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The walk home is long and strange. The hunter is not sure if he has ever spent so much time with his youngest brother; he is not sure if he has even ever spent so much time with his son. He lies to himself and says that he has, but in his heart of hearts he can't be sure he's right. Milo knows better, but neither of them will speak to each other for quite some time.
The journey isn't so long this time, and they find themselves back at the Falls before Knox can get annoyed at his son for walking too slowly. For the better, really--the last thing he wants Darwin to see is him losing his temper with his own, crippled son.
Knox snorts quietly when the border passes beneath his hooves, anxious to bring his old brother into his changed home. The Falls are decidedly not the Foothills, and Knox doesn't know what Darwin will expect to see or how he will react. Knox knows that Darwin has a potential to be dangerous, for all of Mandrake's sons have power of their own sort, and he doesn't want to get in trouble fro bringing Darwin here if he's just going to get upset.
But won't it be worth it, if it all works out? The hunter wants to think so, wants to believe that this isn't all a terrible waste of his time. After all, the reasonable part of him, the skeptical and mistrusting part, still can't bring itself to tell Darwin that he is his brother.
The shadow turns back to Milo, watching him with narrowed eyes that peer through the afternoon. If the boy hasn't spoken up before he certainly won't now, but Knox wishes he would. He finds he has trouble grasping the words, finding a way to speak to his long lost brother, and wishes Milo could cause some sort of distraction.
The colt just steps forward foolishly, his hind bunched to alleviate the weight of his own body. At a loss for any meaningful words but knowing that something must be said, Knox swallows and gets a grip on something useless: "Welcome to the Hidden Falls, Darwin."
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