-bleep-

Paladin wasn’t certain whether he commended his young cousin’s dedication to learning to honing her skills, or be rather miffed that they weren’t at home sorting herbs and staying near the warmth of the fire in the caves. IN the end, he was content to follow her to stand as a witness.

It was a decent distraction from the fretting he’d been privately going through. Both that all but one sibling now remained in the pack, and that despite Talis being scattered by the Abraxas challenge in Auster, he hadn’t seen Valor since before the raid.

That was only the tip of the iceberg, but his thoughts were interrupted by a bellow ahead. He stopped with Aurielle, and when she glanced at him, he smiled, nodding and following as she took the lead once more.

As she greeted the large male, Paladin studied him as he moved off to the side, taking notes. The male was large, muscular, and looked capable, as well as thoroughly peeved by the poor weather. He also looked familiar. That mask looked a lot like what Domari bore on his face, though differently colored.