Silvertip Mountain i looked up

He smiled at her story, both because it amused him and because he had always been charmed by the idea of family lineages. Having no father to speak of, and with his mother dead and gone in his adolescence, he had none of those kinds of anecdotes to offer--so he loved hearing of them.

"It's wonderful," Phocion responded, holding back a wistful sigh. She had made him suddenly homesick. "Everyone is so loving and kind. We're priests, missionaries, artists, hunters. We don't spill blood unless absolutely necessary. All are considered part of the family."

His head turned suddenly southward, glancing toward where he had come from. "Veeri, I came here to start a tribe of my own. To bring the beliefs that saved me to Teekon," he explained. "It will take time. . .but someday, I will have a family here. Perhaps even here, on this mountain."