The swamp glistened with a living warmth, humming with soft life rather than menace. The trees stretched high like guardians rather than obstacles, their limbs draped with strands of bioluminescent moss that glowed softly with the rhythm of the land.

Every step Ash took sank slightly into moss-slick roots and fungal pads that blinked with residual aether like sleepy fireflies.

Tholn walked ahead without speaking, his silhouette long and lean, blending with the pulse of the forest. Ash followed in silence.

The Murkfen Kin village was less a village and more an unfolding — grown from the land in gentle layers. Homes dangled like glowing fruit from trees, breathing slowly, their surfaces woven with soft moss and trailing light-laced tendrils. Rope bridges swung with playful grace between root-pillars, some woven so seamlessly into the trees that it seemed they had always been there. Lights drifted like fire spirits between branches, winking in and out as if curious.

They passed a tree whose trunk pulsed faintly, a warm amber glow rising and falling like breath. Tholn paused briefly and laid a hand against it.

"Elder root," he said softly, "It is the nest watching over us."

Ash nodded slowly, unsure how to respond.

Children darted above them, laughing in hushed tones, their joy like windchimes dancing in the fog. They wore wraps made of woven bark-thread and trailing vines.

One child paused, golden eyes wide, and offered Ash a fleeting smile before vanishing behind a curtain of soft fronds. Another dropped a cluster of glowing seed-puffs that floated around Ash, sticking gently to his fur before dissipating.

"They're watching me," Ash murmured.

Tholn didn't stop walking, "We are a close-knit community. It is only normal that they observe something new."

A small creature scurried across a low-hanging branch. It looked like a squirrel made of woven bark and spores, and it chirped at Tholn before vanishing into a bloom of floating fungi.

Ash watched, entranced, "What was that?"

"Memorywisp," Tholn said, "Beings connected to the Nest, carrying memories back to it."

Ash blinked. He didn't know if he was being toyed with or taught.

"Where exactly are you taking me in this Murkfen village?"

"Velkarth Hollow…" Tholn immediately cut in, a small smile on his face as he turned to Ash.

"What?"

"This place, where our Murkfen Kin reside, is Velkarth Hollow. And I am taking you to the heart of it," Tholn replied evenly.

"I'll introduce you to some of my family so you can be more familiar with this place," he then added.

Ash glanced at him, "And what about where I will be staying?"

"With me," Tholn's small smile deepened, "You'll be staying where I live. Our place will be your home for a while."

Ash went quiet at that, his gaze drifting over the winding paths and glowing moss.

What's wrong?" Tholn, immediately realising the change in mood, asked, "Are you uncomfortable with the arrangement? We can have you stay separate from us if you wish to."

"No no…" Ash huffed faintly, "It's just that I have never lived with other beasts in Aegaryn before. Since being here, home has always been a place that provides me rest and shelter for the night so everything you just said… is very new to me."

Tholn took a pause as his eyes glimmered with understanding, seemingly gaining an insight on how Ash must have been living before this. His smile then reappeared, slightly wider than before, "You are not wrong about what home is to you. But for me, there is more- so much more- to a place you can call home than walls and shelter."

"Like what?"

"It's in the breaths you share, the silences you keep, and the memories that take root in the soil beneath you. Most importantly, the people who are with you."

"I don't understand what you mean…" Ash spoke, unable to wrap Tholn's words around the concept of home.

At this, Tholn's eyes softened, "It's like knowing the forest will hum you to sleep and wake you at dawn. Like voices in the dark that aren't danger, but comfort."

"I have never known the forest like that…"

"Then let our home teach you our definition of home," Tholn said.

And as he said that, they reached a gentle rise that unfurled into a broad, open shelf of intertwined roots and suspended walkways, revealing a pocket of Velkarth Hollow aglow with soft, golden-green light — the place where Tholn's family and their closest kin made their lives.

Tholn's gaze softened, "This is where I grew from. Where the Nest's breath feels most like my own. This is our quarter… our heart, Glowfen Glade. I hope this will be a place you can see as your home too, soon."

Ash's ears twitched at the word.

Here, in what the Kin called Glowfen Glade, the central island rose like a living jewel from the mist-veiled waters. Towering elder trees rose from the misted waters, their roots gripping the islands like ancient anchors. Their canopies tangled high above, draped in moss and vine-curtains tipped with glowing spores.

Lanterns swayed from branches and posts, casting warm ripples across the boardwalks. The homes seemed grown rather than built — shaped from living wood, their walls traced with luminous moss like faint constellations.

The air was alive with sound — the soft creak of bridges in the wind, the rhythmic lap of water beneath, and the mingled voices of life. Warm laughter drifted through the mist and the faint thrum of string instruments from far in the distance. And from across the water came the ringing shouts of children at play — high, unrestrained, and bright as sparks.

Ash felt something shift inside him — a flicker of something like longing, though he would not have named it, as if the Glade itself was offering him a glimpse of what Tholn had meant when he spoke of home.

They reached the first intersection of the boardwalk paths, where three bridges fanned out from a broad platform of living wood. To one side, the planks arched toward an island, its twin trees rising proudly against the glow of lanterns. Beneath their sheltering branches, Ash saw silhouettes darting and weaving, tiny figures leaping over rope pennants and scrambling across wooden frames.

Then, as if drawn by instinct, the children's heads turned. Even from this distance, Ash could see the change — laughter halting mid-breath, games freezing in place. Dozens of small eyes locked on him before fixing at the figure at his side.

The air seemed to still for a heartbeat before the distant platform rippled with whispers and pointing fingers. However then in the next instant, the game broke apart like startled birds.

"Tholn! Tholn's back!" a boy with moss-tangled hair shouted, prompting an excited chorus from the others.

They darted closer, waving and grinning, some hopping in place while others cupped their hands around their mouths.

"Mela!" they called, voices carrying toward the deeper hollows, each repetition swelling with excitement at the familiar figure's return.

From the shadows emerged a bright-eyed young Murkfen girl, her expression lighting up the moment she saw Tholn.

"THOLN!"

She let out a high, joyous squeal and dashed forward, leaping into his arms without hesitation.

He caught her in a smooth, easy motion, laughter rumbling deep in his chest as he spun her once before setting her down gently, ruffling her hair in greeting.

"You're back," Mela said between breaths.

"Yup," Tholn replied with a grin, "and I brought a new friend."

He gestured toward Ash, offering the introduction, "His name is Ash. He is going to be staying with us for a while."

Mela's gaze darted curiously to him as it seemed to fix onto him for a few more seconds before she revealed an overwarmly smile as she greeted, "Hi, Mr. Ash! Thank you for bringing my uncle back to us."

Seeing the happiness and joy basically overflowing from the child even after staring at him, Ash could help but reply with a smile, "Nice to meet you too Mela."

"Is Rhavri home?" Tholn asked after seeing them having finished their introductions.

"Yes," she nodded quickly.

"I'll go see her now," he said, then glanced at his niece, "You should keep playing with your friends, Mela."

She shook her head firmly, a small smile tugging at her mouth, "No, I want to come with you."

Tholn chuckled softly, shaking his head as if amused but secretly pleased.

"Alright then," he said, then looked toward Ash, "Seems we'll have extra company."

Mela turned to her friends.

"I'll see you later guys!" she called, waving before skipping to Tholn's side.

She fell into step beside them as they headed for the entrance, eyes bright with curiosity at the newcomer.

Tholn's home dominated the heart of Glowfen Glade, rising from the great root of an elder tree like something coaxed into being rather than built.

It was the largest dwelling here, a place where paths converged. Its broad, curved walls of living wood were threaded with veins of soft green light, like the lifeblood of the Hollow itself. Lantern spores floated lazily around the wide doorway, catching in the mist and painting the air in warm, dappled light, inviting all who passed to enter.

As they stepped in, the space thrummed with warmth—Kin tending cooking fires, repairing woven bark mats, and sharing quiet conversation.

From deeper inside, out of sight, a dry, amused voice floated toward them, laced with playful annoyance: "Back again so soon, Druven? You'll wear a path on the floor at this rate. Honestly, how often are you going to pester me?"

The voice continued, the tone becoming clearer and louder as her footsteps indicated that she was moving closer and closer to the doorway, "Seriously… I still haven't finished preparing food for the glade yet and you still come to distrac-"

And then Rhavri appeared—tall, regal, with speckled bark-tones across her skin and a spark of mischief in her eyes. Her words froze in her throat as she saw that the people at the entrance were not the person she was expecting…

However, the moment she saw who stood there, her expression transformed.

"Tholn!" she exclaimed, closing the distance in a few brisk, eager strides, clasping his forearms with a grip that carried both affection and a playful scold, her joy shining through despite the teasing note in her tone.

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