Lost Creek Hollow onwards and onwards and upwards i go

@Okeanos, she said, drawing her attention to the son at her side, we are almost there. 

It was beyond time for her son to see his father again, even if the latter party made little effort to build upon their relationship.  It was also time to start going door to door to demand information of her purloined daughter, who had still not returned.  The first one to know should be @Terance, though she didnt expect him to take it (or anything, really) well at all.  She wanted to invite them to the Yule ceremony; she would hold her invitation until she saw how the news went over.

@Lily had offered her directions, since she had come here once before. With the Hollow in sight, she tipped her head back and howled more than a fair distance beyond their claim for her ex-husband.

terance came immediately... how could he not?

her howl was unforgettable, even if was not always the voice he wanted to hear. but it rang out like church bells through the hollow, and so terance picked up his pace on his patrol and beelined it forward. he'd howled back, letting her know he was coming, and then continued on.

he saw her, a breathe of air puffing from his maw in a white cloud of smoke. her beauty was still prevalent, though terance regarded it in a different way now. but it was not seabreeze that took his breathe away-- it was okeanos, who, any other day, he might've failed to recognize. he'd grown so big, but the boy was still his spitting image in size and shape. terance couldn't believe it. he chuffed, ears pressed forwards, and eventually came to a halt before them.

"seabreeze," he said gently, and then to his son, "okeanos." his voice was calm and collected, and harbored no ill-sound. he was happy to see them both, even seabreeze, even after their last encounter. he didn't rush to embrace okeanos, remembering what the boy had thought of him last, but his muscles were spring loaded and ready if the boy so changed his mind. "you've grown so much..." he murmured, a broad smile pressed to his muzzle, "what can i do for you?" he asked, and then another, "where is ibis?"

ibis' absence weighs heavily on the child, unusually quiet as he travels with mama, close to her at all times. it isn't the first time he's seen kids disappear -- but brilliance and solomon had motivation, at least -- why would ibby leave mama and leave him? no, it has to be something else, he thinks, but can't dwell on any possibilities without immediately tearing up. he doesn't wanna make mama upset, so he does his best to keep his mind off it.

the promise of visiting papa helps a little -- okeanos perks up when mama announces they're close, his eyes, settled into their adult hue of a pleasantly citrus green, scanning for his arrival. unlike his father, he doesn't hold any ill memories of their last visit (he's never going to be the sort to hold a grudge -- negativity just won't stick) and bounds forward with a happy bark to greet him, his tail wagging behind him cheerily. "papa! i missed you," he says, but the mention of ibis wipes the smile from his wide-open face, and though he doesn't pull back, he does look to mama with a mournful expression, waiting for her to explain.