Sometimes he wondered how it was possible to live in the same area and still not see someone on a semi-regular basis. He had been so caught up in the whole mess surrounding Svetlana that he hadn't taken the time to really think about it, but now that he was beginning to come back down to earth a bit he realized how little he actually saw his mother. If there was ever a time that he wanted to be with her and get her advice it was now. He may be an adult and an alpha, but that didn't mean he didn't need his mother's comfort and advice on occasion. He started making his way through the Mangroves, keeping his eye out for her ivory, russet-marked form while his mind wandered. He hated having this quiet, free time. His own wandering, doubtful mind was quickly becoming his own worst enemy. Talking with Amalia had helped, but after having to hunt down Alfred he started to wonder how well he was really doing on his own. "Talk" "You" Think

Epiphron knew she had not been the best pack member. She'd missed a meeting of some sort recently - she tended to keep to herself lately, and she was often outside of Fiori's territories. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy being among packmates, but many of them were preoccupied with things that didn't involve her directly. She did miss her children, especially those that were no longer here, but she knew she needed to spend time with those that remained. Her movements were slow as she wove between the mangrove trees, no real goal in sight. With the gradual shift of seasons, the forest was becoming chillier with each day that passed, and with the chill brought her a slight feeling of restlessness. She caught a hint of Leo's scent long before she approached him, and she would re-direct herself toward him, eager as always to speak with her son. A smile painted her aging features as she spotted him and her pace quickened, her head dipping in slow greeting. "Leo," she'd call out to him happily, tail waving in a wide arc. "Long time no see."

Luckily he wouldn't have to search for her long. His mother's familiar scent caught his attention and he looked toward her with a relieved smile. He turned to head toward her as well, his tail matching hers and wagging behind him. "I'm glad I found you," he mentioned as he trotted over to her and pressed his nose to her cheek, leaving a small kiss there. "I was worried that sickness that's going around might have gotten ahold of you, but it seems I was worrying for nothing." He chuckled softly and settled down on his haunches with a sigh. He didn't want to open up their conversation with his own problems. It felt like every time they spoke it was about something that was gnawing at him. "How have you been? I haven't seen you around recently." He hadn't forgotten the fact that she hadn't shown up to their last training session. He had brushed it off, but he still worried that she wasn't happy here for whatever reason. "Talk" "You" Think

Why she had been distant, she wasn't entirely sure - she was likely to blame it on her old age, though. She wasn't horribly old, but she was definitely getting up there in years, and she found herself feeling more restless than usual as of late. However, she definitely was not sick, which Leo seemed grateful to see. Her smile widened slightly at his concern, leaning her head to the side to touch his own lightly. The one thing she had left to live for, now, was her family; her children and their children, too. Without them, she would have nothing at all, and she was not oblivious to this fact. "I've been well," she explained lightly, eyeing him as though looking for any signs of sickness, but it seemed he was without illness as well. She hadn't heard of anyone else in Fiori being sick, and she was grateful for that. She knew sickness could spread easily in such damp, humid lands, but it seemed they'd avoided it for now. She slowed as he came to a halt, stretching her forepaws as she slowly lowered herself to her belly, on a piece of solid ground next to Leo. A slight yawn stretched her jaws as she relaxed at her son's side. "Besides not being sick, I've been fine," Epiphron told him, a bit dismissively. Her life was not overly exciting, which wasn't always such a bad thing. "What about you?"   A lot had happened over the last year. She wasn't even sure how long it had been since Arian's death, but that, the birth of Leo's children, and Svetlana's disappearance.. certainly weren't easy things to handle. "I'm sorry I haven't been as present as I ought to be," she'd offer him after a moment, leaning to nuzzle her nose into Leo's cheek. "I'll make an effort to be around more. I find myself drifting off lately. Perhaps your mother's just getting old." A wry grin teased her lips as she nudged him, a bit playfully, at her quip.

It was reliving to hear that she was doing okay. With all of the things that he had to worry about these days it was good to know his mother wasn't one of them. He would always worry about her a little bit because that was just in his nature to do so, but seeing her alive and well eased some of that. Leo followed her lead when she laid down, taking advantage of this rare moment to relax and talk with his mother. He settled onto his stomach next to her as well. At first when she asked how he had been he could only answer with a small shrug of his shoulders. Luckily she continued before he had to elaborate to fill the silence. Her nuzzle made him smile and he leaned into the touch, chuckling softly at her teasing. "You can't be that old yet. You look too good for an old lady," he replied with a grin, returning her nudge. "Don't worry about not being present though... You've done so much for me already. You deserve some freedom to do what you'd like," he added with a slight smile. She was right as much as he didn't want to admit it. She was getting older and she had done so much for him over the years. Fiori wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her beginning this pack and believing in him to carry it on. "I wouldn't mind some advice from time to time though." He chuckled at that, pressing his nose to her cheek. "Talk" "You" Think

If Epiphron was good at anything, truly good at it, it would be surviving. She had never found herself too overwhelmed to go on - even when her husband had abandoned her, even with the many family deaths she had been forced to deal with - she had always found a way to persevere. Her hopes now, that she was growing older, were far more simple than her childhood ones. She was content to live out her days here in Fiori, under Leo's rule, though if she said she had no wishes she would be lying. She longed for her children to all return, to know their families, if they'd started families of their own. But.. she was not unhappy in the least with how things were now.

She snorted at his comment, a chuckle escaping her throat at his words - flattering, but funny still. "I feel older than I look, surely," she'd comment idly, though her words were laced with some seriousness. "Someday you'll know how it feels." Sooner than Leo expected, though still quite a ways away. His words, about her absence, felt a bit too kind. "Expect me to be more present anyway," she told him seriously. It'd be good for her, anyway, to not spend so much time alone. "And you know you can always come to me for advice." She couldn't help but wonder how he was doing now that Svetlana's disappearance had been solidified; she was likely not coming home, at least not anytime soon, and she knew how difficult it could be to raise children all alone. Luckily, her children had been independent once she had found herself on her own, but it still hadn't been easy to navigate life that way.

Leo already felt aged beyond his years at times so he hoped that he didn't feel that much older too soon. It was strange. Sometimes he felt his whole life had flown by so fast that he shouldn't be as old as he was already. Then other times he felt like life had aged him so much that his age didn't accurately reflect how old he felt. Maybe this is what they meant by having a midlife crisis. When she assured him that she would be more present he had to smile gratefully. He didn't want her to feel like she had to, but it made him happy to hear that she still wanted to be. He was a family man at the end of the day and he was pretty sure that growing older had made him even more of a momma's boy than he had been to begin with. Seeing the world for what it really was made him wish he could go back to the days of being a pup. He wondered if his children would think of their youngest days with the same fondness or if their mother's disappearance would taint it for them. "I'm glad," he replied with a small smile when she insisted that he could always come to her with advice. He paused for a moment as a question came to mind, thinking about how he should ask it or if he even should ask at all. "Did you ever think about finding another mate after father?" he asked uncertainly, looking at her curiosity as he waited for her reaction. It was something he had been thinking about ever since Alfred made him promise that he would find a way to be happy. He didn't believe that having a wife was the key to his happiness, but he had to wonder what he would do if Svet never came back. Would he even want to try and love someone else? He also knew he hadn't been with Svetlana nearly as long has his parents had been together, but he was interested to hear his mother's take on it either way. "Talk" "You" Think

Her life, she knew, had been full of hardship - it seemed Leo's life was following a similar pattern. Heartache and loss, she supposed, were both facts of life, though she wished they did not hit so close to home for her son. She slowly lowered herself to Leo's side as they spoke, happy to simply spend time with him, though if it was conversation he desired she could surely provide that as well. He was far wiser than he realized, she knew that, but she'd had years more life experience; hopefully she could provide him some insight, whenever he needed it. His question took her by surprise. No one had ever really asked her about it before - actually, no one had ever asked much about Maverick's disappearance. He'd betrayed her quite deeply. No.. he'd betrayed his entire family, and his children were included in that. "I've considered it," she answered honestly. She had no intentions of ever lying to her children, even if the answers weren't what they wanted to hear. Was Leo wondering if he might someday move on from Svetlana's disappearance? "But I'm not honestly sure if I have it in me to love another as I did your father." She'd given her life to him - no, they'd made a life together, and he'd shattered it with such unforgivable ease. "Sometimes it feels easier to be alone than to risk heartache, though part of me misses the companionship. If I found the right one, I'd probably consider it." Epiphron shrugged, hoping she'd helped him somewhat - though even she was not totally sure what she might do, if such an opportunity arose.

Leo listened quietly while his mother spoke. He was honestly a bit relieved to hear that she had considered moving on from his father, even if nothing had ever come of the thought. When the thought had first crossed his mind he honestly felt like he was betraying Svetlana by even considering taking a new mate. It wasn't like he had met anyone that might fill her role, at least not yet, but even just thinking about moving on when he didn't even know if she was dead or alive hurt. He knew he and his mother had been in very different situations when it came to their partners, but in the end they had both ended up alone. If his mother could be with Maverick for so long and still consider moving on at the end of it maybe he could too in time. He had loved Svetlana with his whole heart, but he hadn't been though nearly as much with her or been with her nearly as long as his mother and father had been through. He gave Pip a small smile and pressed a small lick onto her cheek. "Thanks," he replied simply. There wasn't much else he could say than to just thank her for being honest. "You know I wouldn't mind if you brought a boyfriend or two around," he added with a playful grin as he tried to bring the mood back up. He was mostly joking, but there was a bit of seriousness there too. He didn't want his mother to feel like he disaproved of her looking for love again if she wanted to. Or even if it wasn't love, even if it was just companionship. He wanted her to be happy with whatever she decided to do. "Talk" "You" Think