While the trio travelled a great distance to reach this point in their journey, Kove hardly went far from his new home. He had travelled a great deal in his youth already, as well as throughout his adulthood, and he was finally ready to settle down. Not only could his body no longer handle long treks but his mind no longer yearned for the thrill of new sights. He stuck close to home, oftentimes occupying his time by settling at the base of the Mother Stone. Today, however, he found himself drifting out beyond Easthollow’s claim.

The elder’s wanderings deposited him into the shaded depths of the glade, an area that he knew well, having lived near to it before. Now it was usually nothing more than a collection of trees in the distance, standing tall within the valley. Yet today it drew him in, a ghost drifting through the shadows.

That he did not wander those woods alone was not something to immediately strike him. His senses were overwhelmed by the musk of the foxes that inhabit the area, drowning him in an odour that taunted him. Only moments prior to a feminine voice reaching his ears did he realise that more scents were there to be found, mixed within that of the vulpine. The discovery of their scents was then followed by visual confirmation, although he couldn’t quite believe his eyes.

Kove stared from the shadows for an extra long minute or so, wondering if he was seeing correctly. But when she did not disappear and her face did not morph into someone else, he was convinced—he knew this girl, her face burned into his brain. “Maegi,” he said first, revealing himself as he tore away from the darkness. “Look at how you’ve grown.” He noticed the child, who he assumed was her own. Had it really been that long, that his young apprentice could bear her own offspring? It seemed surreal.

From the moment she spoke his name, Kove knew that this was not a fantasy. His young apprentice, now an adult, was truly there before him. He drew in a deep breath, which escaped him slowly seconds later, released by the growing smile on his lips. How long had it been now? Much too long—far longer than he had ever planned.

“I always meant to come back and see you,” he assured her. “But… travelling is not as easy for me as it once was, I’m afraid.” He was ashamed to admit it, especially to her. He had taken the girl under his wing, had taken on the responsibility of watching over her—and then he’d gone and abandoned that post, leaving her all alone. “I’m sorry, Maegi,” he said, the smile having since faded, replaced by unmasked regret. “It should not have taken this long for us to meet again.” He took full responsibility for it, too; although he understood the limits of an aging body, that did not make him any more accepting of it.

Thankfully, some twist of fate had brought them together again anyways. Only now the child he once knew was an adult, with children of her own to teach and watch grow. When she introduced them, he smiled, admiring their calmness. “Hello,” he returned before looking back to their mother. “They’re lucky to have such a strong mother.” He hoped that his dear granddaughter would take after Maegi; she had endured so much in life and yet, there she was, still well and now raising her own children.

There was no anger within her tone when she responded, reminding him of just how different the young Melonii had always been. Many of those within her family would have laid him out right there and then, angered by the traitorous act that was leaving the woods behind. But not Maegi, never Maegi. Even as a little girl, her way of thinking had always been far more advanced, far more understanding, than those that had come before her. Perhaps she was the one that they had needed all along to set things right.

“It is,” he agreed. “I am so glad to see you again.” His young apprentice—how she had grown! A mother and mentor to her own children now, too. Looking upon her and the family she’d made for herself, he was proud. Proud of the woman she’d become despite her past, and proud of her ability to keep moving forward. A wonder, if he ever did see one.

When asked about his new place of residence, he said, “I do. I am staying at Easthollow now, with my daughter and her family.” His family, his grandchildren. “I hadn’t planned on staying. I was only going to visit a valley that I once lived in, where I was told another pack had taken up residence. But…” He smiled as he thought back. “While there, I met my granddaughter instead of another pack,” he explained. “She invited me back to her pack and her mother, my daughter, decided that I could stay. It wasn’t something I’d ever planned for but I couldn’t refuse.” For so long he had been away from his family, separated from those in the north and estranged from the majority of his children. That he had been given the opportunity to reunite and reconnect with them was an offer that he could not refuse—it was something he had wanted for so long.

She spoke words of happiness, at which he smiled; he found himself happy to be where he was, to have reached a point in his life now where he felt at ease. There were no serpents lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike—it was only his family now, those he cared deeply for and knew he could trust to let his guard down around. No longer was he trapped between worlds, a priest unbelieving of the religion he was supposed to teach, instead now he was himself. Unchained from the shadows and free, now, to live life beneath the soft glow of the sunlight; he felt better, confident again—and the decreased ache in his joints was a noticeable improvement, although he would never be as comfortable in his skin as he was in his youth.

“I hope all goes well for you, too, Maegi,” he returned. “You deserve all that is good in this world.” It would never even the scales after all she had gone through but it would be a start, at least—or perhaps not, as more ill news spilled from her lips, another stone cast at his poor, dear apprentice: a missing child.

“I have not seen any,” he replied with a frown. Had she not gone through enough, and now a child of hers was missing? The poor girl. “But I will keep an eye out,” he continued. “If I find him, I will return him to you myself.” He wondered, though, just how far the child could have gone that his family was now northbound. “I will share the news with those back home, too.” Surely they would help, or at least keep an eye out, too, for any wayward children.

Truth be told, it was concerning, the news of a scent having yet to be found. He worried about the child, although he did not know him personally, and wished him a safe return home. He was disappointed that he could not be of more use, that he could not travel the wilds in search of the boy, but he would still do his part to try and reunite the young family.

The concern felt was not voiced more than what he already said, nor was it questioned further. She spoke of her exhaustion instead, to which he answered, “Yes, it is safe.” Foxes lurked within the territory but, from what he observed, rarely did they try to instigate anything with the local wolves. “I will keep watch while you rest,” he told her, leaving no room for discussion; this was not something he was willing to negotiate. Kove had left her on her own once already, he was not about to do it again. Besides, he would feel better knowing that they were being watched over whilst resting, given the unfamiliarity of the area.