Emberwood the art of barter

Smash did not take a second bite right away, choosing to keep her mouth free for conversation for a moment. Luke commiserated with her, mentioning that he had a friend working on founding her own pack. Her brows lifted curiously, though before she could ask a thousand questions about his plans, Luke wanted to know what she thought of the fish. He also included a gracious compliment about the rabbit, which earned a quick smile from her dark face.

"It's the bee's knees," she told him, offering a wink. "I'm glad you like the icebox rabbit, though. Would it be weird to take something like this," she continued, pointing a dark chocolate toe at the dried fish, "and stick it in the water to cool again? Would that just, like, ruin the entire point?"

She bent forward to nibble off a small strip of trout jerky, then as she chewed, Smash said, "Tell me all about this pack, Mr. Bluenose! I don't think you mentioned it last time. In fact, I don't think we talked much about that kind of thing. How crazy is it that two social butterflies like us are both feeling this way? Obviously, this is a sign that we need to combine forces and create our own pack of kindred spirits. Party pack in the house!"