Northstar Vale breathe in your fiery air

It wasn't entirely out of character for Nathaniel to brood alone, but lately something nagged at him. He couldn't pinpoint it; the feeling gnawed at him daily, leaving him irritable and with few clues. The only hint given to him was, of course, somewhat ominous-- it seemed to involve Mona. The restless energy, the agitated feeling that there was something he needed to do; it drove him mad, and his firebird inspired it.
Beyond that, he was dissatisfied with Tindome. Delight had proven himself an able leader, but something was lacking here. Nathaniel desired something else, something more suited to his own lifestyle. All these things bore down on him at once today-- so the natural reaction was to retreat to the den he shared with Mona.
He had only just arrived when his firebird appeared, prey hanging from her jaws. Her presence alone made his day better by degrees, even if it also caused a strange tightening in his chest. Nathaniel's stomach flipped when he met the girl's rainforest eyes.
"Mona." He kissed the top of her head, feather-light. A beat later, he started to speak-- almost. "I--"
And then he stopped, realizing he didn't know what he wanted to say-- but whatever it was, he suddenly knew it was related to the feeling that plagued him. Frustrated and confused, he began again.
"Nice catch." Nathaniel settled on something easy, pressing a bit closer to his firebird. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was making a mistake by not pursuing the source of his agitation-- but Nat is dumb so he ignored that.