Blackfeather Woods Remember me?

She wasn't lying, and that was what hurt the most. Perhaps he would have felt better had he been left to think his mother was still alive. That, somewhere far off, she was living her life with his sisters, and that was that. Of course, such a thing could be only a dream, but now not even that was permitted to remain intact. "I..." He didn't know what to say, how to respond. His throat began to hurt, feeling as if he'd swallowed a rock. Still, he allowed no tears to fall, blinking them away time and time again. No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't let himself break down there, or anywhere. The boy needed to remain strong, or to at least act as if he was.

"You..." He paused once more, his voice failing him. "Were you there with her?" Somehow he'd managed to get the question out, voicing that which lingered on his mind. Had his mother died alone? Who all had been there? Had they even tried to save her?