Phoenix Maplewood smile without a reason why

@Alya -- let's backdate this ohhhhhh a week or so?

every day got a little bit better. it had to, anyway. summer had dealt him three hard blows--losing grayday, then losing dawn, and finally losing his home. each morning after had been a struggle, but somehow he had persevered.

but did he really have a choice?

between border patrols--he'd been antsy, since the two women had trespassed, albeit unknowingly--he went to visit the moonspear girl, who still convalesced in the maplewood. it had been interesting, getting to know her. she reminded him of dawn, in many ways. but she was more secretive, like something hidden in the shadows. was it simply her darker coloring that gave him a mistaken impression, or was there something deeper, there?

aditya trotted toward where she'd been resting, rabbit dangling from his jaws. the conflagration had chased the small game from the plains over to the maplewood, so, on that front, they had enjoyed good hunting here, at least: a small silver lining to their storm clouds. but while tiny animals could run and hide, larger animals had no such luck. the deer, presumably, had run for the hills; adi didn't know when they'd return again.