Nova Peak foundling-bird

Not even incalculable joy could entirely deflect Thade from detecting the oddities he did not remember about Wylla; The existence of foreignness that threaded through the undeniable familiarity that was there between them. She was for certain his mother, and he was absolutely her son — but when had she gotten so small? Where was the high-chinned queen he remembered standing over him? In his memories her head had been so much bigger. Now it looked small, almost frail, to his smartened gaze. Not that any of this much mattered... because it was her.

Lost in his mother’s embrace, he would not have noticed Mahler at all if not for Wylla’s disturbed reaction to the Eisen’s sudden conjuring. Thade stiffened for a moment, bristling and ready to mimic her violence, but it took only an insecure beat for him to recognize who it was that had appeared before him.

Papa! the boy cried, throwing himself fiercely at the shadowpriest, and then briefly erupting into a bout of zoomies. Overwhelming excitement coursed through his emaciated frame as he wriggled his entire body around, over, between, and under them in an effort to douse himself in their delicious scent. He ended up spinning out before them —



Ending up in a rolled over heap at their feet. He was panting hard, viridian eyes pulled up attentively as Wylla questioned him. Thade swallowed, hesitating to answer, though it also might have seemed like he was just trying to catch his breath. Well, I was with Mother, but I dunno where we were, he admitted slowly, after his panting had subsided. I’m sorry I went with her, but she promised to... She said she’d bring me back... He started to whine, filled with unbidden regret, and a sorrowful well that was much too deep for someone his age.