The she wolf had felt undue stress recently, her husband had vanished after the birth of their second litter, Anthem had been accused of terrible actions, and her youngest son was still deathly ill. Everything in the pack was falling to her shoulders and it felt as though the world was crumbling beneath her paws. Had she done something to anger the gods, had she not spent enough time meditating with them, or asking of their help? She didn't know, but what she did know was that she needed more help. It seemed that Legend and Howl were scarce as well as Cherokee. She needed her children to step up, so she would call her first born to her side. She had left the children with Novel, she felt bad about making her daughter watch them so often but the girl didn't seem to mind. In fact she practically begged her mother to watch over them. Song's paws would take her closer to the ocean, it was a rather cool evening considering the summer warmth, the sun would bring itself close to the horizon as Song's head would tilt back to call out for her son. She knew how much trouble he'd been having dealing with the thought of his new siblings. So much so that he'd yet to come and meet them. She hoped it would pass, and he would be protective of them as his litter mates. She didn't want to think about it, but if Cherokee didn't come back he would need to be the head of their family. Speech,

The birthing of his siblings had been more than two weeks ago. This reason was why he stayed away from his old den. They had taken up all the room they could muster with Song and he didn't want to be around them because of it. Dhiren could try and convince himself that the reason he remained in his own quarters was because of the little breathing room his mother had, but it would be a lie. Instead, he mulled over why he was so upset with his siblings, when they hadn't done anything to him except be born and continue to thrive. He didn't ask for them to be born, but then again, they didn't ask for him to be their older brother. At the time Song called him, Dhiren was curled up at a mangrove's roots. Since his meeting with Guinevere, he felt as if he was not the only one in the world who felt this way. The young girl made his mood brighten with the possibility that maybe he would end up loving his new siblings, even though Song had tried to tell him the same thing. He was thinking about that meeting when the sweet vocals of his mother sent him a message, indicating that he was needed. A long sigh escaped his lips before he picked himself up and trotted towards the ocean. His lanky form was inherited from Song, but his physical characteristics resembled Cherokee as a mirror image. When he was young, Dhiren was excited that he resembled his dad. Now, as he came into viewing distance of Song's yellow and blue eyes, he felt bad about it. He was sure that memories of his father would cling to his physical attributes, but he was far from his father's personality in many ways. As he got closer, he knew that he needed to do better for his pack, for his mother...and for himself. All of the jealous entities belonging to a boy disappeared and he felt himself broaden in the aspects of a man. At a year old, Dhiren felt that responsibilities were going to fall upon his shoulders, so he decided to better himself before he even said anything to his mother. His feelings for his brothers and sisters trickled away from his mind and body, becoming only memories he didn't want to keep. Upon reaching Song, his reaction to her was definitely needed for both individuals. Dhiren immediately wrapped his mother in an embrace, letting his head fall in the nook between her shoulders. One paw reached up and pulled her close before he released her. As he reclined to his haunches, silver and gold eyes beckoned to her own bi-colored gaze. "Mama," he said, tones now deeper and warmer compared to the few times he saw her before she gave birth. "Forgive me for being away for so long...and for putting you through hell that only a firstborn son could cause for the Oracle of our days." Both ears flicked back to his cranium as he showed guilt for how he had acted. "I was such a child, Mama...I don't deserve the love and attention from someone as wonderful as you." Speech, Awesome pic by Seren <3

Her haunches had coiled beneath her as she would patiently wait for her first born, she would happily anticipate his presence. Her downy tail would wrap around to cover delicate alabaster paws as her pale eyelids would slide shut. The warmth of the sun's last rays would bathe her in light as she would listen for her son's foot steps. Her efforts would not be in vain as moments later she would hear the slight disturbance of the wood before her son was upon her. She would find herself pressed to his breast as his neck snaked around her own to rest between her shoulders. She would push herself into his embrace, closing her bicolored gaze in pleasure at the surprise affection. He would swiftly bring himself to apologize, she would realize quickly how grown up he was becoming. They were all so mature now, her eyes would become misty at the revelation. Her babies were growing up. She would look into his precious gaze with out any sort of judgement, "I could never be angry with you my love. And deserve it or not you'll have my love until the end of the earth." She would nuzzle him again, feeling a pang of sadness as she thought of Cherokee when she looked at him. "My dearest, I need to speak with you of serious topics." her features would become slightly more somber, though nothing would really get her down after Dhiren's embrace. "You know your father has been... Scarce." gone is more like it though, she hadn't seen him since their second litter had been born. "It's hard to keep up with everything by myself. Dhiren, I need you to train very hard, I need you to become my 1st apprentice." her bicolored gaze would look into his own as she completed her request.?

His mother reassured him that her love would be undying and it made his heart swell. He couldn't help but be happy with what she said, for he knew that she wouldn't lie. The loneliness that had been around his mind and heart had disappeared and he found himself thinking of being with her as a pup. They had curled up beside each other and he had wanted her all to himself. Back then, the world was smaller and the possibility of sharing her was one that never crossed his mind. The memory left him as Song's somber expression took hold of his gaze. Silver and gold eyes watched with an intense burning as she spoke of how his father had been "scarce". Dhiren wanted to scoff at the mere word, for Cherokee had done much more than that. Not only had he left, but he had broken his mother's heart and the hearts of the babes he had helped conceive. What kind of man would do such a thing to a family he had been happy with? Apparently not a true one. Song then continued to say that she needed him to train harder and become her first apprentice. Dhiren's mind became blank of all bad thoughts that had been floating around and he tried to process her request. First apprentice? Him?! Slowly, he swallowed and gave his response. "Wh-why, Mama?" He asked softly, eyes now becoming tender and sad. "I thought that the higher ranks had been sturdy enough, even with Dad's disappearance..." The Cherokee look-alike didn't realize how bad it had become. "I will do my best, but I don't know if I can assure you I will be perfect. There is still so much to learn and I am not a fan of politics. It is one of those things that I need to build on, even if they aren't the most pleasant topics." Speech,

The boy would not give his opinion verbally about how his father had been gone, but she could see already the change of emotion within his gaze. She missed Cherokee more than anything in the world, she wanted him back so badly. Dhiren was right to think that her heart had broken, because it had. She would not let herself admit he was forever gone though, deep within her she had hope that he might one say return to her. She would continue though, watching the surprise that would appear on her son's features. He would question her why, stating the observations he had found. What he didn't know was that she had a hunch Aria and Haku would be leaving very soon, and Song had not seen Siarvon since the last meeting. However Dhiren would continue on, accepting her offer, with cautionary words. A smile would appear on her features as he would explain his imperfections. "Dhiren, you are still young I can't expect you to know everything!" she would giggle and snug her son before continuing, "That's why I'm training you, so you'll learn about those politics and so you'll have the practice you need. You won't be ready overnight, but if you study and practice you will be an amazing leader one day." she would kiss his cheek as a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders.?

Song's reassurance of him being trained was something he needed to hear. What else made his heart sore in relief was her saying that she would be training him and making sure he learned the necessary duties. Dhiren couldn't hold back a smile as he leaned in and gracefully licked Song's right cheek. He adored his mother in an enormous amount, something he hoped that she knew. Whenever something bad happened, his mother always made it right. As he pulled back to look into her bi-colored gaze, the yearling slowly nodded. "I won't hesitate to learn everything I need to know, Mama. As long as you have confidence in my abilities and the pack gives us their support, I think I will do fine." A light sigh released itself into the already warm air and his tail gently thumped against the sand. "You also know I will do anything I can to ensure balance for our pack members...and for your heavy responsibilities." Speech, Awesome pic by Seren <3