After speaking with Satira and learning a bit about the red man that she'd seen here and there, Asla decided that they needed to talk. Any self respecting wolf would have introduced himself to the family of the woman that he was sleeping with, but Cinaed, as he was called, had not. So, Aslatiel was going to him instead. It soured her mood towards the man and he was already in the red. She wondered if he'd be able to swing her opinion of him by the time they were done.

The scarred woman made her way towards the den that Satira had claimed for herself, knowing that Cinaed would be staying there as well. The blonde furred fae pulled up just outside of the den's mouth and wuffed lightly, calling inside for the fiery brute. Once that was done, she moved a few paces off and seated herself in the grass. Asla's galactic gaze shifted around, looking at this and that, taking in the day's fine weather. He had better not keep her waiting for too long.

"Aslatiel"

Ciná walked back across Valta's territory from the border with Tine following closely behind. He was already looking forward to getting back home so he could get out of his armor and wait for Tira to get back from her daily tasks. Sometimes they would take these patrols together–which of course often wound up derailed or distracted from–but today she had some work to on the healer side of things so to be efficient and get the patrol over with earlier rather than later he decided to take his mastiff with him instead. He figured he would probably arrive back at their den before Tira did, but that just meant he could get cleaned up a bit before she got back.

However, that plan was very quickly derailed when he heard a subtle call for him up ahead and his golden gaze snapped up toward the only mildly familiar voice. He had been near Tira's mother many times over his time living in Valta during pack meetings or just in passing, but he admittedly hadn't sought her out himself. He had kind of assumed that if Tira wanted him to meet her then she would have arranged some sort of meeting, but it seemed like Asla had decided it was time for them to talk. He made a glance back at Tine to tell him he could go, but the mastiff was already darting off into the trees, very clearly wanting nothing to do with this confrontation. He snorted softly before he pressed on, approaching Asla while doing his best to not show his nerves. "Hello... Aslatiel, ma'am," he said as he dipped his head to her, suddenly realizing that he had no idea how he should address her. Aslatiel? Asla? Tira's Mom? "What can I do for you?"

Cináed

The shuffle of paws on earth brought Aslatiel's amaranthine gaze cutting to the side just in time to see Cinaed falter in his steps. The fae's scarred brow rose and a slight smirk pulled at the corner of her maw. The man's companion peeled off as he came closer and addressed her. "Just Aslatiel will suffice," she informed the slightly flustered man. When he asked what he could do for her, Asla's eyes narrowed, but she grinned, flashing teeth. "You can walk with me." Without waiting for him to agree or disagree, the small fae rose and began moving off.

Aslatiel followed the bank of the river, her footing careful and practiced. When Cinaed made his way to walk beside her, she began to speak. "It seemed as though you were too shy to introduce yourself to me, so I've decided to introduce myself to you." Yeah, she wouldn't be Asla if she didn't poke a bit of fun at him. The woman's plum colored gaze watched the fiery man for his reaction. It would tell a lot about his character. Could he take a joke or would he bristle?

Leading them up a slight incline that was little more than a hill, Asla seated herself, looking out over the land before them. "I won't insult Satira by threatening you if you harm her. She's more than capable of handling herself." Of course she was. Asla had taught her how to be quick and smart and scrappy. Tira was skilled and clever, just as she should be. "That said..." Again that glimmering gaze cut towards the man, "Satira is very precious to me." Her tone was venom and ice when she spoke the last. There wasn't an ounce of humor in those words.

And then Aslatiel sighed and looked back out over the rapids, her tail giving a flick before settling around one shapely hip. "So tell me, Cinaed... is she precious to you?" Just what were his intentions with her daughter?

"Aslatiel"

Ciná was careful to conceal his internal dread as Tira's mother told him to walk with her, instead just nodding in agreement and replying, "Of course. Lead the way." He had sincerely hoped that the first time he'd be having a discussion with the mother of his lover and the new alpha of their pack would be with Tira next to him to help him get a better read on Aslatiel's feelings toward him, but with Tira still nowhere in sight he was left with no choice but to just do his best to not get himself kicked out of the pack or worse. With a quick steadying breath after Asla had turned away to begin following the curves of the river, Ciná followed after her and easily fell into step beside the much smaller wolf. Even though she was half of his height she still managed to have quite the imposing presence which certainly explained where Tira got it from.

As Asla commented on him being too "shy" to introduce himself to her and citing that as the reason for her seeking him out, Ciná chuckled and gave her a slightly guilty grin. "Too shy? Never. Too scared... maybe," he replied with humor on his tone. He didn't really know what to expect from Asla, but he did his best to stay cool and collected regardless. The mention of Tira being more than capable of dealing with him herself made him smirk and he replied, "That she is." It was one of the things he liked about her. He didn't want some helpless damsel in distress and Tira was about as far from that as he could get in such a small package.

As they settled at the edge of the river, the slightly light, teasing tone suddenly shifted to the not so subtle threat that he had half been expecting from Asla as he was reminded of just how precious Tira was to her. Even though Tira was indeed fully capable of taking off his balls if he hurt her, it was a reminder that she still had a very protective mother backing her up too. While that reminder was definitely heard and noted, he was actually a little jealous of Tira in that moment. Never in his life had he had someone so protective or concerned about his well being as Asla was for Tira and for a moment he was just glad that Tira had someone like that.

He paused, bringing his golden gaze up to the starry, amethyst eyes of Asla as she questioned him over whether or not Tira was precious to him too. The idea of genuinely caring for someone and considering someone "precious" was a frightening thought. Everyone had always slipped from his paws, leaving him stranded again and again, so admitting how close he had grown to Tira was hard, but he couldn't lie to Asla either. "She is," he replied genuinely after a moment, holding her gaze as he spoke. "Don't tell her this, but... She's the only wolf I've ever known that if she left or sent me away it would actually break me... and that's saying a lot considering how many wolves in my life have left."

Cináed

The pair settled and began to converse. Asla watched the man's body language and expressions, searching for any hint of lies or placation. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any. He joked with her honestly and openly and the scarred woman grinned. At least he was charming without trying too hard. Not having interacted much before, he could very well have been an ass kisser. Asla would have hated that.

In time, the conversational atmosphere changed, becoming much more serious. Aslatiel expected an honest answer when she asked if Tira was precious to him and her starry eyes bore into his own fiery orbs. He could have answered in many ways, but the way that Cina replied to her query was... perfection. The volcanic man admitted that he cared for her daughter and that, if they parted ways, it would break him. It was a better reaction than she had expected. She had expected him to say yes, but she had assumed there would be some sort of lie in his words. Cinaed spoke the absolute truth.

Aslatiel rose to her paws, moved a step forward and pulled the big brute into an embrace. He looked like he needed it. Though capable of being a harsh leader, a killer, a bastard, Asla was still very much a mother. "Then take care of my little girl, Cinaed." Pulling back, Asla gave his shoulder a gentle smack with one grey-toed paw. "And try telling her how you feel. You might both need it." Tira was going through a rough time and any extra love might help her out. It seemed that Cinaed was also in need of some love.

"Aslatiel"

It wasn't exactly a feeling he was comfortable with, being this vulnerable–especially with someone that he had only just met, but he knew that it wouldn't do him any favors to be dishonest or dodgy about the question. He could tell that Aslatiel was one of those wolves that could see right through any of that. Even as he spoke he didn't know how Tira's mom would react, but never in his wildest imagination would he have expected the much smaller woman to step forward and pull him into a hug. He sat stunned for a moment, blinking and reeling as he looked down at Asla with confusion. He had walked into this conversation fully expecting her to grill him, scare the fear of gods into him to protect her daughter. This was nothing like that but she was right about one thing–this was what he had needed.

A little smile eventually tugged at his lips as his expression softened and his foreleg slipped around her shoulders to return her embrace. "I will," he replied with a resolute nod as she instructed him to take care of her girl. Sometimes he doubted his ability to do that and the idea of a real relationship was such a vague and unknown idea to him, but Tira made him want to try and maybe that was all he needed for now. When she hit his shoulder and recommended that he tell Tira how he felt, he chuckled nervously and glanced away uncertainly. "I don't know about that, but I uh... I'll keep that in mind." For once he felt like he actually had a good thing going and the idea of doing something that could either go horribly wrong or make things even better was terrifying, but he also knew that Aslatiel probably knew what she was talking about.

It made him wonder how things might have turned out if his mother had ever been in his life. He knew nothing about her–not her name, not what she looked like, nothing. The way Aslatiel hugged him and encouraged him to tell Tira how he felt... were those things that his mother might have done? He looked down at his paws, his ears flicking back at the thought. "I never knew my mother," he admitted quietly, visibly uncomfortable, but feeling the need to share this part of his history regardless. He had never spoken about that to anyone, not even Tira, but he had to start somewhere. "And honestly I probably would have been better off never knowing my father. So I... I just really appreciate you and your family letting me be here with Tira. It means a lot. So... Thank you."

Cináed

Cina, after a moment of stunned thought, returned the embrace as Aslatiel knew that he would. She gave him one last squeeze before pulling back. Purple eyes searched the red brutes face and he looked both happy an upset at the same time. A few moments later, he explained why.

Asla listened as Cinead spoke of never knowing his mother. His father wasn't much of a father either. The he thanked her for allowing him to be a part of the pack and be with Satira. The woman's scarred brow rose and she gave her head a little shake. "Treat my daughter right and you'll always have a home with me, Cinead." The small woman gave his big paw a comforting pat. "That makes you family, and I take care of mine." A silent promise that, if he and Tira stayed together, Aslatiel would be better family than both his horrible father and his nonexistent mother.

"Aslatiel"