Hushed Willows Sweet disaster

Spur nodded when asked if she was all right, then shook her head at Harlyn's next question. She was thin, tired and a little traumatized but she was more or less in one piece. Of course, her mother wanted to know what had happened. The youngster sucked in her bottom lip and drew in some shaky breaths, trying to find her voice to explain.

Soothed by Harlyn's motherly touch, Larkspur said, "Daddy and I trespassed on a pack's territory by accident. The leader, Skellige, threw us both into the ocean." Her eyes, already impossibly wide, grew wider and shone with tears. "I washed up. I didn't remember anything at first. They lied to me." She bit her lip, feeling guilty for ever believing Skellige to be her father. It felt like a betrayal, in hindsight. "But I ran into Deirdre and she cast a spell so I'd remember." A second, stronger wave of guilt washed over her. She felt like she had betrayed both Deirdre and her family in one fell swoop, first by agreeing to stay in Donnelaith, then running out on her friend. Fresh tears spilled from her eyes.

She couldn't speak for several minutes. When Spur finally collected herself enough to use her words again, she asked, "Did daddy come back? What about Pip?"