Blacktail Deer Plateau Stronger

Grayday released her scruff as soon as his lefg was free. He regained his footing just as Pema made what Grayday considered to be a grave mistake.

"Exposing your belly and neck should be a last resort," he warned, his heart thudding unevenly at the thought of what might happen to Pema if this had been a real fight. "Anywhere you'd bite to try and kill a deer should be as protected as possible. It's better to get your back torn to shreds than to get one bad bite to your midsection."

Like most things that Grayday lived by, there was a 'my aunt/uncle died from that' story that went along with it. His mother had been fond of cautionary tales that ended in the death of a sibling.