It's the end of winter. Ilena focuses on the herds at Falcon's Hollow and the beginnings of creating a messenger service to replace the whispered language. Marcus and Henry need more of her focus than she's giving them and become a problem while her attention is on the four-legged rather than on her household. Ore doesn't get a reprieve, for all he's trying hard. As the year anniversary of finding Ilena arrives, he's reliving that time far more closely than he wants to. The stress finally breaks through his reluctance to admit who and what he really is to the royals of Ryokudo. Mizi remains focused on the hospital. Training the new interns takes precedence over everything else, including her spring requirement to Kouzanshi. Her household is relieved to have her pressure not focused on them, but she needs that break as much as they do. One starts falling through the cracks, however. How much damage will that do in the future? Rei has become super-focused on steaming forward under the surface of his typical quiet exterior. It's his turn to have an all-time high level of impatience. How long can he hold it in? The rest try to answer to his needs as immediately as possible to help him. It doesn't help him that Mina and Andrew have happy news. It's only one more reminder of how difficult this year is going to be.