Broken Antler Fen when I am down I lay my hands upon the ground

Eljay recognised what Ibis said about her role and her own life from others in his life; his relatives who had taken the helm of the pack, and of course Wraen, who was a part of this pack too. There wasn't ever really as clear a difference between rank and wolf as one would like; Eljay saw that as a part of leadership. His parents, to him, had always been just his parents, even though they were also Betas. Either way, he nodded at her words. He hadn't meant to imply that he thought she had her leadership life and her own life as two separate entities. He just knew that being a leader meant there was less time for your own life. He hoped she remembered making time for herself, too.

Don't forget yourself, Eljay said softly. A happy leader is a happy pack. He was pretty sure that the leader's health and happiness reflected on the pack, and so if Ibis didn't feel right the pack wouldn't feel right. She seemed to be doing alright, but he just wanted to remind her, as it seemed a thing leaders often forgot: themselves.

Ibis did not seem too struck by his news of Elfie's demise. Perhaps she had lost children or perhaps she had simply heard of loss too much. Or perhaps too little, not understanding entirely the gravity this held for him. Still, Eljay didn't linger on it too long and as Ibis moved on, responding to his medical knowledge, he did too.

Ibis seemed happy to know that Eljay was a medic and midwife, and seemed happy to have someone to coach potential new parents. This taught Eljay that Maia must not have talked to Ibis about puppies yet, as she didn't mention his own potential children (which to him weren't all that potential and more of a 'definite' thing). He decided not to mention it now, but mentally noted having to discuss this with Maia in the future.

Thanks, Eljay said after Ibis praised his knowledge. He felt his stomach twist as he thought of the pressure of Redhawk Caldera. He'd let them down in the end, unable to handle the pressure and needing to perform. As silence fell, Eljay said, I should head out — it was nice to meet you, though. I'm sure we'll see more of each other. The caretaker smiled softly at his new leader and waited to hear if she had anything more to say.