Dún do shúil, a rún mo chroí

Her Uncle accepted her embrace, and she tamped down the sting in her eyes as he introduced his charge, giving the girl – Corbie – a gentle smile as her thundercloud-colored uncle commended the girl. She recognized the explanation for what it was—a reference. He was vouching that his young charge was a boon to have around. Her chest tightened inside, squeezing her lungs as he spoke of her grandmother’s pride. “Fa was, too.”

Her throat tightened on the words and she breathed in, smoothing the emotions down to be dealt with later. If her father had held on, just a while longer… but he’d been ready. What-ifs were pointless to dwell upon for too long. Reflection on past mistakes was one thing; such retrospect helped prevent the same mistakes from happening. But dwelling on what couldn’t be changed, and what must be accepted, would only lead one down fresh heart ache.

A flash of glowing wings drew her eyes up, and she welcomed the chance to blink at the sky as Lyr’s feathered form dropped neatly onto the wall. The raven’s mismatched eyes blinked at her as the thick bill clacked cheerfully.

“I’ve someone, several of them, I’d like you to meet, Uncle.”

The first of them, or possibly the only one, depending on how much time Tornach had to meet all her children, rounded a particularly tall tussock of grass, ink-black coat shimmering and sparking as it always did, and some of her own pain eased as she gazed at the boy.

“Uncle Tórnach, Corbie, this is my eldest son, Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi. Ardyn, this is your Uncle Tórnach, and his charge, Corbie Silverwind.”

As she rattled off the long name, some of her humor revived itself at her son’s amused eyeroll, and she added, "He's the eldest of five. He has a brother, Coran, and three sisters, Amorielle, Laoise, and Aoife. Amory and Lee are both dedicated healers in training." And Aoife was a little ball of prickly goodness and sass in a class all her own.

There was no change in tone from one child to the next as she spoke of her two daughters being dedicated to healing. Pure love and pride glowed in her features and voice, and a tentative hope that verged on bracing for heartbreak as she added, a bit more softly, "If you have time, I'd love for you to meet them, and their father."

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think