Swiftcurrent Creek I wanna hold you close

She twisted her ears to indicate her interest in what he had to say, and what a tactical mind he possessed! Jinx was unaware who else patrolled the pack's borders. Perhaps Njal haunted them when she herself was not in their vicinity. Jinx suspected the boxy male was one of these creatures of habit, though in truth, so was she. In their own ways, they all were beasts of burden, chugging through the same motions every day. All for the protection of the home.

"What would you tell these habitual types?" she wondered, aware for once that she was among the flawed. She paused, then presented a scenario for him. "Suppose it was your own land. What would you have them do to improve?" If Aethon were to one day lead, then it was imperative that he put his strategies into action. Recognizing that they were doing something wrong was one thing, but determining a fix was quite another. Jinx had never encountered such a situation in Shearwater Bay, so she did not have the answers.

Still, what he had to say interested her. The boy vowed to use his sneaking prowess to learn others' secrets, earning an approving grin from Jinx. "Remember," she advised, "if they discover you, sometimes standing and staring them down is enough to unnerve them."