Oswin’s ears flicked as she listened to Reef speak of needing freedom over being stuck in one place too long. She nodded in understanding even if she, herself, wasn’t one to such a thing. Nights away from the open sky of the Peak’s summit were restless and never felt as whole to Oswin as they did when she was home.

"What do you think, little lady? Would you rather be a tumbleweed, or a tree?" Reef asked Filumena and Oswin’s eyes dropped curiously down to her daughter. It was always exciting to watch her children find themselves as they grew and Filumena was as different as Oswald, as Maia, and as Klara. Oswin was enjoying getting to know her youngest child.

“Mmm…” Filumena, quite excited to have the attention on her and be asked a question by who she’d decided was a Very Cool Adult, hummed loudly to show how hard she was thinking her answer. Her brow pinched, red tail flicking once, twice, three times out behind her haunches as she rolled over her thoughts before, finally, she grinned up at Reef. “I want to be a tumbleweed too! I think it’d be so boring seeing the same place every day all the time.” For a moment she seemed pleased with her answer and then she frowned again. “Well… I guess I’ve only seen the same place every day since I was born…” She glanced over at her mother.

Oswin grinned, knowing exactly what Filumena was getting at. Her daughter had been asking curiously after the distant islands forever, since Oswin had pointed each one out to her atop the Peak. “You’ll see more of it when you’re older and it’s safer for you to travel.”

Oswin’s attention was on Reef again as the question turned to her. “I suppose I would have to say a tree, because even when I left the islands, I just wanted to come back here again.” Every day she had missed this place. Her home. “Though given that I try to travel to the other islands as frequently as I can, I suppose I scratch a bit of a traveling itch.” She smiled. “I think I was more of a tumbleweed in my youth and then, as I grew older, I somehow began to turn into a tree.”

Filumena giggled. “I’ve never seen a tumbleweed tree before!”

Oswin smiled at her daughter and may have said more, but she could see the path was widening out ahead, just a few more steps up the incline and they’d be able to see it. Filumena noticed too and grinned excitedly at Reef, tail lifting as she pranced a few steps ahead, hardly able to contain herself as she waited to see Reef’s reaction to the summit.

oswin
this is as brave as I know how to be.
I know it’s gonna hurt you, but please… be a little proud of me.