Moonspear almost heaven

Mmm, Sialuk nodded. She had noticed Treepie's strange behavior when they had gone to visit Towhee in the copse. The disappearance of her siblings no doubt contributed to her fear of the world outside. Sialuk could not blame her daughter for feeling the way that she did, given the circumstances.

There is no reason for her to leave until she is ready, Sialuk assured Killdeer. The world will wait. In her time as a mother, the sage had always had a more hands-off approach to her children than she had seen in others. It felt easier to let them make their own choices, even if their mother did not always agree with them. She had seen—in others—children wrestle away from their parents with anger and pain if they were forced to do things they did not wish. Sialuk never wished for her children to see her that way. Then again, whatever her parenting style, she could not claim that her children had stuck around. All but Tiuttuk had gone now, few letting her know of their plans for departure.