'Cause it's the only thing I wanted

At her gentle behest, Estie began to reveal the depths of her woes at her own pace, Aliana letting her larger daughter lean against her and find the loving comfort of a devoted mother there for her child. Aliana did not interrupt all the while Barghest was speaking, listening intently to her daughter's sullen words with a sadness for her child's struggles. A dainty snowy paw lifted to rest over top of Estie's closest paw, looking up at her with gentle eyes and a tender smile that never seemed to leave her face whenever she was interacting with her children. She wanted to let her children know that it was always okay to be themselves and to be open about their feelings with her. Ali was a bit of a therapist at times, to her children, to her husband, to her friends, to everyone.

Hearing that Barghest was having trouble adjusting to their new lives wasn't unexpected, but neither was it something Aliana could easily fix. All she could do was try to make the adjustments as comfortable as possible for them all. "I know, sweetheart. Change is never easy, nor is losing what makes you feel safe and stable. I miss our home too. I miss having you and all your brothers and sisters around. I wish every day that we could turn back the clock to those days." Ali hoped that by sharing her own emotions and innermost feelings, maybe Estie would find she wasn't alone in her struggles. Feeling like you were alone was often a fate worse than death. "Maybe one day, we will all live those days again. After all, this isn't the first time we've lost our home due to your father's illness."

Aliana waited for the weight of her words to hit Barghest. The logical follow up question would be when they had lost their home the first time, and Ali was prepared with the tale. "Did you know that long before you were born, your father ruled his own pack down in Auster? He was the king of Fenmyre, an island paradise made in his image. He was king, and I his queen. We had just had your older brothers and everything seemed perfect." Aliana breathed a wistful sigh, the smile on her face as she lost herself in the memories of the past slowly slipping from her muzzle. "That was the first time your father fell grievously ill. He had to relinquish control of Fenmyre, and we left Ardent to travel the world to find a cure for him." Aquamarine eyes dipped down to the placid waters of the lake, glassy and distant as the memories continued. "It was difficult for us then too. Your brothers began to drift away from the family. I felt like we'd lost everything..."

Drawing in a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, Aliana lifted her gaze up to meet the matching aqua eyes of her daughter, the gentle smile returning to her lips. "But then your father began to get better, and once he was well enough we returned home, to Ashen, where we had you and your siblings. He was a king again, I was his queen, and I had my family once more." Ali's paw patted the top of Estie's reassuringly. "You see, my darling, just because things change now doesn't mean they'll stay this way forever. Life is full of curves and surprises. It's difficult in the moment, but one day you'll look back on this time and realize how strong you've grown because of it." Tipping her head to one side a few degrees while she considered her daughter's predicament about her purpose and direction, Ali spoke softly, "Perhaps we need to find you something to focus your time and energy on. A purpose, like you said. You're passionate about fighting. Have you thought about maybe helping the Elysium warriors with their training, or seeing if you could lead some spars?"

"Aliana"