Sun Mote Copse Fool in the eyes of the world

Elwood nodded his consent when Wraen proposed that they move to a quieter area of the rendezvous site, so as not to be overheard by any of the children that were surely lurking nearby. Just because they couldn't be seen at the moment didn't mean that they wouldn't abruptly appear when they least expected it. So he followed her willingly, moving a short distance away where they would be less likely to be interrupted.

His brows raised slightly when she began by admitting she had something to confess. It sounded ominous, and luckily for him, she wasted no time in diving right into her explanation. It all boiled down to the confrontation between Colt and Kiwi. Wraen confided that she had managed to locate Kiwi, but rather than dole out punishment, she had helped the girl heal and had made sure that she was under the care of one of her friends before leaving her again. On the surface, it didn't seem to be a problem; Kiwi was Wildfire's daughter, and therefore family, so why shouldn't Wraen help her? But it was her last statement that seemed to summarize her troubles: "And I can't shake off the doubts; what if she does not learn anything from this? What if she returns?"

He was reminded of Peregrine's estranged daughter, Junior, who had carried out an ambush similar to the one that Wraen worried about. Junior had tricked her father into trusting her and then had attacked one of his other children -- Wildfire, in fact. Thinking about it made him shudder inwardly, because of the possible parallels in the situations and because it was Wildfire that had been assaulted -- Kiwi's mother. He sighed. Wraen had asked him what he would have done if he was in her shoes -- and he answered her honestly.

"I think I would have done the same as you. I hate that this happened in the first place, and I can't pretend to understand why Kiwi attacked Colt, but she is still family. I don't think you were in the wrong by helping her," Elwood said. "I get why you're worried about her coming back, though. We'll just have to be vigilant. But I don't think there was any reason for you not to offer your assistance," he concluded.