There was a lot to do around the Kingdom, so much more then he had to do before. He had spent most of his life either tending to his garden or patrolling the forest but now he had a number of gembounds that he had, in a way, taken under his care. His tree, his great, magnificent tree, it was home to so many now. At least more then it had before. He had always been used to Sebastian living nearby, but now that he had moved back in, it really felt like home again.

And not just Sebastian, but Enka was here too, and Oliver and the young Atinneas. Mercurius still lived away, in the garden he had grown himself, and Rift understood the sentiment. He would be hard pressed to leave his own home, if he had to, but still, the presence of the gentle lion was sorely missed and Rift hoped that they could find a way to somehow move all of that hard work so that he could live among his friends. But he wouldn't force it.

Speaking of members...Rift looked up at the sound of the young owl as she glided down from the tree. He smiled but didn't stand from where he was. He sat carefully at the edge of the Hollow, giving the plants there a small sprinkling of water. He was very protective of them and he was the one who constantly took care of the few flowers that bloomed strong. As the owl landed, he moved his tail in front of her so that she would step no further into the dip in the ground. "Congratulations," he purred warmly. "That's a great feat indeed! I'm proud. I hope the Home Tree will protect you, as it has for all of us."

Rift smiled and flicked his tail back so that it was curled around his paws again. "You're welcome. The Kingdom is open to all that are peaceful. And I'm sure you will be. Have you spoken to any of the others just yet?" He glanced over at the tree before looking back at the owl. "Would you like to show me your nest? I'd very much like to see it."

Rift gave the owl a smile as he stood from his spot. "Don't worry, I can make it up." He watched the owl as she flew in the direction of where she had built her nest and found the spot where she had landed. He made his way up to the gigantic tree roots and easily jumped to the top of one that was directly below. He traced the path that he was going to take up the side of the tree, crouched down, and leaped forward.

When he had first awoken after his mutation, he had found the strange stickiness of his paws to be a nuisance but he had grown used to it over time. Looking over them he had discovered that his paws were now covered with small hook-like hairs that allowed him to climb easier, similar to a way a gecko would climb. So when he leaped at the tree, it was relatively easy to scale the side. It was a little awkward, since he still wasn't fully adapted to climbing like this, but he made it up to Aetius's nest in a rather short amount of time.

He hauled himself inside of the hole in the tree, panting from the exertion. "This is a nice place for a nest," he commented, glancing out at the drop.

Rift nodded and backed out of the nest. "Of course. Sweet dreams." He turned and carefully began to make his way down the side of the tree. It was much more difficult going down, but he eventually made it back to his spot by the Hollow where he resumed his tending.

*exit