A smile spread across his whiskered lips as she emerged from the ocean's surf and stepped further onto the land. He observed the way she cautiously navigated the hardened sands, the tension visible in her shoulders and the graceful curve of her neck. When she met his gaze after he inquired about her mother, it pained him to witness her spirit deflate upon realizing her mother was absent. "Çiçek," she offered. He furrowed his brow, straining to recall where he had encountered that name before. "I’m from Tinuvel... if that helps."

He inhaled deeply, the salty air brushing against his whiskered lips. It had been quite some time since he had wandered those pebbled shores, roamed beneath the dark pine branches, and felt the playful caress of the mountain breeze against his two-toned skin. That place was as much a part of him as the jungles he called home. He was a man of two worlds—one of icy cold and snow, the other a humid paradise of lush greenery.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen or heard your mother’s name," he murmured, locking his gaze with hers once again. It hurt him to convey such disappointing news. "But that doesn’t mean she isn't around here somewhere," he suggested, tilting his head encouragingly.

"We could search for her together," he offered, with a wink and a friendly smile spreading across his whiskered lips. "I know the King of Paradise, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind us exploring."