Heron Lake Plateau Is it for the best? My reputation's never been worse

Raven grinned at the girl's response to her explanation, clearly pleased at the youth's interest in her work. With all the bad-assery that accompanied such roles as warrior and hunter, it wasn't often that the more subdued, intellectual pursuits got a lot of appreciation. As pupils went, Raven thought Fiadh might make a great one and, if the girl was serious about learning a thing or two about caregiving, she thought it'd be enjoyable to tutor her.

When Fiadh asked her next question, Raven was quiet for a few beats. The memory of her father's bastard daughter attempting to rip Wildfire's head off was still there, painfully clear despite the fact that it was buried deep beneath layers of repression and dulled somewhat by the passage of time. "When I was a little pup, my sister Wildfire -- I don't think you've met her, she lives in Drageda now -- got hurt." She decided the gruesome details weren't important, sparing Fiadh the exact events that had taken place. "I felt so helpless seeing her in pain. I wanted to fix her, but I didn't know how." She grinned at Fiadh now, a warmth shining in her yellow eyes as she recalled her mentor and the first real friend she'd had outside of her family. "Your aunt Tiger was a healer and a very dear friend to me. She taught me what she could and helped me find my purpose in life. Everything I know now, I've built on the foundation that she gave me."

Tiger was also one of the main reasons why Raven hadn't gone off the deep end into insanity after watching her father decapitate Wildfire's attacker. She had given Raven a purpose and something productive on which to focus her mind, thus keeping it from wandering too far and becoming lost. It was a shame Fiadh would never get the chance to know Tiger. Raven still missed the light-hearted Blackthorn and thought of her often; somehow, she thought that Fiadh would have liked her very much.