The Sunspire there were floating flocks of small white swans

@Cassiopeia

It did not take long for the news to reach Olive’s fluttering ears: her daughter was amongst their company! Olive nearly loosed a howl, so happy was she! But instead the druid let slip small murmurings of pleasure as she drifted across the misted landscape, her movements made in haste and with maternal reason. She set to seeking out the star-dusted girl, a task that would surely be made simple by the general nearness of the small, roving band. Their leadership seemed eager to leave Moonspear in the past, as was she — as was Cassiopeia, apparently! You would not find Olive complaining out this turn of events.

There were many things on Olive’s mind these days. First and foremost was her recent decision to follow Rannoch and Liffey — Olive could not entirely explain it, as her loyalty was not so easily purchased. In the end, the druid chalked it up to her intuition and a gut feeling that this was the right next step for her: the new start for which she prayed during the blood moon, manifested here upon another mountain! It was heaven sent; must be, otherwise the opportunity simply wouldn’t have presented itself. It was karmic law.

In close second, was her most recent interaction with her ex-husband. It was only a few days before that Dakarai had happened upon her and spoke his seething words and rabid, raving, lunatic ideas. She had never seen the man so incensed — it certainly had never been directed at her, before — and his fury haunted her for the few days afterwards. It shook her, indeed, but when distance was put between her and the man, Olive could clearly see that she was thankful to be rid of Dakarai and his heedless heroism. If that were the life he chose to live, as was clearly playing out with Onyx, then it was drama that she could afford to do without — especially with a new litter of children on the way.

Olive thought of the children in her belly often, as well. At the moment, it was her secret to keep, but would not be for long; for now she had joined Rannoch under false pretenses, and the druid was not excited at the prospect of being turned out in her delicate state... as was certainly Rannoch's right to do, but she needed their company, and they did not need her burden. It was something that would need to be approached delicately, and Olive hoped that the longer she waited, the more the right approach might reveal itself to her. In the meantime, Olive put it to the back of her mind and followed her sensitive nose down the path that she knew must lead towards that star-speckled girl, her closest of kin.