She hears him, the soft-padding rustle of a heavy beast moving through the wet sand. The smooth curve of her neck bent to greet him, her lips bowed in a gentle smile. Her son was growing, the long and low form of him filling out with power she could only guess at. The pale end of her muzzle dipped to sink into the lush fur at his ruff.
"Hello, kitten," she murmured, nibbling between the boy's shoulder blades affectionately. He was her sweet one, where Cormorant had grown into mischief and a gregarious nature, she could always count on Halcyon to have a more tempered approach to life. Her smile dimmed somewhat at his question, even as she nodded.
Always the observer, her son. Perhaps it was the predator's nature, to watch. Perhaps it was simply his personality. Either way, there was little that passed him unnoticed. "Its a hard one, my love. Yes, I'm happy to be home. I have duty and love in this place. But we seem to have left a little bit of ourselves behind, haven't we?" She could see it in both of her boys, in the way they had moved with caution the first few days, unsure of their surroundings. They'd both been so young when they'd left on what was meant to the journey of a few days. And like that, a year had gone by.
Sitting back on her heels, the sea mare blinked at the burly tiger by her side. "And you? How are you doing, now that we've returned?" She asked, unsure what kind of answer she'd receive. She wanted to know though, to get an idea for what their experiences had left him with.
@[Halcyon]