Northstar Vale Aumetra the witch.

There were a dozen reasons why Towhee ought to go visit Mereo, though she hadn’t been able to bring herself to make the a trip back there yet. If she started to feel guilty about it, she would reason with herself: she was old, decrepit and still technically in recovery. There was nothing stopping those more able-bodied from coming to visit her here if they wanted to see her.

Of course, she wasn’t actually very old or decrepit, though she did feel her age this morning as she left the warmth of her den and ventured into the frosty morning. It felt like every single bone in her body creaked (she could feel if not hear it), plus her muscles felt like obdurate stones.

It was nothing a steady lap around the vale couldn’t fix. It wasn’t long before her muscles warmed into pliability and her skeleton no longer felt like it was comprised of rust. Feeling downright limber now, Towhee began to climb, keen to patrol the outer perimeter today.

tamar was frowning.

she watched the first teacher of epoch start her way up, and followed deftly.

she searched for @Zulema with knitted brow. -hello, towhee- she signed quickly. -have you seen zulema?-

the young mother looked in all directions as she gestured, her ptero slipping from time to time in her distress.

She sensed movement behind her and turned to see Tamar rushing toward her. When it came to the Morphe, Towhee was used to seeing gentle movements and soft smiles. Today, she received a frown and rushed signing that immediately made her heart skip a beat, and not in the good way.

Swiveling to face Tamar more directly, Towhee considered the woman’s question before replying, -“I haven’t seen her since our most recent Ptero lesson. When and where was the last time you saw her?”-

She didn’t want to use the word “missing,” in case Zulema had simply wandered a bit further than usual. But Towhee could tell that Tamar was deeply concerned about her daughter’s whereabouts. She would happily postpone her patrol to help Tamar locate her little girl.

The wintry morning had Zulema slipping from the warmth of their den rather early before her family had stirred awake. She wanted to know every nook and cranny of the vale, but this morning in particular she wanted to see something new. Unfortunately her search left her without direction on her way home, perhaps she shouldn't have ventured out on her own this cold morning.

Her paws stung from the frigid ground, it was cold, and now she was hungry. She wanted to find her mom now, the comfort Tamar offered was unmatched. As the thought crossed her mind, her tail wagged as her mother's scent wafted by her nose, and who she believed to be Towhee. Zulema's tracking skills weren't entirely developed, grumbling in frustration after feeling like she was walking in circles.

❝Mom?!❞ Zulema resorted to calling out for her, ears perked and swiveling around, ❝Mommmm?❞

She wanted to go home already and exaggerate her short lived adventure to her siblings.

tamar shook her head.

"she was playing with zosime after that and then —" and tears threatened to well, both for her lost child and for the fact that she could not recall. "on the edge of the red forest was the last place i —"

ears sharpened. she thought she heard a small voice, and exchanged an incredulous look with towhee as she dashed in that direction. "zulema!"

Towhee greatly disliked seeing Tamar in such a distressed state. She stretched out a forepaw to gently touch her shoulder, hoping it came across as comforting and not patronizing. Meanwhile, she kept her eyes fastened to the woman’s lips, careful to catch every word.

Abruptly, Tamar stopped speaking, ears perked. Towhee knew she must be hearing something and waited for further cues. Within a few seconds, Tamar sprang away. Towhee bounded after her, missing the woman’s shout but hoping they were headed toward a swift mother/daughter reunion.

For a moment, Zulema thought her tracking had brought her closer, but it was simply her Tamar hearing her voice. She was more than ready to return to her mother, that and the hunger adding to the motivation.

Thankfully, there was her mother's unmistakable golden fur through the brush.

❝Finally,❞ Zulema sighed, shoulders relaxing as she raised her voice, ❝Mom?❞

Her gaze settled on Towhee as well, were they looking for her?

tamar threw her arms around zulema.

she almost forgot towhee for a moment in her relief. "we were looking for you!" she said in a voice that could not bring itself to be scolding.

"how far did you go? next time, ask your theios maxim to take you. he is a tracker."

her shoulders slumped visibly as tension left her form.

Relief washed through her when they found Zulema. Towhee hung back as Tamar flung her forelegs around her daughter, who looked to be perfectly safe and sound. The Theos let out a breath, seeing that Tamar was speaking rapidly to her daughter but unable to catch any of the words.

She saw the way the Morphe’s shoulders slumped and moved close enough to gently touch the woman between the shoulder blades. Her orange gaze flicked between mother and daughter, assessing the Atoma from up close. Yes, she was perfectly fine.

-“She’s okay, everything’s alright,”- Towhee said soothingly to Tamar. -“I’ll leave you two alone, I need to go patrol,”- she added, smiling softly at the pup, wondering if she might be in for a sharper word once Tamar recovered from her initial relief.

Turning, Towhee shook her head at the thought of Tamar speaking harshly to anyone, much less one of her children. She would probably gently remind Zulema not to stray too far, at least without an escort. But that part of the conversation was none of her business. Towhee moved off, allowing them their privacy for a mother/daughter conversation.

Zulema's ears pinned back to her head at her mother's words. While she wasn't being disciplined, she still felt apologetic. Tamar was concerned, frantic even at the short lived disappearance. Her mother's embrace nonetheless still eased the previous stress.

❝Too far.❞ Zulema mumbled, her head almost hung low as she watched Towhee take her leave. 

She was embarrassed at the fact she had gotten lost in her own home.

tamar held no anger.

she was thankful for towhee's tactfulness. "tell me what pretty things you saw," she decided to ask instead. "and take me to where you went, outside the borders. i will show you how to come back."

such skills were important, especially in the mountains.

Zulema blinked, a short wag of her tail following as she stepped away. She glanced back at Tamar as her folded ears had perked back up.

❝I wanted to climb the big rocks by the lake.❞ Zulema sighed. ❝I wound up here though, this way.❞

The ruddy girl pointed with her nose, a small frown on her face.

tamar looked.

"did you fall?" she asked of zulema, stepping forward to examine the rock faces. "did you fear toppling into the lake?" she asked next with a chuff.

fearless girl!

❝Nope.❞ Zulema responded, a small sense of pride overcoming the embarrassment prior.

Part of her even wondered if she could jump into the water from above, though something told her it probably wasn't a good thing to voice to her mother. Zulema's confidence was only knocked for a moment, that urge to see everything had not dispelled.

"well, that is good."

tamar was serious for a moment and then laughing the next. "i would have slipped for certain!"

"you have no fear, zulema," she commented, and it was a good thing, warmth in her eyes.

She didn't know what to say, but her gaze connected with her mother's warm eyes and she smiled. Zulema wished she would be as pretty as Tamar with time. In a short moment she thought over her mother's words again. It was a pleasant thing for the girl to hear. Most things intrigued her, perhaps things that she should be worried over.

❝Next time I should fear getting lost.❞ She said plainly, smile fading as her face wrinkled with thought.

Zulema did things first and thought second, whether or not that was something to be praised, Tamar had made her feel confident.

"not fear, my little leaf."

"only learn to be careful." 

now she smiled and kissed the soft forehead. "come on. let us go find your brother and sister."

Zulema nodded at her mother in response, ears folding backwards as her mother pressed her nose to her. A small moment later she was ready to go find her siblings with Tamar, tail still waving.

❝Sure.❞ The stress that had still lingered from the situation ebbing away.

fading! <3

tamar was warm.

"come. we will tell your father where you have walked." and she made to lead zulema away, moving quietly in the land she loved.