081 | Chalice of Bravery

Rhiannon’s POV

The fruit tree had everyone in Night Wind ready to celebrate. People were calling it a gift from the Moon Goddess, swearing she’d finally seen our plight and had given us a boon for our loyalty to her, even in these darkest of times. The message on the tree had sold it for most people and, while I hated that so many people were clamouring to get close to Dad’s plaque for reasons that had nothing to do with him, I had heard people murmuring that our family had been blessed in return for our loss.

My full belly helped ease the pain and people were, for the most part, respectful. I still had time to walk Foxy Spangles out into the woods and sit in silence with Dad’s memory – only now, the tree provided food for us both. I’d noticed that Foxy particularly liked blackberries, and whenever I took him with me, there always seemed to be an abundance of blackberries on the low-hanging branches.

It did make me wonder if those awed whispers could hold some truth. Had the strange f