Call it a sixth sense, or perhaps a particularly good nose, but whatever it was, Israfel had his mind sent on perusing the stones that cascaded down the mountainside; for some time, he had been observing Spirane's children in the meadows and fields of flowers but now, he had taken to the mountainside. It had been some seasons since much of his family had taken their leave to care for his aunt and though he had never taken it upon himself to follow and disturb them, he had at least hoped his father would come back. After all, Israfel hated to admit it but he knew his father's life had begun to enter its twilight. Still, Israfel wanted him back for those final years, especially if he was to ever give Samia the children he knew she wanted. Israfel didn't think he could handle all the chewing and yapping by himself!

When he found his father, perched atop the rocks, he was filled with...well, all kinds of emotions. First, he was glad and then worried, perhaps a little sentimental, but always with an eagerness reminiscent of a child. He was proud, too, of both his father and himself as he loped towards him with a sound half-way between a bark and howl. Get up, old man! His tail lifted and bounced behind him, his strides long and flight-like before he wavered to a stop beneath his father with a toothed grin as he looked up and gave his father's paw a cautious sniff.

"You reek like the wilds! I never thought I'd find you smelling like anything other than Spirane, you know." He had never been so great at sounding sentimental and yet, perhaps it was a strength of his to always be as if no time had passed between them at all. Whereas both he and his sister might have inherited their grandmother's tendency to roam, Israfel had always retained a homing instinct too. Just sometimes that home was a bit differen to the last, was all. But for now, he hadn't felt quite as much at home as he did then looking up at his father like he was a pup again.