As beautiful as his home was and as proud of it as he was, nothing compared to the way Nova made him feel when she looked upon it. The smile on his mouth was wide and true, perhaps making him appear a bit boyish, his chest swelled with pride and his head held high. He wanted to tell her how happy her happiness made him; he wanted to confess that she was the truly beautiful thing here, but he held his tongue, afraid that pouring out all these confessions would make him come across as too forward, that he might scare her off. They’d just met, after all, how could he feel for her as greatly as he did? He had offered to show her the Bay, he hadn’t wanted to tether her to the land, but even now he knew that his heart would sink if he had to watch her swim off, back for Crossing.

Those sad thoughts were displaced at her exuberance to see the hot springs, his smile once more bright along with those gold eyes of his. “Come on!” He said, beginning to lead her from the peak they’d climbed. Nephilim led her down the path, picking his way carefully. His hooves were more assured of their path, as he’d wandered it time and time again, but he slowed himself even more for Nova. If ever she needed assistance he was there, but he let her descend on her own if she wished it.

The pair eventually met flat, rolling tundra topography again. Much of his energy had been exerted by both climbing and leaving the peak they’d climbed, but his steps were still light as an after-effect of the happiness in his heart. Any time they passed something of particular interest he paused and explained it to Nova, from vegetation that one would only find on Tinuvel to animals that also called it home. At one point they heard an echo of yips from over a mountain and Nephilim’s ears twitched. “Wolf pups.” He explained, watching her for a moment. “There’s a pack that calls Tinuvel home; I track them to make certain I don’t disturb which cave they call home during the winter. As long as the herd doesn’t cross their territory, we’re normally fine.” Thus far the herd hadn’t had the misfortune of coming across hungry wolves, but that was also why Nephilim liked to keep everyone close together. Numbers were intimidating for the canines, a lone horse… not so much.

They came around a bend where white steam crawled over the ground, dancing over rippling, bubbling water. Already the warmth of it reached for his skin, a comfort to be found in the frigid tundra. He glanced over to Nova, his smile somewhat softer. Maybe it was the warmth of the hot springs or the warmth in his chest… he wasn’t sure, but Nephilim found himself kindly saying, “I’m really happy you decided to come, Nova.”