Some other time he would be calling her for more pleasant matters, maybe a stroll as they talked more about her family's culture and history. He hadn't exactly intended to become her dutiful shadow, soaking up stories of her family and their rich history as she shared them with him. If Foxglove had to guess, talking about The Goldencourte’s was probably the easier option than talking about Archon or the kids. It was understandable, sharing your most intimate hurts took a great deal of courage - and she had already been so brave to have spoken of her miscarriage to him.

Fable did not make him wait long, but Fox had used the time to his advantage to think of a safer method of disposing of the deadly plants. The sight of Fable approaching brought a small smile to his face and his tail wagged, head immediately dipping to greet his leader. Is’n that the way it goes sometimes? The prettiest face can cause you the most trouble. He couldn’t resist the quip, even with the seriousness of the nature of his call. I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to the girls. His or not, it didn’t matter - they were good kids and entirely innocent. Regardless of the strife the adults dealt with, the children weren’t to blame for any of it.

We can’t touch them directly, but I was thinking if we lay some more sturdy leaves atop them then we could pick them up. Or maybe a scrap of pelt, if we have any somewhere? Foxglove had no problem in handling the matter on his own, but it somehow felt presumptuous to do so without at least showing Fable. I told you about my Mother and about my Äiti - they had been in a different world together when they met one another. Unfortunately, Äiti had perished first - not unlike Gamma, actually. Mama covered her gravesite in Hemlocks, which is why she kept the name. But reuniting together gave them a new life, a new world. Foxglove didn’t think it was negative necessarily to have the deadly flora in their territory. You aren’t touching them, Miss Fae-be. The girls need you too much, just in case. He also wouldn’t take any back talk from her and he hoped the look in his eyes was enough to keep her from attempting to argue.

It had to be sad, that Fox saw himself as so replaceable - but a mother could not be. Fox refused to risk her, because he knew if something happened to Fable he wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself, either