Yay! 8D This was longer and more rambly than I intended XD Oh, and Savina has a healing gash on her upper arm SoSuWriMo 500

Savina hadn't been spending too much time outdoors since the incident with the bear. It was slightly an excuse, as she did not care to spend time out in the cold anyway, but there really was not too terribly much for her to do out there anyway. She was not the only one patrolling the borders and they usually did not have a problem with people trespassing on the lands. Thanks the gods, Crimson Dreams did a good job of maintaining their peaceful atmosphere. The bear had been an exception and there some things about that whole situation that didn't sit quite well with the Consul. Denali had been upset and claimed the beast was his friend. The bear had spoken to her as well, before she had attacked, but she had thought it to be some kind of trick. A bear was the reason her mother was dead. They were dangerous creatures that could not be trusted...weren't they? The question kept nagging at her mind, but at the same time she stubbornly refused to feel bad about what she had done. She had felt her pack was threatened and she had acted accordingly. There was no shame in that. The only unfortunate thing was how badly Jazper had been injured. Thankfully he was under the dutiful care of Amata.

It was so good to have her cream colored daughter back again. Savina had not wanted to stifle the girl's growth, but it had been hard having her be so absent. The same was true of Gotham, but at least he had checked in a bit more frequently than his sibling. If only all of her children could be back under the same roof again. She did her best not to worry, but it was a mother's job to worry. Hopefully Gotham would be making his monthly check-in soon. Until then she would just have to have faith that he was okay and taking good care of himself.

The Italian woman was sitting in the library, reading one of the many books housed there. Ever since she had come across the book about ancient Rome and had taken the pack's new ranks from the Republic, she had been hungry to learn more about her homeland's past. It was fascinating to learn all of these details about the country she took her heritage from, even if these acts had been done by humans. The maps were astounding, all the lands that the Romans had controlled, it was hard to wrap one's mind around. A voice hit her ears and immediately stole all of her attention though. Quickly she set the book down and walked out into the main part of the mansion to see her eldest son walking through the door. "Gotham!" The mother wrapped her arms around her strong boy in a loving embrace. She pulled back to look him over though, her emerald orbs examining. He looked well. "I was just thinking about you, how have you been?"

Lol! And awwww, Gotham's making her feel bad D: SoSuWriMo 373

Savina couldn't help herself. She loved her children to death and hated it when they were away for such long stretches of time. When her son begged for air she was a little surprised. Was she really that strong? She doubted it, especially with the still healing gash from the bear fight on her arm. "Oh, come on Gotham, I'm not that strong." Not physically, at least. She knew that the "in one piece" comment was meant to be lighthearted but it played off of her fears that something could happen to him while he was out there all alone. The Marino did not think her son weak, or unable to take care of himself, but the world could be a dangerous place and there were many creatures out there that could cause him harm.

At the news that he was planning to stick around Crimson Dreams though, she brightened again. "Really? Oh, that's so wonderful! And don't worry, you'll find something. Maybe you just haven't been looking in the right places." Gotham would find what he wanted to devote himself to in time. All of her children had sharp minds that could be put to good use on any sort of subject. Amata and Cambria had put their efforts into the healing profession; their brother would find his own calling soon enough. Maybe sticking around home was just the thing he needed to find it, though she wouldn't voice such thoughts to him.

As the Phoenix man that had inherited her coloring skirted around her, Savina's ears fell back against her head. She wasn't paying any attention to the bag, only to her son. Did he not wish to spend time with her any longer? Had he grown so much that he didn't wish to sit and talk of his adventures with her upon his return? The woman remembered the day they had sat for so long out in the rain, making up explanations for the world's phenomenon. Were those moments gone forever? "Oh...yes, of course," she said dejectedly. Savina knew she shouldn't really be hurt, Gotham was an adult now. Still, it stung that he seemed so intent to be away from her when he had only just come back.

<3 The funny thing is, she wouldn't have a clue what the cigarettes were XD SoSuWriMo 348

She really hadn't meant to guilt him. The woman supposed she could be a bit needy at times, when it came to her children. It was just hard right now, with even her youngest pups on the cusp of adulthood. Soon Artemis, Silvano, and Parker would be joining the adult ranks of the pack and starting to find themselves, just as Gotham was. Savina never claimed to be perfect, and one of her weaknesses was painfully obvious in this moment. She was used to simpler days, younger days, when she had been the first person he had run to to share his stories. Things changed, she needed to accept that. When Gotham turned back and opened his arms up for a hug, she managed to bring a small smile back to her lips. "Okay. You'll just have to forgive your mother, it can be hard to see your children all grown up. I still remember when you were small enough to hold in my hands," she said as she stepped forward to accept his hug. She knew he wouldn't be able to fully understand what she was feeling, he wouldn't until he became a parent himself.

The whole mood changed when he spotted the mark the bear's claw had left upon her arm. He became so serious, so protective. He truly was a man now, wasn't he? "There was a bear that wandered into the lands," she said, her own gaze turning to the gash. It was better than it had been, and Cambria had decided it didn't need to be bandaged up any longer. "It's okay, I'm fine. Your sister patched me all up. Jazper got the worst of it..." A concerned frown etched her features as she thought of the pack's protector and how the beast had sliced him up. She hated that anyone had been hurt, her goal had been to avoid that when trying to force the creature out on her own. Still, it had been reckless of her and she did not wish to let Gotham know how foolish his mother had been.

Lol! That would be funny X3 SoSuWriMo 425

It was bothering Gotham, she would not have expected anything less. Still, she wished that the cut was already healed and hidden back beneath her fur. She did not want her son dwelling on this and the fact that he had not been there. The raven haired woman shook her head back and forth. "No, Gotham." She would not have wanted him there. She would not have wanted him, or any of her other children, there. He would have rushed to her aid and thrown caution to the wind to defend her. Then it might have been him and not Jazper who had bared the brunt of the attack. Savina would have never forgiven herself if that had happened. "He got cut up pretty bad across his chest. He'll be fine though, Amata took care of him right away and she's keeping a constant eye on him, changing his bandages and everything." Jazper was strong, he wouldn't let this thing beat him. "No, everyone else is fine. Jazper and I are the only ones that sustained any injuries." They could all be thankful for that, at least.

The Consul didn't like the guilt she saw now clouding her son's eyes at all. His words, too, were laced with it and she only shook her head once again. A hand went up to cup the side of his face, her emeralds looking deep into his sapphires. "Gotham, don't be sorry. Do not beat yourself up about this. It would have happened regardless of whether you were here or not, and likely with the same outcome." She was the leader, it was her duty to take charge and keep Crimson Dreams safe. She would be pathetic if she would not put herself in harm's way while her packmates did. "You would not have been happy if you had stayed here this whole time, just like Amata would not have. I understand why you were out there and I don't blame you for a moment." Even if it had been hard to have the two of them gone, the mother knew that they both had needed it.

"Promise me you won't dwell on this. The important thing is that everyone is going to be alright, and that you're here now." Nothing could be done about the things that had already happened. Letting things that you could not change bring you down was a bit of a problem for the members of the Marino family, but she did not want to see the same thing happen to her son.

So, are we continuing this thread? Or having a new one? Or what? :o SoSuWriMo 309

Even though she was doing her best to convince Gotham not to let his mind run heavy with guilt due to what had happened, she knew that she was fighting a losing battle. She could see it in his eyes, in the way he held himself. Perhaps it was some genetic defect of her family that they responded this way to such things. There was nothing more she could say or do than she had already done though. Hopefully Gotham would remember her words and not let the whole thing drive him too crazy. She could read her son, perhaps better than he knew, and despite his spoken promise she knew the truth. All she could do was hope, and keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't wander down too dark a path. She had done so herself many times and she knew the telltale signs.

She hugged him back another time and then he went and picked his bag up again. This time she reined in her gut response to feel bad about his initial response to go up and find a room to call his own and unpack. It was no reflection on her, or their relationship really, Gotham just wasn't a little boy anymore. "Alright, il mio principe forte." Before he had always been her little prince, but she could not call him so now. He could still be her prince, but just a different kind of one.

Her son paused, and asked if there was anything else he should know. Savina thought for a moment. "Your aunt Ghita and Jazper had another litter, so you have three new cousins. You may have already known that though." It was hard to keep track of the news that he had been appraised of in his monthly check-ins and what he had yet to learn.

SoSuWriMo 418

For a moment she wondered if Gotham had kept up with his Italian at all. Amata still remembered despite her time away, but she knew that it would be easy to forget if he hadn't been using it at all all this time. As far as she knew, their family were the only ones in Nova Scotia who knew the foreign tongue and since he had been mostly away from them it would not be unfathomable that he might not remember it. A smile of recognition came to her son's face though, and she felt a warmth fill her chest. It had been important to her to pass on that piece of her heritage to her children. It was possible that they might never see her birth land, and she wanted them to have some connection to Italy, even if it were small.

Savina couldn't help but chuckle softly at her son's statement regarding his new, small cousins. "I don't think you have to worry about that, it is Mati's job after all." She doubted Gotham had to worry about anyone seeking him out to watch the pups, unless there was somehow no other choice. Mati was a wonderful pupsitter, and she had lots of experience caring for the youths of the pack. It had been her that had watched after Gotham and his sisters from time to time. "Growing like weeds. Who'd have thought us Italianos would flourish in this place." The Marino family had been small back in Monti Sabini, now they were becoming quite extensive.

He turned to go back up the stairs, but his head turned once more to look at her. There was a light of curiosity in the woman's emerald gaze, but when he spoke to her in her first tongue she smiled oh so brightly. He really did remember, and he really was here to stay. It made the mother so happy. Gotham gave her another smile before heading up the stairs to claim a room and unpack his bag. There were no lingering bad feelings in the Marino matron now, and with her own smile she turned to head towards the door of the mansion. If they would be having dinner, it would be nice to have some fresh meat to eat. By the time she found something to catch, Gotham would likely be done with his unpacking. She couldn't wait to hear of his adventures, and she walked into the cold winter air with a lightness to her gait.