We had to fly out from Minneapolis to Atlanta early Friday morning. It was a small group; Adrienne, Liv, Vicki, Mike, and Anita. We left Susan back home; the breaking of her mate bond was causing her problems, and she needed to stay with her children. There would be plenty of Scratch and Sniffs for her to attend when she had recovered from his death.

It was the first time Vicki had flown in an airplane, and she loved looking out the window. Adrienne and I had exit row seats with Mike, leaving Anita, Liv, and Vicki a few rows behind us. The bond comes in very handy when flying,...