Zyphire absolutely adored the summer. Even though he had been super busy working with the villagers to relocate them into the estate left behind by his cousins’ mother, a mysterious iceling woman who had been on the council and rich enough to own acres upon acres near the capital, the Shifter still found plenty of time to have fun. It was nice knowing that they had all survived the winter by scattering between the animal sanctuary and finding places in the capital to live in for a few months before relocating here at the first touch of spring and Zyphire felt relief every time a new building finished being constructed. They weren’t the most luxurious of estates, but they were simple and strong with a nice clean finish that would last for many years with plenty of chances to remodel once the villagers fully settled into the new area. At least he knew that they were safe and that his own family would be safe. The very thought brought a flush to his cheeks as he thought about being a father, his first born obviously his own with their hybrid traits, and Zyphire chuckled as he thought about the little one who had only been in the world for only a few weeks now. How quickly his life had changed.

He was even learning more about the villager’s concept of spirits and the gods. It was funny seeing how a few wanted to learn about his Shifter heritage, his strange skin an object of fascination for days before others got accustomed to seeing him growing paler and darker with the rising and setting of the moon, but Zyphire was enjoying getting to exchange culture. Being near the capital also meant that he could go to the summer festivities whenever he had a moment and today he found himself browsing the market, the stalls specifically set up for today’s events full of all of summer’s bounty, and the Shifter found himself loading bags upon bags of goods and food onto his Chiavi so that he could share with the villagers. Tomorrow night they would feast and share stories to celebrate their new home, thankful that summer had given them a chance to recover from the harsher winter weather of Zena. Sometimes it felt like a dream, that he was still a child who was darting through the markets of Neued and then later a teen stealing to survive, and Zyphire could only imagine that this was all a fantasy. Who would have thought he would have relatives all the way in Zena who could change his life so drastically? Now here he was celebrating the arrival of summer, his participation in some festival games as he freely gathered supplies almost comical when compared to how he had scavenged for whatever food he could find when he was younger in the marketplaces without any concern for other cultures. He would have spat on their gods but now he had traveled far and wide to learn about even Oban and Matori culture before returning to Zena which had become his home country. He loved it here and even offered thanks to the mountain goddess, offering a burning stick of incense that smelled of the forest and trailed smoke towards the northern mountains along with his prayers that everything would go well from now on for Sylvirah and her village. They had already lost so much so he could only pray for a better future, something he would have never imagined doing in the past. It was crazy how time could change so much about a person, a brat now becoming a responsible man who took care of others instead of just mooching off of them. A man who protected and also still knew how to laugh, his jokes constantly either bringing others laughter or getting him chased across the clearing where the village was being built.

“Protect them, Chi.” He breathed before giving a nod towards the stone goddess centered in the upper market of the capitol, the throng of locals and foreigners darting about him as they celebrated the summer festivities. Still, Zyphire knew better than to waste too much time having fun with the events and soon enough he turned away so that he could fly back towards the village. He truly hoped that they wouldn’t mind taking a day to rest and enjoy the festivities that he was bringing back with him for tomorrow. Even if the villagers didn’t particularly worship any deity they could still enjoy the bounties of summer together with a good meal and some games for the few teens and younglings that had returned with their relatives from the capital.

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