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The first thing to come out of her son's mouth after such a long absence was exactly what she had expected. Tayui smiled warmly in reply at her son, glad he had his wits about him, despite how tired he probably was. She knew she was probably to blame for this; after all, she was waking him from hit fitful slumber. Of course, that didn't mean he would be getting off easy. She had missed him, and she certainly hoped he had missed her. She wanted to catch up with her son on all of the wild adventures she was certain he'd experienced, and see how he'd changed. Being a loner changed one's outlook on life. Suddenly, hunting became lonely and taxing. Suddenly, silence seemed more oppressive, and less of an escape. Tayui had only lived as a loner for two months in between the disbandment of Shadowed Sun and the formation of AniWaya. Even then, she had spent time with Vedr, so it had not been too lonely. But she knew it was different from her previous way of life.
When Attila elaborated, Tayui frowned this time. She turned it into a mocking smile, shaking her head slowly.
"So you were only going to visit me because your spirit guide was pestering you to do so? If you'd never found Markku, maybe you would have let your poor mother rot away in her den!" she exclaimed. She gesticulated with her forelegs to emphasize the wretchedness of such a fate. Her own son! How could he even think of doing that to his mother dearest? Or perhaps, more appropriately, how could Tayui scold her son with more jests than jeers and take this all so lightly? She knew that she had given all of her children a lot of room to grow and develop. Perhaps this had contributed to her son’s wild nature, and perhaps the lack of structure in their lives had pushed Claudius to hide in his den. She could only accept what she had done and move on with her life and continue to be a good mother to her children. Thus, when Attila returned home without so much of a hello, she took it in stride and sought him out. She really only wanted what was best for her son. She reached out with her right foreleg to swat at him affectionately.
"I missed you, kiddo," she emphasized, smiling warmly.