With Careful Steps

"I'm sorry..." Ace's ear flicked towards her, acknowledging her words, though he didn't know what to respond. The thoughts he had were heavy, and he didn't want to drop his burdens on her. His problems were his own, after all. He shouldered as much as he could for his niece and nephew so they wouldn't have to worry. They were young. They shouldn't have to worry about things like this. They shouldn't have been put through the situation that his damned brother put them in. She told him that she would like to meet the others, and what their names were. "Dominus, Domina, and Casso." He shifted a bit as he thought about them. Had Elias taken them with him? He hadn't found any trace of them after he returned with Ignis, so it led him to wonder if his brother had taken the other three or left them behind and the coyotes had gotten to them first.

“I’m glad you came to Abaven, Ace. sounds like it hasn’t been an easy path to get here… but I’m glad it brought you to me.” Her words dragged him from his worried thoughts, catching him by surprise. His mind began to race. Turning her words over in his head. Did she mean something by that? Or did she just mean that she was glad he came because it meant more numbers for her pack? Whatever the case, he nodded and allowed a slight smile to show. "I'm glad I'm here too. Abaven seems quite...peaceful. Something I haven't experienced in years. And I'm sure my niece and nephew will come to appreciate that in due time as well." He breathed in deeply, almost as if he were emphasizing the truth in his words. While he wouldn't stop looking over his shoulder anytime soon, he could at least rest properly, and not worry so much. "So uh...you said you had been part of Abaven before, and just recently took up leadership. What happened to your uncle? And I don't mean to be rude, but who was Sparrow? I'm...curious, about Abaven's history. I've never spoken to anyone from this pack, and I've always been interested in pack history."