Moonsong Glacier rises the moon

It was difficult to imagine staying in one place for so very long. Or rather, it was difficult to imagine seeing so few other places. He'd traveled far and wide by his second year, and farther and wider heading now into his fifth. There was something about having all these places under his belt that he liked — it was something he could take pride in when there was little else — but it was an awfully lonely life.

He envied Vairë, just a little. She had so much family around her —

And then he felt stupid for feeling this way when she revealed the status of her marriage. The isbjørn's ears splayed flat in dismay, and his jaw worked for a moment against the urge to say something stupid. It was none of his business, and he hadn't a right to start berating the absent father — but it would've felt good.

"It's good you got family close-by," he said in a low voice, for lack of anything better to say. Rose-gold eyes searched the moondoe's face for answers to unasked questions. "How old are they?" he asked, his nose twitching in renewed interest as he tried to detect their scents on her coat.