Ever since the fight training he had been meaning to speak with Lark. He hadn't been too happy that the two of them had showed up late, but now that he had had time to think it over he was a bit excited at the prospect of his kids finally settling down. He was taking care of Storm's puppies and it made him want to be a grandfather even more. Bass also knew that there was a feud between Sparrow and Lillie, and wanted to know if Lark was aware of it. Picking her as a mate would complicate things, but he was a strong, wise man. He had raised them right, he knew that. But the nest was getting old, and it was about time they buck up and leave. Well... in some ways. He wanted them to stay here, to be a part of their lives but... Okay, maybe that was a bad metaphor. Smiling at himself he walked into the Rustling Thicket, taking shelter in the tall grasses. The sun was really getting on his nerves, he felt like he had to hide most of the day. Grumbling, he pushed down a small patch of the tall stalks and made a little meeting area for the two of them. When it was large enough for the two of them, he took a seat and tossed his head back to call for his largest son. He was going to make more of an effort to get out there and spend time with them, now that he was out of his sob story phase. The tip of his tail twitched as he lowered his head and waited for Lark to show up. Bass' face was relaxed, an easy smile on his black lips. A new season, another year older, but he was determined to turn a new leaf. "SPEAK" "SPEAK ITALIAN"

Truthfully, Lark had been surprised his father hadn't taken him aside to speak after the meeting. Not that he'd given him much time to - he'd gone off to his spar quickly and after he'd spent some time speaking with Sparrow. He was more than content that Bass never brought it up with him, but even when he heard his call, quite some time after the last meeting, he felt his heart sink slightly. He knew he shouldn't feel a slight bit of hesitation to speak to his father, but it was just.. a bit awkward. It'd been terribly obvious what he and Lillie were doing; well, about to do, if they hadn't been interrupted by the call for a meeting. Either way, Lark wouldn't dream of ignoring his father's call. He was looking forward to talking to him more than he was dreading it, since it'd been awhile since they'd caught up. He didn't hesitate to react to his father's call, making his way across the lands and heading into the thicket. When he caught sight of him, he was surprised to see his father had cleared some of the thicket to make a place for them to sit. A grin played at his lips, his tail wagging gladly behind him as he closed the distance between them. "Hey dad," Lark greeted him lightly, moving forward to touch his nose to Bass' shoulder. "Enjoying the heat?" It hadn't been the warmest summer he remembered, but the high humidity made things definitely seem far more uncomfortable than usual. Pulling away from Bass, he plopped down on his hindquarters at his side.

It never took Lark too long to answer his calls, which is why he had been so thrown off when him and Lillie stumbled into the fight training. Bass was glad to see that it was back to normal today, his tallest boy bounding up with a soft smile and a wagging tail. It made his own tail thump on the ground behind him, playfully pulling on his cheek as he bumped against his shoulder. Lark's question on the heat made his scoff, his head quickly shaking back and forth. "I know I said winter was too cold, but summer has hit with a vengeance. I'd like to be able to do a patrol without the heat weighting me down," he said with a chuckle, shifting himself in his seat slightly. Falling silent for a moment, he eyed Lark and wondered how to get into this. Was he just going to jump right for the killing blow or ease him into it? It had been awhile since they had had a one in one conversation, so it would be best to not piss him off from the start. "How have things been going for you?" It might be a lame question, but there it was. Grinning sheepishly, he looked towards his left and into the nearby Plains. He must have noticed that he had been spending time with Storm's children, which made his ears pull back slightly. Slowly he looked back towards the wolf in front of him, blowing out a heavy sigh. "Does it bother you that I spend time with Storm's puppies?" Bass knew that he hadn't been the best father to his kids, his attention had often been pulled between them, the pack, and their ever distant mother. Seeing him with a litter that wasn't even his own... well he wanted to make sure that they understood and we're okay with it. He wouldn't stop helping the blind wolf, no matter what they said, but it was important to him to let them know that he did value their opinion in the whole thing. "SPEAK" "SPEAK ITALIAN"

Lark was glad his dad didn't seem too disappointed. He knew Bass expected a lot of him - and more than that, he felt he'd let him down a bit. Years ago they had discussed Lark possibly ruling Abaven someday, but he hadn't exactly been that motivated. And now here he was, late for meetings, though he always made sure to answer his father's calls quickly. Part of him had expected some kind of scolding, but he was grateful that he saw nothing like that in his father's eyes. Lark returned the smile easily, happy at their reunion. "I agree with you there," he responding with a slight scoff. The lands they had claimed did prove to be quite warm in the summer months, though the river provided a good respite from the heat. Shade simply wasn't plentiful here, making patrols a grueling task on the hottest days. Lark settled down on his hindquarters too, squishing the grasses beneath him as he reclined. "I've been fine," he admitted hesitantly, though he wasn't lying. Things were.. simply fine. Lately Lillie and him had been spending less time together, which only further complicated things. His brows pulled together at his father's question though, surprised. "Not at all," he responded quickly, shaking his head. Especially after how scarce his own mother had been, it made sense that Bass might want to be a sort of father-figure to someone else's kids, especially someone who needed help. He hadn't thought of it in a negative light, and he'd never been much of the jealous type. Lark shrugged his shoulders. "I think it's great you're helping them. It'd suck to not have a dad.. or someone like a dad." It had sucked not having much of a mom, too, but he and his siblings had endured.