Gossamer rested near the beach under a large willow tree, her head flopped limply down on her forearms as she gazed out across the water. She'd shooed Ásta away, seeking solitude once again. She felt like a failure. She'd failed to cross the ice bridge, she'd failed to find her mother and her brother and even in the tournament she'd failed. While Gossamer managed to win one match she was knocked out of her second and she couldn't help but be dismayed. She'd trained so hard and thought herself a skilled fighter but after a series of losses she was starting to wonder if she was 'good' at anything. Average, maybe. Woefully average.

It had been very good to see Gossamer. He had ensured that the young girl was watched after she had left the Armada. He had understood her need to discover things for herself, and her trip had taken her to the North. She had returned in time for the tournament, and lingered around the Armada still. He sought her out when he caught her scent along the beach. His paws taking him along the sand, and towards the dark pelted wolf. He stopped before his daughter, marvelling quietly how she had grown as he stopped a stranger's distance from her. The last time they had spoken, the Warlord had been barely sane, and she had been distraught. What were they to each other now? "Speech"

Gossamer let her thoughts tumble over and over, like a stream stuck spinning in a circle in search of a way out to the sea. At first she didn't notice her father's presence but soon her gaze was drawn to him. A tumble of emotions collided and held her frozen. She wanted to scream at him, she wanted to run to him for a hug, she wanted to turn away in shame or even stalk away. A lack of conviction in direction kept her rooted to the spot. Her lips parted, searching for words as she attempted to keep her voice level. "Do you think I'm a failure?" Gossamer gazed at him, wanting to say more but unable to order the words in her mind with enough confidence to grant them freedom, so she held onto them, keeping them trapped behind her teeth.

He could see the indecision in his daughter's eyes. The agony and difficulty of choice that cut at the Warlord like a knife. Her words… surprised him. But perhaps they shouldn’t have, really. The Warlord had always expected much of his children, wanting to mold them into warriors. He shook his head, and finally pushed past his own uncertainties. Reaching through the distance between them to put his paw on her shoulder. “Gossamer, you are growing into an adult during tourmil and difficulty, and your struggles - though I would have wished to apre you them - are making you stronger. I am proud of you, and who you will be one day. You are my daughter, and I love you. Always, do you understand?” He looked down at the younger wolf, holding his paw gently to her shoulder, his dark eyes locked to her. He could not lose any more of his family. He would not push her away, he would rather suffer bearing his soul and ensuring his loved ones knew their worth to him. "Speech"

Gossamer watched her father's face, trying to ward off the tears that were collecting in her eyes. She didn't want to appear weak. If anything she wanted to make him proud, she always had. Sirius moved toward her, placing a paw on her shoulder and she didn't move away. The child in her wanted to rush in for a hug, for comfort while the teenager in her wanted to shove the paw away in a show of defiant independence and misguided strength. She could manage neither and instead met her father's eyes as he spoke.

She looked to her paws as he finished, nodding lightly as she swallowed down her tears. "Papa, do you… I… I want to be a warrior. Do you think I'm ready? Briar and Kotori are already warriors in training." She looked up again at her father's face. "I don't want to be left behind."

Her soft gaze met his, and he could see the strength she tried so hard to show in them. She was braver then she realised, and he had to fight the urge to kiss her brow. He had a feeling the gesture would demean the maturity she was trying to broadcast. “I’m glad you asked, Gossy. They had approached me with the intention of training, and I am glad to see you back, and prepared to become a warrior in training yourself. Armada needs more warriors, and I’m excited to see you become one” he said, and gave in to his instincts, reaching forward to kiss her on the forehead. "Speech"

Gossamer clung to her father's words, feeling a flush of relief that her father was excited for her to train to become a warrior. The relief caused the tears she'd been holding back to flow freely and she held still as he kissed her forehead. She'd been apart from her family for what felt like so long on her travels and that gesture of familial affection prompted her to lean in for a hug as she sought to throw her arms around her father's neck. After everything she'd been through she wanted a hug dammit. She could act tough later. "How should I start? What do I need to do to prove myself?"

She leaned into him for a hug, and he wrapped a paw about her. Holding his daughter to him. It was then that he knew things were okay between them, and a soft smile took his muzzle. She had left in anger after… after.. The tournament had brought her back, and they had a chance now to reconnect. He wasn’t going to waste it. “I believe one of the strongest ways to learn is to lead. I want you to gather two other wolves in the Armada, preferably younger than two, and hold a training session. I’ll come and supervise, and give you some pointers after. You already have a strong understanding of the basics, let's see how you do explaining them.’ "Speech"