Swiftcurrent Creek Only hate the road when you're missing home.

He asked after what she planned for her own childrens' names and she smiled, though it did not quite reach her eyes. Paarthurnax had discussed pups with Shadow on several occasions: what they might look like, who they would take after most, what they wished for them to know, what they would be called. She held to heart the title he'd wished for a firstborn son, Traianus, and she'd once imagined this boy to be as powerful and bold as his father before him. Now that she knew of what Shadow was truly capable of, Paarthurnax could not doubt that she feared her sons would grow up to believe themselves to be as arrogant and cruel.

"For some of them, yes," she admitted, "their father wished for some to be named from his own heritage, but..." Paarthurnax averted her gaze downward, feeling her heart swell with the too familiar ache of remembering that her perfect little family was not meant to be. Her children would not have their father permanently to guide them, and for that she felt immense guilt. "Forgive me. Their father is no longer in the picture." She rolled a shoulder, surprised at herself for so openly telling this fragile information to a wolf who was practically a stranger. But there was finality in Paarthurnax' words, a tone that suggested she was done talking about the matter, and she was keen to move on in their conversation again.

Nefarious admitted his desire to pursue the healer skill, and at once her eyes were lifted. She sought the male's tangerine gaze, "I was trained in the ways of healing as a youngster, and held the title as I progressed into the adult ranks. I'd be interested in sharing what I know of the useful plants in the area with you, if you'd be so kind as to teach me a thing or two about what knowledge you gained from your homeland?"