Hephaestus hadn't been expecting the snowstorm that had swooped down upon him the evening before, catching him away from his den. He'd been brooding at the borders again, but losing his way in the white out had quickly driven the moodiness away in favor of not dying on his way to tracking down his den. He'd finally had to give up looking for his den when he'd stumbled into a huge boulder and realized he'd wandered straight out of Ebony's lands and into their former home, the rock garden. Rather than continue wandering and end up in the ocean he'd curled up in the lee of the boulder and let the snow pile up around him as he curled tightly into a gold and copper ball. The storm raged, and eventually he fell asleep beneath a blanket of snow, his thick coat keeping him warm despite the frozen precipitation.
He woke up to the beautiful sound of laughter, muffled by the snow over his head. Curious the heavy boy lifted his head, breaking through the fluffy blanket and blinked molten eyes in the sudden bright light until a form came into focus. A pretty, feminine form. He stretched his way up out of the whiteness and stepped her way. "Hello," he said simply, seriously.
