Mother Like Mine

Briar stood behind Zephyr as he got closer to the falls and the rocks that surrounded them, ready to catch the hopping youngling just in case, while the mist and droplets form the waterfall's spray started to dampen her fur and made her blink against it. She smiled at his question, lifting her paw to pet over the fluff of feathers on top of his head to ease his worries as he seemed to fret at the possibility that the waterfalls and the stream might possibly run out and go away one day. "Don't worry, darling. They're not going anywhere and if they do it won't be for a very, very long time. Sometimes streams and rivers move or change course, but it takes many, many years for that to happen. Plus, it never really runs out."

She lifted her paw again, this time to point up at the lazy clouds that were slowly floating by overhead. "The water we have down here on the ground eventually evaporates and floats up to form those clouds. Then when those clouds get big and heavy the water rains down on us again and fills up the streams and rivers and lakes all over again. It's a big cycle that makes sure we always have fresh water to drink and that our plants keep growing." She looked back down at Zephyr again, giving him a grin. "Pretty cool, huh?" By now the fur all around her face, chest, and neck was wet and starting to clump together from the fall's mist, but it was completely worth it to have these little moments and lessons with Zephyr.

"Briar Carpathius"