Sawtooth Spire mürrisch

@Nyx, when u have tiiime <3

he came down from the reaches of the mountain, crossed the river windholme at a narrower expanse, and paced into a field of flourishing poppies. lowering his muzzle down toward the red flowers, mahler was reminded of their properties.
to treat pain.
to end one's life.
to hang one in a purgatory between.
his lavender eyes drank in the sight of the nearest unfurled blossoms; he blinked and thought of the great chasm in his pack and within his family. how different might — no. the gargoyle afforded himself nothing of that sort.
he knew he must press on, but helplessly stood transfixed in the glowing scarlet field, awareness dissolving beneath what if.

PP of the puppers, hope you all don't mind, lol

"Do not eat them," the lioness told her cubs as she led them carefully along the edge of a crimson crop, and shot her most rogue daughter a pointed glare in warning. Ciri was the most likely of her children to fit half a dozen poppies into her mouth, she felt, so naturally required a little extra firmness.

She nudged Elke ahead of her, and watched carefully for any suggestion of rebellion among the duo. Much to her surprise, she found no such signs as they poked and sniffed their way through the scarlet wildflowers, and supposed their angelic behaviour in itself was rather suspicious.

Yellow eyes caught sght of a raven form up ahead, and narrowed in attempt to recognise him. Mahler, she felt safe to conclude; the figure was too masculine to be the fierce Wylla, and Wintersbane was long gone. She could think of no other among Sagtannet who bore a dark pelage.

He seemed... distant. The search for Thade still did not yield results, she figured. Unsure how to approach the father of her brood following his son's disappearance, Nyx simply observed him for a moment longer before her attention was drawn once again to her girls. "Ciri!" Nyx bellowed, "what did I just tell you!?" A pair of stormy eyes, splintered by the distinct yellow of her mother's stare, blinked innocently up at her - complete with a vibrant red petal firm between her teeth.

never!

mahler blinked as the voice of the golden woman rose on the wind. across the field she was, the growing figures of their small daughters with her. 
for a moment he did not approach, for he had been distant from her also. some misguided fairness; if wylla should blame him so heavily for his lapses, then he would give her no credit to her claims by stealing away. his nights were spent out-of-doors, listening for any tread that might announce thade's return, or the presence of a skulking child-stealer.
presently, mahler roused himself and headed toward the trio, warming as he took in elke and ciri. a pointed blink toward the latter, and then he turned toward nyx. "vould you be opposed to a bit of company?" he inquired, stoic though with a mild tease to edges of it. 
it was a beautiful day spent together then, and one mahler would recall in the darker times to come.