Neverwinter Forest darling dears o'mine

He was braced, his muzzle tilted in the direction of the den, though the whispering was only something he could hear, rather than determine the words spoken. Of course, he could not miss Eshe’s bellow of ‘sickem boys!’ but despite their small legs and tiny paws, the boys moved with a surprise speed of enthusiasm toward their target: him.
 
The balls of fluff shot out of the den, and just as Rannoch knocked to his forelimbs, Cypress pounced to his hindquarters. Not one to withhold a good lesson, or even the fun of the moment, the dark agouti wolf fell back as if pushed by two great warriors, a grin pressing to his lips before he uttered a “Whoa!”
 
And then he promptly fell backward to his side, like a fallen tree, shutting his eyes and pretending to be completely knocked out cold.