Rio knew what it was like to have a family that wasn't quite normal. Along with her mothers infrequent appearances, her father lived in Crimson Dreams to the south of her home. She saw him as often as she could — she loved her father — but he wasn't always there when she needed him. She understood that he had other family to attend to, but she still missed him. In her time on Earth she'd learned to rely on one wolf in the world, Xeris. She was not her mother by blood, but in Rio's eyes she was more of a mothering figure than Naniko had ever been. The latter was like a distant angel whose love was always above her reach.
Since hearing Mati's words about the dangers of the world, Rio was acutely aware of the growing shadows. Without her sister by her side, she knew she would have been frightened through the entire walk home. Thank you, Mati she said, giving her sister's waist a very weak by well-meant squeeze. Already she felt love for the kind young woman. Phoenix Valley was not far, and Rio knew that she would feel sadness once she parted with Mati. Until then, though, the coming night couldn't scare her — indeed, it was beautiful with its near dusk vibrancy.
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