Cherokee had imagined himself to be a good father to his children but that was far from the reality. He was a terrible father. Maybe not the worst, but he certainly wasn't the best. He had left his family for an unsaid amount of time, missing out on his youngest childrens' puphood. This was not how he had imagined his life to play out since having left his family behind. Cherokee was back for good in Ludicael lands, but he wasn't sure if he was wanted with his family. Did his children resent him? Did Song resent him? He didn't have the nerve to ask because he wasn't sure if he would be able to stomach it. He'd been meaning to speak with his eldest children to see how they were doing, but he found it rather difficult to locate any of them, so the knight had wandered to some of the newer lands of Ludi, hoping that his some of children might be wandering out around there. No such luck. The hot springs were pretty vacant, only the warm rising vapor visible. A quiet sigh would slip past ebon kissers as Cherokee moved towards the closest springs, his spine tingling with the heat of the spring. It was a nice feeling and he would zone in on it as he seated himself at the edge of one of the warm pools, lids falling closed over bi-colored eyes, senses remaining alert, hoping that one of his children would stumble upon him. Talk like this

The hot spring was a surprisingly good place to go when Canta wanted to avoid contact with others, especially specific others. She had roamed here once or twice when she had been avoiding the pups and was hiding out here now as she contemplated the return of her father. It was all very confusing for the yearling. Canta still loved him of course, and the memories she had of him were good ones but he had left, had abandoned them? The pressure his disappearance had put on her mother had been immense and all Canta could do was try to lift her load some? but it hadn?t been enough. Ebony paws carried her towards the springs, mind working through everything it possibly could. Did Canta hate him? No. Did she hate the choice he had made? Yes, a hundred percent; and right now it was hard to look past that. An all too familiar scent assaulted her senses and she realized she had been heading towards an already occupied pool, the familiar ebony shape of her father soaking in the water. No doubt he had seen her by now, it was too late to retreat, so the girl stayed where she was. Frozen. Talk like this

Try as he might, he was unable to get the images of his eldest children's faces out of his head from the day he had returned. None of them had looked pleased to see him and it was rather heartbreaking to see that. But then again, he understood why they reacted the way he did. From what Song had been telling him, things had gotten pretty difficult during his leave and his eldests had tried to help out as much as they could, but things had gotten much too strenuous. He should've been there to help his wife run the pack like he had been doing before he'd gotten struck with the illness. But he hadn't and now his children probably hated him. What would his parents think of they knew how he was taking care of him family? Would they be disappointed as well? Guilt weighed heavily on the man's shoulders as he sat, ebony and ivory ears catching the sound of paw-steps. Skull would turn towards the sound, bi-colored eyes falling across the figure of his daughter Canta. She looked like a dear frozen in the presence of a predator. There was a hint of discomfort about her posture, as if she didn't want to be there. Dark features would fall pathetically and he would silently motion for his daughter to join him at the edge of the spring. He would watch her, silently hoping that she would accept his invitation but he would understand if she didn't. Talk like this

Canta did not really want to hurt her father, but she did want him to understand the emotional turmoil he had caused. Still as he turned to look at her and his expression morphed with sadness she felt her gut twist. This was not the man she knew, the strong warrior that would so gallantly protect them all, this was a much realer man? one she didn?t know and it scared her. For a moment longer she stood frozen unsure she wanted to approach him before giving a slight shrug and forcing herself towards him. Her movements were stiff, but she made her way to the edge of the spring all the same. Forest gaze watched him for a moment, unmoving, unspeaking before she robotically lowered herself upon her haunches. Then she found she couldn?t look at him, and began to avoid his gaze, waiting? Talk like this