Wapun Meadow How else would we find satisfactory meats to feed those sad, scrawny animals?

When a small shade with tall ears detached from the deeper shadows under the trees, he did so with a surreptitious glance at his surroundings. The coast was clear. Just how he'd come this far without being caught was a mystery for another time, but now that he was here, Aventus wasted no time slipping into the shadow of the valley's high walls. Another glance shot over his shoulder revealed no pursuers, so he scampered up the hill to the meadow beyond, keeping his shoulder tight to the wall as he went.

He didn't have long. By his childish estimate, Astara would be onto him before the sun reached its peak in the sky, and that time wasn't very far away. He quailed at the thought of what punishment she would dole out for his stepping outside the pack territory, but he was quickly becoming an independent and selectively defiant little imp. His sister was bold and brash and pushed boundaries day and night. By comparison, Aventus was sweet, meek and quiet and obedient... until everyone's attention was elsewhere, and then began his rumpus.

Now the fleet Bearberry scurried into the meadow and became lost within the tall grass which tickled his nose and brushed his flanks, eliciting nary a giggle to betray him.