SoSuWriMo 796
Haven had been able to see from the first time he had shared words with Alder that he was a complex boy, one that took things to heart moreso than others his age would. Words had a heavy weight with the masked wolf. While some his age wouldn't take much notice of certain things that were said, or would simply shrug them off, Alder took them in and examined them and seemed to take each one as an absolute truth that he needed to learn and know. He was incredibly intellectual, a trait that Haven possessed only in small quantities. He focused on only a few areas of knowledge, and what he knew he knew well, but there was a vast world of things he was ignorant of. Alder seemed to take in the world as a whole. The Knight thought it would be rather fascinating to find out how his little brother's mind worked.
Alder would make a wonderful uncle, Haven could tell that right now. He would know exactly how gentle to be with the puppies, and he would make sure that they stayed out of trouble and out of harm's way. He would likely be able to teach them things that he and Princess couldn't, also. As the large male spoke of accompanying their mother here to visit the pups, Haven smirked. It was a very adult thing for the boy to say, and surely no one would try to harass Anu with her mammoth son beside her. "I think that's a great idea," he said encouragingly. "I think Mati and Cambria might be here for the birth, or at least we had talked about Cambria being the healer to help with the labor. I'd love for mom to be there too, but I don't know if they can all afford to be gone at once." All three of the women were quite important to Crimson Dreams and Haven didn't want to put his former home at any disadvantage for his own person wants.
It was clear that there were things causing his younger siblings discomfort. As some moments of silence passed after he asked his question Haven wondered if Alder would come clean about his concerns or not. He did not think the boy would lie to him, but he also seemed to keep many things inside, especially if he was unsure or ashamed of them. Alder spoke though, and what he said came as a bit of a surprise to the Knight, but he kept that emotion from showing itself on his face. It didn't seem like something Anu would do, but he also knew that whatever she would have said she only would have said it in the boy's best interest. Alder listed the things he couldn't do and it was clear that he needed to find some direction for his life. Was this why their mother had sent him here?
The question should have been expected, but it took the Aatte a little off-guard. He hadn't had anyone ask him that query for some time now, though he did not need to dig for an answer. It was the thing that had driven him for most of his adult life. "Well, I was about your age, maybe a month younger. I...well, I found out some truths about the man who had sired me that scared me. I look a lot like him, and I was afraid that I might become what he had..." Even after all this time, it wasn't particularly easy to talk about. Conri Church was a ghost that would always haunt him to some degree. "I stayed in the city for about a month. I drank a lot, and I was depressed. I thought it was the best way to protect everyone from myself though. Eventually I began to snap out of it, but I knew that I couldn't go back to Crimson Dreams. If I had gone back, I would have just used everyone as a crutch. I don't think I ever would have learned to stand on my own legs."
He looked over at his brother, wondering how this was changing the way Alder viewed him. "I was lucky, and found a group of hybrids that were making their own pack. I joined them, became a Knight, and that's how Cour des Miracles was formed. There are still times that I wish I was back in Crimson Dreams, back with mom and Mati and all of you, but I know that I made the right choice. I wouldn't be who I am today if I had gone back." Hopefully he was making some sense, it was a struggle that had been so internal and personal that it was a little hard to describe.
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