Wheeling Gull Isle The Boy Who Lived

I guess we can skip Padma for now until she shows up? If you want.

It was the whimpering that alerted Strand. It was a strange noise, one she hadn’t heard before that had been caused by something other than her own angry presence. It wasn’t Padma, for the voice beneath the whine didn’t sound like her friend, nor did she smell Padma’s presence. She followed the sound, brows furrowed, and called out, “Who’s there? Why are you crying?” She was silently judging this stranger for whatever they were whining about. After all, she had nearly died and had cried less than this about it (not true, but she told herself that it was). So, unless this stranger was literally dying, she would think them a fool for crying like this. Besides. She didn’t recognize their scent, which meant that they were trespassing on her island. “Come out where I can see you,” she demanded.