He strokes her hair, the silver-white threads slipping through his fingers. Listening as her breath sighs and settles, he repeats the gesture.

The rest of the night is unnaturally still around the pair, their own quiet sounds the only disturbances to be heard. The insects and assorted creatures of the forest sit mute, cowed in the presence of their unexpected visitors. Even the breeze has abandoned the area around them in favor of a detour, leaving the trees to hold their usual rustling in sustained suspense.

"They've come then."

Her whisper startles him, his attention focused on the figures approaching through the shadows pooled between the trees. The surprise does not manifest on his face, however, and he simply glances down at where her head rests in his lap.

"Yes."

She smiles, her lined face gentling.

"Good."

He remains silent, watching the small creatures that wait in a semicircle just beyond his reach. Tenseiga hums softly at his hip. He strokes its hilt thoughtfully in response.

A gnarled hand placed atop his stops the motion.

"No, my lord."

Looking down into her clouded eyes, he knows. Humans had always been short-lived creatures. They curled in on themselves as the years passed, becoming brittle as autumn leaves waiting to be snapped up by the first winter gust.

He closes his eyes briefly, inclining his head in acknowledgement. Not even he could hold back the cycle of seasons.

She smiles once more, and for a moment he again sees the girl that brought him mushrooms and mice.