Blackfeather Woods gasping at glimpses of gentle true spirit

He drew close and began to lick the tears off her face; Maegi couldn't resist a smile, a girlish giggle that bubbled up too quickly to stifle. Sweet Sobek, she whispered, eyes finding his form, so near to her. Kind Sobek. Always be kind, tresy. The world is full of enough bad things; be brave, stand up to them, but never stop being kind.

Perhaps she had misread his curiosity, but for now, Maegi saw only her loving son. She was biased. Heavily biased.

Have you seen Scylla around? she asked, voice as quiet as before but with a different ring to it, more querulous. The dark-furred girl? She's lost both her mother and her sister; I'm worried about her. And maybe Vaati, too; actually, she hadn't seen either her brother nor Cass's remaining daughter. Had the death of the mother fractured the entire family, just as the trembling earth had ripped strong trees from their roots?