Sun Mote Copse This is the thread that never ends.

It would have been easy for all of them to remain frozen, unable to move, and Avery wished she could stop time — actually, that she could rewind it first, then stop it. But Towhee began to take steps, literally and figuratively, and Avery nodded as she was asked to stay with Meerkat.

She sidled closer to the pup, lowering herself to her haunches with her gaze fixed on Towhee and Penn. They would go see their parents’ bodies, she knew, before Towhee even said it. Part of her wanted to go, but another piece couldn’t face the sight again, as strangely peaceful as it was.

She snapped her head to one side at the sound of Eljay’s voice; it was coincidence, it seemed, that had brought him here, but he was empathetic enough to read the situation. Avery could hear in his tone that he suspected what had happened. She didn’t want to be the one to confirm it, though, and she looked helplessly back at Towhee and Penn.