Larksong Grotto bitter sweat and circumstance

As the young smoke puff crept forward, Taikon held back. He realized now that in fact, she had not been hunting when he had startled her. She was an observer. A dreamer.
He bent down into a crouched position, watching ahead of her at the birds that pecked at the fish in the lake. Soon enough, this lake would be frozen. The water did not run fast enough for it to avoid this freezing, unless for some reason its contents were brackish. The herons were diligent and slow in their progress, carefully picking out tiny minnows and swallowing them whole. At one end of the lake in the distance, ducks milled about and fascinated themselves with pond weeds.
After staying back for a time, the prince crept forward closer to her. He still maintained some distance from her, hoping that her bird watching might be enough for him to be forgiven for his previous offence.
His nose flared as he smelled the air around her, trying to figure out who she was. Vaguely, she smelled somewhat of Star. Perhaps the powder puff woman was a mother. Taikon did not ask, instead staying silent and enjoying the sounds and smells of the Grotto. Though the air was cold, the setting was pleasant. He wondered what it was like on a warm summer day. He hoped that this time, he might be with Sagtannet long enough to find out.