"Got it. Hold on - someone's at the door. Gotta check."

"Night, Dad. Give Mom a kiss for me."

"Will do, son. Sleep well."

The mind-link fades, and I stretch out on the couch, getting comfortable. Mom might be able to help with all this - she went through something similar years back. Maybe she knows someone who could help with the process.

I focus my hearing upstairs, picking up soft snores from both my mate and pup. A smile spreads across ...