Broken Antler Fen Let your arms be a place she feels safe in

Come to think of it, though she thought of them often, Maia hadn't really spoken with anyone about her parents save Wraen.  She had never figured anyone would care much for wolves they never met, and besides, the best stories were the ones another wolf could relate to.  The way Eljay asked, she could tell he was honestly interested though.  A year back she might have shrugged it off, but since making peace with everything, it was a lot easier to talk about.

Mom was a storyteller, like Wraen and I.  She couldn't really travel much anymore but whenever she could, she'd tell us stories of all the interesting wolves she knew and the places she'd been.  Plus a bunch from her parents and relatives, things about our Uncle Peregrine and their old home.  A major part in Maia's coming here had been wanting to meet the wolf who her mom spoke about, but he'd been long gone by the time she arrived on the Caldera's borders all those years ago.  When she wasn't feeling well, though, dad would sometimes take over.  He never talked about his family other than to say they weren't good wolves, but he knew a few old stories.  Stuff about gods and all that.  It was all pretty story focused, she was realizing, but it was hard to think of their family without that being the focus.

Dad was always more serious, but in a way that we always knew he was listening.  Mom was amazing, but she had a lot of bad days.  Maia hadn't understood back then what her mom's depression or illness was, only that some days Dante would take the children and play, or pass them off onto a packmate so that he could spend the time with her.  The thought reminded her of Wraen's current health troubles in an entirely unwelcome way.

They died, like, two years ago now?  It's crazy to think it's been that long.  I found out right around the time when... um.  When Wildfire died.  She honestly didn't remember the timeline of it all that well, but she definitely remembered that a lot of things had happened at once.  Her parents, Charon, Wildfire, Colt... and at the end of it she'd gone home because she had to see for herself.  She'd barely known Eljay then and didn't even know if he'd noticed her at all.  But considering what a hard time it had been for both of them, it would hardly be surprising if he hadn't.  She'd barely felt like a part of the Firebirds at the time.