Swiftcurrent Creek a merchant's daughter fair

She was not quite sure if he was trying to joke with her or not, so she only gave him an even stare in response to his first question. The latter statement he made was far more important to her, anyway. She wondered if she was one of the ties he spoke of, but thought better of asking. It would make her seem... like she cared? Well, she did, but she didn't want him to know that. Something about dragging boys along was just too dang fun.

The fact that Cutthroat had done his part to help Swiftcurrent caused Fox to shift her suitors around in the fuzzy list she kept in her head. As the days grew shorter and colder, she had no doubt that her list would move from fuzzy to crystal-clear. And if it didn't? Well, she could not be certain of what outcome that would bring. One way or another, she would have her children.

“We shall have to make their lives miserable, I suppose,” she said with a yawn. Already, Fox was planning all the ways she could terrorize them. She had no desire to get herself killed, but she wouldn't mind being maimed a bit here and there.

When he said nothing, Fox put her chin to the ground and drifted to sleep.