As her demeanor softened ever so slightly at the sight of him, the rhythm of his tail picked up momentum, pleased that she was not upset to see him. The curt nod she offered was met with a small smile and a more fluid dip of his own cranium as he came to stand a slight distance away from her. Ever the courteous young man. His brows furrowed slightly, the smile not quite vanishing but losing a bit of its luster her eye shut against his question. She appeared to be in great contemplation before giving her reply, and a single corner of his maw pulled up. It was a dry smirk, as he tried to find the humor that she seemed to speak with. Born of a family known for its vanity, it could perhaps be seen as strange that Atlas did not find her disfigurement revolting. Gruesome, perhaps, but not ugly in the traditional sense. They were marks of her will to survive, her perseverance when the world seemed to try its best to rip the very life from her. But still, he was glad to know that she felt strong again.

Before he could muster any words to defend her from her own comments, she questioned him on his own wellbeing. News travelled fast in Moladion, on the lips of loners and pack wolves alike. It would have been hard for any wolf in the vicinity to miss the pack of wolves migrating towards the mountains of Spirane and Taviora's forests beyond to the north. But Fiammetta's question actually brought Atlas to the realization that he hadn't really made a conscious decision about where he would go next. There had been no question of whether he would linger under Covet's onerous terms to remain within Diveen - abandoning the name of Angel. It was part of who he was, his heritage and his family name. While he did not necessarily define himself by such terminology, he had a deep seeded respect for his family. To forsake the name Angel would be like disowning his father, grandmother, great-grand father. The adolescent male was still forming his opinions of the world, but he would not disrespect his family in such a way. But what now? Would he join another pack, simply to remain close to that family? While Fiammetta's gaze had averted out over the surface of the water, the pale yellow eyes of the youthful lad dropped to his paws for a moment. Where would they carry him after he reassured his mother of the safety of her son, and his perseverance to locate both of his siblings?

"My parents have gone to the mountain; I will visit them but...mmm...no, I do not plan to stay." It was in that breath that he made up his mind and he lifted his eyes back to Fiammetta once more, an air of determination filling his gaze. He seemed to lose a shred of his innocence each time they met, and he found that it was a feeling he would embrace fully in due time. It drew him to her in a way he had not anticipated. There was much to be done, and finding comfort within proximity to his mother and settling into a new pack would surely only hold him back. He had to find Emil, and together they would solve the mystery of Paravana's absence. "I will give this loner life a try," he added with a note of finality, for his mind was made up.

Silence fell between them for a moment, and when Fiammetta spoke again Atlas could not help the way the dark chocolate fur over his hackles bristled slightly. The mere mention of the black wretch set a fire to his blood that he had never experienced before that night. He'd meant what he said that night, about her needing to be taken care of. It was a task far greater and quite possibly more important than even locating his family. If only he had known then that she would soon rise to a power that no wolf of her caliber should ever possess. He took a step closer to Fiammetta as she turned towards him, drawn in rather than repelled away by the mutilation of her face. "As she should be," he said, blinking with sincerity. "And when she comes upon us both...hmm...she will meet her end." He spoke plainly, as if they were merely speaking of the weather or the population of prey this year. He was perhaps more confident in his ability to take down another wolf than he should be; the bane of youth. But maybe this new rogue life would teach him the things he needed to know to help dispatch evil from this world.