Broken Antler Fen Some free time

@Kalita

Sebastian was by the Cove. He was managing the caches and what type of food could be thrown away and which one would they be able to save. Sometimes not all food was eaten which was a good thing, but he didn't wan any of the other types of meat to spoil from the other bad meat.

However the male had a hard time focusing because well, by now he had found out that he was going to be a father! And he was super excited for it. Still he tried to concentrate and remind himself that he had to wait a few months before anything would happen.

She had been rather distant, she supposed, in her time since joining the pack. Few members made her hesitant to leave too often, and she stayed around the territory, doing what she could to use the burden of the pack as it went about it's daily affairs. Today, she had practised her tracking, following a doe through the territory until she finally spotted it near the northern reaches of the territory. It had been part of a small band, that she suspected to have already moved further north, as the group had been moving quickly. 

She moved back to the Cove, eager to do something, and noted the scent od Sebastien prominent here. Sebastien. Lately, the scent had been bothering her, and she felt that she ought to remember something she had forgotten. But she pushed it aside, walking toward the male and announcing her presence with a chuff.

Sebastian looked up at the chuff. He was rather glad for the distraction that the female brought him. He quirked up his lips with a smile. He hadn't really seen her around. He felt bad for not investing more time into her. He had been rather absorbed with Pearl and her heat. Also with the fact that he was becoming a father.

"Kalita. Hi," he greeted. "How are you?," he asked curiously. He hoped that nothing was wrong. But she seemed alright. Hopefully she would soon become a bigger part of their family.

He greeted her kindly, her replying with a "Hey, Sebastian." and a smile. At his next words, she halted, dipping her head. "Good. Was tracking some deer earlier, but they're no longer in the territory." she said casually, sitting and recling on her haunches as she surveyed Seb with a smile, something still nagging at her. "I think I'd like to get the hunter trade. Ya' know, be helpful." she mentioned, for it had been at the forefront of her mind. That, and perhaps some tinkering with herbs and plants. But she believed hunting to be her forte, so to speak.

Sebastian returned a smile to her when she greeted her, dipping his head. "That is nice to know," he returned. "Pearl and I have our hunter trade too. So you don't have to do it to be useful only if you are interested in being Hunter. But hunters are always useful." Sebastian could see however that something was nagging her. Maybe it was just how she was behaving, not so out going as last time.

He looked over her. "Are you feeling at home here?," he asked. He hoped that she knew that she could he honest. "You have been very helpful already, thank you," he decided to compliment her.

He rambled a bit in his reply, but she didn't mind. She had come to learn that rambling, stuttering or disjointed speech was often better then smooth, formal language,  more sincere. She liked Seb- he didn't seem like a pycho, or some twofaced person, but a kind, reliable packmate. She liked that, and was content to stay in the fen a while. 

"You know, at first I wasn't sure about joining a pack. There were some wolves I wanted to find, plus I hadn't been part of a pack for a while. But you guys, seem like family." she said, tail sweeping the ground behind her like it was attached to another body. When she became aware of the subconscious movement, she stopped,  looking to Sebastian.

Sebastian smiled at her with a quirk of his lips. It came so easy to him. He liked making other's smile. "You were looking for someone?," he asked more sincerely. He felt even more honored that she stopped to join them. However, it also made him realize that she might leave. He wouldn't want that. "Is there a way we could help looking for these... wolves?," he asked.

"Well it is my main goal to have one big family," he admitted with a grin, a proud grin. A new member that could see they were a big family. Sebastian was really a genuine wolf wanting to do right, sometimes he wanted to do help too many. But it seemed they had a decent family now. Ones that were here to stay.

To her surprise, Sebastian offered to help find her paternal relatives. Perhaps, months ago, she would have agreed, but now she was happy where she was. The notion meant a lot, that he was willing to help, and made her think briefly how lucky a wolf Pearl was. S'alright. I mean, the way my mom talked about him, it seemed my dad was a major ass hole.  Plus, pretty sure whatever pack my paternal family came from is long gone by now. she said, sincere. She had come to terms with her absent father ages ago, her mother's death had shaken her, but she'd moved on. At his next words, she grinned. "Feels like one"

Sebastian's ears perked up when he heard that. He had an asshole father too, so he could relate. But if he listened to her words it turned out that she might not have known her father? Sebastian liked to know more about this. "So you didn't know your father?," he asked her curiously.

Sebastian thought about it. Why would she look for her asshole father when she heard about him that he was an asshole? Then he had to remind himself that he went to look for his own asshole of a father, which really didn't deserve the title of a father. Sperm donor was more like it. "What is your parental pack's name? Is it here in Teekon?," he asked further. "Perhaps I have come across them? I traveled a lot."

"Nope." was her single word answer to his question. But then she remembered something, and her eyes narrowed a moment as she brought the memory to the surface. "Actually;" she began slowly, "I think he's dead. But from my mother's rambling, he had an extensive family. I've been looking for them." she said. The Rochesters. She understood them to be an extensive group, even if one of it's figureheads had died. How? She didn't quite remember. Her mother's rambling, short tales had been told to her as a young pup. Had he fallen off a cliff? Eaten bad food? Upsurped, or something. She was leaning toward that.

"Yeah" she responded hurriedly, having been thinking for most of his question. "It was, uh...Bramble Ridge." she paused, looking to him. "Wait. Nope. Scratch that, it doesn't sound right. Thorn Ridge. That was it. I'm, like, 95% sure." she said, looking at him again. Such an eloquent speaker, as always.

Sebastian became rather interested in her family. He had a rather extensive family too. But some wolves did really have extensive families. It was quite the hassle. "I know what that is like," he joked lightly not really expecting anything from this female and that he could possibly be related to her in any way.

The large male's ears perked up. "Thorn Ridge?," he asked and sounded a bit confused. "That almost sounds like my parental pack name! I was born on Thorn Ledge!," he let out with a chuckle. His tail moving contently. "Not a very nice place though, especially my uncle Darius made our lives a living hell," he spoke with a light frown.

"Thorn Ledge!" she interupted, for that was 100% the name of her pack. That had been it. She looked at him a little closer, but as he spoke, her eyes narrowed as he spoke. Thinking. The thing that had been nagging her, was screaming now. Then the name that he spoke, and it clicked. Her eyes widened. "SEBASTIAN ROCHESTER" she screeched, giddy. The force of her yell had her wince a moment longer, and she cringed. "oops. Sorry. I didn't mean- but that's it, isn't it! Your last name. And mine. Darius was Dad. My dad, not yours. And you- pushed him off a cliff? Which was fine, cause he was an ass, but- Sebastian!" she said in a single breath, words flowing out in a rush. She was very likely to continue if Seb didn't stop her. 

She was on her feet now, alert and fur disheveled, amazed by her discovery. She had only paused to take in a breath, feeling very excited now and not much else.

Sebastian looked visibly shocked when the female suddenly yelled his full name. His brows were raised and he took a step back. His ears perked up forward and listened to her talking. "W-what?," he spoke, visibly in shock. Making her stop rambling. "Darius is your father? You are my cousin?," he let out. Which also meant that he killed her father... and she was not mad at him!?

He looked so confused. "Kalita... I killed... You aren't mad?," he asked her with a soft gasp. "So your mother was pregnant of Darius when the pack split up?," he asked to be sure. "Wow.. I did not expect this," he admitted. He looked a bit troubled, never expecting that he would ever have some of his cousins in his pack.

He looked scared and confused, and his words stopped her own violent rush of syllables. Should she be mad? He had killed her father, and logically, she should be. But...she didn't. She pondered this a moment, furrowing her brow as she regained her composure and allowed him to talk. "I mean- I'm your cousin!" she confirmed, not exactly sure what she was feeling beside shock. Urgh. Feelings were weird and painful to sort out. 

There was the small matter of him having killed her father to sort out, and her absence of much thought on that one. "My mother was...confused. Sometimes she talked about the dude who killed my dad, you, as a saviour- someone that ended something horrible. Other times, she really seemed to hate you." she admitted. "But I- He- You're a good guy, Seb. I trust you, and I think that maybe it was for the best that he died." she said finally, watching him.

Sebastian watched the other with some disbelieve. It was interesting to hear that her mother would think of him like that. He, a savior. It sounded so weird, yet on the other side she was also mad at him. Sebastian stood there in light disbelieve. Kalita's words did help. Saying that he was a good guy. He liked to think of himself as a good guy, and others often did confirm that.

"I'm sorry. But your mother was right, you should be glad you never met him to he honest," he spoke to her. "I can't believe that he fathered something nice as you though," Sebastian admitted to her. Her looked at her with more serenity. He wondered if she wanted to know more. "He-- I don't know. Well--- You are even more of my family aren't you? And oh god! Aviana! She is your cousin too. But-- ahh," he looked doubtful for a moment.

"Aviana was raped by him, Kalita," he spoke softly. His eyes looked into hers. "Perhaps... Perhaps we should not tell her Darius is your father... You could say Burke fathered you with another female?," he spoke. "I don't want her to be reminded of him even more..."

His words were met with excitement and a smile, until he mentioned Aviana and her expression dropped. The shy, silent, girl had encountered her father, it seemed. She felt repulsed, and another horrible expression she could not name. She faltered, maw opening a moment to close the next. "I-" she begun, then stopped. "I didn't know that. I thought of...Darius as just a kind of guy that was a jerk, not one who would-"

Realizing now what a horrible tyrant her father must have been, this proof so close made her drop her demeanor quickly. "I-okay." she said, ashamed suddenly of her entire family. The man that had sired her, the mother that had been so absent. Her mother she could not entirely blame, but Darius she could. Her ears folded across her skull in shame, excitement and shock diminished. "Who...is Burke?"

Sebastian stepped closer to her and nudged her. He even gave her a lick over her cheek. "Perhaps your mother was confused herself because it might have happened to her too," he offered. "Kalita... I struggled with this too, because I hated my father. I thought he was bad person. And therefore I thought I was bad or I had this darkness inside of me. But you are your own person. You is you. And none of your parents have anything to do with that. He didn't even raise you. So you are not like him, in any way. He is just a stranger," he explained to her, not wanting for her to feel bad.

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Burke is my father, the brother of Darius. He is ... troubled and distant but not like Darius," he explained to her. He nudged his nose under her chin to make her feel better and lift her muzzle a bit. "You are with the good Rochesters now," he promised with a light smile.