Northstar Vale A non-fiction fantasy

"Actually, I've been searching all day but I only recently came across this trail," she answered, embarrassment prominent in her tone. She eyed him, coming to his side again, and motioning eastward with her muzzle. "It gets stronger heading to where the sun rises." Maybe this was her way of not seeming completely incompetent, but this was such a small accomplishment that she felt no particular joy in reciting her small clot of knowledge.

They moved, almost in unison, along the planted track. Though she had no real pretext for tandem hunting, she moved with the stranger easily, instinctively parrying his gait, their conjoined movements as silent as gravity allowed. She couldn't remark on how comfortable this was, especially with the unnamed male, but it was at the back of her mind anyway.

"I'm trying to find some reliable sources of prey for my pack. I'm—I'm new there, and I really want to make a good impression..." Diane gushed suddenly with no clear pretext that he was in any way concerned with her menial life. "I haven't been proving to be much of anything but a nuisance so far, I think," she added, using the lowly opinion of herself rather than the perception of herself she had been given by others. "Sorry," she muttered, suddenly becoming aware of the babble trailing through her lips. "I.. I didn't mean to ramble."