The Heartwood beneath the cedars all my love i gave

feel free to skip unless he's noticed and/or addressed

The boy never drifted far from Phocion if he could help it; sometimes a mood took him and he wandered off on his own, but overall he stayed close to his companion. Since Ava had joined them, he departed more frequently— but it had only been a day, and perhaps was not yet noticed. It was a change from the lifestyle he had grown accustomed to since departing his family. Cortland had never been great with change.
But he was a quiet boy— passive in every sense of the word, so he only hung back. In time, he would adjust. He hoped. The Mayfair allowed a greater distance between himself and the stark male today, somehow overwhelmed at the thought of encountering Ava while with him. Three was a crowd, he was realizing— and suddenly the young wanderer was glad he had not joined the pack on the mountain. Packs had far more than three. These thoughts were swept aside when he scented Ava ahead, heard her voice and Phocion's, and paused. He was not within their line of sight yet, nor could he see them, but he could just barely hear the quiet exchange. No words were clear to him, though; Cortland backed up a few paces and moved to the side, tilting his head so that he might see them. He was too far to hear anything, now, but he watched the exchange with interest.