Ouroboros Spine lxxvi. and a smile across your face

Fjall -- beloved and full of joyous wonder -- kept close to his mother as they ventured on his longest journey yet. The boy’s little tongue lolled, his breath coming in great puffs, but his eyes were wide and filled with curiosity; he looked around them, seeing friends where none truly existed. There were new rocks and leaves and grasses that all spoke to him, singing their welcoming songs, calling him closer.

Though he wanted to investigate every inch of new ground that they covered, the songborn remained shyly glued to Lótë, content to be carried when his pace grew too slow for their trip.

He walked now, in their last leg, invigorated by the energy his mother exuded the closer they came to Moonglow. Ajâ'… suk? He tried the word carefully. Sister of mother. Second mother. More siblings! It was all very exciting for him. Why far 'way? he pondered aloud.

Just then, a pale wolf appeared ahead, and though his tail wagged with excitement, the boy crouched between his mother’s legs with an anxious whimper. He was silent as the moonwolf greeted them, burying a sheepish grin into Lótë's foreleg as he was spoken to directly. He peered up at his mother, looking for reassurance as his thin tail whipped back and forth between his legs.