Blackfeather Woods i am—yet what I am none cares or knows;

It seemed much had been learned since Cicero had crossed paths with Relmyna first after he had come from the beast's side to become his own again. She had easily overtaken him when it came to matters of priesthood and he could see why she had been granted her own place among Blackfeather Woods now, after so much time of simply being and following him -- the beast -- around. She had grown. He saw that something was going on with her, but Cicero was so focussed upon Relmyna that he did not focus upon the stone.

It felt like mere seconds had passed when she reopened her eyes and cast him an inquisitive look, but he had nothing to share, other than a strange sense of pride in her accomplishments that felt misplaced (after all, what was he to her that he should feel pride for her achievements?).

A sudden longing back to the closeness that he had tasted only momentarily lead him to abandon the stone entirely as he crept closer across the ground, intending to bury the side of his face against her neck. Perhaps some might think it was the power of the stone that had ignited this sudden decisiveness and passion within him -- the gods themselves -- but in that moment Cicero himself did not cary such thoughts. The philosopher was, rare as it was for him to be, focussed very much on the moment and the things in front of him, around him, the gods forgotten for a moment.