Dragoncrest Cliffs one more moment of this silence

No amount of time would have left him feeling totally ready to face sheer sense of finality these last days had to have. It came through as a haze, but it wasn't new. Not since heda's death and he knew it, and she knew it too--so why it would be easy to forget, lost to what could hopefully be better days beyond. I agree, he said lowly. Between the two of them, they had seen the histories unfold far more than many, and maybe with them, the strength could yet live on. Heda had given them that, and whether they wanted to, they had to follow her will onto the next--which he was unsure of, for Antumbra left a huge hole in his heart after all the years he had spent at her side. I know I haven't felt right since, he grumbled. He breathed some great, heavy sigh through his nose as his ears slicked back a notch then. Hearing any it did not come easily yet, but finally, these stormy winds were finally enough to have to uproot him.

His thoughts on what came next, though? He was not overly thrilled with them. For now? To Trigeda. With Blixen.. plus Artaax, Robin.. the rest too. Tirgatao might understand well enough without it needing said. Dio had become all they still had--even at his well-aimed distance as a guardian and support. After Wildfire turn-tailed on them, then heda's cliffdive, it was hard to simply ignore it when their success mattered this much to him.

Desperately he wanted Opalia and Dacio to come too, but they were at a willful age, and he swore he saw vengeance in their eyes more than once and that worried him greatly--but they were a private matter between him, and them, as their last, more involved parent too. Dacio still wanted to see Dalia per his mother's dreams? Opalia wanted to scout? He didn't need any of that, either, and hoped that in the next days-to-hours that he could persuade them otherwise.. to simply turn away from their birthplace, leaving enemies to sleep cozily beneath the cliffs while they headed off to lands unknown. Well, he had that to look forward to unfortunately. What of you? he asked back and found himself quietly invested in the answer, and paired a slow glance her way. Admittedly, it's not been easy to settle with, even if it may be right. Not a decision he could afford to take lightly. But I've never been.. so,  first time for everything. Not that he had ever planned to and especially not in so many years. His place had always been here, but his place had always been with heda once too.