Northstar Vale It's "Can I get a witness?" time

The short walk sapped what remained of Towhee’s energy, so that when they reached the bank, she sagged to her haunches. It was a bit difficult to bend forward over her protruding belly, though she managed to dip far enough that she could splash water onto her face. It didn’t feel good, though she knew it had to be done.

Turning, she caught Jack’s Ptero. Her mouth pulled into a moue, which ached. She should probably be concerned about this, though she felt a sort of bittersweet camaraderie with her son. She stifled a sigh and stretched forward with a grunt to submerge her muzzle at least once before sitting back and letting pink water drip from her throbbing lip.

I think I see her out of the corner of my eye all the time, then when I turn to look, she isn’t there. It makes my heart sink so hard every time it happens, and it happened often, even still. I don’t know if I believe in life after death myself but I don’t want to tell you what to believe. I think you should believe whatever makes sense to you.

Maybe Jack was just seeing things; his mind and heart could be playing tricks on him. Or maybe he was actually seeing some version of Leona, an echo of her earthly energy. Towhee certainly couldn’t say and did not particularly want to sway her son’s take on it. If it brought him comfort, then fine… she knew that might not be the healthiest or even sanest route but all Towhee wanted to do was support her kids in whatever ways they needed.