Shadewood The stars, they make me wonder so

Cearney and her siblings would always be the light of Arturo's life, even when he had new young ones to raise, even if his adult children no longer needed him the way they had as small children. This was only natural progression, he reminded himself, they were not the small children they'd once been, nor would they ever be. He was immeasurably proud of them all: Bain, Bowie, Cearney and Devin. Proud and thankful for their existence in his life ...even if the idea of being a father had startled and shook the gangster to his core when Duana had confessed her pregnancy to him. At that point in his life, being a father was not something Arturo had ever aspired to be but now that he had discovered it's joy he could not think of anything else he wanted — that wasn't entirely selfish, that was.

Their topic shifted to Bowie and she raised a question about her brother, but it was not an inquiry that Arturo readily had an easy answer to. Arturo tried not to worry about his children: he and Duana had raised them, after all. They knew how the Family operated and Arturo had unbridled faith that they would adhere to the Family's rules (for one was always apart of it and a representative of it even when they left) and knew how to act accordingly: whether it was as simple as survival or getting out of a spot of trouble. They, each of them, could take care of themselves, Arturo and his subordinates had seen to that. After a while, Arturo's lips parted to break his silence and when he spoke his deep voice had taken a softened edge, “I have not seen him since he left the Hollow, but do not fret too much Cearney. Bowie will take care of himself, I have no doubt that he lives still.” Granted, no one was an exception from circumstance nor mother nature but Arturo had to hold onto the hope that his second son was alive and well.

Arturo understood her reasoning for turning down his offer. Not a complete rejection, she'd assured him, but for now it was what she stood by. A sage nod was given and the coywolf swallowed thickly, heavy laden with the emotions and, perhaps, tickle of anxiety of having to part ways with his daughter not just so soon after they'd been reunited but with the imminent threat of death that was all that the famine promised them. “When I find a place to ride out this famine, I will see what I can do to see you a potential acceptance, should you decide to join me.” The idea that it would not, ultimately, be his decision made Arturo internally balk but this was what he was faced with and certainly not the first time in his life the Sovereign had been forced to humble himself and bow and take orders from another to advance himself.

Arturo lasped into a comfortable silence for a few moments, but he was not so ready to part ways with her yet, and wished to move onto a topic less...melancholy. “How is your mother, is she well?” Arturo respectfully inquired after Duana's well-being. She had not followed him, choosing to stay behind to aid Boadicea with the Hollow and they had mutually ended their relationship with one another. Easy to do if because they had never actually been official. Arturo was known for his wandering eye, though he'd only had one other potential lover which had not panned out — or rather with his departure from the Hollow had never had a chance to blossom into what he had with Duana. Still, Arturo cared about his ex-lover, harboring an affection that a man held towards the mother of his children that he could not claim that he loved. He turned his fiery orange-red gaze back upon his daughter, awaiting for some type of news of his mother hoping that Duana was faring well.

They shared idle news with one another and after a goodbye parted ways though Arturo was confident he would see her again in the future.

edited a conclusion onto this so it could be archived. c: