Blackfeather Woods i have almost forgotten the taste of fear

She smiles at his kind touch, though she does not miss the disappointment that flashes momentarily across his features before speaking. He had called for all of them, and only she had shown up. Well, and she would hear him out, and do her best to carry out whatever he was to have her do.

Vaati's words ended up bewildering her, though. "War?" she parroted, confused. She thought on it for a long moment. "That's like a big fight, right? Scary and bloody?" Maegi had heard it mentioned in tales before, but the thought of it coming to life--right here in their territory, no less--sent a frisson of fear down her spine.

She was confused, further, by his warning, though perhaps it had been crafted for all three pups. She had barely even poked her head out of the trees; it was too bright outside for her tastes, the blanket of snow gleaming in the unfettered sun. Maegi preferred the dank darkness of the woods, where the gods spoke loudest.

"Okay," she said, her voice unsure. It wasn't as if she were planning on disobeying him--quite the contrary. Maegi was beginning to learn the usefulness of rules and laws, social hierarchies and all that. But this war was something she'd not heard mentioned, and now she was frightened--for herself, but more for her family. Vaati, who already bore a scar. Her brothers, far more inclined to wander past the borders.