Sea Lion Shores 1957

Soft sounds, strange touches - the grey slowly faded from Doe's vision, and for a moment, she simply stared at the sand by her face, despondent. Then, she picked herself up, chewed and swollowed the berries, and looked around at those gathered near. Olive's words were lost on her, but she felt that they were meant to bolster her, deep down in her heart.

"Forgive me for my outburst," she murmured, feeling a vauge sense of embarrassment that was quickly overruled by her emotional pains. Szymon spoke on part of it, but mostly, she just missed her daughters. "I have to get back to the bay," she said softly, looking toward the black cliffs as though Julep or Isengrim would appear on the high rocks once more. She couldn't lose more of them.

She ignored the rabbit, her Shadow, her husband, and the stranger - and, limping, she carried herself toward the East Cliff den, fighting against the numbness in her legs.