today heda went farther than she had before.
keeping paisley's instruction in mind, she looked for those whiskeyjack birds, wet her nose, and made sure she had picked out the distinctive scent of rivenwood before she left.
the first hours did not dissuade her. it was only when the girl looked back and saw how far she had come that unease began to settle in. but heda would not be halted by fear.
the appearance of a sweeping valley chased all doubt from her mind. heda saw with pleasure that there were a cluster of spot-bellied birds among the cold grass, and began to stalk toward them.