Redtail Rise you need someone to take your pain for you?

@Ancelin <3

It didn't take her long to find her son's scent and track it through the territory; even if she had been gone for most of his short life, she still knew his scent anywhere. 

When she found him, she noticed his face first, the wounds there making her angry. She wanted to demand the name of who had hurt him, but that wouldn't be a good way to approach him. Ancelin... was all she could say at first. Her gaze moved over his injuries. Are you okay? She needed to make sure of that before they talked about anything else. Who knew if his wounds had been treated?

ancelin had been a boy the last time he had seen his mother, a brief glimpse and an end to what he thought would be his father's pain over losing atreus.
but it did not seem as if their family was meant to remain as one. atreus was still gone and now their father had disappeared somewhere into the landscape as well.
ancelin had started to make his peace with the departure of his entire natal bloodline. he had avicus, he had her children. he was connected even if he had acted for a long while as if it were only adjacently 
relic had scarred his face during a challenge, and @Lilia — she had accepted him back, though somehow ancelin still did not know they shared a den.
and now his mother was home, and he felt propelled back to the first moment he had set foot on the rise again after he and his father had failed to bring atreus home or
"arielle." his greeting was not son to mother, but hunter to a packmate, and he wanted her to know he was not going to run to her again or sob or beg her to come back. "you're looking well. it's good to see you back." rote. automaton. "i'm fine." if he let himself feel anything he knew he would be angry and ancelin had been marked for his last outburst.

The way he spoke to her hurt like the knowledge that Aventus was gone; that she was alone again. Even now, she was alone; it was clear Ancelin no longer saw her as his mother, and that was her fault. The bear was testing her now, seeing how she would react—with emotion or with logic. He was born of the bear, and she would need to remind him of that, but slowly; she held no ground with him now, but she could change that. She had to.

I'm glad you're okay. She needed to tread carefully if she wanted to earn his trust and loyalty back. He was long past being loyal to her for the simple fact that she was his mother. But he was strong, she could tell, and she wanted to help him be stronger. The bear wanted him, and Arielle would give the bear what it wanted. I hope you made them pay, she added, tipping her muzzle towards his scars.

his mother did not respond as he had expected her to, and it took the wind out of his sails. all of a sudden he was a ragged, lopsided boy again, rubbing his nose with his ankle for a quick, annoyed moment.
"i'm sure you'll see him around," he grunted. "atreus has been gone. and dad left a while ago." in case she hadn't noticed or perhaps didn't realize things were easier for him if she was g —
but that hurt, hurt a lot to even think. "are you staying?" finally ancelin looked at her, seeing how travel had shaped both her figure and the look in her eyes.
"auntie gave me a job to do, with our ally. i'm just here for a couple hrs," he told her, deciding to devote his next day to finding lilia's gift.

Will I? What's his name? Maybe she would need to make him pay for hurting her son. There were many ways to do that and she needed to build up her herb den again anyway. The mention of Aventus and Atreus was like a knife to her heart. She wished they were here now, especially her mate; she would feel less alone if he was. I've been searching for your father but found nothing... She looked away for a moment, trying to hide the complete despair that knowledge brought with it. I will keep looking for him and your brother. It was an easy promise to make. 

He asked if she was staying, which hurt too, but she deserved it. I came back to be with you, Ancelin, and I don't plan on going anywhere. The only way she would leave was if she was forced to or taken against her will. The former was more likely, but she would make sure that didn't happen if she could. She had work to do. 

He was only here for a couple of hours. What job were you given? she asked. The real question was if she could go with him, but she couldn't get the words out.

"stop." not hard. not mean. just — how would it look if his suddenly-returned mother went to fight a battle for him that was already over? he had nothing to say on the subject of his father or his brother, or his mother's promise.
the indigo of his eyes glowed his mistrust.
suddenly ancelin felt protective of his task, of his rank, of his position here, which these days felt more tenuous than perhaps it was. "if you want to stay with me, then quit looking for them." he saw no reason to believe in her if there was a chance she could disappear in search of them. they chose to leave. she chose to come back, and he wanted to beg her to stay.

He didn't want her to intervene, made clear by just the one word. And who was she to argue with him over it? She has been gone longer than she had been around. She had no right to demand things from him. And she wouldn't win him over that way either. It was important to her that he learn to trust her—probably the most important thing to her right now. Arielle nodded. She would leave it alone.

He didn't answer her question; he only looked at her with mistrust in his gaze. His violet gaze. His eyes were breathtaking. She wanted to embrace him and kiss away the mistrust, but she wasn't sure he would let her. But his demand that she stop looking made her heart hurt. She had to choose between him and the rest of her family and she was weak enough, desperate enough for his acceptance that she would make that choice. She only hoped Atreus and Aventus wouldn't hold it against her. Again, she found herself wishing her mate was here with her. Okay. I won't look for them. I'll stay here with you. Guilt was heavy in her heart but so was her love for Ancelin, so was the bear's greed.

just like that? ancelin snorted. he didn't believe her, but his eyes were not quite as cold as before. to hide their thaw he looked away, flicking his tail. "i gotta get back to it," he stated in a mumble. 
and then he sighed and rolled his shoulders, and shot her a look that could not be called charitable but was possibly acceptant. "good to see you back, mom."
that was all. he signed off with a tip of his head and a turn into the landscape of the rise. he couldn't think of a thing more to say.

I gotta get back to it.

It wasn't the reunion she had hoped for. She had stupidly believed that her son would be happy to see her. But she had been gone for most of his life. she was stupid to think he would welcome her back with love. 

She nodded at his words. Bye, Ancelin, she murmured. She could feel tears sting the backs of her eyes but she didn't want him to see her cry—she didn't want him to feel sorry for her. She didn't deserve it.

Even after his form disappeared on the horizon, she stayed where she was, miserable and unsure what to do now.

She would earn his love and loyalty back; she had to.