"Look at that!"

Both Kerr and Ilmari quickly looked to where Auralee was pointing, at a lone tree with leaves visibly turning from brilliant green to bright red.

"The tree?" Kerr frowned.

"That must mean it's autumn," Ilmari commented, pleased. "If not officially?"

Auralee nodded. "There's a date on the calendar and that's when most of the autumn festivals are planned around. But seeing the first trees turning and feeling the first cold chills in the air are just as important."

"Then it's been two years since we met."

Auralee nearly missed a step. It had been two years. The first year had been busy, but a bit lonely, with plenty of monologuing to the birch forest and sorting out everything that had happened as well as meeting with dragons who weren't Ilmari or Kerr...

And then autumn had come again, and she had noticed the first trees in Berri changing color and felt the first chilly morning. About a week later, she'd come home from patrol and Ilmari and Kerr were waiting for her, both trying to explain everything at once.

"We've all done a lot in two years." Training, learning, negotiating, and definitely making a few mistakes along the way. Auralee smiled and reached for both Ilmari and Kerr. Ilmari's hand was easy to grab in her own. Kerr had never quite gotten the hang of it, but that never dissuaded Auralee, or Ilmari, from trying.

Sorting out feelings had been both less and more complicated than Auralee wanted to think about. It worked out. Both Kerr and Ilmari were special to her and everything was mutual.

"Should we be planning an anniversary?" Ilmari questioned.

"Does dragonkind do anniversaries?" Auralee asked in return. That was something she was pretty sure she hadn't asked yet. Heavenkind definitely did more festivals than dragonkind and she still took those slow with Ilmari because anything with too much ritual always made him look like he was going to cry.

"It's individual." Kerr shrugged a bit.

"We could have a nice dinner or something..." Auralee smiled. "When we get back to Berri..."

Kerr chuckled. Ilmari sighed.

They were days from Berri, even making good time. There hadn't been a single wagon, let alone a caravan, they could find heading there, and after three days of searching, they'd decided to walk. Though if a wagon came up on them along the way, certainly they'd try to get a ride.

Travel food wasn't a problem, nor was fresh game. The weather was good, and all was well.

"There's another one." This time, it was Ilmari who saw the tree, which was gently fading to a dull orange. Auralee saw the next one, and finally Kerr spotted a clump of red leaves on an otherwise green tree.

They continued on for a bit longer, until Kerr's stomach interrupted the tree-spotting. Auralee just laughed; it was getting to be about that time. The sun was beginning to dip in the sky and even a simple camp took a little time to set up.

"We're still close to the river, aren't we?" Ilmari questioned, and Auralee nodded.

"Going to catch dinner?" Kerr questioned. This time Ilmari nodded.

Fish would be good, if Ilmari had luck. They'd need a fire, and before that, wood and a clearing...

The clearing was easy, halfway between the road and the river, and it was a relief to set down her pack. Auralee stretched and both Kerr and Ilmari were off before she could even offer instructions. Well, they had done this enough times before...

"You and me, trees," she said with a smile as she starting clearing a spot on the ground for the fire. "You and me..."

Kerr returned first, arms full of branches for firewood and a grin on his face.

"Not bad, huh?"

"Not bad."

Ilmari returned just as the fire was starting to offer hot coals. The initial crackling had masked Kerr's stomach, though Auralee had slipped him a bit of bread, but she was hungry, too.

The fish were bundled in his shirt- Ilmari had decided to forego magic and was trying out a variety of clothing, generally successfully. Kerr still tended to use his magicked clothes, though he'd gotten better with magic in general. He could transform in an instant, something he proved to Auralee whenever he felt like it and there was space for him to do it.

"Let's get these cooking." Auralee finally managed. Yes, she'd been distracted by Ilmari and so had Kerr, she realized. The temptation to tease was there, but she swallowed it. Dinner first. Especially since once the fish were out of Ilmari's hands, he was digging for a dry shirt in his own pack.

By the time they'd finished eating and the scraps deposited far enough away to not attract scavengers, the sky was a deep lavender.

"Kerr in the middle?" Auralee suggested as she pulled her own blanket out of her pack.

Kerr looked like he wanted to protest but finally nodded. "Yeah, that's fine."

Ilmari echoed the nod. Before he dug out his blanket, he pulled out a small notebook. His reading and writing continuously improved and Auralee was pretty sure his penmanship would surpass hers any day. Maybe that wasn't entirely a feat, but she was still impressed. Every night, he made a few notes about what he'd learned.

"I'm writing about our anniversary," he said as his pen scratched over the paper.

"Wait, I thought that was still coming up." Kerr frowned.

"I don't know what day exactly, or how we should decide..." Auralee couldn't help a little laugh.

"In general," Ilmari explained. He wrote another line, and then the notebook was tucked back away.

That was probably enough. Kerr settled his blanket on the ground and Auralee settled on one side, her blanket over them both. Ilmari poked the fire one last time; it would be fine for a few hours. Then he was on Kerr's other side, under Auralee's blanket after folding his own for thin pillows for the three of them.

With a little shuffling, a little rearranging of hair, and a little nudging with elbows, all was well. Auralee kissed Kerr's cheek. Ilmari nuzzled close. And across Kerr's chest, Ilmari's hand found Auralee's without trouble.

They didn't sleep right away, not when there was opportunity for more kisses, more closeness, more touches... but when they did, Kerr was still in the middle.

It was Auralee who woke a few hours later to tend the fire, which had burned down to glowing coals. She shivered as she put a couple more pieces of wood on it; there was a chill in the air.

Autumn.

She looked at Ilmari and Kerr, still snuggled close.

Autumn, she supposed.

Their anniversary was autumn.