And now for a brief intermission

Avacyn gave her sister a grateful smile as she commented on how thoughtful her decision to hold of on officially naming the heir she had chosen from Ikigai and Deimos' children had been and how the pack was in good hands. More often than not she feared she was making all of the wrong decisions and failing to live up to the lofty expectations she had put on herself so it was nice to hear that she might not be doing as poorly as she thought. There was plenty that she could have done better, but there was also plenty that she had done right and hopefully it all would balance out to an acceptable result in the end. That was all she could really ask for.

As she brought up the position that had been promised to her sister, she could see the weight her sister felt at the responsibility that was waiting for her, but to Mariah's credit she responded with an assuredness that Avacyn was proud of. If it was possible for her to shoulder all of the responsibility so her siblings would not have to feel any of it she absolutely would, but she was always grateful when they were willing to step into their own and help her care for the pack that their mother had begun. She nodded with understanding as Mariah mentioned having another healer in mind that she wished to study under in The Hallows before she would be ready to return home. She had also heard about the exceptional care that wolves received from the healers within The Hallows so she could agree that was a worthy reason for her to stay away for a bit longer.

The promise that she would return once her learning was done did ease her worries some and some of the tension in her shoulders relaxed as she gave Mariah a resolute nod. Fia's continued absence was worrying, but it also made her fear that all of her family that strayed from home might never return. She walked a fine line of wanting to keep their family together and strong while still allowing them the freedom that they craved. She didn't want to start denying their requests to roam, but it almost felt like her leniency was starting to be abused. Avacyn trusted Mariah's promise though and she smiled with a soft, relieved sigh. "Good. I hope you find everything you're hoping to learn and more. I can't wait for you to come home, but I know your time away will be worth it." With a bit more seriousness she added, "I know there's been a lot of unrest among some of the packs these days with all of the raids and challenges, so if something like that happens while you're in The Hallows promise me you'll come straight home? Auster is much father and harder for me to keep an eye on than Valta was so I might not be able to be there like I was today."

"Avacyn Mendacium"