Foundation

Fiametta empathized with having a large family; it turned out she came from a large cluster of wolves as well. Another tally under the "Things we have in common" category. Despite her sizable family, Fia explained how she had always been pretty free to do as she pleased. Stolas nodded his head assent. His life had never been strictly policed by his fathers, mother, or aunt. For the most part, he and his litter had been left to their own devices, so long as they didn't cause any trouble or bring dishonor to their family name. "I was raised the same. My parents put a lot of trust in me and my siblings to care for ourselves," he explained, looking away and back into the fire for a moment. "I suppose it made us all more independent—whether that's a good thing or not, I don't really know."

When he offered to make his trips to Elysium more frequent, the excitement on Fia's face was practically palpable! It made the young Abraxas lord smile just as widely, happy he was able to elicit such a positive reaction out of her. It seemed like after the massive implosion of his last friendship, Stolas was being exceedingly careful trying to make sure he did things right and made Fiametta happy. He didn't want to mess up again or do anything to give her a reason to hate him spontaneously, which was the only conclusion he'd been able to draw from Widow's disappearance after... that night. Fia asked if he might be able to stay in Elysium for a few days next time and the boy's bushy tail began to wag fervently, occasionally brushing her hip by accident or thumping on the ground. "I'd like that very much! If it's okay with out families, it would make it easier than having to commute all the way back home in the evening!" Realization dawned on Stolas' features. Oh, right... he still had to tell Fia the bad news. But hey, if he was allowed to stay overnights with her family, maybe it wouldn't be such bad news after all?

"Oh... Fia, I need to tell you something..." Stolas began, breathing a sad sigh, his usually erect ears falling flat to his head. A disappointment filled his graphite eyes as he spoke. "Ashen is moving. My pack is returning to its homelands back in western Boreas." He didn't feel the need to explain that it would put more distance between them; Fia was a smart wolf, she'd know what his statement meant for them. "But that doesn't mean I'm not gonna keep visiting you!" the adolescent boy was quick to interject with, looking back to his friend with a fiercely determined expression. "I still want to keep being friends and hanging out. It just means we might need to make our day trips more like extended trips instead. If you're okay with that." By the gods, did he hope Fia was okay with his compromise! He certainly didn't want to be moving farther away from his best friend! But as a yearling, he also had no say in the matter. Family was paramount, and wherever his family went, he went too. He just hoped and prayed that this wasn't about to be the end of their friendship like how his land one had broken apart. Stolas looked to Fia, waiting for her response with bated breath, while also preparing himself mentally and emotionally for the worst.

"Stolas"