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(Ed. note: "Fly-Quiet Highthing" is Butterfly; her sister is Softlock, her son and daughter are Strand and Stormdancer, and "Little-Bird Highthing" is Kestrel.) Very sad and very quiet, Dewdrop sat on a tuft of grass, surrounded by the comforting presence of its fellow Preservers. Before them, all of the Highthings were gathered at the river's edge near to the great rocks, all of them very sad and very quiet, too. Ahead of most, nearest the water's edge, stood four Highthings wielding long poles. These were Fly-Quiet Flyhighthing’s family; her sister, her son and daughter, and her daughter's daughter, Little-Bird Flyhighthing. In front of them upon a raft of woven sticks lay Fly-Quiet Flyhighthing herself. Her dress of many straps was grey and blue. Her hair was brown and flowers of many colors had been woven into her dagger-long bangs. Her eyes were closed. Soon the body which had held Fly-Quiet Flyhighthing's spark would be floating away. And soon all would sit together under the stars to sing and growler-howl and tell tales of Fly-Quiet Flyhighthing's life, and the spark she gave to the whole tribe. Dewdrop couldn’t wait that long. It had something to say, and it had to say it right then and there. Before the first two pole-bearers could get their feet wet, Dewdrop flew ahead of them and landed upon the raft. Its feet found purchase in the tangle of sticks beside its friend's head. It felt a sudden urge to add its head-topper to the many other flowers it had already gathered for her, and did so. Then it looked to its friend's closed eyes and it sang; "Dewdrop never has Highthing-friend before Preservers always enough for Dewdrop Then comes Fly-Quiet Flyhighthing Is pretty and nice and flies real good And is self-quiet like Dewdrop All the times we talk and laugh and sing Dewdrop not know if has Highthing-friend again But Dewdrop has Fly-Quiet Flyhighthing Now Dewdrop's spark is muchbright The Highthings waited until Dewdrop had said its piece and flown up from the raft, and very sadly and very quietly they took to their poles and started to push the raft on its way. Dewdrop returned to its fellows, and buried its tearful eyes in the folds of Flutterby's headdress.
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