Allen had spoken his piece at the meeting, but his feeling of disappointment in himself would not be shaken. He felt like an absolute failure to Bass. He had maintained Abaven, kept it from going under, but it seemed like little else had come of it. The fight training had been a flop, the last hunt had only held three wolves including himself. Allen would heave a gentle sigh. Was he meant for this? Had he truly failed his friend? Allen would glance at his den where Nona was resting with the little ones, his heart giving a soft ache. He could not do this here. Not near them. So he would begin to walk, his mind being his own worst enemy. The world seemed to shift and bend around him, such was the state of his mind at this moment. He would walk on until he was well away from his den, closer to where the territory met the rapids. The aging man would breathe in, coming to a stop. He would sit, his heart heavy, as he tilted his head back and called for the pale man. He just hoped that Bass would not be too sore with him. He had tried. "Hear Me Talk," 'Read My Thoughts.'

Table by:: Tealah

He had been waiting for Allen's call, he had told the man that they would talk after the meeting. But of course they had both been pretty tired after that point, and with Allen being a new father he wanted to give him all the time he needed. So as soon as he heard it, he moved from his fishing post by the lake and trotted off to see his older friend. When he reached the calico man, Bass gently touched his nose to the others cheek in a greeting. As he pulled back, he sighed softly and folded himself to his rump, golden eyes meeting Allen's. "I hope you know that I don't blame you for all of this, right?" He asked softly, really hoping that this man knew it. It was Bass' fault for just dumping this pack on him, with not much warning at all. It was unfair of Bass to do that, he saw that now.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

The calico gentleman would return the greeting in kind, pink nose gently brushing against Bass’ cheek. He would keep his dark gaze focused on the other as he started to speak, ears lowering some. “Perhaps not all, though I am in part to blame for this as the rest of the pack is.” The calico man would shake his head. “I’m really sorry Bass, truly I am. I tried to organize training for what young ones I could -- Calypsei, Tirano, and Lilliana... But I...” His gaze wavered, and Allen let it fall to the ground. “I can’t help but feel that I’ve failed you.” The aging man would say. “All this time I’ve been trying so hard... Just to maintain... I never thought being a sole alpha, even for a period of time would be this difficult... But now I see the truth.” Allen would let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry...” He would force himself to look back to his friend, tears threatening to form in his eyes. “This was not what I wanted you to come home to.” "Hear Me Talk," 'Read My Thoughts.'

Table by:: Tealah

It would seem that Allen was very adamant on taking some of the blame on himself, and Bass shook his head slowly. He waited for the older man to finish speaking though before he would answer, letting the other get all he needed to say out. When he was done, Bass let out a soft whine. "You are too hard on yourself, Allen. Truly you are. For me to dump the pack on you and leave was not fair of me, at least without talking to the rest of the pack fully and setting up a plan of sorts. But no, I just put Abaven in your paws without sharing my hopes and dreams with you for our home. So really, please don't blame yourself. You did all you could, and you cannot say that you failed me. You are a father now, Allen, and you know that I always say that family is first. I mean it." He said firmly, golden gaze a bit harsh as he eyed Allen. He had ruled Abaven alone for quite some time, and he was blessed to have this man help him out now so that he did have more time to spend with his pups and wife. They were all a year old now, and still he had not been able to spend a lot of solo time with them. But thanks to him, it had all changed so quickly. The pale man had thought that the pack would listen to Allen, but it seemed like they were all just waiting for him to come home. Something that he was going to have to fix if Allen were to get the respect he deserved as Abaven's second in command.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Bass let him speak, to confess how he truly felt. But his friend would let out a soft whine. Perhaps he was too hard on himself. The calico gentleman had considered such ever since Hajime’s passing. Something that he had blamed himself for in the past, despite having no real connection to his nephew’s death. The man would let his gaze lift back to his friend, and he would smile just a bit. “Gods above I’ve missed you Bass. To know that you’re back in Abaven is a great load off my shoulders...” He would gently nuzzle the other man’s shoulder. “I’m glad that you’re not sore with me... I think that was what I feared the most.” He would chuckle softly. “You’ll need to come see them soon you know. Noen and Alna... I think they’ll be happy to meet their uncle Bass.” "Hear Me Talk," 'Read My Thoughts.'

Table by:: Tealah