Swiftcurrent Creek I long to be loyal

Bazi glanced up to see how Jace was doing, only to find that he had already won - several fat fish lay on the ground next to him, but the darker youth was so engrossed in his activity that the victory hadn't registered. "Hey - Jace! You've already won," she barked at him from across the water, pushing her own catch back into the water. Creek watered plastered her normally voluminous fur to her legs and belly, giving her the look of a peculiarly groomed domestic dog.

"You've caught enough for two," Bazi told him, splashing through the shallows with high steps and leaping onto the bank with a yip. Without bothering to shake or groom, she snatched one of the slippery bodies by the tail, and settled into the grass to eat. She turned a wide, slightly bloody smile in the direction of the sun and uttered a hugely satisfied "Mmmmm!"