Bearclaw Valley b

Like any grandfather, he could do little more than smile at her surprise; her emotions were painted across her face with such ease, he was almost jealous. Ah, to be young and capable of such things again… some days he missed it but, for the most part, he was glad to have learned to better restrain himself, to keep his innermost thoughts and feelings where they belonged. “It was,” he told her, nodding. “I do not recall why she changed her name. Perhaps she never told me.” He assumed it was to feel closer to her mother, given the similarities between the names. But he had never asked—he’d never had the chance to, honestly—and she had never volunteered to tell him.

Why would she have, when their meetings were always so tense and without good terms to end on?

As she spoke of her own father, he could not help but inwardly note just how mature she seemed to be. Life had not been the kindest to her by taking a parent away but, despite that, she remained the same. His ears did perk, however, at the mention of a male’s name. “Is Greyback your mother’s husband?” he asked, curious; no matter how strained their relationship was, Kove could never rid himself of paternal feelings felt towards her. She was one of his first daughters, his little boss of the valley—he could not even force himself to forget that. Yet, he knew the feelings were not mutual, given their previous reunions, and said assumption was further confirmed by the child’s lack of knowledge in regards to his existence. “It’s alright,” he assured her, taking notice to the way her posture changed. “I hadn’t expected her to tell you about me. Your mother and I… we have never been on the best of terms.” He would not lie to her and spin some tale—she deserved to know the truth, even if the past that came with it plagued him.

Suddenly, there came an onslaught of questions, one right after the other. As she spoke, she began to move, and he followed after whilst thinking it all over. “You definitely were not adopted,” he began with. “You are identical to your grandmother. It’s like talking to a ghost.” Only, the ache in his chest had started to fade, replaced by something akin to joy; Scarlett lived on, though not with him, and now within a younger body. “I lived south of here, within a forest that I had promised to protect,” he admitted, careful to keep the pack’s name from slipping; he wasn’t sure what she knew of Blackfeather Woods, and wished not to risk startling her. “I… I was not with your grandmother when she passed, I’m afraid. We parted ways before that.” There were days when he wished he would have been there, believing that things might have been different if that were the case. Perhaps she would still be alive and maybe they would have found a way to resolve things—but he had not been present, his time stolen away by those he’d promised to protect, even when they refused him the same treatment.