Moonsong Glacier gumboots

Tegan seemed as discomfited by her tears as Bat felt embarrassed about them. Fortunately, he quickly seized upon her change of subject and his words effectively sidetracked the youth. She sniffled lightly and swiped her paw over her face again, this time wiping at the fluid oozing from her nose. But her wet eyes glistered with interest.

"You're a scout? What's your mission?" she wondered, momentarily ignoring his question. She didn't know the answer. Bat hadn't actually given any thought to what she might do if she didn't find nomi. And the nature of Tegan's query made her realize that she had a choice. She could go home—which definitely made the most sense—but Tegan's, "Or..." opened up a world of possibilities that didn't include returning to her broken home.