Hushed Willows we're stuck in slow life.

He could have wallowed, now that Tambourine was cognizant enough to realize how long his mother had been gone and how much he missed her. But that wasn't really his style. Instead, the boy preoccupied himself with searching endlessly for Tavi, sticking his little nose in every nook and cranny in and around the Keep. So far, he hadn't found so much as a trace of her, yet he didn't let that discourage him. Searching gave the youngster something to do other than sit there and miss her terribly.

After a long afternoon spent combing the territory's southern border, Tambourine trotted back toward The Crook to grab something for supper. He was going through a growth spurt, his body leaner and his legs longer, and he tripped over himself a few times. But like with everything else, Tambourine didn't let it slow him down. In fact, he tumbled through the willows at breakneck speed, giggling whenever he stumbled and nearly broke his face.

When a twisted willow root was added to the mix, though, the pup actually face-planted, hard. Not only did he get a nose full of dirt, one of his upper canines pierced right through his bottom lip. When he lifted his head and shook it, blood went flying. The pup blinked and pushed himself upright, tonguing the new hole in his mouth and tasting the salty, bitter fluid. The wound stung but he couldn't leave it alone, even when he heard familiar voices just on the other side of the treacherous tree.