowned and sighed, moving towadr her to brush his muzzle alongside her cheek, hopefully to reassure her. The last thing he wanted- whether it might be considered selfish or not- was for her to go off on her own. "I know. I don't think I do, either, but..." He said, and he paused. "You might be surprised at how strong your kids are. My sister disappeared for several months just after turning three months old- but she came back to us," He said. "Maybe someone has taken him in, and is taking care of him," He said. He couldn't really say for sure where Asmoses had ended up- but he knew at least she had one child back in the pack, who would need her support.
"Liliana needs you too...What about your mate, Mal? I know he's the alpha, but is he able to go looking? Or maybe another one of your packmates?" He asked. Surely there might be someone else who could go look...Perhaps someone larger, more intimidating- someone capable of scouting and defending themselves should the wolves from Ursus or the Saints come looking for trouble. He didn't doubt Miriam's capabilities- he simply wasn't keen on seeing someone he cared about putting themself in that risk.
"I can only pray to be true." Hearing the story gave some sort of comfort, but at the same time she saw her children was very delicate. Liliana was her little girl, just as beautiful as the Goddess has been envisioned, and as faithful as she was. Truly, belonged to the orchid of Miriam's homeland. Though her son, Asmoses, who loved the stars and just as quiet. However she was concerned on some previous language he did learn.. He gentle boy could never say so himself.
"He is not my mate," Miriam shook her head, "we are only co-parents. I only hoped he would perhaps take care of Liliana in my presence.. But at the same time, he was an abundant of others." Caerus being the oldest, then many little ones alongside her own kids. Was it really appropriate to leave them?
"My little girl was attacked long ago- I just. Don't want to lose another to a demon." Miriam confessed while looking down in shame. She wasn't shameful for what had transpired, but the fact the mother wasn't there to protect her own child. Now, she wasn't there to comfort her either.
So....Mal wasn't her mate? But to be sure, he was the father of the children- but an absent one, Bronco assumed. He tried not to let his disdain show, though he likely did a poor job of it. Any wolf who even thought about siring children ought also be present to father them as well. It wasn't fair for Mal to sire children, and then be absent and allow them to wander off; not when Bronco had been deprived of a father not by choice, but because fate had taken his father from the family and into the realm of the dead. Of course- Bronco was simply leaping to the assumption that Mal was an absent father, without having any evidence to go off of, aside from the fact that Miriam didn't seem terribly confident that he would step in and take care of Liliana while Miriam searched for Asmoses.
Then he was to learn that Mal hadn't fathered just the two- but an abundance of others. Didn't that hurt Miriam? To know that she was just one of a few who had been left with kids to raise with a male who had to divide his attention amongst an abundance of pups? Bronco didn't understand it- and polyamory wasn't something he'd ever really known much about. In his life, he'd had almost an abundance of parental figures; and it seemed that Neverwinter had the opposite.
"Miriam," He began softly. "Do you feel safe, living with Liliana in Neverwinter Forest?" He asked. "If Mal isn't doing enough, to keep you and your daughter safe...Why stay there?" He asked. Her sweet little girl had already been attacked once, and her son had gone missing. It certainly sounded to Bronco as though Neverwinter Forest was missing something, in terms of childcare. "You...Should consider, maybe, moving to Moonspear." He suggested quietly.
In truth she was hurt at first. The fact the man she slept with was all but an illusion- she thought he was a man of God, the Horned God's warrior, and he was to be her savior. She blamed him so, but came to the realization it was her own delusions that resulted into her wonderous kids. It even hurt worse knowing how many he had bedded, and she was just another pawn for him. He was nice- but not the one she desired to have a life with, much less children.
It was a factor Miriam would never find him as a mate, and she was confident once her children grew- she was gone. So at the suggestion Bronco gave, the mother shook her head with a saddened smile, "I cannot leave knowing that is their home, and the home Asmoses may return to." There was also the factor the mother would always hope, that her son would return to the same forest.
"For my children, i'd give my life. When a day they are old enough to decide, is the day I leave Neverwinter."
She made a good point. If Asmoses returned to Neverwinter on his own, only to find no trace of his family, he might leave assuming he'd been abandoned. He wanted to say that she could always tell the other Neverwinter wolves to tell him where she'd gone if he asked...But it might still come to the young boy as a slight to know that his mother had still chosen to move to another pack while he'd been missing. It disappointed Bronco to know that things were more complex than he'd originally thought. He liked the simple idea of Miriam and Liliana moving to Moonspear and checking in with Neverwinter about Asmoses- but living somewhere that he could keep them safe.
He'd have to learn, one way or another, that he'd never be able to protect everyone.
Still, she did seem inclined to leave Neverwinter, once the children were old enough to make their own decisions about where they wished to live, which gave him some hope. "Where..." He didn't want to be too presumptuous, nor did he want to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help but ask. "D'you have any idea where you might wanna go, if you did?"
"The mountains and the sea, I once visited it for a while, but I desire to see it again." Perhaps it simple the awe' of how large the body of water was. If you try to look, there was only an endless stream of blue to sea. She also never visited the mountains before, and wondered if they were tall enough to see the ocean.
Valleys as well was a thought, there was a lot to be seen, but her plans would be for a halt, "I think... I should go back," Miriam confessed, cleaning her face off from the dry tears, "I can only pray now Asmoses will come back but.. Liliana, also needs a mother."
I hope they cross paths again soon sometime! <3
She didn't mention Moonspear- but perhaps she was only referencing places that she would like to visit. He could see making a trip t the coast, but not necessarily living there, where the wind was so harsh, the water so salty and the food so strange. Regardless, he was a bit disappointed she didn't immediately think to come and live at Moonspear, but that was her choice- and he didn't want to push her toward making any big decisions, especially not right now.
"Alright. I'll take you back," He offered quietly, touching his nose to her cheek. He could only imaginehow tough it must have been, to have to decide between looking for her lost son and looking out for her lonely daughter. He began harbouring somewhat of a grudge toward Mal, for not stepping in to help out, but he really shouldn't have been meddling in their family affairs. He would escort Miriam safely back to Neverwinter, and then continue back to his mountain home.