Blackfeather Woods they call me

A thrill went through her at Kove's faint smile, and the verbal bone-throw that followed. She knew that it was a small feat, but a feat nonetheless--and now she had a prayer to hold close, to say at the Altar. For Mephala.

He asked her if she wanted to learn another prayer, or to practice the one she'd been taught. While Maegi was tempted to leap headlong into another adventure of words, she knew it would be prudent to take it slow. She wouldn't be able to keep it all down if she went too fast. "I want to hear it again," she said softly.

His next question, however, threw her off. She hadn't really thought about hunting, much. The able-bodied in the pack kept the caches pretty well stocked, and while she had been able to overtake birds that had broken their wings or bugs missing limbs, she had not actively pursued the art of stalking and pouncing. Her gait was too clumsy, too noisy for that.

But Kove could teach her that, too.

Maegi nodded slowly, with some trepidation. While prayers and lore came naturally to her, the nitty-gritty--hunting, fighting, and the like--did not. She was afraid of embarrassing herself in front of her new teacher--but better to be embarrassed now rather than later, right? At least Kove would be somewhat forgiving.

"Okay," she agreed. "I guess I can learn to hunt, too."