Broken Antler Fen and the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon

"She said—" Caracal tried to answer when Reyes cut him off with a sigh. The boy remained mum as he explained his side of the story. It pretty much matched up with what Towhee had told them. It sounded to him like he had refused, albeit for reasons, though Caracal hardly wanted to argue with his dad.

"She told us she wanted you close by so she could keep an eye on you, on us," he said a little slowly when Reyes finished, "Is that the condition you didn't like? How come?" He really couldn't wrap his young mind around it. Someone was nearly always with him or watching him from afar. Caracal didn't see the big deal but wanted to understand, if the guileless look on his face was anything to go by.

But no matter how hard he tried, he didn't really get it. He could tell that it wasn't something Reyes wanted to continue talking about any longer, so he dropped it. They spent the remainder of the visit chit-chatting, until they both agreed Caracal should probably get back before he got them both into trouble.