Blacktail Deer Plateau We kill dragons

lasher swept to dante's side, eyes brimming with worry. saena reeked of blood and dirt, and fox's scent coated her thickly. blue willow already crouched alongside the girl, murmuring and mothering. the sharp tang of dante's anger rested heavily in the atmosphere; lasher had come running from his patrol on the opposite border to join them.

there was no sense to it! he had seen saena not long ago, during his trek to visit the wayward girls, and wondered if she had gone to the caldera to tell peregrine of junior's status. jaw tensing, he looked to dante, awaiting the silver wolf's command. 

his eyes swept to osprey; they were all gathered about saena, and he felt a brief and unwarranted glissade of pleasure at the sight of the aunt's concern for her niece. he too moved toward saena, adding his tongue to the healing nature of wolf-medicine.

saena began to speak, and her words caused lasher's blood to chill within his veins; he paused in the cleansing of her wounds and glanced first at the willow, then to dante. where was peregrine? why had he allowed fox to attempt murder, and against his own daughter, no less? "something is very wrong, that your father did not intervene," he muttered aloud, his eyes alighting upon dante.