It was time to face the facts. Wren had left after finally coming home, and that was the end of it. She wouldn't be coming back to him, and he needed to realize that. He still woke up at every sound outside of his den, longing for it to be his mate returning to him. But time after time he had been disappointed. He couldn't keep waiting like this, and it was time that they all moved on. It wasn't like he was going to start looking for a new mate, but he was lonely. He had thought that Wren had been his soul mate, his one and only. But had she even loved him? Or had it been the pack that had attracted her to him? After all, they did meet on the eve he claimed Abaven. After that she had been spotty at best, the only time that they had even been intimate with each other was the two times that they produced children. Had he been fooling himself this whole time? They were all questions that he would most likely never know the answer to.

Bass padded out of pack lands, settling in the nearby young forest. Tipping his head up, he let out a howl for his kids and his sister. They needed a little family get together, which is why he was calling them away from Abaven. Starling had wandered off after getting into a fight with both himself and Finch, and he hadn't heard from him since. He didn't even know if Sparrow had been sticking around after their talk. But for once he just wanted to gather them all up and talk to them about things, connect with them on a more parental level instead of as their alpha. Truth be told, he missed them. In a time like this, he needed his family the most. If only he had been calling more of his litter mates, but Harmony was the only one that remained. Taking a deep breath, he sat down on the fresh, thin layer of snow and waited. This was not going to be the most fun discussion, but he figured that all the kids already knew that their mother wasn't coming home. Maybe they could all go out on a hunt or something after this. Anything to get his mind off of the lingering sadness.

"SPEAK!" -- "SPEAK ITALIAN!"

Somewhere in the distance a howl rang out. It sounded like it came from beyond Abaven's borders and so for several long moments Pipit remained where he was. He was on the verge of tuning it out, of ignoring it completely because it didn't pertain to him, and then the familiarity of the caller's voice registered and Pipit's ears pricked in interest. His first reaction was surprise -why was only the family being called?- and then a mixture of wariness and worry, a fear for those family members who currently wandered, before he finally settled on what he considered a reasonable medium. Considering the currently fractured state of their family, he shouldn't have been too caught off guard by the call. It was about time for a family meeting. They had plenty to discuss.

After hauling himself to his feet the stout brute shook out his coat and scattered leaf litter and dirt every which way. He stretched, forepaws flung as far forward as he could reach and then after straightening, one at a time snapped out each hind foot for an equally reaching backwards stretch. For reason he couldn't quite place the brute lingered a few more seconds before finally ambling off in the direction of the Nook. Perhaps he was a bit nervous. The last time he'd been summoned for something his mother had reappeared and, per the norm, some of his siblings had felt it necessary to show their displeasure with dramatic displays. He wasn't sure how much more he could take of it, really. Not for one second did they think this family meeting would be any different.

---

"Dad," he rumbled upon laying eyes on the waiting Destruction patriarch. His gaze darted away as he sought to see if anyone else had arrived. Upon seeing none, he said in a low voice, "I hope all is well." While not a question itself there was no missing the query behind his statement. Was everything alright? Not just in the sense of an emergency, like with what had happened to his sister, but emotionally. Personally. Was Bass alright?

Piper's ears perked up at the sound of her father's howl and without hesitation she turned and trotted toward him. She had tried so hard to cheer him up every time they were together, but she knew things had still been hard on him lately. Maybe she hadn't taken her mother's absence as hard as her older siblings and father had since her mother hadn't been around for much of her life thus far. She was far less concerned about how she felt about it all than how they all felt. She was a bit surprised as she passed over Abaven's border, but she found her father and one of her many older brothers not long afterward. She gave her father a smile and came over to bump his shoulder with her nose. "Hey, Dad." She settled down on her haunches somewhere between Bass and Pipit then, trying not to look awkward as she did so. She worried that this family meeting might be filled with emotions that she couldn't relate with and she wasn't sure how to respond to. There was also the added fact that she honestly couldn't remember a specific time when she had been with her older siblings. She mostly just saw them in passing or at pack meetings. She really didn't see Merlin much any more either. How could she live with so many siblings and still barely know them? She shifted a bit as she tried to shake off the odd feelings she had over the whole situation while she waited with them for the rest of their family to arrive. "Talk" "You" Think

She hadn't left quite yet. She wanted to go, but she lingered still. She hadn't made much progress in adventuring other than to Imperium to visit Ashmedai, and those days were over. Rumors of Imperium's fall had spread, but could they have really just left? For such fiery spirits to just vanish... What had happened to Ashmedai and his family? His tall brother and his father? What had happened to Aunt Rhythm?

Questions weighed heavily on her mind. Maybe she could go and see for herself when she took her vacation from the pack. The possibilities made her heart skip, but she had to admit she was a little scared. She lingered still when her father's call echoed through the land. It was just for family? Her heart dropped. Did someone die? Was someone sick? Was he going to tell them about her confession? Sparrow turned, hesitating or a moment before she finally took off towards the call.

When she came, two of her younger siblings were there already. Sparrow dipped her head towards them and seated herself, snorting as the fluid in her nose threatened to spill over. She could wait to leave, even if just for a moment.

Lark didn't remember his father ever calling them to meet outside of Abaven lands. Was he okay? What had happened? There was no real hint of panic in his voice, so Lark assumed things must be relatively well. His call was also not particularly joyful, which made his chest feel heavy. Everything lately, at least relating to family, seemed to come with drama. A sigh left his lips as he headed toward his father's call, both dreading it and feeling wildly curious about what sort of meeting this might be. He did not hurry, but he didn't drag his paws either. He was not surprised that a few of his siblings had arrived already. Pipit was there, looking rather serious, as were Piper and Sparrow. It wasn't surprising that Starling was not there - he had been scarce for awhile - but he was a bit surprised that neither Finch nor Merlin had arrived yet. His brow furrowing slightly, he'd lope forward slowly, moving to sit next to Pipit with a soft exhalation of breath.

Crap, crap crap she was late. She had heard her fathers call but she had been heading towards the Sunset Falls, the last place she had seen Tib outside of the festival up north. She had almost been there when she heard a howl for just her family and them alone. She didn't even have time to be concerned, picking up the pace and racing towards Abaven lands. Only her family's scent was leading away from pack lands. What the... Confused, the dame skidded to a halt and looked over to a place she knew well. Redbud Nook. That had been her and Starling's favorite place to explore together. With a sigh she took off again, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Finally she made it, and saw that she was one of the last to arrive. Dammit all... Panting, she came to a stop beside Lark and flopped to her rump. She looked over and grinned at her brother, in a very bright mood. Everything had been looking up for her lately, besides Starling and their mother missing, of course. Right, maybe that is what this was all about. She grew more somber, feeling the weight of Civetta as she settled down on the girl's head, nuzzling close to one of her ears. Trying to catch her breath, she waited with slightly pinned ears for their father to speak. "SPEAK" -- "SPEAK ITALIAN" -- "CIVETTA SPEAK"

Art by Shelby

Pipit was the first to arrive, asking him a question that was a lot more heavy handed than he realized. It wasn't an outright question, but it was nearly impossible to miss the implication in his tone. He opened his mouth to say that he was fine, only to close it with a sigh. His ears pulled back, and he studied his son's face. "I've been better, a lot better. Hopefully things will start to look up from here," he said softly. He was about to say more when Piper came up, bumping up against him. He offered a small smile and leaned down to lick the top of her head, something he seemed to do often with his kids. "Hey Kiddo, I hope you haven't gotten into too much trouble," Bass teased. It felt lack-luster though, not in the usual light that he liked to carry with his growing children. He hoped that his youngest girl wouldn't notice though. His heart felt heavy, not looking forward to everything that needed to be said. Sparrow came next, and he was thankful that she hadn't gone off on her trip just yet. He wanted everyone to be here for this, it wouldn't be fun to have to go from kid to kid to recap everything. Bass felt like he could see her worry, and he tried to catch her gaze. Quickly he gave a shake of his head, he would not share her stipulations at this time. He was still fighting hard to think everything over, and bringing it up would only cause more drama than he desired. Next came Lark, who sat silently beside his brother. He waited for the rest of his kids to show up, finding it odd that Finch had not showed up yet. Usually she was the first. And Merlin and Harmony, where were they? He sighed again, trying to think of how to start all of this. And then, Finch raced in. He eyed her, a single brow raising as she flopped beside Lark as her bird sat on her head. Where had she been? Finch met his gaze and offered a sheepish smile, and he just slowly shook his head. The oldest litter were 3 years old already, they were allowed to have a life.

He waited a little bit longer for the others to appear, but when no one showed up he knew that he couldn't wait any longer. Taking a deep breath, he looked around to his children who had gathered. "I called you kids," could he even call them that anymore? "here because this is a family matter that does not concern the rest of the pack. I'm sure you have all realized that your mother has once again vanished," Bass tried to keep the anger and hurt out of his voice, but failed. It cracked under the weight of his emotions. "If she does return again, she will not be welcomed back. She has made her choice to leave this family, I supposed she did that a long time ago..." He turned to the side and attempted to keep himself in check. He didn't want to think about how blind he had been to the whole thing.

When he had more of a firm hold on himself, he looked back at the young adults before him. "Starling has also left. He got into a bit of an altercation with myself and Finch, and left after that. I haven't run into his scent for awhile, no matter where I have looked. I'm just hoping that he needed to sort things out and will come back when he's ready." He hated that his family had been torn up like that. Falling silent, his golden gaze flitted across each face, trying to get a read on them. And now if anyone wanted to say something, now was the time. The floor was open to them.

"SPEAK!" -- "SPEAK ITALIAN!"

Sparrow sat nervously, but her father's gaze reassured her. He would not bring up Lillianna today. As he began to speak, it clicked into place; he was here to confirm their family was falling apart. Sparrow laughed a little under her breath, shaking her head. She felt like she had known this. She agreed that their mother shouldn't be allowed back. She made her choice clearly. She was nothing but a drag from this point on.

Then he mentioned Starling. So he had altercations with other members too? So he had single-handedly isolated himself from his entire family. It figured. Before she realized it, her feelings about Starling emerged in her mind; she didn't feel bad he was gone. Sparrow's stomach dropped at the realization. What had happened to pull her away from her family?

Did she feel like this about the rest of her siblings? Sure she wasn't close to any of them, but she would feel bad if they were gone, right? She was so worried over Finch. She and Finch had gotten to really talk for the first time when she was recovering. If Finch hadn't gotten sick... would they have grown apart too? What about Lark? Sparrow wasn't sure. Pipit? Where was he even? What about her younger siblings? How did she feel about them?

Sparrow felt conflicted. She thought her family had been close at one point, but she wasn't even sure if they felt like family anymore. Where could she go? Who could she talk to? "Okay, I understand," she nearly choked, "Is there anything more?" She was getting antsy to leave. Maybe separation would make her see how much her family really meant to her.

His father's reaction, while not what he'd been hoping for, was what he'd expected. He couldn't imagine what Bass was going through. At least Bass was positive, although the sigh before the words didn't give Pipit a lot of confidence in the words. Pipit nodded. "Hopefully," he murmured as Piper arrived and his father's attention was diverted to the younger Destruction.

The others soon arrived with Lark moving to sit down beside him. With his brother settling in Pipit nonchalantly leaned over to bump shoulders with him in greeting. He didn't say anything, but briefly glanced over in the hopes of making eye contact before his gaze was pulled away as Finch arrived. It would appear that she was going to be the last to arrive and briefly Pipit wondered where the rest were.

"...I'm sure you have all realized that your mother has once again vanished." Pipit nodded slowly, his ears pulling back briefly as his father's hurt tone registered. Bass' next words caused his ears to flick back and stay back longer. After a few moments he nodded firmly. That had to have been a hard decision for his father to make and while the thought of once and for all cutting his mother out of Abaven stung, Pipit had to agree. The decision was harsh, but it was a decision that was long overdue. Nonetheless he was saddened by it.

It didn't surprise Pipit to learn that Starling had left. He'd always been a bit of an attention-seeking drama queen and this, Pipit wasn't too sure that this wasn't just another attempt to get the spotlight. His sibling was kind-hearted and genuine, but far too tender-hearted and easily wounded. Pipit hoped that while he wandered Starling would have a chance to truly think and maybe, just maybe, come back a stronger man. Assuming of course that he came back. Perhaps he would find his confidence elsewhere.

Much to his pleasure, Finch did eventually arrive - only slightly late, if at all. His somber demeanor shifted slightly when she moved to his side, his mood brightening as a faint smile appeared on his face, though it remained but for a moment before their father began to speak. Much of what he said was not surprising to him. Their mother was gone, and wouldn't be welcomed home. She'd made their choice to leave their family long ago, but actually hearing it as fact made his chest ache painfully. He nodded slowly in agreement. It sucked, but it was her loss - she'd been a terrible mother for much of their lives anyway, what with her being gone all the time. A soft sigh left his lips. It wasn't surprising about Starling, either. He'd left and returned, a few times now, never with any explanation. He'd seemed to pretend he was actually just troubled, but Lark had called him out for it - he was selfish. Selfish for leaving them all to worry, selfish for being so melodramatic at the worst times. He grimaced as he thought of it. He was somewhat taken aback at Sparrow's question - if that was it, or if she could leave. He frowned outwardly.  "Why? Got somewhere more important to be?" he'd ask aloud, his voice low, unafraid of the consequences. Now that they were finally together, it struck him as bizarre that she was so quick to run off. What had gotten into everyone?