As he waited, Halcyon's thoughts wandered. Was Aster still upset with him for leaving her behind in Taviora? Of course she was. His mate was stubborn and tended to hold on to grudges far longer than a wolf had any right to. Just thinking of it made his heart ache and yet, he found himself smiling. And with the sound of a voice, Aster's image faded from his mind. Funny how the bond of an imprint could do that. Seeing Solstice approach made his soul brighten up, if only slightly. The weight of everything had been resting heavily on his shoulders, but her warm face and bright smile seemed to chase the shadows away. Returning her affection greeting, he followed the excited wolfess into the warmth of the den. It was plenty big enough for the two of them to rest their weary paws comfortably and, doing as she bade, the male made himself at home.

Without missing a beat, Solstice began her questioning, each one making the soft smile on his face grow smaller and smaller. She could not have known what had happened, could she? News often travelled fast in Moladion, but this time, it had taken its dear sweet time reaching her. Realizing he was frowning, he tried to recover the smile, but it seemed to falter. Deciding it was best to answer her questions in turn, he sighed and began. "I'm glad to see you to, Solstice. It has been hard to be away from you, but I'm glad you are still doing so well here. It would seem the new alpha has treated Asteraia with the respect it deserves," he began, trying hard to avoid the more difficult questions.

"I'm currently… not living anywhere," he paused a moment, gauging her, before continuing. "After we left, Aster and I took the pups to Iromar. But… it's been overtaken by a foul wolf named Blackthorne. He kidnapped my son and daughter, along with Pine's pup as well." Just mentioning that bastard's name left Halcyon with a fire in the pit of his stomach. The rage and anxiety burned violently and he had to take several moments to calm down before he could carry on. But he couldn't prevent the crack of sorrow that came when he spoke. "I've left Aster and our two, remaining children under the protection of my niece in Taviora. I could not bear the thought of losing them should they follow me on my path of revenge. That's why I had to come here, to make sure that you were safe and sound. I fills my heart with relief to know that you are." Taking a moment, he tried to hide the grief and pain he felt, but it was in vain. The wolfess that stood before him was his soul made physical. There was no point in hiding what he felt from her. Perhaps, that was the real reason he had sought her out. Just being near to her brought some comfort to his aching spirit.