Sun Mote Copse Won't you take my cane and hold my hand

He was confused, at first, why his mother looked so sad even though she was smiling. He figured it out by the time she praised him, and he felt bad knowing that he was doing more or less what his father had done...And he'd ended up dead. But it was different...That male hadn't wanted to kill him, and he hadn't wanted to kill the guy, either. There was a line between subduing someone, and killing them, and Bronco knew in his heart that he didn't have the spirit to cross it. Still...That didn't mean that everyone else felt the same way. He quietly accepted his mother's praise with a silent nod, distracted by the heavy fact that yes- he was growing up and that growing up meant getting closer to danger. 

What his mother spoke of next wasn't a dangerous situation, but it still raised red flags in Bronco's mind, and he stiffened, pulling away as though he'd received some kind of unwanted physical contact when she spoke. And she mentioned Phox. And she mentioned seeing him. And of course, his mind went right there and his features told it all. He refused to look at her, but stared, wide-eyed, off into the distance, as he sought to get the image out of his mind. She paused, and he gulped. He shrugged. "Yep." He said, and shrugged his shoulders. Presently, it didn't really register that his mother had an emotional attachment to Phox, and that the two wanted to be together. All he could think about was what them being together implied, so he forced himself to grate out something of a question, though he didn't want too much information, so it ended up being a statement. "So you're having more kids." His voice was a bit tight, and he realized it. He told himself to chill. He didn't think badly of Phox- he adored Towhee, but Phox...Eh, Bronco didn't know him well enough to really say much of anything as a comment. It had never occurred to him that anyone would ever be a replacement for his dad- and Bronco had been so young when he'd passed...That it seemed like ages ago. "Uhm. Congrats?"