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Just as the ash settled, so did the hunters. Huddling down beside a fire pit they quietly watched the flames.

Paloea and Mouro had finished their lanterns and soap, as well as tried their claw at metalwork. Vaerimir was trying to soothe his voice with a cup of tea, seems like all that singing caught up to him. Maybe not so much the singing itself as singing in this chilly weather. Hircine found worthy rivals at the games, getting to enjoy some proper competition. Misi had parted ways with Corvus who seems to have already left Cinderslag. All five of them had a great time, and now all five were spent.

"Thanks for looking after Constantine." Mir murmured whilst petting his beloved dog, finally reunited.
"No worries." Hircine responded with a yawn. Constantine provided great moral support during the games, even fetching horseshoes for her.
Pushing her hand against Mirs face, Misi hissed "Shhh. I'm listening."
Silence followed, at least for a little while. "Listening? To what?"
Misis brow twitched. "To the flames. Now stay quiet, Mir."

For once Mir was tuckered out enough to oblige. Wriggling around to get more comfortable in the pile of cushions and friends, he too closed his eyes to listen. The muted crackling of cinders really was an enjoyable sound. Despite being nature dragons, these two found fire to be a soothing element indeed. All of them did, really.

Palomeas sudden whistle-like snoring made Misis eyebrow twitch again. Was she going to push her other hand against Pals face too? She sure tried, but Mouro stopped her. "Let her rest, Misi."
As annoying as the sound was, Misi had no choice but to accept it and tolerate. It's not like the scene was completely devoid of background noise. But that's what it was; background noise. Pals snoring was more like foreground noise. But Mo was right, the nocturne had a rough battle earlier. Misi can endure some annoyance for her friends sake.

Although the whole community at the Keep is tight knit, these hunters in particular share a strong found family bond. Their personalities clash and couldn't be any more different, and yet they fit together like clockwork. Maybe it's their familiarity thanks to staying at the hunters' barracks. Maybe it's those hunting trips they've spent together camping under the vast sky. Hard to say what exactly brought them together the way it did. Hunters mostly work independently - each with their own responsibilities. It's rare when they're sent as teams, only when particularly big hauls are requested. Nor is the group particularly close with the other barrack inhabitants. 'Does it matter?' Mouro thought to herself with a smile. Families don't need explanations, and neither do they.

But oh how badly Misi wanted to wake Pal up so the snoring would stop.