Blackfeather Woods and when the band plays "hail to the chief"

The more Maegi spoke the less impressed Nightstar found himself. Or rather, he found himself reluctantly impressed that she had become this pack's leader, but it did little to bolster his opinion of her. Part of him wondered if her gods were the same sort that had driven his family to exile himself and his sister from their pack — but it had been a long time since he'd had to worry about such things, and he was not a helpless pup anymore.

Her gods cannot touch me, he reminded himself, but was very aware that she could. He looked down at the dry, festering coyote at his paws and felt an emotion with strange clarity — he was wary, he realized, of the pale young shewolf. And perhaps a bit afraid.

"I am pleased to know you, Maegi," he said after a moment, the feeling fading back into his bones, until he was unpleasantly but comfortingly numb once more. "Please accept this, little as it is, as an offering to your and your children." He wanted to be done with it. And done with her. But he remained polite and asked, "Is there somewhere I can help you take it?"