Moonspear ^_________________^

It wasn’t long before someone approached to receive the mountain’s wayward daughters. Treepie didn’t know why she felt surprised by Killdeer’s warm reception. Wasn’t he shocked—and disappointed—to see her back already? She didn’t dare voice this, instead leaning gratefully into her taataa as he pointed out the wolf lurking behind him.

It took entirely too much effort to pull her lips into a smile and it didn’t quite reach her yellow eyes. But Tiuttuk was glad to see Nayati. She looked over at Tikaani, glad for her half-sister particularly, though she wondered about their brothers and mother. Pie didn’t have the heart to ask about that just now, instead focusing on this small, tightly-knit reunion.

Anaa stayed. She was happy there. I was not, Tiuttuk thought, leaving the obvious unsaid. I told her I’d help look after Moonspear in her stead, even if it wasn’t as part of its leadership. Eager not to dwell on that, she punctuated Nayati’s query with, Has anything happened while we were away?

She and Tiki hadn’t been gone long at all—a thought which had Treepie swallowing against a lump of shame in her throat—and she hoped everything had been quiet and peaceful upon the mount. But there was a look in Killdeer’s eye that made her wonder.