Blackfeather Woods Oh good God, let me give you my life

Astrid was not scared of him. He was holding back, whether for his own sanity or that of hers. Funny. The fight had been one-sided, and she still felt like a winner coming out on top. All that he had brought her were marks of joy - the spilling of blood and the first crush of the little girl. She had brought him only pain - and even though she enjoyed it, she doubted Atshen felt the same. No sibling would ever win if they were battling her - mentally, she was as good as gone in a fight that involved blood, but physically she was capable of more due to that.

He was lying. She knew it. He had to love it, too. He simply had to - he was her brother. Still, all he left were his pawprints and the scent she could track. But she would not follow him. She would not even attempt to do so. She was tired of today anyway, and she limped back to the den - not saying a word to anyone who dared questioning her.