She was a year old now, and there was still a lot of things she didn't know about. Heather wished she was smarter - and yet she still had trouble connecting with her own emotions. She only knew how to be happy, and it was concerning when anything else came along. Also, what was she supposed to do? Was she a fighter, a healer, a hunter. Was there other things to do? Heather wished she could go on forever to ask questions from others. Have them tell her what she was supposed to be doing. Another new feeling, frustration, that she didn't understand. She let out a soft groan, the yearling flopped down on her stomach. Maybe she should ask her dad about it. Heather was still in a tizzy since her conversation with Alfred. Why did he have to say those weird things, wasn't he only thinking about himself? Either way her blue eyes looked up at the mongrove as she stayed on her stomach. What now? "Talk" "You" Think

Leo felt like he wasn't sure where he was heading more and more these days. He trekked from the den to the border and back again several times a day just from lack of anything else to do. He wandered through the territory aimlessly, looking for something to do or someone to chat with. He tried not to think about the fact that his pups were now old enough to start staying away from the den more and even start looking for a den of their own. One day he was going to be completely alone in that den and he wasn't entirely sure he was ready for that. He didn't want to keep his children from growing up and living their own lives though. That would be incredibly selfish of him. No, he wanted to see them grow and flourish. He would just have to deal with his own demons in his own time. He glanced up from the ground as he walked and spotted the mostly gray form of his daughter flopped onto her back and a small small, amused smile touched his lips, chasing away the darker thoughts. He made his way over to her, peering down at her curiously as he stopped beside her. "Any good clouds to watch today?" he asked with a chuckle before settling onto his stomach and rolling till he was on his back beside her, giving her a good natured grin. Sometimes he felt twice as old as he actually was and then other times he felt like he could still be a yearling himself. "Talk" "You" Think

Heather's confused brooding was interrupted by her father. At first she was distressed slightly, what would her father think of her if she explained she didn't even know what was going on in her own head. Her nose wrinkled up, and then he flopped over onto his back and said something about the clouds. This, made her wrinkling stop and a soft smile grow on her face. As she couldn't help but to laugh at him, trying to mask the laugh it turned into an awkward sound as she took in a breath. "You're silly dad, there isn't even a cloud in the sky today." she said as she looked up at the blue colored sky. Then back towards him. At least he seemed to know what he was doing. Heather had no clue, and she constantly wanted to ask so many things because she didn't understand. Furstration, anger, sadness, grief. Emotions.... what were they exactly and who was she supposed to be. ".... Dad, what am I supposed to be doing with my life?" she asked as her smile faded slightly. She looked off, anywhere but his face. "Talk" "You" Think

Leo chuckled softly at Heather when she pointed out that there wasn't even any clouds for her to be watching in the first place. "What can I say? Your dad is a silly, silly wolf. And mildly unobservant." He offered her another amused grin before he looked up at the sky for a moment. It was indeed a very clear day out today, which was nice. He very rarely was able to take the time to just lay back in the sun and breathe any more. His mismatched ears twitched at the sound of her voice when she spoke up again, posing a very philosophical question for someone so young. His brows raised in surprise and he turned his head to look at his daughter again. "I'll let you know as soon as I figure out what to do with mine," he replied with a small smile. It was always his natural reaction to approach these kinds of things with humor, but he realized his daughter probably wanted a more realistic answer than that. He sighed softly and tried to give her a more genuine look of interest and concern. "But really, sweetheart... The beauty of being a free thinking being is being able to do whatever you want to do. I know we try to sort wolves into categories for the purposes of the pack, but you don't have to try and fall into one particular one. I never felt like I was the strongest hunter or fighter. I never had anyone around when I was young to teach me healing. I decided my strength was in communication and leading so here I am, leading Fiori like Grandma had." He reached forward with his nose to lightly boop her nose with his and give her a loving smile. "Why do you ask, darling? You're too young to be worrying about such a heavy topic." "Talk" "You" Think

She couldn't exactly express her disdain. Watching her dad she let out a soft sigh. Of course now of all days, Heather thought that she couldn't leave. It would probably break his heart, plus she already promised Lionel as well. As her tail flicked towards Leo's words. She tried to think, what did she want to do? She wanted to explore the world with all the strength and valor that she could get a hold of. That's what she wanted to do, she may not have been smart, and there was plenty of unknown things out there. However she yearned for adventure, or in the very least - to not just sit around doing nothing all day. Heather blinked when her father booped her nose with his own. Like she was snapped back from reality after she had been thinking so much. "I'm not necessarily worried. Just curious." she smiled towards him. "You know, one day I want to know pretty much everything." She chuckled a little bit. Always curious that's what she did. She didn't know any better, she didn't know how to be anything else. It freaked her out otherwise. "I was talking with Lionel, Daddy. And we decided that we wanted to learn how to fight. I want to be a fighter and now that I'm a year old I think we can take on mentors." She would keep the fact she had been debating asking leave from Fiori. After all her mind could always change her choice. "Talk" "You" Think

Leo chuckled and gave Heather a little grin when she stated that she wanted to know everything one day. "I'm sure you will. You came into this world asking questions." It wasn't far from the truth. His brows raised with interest when she explained that she and Lionel had decided on being fighters. He was a bit surprised by Heather choosing fighting over being a scholar, but he was glad that she was taking an interest in fighting. He hoped that all of his children would be able to protect themselves at the very least. Fiori was always in need of more fighters anyway. "That's great, Heather. You're right, you guys are plenty ready for mentors. I think I've been in denial and pretend that you four will just be pups forever." He smiled wistfully and gave a soft sigh at the thought.  "But I guess I have to let you all grow up, huh? I'll let Athena know about you and Lionel wanting to be fighters so she can start your training. I'll have to ask Roza and Alfred what they would like to study too." "Talk" "You" Think

Heather smiled at her father. A innocent ambitious question crossed her mind but she kept her mouth shut. She knew one day.... possibly one her siblings could be chosen as prince or princess. Heather wanted to explore, but also she curiously wondered what it would be like to be in her father's paws. When her father said something about them staying pups forever. Her heart ached slightly. "I'll always be your daughter dad, no matter how old I get." she smiled at him. She was here, breathing and alive after all. "That'll be great Dad, I hope Athena calls for me soon." Alright, she decided to come straight out with it. "Hey dad uhmmm..... who do you think is going to be the prince or princess in the future? I know it's WAYYY far into the future but lately I've been wanting to just.... do more. Whether it's in Fiori or anything else at all." she shifted on her paws slightly as she looked at him. "Talk" "You" Think

Leo gave his daughter a smile when she reassured him that she would always be his daughter. He did know that, it just made his heart ache to see them growing up so quickly. He knew that one day they would find mates of their own and have their own children. Maybe they wouldn't want to live in Fiori any more and would go on about their own way. He had seen first hand how scattered a family could become in the blink of an eye. Perhaps that's what bothered him the most. The possibility that his children would disappear like his siblings had. But she was right, she would always be his daughter and he would love her no matter what she chose to do with her life. As long as she was happy he would be happy. His brows lifted with surprise again when Heather asked about the future heir. She had bombarded him with questions since she had been able to speak, but for some reason this one took him by surprise. It was startling in a way that she was old enough now to be asking these questions, but he knew that it was one he was going to have to consider in the not so distant future. He didn't want to lead Fiori forever, but he didn't want to put that burden on his children too early either. "I haven't put a lot of thought into it just yet," he replied honestly. "I'm glad you're wanting to do more though. There's always plenty around the pack that needs to be done. Any time you want to join me on a patrol or go visit one of the other packs with me you're more than welcome to if you really want to get a feel for what leading a pack is like. But there's also plenty of other higher ranking positions open right now if you want to train to fill one of those as well. Every position in the pack is important, not just being the prince or the princess." "Talk" "You" Think

If only he knew she had been considering leaving Fiori. It had weighed on her mind and after the talk with Lionel that was when she had decided to stay. Stay because she didn't like the thought of being separated from her family. Stay, because she didn't really know how to defend herself and she knew the outside world could be a scary place if it really came down to it. So maybe that was why she had actually thought of it. Being the princess. It was a burden but maybe it would place her in a position where her siblings and other family couldn't ignore her. It was a selfish thought indeed, but that didn't mean it couldn't pass through her head. As her father did say there were other ranks to try for, if she shot big she might as well do that or stay where she was in her eyes. "I'd still like to try, because that's what I do." Heather stated almost half under her breath. It was also maybe - she didn't want one of her siblings standing there in that position, because it's where she saw herself if she were to stay in Fiori. "You should let me know when you're doing one of these things so I can join you." she smiled and tilted her head to one side. Maybe it was then she could prove her worth, because without someone being attached to her - she didn't know what she was doing. "Talk" "You" Think

Leo was surprised at himself in a way that he hadn't really considered who might take Fiori after him. He really hadn't even thought about the fact that his children were getting old enough now to start looking toward their own futures and wondering what they might do. He was always such an over thinker and a planner that that should have been a topic that he would have addressed already, at least to himself, but it wasn't. Just seeing that his children shared a little bit of that same ambition he had when he was their age eased some of the worry off of him though. At least he didn't have to wonder if any of them would even want to run a pack one day. He didn't plan on passing on the reigns for a long while still, but at least there was some planning to be done. "I absolutely will. I'm glad you want to try. It makes me proud to see you and your siblings getting involved and wanting to be an active part of the pack." One of his biggest fears as a father was that his children would grow up to resent the pack for keeping him busy all the time or for them to hate living here. His whole reason for keeping Fiori going now was purely just to have a safe place for his children and family to live. He didn't want them to feel like they were trapped here by any means, but he wanted to have a way to keep his family close and know that they were cared for. It seemed like maybe he had succeeded in avoiding that for the most part. "I'm gonna have to do another patrol before I go to sleep tonight. Would you like to join me?" "Talk" "You" Think

Well they were all his kids after all. Heather wasn't too surprised, though she was still a little iffy on Alfred. To be honest she didn't want to say how uncomfortable she was about that day, and she never would express it. She probably would just end up trying to avoid her brother as much as possible. As her dad continued she nodded her head then he asked if she wanted to join him for a patrol tonight. "Yeah that would be great!" Heather wagged her tail. She wanted to see how it was done. Her endless amount of questions she wanted to turn it into knowledge. She wanted Fiori to love her basically, and maybe that was selfish. Yet if she could accomplish that much it meant she stayed for a reason! "Talk" "You" Think

Leo grinned happily when Heather accepted his offer. Well, at least he had a way to spend some more time with his daughter he supposed! He glanced up at the sky to check the time, seeing the sun slowly beginning to move past the middle of the sky toward the horizon. "It's still a tad early for the evening patrol, but by the time we make it over to the border and kind of explain it all it won't be too bad." He got to his paws and shook out his fur before giving Heather a smile and motioning with his head for her to follow him. "Come on then! Lets get going." He made his way toward the border at the edge of the mangrove, not really in too much of a hurry as he walked. "The main reason for doing these patrols, besides to check for intruders and wolves lingering around the border, is to make sure all of the scent markers are strong and still in place. That's part of the reason why they can be time consuming. Other than that you just need to keep your eyes and ears open for anyone that might be around and pay attention for any scents that you don't recognize. You don't want to risk being attacked by a lone wolf while you're patrolling. That's never happened to me, but you can't be too careful." He didn't want to scare her, but he still wanted to be realistic. "Talk" "You" Think

Heather would nod her head, getting to her paws as she went to follow her father. Of course all of her attention was on him as well. She let her blue eyes move over the edges of the territory. Making sure to take in all the scents. "It'd be a good idea to go in pairs then wouldn't it for most patrols?" she asked for a moment. Sure a wolf could be cautious but there was always strength in numbers to that point. At least that's what she thought. Then it would strengthen the bond between those wolves since a pack was a unit rather than individual. Her tail flicked behind her as she made sure to take in all the information that her father had told her about.

"When was your first patrol dad?" she was oddly calm throughout all this. Then again, Heather didn't exactly understand what it meant to be afraid. Pinpointing emotions was a very vexing task. So her smile was all she had as she did smile at him, returning her eyes back to the borders occasionally for this little walk of theirs.

Leo nodded in agreement at his daughter's observation about doing patrols in pairs. "You're right, doing patrols in pairs is more safe. It's just not always easy to find someone to do them with me, especially when we have as few higher ranking wolves as we do right now. I've gotten your aunt Athena to help me with the patrols a few times, but I don't like to inconvenience anyone or disrupt their day. It'd be different if we had a queen or even a prince or princess, but that's not the case at the moment." He brushed the queen comment out of his head quickly before it snowballed as it tended to do in his memories. He glanced toward her with a small smile, adding, "Although if you're going to be helping me with them maybe I won't have to do them alone so often." He hummed thoughtfully at her question, having to think back a bit for an answer. "I guess my first real patrol as after I joined Fiori back when your grandmother ran it. I was very young when my parents left the pack they previously lead so I didn't get a chance to really do much with it." He turned his attention back to the area around them, pausing to freshen up one of the scent markers as they walked. "What got you thinking about who would be the princess or prince, Heather? Anything in particular?" "Talk" "You" Think

Heather would listen carefully to her father. Interrupt someone's day? Well it made sense a bit, after all everyone had duties and she did suppose patrols were a king, queen, and prince or princess duty there. It made her sad a little, with mom gone her dad had been alone this whole time. It had took her this long to notice he'd been struggling just as some of them had. Yet he remained, to take care of her and her siblings. For that, she was forever grateful for sure. It made her more worried about losing him though, she didn't want him to fall out of her life like her mother had. She wanted to do this everyday by his side. She was determined that this was where her role was. Her father then asked why she had been so curious. She would let it out, humming a bit as she looked outside the territory for a second. "Because I'm interested in becoming the princess. I don't know what you think of it, but I'd work my tail off for it. To be honest for a time I was thinking of leaving Fiori until I talked with Lionel. He convinced me to stay and I told myself I wanted to do something great, plus seeing how everyone in Fiori interacts is something that amazes me." her eyes moved to the ground. She smiled a bit mischievously as she looked at her dad. "I told myself I wouldn't lose to Lionel either to our training, even though he's aiming for everything! I still want, to be princess one day." her breath was rugged a little. Powerful and wanting, and her fear of others leaving her probably could tie into that. Heather didn't want to make anyone's life hard that was for sure. "So I can even patrol every day if you wanted." she smirked. Even if it was alone, but pairs was still a good idea for safety reasons. "Talk" "You" Think

Leo let his gaze linger on Heather while she spoke and described how she wanted to be the princess and how she had considered leaving Fiori until she spoke with her brother about it. He made sure he kept an eye on the world around them of course, but it was hard not to focus on his daughter. She deserved his undivided attention after all. That wasn't something he had the luxury of giving his children that often. He could see some of his own determination and boldness in his children and that made him happy to see. It did make him a bit worried since only one of them would be the heir and he didn't want to hurt any of their feelings when he finally made a choice one way or the other. The only one that didn't seem too intent on really training and working toward being a prince or princess was Roza. He hadn't really spoken to Alfred about it either, but he wouldn't be surprised if he was interested in it as well. Three ambitious young wolves and only one spot. He chuckled softly when she looked toward him again and insisted that she would patrol every day. "Alright," he agreed with a small nod, returning her smirk. "Don't patrol by yourself till you have some more training in your fighting, okay? Just in case. At least take Athena or Tiburtius with you if I'm not around." He was still a worrying father at the end of the day, even if his children were old enough to be adults with ambitions now. "Talk" "You" Think

Heather was nearly lost in her own thoughts, but she made sure to look back to the world around them. She couldn't get too distracted on a patrol, what if some sort of danger showed up. As much as she had said her father as a simply answer and her blue eyes gleamed for a second. So that didn't mean she wouldn't have a chance then. She could always work her tail off, she wanted to show everyone she deserved at least that much! Heather let her tail wag a little as he then gave her a soft warning about patrolling alone. She laughed at him. "Right Daddy, I'll always make sure to stay safe." Heather would then rub up against him. Her side mingled with his - hard to believe her height was no longer that of a small pup. She could see eye to eye with her dad. Though she was a skinny little thing for the most part, she should probably work on gaining some muscle if she could so help it. "Talk" "You" Think