Winter was losing its hold over the land and, in shifts and cracks and sweet songbird song, spring was quickly establishing dominance over a fast-aging season. Percival cast his nutmeg eyes over the young sprouts and saplings and felt his thoughts shift gently. It was remarkable, how quickly and fiercely life could bounce back. Where once there was cold, barren grey – the only sounds the soft shhh of the bitter wind through naked branches – now there was warmth and music and life. He could see the small nubs of buds dotting every tree and shrub, casting the wilderness in a quiet hue of green, and in the air there was the smell of leaf mold and thawing earth.
Percy breathed in and felt the corners of his lips curl upwards sweetly, his eyes closing only a moment until he exhaled again slowly. Life never died, he thought to himself as he repeated the words of his mentor, it only waited to be reborn.
Beneath him, solid and warm, Pim the ox ambled casually over a verdant earth, pausing frequently to pull up the new growth in earnest. It had been a very long winter and any feed they had had stored was lost in the wake of Krokar's untimely demise. Though Percival had tried hard to provide for his mount, Pim had grown thin in those lean and bitter months that followed. So the wolfdog let the brindled bovine do as he pleased while he sat atop his broad back, both of them seemingly at peace with their individual worlds.
The trickling of water tickled the Shoalman's ears and Percy breathed in the smell the of the tributary, thinking of his birthplace with painful fondness. But when he cast his nutmeg eyes against the trickling water and saw a figure there, he stiffened abruptly. Frantically (though he hoped he seemed calm and collected), the young Parhelion encouraged his mount to pause and cleared his throat unnecessarily. "Hello," he said with feigned confidence, straightening his posture for good measure. Percival watched the older man carefully, but with respect, and thought he caught cues to suggest something had been lost. Thinking he might be able to help, he asked, "Are you lookin' for somethin'?"
[WC — 561]