Sun Mote Copse If you could see what I see, you'd be blinded by the colours

Of course she had noticed Daddy wasn't as lively as when she had first seen him. As she grew stronger, her father's health was slowly but surely declining after an incident she knew little about. She had heard whispers here and there, but didn't grasp the seriousness of it all. Daddy was just feeling under the weather, he'd feel better in no time! Surely if Nellie gave him all her love and she'd fight a little less with Bronco and behave, everything would turn out fine!

She truly believed her father would be alright, be the strong man leading their little family forever as he had been all her life. That was, until she heard her mother. She felt a weird bubbling feeling in her stomach. Mother didn't sound scared or wounded or angry. Nellie had never heard such emotion, had never even known grief. She barely had a grasp on living and dying as it was, but she had heard Elfie mention he didn't have a mom anymore, but boys lied a lot so maybe she had just left. Not that death was much different, the ones you love just one day leave and never come back and you can't feel or smell or hear that voice ever again, only in your memories. Nellie didn't have many memories of Daddy, she didn't have many in general, but to think that she would soon need to treasure all the little details about her father... Where would she even begin?

Nellie padded onto the scene, tipping her head to the side. Mommy? She asked, inching closer. Daddy lay beside her, sleeping. Why isn't Daddy sleeping in the den? She asked. It was warm enough to sleep outside, but she didn't want it to become a habit or something. He was breathing so peacefully she didn't even see it. It had to be a very relaxing dream. What's wrong?