Tor could tell Aiden was pleased at Baine's praise, though the falcon did not respond beyond a minuscule dip of her beak to acknowledge the pale young girl's greeting. She was not, he'd noticed, much for speaking to anyone, which made the fact that she willingly conversed with him all the more touching. "Thank you," he said to Baine in Aiden's place. "Yes, we've been staying in the moor. There's plenty of prey there, and a lot of healing herbs that I've needed to help Aiden. We've been comfortable there. You're welcome to come visit whenever you want," he invited politely.
It wasn't as though he hadn't been expecting her to ask that question, because really he'd been expecting her to ask it from the very start. He just... didn't know how to answer her. Even expecting it, it took a great deal of effort to keep his reserved expression blank, holding himself back from the wince that wanted to express itself, and only self control kept him from shifting his paws in discomfort. "I am just not suited for a pack, Baine," he told her gently. "I've learned much more on my travels than I did at home, and I am able to help many more people than I could if I was living behind pack boundaries. A lot of wolves don't feel comfortable going to a pack healer for help." It was a truth, if not the full truth. He did not like the idea of lying at all, even by omission, and certainly not to his littermate, but Baine was... not stupid by any means, but very innocent. A little naive, maybe, as he had been. He did not want to tarnish that innocence, not even a little.
""
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