Silvertip Mountain i like your eyes wide

He'd followed Cortland from a distance, a ghostly specter in the trees. He understood the boy had a right to privacy, and he wouldn't make his presence known unless Cortland noticed him. Tonight, though, he felt lonely. He'd shared this mountain once with so many others, and there had always been someone to talk to or hunt with; he'd never suffered for lack of company. Now, if Cortland wandered. . .he felt utterly alone.

It was with widened eyes, then, as he watched the golden Mayfair child slip through the mouth of the glittering cave. He'd been there several times, each time more magnificent than the last. He saw the place often in dreams, steeped in moonlight and rainbows. It was peace on earth, like nothing he'd ever seen before.

Unable to hold back any longer, Phocion trotted the slope to the cave and entered, giving a gentle chuff to Cortland as he stepped into the glow. He weaved nimbly around the pools, shimmering with silver, and pulled up next to the boy, eyes fixed on the crystals.

"I missed this place," he remarked softly, his gaze hazy as he saw things buried in the past. Niita, the beautiful snowy girl. He'd thought he loved her, once, before he'd yielded her to Steady. 'Course, Steady went on to marry someone else anyway, and then died. Grayday--so troubled, in the moonlight. The man led his own pack, now, and had a huge family.

Things had changed, but the cave remained the same, a stalwart reminder of where he had come from--and a promise of all that could be.

"I once said it was better in the sunlight, and perhaps to some it is," Phocion mused, mouth twitching wryly. "Those who do not know Fengari's peace are blinded by Ileana's fire." He dipped a paw into the pool, watching the ripples circle out, endless tiny waves, gleaming. "It is silver, here, and perfect," he murmured, looking up to Cortland. Staring into his face. "Your eyes hold the same shine," he breathed, the smile growing more genuine upon his lips.