Oceanic Breeze

The world slumbered locked in an icy grip. Dreams of birds and wild flowers long since passed. The weather had begun to turn, and the first icy embraces of winter was now at their door. Lupa walked beside his best-friend the sorrow radiated off her like a storm. It threatened to spit thunder and lightning at every turn. She did her upmost to hide away the cloud but Lupa could still see it. The memory of the argument and upset when Nox’s children ran off weighed heavy on his thoughts. Lupa had ran after Eclipse that day and he remembered the words that he said. “You may be upset and angry at her but she is still your mother. She will always love you no mater what. I may not be your father, but I will always be there for you.” The phantom touch where he embraced her still tingled, even though it had been weeks ago. Lupa had turned, walked up the hill, and watched her walk off into the horizon while he sobbed like a baby. He missed Eclipsie, but she was an adult now and it was not his place to stop her. When she worked through her emotions, he hoped... No, he knew she would come home. The first few weeks were the hardes. Nox barely ate and they hardly talked. Nox would vary from staring at the sea, to yelling at the sky. Then come the second week she began to eat and talk again. Since then they had been exploring the new lands and meeting new people but Lupa still missed his friends.

The first sign of winter had come the night before last and dusted the ground with the caress of snow. It created an icey wonderland where icicle’s hung from every tree. This was different than the snow of the mountains. Instead of big fluffy flakes it was meager and smelled of the sea air. Lupa’s grandma used to say that “snow was a bandage for the world so it would clean the wounds of all things and heal them. No matter how bad things got, every spring, life would be reborn anew.” That phrase seemed oddly fitting with the events of the past. Over the last few years Lupa had began to find himself and he now had a purpose. A familiar scent floated on the air. A figure appeared in the distance but he couldn't quite place who or what the scent belonged to. It reminded him of the children and of better times. A spark of recognition appeared in Lupa’s mind as his companion spoke to the stranger. After Nox’s call Lupa smiled wide and said, “Hello Tav."