Heron Lake Plateau Letting all the shadows free.

She dropped suddenly into a sit, her whole skeleton having turned to jelly. Even while she reposed upon her sister's grave, Towhee remained oblivious to her little brother's struggle close by. She kept staring down at her leg in disbelief that was quickly metamorphosing into a feeling of pure joy. This was a very, very good sign.

Towhee jumped (and yelped) in surprise when a dripping wet Tywyll suddenly flopped at her feet. It took a moment to coax her heart down from her throat into its usual position. By the time she recovered, he had rolled over and sat up a little, allowing her to read his lips. His question took her by surprise, if only because his abrupt appearance and waterlogged state was momentarily worrying.

But Tywyll appeared fine now, so after a blink, Towhee replied, "It's improving." She felt another blast of hope shoot from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail she couldn't suppress a smile. "I was just able to put some weight on it, actually."