Hushed Willows no living man am i! — you look upon a woman

Company came in the form of a male whelp, which her eyes registered with several blinks of indeed, a baby! ”Bună, iubit,” the silver crooned, kneeling to level eyes to this little boy of the willows. Her pale knees hadn’t even touched grass before Lily herself entered, and the optio rose once more; met the smile with a beguiled one of her own. ”I almost thought my little boy followed me here,” she trilled, shook her head, ”But I see this blackberry is not from my patch, no?”

At the mention of mountains, though, Aurëwen quieted and met the pumpkin eyes. ”For now, yes,” came the affirmation. In truth, time spent at Diaspora made her wane, but for the moment she cast those tidings  ( or how she was doing )  aside in favor of presenting what she’d brought.

”I thought of repaying Elysium, I suppose, for that entourage sent to Diaspora,” the pale mother mock-admonished, though fondly, humbly. ”It isn’t as much as what Olive and ze storyteller brought along, but...” But, she hoped it would be portioned off to some of the mothers and their babes nonetheless. A slew of rabbit-foot; a pair of doe’s ears; a bursting bouquet of herbs and cloying flora, either for would-be remedies or merely incense.

Feeling a bit ridiculous at this meager gift, her tail feathered and curled between her hocks. Since departing from the Falls, her breath came more easier in her breast than it’d had in quite a while; and she’d wanted to give something back for Lily’s hospitality and for Olive’s services. ”I’m sure ze sanctuary’s children will have chewed through them in no time,” an attempt at jest, but her voice cracked, oh God—