Whitefish River down to the river

Now mom was coming, too. Spica had just wanted to check out all her old hangouts and explore all the new places she hadn't seen yet as a wee child, but now she was just on an outing with mom and -- barf -- dad. She didn't really like it. She wouldn't have minded mom's company, really, nor Emrik's. But both of them together was a bit much, because it was a constant reminder of how Emrik was trying to steal her mother away from her and how they were soooo in love or whatever. Emrik alone she couldn't cheeked at, and Speedy alone she could've learned from or have interesting conversations with. But together, somehow they melted into a blob of boring civilianship that left Spica with a bitter taste in her mouth.

She was surprised to hear that Emrik knew about the plateau, though. The plateau? Doesn't a pack live there? she asked, betraying that she had visited it once -- when she and Syrma had been much younger, just before they left the river. She didn't know the pack had left since.