Sun Mote Copse Let this moment be the first chapter: where you decide to stay

Niamh began to shake her head the moment Nellie began to apologize, though she did let her daughter finish, as she did at least want to know where Nellie had gone. She didn't answer that question, but Niamh gently tried to shush her daughter and ease her guilt, preening the fur behind one of her golden ears to soothe her. "Hey, it's Okay...It's Okay," She said. She wanted to tell Nellie that it wasn't her job, to take care of everyone- to tell her that she hadn't done anything wrong, and that she wasn't responsible for anything that had happened. The fact was, Nellie had left- and it had effected both her and Bronco- and she was of course, immediately forgiven, given the fact that she was back, and Niamh had somehow had to come to terms with the fact that she might never see her daughter again. Whatever reasons Nellie had for leaving were unimportant, considering the fact that she had returned, alive. 

"My sweet little girl....I'm so sorry, love," She said, nuzzling the top of her daughter's head. "I thought you were gone...Oh, and Bronco-" She said, suddenly remembering, of course, that she had another child- one who hadn't bothered to show up yet, either, so she called out, demanding that he beat it to the borders pronto. "You're home...You're home, Nellie, that's all that matters." It healed her heart, knowing her daughter had chosen to return. "You're staying though, aren't you?" She asked, pulling back slightly in concern.