Northstar Vale Mitéra

he had been somewhere up on a ledge, overlooking epoch as nothing more than a speck against the snowy mountains. his gaze had turned towards mereo. then it had retreated to a place beyond both homes he had known. out towards a taiga sprawling somewhere beneath.

he thought of asking towhee to come see it with him, of asking if jack might wish for an adventure easier on the heart and soul. it felt as if he was anywhere but here now that they were home.

the call grounded him and he turned, sloping down into the vale to where he had been summoned. there was no worry that this was a call of ill. arsenio had been a warmth in the coldness of this chapter. perhaps the man only meant to share something. anything.

he sought distractions where possible.

only to see that it was arsenio, towhee and tamar. a collection of familiar faces — family. he could not deny some rising well of anxiety that thrummed at him. something about a crowded place, something about the air.

hello, his voice was soft in its volume, but strained in its use.