Without you, I've lost my way

Koontz wondered if Julooke and Verrine had shared a romantic relationship but did not prod the Kappa. Instead, she queried, "Is there anything I can do?" She also wanted to ask, You aren't going to go looking for him, are you? but, again, refrained from posing a question she thought was inappropriate in the circumstances. The Alpha female felt a little apprehensive as she considered the possibility, then reminded herself that, if Julooke had intended to go after Verrine, she would've already left.

"I know it's going to be hard, adjusting to life without him here, but I really hope you will still be happy and at home with the Dragonwatchers," Koontz said after a short, thoughtful silence. "We need you here," she said softly. Yildun needed her to stay more than anybody else, yet Koontz knew Julooke already knew that and didn't need the Alpha to remind her; that would be patronizing. She just wanted—needed—the Kappa to know that she was a valuable asset to the pack.

Rustling back near the tree line made the yearling turn her head, her ear pricked. "Excuse me, Julooke," she said, padding toward the source of the noise. The sound demanded her attention as both a protective leader and an opportunistic hunter. Almost immediately, she smelled the scent of a squirrel. It was screened by some low-growing shrubbery, yet nonetheless startled when the she-wolf came closer. It bolted up the nearest tree.

Instinctively, Koontz snapped into action, lunging at the rodent as it scurried upward. Her teeth clipped an inch of its bushy tail and she growled savagely as she yanked. She flung the squirrel toward the ground, opened her jaws and then administered a crushing bite to its head. The carcass slumped lifelessly to the ground in a pool of blood and gristle.

After cleaning the mess off her teeth and muzzle, Koontz plucked up her fresh kill, strode back toward Julooke and wordlessly dropped the squirrel between them. Just to make her intentions crystal clear, she then nudged the dead squirrel toward the Kappa and backed off a few feet, resuming a position on her hoary haunches.