Morningside Cuesta different now; better than

"It's something like that," Day agreed, gleaning by her expression that this conversation had shaken her quite a bit. "I know it seems complicated, and scary - but at the end of the day, all love wants to be good. You'll feel it in your heart - when it's time to apologize, to speak your mind, or even to let go. Trust yourself, and don't let your pride get in the way of your heart. That's all it takes, Dawn," he said, and there was a promise, somewhere in these words. He could not promise her that others would not use her, or that there would never be wickedness in the world or even in herself - but he could promise her that it could be avoided. If she was dilligent, if she was selfless, if she was truthful. It would not be easy, but when she went wrong, she would know it. This, he could promise.

He gave a little sigh when she asked again about that particular part of his story. Perhaps he should not have included it, or perhaps he should have saved it for another day. But it was out, now, and it would only hurt her if he kept the truth from her, now.

"Did you know that Keoni and Nikai were adopted? You weren't even born yet when it happened - but their mother was killed shortly after she joined the pack. Steady and Valette loved them like their own, but their birth mother was called Althaia," he explained, his ears flattening as he remembered the fear and confusion that had plagued them during that time. "I was gone when it happened - bringing your mother from her pack to Easthollow. We didn't live together when we met - but I found out shortly after, and I was able to get a bit of scent from - from where it happened."

He cleared his throat. "It was months later. Your mother and Addie were already gone, like I said. And I was angry. And I didn't know who she was, at first. The sound of a fight drew me to the borders. Your uncle Steady was there, fighting this woman. It looked like she wanted him dead, and it looked like he wanted her dead - so I jumped in. And we killed her," he said, his voice grim. "And later, I realized who it was. The woman who'd killed Althaia, and who'd stolen the baby sister of Keoni and Nikai - probably killed her, as well. We never found out."

He didn't know what else to say about the story. Part of him wanted to make excuses, while another wanted to highlight the reasons why what he'd done had been wrong, and perhaps give examples of what he might've done instead. But it was still, perhaps, too adult a conversation for Dawn, and he would let her take it where she wanted.