Shy Deer Steppes tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

"Bah! Ni, I say!" the black bear exclaimed, greeting her granddaughter with affection. "You will always be queen of Mynydd to me."

And what was she doing here instead of Mynydd, Easy wanted to know! Her curiosity was poorly disguised, but she gave the girl a chance to either keep her secrets or bring it up on her own. She was grown, after all, even if it seemed just yesterday that she'd been small and underfoot.

"I am well," she said, measuring the girl suspiciously with her eyes. Was she eating enough? "You will be a niece again this spring. Must I still patiently await the day I become a great grandmother?"

Kids these days! None of them wanted to settle down!

"As for home — the nest was empty, so I thought I would check up on Valiant and Arjun. They're out this way, up in those moon packs." Had Madhuri heard of them? "I thought Anjali might be going to visit you, but I sent a message when I left all the same. They must have just missed you."

Or perished on the way. Easy hadn't been particularly attached to that messenger, however, and he was easily pushed from her mind.