"Uncertain Horizons: A Mother’s Farewell"

Chapter III opens with Bala and Napsumi overlooking the valley at dawn, where maternal tenderness deepens the ache of approaching separation. As visitors offer quiet support, Bala reflects upon lineage, memory, and the burdens of the Spiritwalk tradition. The distant presence of Grandfather stirs unresolved sorrow, recalling bonds altered by time and silence. Conversations with Pretty Prairie and Mother reveal both tension and enduring affection, while hope emerges through mention of Abequa’s uncertain fate. Beneath the valley’s calm rhythms, Bala’s inner conflict sharpens — duty contending with fear, love tempered by inevitability. By day’s end, solitude calls, and Bala walks toward twilight carrying both doubt and determination.