Bramblepoint Choke the chicken

taltos had fully expected peregrine to ignore him and continue on, but instead the dark man paused with a sigh. the cadence of his voice was soft, familiar, and lasher nodded grimly at the reiteration of his earlier words. within his heart, he felt that if casmir or eilidh had been the attacker, he would not have slain them, but such rage had filled him at the sight of the woman thrusting her jaws through the thorns for deirdre's tiny body.

even if he had know the thoughts within the panther's mind, taltos would not have been angered, for it was true! he had cursed peregrine in the name of the glen, but without a clear heart and soul, and it had come back upon him. he had not lost his witch, however, but peregrine had been made bereft of a child.

"no. two daughters were born to me upon the coast this past winter," he murmured gently. "the plateau is no more. we brought ourselves nearer the sea." 

he was relieved, deeply and completely, to speak so openly with peregrine once more.