Winter was over, and Spring had finally come. Though there wasn't much difference in the North with the temperatures still colder than usual because of the eruption, the lands were still changing. One of his pups had gone missing, and he was aware Heloise had decided to go search for him. Unfortunately, Whittaker had decided to follow her, too. And Ace hadn't realized until later that day. Worry gnawed at his mind but he was sure his son was with Heloise and they'd hopefully find their other boy and come back home soon enough. The titan male took in a deep breath and exhaled a fine mist as he finally decided to tear himself away from the border. His other children needed him now...he couldn't spend all his time waiting at the border every day. He glanced up at the sky and spoke a quick prayer to his beloved Winter in Valhalla, and then...well...he wasn't quite sure what to do from here.

"Acere"||Winter

Life so far had been pretty blissful. Lumi soaked up her mother's affections and thrived, even if she was more soft spoken than her siblings. She played often by herself or with the local wildlife. Although ash bloomed in the distance, she didn't understand it and no one seemed terribly concerned. It was a stark difference from how some other wolves had spent the past winter.

She had lost track of her mum the past few days and was sorely missing her doting presence. Mum was perfect - kind, stern, but very fair. Lumi loved her completely. The patchwork girl made her way through the snows in search of her white mother. Sometimes it was difficult to spot Heloise, but with the arrival of springtime some of the drifts had melted and made it easier to spot other wolves. Lumi was still learning. Picking out a familiar figure, she made a beeline towards her father. "Hello," she said bashfully, sitting on her tiny rear. Her stubby tail wagged a bit. "I can't find mum - can you help me?" Acere always seemed to know where she was - he could definitely point her in the right direction!

Ears perked at the sound of small footsteps in the snow and his crimson gaze drifted downward to find Lumi approach with a greeting. "Hello dear," He greeted in return, leaning down to gently nuzzle his big head against her smaller one. There were many things in his life he was grateful for, and at the top of his list were his children. His ears fell back slightly when she asked if he could help her find Heloise, a quiet sigh slipping past his lips. It had been a few days since she left to find their missing son...and he hadn't said anything to them because he thought she'd be back by now.

He decided then, to tell her. The titan male got down to her level and looked her in the eye, "Lumi, there's something I need to tell you and you're the first to know," He told her gently. Taking a deep breath, he thought about how to proceed. "Your mother...she's gone out to look for your brother. I don't know when she'll be back, but it shouldn't be much longer." He hoped, anyway. He didn't want his kids to worry, but how could he hide his own worry from them? Heloise had become a big part of his life so fast...he just hoped she would be back soon.

"Acere"||Winter

Lumi peered back into Acere's eyes with her own bright, bi-colored ones. It was rare that he got down on her level and so she knew it was important information. She frowned when he said that Heloise had gone to look for her brother and couldn't stop tears from welling up in her eyes. Mum wasn't just mum... Heloise was her best friend. When all of her siblings picked on her, Heloise protected her. When she grew up she wanted to be just as kind and fair.

Rules were important, but if Heloise went away then all the rules were confusing and broken. "Oh," she said, her voice soft and hurt. "But they always wander off, they're always breaking rules!" Lumi protested. Her siblings were typical rambunctious children while she remained the studious tattle-tale hall monitor. "It's not fair that mum went after him," she mumbled, placing her chin on her paws and huddling down into the snow.

Well, he hadn't expected what he said to go over very well but he also didn't expect what she said. Sure, the watery eyes was certainly something he did expect. But not what she said. Did she really think it wasn't fair? He didn't quite understand why she said that...as far as he knew, none of the pups had broken any rules under his watch. He looked at her again, gently placing a paw next to hers as he held her gaze. "Lumi, if you or your siblings wander off outside the pack lands without an adult knowing is different than wandering around to explore within the pack lands. There's always someone to keep an eye on all you kids here, but..."

He took a deep breath, wondering if she would understand. He didn't want to feel like he was babying them and talk to them like they were babies all the time. They were young, yes...but it was never to early to teach them things that would better prepare them for the world. " It's not about what's fair or unfair. Your mother went to look for your brother because it is dangerous out there for young pups on their own. If it were you, or Winter, or anyone else, she or I would have gone to look for you because we love you. All of you." He reached over to gently nuzzle her again, "I love you, Lumi. I love you all the same, and I will always love you no matter what, okay?"

"Acere"||Winter

Acere's words comforted her. She understood his words, even if part of her still wanted to blame her siblings for wandering off. No matter Acere's words, they still defied direct orders. Lumi's sense of justice was absolute in the way a child's usually was. They were wrong. She was right. Lumi stared at her paws glumly. Heloise had done right to chase after her siblings, but why'd they have to go wander off in the first place? "Thank you, I love you too," she murmured, still staring down at the snow between her legs. "But I still miss momma." To her younger daughter, Heloise had hung the moon and stars. Her sky had grown dark without her mother around. "What do I do without her? And... are you going to leave to look for them too?"

If he knew how strong her sense of justice and the gravity of how she felt about things, he'd agree with her to an extent. But he couldn't read minds, and could only really assume things. Or at the very least, work with what he could see and noticed. He knew these were trying times for the family as a whole, what with their mother and one of their brothers gone...it hurt him, too. But he knew he could handle it much better than they could. They were still learning how to handle such things, after all. "I miss her too, sweetheart." He really did, though he tried not to show it in front of them. He did get sad thinking about her...and just like them, wondering why. For them, he could lie and make up stories. But no matter what, he would never have a true answer for himself. They said time healed all wounds...and maybe one day, this would be nothing but a faded dream for them considering they were so young. And for him? He'd likely be stuck with it forever. But he hoped the pain would lessen the more time passed him by.

"What do I do without her? And... are you going to leave to look for them too?" He thought for a few moments, not really wanting to tell her to just forget about her mother. He would never tell them something like that, and the best he could do was try to get their minds off of the whole thing. "No honey, I won't leave you. I'll always be here for you, until my last breath." That much he could promise. "I know it hurts with her gone, trust me...but...just continue to make us proud. No matter where she is, know that she will always be proud of who you are, and who you become." He knew he would be.