No time to rewind

Briar brought her gaze back up to her father's as he began to speak about how her mother did actually want to throw this party for them and how she had been struggling to recoverr since she returned. It did make her feel slightly bad for complaining, but even with these additional road blocks the fact that Artorias was here for the entire autumn and her mother never spoke to him like she said she would even after she introduced the two of them still stung. Besides, how was she to know that her mother was struggling if she was never told or asked to help? It was never really about the party anyway. It was never really about the special gifts her older siblings had gotten that she and her siblings never received. It was just about feeling noticed by her parents and she hated that it took forcing him to look at her and listen to her grievances for her to get his attention.

Her ears flicked as he pointed out how they no longer needed to speak to the other packs about supplies since they had all done well enough to restore what they had lost and as he went on to talk about how old he felt. She was preparing herself for him to say that there wouldn't be the trips he had originally promised since they were no longer needed or perhaps because he didn't feel up to it and she braced herself for another disappointment - until he reached a paw out to cover hers and spoke about how she deserved his full support. She blinked with surprise and refocused her turquoise eyes on his blue. She couldn't remember another time she had heard him actually apologize but now she had heard him do it twice - once for the hurts he caused and once for not helping with her training.

As much as she appreciated hearing him say it, words were still just words and it would take him making an active effort to do better going forward to actually mend things between them, but him telling her to get a bag together so they could cover some lessons was a good start. She sighed softly and gave him a little smile as she got to her paws. At least she could find a bit of comfort in knowing that she had done what she could. Whatever happened going forward wasn't on her and she could rest a bit easier knowing that he at least knew where she stood and there would no longer be this nagging frustration in the back of her mind. "Don't worry about the birthday party, dad," she said softly, stepping forward to tap her nose against his cheek. "It's not the party I want. If mom still really wants to throw a party maybe suggest she do it in the summer as a second birthday party... having one for our first birthdays would be strange now."

She was about to turn to go gather up some supplies, but she paused, looking back to him. "Also... you're not that old and you're not a relic. We keep coming to you for training and advice for a reason... I'm sure you have so many stories I've never gotten to hear. Maybe you can tell me some while we're training. I'd like that a lot." She glanced at the half skinned animal behind him and nodded to it, saying, "Do you want some help finishing that and then we can go over to the dens to pack a bag? Or I can go get the bag together while you do that." She had a small hope that maybe she just didn't fully understand her father this whole time and that's why she was so frustrated, but at this point she was just happy with what she could get and hopefully this time together would help them learn each other a little better.

"Briar Fatalis"