Bearclaw Valley here without you

Piper wouldn't have liked the thoughts that passed through her mother's mind. She would have fought against them, outraged at the very thought that Lucas – sweet little Lucas – was dead. Granted, if she put her emotions aside and focused on the logic behind it, it made perfect sense. There weren't truly many things that pulled happy children from their loving homes and required them to stay away for as long as he had. It was for the best that the young girl didn't know the thoughts that played through her mother's mind. In her naive state, she still had hope.

Smiling softly, Piper moved to bump against Laurel's frame with her own. She had grown considerably in the last month or so. She was no longer a puppy in size and shape. The length of her limbs afforded her great speed and her age provided her with seemingly endless endurance. The young Redleaf moved toward the water and lowered her head to search for anything that would prove to be particularly shiny. She wondered if there were any better stones on the beach, or if that was something Lucas would have liked at all.