🇨🇦||Canada||🇨🇦

The crunch of dry leaves beneath his boots broke the quiet silence of the forest. The air still held that soft chill left by the previous night's winds, and a few fallen branches bore witness to the small chaos that had passed through the terrain. Canada moved forward with a calm pace, carrying what he had gathered, with the tranquility of someone who knows every corner of his home. There was no rush; there never was when it came to returning. Because there was always someone waiting for him.

Upon reaching the cabin, he stopped at the entrance, carefully cleaning his boots against the wood; he didn't want to dirty the interior, not when that place was so... his. He leaned the axe against the door with his usual care, as if every object had its exact place in this small world he had built. He lightly shook his jacket before opening the door. The warmth greeted him immediately, and with it... the feeling of home.

"Honey, I'm back."

His voice was soft, warm, filling the space with a comforting familiarity. He didn't have to wait long; small, hurried footsteps echoed inside, and before he could even move, he was already smiling. He knelt without thinking, opening his arms just in time to catch that small body that launched itself toward him without hesitation.

"Hey..."

He murmured with a low laugh, wrapping them carefully. He lifted them slightly, cradling them against his chest with an almost instinctive delicacy, as if the gesture were the most natural thing in the world.

"My little one,"

He whispered, affectionately brushing their hair.

"Did you miss Daddy?"

He knew perfectly well that he was exaggerating; he hadn't been far, not even far enough that they couldn't see him from the window... but it didn't matter. Because for Canada... every second away felt longer than it actually was. His hand moved gently across the little one's back in a calm, protective gesture. Because this innocent creature was his world.