It felt like the world had shifted beneath her feet, like she didn't quite know where she stood any longer.  Things were getting a little easier; the caches were being filled, their border secured.  The pack had survived beneath her lead.  It hadn't burned to the ground, and those that mattered most to her had stuck around.  But just because things were getting easier didn't mean that it was easy.  She still felt like a failure as a wife and a mother ... but at least it seemed like leading was something she wasn't destined from the beginning to fail at.  At least not yet.

She had wanted everyone to have time to settle in before she started getting down to business, and it seemed as if that was happening so.. without further ado, she threw her head back and called for her pack — her family.

the seemingly permanent disappearance of solomon is an ugly mark on brilliance's return, as glad as he is to have his (secretly, admittedly favorite) daughter back. stepping down from leadership, he knows, was the right call, and yet guilt hangs over him -- he spends most of his time hiding and keeping tabs on his children, a sad little hermit in the middle of the willows. 

maybe he needs a hobby.

seabreeze's call summons him quick enough, coming to stop near her and lily. he gives both of them a slightly guilty nod hello, but holds his tongue, watching for mali and brilliance and waiting for seabreeze to speak.

okeanos is not yet at the meeting, dear sister, because he has taken it upon himself to appoint himself guardian over the other children. nevermind the fact that they are older than him and would, honestly, probably prefer for him to be dead, all things considered. okeanos is wise beyond his years and he knows it is his solemn duty to take care of not only ibby but poor mali and brilliance, because no one else seems like they're going to.

really, he'd happened upon mali snoozing by accident (again), and the call from his mama was coincidentally timed. he'd slowed, imagining that he'd walk with the silvery speckled boy, but then mali had yawned and went back to sleep as if he hadn't heard the call at all. now, okeanos is not naive enough (anymore) to think that maybe his ...friend?... really hadn't heard it -- mali has made his feelings about oke's family very very loudly clear -- but still! you can't just ignore a call from the adults!! 

"mali," okeanos says urgently, coming right up beside him and pushing at him gently with his paws, "c'mon, mama's callin for everyone!"

She catches Qilaq's glance and tries to offer her an assuring look in return.  It's fine that she can't do this right now, she understands.  Seamus crawled out of some rock or hole he'd been hiding and showed, and most of the adults were here, but Mali, Okeanos, Eleuthera, and Brilliance were still gone.  Her ears falter, and she opens her mouth as she looks at Olive (for assurance) and at Delight (for guidance).  Two of them are his children, one of them's her own.  She tips her head back and issues a more pointed call, then looks towards the group, trying to hide the disappointment that nothing she tries to do will ever come to fruition.  Stay here, she mutters, then motions for Delight to follow her.  They'd deal with this.

She sets about them and is almost terrified to find their scents all gathered in one place; she crouches a distance away and, for now, she will watch them do — well, whatever is distracting them from important business.

ellie's words do make everything worse, as he feared. okeanos knows the easiest thing to do is to take her side, to let the other puppies go away and make his way to mama like he's supposed to, and he nearly does, shrinking a little bit away from mali's fierce expression. only... he wants to break through to them somehow. he wants mali and brilliance, but especially mali, to like him for some reason -- he can't explain why, only that it feels like the most important thing in the world.

so with a slightly apologetic glance at ellie, okeanos says, "i like you," aimed at both of delight's children but mostly at mali. his pleading expression is replaced by something defeated -- resigned to this strange standoff but determined to keep at it. sucking in a breath he says, "m'not tryin' boss you around -- i just like you," like repeating it will somehow magically resolve the situation. he's not an idiot. he knows mali doesn't  like him (brilliance, the jury is still out, he thinks). maybe mali never will like him, but ... maybe if he just tries hard enough, he'll understand where he's coming from.