Broken Antler Fen may you find solace in the gentle arms of sleep, despite the wolves outside your door

The day after his fifth birthday, Tambourine stretched out in a puddle of early May sunshine, groaning in satisfaction as the warmth soaked into his back. It was hard to contemplate what had been on his mind lately, lazing so comfortably like this. But he couldn't stop thinking about it; actually, it was driving him to distraction.

He really ought to see if he could find Harps. He just didn't know where to start and the idea of resuming travel in any iteration made his whole body frown. But they were both free of Spur now, so wasn't the time ripe to find her and rebuild their relationship sans her mother's toxicity? Besides, Tambourine was genuinely curious where she was and what she was doing these days (unaware, of course, that she had died a year past...).

And what about Lele? Had she found a man, settled down and started a family, after finally forging her own path? Suppose she had. What if he reconnected and stayed with her, wherever she had wound up? Although he was quite fond of Brecheliant and most of its members, he didn't have any deep connections here. Now that he'd had a taste of "retirement," wouldn't it make sense to do it with his own flesh and blood, his kid and her kids?

As much as that thought tickled him, Tambourine felt his age even as he thought it. He wasn't really old, more like smack dab in the middle of middle age. But all those years of travel had been hard on him and he was feeling the wear and tear catching up to him now. Even as he shifted his weight onto his shoulder and hip, then gently toppled over to rest sideways on his left flank, he could feel his aging joints protesting.

Grass tickled his cheek as he closed his eyes and exhaled a happy sigh through his nose. He really did love it here, though he thought he might go, despite his grumbling bones. For the grandkids, was Tambourine's last conscious thought before he drifted to sleep, his soft snores growing quieter as an hour passed, then two. Soon he was totally quiet and still, deathly so. It was as inexplicable as it was sudden, but also cozy and quite untroubled as Tambourine unwittingly embraced resting in peace.