Tholn hugged her back warmly, the contact lingering just long enough to speak without words before he murmured, "I'm back."

Feeling her arms tighten around him at those words, he heard her voice tremble with both sentiment and relief as she whispered, "I really missed you."

"I missed you too," he replied, the corners of his mouth softening into a rare, genuine smile before a playful tone took over and he continued, "It's not like I was gone for years…"

"How long are you going to be staying this time?" she asked, completely changing her demeanor as one brow arched in playful challenge, though the corners of her mouth betrayed her pleasure at seeing him.

"Until he gets better," Tholn replied, tilting his head toward Ash with a faint, meaningful glance.

Ash stepped forward and dipped his head in a respectful bow, "My name is Ash. It's nice to meet you."

Rhavri's gaze lingered, her speckled bark-tones catching the glow of the Glade's light, hair woven with fine strands of moss that swayed slightly as she moved. Her deep green eyes seemed to search him, measuring more than his words offered. Then, with a small, knowing smile, she returned the bow in kind, "And I you, Ash. May the Glade find you welcome while you remain among us."

"Well then, this is my direct family," Tholn said with quiet pride, sweeping his arm in a gesture that took in the den's warm bustle.

"Rhavri, my elder sister- the head caretaker of the Glade. She runs this whole place and will definitely whack you into shape if you do not fit in he- Ack!"

A heavy injury-inducing thump landed on the back of Tholn's head, Rhavri's voice cutting in from beside him, laced with playful exasperation, that somehow exuded a demonic aura that would have asuras jealous.

"Don't make me sound like some villain in a story," she spoke with a venomous smile before turning to Ash, reassuring him, "I'm much nicer than you give me credit for."

Despite the scariness that was emanating off of her, Ash caught the warmth in her tone beneath the mock scold, noting the easy rhythm between siblings.

"Ahem!"

"And this," Tholn continued with a forced unfazed grin, rubbing the spot she'd struck furiously, "is Mela, my niece—bright as the first light through the morning mist and twice as quick to catch you off guard."

At his words, Mela's face bloomed with joy, her smile stretching wide as she turned to Ash. As if the Glade itself responded to her delight, a tiny blossom unfurled from the crown of her head, its petals catching the ambient glow like a crown of living light.

If Ash could read into her thoughts, he would see Mela with sparkles in her eyes, standing in a proud pose, as she nodded, 'Hell yeah! That's me!'

'Whoa…' Ash thought as he saw it happen.

"And those children you met earlier on the terraces? Many are my cousins' young ones, nephews and nieces, all bound to me as surely as if I'd carried them myself. We grew together in these roots, our laughter and quarrels stitched into the very air, and together we keep Glowfen Glade alive—each of us a living thread in its breathing weave."

"Did she just bloom?" Ash asked, unable to go past what he had just seen.

"Oh yeah…" Mela quietly spoke with a smile as she reached up with her hands and softly patted the flower on her head, "Mela's hair can grow flowers when she is really happy."

'That's cool… but even more cute…' Ash found himself subconsciously thinking.

Tholn glanced between his sister and Ash, his voice carrying a note of quiet weight that changed the tone of the conversation back to a serious one, "Okay, Rhavri, Mela, I need you all to take this seriously…"

After receiving two nods from the two girls, he spoke, "Ash is a hyena."

Rhavri inclined her head slowly, her gaze steady yet warm as a series of emotions fought inside her.

"A hyena…"

Her tone was soft but deliberate, as if testing the truth of it on her tongue.

"Tholn, is he…"

"Yes," Tholn replied immediately with a smile, already knowing what his sister was about to ask him.

The words seemed to ripple between her and Mela, and for a heartbeat, neither spoke—only met each other's eyes.

It could not escape Ash's eyes. In that moment, he caught it, that sudden spark, a flicker of hope that was more than simple curiosity, as though his presence meant something long whispered about might finally come to pass.

Mela's eyes widened as she took a half-step forward, blurting, "You're finally here!"

The words rang with unguarded excitement.

Beside her, Rhavri's expression deepened into something steadier, her eyes bright with a hope Ash recognized all too well. She bowed deeply, her voice clear and reverent, different from her old tone of casualness, "It is an honour to have the Hyena visit Glowfen Glade."

Ash met their gazes in silence for a moment, forcing a simple smile. As unaccepting of the title as he was, denying it, he realized, would do nothing and he had no way to prove he wasn't the one they believed him to be.

So he let the moment stand, the weight of their belief settling between them like an unspoken pact, "Please, there's no need to be so formal with me."

"Food smells good," Tholn suddenly remarked, drawing in a slow breath as he sniffed deeper into the hallway.

At that, Rhavri's eyes widened slightly in sudden realization.

"The food!" she panicked.

"I almost forgot—" she began, then cut herself off, turning briskly toward the scent, "the regular won't do today since we have Ash here, his first meal has to be special."

Without warning, she reached out, caught Tholn by the ear, and began marching him toward the kitchen with surprising speed, her tone a mix of mock sternness and genuine purpose.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! I'll help! I'll help!" Tholn cried, his ear at the disposal of his sister, he turned with his remaining durability, his ear twisting to its max, "Mela! Can you take Ash to the spare room next to mine? He will be staying there!"

Mela let out a small laugh at the sight of her uncle being dragged away, her steps almost bouncing as she nodded quickly.

"Sure! Come on, Mr. Ash," she said in an upbeat, almost sing-song tone, her voice brimming with excitement yet carrying a quiet warmth beneath it.

As she beckoned for him to follow, she fell into an easy trot toward the inner hallway, the flower on the top of her head bouncing with each step. And every now and again, she would glance backward as if making sure he was still there.

After they passed a few more rooms, Mela eased her pace until she was walking right beside him.

She glanced up with a small, almost shy smile before saying, "Thank you for letting Uncle Tholn visit us."

Her voice softened, carrying the weight of sincerity as her eyes faded into melancholy, "I really miss him… he's taken care of me ever since my parents died."

Ash's ears flicked slightly at that, his curiosity piqued, "Your parents? I thought Rhavri was your mom."

She shook her head sadly, her steps slowing just a fraction.

"My father was Tholn's oldest brother. He and my mother… they were lost to the swamp seasons ago."

Her words lingered in the hush of the hallway, planting a seed of wonder in Ash's mind about the fate that had taken them. But before he could ask her about it, she shook her head.

"I can't be sad…" she spoke out, hiding all the pain that had just been pushing to burst out. She turned to Ash with a look full of hope, "You are here now. Mama and Papa always hoped to be blessed enough to meet you. They said you would save us from suffering."

'Save you?' Ash thought, his mind mesmerised by the pure hope that was emanating from her words.

By the time the weight of her words had settled, they'd arrived at a simple room—spare and uncluttered, its living-wood walls bare save for faint patterns in the grain.

"Here we are," Mela said, stepping aside, peeking into the doorway with a quick scan before glancing back at him. Her gaze lingered on the bare walls and sparse furnishings, and she wrinkled her nose with a playful little huff. "It's very empty, isn't it?"

Her eyes suddenly widened a fraction, as if a spark of an idea had just struck her, the kind that made her bounce on her toes for a heartbeat. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Without waiting for a reply, she darted off down the hall, leaving Ash alone to scan the space.

Ash stepped through the doorway and into the room, the living wood arch closing behind him with a faint sigh. His gaze roamed over the plain furnishings, the soft hum of the Glade's pulse reaching even here.

Tholn's words about home echoed in his mind, each one seeming to settle deeper as he took in the quiet pulse of the room. From the moment he entered the glade, the warmth that Thonl was talking about seemed to manifest. It had felt as if the glade was welcoming Tholn back home. Such a feeling… Ash could not recall or even label anything in his past having the same warmth.

Ash in looking back at the last few minutes, found himself also realising that such a warmth would be nice. To have Tholn's home be able to stir up such warmth in him, he couldn't help but wonder- How much greater would the warmth be that Tholn was feeling.

'I want that too…' he thought to himself.

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