Northstar Vale Essential yet appealed

The call made her freeze and whip around just as her son came bounding towards her. Her heart dropped into her stomach at seeing him here so far from Diaspora. What if she hadn't been the one he found first? She had already lost so much; adding another child to that list would break her for sure. Fear made her want to reprimand him for being so careless with his life, especially since she would have gladly let him join her had he asked. Instead, he had trekked through the mountains on his own. But as he attached himself to her side, his expression and nervous tongue flicking making it clear he was frightened and in need of reassurance, her anger fizzled out. He had been through just as much as she had, and she couldn't help but cut him a break. Mesa, she murmured worriedly, lowering her head to nuzzle him. It was incredibly dangerous for you to leave Diaspora on your own, she added a second later, the words anxious but holding none of her previous anger.

The ground shifted and rumbled underneath them again, and she pressed against him to both give comfort and soothe her own uncertainty about the sound. The quaking died away quickly, but she remained where she was for however long Mesa wanted. The worrying sounds and vibrations had her on edge, and she knew they must be even more alarming to him.