Arrow Lake we'll do it all, everything, on our own

There was something in her mother’s voice that Piper had missed beyond the telling of it. She didn’t want to admit that she had, but she could feel it in the beating of her heart and the aching of her limbs. Had she been any stronger, the Redleaf girl would have risked everything to venture back with them instead of on her own. She knew better, though. The wildfire had found her own limitations after having been on her own for so long. Piper was no fool; she would call it quits for some time before she set out.
 
“Don’t worry, ma. I will find you as soon as I’m rested and able. I’ve gotten good at travelling,” the girl assured her mother with a nudge beneath the woman’s chin and a soft kiss there. Her words were intended as a promise – one she would not break. As much as she had tried to impulsively make decisions based on what she believed to be right, Piper missed them, and she did not want to be without them again.
 
After saying her farewells, Piper turned away slowly to find a place where she could rest her weary limbs.