Sun Mote Copse Grace just hold me in your arms and let this moment linger

No one there to explain death to him? Niamh opened her mouth to tell Wraen she was basically accusing Eljay of being a lacklustre father- but then again, they both knew how hard Eljay had taken Wildfire's death. He'd wanted a family his whole life- and he'd found someone he could finally dote on and children of his own he could raise...And in the wake of such a glorious moment, his beloved Wildfire had passed away. Niamh could relate, so she shut her mouth quietly, and felt ashamed more for herself, and how she hadn't done much to help Eljay. Of course, her children had been born within a day of Wildfire's passing, so she had been understandably preoccupied- or so she told herself, so that she did not feel too guilty, but saying that was a somewhat transparent film of reassurance at best. 

What else could have been done for the boy, then? Niamh and Colt had just had their first litter, leaving Niamh in charge of nursing the kids and Colt had stepped up to lead the pack. Finley and Elwood had had their own kids not long before Wildfire's passing, and they had to focus on their own children- including Eljay, who had been distraught. That meant caring for the typical Blackthorn litter of four and their eldest, mourning son. They had naturally been the next in line to step in and care for Weejay and Elfie, but that meant dividing their attention between seven of their children, if Eljay was included. The only other wolf left in question was Wraen, then- who certainly didn't seem to be skirting on her responsibilities, either. After all- she seemed to know the most about Elfie out of all of them. But children will listen and associate only with those that they can respect and love- and a truly troubled child could be hard to reach for even the most caring mentor. 

She was beginning to notice that Wraen was more sagacious than she had originally noticed. Niamh liked her story-telling...But this was simply because the remnants of baby-brain caused her to forget that it was Maia who'd been the story-teller, not Wraen. Regardless- her false memory worked in Wraen's favour.  She wasn't like other wolves that Niamh had met, who would go along with their companion's opinions and stories, and immediately take their side after hearing about a conflict simply to endear themselves more. Wraen didn't seem to need Niamh to agree with her on every point in order to seem more likeable, nor did she rush to sympathize with every one of Niamh's complaints and woes so as to avoid having her own reputation tossed into the dumpster fire as well. She seemed above those kind of childish antics- but not in a proud, arrogant way. Wraen simply seemed to understand things in such a way that Niamh couldn't, and though it did frustrate Niamh a bit, she knew in the end that Wraen was doing the right thing by being able to play the Devil's advocate, and to see both sides of a story. She was jealous that Wraen was able to do such a thing, as neutrality was one of Niamh's most glaring weaknesses, but it didn't make her dislike her leader. She was beginning to see just how much Wraen deserved to lead their pack. 

She had to smile faintly when Wraen compared Elfie to Finley, and there was humour in her voice when she spoke. "God help us all," She said with a snort. Niamh admired Finley greatly- she liked her spark. Of course, it had taken her a great deal of time to come to any sort of positive terms with Finley, given the immense strain put on their relationship the day they met, but with time they both seemed to have won each other over. Finley was tough as nails- but she was also an excellent mother. She knew how to balance things out. On the topic of Towhee being an idol, of course, Niamh nodded firmly. She would always vouch for her friend, and the mere thought of Elfie being in her shadow made Niamh believe that there was hope for Elfie. "She's made of one-hundred-percent amazing," Niamh said confidently. "Kinda makes me wish I'd thought of sending Bronco off to her- but...I do want him to stay here." She said. "I need him still," She said. Realizing she'd exposed a bit of her own vulnerability, she turned her attention back to the borders they were patrolling, and began to sniff about, pointedly avoiding eye contact. "H'ain't smelled any coyotes around here." She commented absently, the tone of her voice indicating that this was a good thing. Niamh hated coyotes- just as much as she hated foxes.