King Elk Forest -- even if you were upside-down, i would be beside you

If you have nothing else to add, you can post and archive or I can edit a better ending in. :)

She must admit to herself that she is relieved when he tells her that the Caldera is only past the mountain range that cradles the King Elk.  She had genuinely enjoyed traveling with Mato but only because she was traveling with Mato, and her paws were only beginning to recover from the trip from the Vale to the Elk and back.

The ashen emperor seems unbothered by the distance between himself and his father so she offers no comfort other than a soft mmm.. in his direction.  She supposed she would've had nothing helpful to say anyway; she had not experienced the distance that grew between a blossoming child and a parent in her lifetime.

Unless the prince offers more conversation she is content to linger in the silence between their words (it is here she seems most comfortable anyway), leaning into him and pressing the soft, wet leather of her nose into his muzzle.