"it costs no thing for me to be kind," kukutux demurred, though she found it interesting that vallkyrie hailed neither from moonspear nor the glen. to the duck's green eye, it felt as though she had allied herself with bronco, at least. she wondered where the scarred young hunter had gone, but suspected somehow that he was with meerkat.

"he has been defeated by the death of moonspear," she said plainly of her nephew, not wishing to undermine him for her affections were clear. but clear also was the loyalty of the fireflies to antares, and she would respect this always. "have you seen that there are ah, elk, in the valley?" kukutux ventured, stumbling somewhat as she sought to remember the word. the pain of loss lived too in the glacier-woman. perhaps going out into the land might be healing to her.