lost at sea

The explanation that she didn't dare ask, but desired all the same, came spilling from Cormalin's maw in the seconds after she introduced herself. Claire could feel her world reworking itself in that moment. She had a father now. A father, and possibly a pack, right? A family. And one that her brothers would find. And they would all be happy. Together. It was a word that, up until then, had only included her brothers and herself. They were all that they had now that their adoptive parents were dead. But now, things were changing. Had changed. Her life had changed. Now, Claire wasn't alone.

Her first reaction, the first thing that she blurted, when the silence fell and Cormalin watched her silently, was, "I have an aunt? And cousins?" There was wonder in the female's voice, wonder for a family that Claire had never realized that she had. Up until a few seconds ago, she had been alone, alone and lost and confused, and now she had a father and an aunt and she had cousins. And her aunt had raised the Alpha of the pack that Cormalin spoke of, of the pack that he was the Beta to.

There was a family. A family. There was wonder in Claire's thoughts, dominating them as she gazed at Cormalin, eyes wide and her voice just a little choked up when she continued. "I . . . It's nice to meet you, Father." Her tail wagged behind her as she spoke, even if she was a little choked up. Father. Father. Dad, maybe? No, she liked the ring that Father had to it. She had a father! Well, to be fair, she'd always had him, but she was only meeting him now for the first time.

This female probably couldn't have hated anyone if she tried. But she couldn't be any further from hating her father. She was overjoyed to have met him at last. The only thing souring the moment was the fact that her brothers weren't there. "I wish my brothers could be here too. I wish they could meet you." They would have delighted in meeting their father, would have doted upon their cousins. Everything, everything would be perfect if they were there. But if this was all that Claire could have, she would take it in a heartbeat. She had never expected that she would find her father. And yet, she had. And it had only taken her almost dying to find him at last.



"speech"