ooc: for context, this takes place after his recent visit to the arch

By the time Zevulun returned to Luthien, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. There was still a small streak of light keeping the sky from being completely dark and the stars from coming out, but night was slowly coming to settle. It was the first time in seasons he had spent a day away from Luthien, but he was happy it had only been a day. He had promised everyone he could find when he’d done his rounds in the morning before leaving that he would only be gone up to two days, so he was pleased to be back before then.

His injured leg was doing better. Despite all the swimming and walking the length of the Arch alongside Mariael, his gait did not seem to be impeded. Maybe when he awoke in the morning he would find it sore and stiff, and it’d take a bit of movement to get him walking with a proper gait, but even still, he was pleased it wasn’t worse. The main reason he had made the promise not to leave the Prairie was because of his fear of losing this place like he had before, but another reason was worry that he might hurt himself away from home and be unable to return. The trip to see his sister had been long overdue and necessary, but the last thing he’d wanted was for it to cause troubles at home.

Thankfully, all seemed well.

Zevulun walked quietly through the yellowed grasses, ears swiveling as he listened for signs of life, hoping to come across someone in his herd soon enough. Even if all they did was tuck in for the evening and sleep, he would be happy. The visit with Mariael had left him feeling both at peace and… oddly sad, too. All he could think of was how terribly he needed to spend time with his loved ones, a balm on his heart to ease the woes that afflicted it.