Horizon Ridge i do like to be beside the seaside

"I would do anything Odinn asked of me to do, but it is not so complex as most think."

Bazi's brow furrowed softly over her wide, pale eyes as she struggled to process this information. If she ignored the nuances, the answer was just yes - he would do anything to meet the demands of his faith, and that, as far as Bazi was concerned, made him crazy and unpredictable. She suppressed a shudder at the memory of her mother's and aunts' stories about wolves that dreamed of murder, took it for a command, and carried out the act without question the next morning. What would happen if Björn had a bad dream, or lost his mind?

But he hadn't just said yes, she reminded herself. The way he spoke of Odinn and Valhalla made it sound to Bazi like he was merely layering fantastical elaborations on top of earthly needs - like food, and mateship, and territory. Rape and torture were not the exclusive domain of the religious either, she thought, though the acts might be easier to perpetrate if you convinced yourself it was in the name of something greater. The actions that scared her the most were the ones that ran counter to survival instinct, or pushed wolves to conjure conflict out of thin air. It remained to be seen how far Björn's beliefs would take him.

"I understand," she said, and did - but could not empathize, nor shake the knot of unease that grew with each wondrous detail. By this point, the sun had taken on the colour of mature cheese, and the already weak warmth of it was waning. It was time go, and Bazi signalled the fact by stretching out her hind legs. "Thank you for allowing me into the Ridge. Is there anyone you wish to send regards to, anyone you know? I will tell the Creek that you are all well despite the setback - and you are very welcome to visit, any time, should the mood strike. I will catch you a fresh river trout as thanks."