Hoshor Plains We picked up the shards and formed them into shapes of stars

The blackbear was rarely without a laugh in her chest or a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, but she looked at Sumac now with heartbroken tenderness. He had lost so much, and at a time where his life was just reaching fullness. She knew what loss felt like, and what loneliness could do to a wolf's injured spirit. His family's absence left holes that could not be filled with distractions and kind words. But she thought that, perhaps, kind words could be a funnel and a sieve.


"Your family laughs and sings and loves among the stars," she said softly, reaching out to pull Sumac into a motherly embrace. "You longed to be there with them. There is no shame in this. But they will be waiting there for you until your time comes. For now, you are here. And here, you will laugh and sing and love again. I promise you this, Sumac."

She pulled back to look him in the eye, resting a heavy paw on his shoulder.

"The ones we love never truly leave us," she told him. "They are with you. Let them guide your heart. Because your love is endless, and there is always more to give and more to be given. Even when you feel most alone — someone is on their way. There is another soul that would rejoice with yours, just as your family's. Just as mine."