Sparrow had returned again a few days ago. Since herb collecting led to thinking. Thinking led to her traveling to the knolls. Being in the knolls led her to thinking and crying, and crying made her miss home. She returned.

She hadn't scented Lark recently, or Starling, or Finch. Even Lark had been scarce huh? She could still smell him, but it was weaker than usual. The strongest scent of his that she smelled was mixed with- she shuddered- Lillianna. So the bitch was back? She smelled her father everywhere she turned. It was almost as if his scent had mixed so much with the surroundings that it became a part of it. It was somehow both comforting and haunting.

Sparrow squat and left her own mark. She had been in the pack lands a bit more recently and made sure to mark whenever she could. She wanted them to know she was here, even if she was being quiet.

The girl supposed she should keep patrolling... or maybe find food? Sparrow didn't really have any plans. Hell, if someone showed up, maybe she'd even offer to spar them- hah!

Bass' life was a constant revolving door of wolves. As in any pack he supposed, they came and left as they saw fit. Maybe they didn't fit in, or something better came up. It wasn't so much pack members that bothered him, but his family. They liked to vanish without a trace, even Vali and Lillie had done just that. While they still came back when they were able, it was just another example of someone disappearing. Some of his kids seemed to take on their mothers tendency to wander without a single word, but he was thankful that most were steady here. He didn't think that Merlin or Piper had even left pack lands, while Lark and Finch seemed to spend most of their time within Abaven's borders. But Starling? Well, the last time he had come back he seemed to not fit in as well, missing the presence of his siblings who grew distant after he stormed off. So Bass had given him a task, a task to hunt down Pipit. It wasn't like the young man to just wander off like that, that was the job he left for Sparrow. She always seemed in and out, sometimes she smelled like home while other times the pack scent had nearly washed off her coat. She had come to him saying that she needed to find herself, but he understood that. Relationships were a two way street after all, but lately he hadn't been one to reach out. Grief was a terrible, tie-breaking thing that made him want to crawl away and mope. But as Primo, he couldn't do that. He needed to show his kids that he could keep them safe no matter what, that everything he did here was for them. It's why he had kept going even after the sound of retirement had been so sweet, because without someone to fill his place they wouldn't have a home, or at least a solid stake on it. Letting out a soft sigh, he stopped at the end of his patrol and made his way back to the plains. Maybe he would try hunting a grouse or something, they weren't the smartest of birds. Crossing through the thicket to reach his destination, he saw that Sparrow was back from yet another one of her adventures. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he focused on her, wondering what she was up to. Abandoning his earlier quest, he cut through the withered grass to reach her side. A small smile turned up the corner of his lips, but it wasn't nearly as wide as it used to be. His heart felt too heavy for that, too many unanswered questions consuming his mind. "Dove sono finiti i vostri viaggi vi prendono questa volta?" Bass asked, the Italian slipping off his tongue without him realizing. He blinked slightly, amused at his own mix up but rolled with it with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "Sono contento che tu sia a casa." he said softer, dipping down to briefly press his nose against her cheek. Even though she often left Abaven, she always came home. He supposed that that was all he could ask for, and just have her fill him in when she returned. There was a fear that nipped at the back of his mind, something that worried that there might be one time that she wouldn't come back. "SPEAK" "SPEAK ITALIAN"

Okay, so her dad showed up. No, she did not feel like sparring him. Anyone but him. She smiled as he approached, more at the idea of sparring him than his actual approach. Maybe he would catch the glint of mischief in her eyes. She tried to wipe it away quickly, before he asked.

The Italian reached her ears and the small girl blinked a few times, the words utterly lost on her. After a second it clicked and she nodded her head slightly. She accepted her father's touches, returning by curling her face into her neck, "S-Sono cont... contento di essere a casa." Sparrow's Italian sounded a little unsure at first, but she was able to continue well after the firs few words.

"Ho viaggiato per le vecchie terre di Imperium di nuovo," she continued with a sigh. She took a moment to nibble at her father's fur affectionately for a moment, her tail wagging in low sweeps. Finally she pulled away a little, her minty eyes searching his golden ones, "Mi sento perso dentro me stesso. Come potrò mai risolvere questo problema?" She didn't know how to describe her feelings. She didn't know how to express how she wanted to find a mate and have a family and even maybe lead that family. She didn't know how to show that she wanted to involve her family in her life without having them rule her life. There were so many things. Her eyes searched her father's face trying to make him understand

Briefly the man saw a hint of something on his daughters face, but it passed before he could decipher it. His chin rose slightly in question, but he didn't voice it. He did let out a half-hearted chuckle when the Italian threw her off, had it been that long since she had used it? He waited patiently as she plucked apart his words, seemingly trying to find her own voice. The first sentence was jarring and rough, but soon she fell into the language with practiced ease. He relaxed slightly at that, but it didn't last long. The more she spoke, the more concerned his features became. Brows pulled together as he leaned down to lap at the top of her head as she nipped him, glad she was still affectionate towards him. He was his only child that seemed to resent Abaven in some way or form. He just wished that he could tell her once again how this was for them, but she just didn't understand. That was okay, he couldn't force her to see the world through his eyes. But being lost inside yourself... well that was a feeling that Bass knew well. He had been like that since Wren had started to leave them, feeling like she had taken a part of him with her. Bass knew that it affected the children as well, how could it not? Sighing softly, he leaned into the brown and white girl as he let the silence spread between them for a few moments. It wasn't something that was easy to explain, it was more something that she had to figure out by herself. He could go on for hours about how he had 'fixed' himself, but the truth was that he didn't. He had ignored it until it all came bursting out of him, and now it just made him feel older than he was. "Non è proprio una cosa che posso aiutare con, Sparrow. Mi auguro che ho potuto dare tutte le risposte, ma ..." he paused, turning his golden eyes down towards her. "E 'davvero qualcosa che si deve fare da soli. Devi trovare la definizione di te stesso e non lasciare che gli altri cercano di farlo per voi. So che può sembrare facile ma non è davvero chi sei. Questo è qualcosa che solo si può scoprire." The older man shrugged his shoulders with a soft, breathy laugh. He wished that he held all the answers, that he could just say one word and magically fix anything that his kids were going through. But he couldn't, he couldn't hold their paws through their whole lives. "SPEAK" -- "SPEAK ITALIAN"

OOC: Posting quickly. PLEASE assume all speech is in Italian I may hover text a bit later.

Sparrow enjoyed the affection. It felt like she only ever talked to her father these days. He returned her question by giving her an answer that wasn't really an answer. She didn't understand. He was more of an adult than her. He was supposed to know how to fix these things, right?

She felt a lump in her throat, but she swallowed it down, "Why?" Sparrow wasn't really sure what she was going to ask or why she was asking them. She shook her head, her minty eyes flashing to her father's golden eyes for a second, "At first, I thought it was the pack. I thought I was unhappy with the wolves here. Then those wolves left and I thought I could be happy, but I wasn't." The small girl thought a moment before continuing, "I thought if I left home, then maybe it would sink in, and I thought- for a moment- maybe I had found it, but that all left too. Then I was alone and wanted to be home again."

Sparrow felt like crying. She didn't want to. She didn't want her father to see that. Tears fought to get to the surface of her eyes, but she would not let them fall. The small girl blinked a few times, "What's wrong with me? What will it take for me to be happy?"

Her questions kept coming, and Bass let out a gentle sigh. As much as he wanted to give her all the answers, he just couldn't. It was hard to find the right words to explain everything without having to repeat himself. "I don't have all the answers for you," he whispered in the more common tongue, not knowing why he changed from Italian. Shifting his eyes over her, he looked away and towards the horizon, his shoulders rolling forward slightly. "Perché gli uccelli cantano e perché è l'azzurro del cielo? Queste sono cose che non posso rispondere. Non posso dire perché non sei felice, o come diventare felici." The older wolf looked back at his daughter, a somber look in his yellow eyes. He could see the tears staring to mist across her green eyes, a soft hum vibrating in his throat. He leaned down and licked her cheek, nuzzling her soft fur in a ways of comforting her. "Vorrei avere tutte le risposte per voi, ma solo si può capire perché sei infelice. Se avete bisogno di qualcosa, però, io sono sempre qui per voi, va bene? Non dimenticarlo mai." He wanted to be able to hand her everything she needed, to guide her down the right path. But he couldn't. That was something for her alone to do, just as he had said. It sucked, and he knew personally that it did, but that's just how life was for them. There was nothing easy, nothing was ever just handed to you. It took dedication and hard work to find yourself, your real and true self. "SPEAK" -- "SPEAK ITALIAN"

The woman listened to her father. She felt comforted, even if he did not provide any real answers. She pressed her small form into his chest for a moment, "Thank you, Father, for always bearing through these things for me. I'm not worth much, I guess, but I'm proud to be your daughter."

She was serious, even if she wasn't sure of the pack always, or even of her father's decisions, she knew he always loved her and that was enough to always bring her back home.

Sparrow pulled away, minty eyes searching for her father's golden ones. Her tears had vanished and a small smile remained on her lips, "I suppose I should hunt or something and try to make myself useful for once, huh?" Sparrow nodded to herself then skipped off a few steps before turning to face her father again, "I'll be around," she said before running off to find something to eat.

Bass eyed the woman carefully, he knew that she wasn't satisifed with his answers but it was all the advice that he could give. Finding oneself was not an easy task, it was something that even at his age he struggled with at times. But he knew that soon enough she would fall into her own. If only you could go back in time to tell your younger self that it all gets better... it just takes time. It was perhaps the most cliche thing to say, but it was true. It was a hard herb to swallow, but he would always be here for his family when they needed him. Nodding his head, he leaned down and playfully tugged on her ear as she began to pick himself up. It was a short chat, but he was thankful that they had had it. He did frown when she said that she wasn't worth much, a playful growl leaving his lips as he rose to his paws. "You are worth the world and more, my dear daughter. Don't second guess yourself like that, you have to love yourself before you can extend love to others." Licking the top of her head, he shook out his aching limbs and rolled his shoulders forward. "I'm always here, no matter what," Fixing her with a hard stare for a moment, he softened up and wagged his tail a few times. "I love you." He didn't get to say that enough, and it wasn't a matter of pride. He was so proud to have his kids and the devotion he felt towards them, even as the years went on. He chuckled when she mentioned hunting, nodding his head slowly. The winter had been harsh, he was excited for the herds to start coming back. Licking his lips, he decided to check on their usual stomping grounds to see if anyone had wandered back yet. But he waited until Sparrow had left before moving towards the clearing, his tail bouncing between his hocks as he did so. -exit Bass- "SPEAK" -- "SPEAK ITALIAN"