Heron Lake Plateau et je la douce fleur

She made an agreeable note—it was true that no one really told them much of anything. It was the curse of growing pains; they were old enough to comprehend a lot more than they let on, but they were still young enough to be spared from the bulk of things. Phoebe thought to try and pry information from her mother, perhaps over the next time they went to gather herbs, but whether or not she would was another story altogether.

"I don't know what could change," she spoke, "but I hope it doesn't mean more of our family will leave." Like a dark cloud, the repeated departures of kith and kin had impacted her silently. "Mama said they wanted to go where they would be happy but... I don't get why they'd be unhappy here. No one really does tell us anything." Her ears folded back to rest against her skull, now bothered but the reality of it.

Her eyes narrowed as she crossed another idea.

"Maybe they're planning a birthday party," because yes, that was a much light-hearted alternative to what would actually come. "We're almost grown, right?"