Noah listened to Elann as she explained her change of mind and thought process surrounding it; how she admitted to being more comfortable inside like most humans, how it started to change after they went hunting for the first time, and how she was starting to dislike the things she once feared. She pointed out the stars and he looked up, noting the relative clearness of the skies and how the bright balls of light twinkled down from the midnight blue sky. It was odd to have all he just considered normal be pointed out in appreciation by her, who once showed her dislike and failure to understand all that was around them now.

He looked back down at her with a soft expression of understanding, sights flicking upwards at the fire as some of the people shifted and moved. Noah looked off into the woods then, the other hand rising to pull at one of the larger curls in his hair. He appreciated her newfound sense of acknowledgement for the wild around them but he noticed her lack of welcoming all of it, even the facets and animals who often wished what humans believed was harm. It was just a pattern of survival in Noah’s mind, it was why he bore no ill feelings for the now dead falcon that attacked him, it was just defending its territory much in the same way Noah would defend his own once upon a time.

The night was waning on and it was getting cooler out still, the frigidness of the latest winter was still lingering in the night out here. A breeze came through, moodless and only carrying cold air up from Syliras. The breeze hit him and caused goosebumps to rise up on his side and send a tiny tremor of freezing through his body. Noah brought her hand up to his face again, pressing his cheek into her palm. His attention went up to the fire, the firelight flickering in the middle of his eyes, as he observed Aimee and the cook serve the last of the few campers who were sluggish in getting their meals.

“Can you tell me about your people’s wedding parties again?” They were getting closer to Zeltiva every day and the supposed party had been broached by his sister, reminding him of it because he had nearly forgotten amidst all the conflict between him and his bondmate.