Recluse found she had precious little time to spend with her children, much as she desired nothing more than to spend the whole night with them she had other duties to do. It wasn't all the time of course but she often found her son Ghoul lurking nearby, though maybe lurking sounded worse than she felt about his presence. The woman had a great fondness for her little shadow, getting bigger every day. It seemed that unlike her first litter most of her children would out-strip her this time around, no surprise considering how big they'd all been when born. Though not Ichor, no she suspected that boy would be tiny all his life. But she wasn't thinking about that son today. The ghostly woman had some time to herself tonight, the borders had been renewed and with no one needing her immediate attention, she would take this time to touch base with her personal bodyguard of a son. She settled under one of the trees, it's pink buds closed up for the night and the silvery light of the moon casting strips of light on the ground. "Care to join me?" She called out to where she knew her son to be. speech think action

Sleep did not come often or easily for the growing pup. During the day, his body told him to explore and pester his siblings whenever they weren't sleeping. At night, he would linger near his mother whenever she wasn't with someone else. Always within earshot in case she needed his help. Why he felt this attachment to his mother, he didn't know. If one asked, he'd only say because she was his mother. She was there for him whenever he needed her. He and his siblings didn't have a father figure to dote on so he took to his mother like glue. Always worried about her wellbeing, even when he didn't need to be, Ghoul would be there to ward off any demons that came her way.

It was on this particular night as the silver rays of moonlight cast over their pallid bodies that Ghoul felt more comfortable following Recluse closely. His large paws padded quietly on the forest floor as his ruby eyes admired the pink buds upon the tips of branches. When Recluse nestled herself at the bottom of one of the trees, he wasted no time to approach. Even as her voice called out to him, he emerged from the shadows with a loving smile on his face. He would take any time with her that he could. While his growth would soon be more than Recluse, and tankier than any of his other siblings, he still had yet to surpass her height. A few more months would prove otherwise.

"Of course," he murmured as he came to nestle down beside her. Curling up close to her, Ghoul turned his face to meet her pink eyes. "Mother, I have to ask," the pup started the statement without knowing why he was bringing it up now of all places. His heart beat a bit faster as his question would sting the cool night air. "If you end up having more pups with him, will you still want me around?" It wasn't the question of whether Eraithus would steal his mother's time away from him, no. Ghoul wondered more if a new pup would take his place near her.

G H O U L

Each of her children held a special place in her life, her older children were more independent now and each was growing into their own, filling a little hole in her heart she hadn't realized was there but now felt had always belonged to them. The same was true of her youngest, and though she would likely struggle to say as much Ghoul's presence, the way he stuck to her side was comforting her little pink shadow. Not a single one of her children would ever be replaceable. As her sun snuggled up to her Recluse smiled and nosed lovingly at his head. Soon enough the majority of her children would be bigger than herself, it would be harder to hold them like this but for now, she wanted to enjoy this time, she was sure once her children were grown she'd find new things about being around them she'd love but some part of her would always miss when she could scoop them up and hold them to herself... Her son's voice reached her and the woman hummed lightly. "Yes love?" And when Ghoul spoke she felt her heart wrench, she remembered the feelings of hate she'd held towards her half-siblings, the feeling of being left behind when her aunt and father had had their litter, how she'd wondered who she ever was if she was not her father's true heir... The woman slung a forepaw around her son and pulled him closer, she hunched over him, just wanting to hold him as close as she could. "Darling," she breathed, "I will always want you by my side." Recluse could not deny she wanted to have a family with Eraithus, but her children would never not be precious to her, regardless of their father. "Ghoul, you and your siblings are not replacable." speech think action

As his mother's breathy reply whispered into his ear and his question was posed, he felt her leg slung over him. Letting her pull his smaller but growing body closer to her, he reciprocated by snuggling in closer to her soft fur. Feeling her curl tighter around him was comforting as he let his ruby eyes close. Resting his pink spotted face against her chest, he let a small smile curl the edges of his lips. So maybe his doubts were unjustified after all.

"I don't ever want to leave you or Habari," he mumbles into her fur as he breathes in her motherly scent. Even as he did grow up and become a pup of his own, this would always be home for him. By Recluse's side, in Habari, always there to protect her. While at times, he could care less for his other littermates, he did feel some sort of protectiveness over them too. There was nothing in this world that could stop Ghoul from making sure no one threatened their place in life. Being as young as he was, he had never considered being the heir, not yet at least. No, he was content being the shadow that silently kept watch.

"Do you think he'll be a good dad?" The question comes without consideration. He hardly knows Eraithus, but Ghoul didn't know his father and never would. It pained him to think that Recluse would accept a man into her life to father more pups, but also not be there. Most of the time, Ghoul didn't think anything of it. Recluse was his mother and that was all he needed. But now that she had Eraithus, he wondered what it would be like to have a fatherly figure around. Surely, it was a more adult concept to him than he could truly understand.

G H O U L

Recluse wanted the world for her children, she wanted whatever they wanted though she couldn't help but wish some of them would show more ambition she could not and did not wish to change them. Ghoul muttered into her chest and she chuckled. "You do not have to if you do not wish to." She assured him gently. He asked about Eraithus and Recluse considered in silence for a moment before she gently pulled back so she could look him in the eye. "I do not know." She answered honestly. "I am not certain I know how a good father acts." She shuffled slightly before speaking again. "My own parents were not particularly good, my mother took my brother and abandoned me and my sister when we were younger than you are and despite claiming multiple times that he loved us my father was no better, he left us multiple times throughout my life. I cannot know what a good father would look like in the face of that." She remained silent for a few moments before she spoke again, an old worry rising up within her. "Do you wish your father was in your life?" It was not the first time she'd wondered if she was depriving her children of something by choosing to leave them without their father, was it just her own distaste for her own father that had left her feeling this way? Would they grow to resent her for it the way she resented her own parents? speech think action

Ghoul listened to Recluse as if she were everything in the world. Even as she shuffled slightly out of his embrace to look him in the eye, he knew he could never leave his mother. In truth, she was everything and she did her best to be the best mother he could ever imagine. While he and Macabre could be a handful at times compared to his other littermates, they still minded her every word. Listening to her speak, his own heart panged in his chest for her hurt. She knew her father and yet, he had still failed her. How could one do that to someone? With his lips turning down, he reached out to touch her gently on the cheek with his nose.

"You're enough, mama," he whispered quietly as his own ruby eyes closed for a moment. "If one day I have pups of my own, I hope whoever I have them with is as good as a mother as you are," Ghoul spoke in earnest as he leaned away and smiled at Recluse. He could see the worry in her eyes and wished to take away those feelings. It made him want to be the best pup she'd ever birthed. While Kali was still at the top, he knew he could easily beat her if he wanted. Stay true and loyal to their pack no matter how dark the times would get. The young pup wouldn't deny that he was curious to know who he was, but if the man never bothered to stick around, he was sure it wouldn't matter if he ever did know.

G H O U L

There was some part of her that felt guilt... What mother needed comforting from her own child? But there was another part of her, a rational part that knew she wasn't hurt by this anymore. She'd grown to accept the abandonment she'd faced from her parents long ago. She did not often dwell on it now not because it hurt to do so, but because doing so was a waste of her time and effort. Her children, Eraithus, they'd all helped to make her whole again and focusing on an old dull ache that only really flared up when poked and prodded wasn't worth anything anymore. No, she wasn't sure what a good father even looked like... But she knew what a bad one was and she would never let anyone hurt her children in that way. Or any child in her care. That pain, that trauma, it ended with her. Ghoul spoke and her heart soared even as she had to fight off the sudden urge to break into happy sobs. The woman met her little boy's smile and leaned forward to plant a loving kiss on his forehead. "Whomever you chose to spend your time with will be just as sweet and exceptional as you." She leaned back and looked over her son. "And if they ever break your heart you know they'll have hell to pay." She gently ruffled the fur along the top of his head with her paw. speech think action