Sunbeam Lair i am cold in your heart and you're branded into mine

Whilst things with Ukko had ended just as suddenly as they had begun, she’d yet to find it within herself to feel anything negative towards him. Their interactions were few in number and usually short, completed with an awkward air about them, but she couldn't believe that avoiding him might be a reasonable solution. When they crossed paths, she’d nod and, if busy, continue on her way. When he wanted time with the children, she’d busy herself elsewhere, as was the cycle she’d found herself dragged into. There was still a great deal of confusion to be felt on her end, but, as the days slipped passed her, she found herself being able to understand more. About what her past actions had resulted in, as well as how her way of handling the situation had been, well… terrible, to say the least. Her growing comprehension of the situation, however, had not changed anything between them—not that she’d expected it to.

No longer had it been rare for such thoughts to be far from her mind, especially since she’d started teaching the hatchlings. Her attention had often been on them, as well as the tribe as a whole. Her acquired role as a mother left her distracted, which she’d started to remedy by developing a new routine. It included patrolling, which she’d stopped doing for a long while after having fallen pregnant, and then even after the girls had been born. She’d kept away from the entrance, usually, except for when she’d chosen to venture through it. Another task was collecting whichever herbs she could still find, which was what she’d been working on when Ukko had been spotted. With bark and roots clasped between her jaws, she’d adjusted her path in order to be guided towards him.

Once close enough, she’d placed her findings upon the ground and greeted him with a soft, “Ukko.” Thereafter she’d chosen to fall silent, leaving him to be the one that decided whether or not they’d converse.