Well, he had been procrastinating on going back to the Throat but there was no getting around it now. With the coming of Frostfall, Mesec knew the best place for a young bird was away from the snow, as far away from the chilly air as possible. So he would stop avoiding this issue like he avoided so many others, and he would go back home. It was about time that he summed up the little bit of courage that he needed. Ampere would understand, she had to. Lucius was a gift from his mother, how could he have turned that down? Would the feline had cared for the egg in his stead?

She might think that he had a way out but he had not felt that way.

The pair, the fuzzy black zephyret clinging to one of Mesec’s ears. Small talons, yes, but they were rather painful when they dug in - and Lucius tightened his grip every time he saw something new or exciting. Between the Grove and the Throat, that had happened a couple dozen times and Mesec’s ear had one small puncture hole and plenty of scratches. Lucius figured out that he was hurting his bonded eventually, yes, but it was a small price to pay for a first-class seat at everything that they passed. The silver and violet eyed bird usually started cawing whenever something moved too and Mesec was happy to oblige him - they’d stop and watch whatever it was (from a cardinal to a deer to fellow Helovians) until Lucius was satisfied.

So it was early afternoon by the time Mesec was standing with his hooves where the ocean met the earth - looking out across the small moat to where the Throat lay.

It was only now that he felt uncertain about what to do next. He did not want to risk flying out to the Throat, what if Lucius fell off? The bird was growing quickly but how great could he trust those talons that still seemed so small? Wasn’t there rumours of a boat, maybe he could barter for a ride. “Well, do you have any ideas?” He asked the baby bird who walked out on Mesec’s head so that he was clinging to his horn instead of his ears. Turning his head upside down and leaning to look Mesec eye-to-eye, Lucius conveyed his confusion. Why were they looking out at this bluish grey thing when there were far more interesting things?