Arrow Lake Saturday, the public library will be unknowable

The last thing Dragomir was expecting was to be ruthlessly assaulted. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but when Blodreina loomed abruptly out of the darkness and snapped her jaws inches from him, his heart pounded so fiercely into his throat that he felt like he was physically struck. With a keening cry he stumbled backward, tears leaping to his lids out of nowhere as fright cascaded through him. He peed a little on the way down and found himself cowering on his side as Blodreina growled over him.

He couldn't help but to repeat the words she said that stood out to him: Ask? First? He remained unmoving on the floor of the den even after Blodreina pulled back and introduced Praimfaya. His wide eyes fell to the tiny pup, but his tail stayed plastered to his underbelly as he went on: Pry fy? Pay? Genil? Stong? He knew play and he knew gentle, but it was fortunate that he was too hesitant now to take her invitation; Dragomir knew the word, but he was as gentle as a boulder smashing through a village. Him hurting Praimfaya was inevitable if he tried to play with her, for he didn't yet understand his own strength, much less how to control it.

When the small cub abandoned her toy and began a determined crawl toward him, Dragomir finally moved from his downed position; he found his feet and crouched there, whining uncertainly as his eyes lifted to Blodreina and awaited another reaction.