fly on

i'm sure they'll cross paths again!

And for the first time in their known existence of one another, they had an exchange go well. It left mixed emotions in Mordecai, who only returned a nod in lieu of parting words. He would not hold up Charon any longer, though there was a part of him that wished he could have. But what would he have said? He found it hard to establish that level ground of communication with him, as though there were truly something that held him back from forcing the effort. He felt inclined to blame Verrine, though that wasn't right. He knew little of what had become of his brother, and given the end result that had become of Charon's mother, he had reasons to believe that Verrine had met the same end.

Tangents aside, as he retreated from those thoughts and watched Charon's form disappear behind the rocky precipices, Mordecai brought his gaze to level out with the world around him. He weighed the option of going back to the Hollow before ultimately deciding against it. Instead he lingered there for some time, this time not bothered by another. And then at the drop of a hat he ventured on as though he intended to return home. But going back home was not at the forefront of his mind — he too, had winter to think of. And this time, he also had a pack to think of. Studying the herds of the plains and valleys would serve him well.