Deepwood Weald And we all love to sing along

While there was much to be seen on the Plateau, Simbelmyne had eyed the dark forest as they travelled, finding something familiar about the tall conifers that reminded her of her birthplace. She was adept at hunting in woodlands- and sought to prove herself a worthwhile guest of Moontide by bringing back a gift. 

Even at mid day, it was relatively dim in the forest. New ferns had begun to grow and unfurled as the sun beamed down, spotting the forest floor with patches of light. Simbelmyne moved carefully, knowing that until the ferns had grown, she would have less cover now that the snow was gone.

The loamy earth smelled good; cedar perfumed the air, and moss gave it an earthy tone that made the forest seem old and wise. Her lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes again, and began to search for scents.

he followed the young woman that was his son's wife, albeit from a distance. he could claim his own errands, after all, if he was far behind.

but adi caught up eventually as her pace slackened, and before she set off to search again, he chuffed toward her.

arrey, ladki, he called out, tail wagging, eyes warm in greeting.

he would join her on the hunt—if she'd have him.

took me a while to get to this but I was hoping you’d join <3

A soft voice caught her attention and she turned swiftly to see him, her bewildered expression softening as she recognized Aditya, her father-in-law. She felt lightly flummoxed to now be alone with him, knowing that their marriage might have come to him as a surprise. Nevertheless, she hoped he approved.

”Peace be,” She greeted him with a little bow of her dark muzzle, and the fluttering of lightly tufted ears. Her tail whisked at her hocks, welcoming his company.

and now I have to apologize!!!

two words—just two words. but they stopped him in his tracks, and he felt himself suddenly without breath, without speech.

just two words.

peace be, he managed in a wheezing whisper. his gaze fixed upon the tufts of her ears. i had a friend, once, who used that greeting. and i've never heard it since.

until now.

aditya, he introduced himself, inclining his head slightly. dutch's father. as i'm sure you know by now.

both of us here being all Oprah with the apologies XD

He looked shocked to hear her expression- much the same way she had been, when Dutch had seemed to know those words as well. Between them there existed the trace of a story- as if a tall shadow had cast itself over them both, gentle and cool. She tilted her head to the side, and blinked. This was, after all, the land that her family had come from. Was there any reason to hope that perhaps this might have been one of her mother's friends?

"Aditya," She spoke his name fondly, a private smile curving her lips at the mention of her husband's name. Aditya, then- father-in-law. She bowed her head to him, her feathery tail waving at her hocks. 

"You son spoke those words to me, when we met." She admitted. "They are the words of my family; I am formerly a Heatherwine but...By mother's maiden name was Corten- she used to live in this area, some time ago. Her mother as well, on an island." She said. A soft tilt to her head begged a question. "Undersea."

<3

dutch used the greeting. the thought of that put a smile to his face, and it widened to a grin, though wavered at the corners as she elaborated.

corten. undersea. of course, he knew.

the cortens were family, aditya replied. catori was my father-in-law's wife, and had his children. but even before that, there was an alliance. and coelacanth—

his voice broke on her name; of course it did. adi studied her slender face, her pointed features.

i see her in you, he remarked quietly. i know you must share blood.

She’d been aware that their histories had crossed before, but she realized now how important it seemed to be to the patriarch. It was with great fondness that he spoke Coelacanth’s name, though perhaps not without grief, for his voice broke. 

She sought to heal him with a smile. ”Coelacanth is my grandmother,” She said. ”Would you have known my mother? Thresher? She was born…Along the coast, in Undersea,” She said.

he shook his head. no, he murmured. you look a lot like seelie's mate, too—stockholm. your markings are very similar. her mother must have inherited them, he imagined.

the thought of stockholm and coelacanth was a bit overwhelming, and he was sure it showed in his face.

i'm so glad you're here, adi remarked, shifting past all those memories to the present. he smiled at her, tail like a metronome at his back heels. you make dutch very happy; i see it in his face. and if he's happy, i'm happy.

She smiled at the mention of her grandfather’s name- but while the man spoke with a warmth to his tone, something about his expression caused her to tilt her head slightly. Did he miss them? Had something happened between them when the family had departed inland years ago? If he was not familiar with Thresher and her littermates…Perhaps they had parted ways long before then. 

She couldn’t change the past- and it seemed that she might not have to worry about such things effecting their relationship, as he spoke of his son. She was flattered to know that she made Dutch happy. Keeping her emotions in check was often difficult, but her husband’s patience seemed evergreen. 

”You son makes a fine husband, I am lucky to have him by my side.” She said, with a light dip of her head. Kindness, it seemed, had passed down through her husband’s family. ”I hope our family will grow soon, when summer comes; we would very much like to have children.”

i think that would be lovely, he replied. he noted the shifts in her expression; surely, she had taken note of his own. time enough for him to reveal the past—if at all. for now, he wanted only to play happy family, to watch his son fall in love and have babies.

a whiff of game-musk caught his nostrils, and aditya turned, eyes following the source of the smell. he turned back to her with an apologetic chuff.

i think i've distracted us enough from the hunt, he said, smiling. should we try to catch something?

his old bones could make the effort, at least today.

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