Phoenix Maplewood we drew our heavy revolvers and exultantly killed the gods

He didn't know why they were there, but Ephraim didn't speak up to ask when Heda signalled to them to fall back. He found a place alongside the much larger Robin, where he watches the maplewood's fiery canopy with caution. The pack borders were well marked and the scent of foreign wolves was thick in the air, churning the boy's stomach. His upbringing and his ancestry both made him flighty about being so close to another's territory.

He glanced sidelong at Bobby as if to silently convey his confusion about this pit stop, but then a brown-coated women emerged from the forest, and his utmost attention went to her. It wasn't out of respect per se—oh, he knew all the rules of etiquette, but she was a stranger and he was a knave from a family whose very blood was conniving. Rather, he was a naturally suspicious young man who couldn't read her intentions past her confident demeanor.