She should have known coming here would bring heartache. Should have known seeing the face of her son overlaying that of her grandson’s would hurt. But she is so very good at ignoring things that are inconvenient to her.

He would never know of her regret however. Of her sorrow in the wake of her absence from their lives. All things no one but her would ever know. But even if it was rather later than expected, he would know her. And she would tell him what he wished to know of his father. Of her. Of his grandfather (even if the memories still pick at the raw furrows left behind).

Easily matching his pace, she listens quietly to his reminiscence. As he shares his memories with her. She might be able to see them if she so chose, but there is something altogether different in hearing them from his perspective. A warmth cold image could never impart. A shared grief. And though her throat tightens and her eyes prick, she doesn’t try to stop him. Does not interrupt. She would hear all of it.

When finally his tale winds down and he chuckles, Heartfire shifts her gaze from the landscape to settle upon Wolfbane. A faint smile touches her lips as something like humor flits across her still features. “It is hard to consider myself old enough to be a grandmother,” she responds wryly. Her first less than serious quip since she had found him here. “But you are welcome to call me so if you wish. Otherwise, Heartfire will do.”

She lapses into silence for a long moment then. Her features betray none of her internal turmoil, but his words remind her too much of what she has lost. Finally, she continues, her tone more guarded. Not by any desire for secrecy, but rather a byproduct of her own emotions. “Is there anything in particular you wish to know?”

i see your sins
and i want to set them free

Perhaps it is bias, but she would freely admit to pride in her grandson. And she thinks her son would have done the same, had it been in him to do so. But with herself and Wyrm as parent’s, Longclaw had never had much of a chance. She has discovered of late how woefully underprepared she is for expressing emotion of any sort. They had never been the most emotive parents. And perhaps that had played its part in her son’s demise. Certainly she knows it has in her daughter’s estrangement.

And of course, it is only natural for Wolfbane to wonder if she has any other children. Rapture had distanced herself from the family, refusing to follow in her mother’s footsteps. And she had never been a warrior, never had a strength that would’ve enticed Wyrm to train her in the same way he had Longclaw. She knows her daughter has never felt quite as if she belonged, and Heartfire had never known how to handle such a thing. Perhaps she should have tried harder. With both of her children.

After a contemplative silence, Heartfire shifts her gaze to Wolfbane, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “Your father has a twin,” she admits quietly. “Rapture.” She pauses, gaze flitting briefly, absently,  across the landscape. “She seems to currently be staying in Tephra.” For the time, at least. Rapture had never settled in one place too long before.

His next question surprises her, her blue eyes swinging back to him as one equine brow arches slightly. A faint smile curls her lips, a rare and genuine warmth briefly touching her features. “I appreciate the offer Wolfbane, and I am glad you would have me. But I have found a home in Nerine.” For the fleetest of moments, humor settles into the twist of her lips. “Perhaps when I am ready to retire.”

As though it were perfectly natural to consider retirement into a land of mercenaries.

i see your sins
and i want to set them free

She barely pays the passing landscape any mind. Lovely as it is, she’s seen it all before. Her inclination for spying is hardly something she bandies about, but any who know her well know she sees far more than she should. No doubt her grandson already has an inkling, though she doubts he yet understands the true scope of her knowledge.

Instead she watches him as they walk, carefully observing, tucking away what she learns of him. She has seen much of him, but beholding him with her own eyes is an entirely different experience. And this visit is when she will hold close in both her memories and her heart.

He seems intrigued by the thought of an aunt, and if Longclaw had never mentioned Rapture to him, she could understand why.  Who wouldn’t wish to know about a heretofore unknown twin to one’s father? Perhaps they would even grow to know themselves as family. Although, given her daughter’s flightiness, she does have to wonder if he’ll actually find her. Even she has a hard time keeping up with Rapture.

She offers him a mildly amused smile when he expresses his regrets. As charming as the offer had been, she’s quite sure he wouldn’t actually care for having her underfoot. She has rather been known to cause headaches. And frankly, she isn’t about cease her activities. He could thank her later.

With a rather impish nod of her head, she accepts his standing invitation. “You can be certain I will,” she replies with a dry humor, before continuing in a more serious tone. “And know that I will be here if you need me.”

Her gaze lingers for a long moment on the stripped stallion before she offers as soft farewell. “Until next time, Wolfbane.” With that, she turns north.

i see your sins
and i want to set them free