mother knows best

Her mom seemed to be trying to be understanding, but her soft words were stirring Pesto's anxiety further. She expected to be yelled at, to be punished severely and without hesitation. The effort Deathbelle was putting forward to hear her side was unexpected, and Pestilence wasn't sure if she should feel like she was being lulled into a false sense of security or if her mother really was just trying her hardest to be accepting and kind, and if the latter was true then the pup's guilt would only continue to grow.

Her small shoulders lifted in a shrug and she eyed Deathbelle side-long. "I don't know." She lied, taking in a big breath and letting it out slowly. She owed it to the Empress to try and be open and honest, but worried it'd upset her mother further. "I don't want to live under Abraxas' shadow." Her response finally came, hesitant as if she knew it was not the correct way to feel. "I'm reminded of it - of dad - everywhere I look. My siblings' blessings, the sigils etched into the trees and dens, even Obi." The pups voice was sad and her eyes stung at the thought of her father and the ways he'd touched Ashen.

Her head lifted, turning her tear-filled gaze towards the volcano looming in the north-east. She watched the faint smoke above it, imagining her father's ashes mingled within it's debris. "It gives me nightmares. Why did we have to move here?" Pestilence was overly-fond of the nostalgia of Wolfpaw Lake and the neighbouring ravine; she yearned for the place she was raised with her father still beside her, and resented their move that brought them even closer to his fiery grave.