It hadn't been long after his talk with Heather that Lionel felt the need to spend some time with their father. He knew leaving with Heather, if she did decide to go, was out of the question so he'd already come to the resolve he was going to train with her. To help her out though he needed to do some training of his own and he already decided to learn everything he could. Hunting was a given, every wolf needed to know how to hunt, and fighting he felt was necessity as well. He was even sure he could dabble in healing as well, but the idea of pack affairs interested him too. He liked being around others and talking and communicating with other packs and being an ambassador when he was older (even if it wasn't an actual rank) sounded like fun too. It'd give him the option to explore and learn - something he was keen on doing. He wanted to know everything even if learning everything was an impossible task. He was determined. It'd only been a season since they'd turned one, but lately he'd felt like they hadn't spent enough time with Leo. He was aware that leading a pack was busy work and kept their russet father occupied most days. Still he was going to see if he could slide in some time for everyone. He also had a few questions to launch at Leo if he was given the opportunity. It was unusually hot lately. This was only his second summer, but he couldn't remember the last one being quite this hot. The falls offered some relief and now more than ever Lionel was glad that Leo had decided to switch their territory over from the hot springs to the falls. It was a place he found himself heading to often and today was no exception. He'd head towards the top of the falls, finding a nice shady spot to sit, before he raised his head and howled for Leo hoping with all his heart that he wasn't busy. Walk, "Talk" Think

Leo was no stranger to hearing howls calling for him, but he was still surprised when he heard his son's voice. His ears perked curiously and the sound brought a smile to his lips. He knew he was often so busy with pack things that he didn't get to spend the time with his children that he wanted to. It warmed his heart to know that one of them was actively seeking him out anyway. He had been in the middle of a patrol around the borders, but he would drop anything if it meant going to his children when they needed him. Or even just wanted him for that matter. He made his way back into the territory at a light trot. It wasn't too hard to find Lionel's scent and he followed it to the top of the falls. He spotted his son's russet coat that matched his own so closely and made his way over to settle next to him. He nudged Lionel's shoulder with his nose and gave his son a friendly grin. "Hey there, Lionel," he greeted, his tail wagging lightly against he ground behind him. He still couldn't believe they were a year old already. It felt like they had been just tiny pups yesterday. They were practically adults already! How was that even possible? "Anything in particular on your mind? Or did you just want to bother your old man?" he asked with a chuckle, a joking tone in his voice. His children could never bother him, no matter how small or trivial the task. "Talk" "You" Think

Paw pads against grass was the first sign that Leo was on is way. His tail swished happily in the grass behind him and it wasn't long before the familiar russet form of his dad came to view. It was nice to see that he wasn't too busy with alpha duties to come today. He knew it was hard work keeping up with the needs of the pack and he admired him for everything he did. Leo would pad over to him and nudge him lightly with his nose. He'd return the gesture to his neck and his tail waved faster as he smiled. Leo greeted him and he spoke with a soft excitement. "Hey Dad, it's good to see you." He'd say politely. He'd let Leo settle in on the grass next to him and ivory ears would flick forward as he asked if he needed anything. Lionel would chuckle lightly as he thought about how to answer that. "Little bit of both I guess? We don't see enough of you." Not that was his fault, but it was true nonetheless. "I'm sure Heather already talked to you about mentors, but I wanted to know if it's possible if I could learn everything? I wanna learn how to protect myself and everyone, but I also wanna learn healing, and hunting, and being a scholar sounds fun too. There's so much to learn and I don't even know where to begin." He'd pause for a minute, knowing he probably sounded a little silly. He thought he did at least. "Do we have to stay at Marquis? Or is it possible to be a different rank?" He'd ask curiously. He didn't like the idea of being labeled as an alpha's kid. He wanted to earn his keep and as a marquis the only way was to go up on the totem pole, not down, or so it seemed to him. Walk, "Talk" Think

Leo was sure Lionel didn't mean to cause him to feel guilty when he mentioned how they don't see enough of him, but he couldn't help but feel a small pang of guilt at the statement. He knew it wasn't his fault, it was the nature of the beast when it came to running a pack. He wished he had more time to spend with them. Time felt so fleeting and it felt like every time he blinked they were older than he remembered. At least he could look at each of his children and be proud that they were growing up to be strong, kind individuals. He was so glad that despite his busy schedule and their mother's disappearance they still seemed to be growing up well. He nodded to confirm that Heather did indeed talk to him about their mentors and he couldn't help but chuckle when Lionel asked about studying everything under the sun. "I don't see why not! Like I was telling your sister, we separate tasks by ranks within the pack simply because it makes it easier to run a pack that way. But it doesn't mean that you can't study anything you find interesting. In fact, it makes me happy to see you both so interested in learning." His head tipped to the side a tad as he considered his son's next question. It seemed that both of his children had curve ball questions for him lately. "No, I don't suppose you do. Would you prefer to be a Student instead of a Marquis?" "Talk" "You" Think

Lionel couldn't keep the sheepish grin off his face. He knew it was probably an impossible task to learn everything, but you couldn't deny that he was excited. Even if he didn't learn literally everything he at least knew he'd have a good grasp on what he liked and what he didn't like. He felt like asking what ranks needed to be filled but he kept his mouth shut as Leo spoke. Interrupting would have been rude and it wasn't like he couldn't find out later. He knew he had some time before he turned two and the ranks could fill up before then. So he resolved to finding out later. "Yeah, I'd love to be a student." He replied after a moment of thought. That would mean he would be equal with the other yearlings like Valefor, Diana, and Jayne which excited him. Actually being ranked a student seemed more exciting to him than the rank Marquis, though that could just be chalked up to childish excitement. "What were you interested in learning as a kid, Dad?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Leo nodded with understanding when Lionel confirmed that he would rather be a Student. Leo really hadn't considered that his children wouldn't like having a rank for themselves. Now that Lionel had pointed it out he could see how it could be strange for them and uninspiring at times. Perhaps he needed to reevaluate his ranks for them... His train of thought got cut off when Lionel spoke again, pulling Leo's focus back to his son's face. He hummed thoughtfully at his question, his head tipping to the side while he thought about it. "I was a lot like you and just wanted to learn some of everything. I learned more toward fighting, but mostly just because I wanted to be able to protect myself and my family. So then I leaned toward hunting, but again, it was mostly just out of necessity. I've always been impressed by healers, but I've never been able to take to it like your aunt has. I really only ever remember wanting to follow my parent's lead and have a pack so I could rebuild their kingdom. I'm afraid that Fiori is just a shadow of what their pack used to be, but I'm proud of it all the same." "Talk" "You" Think

Lionel stared up at his father as he hummed softly. As patient as he was trying to be he certainly was eager to learn more about Leo. He found himself grinning at the answer though. So he'd wanted to learn everything too. Fighting certainly intrigued him and hunting was a necessary thing no matter what, but he supposed there were more wolves that were better at it than others so they chose it. He found himself laughing a bit as he said he'd never been able to take to healing like his aunt had. Healing intrigued him too, but if he didn't take to it either he realized he wouldn't be upset. Even if he only learned the basics he'd be happy if it meant he could help himself and others till someone better came along. He was more interested in the fact that Leo seemed to have wanted to lead since he was younger. Lionel couldn't imagine what it was to lead a pack, he hadn't even thought of it really, but it seemed kind of hard. The way their dad was busy with pack affairs, calling meetings, making sure everyone was healthy and happy, it certainly seemed like a lot, but it was hard to believe the pack was just a shadow. "Well I think you're doing a great job Dad, especially by yourself." With their mom gone he knew it was hard on all of them, but especially so for Leo. He remembered when he was gone a lot looking for her, but he seemed to have handled it pretty well. Walk, "Talk" Think

Leo smiled gratefully when Lionel complimented how he had been doing with the pack on his own. He knew that his children would probably insist that he was doing well whether he was or not, but it still gave him some relief to hear it all the same. Sometimes he wondered if what he was doing was really making a difference or benefiting his family at all. After all, he and his children could just live in one spot without being a formally established pack. But he knew that wouldn't offer them the protection that a pack had built into it. "Thank you, Lionel. That means a lot." Keeping Fiori running after Svetlana disappeared had been hard, but it was worth it to see his family and pack members safe and healthy. It gave him a reason to keep going and something else to focus on too which he was very grateful for. "I'm really glad you kids are around," he commented with a smile, leaning over to nudge Lionel's shoulder with his nose. "I don't know what I would do without you. Only reason I'm doing a good job is because I have really good inspiration to." "Talk" "You" Think

Even if Leo hadn't been doing a good job running the pack and balancing out his time, Lionel wouldn't have thought any less of him. Between being his Father and his Alpha he couldn't see him in any other light than a good one. Leo seemed to enjoy his compliment though so Lionel beamed at him, his tail waving softly behind him. Ears perked up when Leo mentioned that his siblings and him were around. His head tilted slightly as he thought about it. Was he thinking about their Mom? He returned the nudge with a nuzzle to Leo's neck and a soft wag of his tail again. He hadn't thought about Svetlana for a while now. She was nothing but a fading memory mostly. She hadn't been around for a long time and at first it had hurt, but now that he thought about it it didn't bother him so much. They had Leo and that was enough for him at least. He knew it still bothered Alfred a bit she wasn't around. Did it bother their Dad too? "Well I can't speak for any of the others, but I'm not going anywhere Dad. We're gonna be a family forever if I can help it." He smiled before his face turned more serious. "Do you ever miss Mom?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Leo smiled a little at Lionel's declaration that they would all remain a family if he had anything to do with it. It was like he was speaking to a younger version of himself. If he had his way his children would stay all together with him. He just wasn't incredibly hopeful that would be the case after seeing how his siblings and family had scattered and disappeared over the years. The only one of his siblings that was still around was Amalia and she had only returned to Fiori when Athena's old pack had been disbanded. Perhaps life had made him cynical, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. If all of his children actually stayed together then he could just be pleasantly surprised. Leo was surprised and caught off guard by Lionel's next question. His ears flicked and he gave Lionel a sad smile. He wished he could hide his emotions better, but that had never been a strong suit of his. There was no way he could lie to his son about it, especially when it was written all over his face. "I do. Every day." He sighed softly and looked out across the falls. In a way he was kind of glad that the kids never really got the chance to know Svetlana very well. Maybe that made it a little easier to move on than it had been for him. "I loved her a lot. But there's nothing that can be done about it now. Where ever she is it isn't anywhere on this continent and I don't want to waste time that I could be spending with you and your siblings trying to look for her." "Talk" "You" Think