darkly, darkly

"At times I suppose they are," he commented, though he was far from any sort of healer. Mordecai had enough smarts to know what not to eat when it came to the wild edibles scattered about, but he couldn't have attested to how severely affected Harlyn was. "But I'll be sure to pass that along all the same. She's given me the impression that this isn't the first time they've come around." And since she hadn't sent him on some weird mission to go find Blue Willow or some medicinal plant in the wilderness, he was inclined to believe she was able to handle it. If anything, he felt she was more annoyed by their presence than truly in pain. What did he know, though?

So when their conversation shifted gears, he found himself entertained ever so slightly by Lasher's observations and gentle inquiry. Though Mordecai had not spent a large amount of time in the company of the beta pair's children, he found their assessments fair. And likewise, he suspected they would work well together in a hunt as well. Siblings often did, though it had been long since he had found himself having to work together with any of his.

But as for the inquiry, he could not help but tilt his head thoughtfully.

"I haven't given it consideration," he said, almost leaving it at that. "The life I've lead does not favor children. I've thought about settling before, but have never gone through with it." It had been a reoccurring opportunity, time and time again. Several times now he had passed that up without so much of a second thought. The implication behind such a question, however, did occur to him. He left it alone for now.