tytonidae had not been seen for some time, and today the man intended to search for her scent along the edges of the territory. his steps were buoyant, if not for the simple anticipation of his union with blue willow, and the children that would be brought forth from it. one day, one day soon, he would visit peregrine, if only to reaffirm affability between them, while maintaining closure. he would have liked to make love to his panther again, a thousand times, but for their hearts, it was best to insist upon distance.

a flash of multicolored hue caught his eye; taltos spotted saena loping at a relatively fast pace through the territory. a chuff was birthed into the wind, hoping to capture her attention, and the earthen servant turned his steps toward the girl, wondering if she was intending solitude this day or if she would welcome — even tolerate — his presence near her own.

he blinked as saena spoke, glancing past her pale shoulder. i have not scented a bear in some time, he murmured musingly, but thought little of it. how have you been, saena? it was important to the man that the children peregrine had left behind remained with wolves whom they could call upon in their times of trouble.

as it was now, the girls and pura did not confide much in him, but taltos hoped to change that. you seemed as if you were rushing somewhere a moment ago. would you care for some company? the man asked softly, ears cupped forward to measure her answer, wondering at the vaguely mad smile upon her lips.

she was acting strangely, and he looked past her once more, his gaze firmer this time. after a lingering moment, lasher returned his attention to saena, wincing mildly at the girl's angered use of the epithet against fox. yet he said nothing — surely she had been lectured and the situation had been explained to her many a time. lasher did not like the ruby, but he was somehow sorrowful that fox had also shunned the children of peregrine's first union.

yes, he murmured to her with a nod, ears upright with interest. this was the second conversation in as many weeks regarding ghosts. i have seen many. the murkwater eyes narrowed, then cleared, softening. have you seen a ghost, saena? taltos asked quietly, wondering if this was the reason for her abrupt behavior.

it seemed saena had glimpsed the supernatural, and lasher settled carefully onto his haunches, inviting her with an incline of his muzzle to do the same. i believe you have seen a spirit. a ghost, in my opinion, is the shade of the ones we have loved and who have passed on from this life into the next. spirits surround us, and it seemed one showed itself to you, for whatever reason.

he spoke calmly, gently, as not to frighten the patched girl more than she already appeared to be. there was naught to fear from spirits. is this the first time you have seen such things? came taltos' next inquiry; to see one spirit was an isolated event; to see many was a gift.

as she spoke, he recalled the day he had come upon her when she was rather young, and she had tried to hide what she was doing from him. he had not pressed her then, as he would not now; though he did wonder if these experiences were related. not at all, the gamma answered swiftly. sometimes it can be a very good thing.

sometimes spirits speak to those who can see them, taltos went on. did it speak to you, the man asked, wishing to gather an accurate picture of the experience saena had gotten from her glimpse of the bearcub.

the gamma had seen many ghosts in his time; there was talk of he himself having been a spirit at one point. this had been neither confirmed nor denied to the earthen servant, and so he felt he would be of no assistance to saena on that point.

she revealed that the bear had not spoken to her, merely gazed, and he mused over what this meant, and why spirits had chosen her, a half-grown girl, to show themselves unto. what do you think that it meant? he asked, placing the focus of their conversation with her own thoughts on the matter.

any number of things, was his response, and, pleased that saena was speaking so amiably with him, lasher gestured that she should walk alongside him. therefore he began his explanations of the spirits and their worlds to her eager ears.