Stone Circle you were supposed to destroy the sith, not join them!

It was not the boy he spied buzzing around that stain on the horizon; it was not Merrit who broke away from the stones and came to intercept Tulimaq, but someone just as youthful. She was dark of complexion, healthy, young. The way she carried herself indicated she was respected but — according to Tulimaq and all he knew of Easthollow — she would not come to him as a warrior, would not be trained to handle him at his worst. He stood there waiting and watching, and then she introduced herself.

The beta? How could one so young be considered so highly? It must have been a familial connection that resulted in such a promotion. Tulimaq stands there, sizing Steph up, making assumptions and judgement as he was prone to do. He wonders if this is a trick. A game that the child wishes to play — but he decides to take it seriously, if only for a moment. To entertain the prospect of a yearling being someone important.

I called for Merrit—you are not him. He speaks candidly, making an observation. It is at this point he wonders if, maybe, this girl is his sister. They don't look alike but they seem similarly youthful; if not littermates, then something else. But part of the same family, certainly. I am Tulimaq, his tutor. It is time for another lesson.