Ulric ducked to the side as his son lunged toward him, the lanky boy clearly not invested in the lesson though seemingly still trying to participate at his father's insistence. Since he was trying to give Ezra a realistic fight, he immediately hit his shoulder against Ezra's, knocking the boy off balance and causing him to tip over his own feet, sending him tumbling to the ground. Ezra sighed and started to get up while Ulric waited on him with a frown. "You need to move faster than that. If this was a real fight I'd be able to go for your stomach already."

"Why does it matter?" Ezra shot back just as he was getting back on his feet, scowling at his father.

Ulric's frown deepened, his brows pulling together with irritation. "You need to be able to protect yourself and your family. You know that." He wanted each of his children to be able to protect themselves, but so far Ezra seemed to be the only one that showed any sort of interest or aptitude for fighting. Fihona and Emile both certainly seemed to be taking to healing while he might be able to make a hunter out of Jane.

"Why? You "protect" us, right? That really helped mother and Everlyse, didn't it?"

His son's words felt like they hit him in the gut as he gaped at Ezra, torn between anger and guilt as the boy turned the situation back on him. Ezra spun around and took off into the trees with the eagle he kept around screeching over head and flying after him over the tree tops. "Ezra!" he called out, taking a couple steps toward the trees before stopping with a heavy sigh, gaze falling toward the ground.

Turning back toward the castle, he walked across the training area he had been working on creating in a portion of the grounds, stopping at a resting place near the storage that was nearly complete so he could slip out of his armor. He dropped the pieces to the ground before sitting back heavily on his haunches, turning his gaze back up toward the sky, a frown still creasing his expression.

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More days than before Aranea was staying around the castle and the plains making sure the stores were kept neat and proper and often would make rounds around the castle only to keep an eye on things. She was quite opposite a fighter but her own patrol around the castle floors was more to make sure those inside didn’t need aide or even just company. She thought of her short days in Lirim and how she took long trips outside the west and found any reason to be away from the pack. Torin had not crossed her mind in some time, and she could only wonder how he and his family were doing now-a-days. Not that she was any help to them. While she was on the lower grounds she spotted Ulric along a wall of the area she had seen him working on himself, but he didn’t appear to be in the best of moods. His expression hard to read as one, all she could tell was that he was not happy or anywhere close to it. She was unaware of the situation outside the walls of the castle, or that his children may have been openly suffering as it would now seem to show. She knew it would be harder for them to understand what had become of them, especially considering Ulric wasn’t quite sure himself. Aranea would approach gently, her nose reached out with a twitch while she addressed, "It doesn’t seem today has done you well." she wouldn’t want to prod him to talk about it because while it was sometimes good to get the feelings out, sometimes it was better to not let everyone in on insecurities or in-home tension. "You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want, but I’m here." here for the vent or here for the company. Or here to be told to screw off if that’s what needed to come out. Walk "Talk" Think

The sound of paws moving over grass made him pull his gaze down from the clouds until his silver eyes landed on Aranea approaching him. He immediately felt himself clearing the worry off of his expression and straightening his shoulders once he realized he had company, but when she commented on day not going well for him the facade fell away again with a sigh. "You always seem to find me when the day hasn't done me well," he replied with a soft chuckle, looking toward the grass with a shake of his head. He nodded to acknowledge her comment about being there for him, offering her a small smile. He wasn't sure if talking about his son's behavior would actually help or not, but it seemed better than bottling up again. That clearly wasn't getting him anywhere.

He rose to his paws while he started searching for the right words, busying himself with picking up his armor and hanging it on one of the hooks inside the storage hut. He turned to her again after a moment, frowning as he spoke. "My son, Ezra, has always been a little... detached I guess is the best way to put it. Just very independent and likes to do his own thing. It's never been a problem and I've admired how self sufficient he's wanted to be, but ever since Azariah and Everlyse went missing he's just started lashing out and pushing me away even more." He glanced toward the ground between them, his brow furrowing. "I know it's probably just how he's coping, but... I'm still worried about him. He keeps pushing off our training, barely tries whenever I do get him to participate, and blaming me for what happened..." Ulric settled onto his haunches again, his ears flicking back. "I just... I don't know what to do to help him."

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Surely Ulric had more bad days than good, but while caught in the moment he seemed to try and flip a coin on his outward emotion, at least at first. Aranea wouldn't call him out on the behavior, everyone coped in different ways. Aranea would just remain behind him as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. And she would listen to the detail he gave her. "I wish I had good advice to give you, but I'm sad to say I can't entirely relate." It was true, while Ulric had numerous children to look after, Aranea was left with one when Tyranis abandoned her and she was emotionally absent to know or see how the loss of her father affected Nuada. "If it were me though, it seems he may need to sort some things out on his own. As hard as that would be while you are his father." It was the truth that being a parent and watching your child suffer through even the same situation with you, but with a different meaning. A mate to a mate and a son to a mother. And all a parent could ask for and strive to do was make their children happy. "Maybe getting some of Tamsyn's children to help him train may help him better? I feel like having a friend his age at least couldn't hurt, even if he wouldn't like the idea at first." Aside from the thoughts of Ulric's son, he seemed to speak of something that troubled Aranea. "But Ulric, I hope you do not believe him. I hope you do not think that it is your fault Azariah has left." Though Aranea still couldn't know the logistics of their relationship, Ulric seemed far from an abusive man or someone to push his mate away. Whatever had been going on, it seemed that he wasn't a villain to the story. "As much as it may hurt to feel, Azariah didn't only leave you, she left behind her other three children. And to me that makes it seem like she had other things on her mind and not leaving because you were an awful man to her. I would have a hard time believing her if she came back bellowing you as a villain." Perhaps a genuine compliment, but if anything Aranea was just trying to get Ulric to feel better closer to his heart. But she still knew that the treachery of losing his mate would be harder to surpass than being told he was better than that. Walk "Talk" Think

He nodded in understanding when she replied that she couldn't relate, but still listened intently as she offered her advice. It was sound, rational advice - even if it was hard to hear. He always felt like he needed to handle all of his issues and problems himself so even just the fact that he was sharing them with Aranea was a sign of how at the end of his rope he was becoming. The idea of employing someone else to train his son felt like a failure on his part even though it was far from it. Although, he reasoned with himself that it wasn't like he was going to Resin or Tamsyn and throwing his hands up saying "take my son and train him, I can't do it." He would be bringing in an extra set of paws that hopefully Ezra could relate with better than he was with his old man. He nodded again, replying, "That's not a bad idea. I'll have to ask Resin who she recommends pairing him up with." It was worth a shot at least and maybe if nothing else it would help Ezra make a friend.

When she moved on to assuring him that he wasn't the cause for Azariah's disappearance, his expression softened again even though a tinge of guilt was still very much visible in his silver gaze. He had certainly tried his best to be a good mate for Azariah and a good father for their children so he hoped that she was right, but that nagging, gnawing self doubt kept creeping in and telling him otherwise. He did at least feel the complement in her words and managed a smile, even if it was a slightly sad one. "I hope you're right. I wish I had just... When we moved here she said she needed to gather a few things she had left behind at the home we kept before we moved to The Hallows and she'd be right behind us. Everlyse has always been her shadow and insisted on staying with her... I should have stayed with them. Neither one of them are strong fighters and I left them alone. I was just so worried about getting everyone moved here safely and we made the move so quickly I didn't stop to think about it more."

His ears flicked back again and he sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I feel like I need to stop unloading all of this on you. I must be terrible company." Ulric smiled faintly as he brought his gaze back to Aranea, feeling a new guilt that most of their conversations both times their paths had crossed had been about him and his troubles. A thought crossed his mind and his head tipped slightly to the side as he looked at her curiously, eager to change the subject even for just a moment. "You have children in Abaven, right? I overheard Resin and Tamsyn mention that they might come to visit. It must be difficult having them so far away."

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The thought of something bad happening to Azariah hadn't really crossed her mind, and if she were honest she felt a small bit of embarrassment whilst she continue to say that she left Ulric. Perhaps it was the chatting of the pack, or maybe just her own assumptions. It would just go to show that her own feelings about distancing herself from the pack before were true. But she was changing that now after all, right? "Azariah seemed to be strong enough to take care of herself. I'm sure they are fine." Her tone was gentle as if to reassure him, but either way didn't seem ideal if she was from his prospective. Either Azariah left him for unknown reasons, or she was captured or dead. And she could agree to his previous statement that just knowing they were safe would have at least settled something inside him, or made it so he could move forward knowing what to expect. As much as Aranea would have wanted to help her pack mate, she too wasn't the best fighter and she would have been more worried about falling into her old state of depression being away from a social pack life again. She had children to live for now too, and Ulric probably wouldn't expect her or anybody to go on a mission to find his lost family. Ulric would feel like he had been doing Aranea wrong, but she would have much rather had it this way. She was more willing to share advice than really her past or her feelings. She was much more observant than willing to be social, but still she was a kind soul and wished nothing but happiness for those around her. "Well, I don't think so." She would nearly lock eyes with Ulric, in a much different way than she had been just looking at him while they talked, and if only for a few seconds she would still feel a blush as she went to remove herself. Still flicking back quickly as he moved the subject onto herself. "Yes, I do." Though Aranea may have seemed enjoyable these couple times she had been with Ulric, her tone turned more stale and troubled than it had been. "It is hard, I try not to think about it too often but I do look forward to anytime I get to see them. It was a hard decision to want to stay with The Hallows, and the move didn't make it any easier. I know they will be safe inside Abaven though, and that puts me to rest." Walk "Talk" Think

He hadn't expected her to agree with him that he was bad company of course, she was far too kind for that. But when she responded to tell him that she disagreed with the statement, he glanced toward her and their gazes caught for a moment. He couldn't quite read her expression, but it was enough to catch his attention and notice the way she broke away from his gaze, a subtle flush peeking through her pale fur. It wasn't the sort of reaction he was expecting even though he really hadn't expected much of a reaction at all and it took his thoughts in a different direction. Luckily, she was quick to answer his question before he could ponder the moment too deeply.

The change in her tone was obvious and made him even more sympathetic for her situation. He couldn't imagine having to leave his children, but he knew that The Hallows was pretty much at the capacity of wolves they could support so another litter of pups would have strained the pack as a whole. Part of him wanted to ask why she hadn't decided to move to Abaven to be with them, but it felt too much like prying into her personal life. If she decided to share he'd listen, but for now he didn't feel like poking into a part of her life that seemed to bother her. Besides, the last thing he wanted was for her to feel like he wanted her to leave.

"Well... For what it's worth, I'm glad you're still here," he replied after a moment, giving her another gentle smile. He realized after he spoke and his eyes met hers again how it might sound, making him glance away again with a shy flick of his ears. Suddenly feeling like he needed to be busy with something he got up again, moving into the storage shed so that he could put his bracers on the shelf under his armor and start rearranging some of the straw dummies inside. He didn't turn his back to her though, instead making sure that he could at least see her in his peripheral vision. "Do you... Is their father with them?" he asked curiously, for some reason feeling strange referring to the nameless male as her mate. Perhaps it was because he knew the back story with at some one of the males in her history, but he couldn't really decide why he felt the need to hedge around the word.

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Ulric would find himself grabbing Aranea's gaze again, and this time she left it a little longer even as he pulled away himself. She gently followed him as he entered the storage room, standing just in the archway to not be in his way. She would ignore the faint feelings of almost wanting to lock eyes with him again, but not for reasons that others would expect. Not because she still found heart with Allegro. And not even because he still may have heart with Azariah. Honestly though, she wasn't sure why she was holding back, because unfortunately for the later, she saw no harm in calling Ulric a friend. Though her tone was still a little stale, she still offered a small grin if Ulric could see, "Yes, Allegro." A low hum came through her throat as a chuckle, "You do remind me of him a bit actually." Though Aranea had spent a lot more quality time with Allegro than she had Ulric, she still felt like there was much more she could learn about Allegro. It seemed that lust had brought them together, and while she enjoyed the time she spent with Allegro, it was still  a different feeling than when she was young with Tyranis. Though she would probably never feel that way again, she was much different than her youth. "Kind, strong, noble," Handsome. She was after all describing Allegro right? She didn't assume she would offend Ulric, and she wasn't at all being seductive in nature. Just noting shared qualities and again more compliments. "It is more than I could ask for that he watches our children while I do what I feel I need to." Walk "Talk" Think

Between the random odd and end tasks he found to keep himself moving he would glance toward Aranea while she spoke, allowing him to catch the grin she gave and how expressions shifted from one emotion to another. He lifted his brow with a curious glance when she mentioned that he reminded him of the man in Abaven - Allegro, as he was informed. He didn't know at first if that was a good connection or not until she gave a list of complements, making it impossible for him to keep one of his signature crooked grins from pulling at his lips. He chuckled softly and gave a little shake of his head, silently denying the labels she gave him as he pushed a roll of tanned leather toward the back of the shed. He had never done well with taking complements, even if they were just attributes she saw the two men display similarly.

He finally turned to face her again as she finished saying how Allegro watched the children while she did what she needed to do. He supposed he could understand that. Hadn't Azariah done something similar for him while he threw everything he had into helping Resin get their previous home fully built and fleshed out for the pack to live in? Of course he had always come back to them at night, but as long as the arrangement worked for the pair he couldn't find a fault with it. "He sounds like a good man," he commented with another smile. It was hard to read what her actual feelings about the Abaven male were, but that was not really his business. Whatever hints of something he might have picked up on were quickly dismissed in his mind as the over active imagination of a lonely man. "Perhaps I'll get the chance to meet him at some point. If you'd ever like some company on a trip up to Abaven let me know. I like to go visit the mangroves near there from time to time so it wouldn't be too out of the way for me."

He stepped out of the storage building and back into the sunlight, pushing the creaking door closed behind him. He looked in the direction that Ezra had ran from him with a slight frown. He debated if he should go try to find his son or not, but he ended up taking Aranea's words to heart. He didn't want to make a wound worse so he let it go, hoping he would see Ezra back home later in the evening instead. Perhaps by then he would have some time to cool down. He looked down at Aranea again, a soft smile pulling at his lips. "Thank you again for just... letting me talk. I have a hard time talking about this stuff, but you're very easy to talk to." He glanced toward the sky, noticing how it was already getting into the late afternoon. "I need to get my last patrol done before it gets too dark." Letting his pale gaze meet Aranea's one more time, he hesitated for a moment, words hanging on his lips. Maybe I'll see you later? "I'll see you around I'm sure," he finally settled on with smile before he made himself break away, trotting off toward the border.

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Their interaction was far from awkward which seemed to be a more positive trait Aranea noticed about herself. Though she may have spent years in solitude and still had trouble coming back to a social pack life, one of her few traits that stuck with her since her youth was the ease of her feelings towards others and making situations smooth if anything. She may not have seen herself as worthy, or beautiful, or just meant for friendship in the company of others, but still her chatting and advice came clear to her. She never had an issue speaking her mind or showing her feelings through her actions. While Ulric would state Allegro's similar traits as Aranea put them, she would leave it at that. Perhaps telling Ulric he was the same was a little too much, or at least he would kind of understand that's what Aranea meant by the nod of her head. "I appreciate the offer." She'd give him a genuine grin, the company of anyone on a long trip like that was welcome. And besides, maybe if Ulric escorted her, he could spend time tracing his lost family in the mean time. Following him back outside, "You don't have to worry about unloading on me, as I've said I'm always open to listen anytime you need the vent. If I'm so easy to talk to as you say." She gave a little joke before turning in towards the courtyard and to check and arrange stores of their herbs. "You know where to find me." Still a more joking tone as she knew that they would either cross paths soon or seek each other out in due time, even if just to work together to do something for the pack. -Exit Aranea- Walk "Talk" Think