Wormwood had made many, many different mistakes in the past that he preferred not to look back on, but sometimes he would go back and reflect on the first major mistake he had ever really made. It had been when he had been a young cub, still innocent and naive and mostly unaware of the fact that his parents barely actually gave a shit about him. He had been wide eyed and enthusiastic at every turn, and there was no one in the world that he had respected more than his Father. Aethelwulf had always been a particularly brutal and strong lion, that defended his pride fiercely, and while he never really showed too much emotion on the surface, Wormwood had been so sure of how much the elder lion really loved him deep down. Because of this, he had always been bushy tailed and delighted whenever his father held meetings of the pride, leaping up onto a ledge on the large steps of a bank that resided in the pride's home city to call out for his subjects, friends, and family to gather around. Worm had always raced over as fast as his tiny paws could carry him, stumbling over himself and grinning widely upwards as Aethelwulf began to list things off and discuss things in a manner not dissimilar to the way that Crow held meetings now – although Worm even now still felt that his father had seemed to hold more strength in his large body as he stood in front of them than Crow ever seemed to have.

At one point Worm had wanted to show his father just how enthusiastic he was about the other's meetings, and just his entire life as the leader of the pride. Wanting to show Aethelwulf that he would one day be a son that he would be proud to call the next leader, the young cub had stumbled up the steps of the bank he usually saw his father gracefully walking up, and eventually he managed to scramble his way to where the ledge was sitting, the cool marble beneath his paws sending a thrill through his entire body and a grin up to his muzzle. He had slowly moved out further to the edge of the ledge, letting his tiny claws out to scrape along the top of the unblemished stone before he took in a deep breath. He held the gulp of air in his lungs for several seconds, just taking in the view of the pride's little section of the city before him, before he slammed his paws forward and down to let out the loudest roar that he possibly could to try and duplicate those of his father. However, this was when his first mistake ended up occurring. He had misjudged the distance from his paws to the edge of the ledge, and as he moved to slam his front feet downward, he found that there was no marble to catch them, and suddenly he was plummeting down through the air. The beginning of the roar that had been leaving him quickly morphed into a screech of terror, and he found himself falling down from a height that – to the young child – was a death sentence. His body flipped and thrashed on the way towards the sidewalk beneath him, and finally he hit the edge of the curb, feeling the rough stone tear up the skin and fur against the back of his scruff, a wail of pain leaving him as tears immediately came to his eyes.

Almost immediately other members of the pride began to rush forward from their makeshift homes at the child's cry, but the first person to be at his side was none other than his father, Aethelwulf. He could've sworn when he looked up to meet the older lion's gaze he had seen a brief flash of worry in his eyes, but it was gone so fast he couldn't be sure he hadn't imagined it. Instead it was replaced with a sort of cold harshness as he was lifted up into his father's mouth, and taken towards the makeshift medical center they had. Almost immediately as he was carried apologies began to spill forth from his muzzle, desperate for that angry look to leave his father's face, but he was steadfastly ignored, instead just being placed down on his paws in the media center, while his father moved off, evidently to deal with more important things. His ears had pinned down to his head as he had remembered his father's admonishing look, and it wasn't until later, after his scruff had been patched up, that he heard his father finally spoke. The older lion had been furious, and had began to ramble off in a controlled fury all of the idiotic things that Worm had done, including climbing up on the ledge in the first place, trying the roar, and falling down because he wasn't paying attention. His voice had been harsh and chilled and unforgiving, and after that day, Worm had never wanted to make another mistake again, because he knew the aftermath would be full of pain and crying and scolding, and his father's blazing disappointed eyes that were somehow both too intense and too dull for him to ever hope to handle.

Even now as he thought back to his own first mistake, he felt his paw subconsciously moved back to the base of his scruff, pressing down gently where the old scar from falling was. Even though the scar wasn't on this body – as far as he knew, anyway, since he couldn't see beneath the "hair" – he could still feel the phantom burn of it, a stark reminder of the tears he had cried over and over again after his father's yelling. His eyes squeezed shut at the thought for a moment, his teeth squeezing down together in pain and sadness, before he let out a shaky breath and looked up, trying to refocus on the task at hand. The reason that he had been thinking about his past mistakes was because he had been looking for none other than Roy. The young tiger had recently bolted after accidentally burning Audrey when they got into a spat over a rather large piece of prey, and Wormwood was determined to go and get him back. He wasn't going to let the boy get kidnapped or killed in his remorse, and he also wanted to show Roy a different side of mistakes than the one that Aethelwulf had shown him. While Wormwood's father had done nothing but berate him and make him feel awful for every single little mistake, making him walk on egg shells constantly and feel like he was always going to have a breakdown, Worm wanted to be different. Sure, it wasn't as if he was Roy's father, but... he wanted to show Roy the positive side of mistakes. The fact that every mistake was actually just a veiled learning opportunity, and that ultimately everyone ended up learning from their mistakes and becoming better and happier people as a result of them, as long as they were willing to continue onward without giving up.

Taking another deep breath of Tanglewood air, Wormwood moved steadily forward and took in deep breaths of Roy's somewhat stale scent, making his way forward through the thicket of trees and bushes and all sorts of different hazards. Some of them looked vaguely scorched or damaged, a sure sign of the tiger child freaking out and losing the control of the flames that covered his entire body, or what little control he did have. As Worm continued moving forward, his anxious frown grew larger and larger, hoping desperately that Roy hadn't gotten hurt somehow. It didn't seem as though his own flames had any effects on him, which was natural, but Worm couldn't help the little irrational side of him that questioned if perhaps his panicking could make it so that his fire actually hurt him. Worm quickly shook off the thought, closing his eyes briefly as he stepped forward, his large bone claws scraping against the earth and the charred plant life around him as he moved through. Eventually his ears perked up when the faintest sounds of movement reached him, and his heart sped up, becoming so loud that he was sure he could hear it filling his entire skull. It sounded like movement, the faint crackle of flames burning steadily into the air, and what sounded to him like sobbing. The voice didn't sound physically pained, which gave Worm a bit of relief, but he still quickened his pace, racing forward through what remained of the Tanglewood territory and out to where Roy was, the boy looking downward and faintly shaking.

The hellhound had pretty clearly seen how much it made Roy feel horrible to have hurt something that Beck considered a friend, and it made him feel horrible to know that Roy was hurting desperately inside. He moved over slowly to where Roy was sitting, settling beside the male and just letting the two of them sit in comfortable silence as Roy cried, letting it all out as his flames flared and faltered, moving erratically with every spike of emotion the boy felt. Worm didn't speak until Roy did, flinching immediately when he heard Roy begin to berate himself, whimpering out about how he deserved to be punished for what he had done to Audrey. It sounded so painfully familiar that it seemed like almost a cruel joke from the universe to Wormwood, and he quickly shook his head from side to side, a paw reaching out to wrap around Roy's shoulders and pull him in close, the hellhound utterly unphased by the flames that came up to meet his movement.

His own flame manipulation made it so that the fire arced away from him just before it began to singe his rotted blue fur, and he held Roy close as he barked softly, shaking his head from side to side and speaking firmly as he tried to teach the child something he should've been taught when he was just a cub, "Roy... what you might've done was wrong, but that doesn't mean that you're a bad person, or that you deserve to be harshly punished. It was an accident, and a mistake that you can grow from, okay? It's obvious that you feel sorry for what happened, and that's the first step in being a good person... it took me a very, very long time for me to learn this for myself, but making mistakes doesn't mean that you're awful. And it doesn't mean that you deserve to suffer. You know what the best kinds of people do when they make mistakes? They acknowledge them, and they learn from and apologize for them, and they move on in life with their new knowledge to help them. I know that can be a lot to take in, especially for someone your age, but trust me. I know you're a really smart kid." He smiled softly and warmly down at the tiger, trying to convey just through the smile on his muzzle and the genuine love in his eyes that he was being serious, and he really did believe in Roy with all of his heart.

When Roy finally looked up to meet his gaze, the tears on his fluffy cheeks drying and the flames on his body seeming to steadily die down to their usual calm but ever present level, Worm felt a relieved sob leave him without actually leaving his muzzle, since he didn't want to freak Roy out. He leaned down to gently press his nose against Roy's forehead, mumbling in his rough and tired voice as he kept holding the child close, glad he seemed to be getting it, "Will you come back with me now? I've been worried sick about you since you just went bolting off, and I can't have you getting taken like so many other people have been, you know?" He joked weakly, his mind moving back to all of the murder and kidnapping and everything else that had been going on. However, he still found himself able to smile because Roy smiled back in an equally weak way, nodding and scrubbing the tears from his face as they broke apart to begin the trek back to where Roy had been residing. Truth be told, Wormwood wanted to take the young tiger all the way back to where their little town was, and try to find somewhere where he could take up permanent residence without the constant fear of setting everything on fire, but he couldn't just yet, not until he was sure that Roy had a handle on things. While he could perhaps move on from and be forgiven for the skirmish with Audrey, Wormwood definitely wasn't sure he could be forgiven for possibly setting the entire territory on fire, even if it was on accident.

Wormwood led Roy slowly back through the rogue lands and back over the boundary line that separated the untamed wilderness and the group that Worm had come to claim as family, and he already felt himself letting out a relieved wheeze at just bring enveloped in the scent of Tanglewood again. He was still keeping a careful watch out for anyone that might be on the territory to harm him, Roy, or anyone else under the title of "Tangler", but the chaser was fairly sure that they already would've been facing plenty of trouble at this point if they were already this far into the territory. He felt a little chuckle leave him at the thought, and he glanced back to see Roy still following along, glancing in what seemed like slight wonder at every single thing after even being here for quite a while thus far. Wormwood could practically feel his heart melt at the fact that Roy was still so smitten with Tanglewood, and he found himself just wanting to pull the boy in for a hug and nuzes once again. Still, he managed to hold himself back, until eventually they reached the little clearing that Roy preferred to stay in, since it was mostly free and clear without much foliage to possibly set ablaze with his fur. Worm still found it wanting when he glanced around, but he bit his tongue, knowing full well that Roy probably wouldn't even want to consider moving yet thanks to the possibility of causing yet more trouble. Instead he decided to focus on his temporary goodbyes, turning to the young tiger and opening his muzzle to explain that he needed to go and get some of his other duties done, wanting to explain about the exciting promotion Worm had received in the child's temporary absence.

However, his mouth closed again when he saw Roy looking up at him with that grateful gaze of warmth and curiosity and a unique sort of naivety that only the tiger who both acted so much like a child while also referring to himself as a weapon could have. The look was what suddenly struck Worm, making him truly think about what he was doing here, and why he had gone to go and retrieve Roy from outside of Tanglewood. Sure, he could claim that it was because Roy was just as much a member of Tanglewood as anybody else, and therefore Worm cared a lot about him naturally, but... that wasn't quite the entire truth. He cared greatly about Red as well, but he still hadn't tried braving going out through the harsh wilderness to go to the Pitt and get the other male back on his own. Sure, Roy's situation wasn't entirely the same, but he had still been out in a hostile unknown place, during a time when tensions were especially high and there could've been Pittians lurking in every shadow. Yet still, Worm had simply gritted his teeth and continued onwards with a resolve made of steel, absolutely and utterly determined to find Roy and bring him back home.

Hw also could've claimed that he had only done it because Roy's reaction to making mistakes had been so similar to his own in the past, and the tiger reminded him a lot of himself when he was younger. This was somewhat true, as Worm did see a lot of himself reflected back at him in Roy's eyes when he met the boy's gaze, but it still certainly wasn't the full story. Wormwood could relate to many of the other members of Tanglewood on some level, but that still didn't mean he was going to go out and rescue them from any situation they found themselves in. Yet Roy was still different, and Worm felt that familiar scratching in the back of his mind that told him that he knew deep down why, he just hadn't admitted it to himself yet. But... he figured that now it was probably about time that he did acknowledge it. Now, at the border in between the field world that Roy inhabited and the world of the town that Worm inhabited, with Roy staring up at him with a sort of expectant gleam in his eyes... this was the time for him to finally truly man up and face the facts. He cared about Roy so much that he practically saw the child as his own son, and although before he had truly never even considered the possibility that he could actually be Roy's father, it felt like it was the only thing that he could think about in this moment.

He wasn't sure why his nerves  were so on edge as he opened his muzzle once again, but it honestly felt as though his heart was trying to claw it's way out of his chest because of how long it was taking him to make his decisions, and the thought was almost enough to make him laugh. At least, it would've been if it weren't for the fact that he was vaguely horrified that he was seeing things in a horribly wrong light. After all, perhaps he was just imagining things. Perhaps Roy didn't really see how much Wormwood truly cared about him, and wouldn't even begin to consider the fact that Worm might want to adopt him and be his father. The thought horrified Worm, because all he could really sweet it as was another opportunity to open his heart so someone and gave them crush it between their claws, leaving him in an even less stable state than when they met him. Poet had ended up doing it, Draekon had ended up doing it... and while Worm was was infinitely sure that Roy wasn't as awful as either of the aforementioned men, it still made him think twice about speaking and asking the tiger such a serious question about adding him to his family.

Still, it would've been incredibly hypocritical of Worm to do all of his recent preaching about acknowledging the past and moving on from and learning from it, and then never taking a chance himself again. It wouldn't exactly be a good example to set for Roy even if he wasn't his father, now would it? He almost wanted to chuckle again, but now he just fixated on the task at hand, taking in a slow and comforting breath before he looked at Roy and spoke softly, smiling gently at the tiger cub as he thought about a future where they could be family – a future where Wormwood could be his father, and teach him everything that he knew, "Roy... this might sound like a little bit of an odd question to you, but I feel like I need to ask. For both myself and you. I... I care about you a lot, kid. I've liked having you in Tanglewood, and I've liked learning ing about your personality, and teaching you things, and making sure you're alright. And honestly I do that with everyone, but... would you ever consider letting me adopt you? It wouldn't really change that much about anything, you would just be my son, and I would be your father, and I'd do pretty much everything I do now, but... we would really be family." He looked down for the briefest of moments, before he chuckled and looked back up at Roy sheepishly, "But obviously it's fine if you don't want that, Roy. I just... I wanted to try asking you, because it's something that has been on my mind a lot lately, as I learn more and more about you. And as I help you learn new things."

It didn't even truly occur to him that anyone could come upon the scene of him asking the other male to be his son, but truly even if it had he wouldn't have changed the setting anyways. For one thing he couldn't really anyways, since Roy had very limited options for where he could actually go in the marsh without hurting anything. In addition to that, Worm found that he also just didn't actually care that much. After all, it wasn't as if this was some big scandalous private thing. It was just him showing his genuine unfiltered emotions for a bit, and asking a question that was important to him and had been for a while. So as long as nobody came along and made any smartass comments, Worm didn't really care if they came over and heard.

[member=7526]ROY[/member]

Worm was almost startled by the simplicity of the boy's answer to his question, and the hellhound blinked in faint surprise for a moment before his brain began to work again, processing the next thing that Roy had said. Immediately the canine felt his ears pin down against his neck, a sense of sorrow washing over him as he quickly shook his head from side to side. It almost startled him how much Roy reminded him of himself when he was younger, and not in ways that made him very excited. The boy was just as traumatized and desensitized as he had been, having simple expectations that anybody who cared about him or represented even the faintest bit of powers over him was going to hurt him. Wormwood knew he was a hypocrite for thinking that was wrong, considering the fact that he was unable to even think faintly of love these days thanks to those that had hurt him in the past. Still, he didn't want such a young child suffering like he was now, especially when he was in a place that could be as kind as Tanglewood. Roy deserved to feel loved and protected, safe from the harshness of the world as long as he was within the swamp that the group called home, and this being his first thought after Worm adopting him only confirmed that further with the hellhound.

He knows the boy doesn't truly see himself as a member of Tanglewood yet, thanks to the limitations of his pelt and because of the mistakes he had committed oh so recently, but Wormwood hoped desperately that he could turn that perception around. Even if he could never help Roy take his fire once and for all – even though he wanted to help, the best that he truly could – he still wanted Roy to feel like a member of the family even when he was on the outside looking in. So, after a long moment of contemplation, Worm once again wrapped a paw around Roy, bending the flames that covered the other away from him and touching his nose gently to the boy's head, a sign of love and respect to the large feline. He then barked softly, giving another short shake of his fluffy head and trying not to sound too utterly pissed at whoever had made Roy feel he needed to be locked away, kept under supervision and viewed as less than a person, "I would never lock you away, Roy. You... you're my son now, and I'd never do anything to hurt you or make you feel that you deserve to be locked away, because you don't. Instead all I want to do is guide you, and nurture you, and make you feel like you have a family here. A family not only with me, but with everyone else here, because so many of the people here are so wonderful." He gave Roy a soft smile, his gaze full of mirth and warmth as he watched the boy – his son – hoping that he had gotten the point across as much as he could. He had no intention of controlling Roy or making him go against what he truly wanted, instead just wanting him to have the support he had obviously so desperately been lacking since he had first joined.

A small part of Wormwood was filled with another emotion, and that was of fury. He was angry because it was obvious that Roy hadn't just been born thinking he was subpar, or that he was just a tool to be used by others. Someone had taught him that from the very day he had been brought into the world, and had manipulated him so that he wouldn't ever think to question it until he was out from under that someone's grasp. Wormwood wasn't sure if that person was gone now – he only assumed that it was this "doctor" that Roy occasionally spoke about – but if they weren't then Worm was never going to let them near Roy again. He wouldn't pry about it now, not wanting to upset the young tiger during what was supposed to he a happy occasion that involved him being with people who truly saw him as equal, but he was sure that one day he would need to. Especially if whoever that doctor fellow was is still around, since Wormwood needed to make sure he could protect his son. It felt the slightest bit odd to call the other that in his head... his son. His son. But somehow it felt right, him having Roy as his adopted son. It felt as though fate had brought them together – a damaged boy looking for a way to trust again, and a damaged man looking for someone to love again.

Wormwood hugged Roy for a long moment, trying to Express all the love that he felt for the boy in one kind gesture, before he smiled down at the tiger as he pulled away. When Roy asked if he was to call Worm Dad, the hellhound chuckled and barked softly as his tail wagged from side to side, "You can call me Dad if you want, but you don't have too. Worm or Wormwood is still just fine, if that's what you'd rather." He didn't want to force the younger male to start thinking of him as Father, and if Roy felt uncomfortable tossing away his past and his past father figure, then Worm wasn't going to force him to call him Dad, because that would just be wrong. Worm had a suspicion that whatever father figure Roy had in the past wasn't so great, but Wormwood still didn't want to assume that he was so much better, and he was fairly sure that at this point he couldn't imagine calling anybody else Dad now either. Sure, he was older than Roy, obviously, but Roy was so mature that Worm doubted he was particularly the type to latch onto calling somebody Dad.

He couldn't read Roy's thoughts, but if he could he was sure that he would give Roy even more reassurance that his intentions were nothing but pure. He couldn't even begin to imagine how nervous Roy was about opening himself up to others with whatever trauma he had suffered in the past, and it hurt his heart to think that Roy would assume he was just trying to manipulate him. He knew that some older people put themselves in parental roles to have power over another person, and in order to make them think that they had somebody who they could count on, but the thought of doing that – or anybody doing that, really – filled him with a cold rage. After everything he had suffered at the hands of Aethelwulf and Judith, Worm couldn't imagine putting himself in a parental role just to make a child's life worse. It was almost like he was challenging the world, saying "fuck you, I'm going to make sure that kids don't grow up like I did".