Northstar Vale heartsong

v belated rendezvous move! <3

towhee had once named the place beside her den 'wraen's nest.'

and it was to this locale that tamar chose to relocate @Sylianos and @Saleem. 

the day was balmy; she walked with @Arsenio, reminding the boys that it was back to the nest of flowers they would come each day, to be with her and with the others. bluebirds flittered through the sweet air, and she smiled to her sons and to her husband with genuine pleasure.

Jogging shoulder-to-shoulder with his mirror, Saleem followed their parents. He was not a particularly naughty child, especially not when he was being watched, and he saw no need to start now. They ended up in a flowery place, to which Saleem quickly declared, This place sucks. He was nonplussed with their new home. Can't we live somewhere cooler? Like a big spooky cave? Or maybe in an ancient old hollow tree? This is too... girly.

Saleem clearly did not wish to be seen as such, and he bit off the head of a flower to make his point, then flopped on the ground in a huff. So while he wasn't exactly naughty, he certainly wasn't always pleasant, either.

"there is nothing wrong with flowers."

her tone was light; she nudged her son. "look at all the colors, and the light. look at the trees in the wind. you can see most of epoch around you."

a glance skyward, toward wheeling peregrines.

Mother seemed insistent that this place was great, but Saleem couldn't—or rather wouldn't see it. Why can't we live where we did before? he asked. Or somewhere like it. Maybe he could just sneak back there while everybody else slept here. He could probably even get Sylianos in on that. Father and Mother could stay here with their flowers and vast sights. Saleem would always be happier in a dark, small (albeit cramped) cave. This place was too... exposed. Too fancy. He didn't like it, and he likely never would.

"because you must see more of the world, saleem."

epoch was larger than their densite beneath the scarlet trees. the sunspire was greater than epoch. and the world held far more hugeness than even conveyed by the mountain range.

"this is our first step to knowing more than we know now."

Saleem huffed, less than pleased with that explanation. He still didn't understand the insistence that he needed to see more, nor why he needed to know any more than he already did. But I already know everything I need to! he protested, knowing even as he said it that he didn't believe it himself. He was being stubborn and cranky, a trait of his that was beginning to surface more often than not.

"not even i know everything, saleem."

she lifted a paw to the sun, to the gentle blooms.

"and here you will learn more than i can teach."

He didn't think that was true. Mother and father did know everything. If they didn't, they wouldn't be mother and father. They'd just be kids, like Sylianos and him. He looked away. Whatever. He would disengage rather than try to win the conversation, something mother clearly was not willing to let him do this time around. All he wanted was to go back to where they lived before.

As soon as he was old enough, he could go live wherever he wanted.

he did not relent.

but their argument ended.

tamar gave him a thoughtful look, but went ahead now to catch up with sylianos.

saleem must learn this lesson in his own mind first.