The stopover in Sorrows was proving to have been very useful. Not only did Wyntr learn that she had been on the wrong tract heading directly north like she had been she learned that she should have gone west towards lake Evendim then north through the Pelagir Hills. To say that learning she had gone miles out of her way frustrated her would have been an understatement. Luckily Vanyel (with Stefan and Yfandes' support) offered to gate Wyntr as close to the clan's current location as he could get her. Wyntr had protested but the spirits had insisted. Therefore she found herself stepping through a Gate in the middle of the Forest of Sorrows and then walking out of a cave somewhere in the middle of the Pelagir Hills. She had to rest for a moment – in the past traveling by Gate had always made her slightly queasy in the past, some things never changed apparently. She sent a wordless thought of thanks back to Vanyel; she recalled hearing that producing a Gate had always been a painful task for him. Clearing her mind of the remaining dizziness Wyntr set out through the wilderness following the unmistakable pull of her Chosen.

Thunderhawk k'Treva was desperately fighting the urge to scream and rant at the young men and women in front of him. He had to remind himself that to insult their intelligence and parentage right in front of them would be rude. He wished, not for the first time during this particular lesson that Sunfeather was still teaching these magic lessons with him. However, she had returned his feather and gone back to her home Vale, only just this morning leaving him disillusioned and with a broken heart. Thunderhawk shook his head in exasperation at the thought of that painful goodbye. Thinking of her does nothing to improve your temper; he scolded himself.

"Again, do it again." He growled at his students seeing them grimace in. Although he did not delight or deliberately set about causing others humiliation; he did on occasion take comfort in the fact that he was not the only one miserable. After all he was only human. Thunderhawk pushed them through the shielding exercise again and again, until eventually one of them snapped.

Thunderhawk had to quickly put up a shield of his own to contain the sudden surge of energy and another one to protect him and the young mages. He was furious now, at them and at himself for pushing them so hard. He knew better than to teach when he was angry – he knew from painfully gained experience that the magic would not respond to such mistreatment; at least not in a way that any decent mage could find useful. He was furious with himself for pushing them so hard.

"Enough of this!" He shouted not bothering to hide his temper. They winced and that only served to make him angrier. "Tomorrow you all will learn how to do this properly." With that, he dismissed them. They filed out of the teaching circle as fast as they could, all that is but one.

Thunderhawk scowled at the youth in front of him, certain that he wasn't going to like what the young man had to say.

"What a splendid disposition you have brother, you should really consider changing your usename to Brighthawk," the youth said with heavy sarcasm. If possible Tunderhawk's scowl deepened, he stared at his younger half-brother wishing that it was time for him to return to his home Vale. Be careful what you wish for, he could not help thinking of the Shin'a'in proverb.

Starblade k'Sheyna stared back at his elder brother not at all daunted by the Tayledras' legendary temper. That is the problem with younger brothers; Thunderhawk thought that with a sigh of exasperation, they are not afraid of anything! Neither are younger cousins.

As if the thought summoned him Thunderhawk's younger cousin came waltzing around the bend in the path. Starfall took one look at the two brothers glowering at each other and broke out into a wolfish grin.

"I see he's being his usual sunny self." Starfall remarked with sarcasm to rival Starblade's.

"If I did not know that good heart you keep locked away brother, I would think that you were on your way to becoming a monster." Starblade remarked to their cousin.

"I would have to agree cousin. Some days I would not be surprised to learn that Thunderhawk has become a blood-path mage." Starfall continued, although Thunderhawk knew that they were not serious he was in no mood for their jokes.

"I wish I had no family." Thunderhawk announced to no one in particular. It was not as strong of a statement as he wished to make, but he was attempting to reign in his temper.

"Yes but you love your family." Starblade reminded him with a cheeky smile.

"Most days," the Hawkbrother replied begrudgingly. They were grinning openly now and he knew that soon they would start laughing. He stormed away before that foolishness could start. The sound of their laughter floating on the breeze goaded him into walking faster.

As he was walked, his Bondbird Mai flew amongst the tree branches above his head keeping pace.

.:Temper bad.:. The spotted Kestrel told him, sounding reproachful.

.:Yes Mai, temper bad.:. Thunderhawk replied stopping and raising an arm. The Kestrel flew down and landed on the offered arm with a grace that Thunderhawk envied. The raptor regarded him with one golden eye, before hoping up to his shoulder where she proceed to preen his hair. As soon as she was settled, Thunderhawk resumed walking. He was heading in the direction of the hot springs, thinking that a good long soak would help him shake his bad mood. If nothing else, he could drown his morning away.

It had been a decidedly awful morning. Thunderhawk had awoken to find the space in his bed that had once been occupied by Sunfeather empty, except for the wing feather from Mai he had given her just a few weeks ago. He had thought that he and Sunfeather would have spent the rest of their days together; apparently she did not feel the same way. He did not know what it was he had done to make her leave him, and he had spent the majority of his day wracking his brain for an explanation. Sunfeather had left him no explanation and Thunderhawk knew that she would never tell him. He brooded over the whole situation, making his temper fouler than usual.

The feeling that he was needed outside of the Vale intruded upon Thunderhawk's brooding. He was not much of an Empath and he barely had any Foresight but when he got such persisting sensations, Thunderhawk never ignored them. He changed direction quickly, though he was careful enough not to upset the Kestrel. Mai may not have been bothered by his sudden change in direction but the Tayledras he almost ran into certainly found it an inconvenience. Thunderhawk's almost victim turned out to be his uncle Sunfire, Starfall's father.

"Thunderhawk," Sunfire began, "just the man I was trying to find." He sounded happy to see his nephew, but Thunderhawk knew his uncle well and he could hear the concern and the excitement in Sunfire's voice.

Sunfire motioned for Thunderhawk to follow him, and although he raised a questioning eyebrow, he followed his uncle obediently enough. They walked in silence for a moment or two, then the lecture Thunderhawk had been expecting form his uncle began. He was actually surprised it took Sunfire as long as it had before he started to criticize Thunderhawk.

"Starfall and Starblade both told me how quickly your lesson deteriorated today."

"Good news travels fast." Thunderhawk murmured under his breath. His uncle sighed with exasperation at that comment.

"Nephew if you controlled your temper," Sunfire persisted, "and learned some patience you would be an Adept. You could even be a Healing-Adept you have the potential. If only you would let me Heal those channels."

"Uncle, we've been through this a hundred times, the answer is still no. I am happy as a Master level Mage. Those channels were burned closed for a reason."

"Thunderhawk you cannot believe that your power going rouge was meant to happen"—

"Yes I can. I was never comfortable with it and am happy with what is left to me." Sunfire looked ready to protest but Thunderhawk cut him off. "You may not believe it Sunfire, but I am content with being mediocre, even though I am the great Nightsong's son. Besides you have Starfall and Starblade who will be Adepts, isn't that enough glory for you?"

"Thunderhawk you wrong me."

"I am sorry Uncle. That was uncalled for."

"Yes it was, but it is understandable." Thunderhawk turned to look sharply at his uncle; he did not expect Sunfire to understand. His expression must have been funny for Sunfire began to laugh, and his hawk-eagle Skyr responded to Sunfire's laughter with a cry of his own. Thunderhawk was taken further aback by his uncle's laughter.

"Thunderhawk what I am going to do with you?" Sunfire asked, as they reached the Vale, a visible divider between the lands protected by the Tayledras and their home. Thunderhawk did not bother to answer his uncle.

"You are to do nothing with him, brother mine." A woman's clear voice answered for him. Thunderhawk slowly turned his attention away from his uncle and on what laid before him. There standing just inside the protection of the Vale was a woman with long silver hair decorated with various beads and feathers. She was dressed much like a scout with long flowing sleeves being her only extravagance. Upon her shoulder sat a falcon whose feather's had long since been bleached to white by the power his bondmate used on a daily basis. Her features were very similar to Thunderhawk's own and even more familiar. He had after all been looking at that face all of his life.

"Nightsong," Sunfire greeted her warmly. She moved to greet her brother properly and it was then that Thunderhawk noticed that she was not alone.

Standing next to her was an animal that until then Thunderhawk thought was only a legend. Children of k'Treva Vale knew some version of the tale about Wingsibs Savil and Vanyel and their leshy'a horses. Many had spent their childhoods playing at being the heroic wingsibs from Valdemar. Thunderhawk had been no exception, especially since the tale concerned his family intimately.

The horse was everything Thunderhawk had imagined. From her long flowing mane that looked like spun moon light to her gracefully arched neck and silver hooves. Thunderhawk was nearly blinded by the brilliance of her white coat.

"Mother," he mumbled turning shocked eyes on Nightsong.

"I found her wandering out among the hills," she said by way of explanation. "She told me who it was she was searching for and I brought her here to help." Nightsong paused watching her son; he only continued to look flabbergasted. "Thunderhawk remember when you were a child you use to wish that you had a leshy'a horse of your own, just like Vanyel?"

Thunderhawk tried to think of a reply, but it was as if his mind had been frozen; he just could not comprehend what it was his mother was saying to him. Then the mare whinnied and stepped towards him, and Thunderhawk found himself staring into the brightest sapphire eyes he ever saw. The world was lost to him them.

.:I am Wyntr and I'll be yours Thunderhawk, and yours as well Mai.:. The honey like mindvoice said with a warm chuckle. He felt her love enveloping him and accepting him then, and it was the greatest feeling to know that he would always have her love. For a brief moment, he thought Mai might object to the idea of sharing him, but the Kestrel seemed just as welcoming of Wyntr as Wyntr had been of her.

When he finally came back to the world the first thing he noticed was the smile on Nightsong's face and the tears standing in her eyes.

"Mother, I…," he drifted off not knowing what to say to her; there was so much after all.

"It's alright. I always knew you had wings my Thunderhawk, now it's time for you to test them." Confused by her acceptance and utterly lost, Thunderhawk turned to Sunfire for help.

"She's right you know," his uncle told him. He handed Thunderhawk some saddlebags that, judging by their weight, were well prepared for a long journey. "The Vale never really suited you nephew. Perhaps in Valdemar you will find what you seek."

"Here I want you to take this," Nightsong said handing him a thick leather bound book. This book must be older than the Vale, Thunderhawk thought as he took it in rather numb hands. "Your father wanted you to have it, inside is recorded the history of our family. Firefox claimed that it goes back all the way to the time of the Mage Wars. I am not to certain, but then I never did bother to read it."

"Mother you said 'our' family." Thunderhawk said he was so shocked by everything he could focus on that. He did not even fully register the fact that Nightsong had mentioned the forbidden subject, his father.

"Yes I did. Your father was descended from the twin sister of Starwind; my forefather Brightstar's adopted father. Starwind and his sister were descendants form the mage who started writing this record, so it is our family."

"Oh." Was all he could think to say, he quickly covered his confusion by trying to find a saddlebag with enough room for the book.

"Zhai'helleva Thunderhawk," his mother said hugging him and giving him a kiss. "Please try to come back and see me, I do love you."

"I love you to mother."

Then with one more farewell to both Nightsong and Sunfire, Thunderhawk climbed into the saddle on Wyntr's back and with Mai flying above them turned his back on k'Treva Vale.