Hushed Willows How quickly the glamour fades

She looked around frantically at first, peeping between the reeds of hanging willow, or trailing between the trees to where the gaps opened up to spacious hollows. When someone came to intercept her they were swift on their feet and surprisingly quiet; but beyond that they were a stranger, and they did not look old enough to know Ibis' mothers at all. Ibis stopped and spun to face the woman right as Lumiya spoke, and through the pounding of her little rabbit heart Ibis found the truth.

Oh, she gasped, and felt some of her energy wane.

For a second or two her mind was a blur of thoughts; she concentrated, composed herself, and assumed the role of an ambassador since - well - she knew nothing else. I'm... I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here. I didn't mean to intrude, I just thought - with all the new scents -- she felt her face flush with warmth. Embarrassment, mostly. A little nostalgia, a little heartache. I grew up here, but my mothers left for greener pastures so that they could survive the winter, so I thought... Maybe, that they'd come back.

Ibis had no such luck.