Phoenix Maplewood death of a naturalist

She was the second of Scarlett's brood that Reek had the pleasure of meeting. The term, however, was used very loosely. Even in the short time Reek spent in the pup's presence, he could tell something was different about her. She had pulled him aside, interrupting his patrol and introduced herself in a terse and tense manner. Reek complied and responded with an introduction of his own laced with kindness. Then— there was silence. That weird type of silence that made up the bulk of awkward moments. Taking that as his cue to resume his patrol, Reek turned and came very close to walking away.

Then, the silence was broken with an abrupt question. Reek turned back and faced the pup. "Uhh," he mumbled, taken slightly off guard. "What?" He may have been a fount of information when it came to plants, but Reek was nowhere near qualified to answer the child's question accurately. He was no naturalist— but he was also not the type to admit he didn't know the answer. Wracking his brain for a moment, all Reek could muster was a second, "Uhhhhhhhh—"