Blacktail Deer Plateau blue sky black death

He listened as she explained, in the brief, glossed-over way kids tended to, the circumstances of her upbringing. Atticus didn't much like the sound of it, but then again he knew it wasn't unusual for an entire pack to be involved in the raising of puppies. Clearly, Bones had turned out just fine. She had traveled all the way here on her own, providing for herself along the way and managing to stay out of harm's way, so obviously her packmates had done something right.

Still, he couldn't help wondering if she might've had a better life with him and the Falcons.

She asked him what her grandparents were like, and he sighed softly. "Well, unfortunately they're no longer alive," he said in a neutral voice. He hadn't really had a chance to sort through his feelings over his mother's death. So much had happened in the past few months since his forced departure from the Falcons that he just hadn't found the time to deal with it yet. He had really loved his mother. "They were both pretty old. But your grandmother, her name was March Owl. Everyone just called her Mo. She was…" he trailed off for a moment, a fond smile on his face as he remembered his mother and tried to find the right words to describe her. "She was really something. Fiery, strong, and hot-headed, with a wild heart and a tongue that could burn your ass to kingdom come. I don't think Dad -- your grandfather -- ever really knew what to do with her."

He grinned, remembering his parents together and the interesting dynamic between them. He missed them so much. "Your grandfather's name was Aether, or Aer for short. He gave that to me as my middle name, you know. He was quiet and steady, cool and wise and intelligent. I always liked to say that Mom was fire, and Dad was water. And he always had a way of knowing exactly what was on your mind, you know? You couldn't lie to him or hide things from him, because he just…knew. He was a really great dad. Both my parents were really awesome. I sure do miss them." He paused for a few beats before adding, "Y'know, your grandmother had green eyes too." He thought she might appreciate that small physical connection to her grandma.

As thoughts of his deceased parents swam through his mind, he tried to think of a good question to ask Bones. The problem, though, was that the questions he really wanted to ask were questions she couldn't answer for him right now, questions of where they would go from here. "How'd you find me, anyway?" That, at least, was a good question. The only place Cutlass would've been able to direct her to was the Falcons' lands. He had left to come here long after Cutlass had disappeared out of his life.