Silverlight Terrace benevolent surrealism

Ragna regarded the youth warily as she spoke, then shrugged. Mountain caves are seldom unoccupied, they replied sagely. Even if all they found was a handful of bats, Ragna preferred skipping the bother. There was much to be said for sleeping in the open, and nothing for them to fear. If the weather turned south, they were capable of finding shelter. And Ragna had nothing to fear from those desperate enough to attack travelers in neutral territory.

They shook their head. I am traveling, they said. I am only waiting until morning. Morning, they would go to see if they still had family nearby, and then they would move on to find a new pack. The Shieldmaiden gestured to the towering mountain behind them Tell me, do you come from the mountain? If she did, there was surely still a pack there. And if there was a pack, maybe Charon was still there.