Dammit all.

The further into Spring it became, the more and more the river had begun to over flow. This part of the territory was pretty much a lake this part, hidden by the grasses. A large swampland, that was more like it. All of his members who had settled here had been drawn out of their dens, but even the plains was marshy from the lake. It would seem that only the Thickets was any use to them at this point, even though the ground was soft and coated in mud. The pale man sighed, his once pale legs now seemingly always coated in mud. He was going to start looking like Sparrow at this point. Narrowing his golden gaze, he swept across the rapids, looking for anything or anyone who may have become trapped in the murky waters. It was now pretty much off limits, even the strongest swimmer could get swept away with ease by the now torrential river. All prey had fled these parts, but he never knew if something accidentally wandered into the death trap. He made it part of his daily routine now, to check these flooded lands to make sure that they didn't lose anyone to it. The last time the river had flooded he had lost Chrono, and he wasn't about to add another wolf to that list.

Sniffling, Bass pulled himself off of the rock that had become his perch, carefully picking his way down to the semi-solid ground. The mud sucked at his legs and threatened to pull him into the soft earth, his ears pinning back to his head at the mere effort of walking. At times he got so stuck that he felt like he was going to dislocate his shoulder just trying to yank his limb out of the mud. Dirty tail swung behind him as he made his way to the border of the plains and the rapids, the ground not as soft here. He could actually move with a bit of ease, while still keeping his eye out for anyone in danger. This was going to be a long spring, and after the harsh winter it was really the last thing he wanted on his plate.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Needless to say, Starling was in pain. It wasn't too bad,sure, but it certainly was in a place that was hard for him to reach on his own. He hadn't wanted to ask Lillie to help him with it, mainly because he had been mad at her and at the time...he had felt he had deserved the pain. So instead he had slunk away when he could to find some wound binders and pain killers. For a fighter it would be nothing to blink at, but Starling was, as it had become quite obvious, not a fighter. He didn't like pain, and perhaps that was why he leaned more towards the healing practices. His pain tolerance was rather low. But he had made a resolution to come home, to spend more time in Abaven territory, no matter how...anxious he felt. So he came back home with some herbs tucked away in his jaws to help rebuild his store, and maybe see if Sparrow could help him with his wound and keep it a secret. He walked through the swampy part of their lands, nose curled slightly at the feeling of water surrounding his legs. He didn't like this, but the chances of running into someone was quite a lot lower here. He didn't really want to see any of his siblings, his mother, his father and especially aunt Harmony. He had let them all down, and he did not want to hear what they had to say when they finally looked at him. Lillie was a prime example. She had bit him, for goodness sake. What's to say he wouldn't be put to the earth by his family of warriors, or lashed to death by Harmony's disappointment. For a second he almost turned around to flee back to the north, to try and find Cathy where he could feel a bit calmer. But instead he just narrowed his eyes and continued on. But then...oh, crap. Sky blue eyes grew so wide as they settled on the rather obvious form of his father slushing through the muck. His heart lodged itself in his throat and he quickly stepped back, hoping to retreat without being seen, not that it worked well the last time he had seen someone he didn't want to see. But unlucky for him, mud was a rather noisy element, and he could barely keep his pawsteps quiet as he squished and plopped through the muck. Ears pulled back and head low, he hoped he could make himself as invisible as possible. "Burn Baby Burn" || "Bruciare Bambino Bruciare"

The mud covered man turned and started to head back towards the plains, finished with his tour of the flooded lands, when the sound of sucking paws was heard. Slowly he turned his head, golden gaze searching the vegetation for the noise maker. Was someone stuck in the mud after all? He hadn't seen Starling at first, until the sharp sweep of white fur made the form of a wolf apparent. He blinked several times, focusing on the shape until he saw that Starling was trying to slink away from him. Gaze narrowed as he let out a sharp bark, meaning to stop the boy in his tracks. Carefully he picked his way over to his son, a flood of emotions clouding his vision. "Dove diavolo sei stato?" he asked with a growl, coming to tower over the cowering form of the healer. "È sparito dopo l'assedio, ho pensato che ti avevano catturato! Cosa hai pensato di fare?" The Primo was filled with so much emotion then, his limbs shaking as his eyes started to get blurry. Tears gathered in the man's eyes, and he swallowed hard against him, turning his brown marked face away from the boy. "Ho pensato che ho perso ..."

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Starling really had some terrible luck. Perhaps it was because of all the clover he picked for his stores. He barely got a foot before Bass had set his sights on him, and in the time it took for him to battle the overwhelming need to flee, his father was upon up. He stared up at his father, who wasn't all that much taller than him, really. But in that moment, Starling had never felt smaller. His gaze was wide, almost afraid as Bass growled, and he knew he was in trouble. He felt like a child again, slinking towards the ground under the angry beast that was his father. It wasn't like Starling got in trouble often. Sure as a kid he had been a curious fellow, but he hadn't left the packlands untill he was old enough, and normally he was accompanied by someone be it sibling or pack mate. He had probably been the most diligent about the snakes outside of Finch who had hardly left his den, and while his siblings were playing Starling was learning. He didn't get in trouble often, but this felt like a whip lashing at his poor insecurities over and over again. He felt his own eyes well up, watching as the emotion flit around his father's eyes before he had turned away. Captured? Well, that hadn't necessarily crossed his mind. But now that it was out there, hanging in the air above him, he couldn't believe he had never thought of that. He hadn't been there for any of the celebrations, infact he had hung outside of Imperium for the feast, speaking quickly with Angel before going away again. He had even spent most of his time up in the North, where his father was least likely to go. It made sense, and the guilt and regret that crashed into him at the thought was nearly breathtaking. He dropped his precious plants in the mud, ears pulling back and chin lifting a bit to look up at his father. His own tears filled his eyes before he, too, looked away. "Non potevo tornare a casa..." He whispered in a heart breaking voice, his chin dipping towards the mud as he tried to look as small as possible. "Ho deluso tutti voi...e Abaven ho fallito..." His voice was pitched, tight in his throat as he tried to take another step back, away from his father and his disappointment and his own regret. "I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry.." He whimpered in his imperfect voice, shifting back another step, leaving the herbs he had collected between them, to become soggy and useless in the mud. "Burn Baby Burn" || "Bruciare Bambino Bruciare"

Even though his head was turned to the side, he saw out of the corner of his eye when the boy looked up with damp eyes. Bass' limbs shook, and finally he flopped to his rump to stop himself from falling over completely. Starling spoke and his lip quivered, his heart over run with emotions. Starling's words were crazy, he did none of that. He wanted to be angry with Star, to lash out and tell him that he was being stupid. But he couldn't do that. He just fell forward, pulling himself closer to the brown and white boy. Bass tried to wrap his muddy limbs around Star, aiming to just take him in his arms and hug him close to his chest. His heart ached, and his eyes closed as he wrapped himself around Starling. They were the same height, but at this moment he felt like Star was just a child again. "Sono solo felice che tu sia a casa ... anche se le tue parole sono pazzo." He said in a shaky breath, head rocking back and forth softly. "Nessuno è deluso in voi." He whispered.

For the longest time he just clung to his son, tears pouring down his brown marked face. His head ducked down as he rested his forehead on Starling's shoulders, his own body quivering as he held back his sobs. "Finch ... Finch è andato. Non possiamo trovarla da nessuna parte, e ha perso la sua traccia odorosa cercando di rintracciarla. Nessuno l'ha vista. Non l'avete visto o, vero?" There was so much desperation in his voice, a need for Starling to hold the answers. He finally pulled back his head and tried to capture his son's bright blue gaze, one that was so much like his sisters. Bass felt so broken, so torn apart. "E tua madre, lei è stata lontana troppo. Si prega di non ripartire Starling, io ... mi sento come la nostra famiglia sta cadendo a pezzi." Bass' shoulders sagged and his body folded down, his belly flopping down in the mud. He didn't care that he was now pretty much coated in mud. Everything felt broken. Even his pack lands couldn't hold up, and almost everything he cared about was slipping away. "Motif lasciato con Shai e Vail, e Shaye lei andò con loro. Non ha nemmeno tornare a casa." He whispered, his nose dipping further and further towards the ground until it touched the mud. Everything was broken, oh so broken.

"Speech"
""
'thoughts'

Starling had never seen such sadness on his father's face, never seen him react in such a way. It froze him in his place, blue eyes longing to look away but really unable to look away. He pulled in a shuddering breath, brows pinching. "Padre" He whimpered as Bass crouched before him, slipping in the mud like he had lost all will to even stand, and Starling wouldn't fight it when he felt his father wrap his arms around him. Not once. He just stood where he stood, letting his father wrap around him, listening to his words. He felt the tears, but did nothing to stop them. Felt as a single tear slipped down his cheek slowly, followed by another then another, face growing tight, lungs burning as he unknowingly held his breath. He waited for the punchline, waited for the relief. This had to be a punishment, it all had to be. Finch was gone? Aunt Motif....everyone. He parted his lips to pull in another shakey breath, only to let out a small, broken sob, before he ducked his own nose to press into his father. "Mi dispiace, im so sorry. Im così dispiace, padre. Per favore, ti prego perdonami..." He sobbed in his broken voice, hiding his face in his father's fur as they both seemed to sink to the earth. His shoulder burned from teh strain, and somewhere in the back of his mind a small voice warned of infection, but he ignored it, just melting into this father's embrace as he began to cry. "Non ho visto Finch... ma, mi invio Stella. Ci troveremo, Padre. Troverò lei." He sobbed, he promised. He wouldn't leave again, no matter how awful he felt. He'd give up everything to stay home. "Sarò meglio... Ce la faremo meglio, mi dispiace tanto." He sobbed frantically, apologizing over and over again, as if he hadn't heard his father say he wasn't disappointed. Infact, he didn't. He was so overwhelmed with everything, that it hadn't registered. And even if it had, he probably wouldn't had listened... "Burn Baby Burn" || "Bruciare Bambino Bruciare"

Starling's words filled his ears, but he seemed deaf and blind to the world at the moment. They both sunk into the mud and just sobbed, his legs gripping at Starling in desperation. He didn't even notice Star's wound, he couldn't. And now, now there was nothing left at all for him to see. His whole body shook, and he just laid there in the mud with his son as he completely broke down. If he had been at least a little bit sane, he would have been ashamed for showing this side of himself to one of his kids, for allowing himself to be so broken in front of one of his kids. But he didn't even have the space in his mind to care, as Starling's words echoed through his mind. He was going to send his companion to look for Finch, and he just nodded his head slowly, hardly hearing his son's words above the pounding in his ears. He didn't know how much more of this he could take, how much more his heart could be chipped away at. Soon enough it was going to shatter into a million pieces, and he didn't even know if anyone would be there to pick up the pieces. His wife was gone, two of his kids had been lost to the world. His sisters, nieces, all gone. He hadn't even met Rhythm's puppies yet. The Destruction's boasted about being a close family, but now, now they were all torn apart.

Bass' massive paws pushed against Starling's side as he aimed to pull the boy closer, his neck seeking his brown and white one. The Primo was almost completely coated in mud, making him look a lot like Starling, actually. Only the very top of him remained white, and if he hadn't been so broken he would have found humor in all of his. But he couldn't, he couldn't see anything. His complete sorrow acted like blinders to all other feelings, only allowing the sadness through. "Non è colpa tua." He finally managed, his voice cracking below his sniffling sobs. "Per favore, per favore non sentitevi in colpa di mio figlio. Non è colpa tua, non lo è."

"Speech"
""
'thoughts'