Neverwinter Forest come take my hand, and focus on the light down at the end

@Pasha thup homie g

Eshe thought of Scimitar's son that had come with them, amazingly. She supposed she had a decent relationship with each child, but that he came with Scimitar—in knowing why—astounded her. She knew it had nothing to do with her. Felt his joining them had no bearing on his opinion of her. Eshe had always been friendly to all at Everwinter; had he remembered her kindnesses? Or had he simply not wished to endure his mothers wrath and disappointment at how things had turned out for her, in the end?

She could have smacked herself for the thought. She was thinking of the kids mother! Perhaps he just missed the wilds here. That was probably it. Pasha might even hate her; she didn't really know, as she hadn't sought to interrogate him for his reasons and never would. Still... it might be good to keep her decent relationship with the boy just that. Her feelings for each of his brood had nothing to do with Scimitar, actually. They were pleasant individuals and because they had pieces of him in them, she loved them. But they had Bazi in them, too, and she swore she felt the woman's eyes as they looked upon her.

It didn't matter, though. Whatever their judgment, she'd love 'em whether they liked it or not.

She presently sniffed out Pasha to see if she could rope him into joining her on a patrol this afternoon. Even called his name, Pasha! for good measure. This day she supposed she'd see how the boy, at least, felt about her.

Truth be told, the reasons that Pasha had come along were more than likely numerous and at least, even at times, unknown to him. Whether it was the pull of adventure that had roped the young wolf along or some pressing need to simply get out and get away — the urge to venture on his own, even — was up in the air. He hadn't put a lot of thought in that decision and simply went, curious of where their journey would take them.

And as it were, that journey had taken them back to the place where all had begun, though he only had an inkling of it. It wasn't like they had come and crossed right over their old stomping grounds and as it were, they were hardly surrounded by the motley crew that had once inhabited the countryside. He gave this little thought of course, far too busy investigating the sprawl of evergreens that had enveloped them upon their arrival. It was there they had lingered since.

A voice called out to him, faintest through the plush trees that were swaying with what he hoped was the change of the seasons. If anything, the only reason Pasha sought the spring was that he knew somewhere in there was a birthday. The warmer weather would have been a bonus too, something else he realized as he made his way across the snowy landscape until he found his caller.

There was the faintest pull of tension when he spied out Eshe's sterling coat against the deep green, but it was more of mixed emotions than anything else. His parents and their relationship had long been rocky and uncomfortable, and given the stolen glances he had intercepted along their journey he wondered after the future that lied ahead in that regard as well.

But in a sense, he was still too young to understand.

"What's up?" he asked, drawing close to her with a smile.

There he was! And he did not run away from her. She had missed the tension that had come to him as she rounded a tree and yes, she could see him now! His smile was matched, and she let a small flicker of relief dance through her. Not outright hatred, at least. Surely the cub knew she and his father were mates now, the only thing they did not dole out before his and his siblings eyes was the plethora of affection they bore for one another. That, she felt, at present would be uncalled for. They only acknowledged to all that they were for one another, and one another alone. Like him and Bazi? A fractured thought came toward her, but she refused its presence. We are different.

As she thought of it, she had only seen her mate happy in the presence of she herself and when he had gone hours without seeing his mate. He was happy with his children, too. But after dealing with the pale woman he never appeared happy, and her heart hurt to see him that way.

Well, no more!

And surely his children would appreciate that he was happy now? Happier than he had been? Happy for days at a time! Not for hours that could end at any moment. The change in him was easy to see and easier still to identify. The change was there for her, too. She was free to admit her feelings, simply not the measure of it (namely to his children), to others.

His boyish features warmed her heart. But he would soon be a yearling among them! He looked a lot like Scimitar, though not as dark as her mate... and then there were his eyes, a totally different shade. But she saw more Scimitar in him than anything else, and was at ease in his presence. You busy? I was about to go take care of the borders a bit more, and could use the assistance, she admitted. Every scent counted, Eshe believed.