Phoenix Maplewood taken away to the dark side

Scimitar's account of his children was brief, yet heartwarming, at least until he got to the part about Bazi and his new litter. While she passed no judgment on him for accidentally fathering a litter with Bazi post-separation, her first reaction when he told of finding love in another was a shock of familiar upset through her stomach. It wasn't so different from Reek and Tavi, she thought, but it lasted only a moment as she reminded herself that their situations were nothing alike. Scimitar and Bazi had mutually split up. While her first thought was of Reek, Saena's second thought was of Peregrine and Hawkeye, and how she hadn't hated Fox for taking Peregrine away from Hawkeye because they were no longer mates at the time. That was the real comparison, and despite how she felt about her father and Fox, ultimately it was what kept her from feeling any animosity toward Scimitar for pursuing another love.

"Allure never came by here," she said after a very lengthy pause to digest her thoughts, "but I'm glad some of your kids stayed to help with the new ones. I'm sorry you're in that situation and that your children are not with you, though." After all, Scimitar was presumably barred from seeing his new young, so lacking his former young was likely painful for him as well. Saena couldn't blame Bazi for that, though. She was doing exactly what Saena was doing—protecting herself, and attempting to prevent her kids' heartache.

The subject shifted back to Goober, and Saena's eyes briefly roved over Goldhawk in an effort to include him. Chosovi lingered still in the background, still and very likely ogling Scimitar, which Saena would be embarrassed about if she had seen it. "If he comes by here I'll send him your way," promised Saena, "though who knows how many names he may use." Perhaps he had a dozen in reserve, and suddenly she was wary of the possibility that she was harbouring Goober and didn't even know it. But that was preposterous. Esaro was innocent and naive, much too soft to rape anyone, and Luke was... well, Luke. Casmir was family, and the rest of her pack was women. Surely there was no Goober hiding among them. "If he mentioned Phoenix Maplewood, might be that Reek knows something," she suggested, and let her words trail away at that.