Soft come the dragons

Koontz stood there a moment, pondering the various possible meanings behind the random nickname, yet the mention of their first new recruit effectively distracted her. "That's great," she replied earnestly, wishing to meet Pitch as soon as possible and get used to the idea of her being a part of their group. "Why didn't you eat it?" she queried absentmindedly even as they began to walk away from the ledge and into the woods.

After watching Ariston battle with a shrub for several moments, Koontz smiled and neatly sidestepped it, joining him on the towpath beyond it. "I like that you don't always take the easy way out, Ax. I think that's a good trait for an Alpha to have," she observed in a slightly impish voice.

In the next moment, however, she grew quite serious again as she focused on the task at hand: scrounging up some breakfast. "I say we check out the herd," she suggested, looking sideways at her cohort. He was the leader, so she would leave the decision up to him. Already, she pictured a deer carcass lying at their feet, and Koontz licked her chops as saliva filled her mouth.