his dreams as of late had been ever more cruel than any before recent events. those dreams kept him awake more than he slept, unwilling to tangle with the chance of nightmares overwhelming him, of waking up soaked in sweat and tears, wrapped in blankets he thought were enemies. resting beside the form of solsken, the tom would exhale, closing the book he was reading with a tired and weary breath as he pushed it to the side and got to his paws. picking up his veil from where he had taken it off, the ribbons of it digging into him after some time.

shaking his coat out, he slipped the veil back into place over his muzzle, tiredness in his gaze as he looked out the windows of his home, to the dark and dreary skies, thunder rumbling in a foreboding manner above. shaking his head as he drew the curtains to the windows, the tom looking about his candlelit home, hurricane lantern set outside his door as a welcoming sign to those who would wish to find him. brushing his paw over a closed tome that held photos, images he'd managed to scrape together from his travels, most of his family members portrayed in them, including his twins when they were newborn. giving a soft sigh, he rubbed his cheek against the corner of the tome, remembering before jumping at a loud snarl of thunder. fur standing on end, the tom breathed hard in order to soothe himself, shaking his pelt out.

getting up, he poured himself a cup of tea, sipping from it when he set it down, plopping in two sugar cubes. giving a weary exhale, he curled his tail about his paws with a soft yawn, exhaustion curdling his veins. jumping out of his skin at the sound of something hitting the outside wall of his home, scurrying to the door and peeking out. seeing a bird, he frowned and stepped outside to collect the poor thing, scooping it into his paws and shuffling his way back into his home. setting the bird down, he blinked in surprise to realize it was a hooded crow, a small smile on his face at the beautiful and drenched plumage, bringing it to the fire to warm it, getting to work on discovering it bore a broken wing from the collision. setting the wing, he sat near the crow, tail flicking slowly up and down, watching over it with a semi-tense expression.