Blackfeather Woods To Be Alone

The Inuit’s top priority upon learning of the Queen’s death had been to keep himself busy. It was difficult to believe she was truly gone, but he knew he needed to accept it. No good would come from allowing himself to just sit around in a slump, so he’d linger around the borders as frequently as he was able to do so. This particular day he was accompanied by his son, whose reaction to grief he could not yet bear witness to. It was strange, the way a child went about life, hardly allowing the single father even a hint as to what was going on within the boy’s mind. That very same lack of knowing was what made him certain time spent together would be a good thing, if only for a few hours. Thus, he’d made sure the albino stuck close to him as he went about his usual routine, looking back every now and again to see if, perhaps, there was a spark of interest in the younger’s eyes. He’d yet to see such a sign so far, making him consider that the boy did not have any attraction towards the Warden trade—which was to be expected, to some extent, given Xan’s bullheaded nature. He wasn’t exactly the most well-mannered or patient of children.

They’d recently stopped for a short break, Kove knowing better than to overexert himself, when a voice filled the space at their backs. It was one the man knew well, bringing him to turn around and face the young shadow. It’d been ages since he’d last seen his friend in a more casual setting, and he regretted that fact. His attention had been set upon other things, and he was ashamed to admit that he’d forgotten to meet with Damien upon his return. “Damien,” he greeted, giving a nod of his head. “Must have slipped my mind. I haven’t seen you around too much.” Though there was a gap between their ages, that Northerner had never really been reminded of it. Despite having lived for less years than himself, he still possessed a great deal of maturity—something his son was definitely without. “Have you been well?” Whether his query was posed in accordance with Meldresi’s recent passing, specifically, or not, was not revealed. Overall, he wondered how Damien was doing, both before and after his mother’s departure from their world.