Lost Creek Hollow Don't you lie, your cheeks are blushing red.

Ashlar? That was a very nice name, she decided. It sounded very strong, even though he seemed so very, very small. Upon hearing the name the boy seemed to perk up; Ibis had watched him nose-dive in to the dirt but thought nothing of it, yet when he came careening towards her, she gasped and side-stepped towards Gannet as if the child was about to do some actual harm. She wasn't sure what to do -- he had so much energy! Then he stopped short, bowed, and slapped his paws against the earth.

Ibis knew precisely what that meant — and she was overwhelmed by a brief but stirring comparison to Okeanos. His little growl, the sneering puppy face, the invitation; she couldn't just sit there, even if she was a bit out-of-sorts by the child's exuberant energy. She ducked her head and shoulders low, her forelimbs spreading in a vee, and called to him with a rrrruff!