He tried not to breathe a sigh of relief, his momma believed him. He didn’t know if it would be a secret for long, but it would give him a chance to confront his brother first. He didn’t know why, but that was really important to him. “I don’t wanna turn into a bird momma. I promise I won't try to fly again.” it was an easy promise to give, even the thought of having distance between himself and the ground was enough to make him quesy. no thank you he would not be jumping off a cliff again.

A spiteful little part of him was very tempted at that moment to admit the truth, to tell her what had happened and see what she would do. But no, he would stick to his resolve. He buried his head so deep in his mother's coat he could barely breathe, holding tightly to her as though he was afraid she would let him go.

Zee proceeded to explain about wings and how they didn't work for wolves. Iolaire rose and began rummaging through her stores, putting some of the bark in a square of skin for Zee to take with her. As she worked, she filled in the silence with her own input. "Mort, wings on a wolf are just big, fancy decorations." Tying the skin shut, she moved on to collecting some of the salve in another square of skin. "They make you unique, but you can't be a bird."

After placing the two items beside her sister, Io smiled down at the distraught child and ruffled the fur atop his head gently. "You listen to your momma, okay? You have to be still for a while and you can't run around. Your paw has to heal before you can fully play again." She seated herself again, ready to answer any questions the pair might have.

Her son offered up his fear again, hoping he was not becoming a bird and Zee tried to smile at him. "It'll all be okay." She told him, accepting his promise and deciding perhaps while he was maddened by pain he couldn't grasp the concept that he was one-hundred-percent a wolf. Iolaire' chimed in with her own thoughts, and Zee nodded in response. "Yes, one day all will envy your wings. They will be decorations to end all decorations." She wasn't sure if ever a wolf had been born with wings before, but she was exceptionally proud that her son might be the first.

Iolaire seemed relaxed enough and Zee watched her quietly while she worked. If Sirius' sister was not stressed, surely that meant there was little reason for Zee to stress as well. It was hard to convince herself of it however, and while she kept a brave face her heart still pounded hard in her chest. First Asla nearly taken by the ocean, now Mort had narrowly dodged death. They were very lucky the cliff was not taller, as she wasn't sure if it extra high might have swayed the pup who wanted to fly. "His wings, should we bind them?" She asked Iolaire softly. The question served two purposes - one, because from the way the feathers ruffled and how he held himself she could see he'd hurt his wing in the fall. The other being so that he could not have the opportunity to attempt his flight again. She never wanted to bubble wrap her children, but it was beginning to be hard to ignore how accident prone they were.

Io watched as the distraught child slowly drifted off to sleep in his mother's arms. Zee questioned her quietly about binding his wings and the little healer shook her head. "No. He needs to build those muscles or the wings could be detrimental to his growth. They could weigh him down. Make him vulnerable." She shook her head again. "I think he's learned his lesson."

The woman had met other winged canines in her past. Mort's wings didn't surprise her other than the fact that neither of his parents shared a feather between them. Lids lowered slightly, she looked to the sleeping boy. "My mother had a look on her face when she brought him here. She looked angry." Iolaire lowered her head to her paws. The excitement of the suddenly injured child had left her a little drained. "I wonder if it was because she was afraid for him, or it was something else." She couldn't really imagine Resin being afraid for a child that wasn't blood, but stranger things had happened.

Zee held her son close as he fell asleep, wondering if it was a side effect of the medication or something more serious. As always, she followed Iolaire's lead. If the healer was not concerned, nor should Zee be. She sighed again, eyes sliding shut as she absorbed what had happened. "Alright, we'll leave them." She agreed quietly. While she didn't like the fact that he could try and throw himself off cliffs at will, she trusted the boy's words that he'd been scared away from the idea of flight.

Iolaire mentioned Resin, and Zee's lips formed into a hard line. She'd not paid much attention to the warrior's expression, she was too worried for her son. She tried to think back to see if there was some sign that there was more to it then she'd been told, but couldn't picture the woman's face clearly enough through the anxious fog. "I'll ask Mortis when he wakes up for more information." Zee said finally. "And if he's still unwilling, I'll ask Resin."

She continued to watch her son quietly, her eyes upon his chest as it rose and fell with his breathing. "I should take him home." The mother said after a while. "Anything I should bring with, to give him when he awakes?" Surely he'd still be in pain, and Zee wanted to ease it as best as she could.

Io nodded as Zee spoke of asking her mother. She wondered what the woman was up to, if anything. Perhaps she was simply upset that Mort had gotten hurt. It was strange, but there could be something more to it. She might ask on her own.

Zee asked what she might need and Io pushed the two wrapped items towards her. "Give him willow bark if the pain is bad. The salve, rub onto his paw and it will help to numb the area. He needs to stay still or the bone could break rather than fracture." Her gaze drifted to the boy. "I'm not worried. He's a smart one, despite his hysterics. He just has some growing to do." Again, that pang thrummed within her. That desperate ache to have a child of her own.

Zee took the wrapped items carefully, listening to Iolaire's instructions. It would be good to have a painkiller for the boy, and also something to numb the area. The potential of the fracture becoming a full-on break worried her, and she nodded her head to show her understanding. "He'll stay off it." She vowed softly, looking down at his slumbering form. "Thank you, Io. I don't know what I'd do without you." The alpha sighed, and then carefully grasped the sleeping pup. With a nod to her sister, she turned towards the door to take him home. How did she get the accident prone pups? Zee couldn't remember any of Deathbelle's children being so dangerous to themselves. She made a note to discuss it with her Empress soon.

-exit-