Blacktail Deer Plateau I just called to say I love you.

@Easy and @Dauntless: say goodbye to Momma Khoe.

It hadn't been too difficult finding her way to the new settlement, partially because she'd already had an idea of where she was supposed to be headed. Khoe didn't know what she would say once she got there; an apology didn't seem like enough, but they were just kids, so the truth seemed like too much. Maybe she could make up a story, assure them that Momma would be back as soon as possible, but that was an empty promise that she couldn't keep her word on. 

Sitting there at the border, a pile of lavender with faint traces of Easy's sweet, baby scent lining its rim, Khoe knew that this was the beginning of the end.

She was doing it again, leaving behind her responsibilities out of fear, only this time there was no excuse. She was leaving because she was afraid, and she was destroying the hearts of her children in the process. If she'd had the energy, she might have wept, might have wailed her despair for all to hear, but Khoe wanted to keep her composure, if only for the kids. And if Grayday appeared, well, she hadn't made it that far.