Umbra Copse in our bones

He was tired.

The sullen boy had not realized how much work trekking over the mountain twice would be. Without the abundance of snow it would have been easier, for it had nearly tripled their travel time. Summiting the heights had been difficult on both ends, and as winter continued on its relentless path the duo’s pace had slowed more so on the return trip. At the halfway point he’d nearly given up, but he kept those thoughts to himself. Even with the chunks of ice clinging to his ebony pelt and snow hardening between his toes. Cyril never once complained aloud to his companion, aside from a few frustrated grunts (both unprovoked or in agreement with her own words). It was his adventure after all. He had made the decision to go west. To see Addy. The only downside was that he had to leave without her. But asking her to leave would have been selfish. Tearing her away from her family… a storm had already done that once before, and Cyril refused to be the second storm. Even if he (desperately) wanted her to re-join him and his mother—Cheedo, too.

As the ground levelled the familiarity returned, even with the blanket of snow covering the ground. His pace quickened as he made a beeline for the orange trees. He dared not stop—not yet. The boy did not want to lose his momentum, for once he collapsed onto the ground he wasn’t sure how quick he’d be able to get back up. Even if it meant seeing his mother.

Upon reaching the striped trees Cyril kept his distance, his nose seeking out the widow’s familiar scent. While it mingled with Morganna’s scent it was not fully embedded into the Vale—which meant she had not settled down. Not yet.

His tossed his nose to the sky, calling for her, his voice cracking.

tag for @Maeve too
but for momma @Piety

The trip was definitely rough for the monochrome fae, however she knew that the chances were it was rougher on her little traveling companion. At such a young age, it was hard for Maeve to believe that he'd made journeys similar to that one in the past, the mountain was some tough business! Though the whole thing was in good company, she couldn't say she didn't at least get some enjoyment out of it. Even if it was apparent that he wasn't much up for chit-chat the whole way through, she felt like they'd grown a bit closer because of it. And hey, here they were! Home safe!

The first thing Maeve wanted to do was go search for Celandine, but again, the trip was rough. She'd stay and wait for the pup's mother to arrive, make sure everything was okie-dokie, and then take her leave. "Hh, man." She coughed out. The chill winter air wasn't doing any favors for her lungs. "That was rough!" with a chuckle, the fae allowed herself to plummet to the ground. It'd be a while before she'd want to make another trip like that, that's for sure.

His yellow gaze swept toward his silver companion as she spoke, an amused smile tugging at his lips. Even after his visit with Adeltra the act of smiling felt unnatural and caused his mouth to ache. But they had made their way over the mountain, battling treacherous conditions along the way. He had been thankful for her company; he wasn’t sure he would have made it alone. Or he would have chosen to linger in the willows longer than he had planned—which he almost wished he had. But he knew he needed to return to the Vale; to @Piety. After everything that had happened to them he couldn’t leave her alone… Cheedo wasn’t family. She did not understand the loss that shook the small family. She was an intruder to their pain. An outsider.

Sorry, he started, his nose turning toward the green-eyed girl, it wasn’t exciting. He should have told her that it was a social visit, but he hadn’t been keen on talking when they had first met. Even now his words felt strained, tumbling off his tongue without direction. Maeve had expected a different type of mission and Cyril had served her a plate full of mush. He didn't mind; he got to see his friend. And had some not-so-awful company along the way.