Hushed Willows ἀνερρίφθω κύβος

The first month of her daughter's disappearance, Seabreeze had been driving herself absolutely frantic in her search for her poor, lost little bird.  Part of her thought that Terance had found her somewhere in the wild and kept her, intent on taking back the months with her that he had lost.  She wanted to march down to the hollow and demand to speak with him, and if their daughter resided in their ranks, she would do everything in her power to bring her home.

The other half of her fretted that if he didn't know she was lost, he'd throw it in her face like he was so often inclined to do.  It would be her fault (and wasn't it?), and he would be just as much use in finding their daughter as he had been in asking her to stay.  She rarely ate and even rarer did she sleep.  Olive had once more been burdened with the task of watching over their remaining children, but had finally convinced Seabreeze that if she didn't take care of herself that Ibis would have no mother to return to.

Seabreeze, who teetered somewhere between lean and laughably thin, was beginning to look more healthy with the near-constant coaxing of her lady lover.  The waking hours were becoming easier, and so she was able to look some semblance of put together when a call surprised her from beneath the willow tree in which she'd been resting.  She gathered herself up on all fours and began plucking her way towards their borders, hoping that instead of someone injured and frightened she'd come face to face with some hale specimen.

For once her hopes were rewarded.  She was pleased to see that Lily had already arrived, and for the moment she held back her words in order to wait for the stranger's reply.