After his chat with Karabela, he felt like he was walking away with a bit of a lighter heart. But before anything was made final, he needed to talk to his family, most of all Lark. He had promised this pack to his largest son if he had ever wanted it, although the brown wolf had never shown any real interest in it. Still, he enjoyed going to Lark for advice, and they hadn't talked for awhile. He also wanted to ask about him and Lillie, it wasn't often that he saw him get close to another wolf. So he walked away from Raba with his nose to the ground, trying to pick out his sons scent among the rest of the pack. It didn't take him too long to find the trail, and he hoped that he hadn't left just yet. Letting out a bark, he fell into a trot as his yellow gaze looked around for him. "Lark? Are you still around?" he called out, pausing to scan the horizon. As Bass looked around, the first wave of anxiety crashed into him. Would his kids hate him for wanting to give up Abaven? It had been their home ever since they had been born, they knew nothing else but these lands. They could still stick around her, Karabela had said something about claiming new lands if she did take the lead. So Serpent Plains could still be their home, without the weight and the pressure of a pack behind it. They could relax and just enjoy each others company, and come and go as they please. He would miss fighting, he had no doubt that he would visit the battlefield often. Or he could join Karabela's pack, but he wanted to go with his family. If they split up, then fine. That would be that, he wouldn't be able to fight them on it. But he wished to hold them fast, to fully retire and just enjoy life with his kids at his side. Letting out a sigh, he flopped down to his rump. He hoped that this ended well. The last thing that he wanted to do was to disappoint everyone. "Talk" "You" Think

Thinking of Abaven not existing wasn't something that had ever crossed his mind. The pack had been a constant for as long as he could remember - some members came and went, while the flow of the pack shifted as necessary, but it always was there. The meeting his father had held made him question it. Bass had said pretty explicitly that he couldn't keep the pack standing on his own. When had everyone become so.. complacent? Now that he was well into adulthood, he wondered what more he should be doing. Training, patrolling, searching for... something. Perhaps if Starling would come home, he could guard him to foreign lands in search of rare herbs.  The ideas rolled around in his head as he heard his father's words, his mind drifting back to the present. Paws carried him to face his father. His eyes fixed on his face, noting he looked considerably older than he remembered. He felt vaguely sad as he nodded a quiet greeting to him - his father would not be around forever, though he hoped he had many years left. Already Lark wondered if he might ever see his mother again. The thought of losing his father, eventually, was jarring. "Father," he'd greet him gently, his voice touched with affection and a somber curiosity. "How are you?" He was sure they had a bit to catch up on - quietly he hoped his dad wouldn't bring up Lillie, like Starling had - but he didn't know where Bass would want to begin.

As he waited, the anxiety only grew in his stomach. Would Lark hate him for all of this? Or were his kids also striving for a more stable home life? As much as he had tried to stop it, there seemed to be a lot of drama that went on within the pack. Would they be glad that they had nothing to worry about but themselves now? Bass' heart started to pound in his chest, fear slowly creeping up his spine. The last thing he wanted to do was make his kids hate him, they already had one parent out of the picture. He was trying his best to do enough work for them, and to teach them all that they needed to learn. He knew that he had failed with the girls, and his sons really, to teach them anything about love and sex. He had been so awkward about the whole thing, it was Wren who finally had to explain things to him when Venus was having sex on his borders with a stranger. His own parents hadn't been around, since he had made the choice to go off in search of his siblings. That is what brought him to this place, the random idea that he wanted to be a leader came soon after that. He still remembered when he claimed the plains and the rapids, the amount of pride that had filled him up at that moment. And now? Where had that all gone? Was it fully disappeared, or did it just shift to his children? Taking a shaky breath, he tried to shake everything away. When Lark showed up, he looked up at his darker coloured son, a smile crossing his weary lips. A simple greeting was spoken, before he asked him how he was. Bass could only sigh, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. How could he even start this conversation? He was nervous, and to be honest... terrified. Gathering his courage, he looked into Lark's minty eyes that reminded him of his mother so much, before finally breaking the silence. "To be honest, Lark, I'm tired. I am getting old, and I think the duties of keeping this pack active and alive are beyond me now. I keep trying to make Abaven what I want it to be, but I don't think I can achieve that anymore," he paused, studying his stoic face. Was he going to despise his own father after this? "While talking to Karabela, she mentioned wanting to lead a pack of her own. I mentioned that she could have Abaven, and turn it into something new. The drive to be an alpha just isn't there for me anymore. I want to be free to spend my days with you kids, before my age really starts to show. Since the moment you were all born, I had to be an alpha before a father. Maybe that's why your mother left... perhaps she wanted more," Bass' ears folded back, his shoulders sagging. For the first time, he allowed himself to look as fully tired as he felt, as old as he felt. "I feel like I have failed you guys as both your alpha, and most importantly, as your father. I think... I think giving up leadership will give me the free time I have always wanted to be with you. It's about time that I retire and just enjoy my life, instead of struggling to keep a family and a pack going." The pale man paused, looking down for a moment before his eyes wandered back up to Lark. "I once talked to you about taking over Abaven at one point, at training to be my heir. You have first claim to this pack and everything in it, before anyone else. If this is not something that interests you... I would like your blessing to pass it down to Karabela and allow her to do what she wants with it. We could join her, or stay here in the plains and not leave home. She plans on moving the pack nearby, but none of the lands that I have had a claim on. We all grew up here, even myself, and I never want to leave it. But... you kids would be free to do as you please. I can't really keep you all here." Bass finally fell silent, inspecting the boy before him. "Talk" "You" Think

His gaze was confident and calm as he watched his father's face, wondering if the white fur that marked his aging had been there for some time or if they were just growing more prominent now. Lark hadn't spent much time thinking about the mortality of anyone in his family, but it hit him suddenly and painfully that he would likely outlive his father. The thought weighed down on him unpleasantly, but he forced a smile that was not entirely artificial as his dad began to speak. He didn't expect the topic to be so.. heavy. Not right off. A slight frown touched his lips as he started to speak. It was obvious that his mind was occupied with these thoughts and he wanted to discuss them with Lark now rather than small talk. Slowly he reclined to his haunches, his mind reeling with each word that Bass spoke. He was.. tired of running Abaven? Things had been hard for awhile, he wasn't oblivious to that, but the thought of his father not running Abaven wasn't pleasant either. His expression was largely unreadable as he stood and watched and considered all of this. He'd offered Abaven to Karabela. He didn't even know Karabela well, and he felt a swell of indignation rise in his chest. "Mother left out of selfishness," he corrected him firmly, his voice betraying a hint of hurt that he didn't bother hiding. Starling had taken on the same sort of selfish behavior, but his recent visit with him had Lark hoping he'd changed. "And you didn't fail anyone. But." He paused, thinking as his jaws shut tight and his gaze fell away from his father's face. "I'm not ready to take Abaven." But I don't want Karabela to have it, either. They'd talked about it being handed to him before, and the thought had lingered in the back of his mind for some time. His words were stonier than usual, his gaze contorting in a mix of confusion and uncertainty now. "Why not someone else, though? Why not Tinaro?"  He could imagine following his friend, more than Karabela. At least he would keep them here, as a family; who knew who might want to follow Karabela? He wanted to stay with his family, as many of them as possible, but he wondered if this would cause a split in their family - and where would Lillianna decide to go?

He saw a touch of a frown before his sons face turned into a stone wall. As much as he loved Lark, he wished that in a moment like this, he would be able to tell what he was thinking. His stomach was wound in a tight knot, his breath just about hitching in his throat. Bass had to shove down the fear of being rejected by his own kids because of this decision. He knew that this was coming out of no where, he hadn't really made his thoughts clear to... well anyone. He was going to continue to plod along with Abaven until the day that he died, but Karabela had made retirement sound so good. He could work more on himself that way, fix this terrible mood he had been in. The idea of being the family man that he always wanted to be was something that he craved now, but it would look like this conversation was not going to be an easy one. Letting out a deep breath, he let Lark say all he needed to say. He nodded when it called for it, his head spinning around in circles. Lark's words were firm when he stated that it was not his fault that Wren left, and he didn't miss the pain that was in his voice. His own lips tugged downwards, his golden eyes searching his son's face. He knew that it had been hard on them all to have a mother that was so distant. He hadn't really been able to be there as a father either, with Abaven always in the back of his mind. He told him that he didn't fail them, although Bass would always think otherwise. How could he not have? He hadn't been able to be the man that they needed him to be, or even the alpha that they needed for that matter. When Lark said 'but', his ears perked, and he slowly nodded when he said that he wasn't ready for Abaven. "I would never push you into it, Lark. I wouldn't want to force you to lead when you didn't want to, that is the last thing I want to do. You are allowed to not want it at all, it's your life and you can do as you see fit. If being an alpha isn't one of those things, then it's completely okay. I will be proud of you, and love you, no matter what you do," Bass said softly, leaning forward to place a quick lick on his forehead. "I love all you kids so much, I just want to see you be happy in life. And you know... one day make me a grandfather," His eyes sparkled, heavily implying what he had seen back at the meeting. He said nothing else though, just left it at that before moving on. He had never really thought of offering Tinaro, it had only really occurred to him to hand off the pack a few minutes ago while he was talking to Karabela. She had spoken of wanting a pack, and he had one, it was as simple as that. The Lastic man was his highest ranking wolf, and he had worked hard for that position. "May I ask why you don't think Raba is fit for the job?" There was no offense in his voice, he just simply wanted to know what Lark was thinking. As for the Tinaro thing... "He's never expressed any interest in being leader, nor has he had any training. Well, Karabela hasn't either..." Bass sighed, his eyes squinting as he tried to formulate the right words. "I could call him here, right now if you wanted. I could always make him my second and train him up, give him some power without totally tossing him into the wind. Then if I see that he is a good match, I can retire and he can take over by himself..." He said softly, searching Lark's face for signs of approval. "Talk" "You" Think

He didn't know why he didn't want Karabela to have Abaven, or why he felt Tinaro might make a better leader. It hit him suddenly that he'd spoken without thinking, and he knew Bass would ask him to justify his words. His father had always been an analytical man and he shouldn't have expected to get away without clarifying what he meant. The current topic was stressful to him, and in a way he wished they hadn't brought it up at all.  It was difficult enough to bring up Wren; she'd been a fine mother when they were young, but her abandonment had tainted his picture of her, perhaps permanently. His brows furrowed in careful thought as his thoughts rolled like a storm, tumultuous and uneasy. "I'm just.. not ready," he reiterated, carefully, not wanting his father to think he might not someday be ready for such a thing. Someday, he would be proud to rule a pack. "Maybe someday, but not yet." Lark had always been a proud man, and it stung to admit he wasn't ready - it felt strangely like defeat. He wanted to make his father as proud as he could. Would leadership make him more proud, he couldn't help but wonder? He grimaced silently at the thought that he might be less of a man without accepting his father's offer to rule, but he knew he couldn't take over, not with such heavy doubt weighing on his heart. He mostly ignored his father's comment about grandchildren. Maybe, someday, that might happen - it wasn't in his mind in the near future. The question about why Karabela wasn't fit though made him cringe again, visibly this time, at his own statement. "She's not.. unfit," he admitted, feeling cautious again as he eyed Bass before averting his gaze to something in the distance. "Tinaro just feels more like family to me than her." He'd known him longer, since they were little more than children, and something about it make him seem so much more fit for leadership. Still, he didn't feel it was really his decision, and he'd offer a slow shrug in response. "Something about it just feels more.. right to me. I don't know. Either way, I'm sticking with you and our family, no matter what happens."

He couldn’t help but smile a little when Lark tried to find the right words to explain his thoughts and what was going through his mind. His tail thumped on the ground a few times, and he leaned forward to touch his nose against his forehead. "It’s okay Lark, I don’t think any less of you for not being ready. If you’re ready tomorrow or not at all, I am still always going to be proud of you. You don’t have to be an alpha for me to see just how strong you are," Bass hoped that Lark never felt like he placed his worth on his position in the pack, it wasn’t like that at all. He loved his kids no matter what they did, maybe he wasn’t good enough at showing that. If he needed to reassure them, he would for sure. The alpha never wanted them to feel like they didn’t matter or that he wanted them all to have the highest ranks that Abaven had to offer. He caught the look on Lark’s brown face, and he sighed softly. He knew that he was a proud man, perhaps turning down his offer for a second time was more stinging than he realized. "Like I said, you can take as little or as much time as you need Lark. It doesn’t matter to me what you do with your life," Okay well too an extent, if he was a psycho killer they would have words… "as long as you know that I care for you no matter what, and I will always be here for you." When he started to talk about how Tinaro felt more like family, he nodded his head slowly. It was true, Tinaro had been around since he was born when Karabela was a newer member. Lark had known him since they both were boys, of course he felt closer to him. "That makes sense. I’m glad to hear that you are here for the long run, Lark. If you want we can call Tinaro here now, or do you want to wait another day? I know that all of this is rather sudden..." He broke off with a huff, he had been dragging his paws long enough and it was time to see Abaven off to a new life. Hopefully a better one. He seemed to start to close off again, and Bass eyed him carefully. "I value your words and your opinions. This is your home as well as mine, I want to make sure that you guys will all be okay with such a large change like this. It’s not something as simple as I would have hoped," Okay so maybe he jumped on board too quickly with Karabela, the idea of being retired had sounded so nice that he jumped at the chance. He was thankful for Lark and glad that he stopped to talk with him, it made him realize that he needed to slow down with this. He had been too hasty in thinking it would be just a simple hand over. Smiling at his son, he looked up at him with his yellow eyes. There was obvious gratitude in their depths, and regardless of how their conversation had gone. "Talk" "You" Think

Lark felt suddenly, inexplicably frustrated. What if it was best for Bass to pass of Abaven immediately? What if Karabela would make a fine leader and he was just being unfair about it? Still, Bass had only asked his opinions, and he felt he didn't need to justify them.. especially since he wasn't in charge of anything, and didn't want to be, not right now. He still felt an uncomfortable weight bearing down on him and felt suddenly wildly unhappy. He wished Lillianna was here so he could talk to her - surely she would understand how he felt about things - but he hadn't seen her in awhile. He forced a smile at his father's words, but it felt less genuine than he had hoped. At least he wouldn't be the most disappointing child - he wondered when Sparrow might return, if at all, and when Starling might feel like coming home - but he might also not be the one that made his father proudest, like he had always hoped. He'd been destined to be the protector of the family, the one everyone looked up to.. and he felt painfully weak these days. "Thank you," he'd murmur softly, glad to hear his father's words despite everything else he felt. "We should wait, and you should speak to him," Lark offered tentatively, his gaze averting to his paws. "See if it's something he's even interested in or aspires toward, but I think it's a good possibility." A more real smile appeared then as his gaze lifted again to his father's face. "If you're getting tired of ruling, you should figure something out though. It's not fair to burden you with this." His father had many years left, Lark was sure of it, but not forever. And it would be unfair to make him live out his oldest days ruling Abaven if he truly didn't want to anymore.

The look on his sons face was not unnoticed by the alpha. Bass frowned, nodding slowly when Lark spoke again. It was time to draw this conversation to a close, it was obviously starting to weigh on the growing man. "I will take everything you said into consideration Lark. Thank you for being honest with me," He really valued all his children's opinion, and he was glad that the brown wolf had told him what he really felt. Even though it looked like he was now regretting it, that didn't matter to him. Stepping forward to nuzzle the man if he allowed it, he rose to his paws and shook out his pale coat. "I think that's enough for now, too much shop talk for one night," His jaws parted in a yawn, and he stretched his lower half towards the ground to pull on his aching muscles. It was about time he made the night patrol anyways, and it would seem that his largest child needed a bit of a break and some space. Taking a few steps away, he aimed to place a kiss on the boys forehead. "Goodnight son. Don't forget that I am proud of you, no matter what happens," With a smile, Bass took his leave. -exit unless stopped- "Talk" "You" Think